In a Bubble!

Bev and I had a great day at Bubble trade show yesterday. We go twice a year to The Business Design Centre in London to view all the collections for the coming season and plan our buying.

We had a great journey into London and managed to see lots of the big landmarks and sights (which for us country girls was quite exciting!)

Most of our suppliers were there and it is really good to catch up with them, put faces to name, see what they have been up to and what they have planned. I think it really helps to keep heybaby* and what we aim to do on track and it certainly helps communication between our suppliers and us, which in turn benefits our customers.

We saw lots of lovely things with Frugi, Toby Tiger and Bobux looking particularly strong. The picture is myself and the lovely Lucy from Frugi on the Frugi stand engrossed in the Autumn/Winter 2012 lookbook. I don't want to wish the Summer away, but at least now we have something to look forward to in the Autumn!

Have you ever seen a Pacapod?

One thing I love about running a small, independent retail business is being able to listen to our customers and react. This might sound an obvious thing for a business to do and most of the big ones out there claim to do it but the process is much slower and somehow 'diluted' the bigger the business is.

We have a new range of fantastic changing bags in the shop (only available in store at the moment but we are hoping we will be able to add them to our website some time soon) directly as a result of requests from customers.

Pacapod was started by a mum of two who loves to be organised. She also has years of experience in a design job and has cycled to far flung places with all her possessions stored in panniers. This experience is evident when you look at a Pacapod bag. Beautifully designed, quality made and functionally brilliant, as you can probably tell, we are impressed!

Each bag comes with internal 'pods' that are easily detachable for use and packing but slot effortlessly back into the main bag. A 'feeder pod' and a 'changer pod' - self explanatory titles, we wont elaborate at the risk of sounding patronising. However in practise, the idea of just taking a pod into the changing room instead of your whole bag or sitting a pod on the table containing everything you need while you feed your little one, sounds great!

I know these bags sound highly functional but they do not compromise on style. Available in a range of fabrics and shapes, there is something for everyone. If you are after a new changing bag you must take a look at the Pacapod range. Available at heybaby* now!

Documenting your pregnancy

News from Don Rob on Vimeo.

I found this awesome video by Don Rob online this morning. I was amazed that somebody would actually have the forethought to plan and make a film like this during their pregnancy. It made me slightly envious that I did not do something similar. If there is one piece of advice I would give pregnant women now it would be to record everything you can. It is amazing when you look back how little you remember and how precious that time is....enjoy!

Customise Your Tripp Trapp!

We have had a busy week with the Stokke Tripp Trapp in the shop this week. I really love it when I get the chance to spend time with customers and talk through products with them. One of the advantages of being a small independent business is that we only sell products that we are passionate about so when we get the chance to talk about them, we are happy!

I have used the Stokke 'customise your Tripp Trapp' tool on our website a few times this week when people have struggled to visualise the colour combinations they are looking at. It has definitely been a bonus and it made me realise we should draw people's attention to it (go to our Tripp Trapp page and scroll down to the bottom).

If you are thinking about buying a Tripp Trapp take a look at it. You can select the colour/design of each component to see exactly what your Tripp Trapp will look like when assembled. Very handy we reckon!

Washing wipes

Most new parents that come to the shop have at least heard of washable nappies, even if they are not considering using them or finding out more. It always surprises me how few parents have heard of or considered using washable wipes.

When I am talking to mums and dads about washable nappies I normally mention the washable wipes. To me it makes perfect sense that if you are washing nappies you may as well also wash your wipes. This way the nappy and the wipes can be put in the same bucket to be washed together rather than disposing of wipes separately. It also has the obvious benefits of saving money, (Cheeky Wipes All in One Kit currently sells for £34.95, how many packets of your normal wipes can you buy for that? Estimates are that disposable wipes can cost as much as £300 for one baby)energy and the health benefits of less hidden ingredients (great for babies with nappy rash or sensitive skin).

Less obvious is the fact that washable wipes make perfect sense for families who have chosen to use disposable nappies. All the benefits still apply but some people feel that washing wipes is less of a commitment than washing nappies.

Cheeky Wipes make a great range of products that include everything you need to use washable wipes whether you use washable nappies or not. The All in One Kit is ideal for families who want to use washable wipes but do not use washable nappies. It includes everything you need to switch entirely from disposable wipes, including 25 wipes, a 'fresh' tub for your clean wipes, a 'mucky' tub (including mesh bag for ease of transfer to the washing machine) for the used wipes, fresh and mucky bags for using wipes away from home and the fresh and mucky oils to make your wipes smell divine!

The Mini Kit has been designed for use with washable nappies, the difference being that the Mini Kit does not include a 'mucky' tub, 'mucky' bag or 'mucky' oil, the assumption being that you will already have a nappy bucket and wet nappy bag if you are washing nappies.

Everyone I know who has tried Cheeky Wipes loves them. We have just ordered the new style kits which include tubs that can be operated with one hand and the option of coloured wipes (perfect if you want to colour code wipes for bottoms and faces).

Take a moment when you next reach for your wipes to consider if you would prefer to have washable wipes? Or ask your baby!

Natural Teething

All babies will, at some point, get their teeth. For some this passes almost unnoticed, but for others it can seem like a real trial: a long, painful, sleepless struggle.

There are all sorts of products out there that claim to help with teething. We are very carful about what we give our children in the way of medication and prefer not to administer infant paracetamol without at least trying a few "natural" alternatives first. After having three teething babies ourselves, and talking to friends and mummies in the shop we can recommend the following:

• teething babies do love to chew but there are lots of alternatives to plastic. First teeth only need something fairly soft, try Sophie the Giraffe made from natural rubber and painted with food grade paints.

• a slightly damp flannel put in the freezer helps relive hot gums, though this really only works at home as your baby will get a bit soggy!

• we found teething granules really effective, particularly if the teething came with red cheeks. Our babies calmed visibly when give these and I have spoken to lots of people who report the same results!

• amber is reported to calm teething babies and specifically designed necklaces can be bought for the purpose. Read more here.

There are also lots of reports of babies getting nappy rash whilst teething and the best thing for this is fresh air! Keep your baby clean, without using wipes if possible as these irritate sore skin, let he nappy area air dry between changes and try a good natural barrier cream such as Green Baby's nappy balm (which has the added benefit of smelling great) or Weleda's Calendula Nappy Change Cream (the calendula will help calm irritated skin).

Good luck to you and your baby and let us know if you have any good ideas we have missed or any funny teething stories to cheer up sleep deprived mums and babies everywhere!

Getting prepared?

We have had lots of couples looking at buggies in the shop since Christmas. It is so interesting talking to people when they are expecting a baby. Attitudes towards when things should be done and what is required vary so much! Some couples arrive in the shop for the first time a few days before the baby is due and say they are after a carrier, a few nappies and some basic baby clothes, others come in as soon as they find out they are pregnant and start building their 'wish list' and have the whole kit ordered before they are even half way through the pregnancy. I guess more than anything it says something about our personalities how we approach the essential preparation required for a baby's arrival.

So, how did you approach it? And did your attitude change with second or subsequent pregnancies? Would you do it differently now? Go on, tell us.....

Happy New Year

Well, the kids are back to school today so the New Year really is here. I always spend the first part of January looking forward to the year ahead, wondering what it might hold, hoping for health, happiness and success not just for my family but for all of our friends and neighbours too. As for many people, I find it a good time to tackle some of those jobs that have been hanging around for a while, pushed to the bottom of the 'to do' list because they are not urgent. It is amazing how revitalised I feel when I manage to cross off some of these old jobs. If only the energy and optimism would last!!

Of course, if you are expecting a baby this year then there is lots to look forward to. Everyone at heybaby* would like to wish all of our friends, customers and neighbours a healthy, happy and laughter filled 2012....Happy New Year!