Countdown to Christmas...1 day to go!

Its Christmas Eve

It happens every year, Christmas sneaks up on us so quickly! 

We have had a great year at heybaby* We are so lucky to have such wonderful, loyal customers. The team here really work together to deliver the best service we possibly can. I think this shows just by the fact that we are still here after 10 years, and going strong!

All that remains is to thank you all for your support. We really do value your custom and your feedback which all helps us become better at what we do.

We would like to wish you all a happy and healthy 2013. Have a great holiday season!

Our sale starts in store on 27th December. See you there x

Countdown to Christmas...5 days to go!

Christmas Cake!

With 5 days to go until the big day I have finally managed to ice the Christmas Cake. It has been hectic here this year and so my mum very kindly offered to make the cake for me (thanks mum!) 

I have to admit I also had help icing the cake from my very clever friend Kirsty who is an expert at all things baking related. I am very pleased with the results and think I may have found myself a new hobby!

Countdown to Christmas...6 days to go!

6 days to go...is your shopping done? There's still time!

Today is the last day we stand a good chance of getting your orders to you in time for Christmas. So place your order by lunch time today and as long as we have goods in stock we will get them to you for Christmas.

We have also had a few enquiries about when the shop is open over the festive period so here are our opening hours until we are back to normal (whatever that is) in the New Year:

Christmas Eve - open 9.30am-12.30pm

Christmas Day - closed

Boxing Day - closed

December 27th - open 9.30am -5pm

December 28th - open 9.30am -5pm

December 29th - open 9.30am-5.30pm

December 30th - closed

New Year's Eve - open 9.30am -12.30pm

New Year's Day - closed

January 2nd - back to normal

If you would like to check our stock levels of anything in particular please just call us on 01305 259929

Countdown to Christmas...8 days to go!

8 days to go...keeping warm?

Continuing on our theme of keeping warm, we thought we should mention the new 3.5 tog Winter Warmer Grobag. 

We have been selling Grobags for over 10 years now and have used them on all three of our own children. They are a great way of making sure your little ones stay warm and cosy all night, without overheating. The 3.5 tog rating is a new addition to their collection this Winter and means you can keep your baby warm and safe in temperatures between 12-15ºC (brrrr...)

Grobags are recommended by FSID (the Foundation for Sudden Infant Death) and are approved for the British Safety Standard BS 8510:2009

They also make it much easier to make the bed (a little Christmas bonus for mum and dad!)

Countdown to Christmas...9 days to go!

9 days to go...Snuggle In

We are getting ever closer to the big day and the atmosphere is starting to change in the shop. There is a real buzz in the air at this time of year. Everybody is busy, keen to get things done and excited that Christmas is nearly here.

We love to help, offering advice, last minute ordering, product demos and more! 

This year one of our best selling products has been the Buggy Snuggle. A really practical warm and cosy lining for a buggy that does away with the problems associated with trying to keep little ones warm whilst out and about.

Available in a variety of designs and made to fit most buggies they make a great Christmas gift and will last for years to come.

Countdown to Christmas...10 days to go!

Our Nativity Scene

We have a big box of wooden figures and animals that the children have all loved to play with in different ways. 

The last few years we have realised that we have the basic makings of a nativity scene and now it has become one of our Christmas rituals to arrange the wooden figures in their places. Each year it varies slightly. We have had a crisis this year because we could not find the figure that represents Mary but this evening she was found (in the dolls buggy!) and returned to her rightful place at the manger.

The fun we have arranging the animals and re-telling the Christmas story is a memory I will treasure for years to come. The image below shows this year's nativity complete with the guiding star (stuck to the radiator!) 

The figures are mostly Ostheimer and each one is a work of art. They are hand shaped and simply painted which encourages children to play imaginatively and the figures become instruments of an exciting world in which there are no limits. Magical!

Countdown to Christmas...11 days to go!

11 Days to Go...Stocking Fillers? 

I was talking to a couple of mums whilst waiting for the kids at school this week and we were discussing how strange it is that Father Christmas brings all the presents in some houses and in others only fills the stockings. 

Our house is in the latter category and every year I really enjoy watching the children's faces as they delve deep into their stockings to see what he has left for them.

For all you parents out there who occasionally 'top up' your little ones stockings in case Father Christmas has forgotten something (not that he would....!) We have a great range of toys under £5.00 available on our website, and even more in store.

If there is something in particular you are after, give us a  call on 01305 259929 and we will help if we can.

For the record, our last posting date for Christmas is 19th December...

Countdown to Christmas....12 days to go!

What a performance!

We have had a lovely day today. Our youngest was in her school's Christmas production entitled 'The Hopeless Camel'. I don't know what it is about children singing but it melts my heart every time!

For me this is definitely one of the defining moments of Christmas. The build up, the rehearsals, the costumes, the excitement. So much work goes into organising the children and putting on the performance. It is all worth it when you see the pleasure it brings to both the children participating and their families and friends watching. 

If your children have not started school yet you can look forward with eager anticipation to these Christmas performances. It does not matter if they are small scale nativities, carol services or large scale full productions, the sense of pride and the smiles say it all!

Countdown to Christmas...13 days to go

13 days to go...Taking care of delicate skin

I am writing this sat in my warm and cosy lounge. But outside it is freezing (quite literally). New babies have very delicate skin that actually needs very little in the way of cleaning, but protecting them from extremes of weather is a good idea. 

Nothing is gentler on the skin as Weleda's Calendula Baby range. Mild, gentle and made with pure plant ingredients, the complete range is tailored towards young, delicate skins (great for new mums too).  

We have the perfect stocking filler for all bumps and babies out there. Who would not be happy with a Weleda Mini Calendula Baby Starter Kit? It is the ideal way to introduce and new mum and baby to the range and each product is a handy size to tuck in a bag when visiting friends and family. 

Perfect for the holiday season!

Countdown to Christmas...14 days to go!

14 days? That is 2 weeks...I am trying not to panic!

The humble Christmas card...ours have started arriving both at home and at the shop. So far, I have only written the ones that needed to be sent to Australia. 

I wonder if the days of the Christmas card are numbered.  At my daughter's school each child is encouraged to write a Christmas message to all of their friends, stick it on a big Christmas tree and take a small donation for the nominated charity instead of buying cards. Each year we receive an increasing number of e-cards, or messages via social networking sites instead of cards.

Only today I had a conversation with someone who said she is only writing cards for people to whom she can hand deliver, and family of course. 

I have mixed feelings on this. Part of me would love to have written all my cards, got the job done. Postage is getting expensive, there are a lot of charities out there who could make use of the money we will spend on cards this year. And if you don't see someone form one year to the next, why do they need to receive a Christmas card from you?

The other part of me says that it is precisely because I do not have time to visit everyone I would like to, that I need to make the effort to write Christmas cards. That there are some people on our Christmas card list who only hear from us at Christmas...doesn't that make it more important that they get our Christmas wishes?

So, having thought it through, I have decided that the Christmas card still has a place in our lives. I love to receive them and hear people's news. It is nice that someone has taken the time to write a card to you and think of you as they do it. Without our Christmas cards we would have no gift tags for the following year's pressies. 

 With this in mind, rather than dreading writing my cards, and seeing it as a 'job' I will take my time. I will light the fire, pour a drink and enjoy writing Christmas wishes to family and friends.

Countdown to Christmas...15 days to go

15 days to go...Christmas Crafts

Christmas is a great time to indulge in some crafty activities. I won't suggest any clever ideas, there are plenty of people far more creative than me to do that.

I just wanted to include the pleasure of 'making stuff' at Christmas in our Countdown to Christmas because in our house it is a definite part of the process. 

Glitter, tinsel, sparkle, more glitter...

Cards, gift tags, sweets, paper chains, Christmas decs... the list is endless and the pleasure it brings undeniable.

Countdown to Christmas...16 days to go

16 days to go

This morning my youngest and I have been on a Santa Fun Run in aid of a local charity. For those of you who do not know, this involves dressing in a Santa suit and running (2.5 miles for us). Our route took us through our local town and the run was in aid of our local Hospice, the Weldmar Hospicecare Trust. 

The Weldmar Hospice is a wonderful place, full of lovely people who work tirelessly to help those in need. Their services are open to everyone who needs them and in our small town, the majority of people know of someone who has benefited from the amazing work they do. 

At Christmas we get asked a lot, as a local business, to support numerous charity fundraising events. Please don't take it personally when we decline, it is not that we don't want to help, just that we choose to focus our support on a couple of charities that mean something to us.

So, the Santa Fun Run was a great way to spend the morning. Lots of people dressed in Santa Suits, a bit of exercise, a rendition of 'Jingle Bells' on the way round followed by coffee and mince pies. And we raised money for charity which is a great way to feel warm inside.

Happy Christmas!

Countdown to Christmas...17 days to go

Pacapod

One of the brands we sell in store only is Pacapod. They make a great range of nappy change bags that have a clever and unique design element. 

Contained inside each stylish bag are two self contained pods, the feeder pod and the changer pod. The pods attach to the outer bag and have their own section in which they sit easily and neatly. The feeder pod includes space for food, cutlery, bibs and wipes. The changer pod has plenty of space for nappies, wipes and any creams as well as hand sanitiser.

The pods help organise your baby paraphernalia and make it easy to access, but also mean that in a split second (and single handedly) you can grab everything you need to feed or change your little munchkin.

Stylish and practical? What a great Christmas present for any new mum! 

Countdown to Christmas...18 days to go!

Christmas Music

We love music in our house, though we all have differing music tastes ranging from ACDC to Elgar. Diverse but interesting!

One of the things that marks our countdown to Christmas is the playing of the Christmas CDs. As soon as December arrives we excitedly retrieve them from the drawer. My husband audibly groans when they come out, but I love them and so do the kids (well, the youngest two anyway!) 

We had a vote last night on our favourite Christmas songs and the top 3 were:

1) Jingle Bells 

2) Merry Christmas Everybody - Slade

3) The Power of Love - Frankie Goes to Hollywood

I will leave you to decide who voted for which song, but it was an interesting debate.

Let us know your favourite Christmas song and we will make sure it gets played!

Countdown to Christmas - 19 days to go...

19 days to go...

We had a big delivery today from our friends at Charlie Bears.

Everyone who sees our collection of cute cuddlies from Charlie Bears loves them. Because they are available in 3 different sizes, and a variety of characters they are perfect for collecting. The little ones make a great newborn or first Christmas present and come in their own gift box. Toddlers just love to tuck the medium size critters under their arms and the big ones are great for snuggling up to at night!

How could anyone be disappointed to find a Charlie Bear sat under their tree?

Countdown to Christmas, 20 days to go...Handy!!

20 days to go...

If you have not realised yet, I should state, for the record, that we are big Stokke fans at heybaby*

We love their design, functionality, longevity, philosophy and their great service. 

In the run up to Christmas we are offering a great giveaway on one of Stokke's best selling products.

While stocks last, we are giving away a free Stokke Handysitt portable highchair with every Tripp Trapp purchased. All you have to do is use the voucher code on our website to claim your free HandySitt.

We reckon this offer is perfectly timed! Most of us will be eating out, at friends', with family or having visits from friends with babies over the festive period. 

The combination of the Stokke Handysitt and Tripp Trapp mean that wherever your family is eating, the smallest person in your family can sit at the table in complete comfort. We reckon that will make your meal more comfortable too... Perfect!

Countdown to Christmas...21 days to go!

Cosy and cute baby hats

When the weather turns cold it is really important to keep little heads warm. We have a great selection of cute baby hats in store but here are our top 3:

1) Greidy Baby: these hand knitted, 100% merino wool baby hats are soft and cosy as well as being fun and funky. Merino wool helps your baby keep warm without over heating and is not at all itchy. Greidy Baby hats are an updated version of the traditional bobble hat for your baby!

2) Frugi Christmas Hat: made from 100% organic cotton jersey, Frugi's Christmas hat has been a real hit! It looks super cute with the matching baby grow. It has an all over design of reindeer, stockings and Christmas trees, so is suitable for baby boys or girls (perfect if you don't know what it is yet!) 

3) Merry Berry Snowflake Hat: Merry Berry make an extensive range of knitted cotton hats for babies, and have a choice of Christmas designs including a very cute reindeer and a Christmas pudding but htis red snowflake design is new for this year and is a favourite of ours. So cute, very Christmassy but will look great all  through the Winter. Let it snow!

These hats would all make great stocking fillers or presents for little ones this Christmas. Cute and cosy...what more could a baby ask for?!

All featured hats are available in our shop (or call us on 01305 259929) while stocks last.

Countdown to Christmas...22 days to go!

Make the Mincemeat

A delicious reminder that Christmas is on the way, the humble mince pie.

They appear in the shops as early as the beginning of November and I have heard people comment that they have had enough before December arrives.

For me, the mince pie is one of those things that is definitely better home made. I make my mincemeat every other year and then use half and store half for the following Christmas.

The recipe I use is Delia Smith's Homemade Christmas Mincemeat. I find it has a great depth of flavour with plenty of fruit and is not too sweet. Perfect!

I have used it to make traditional mince pies with short crust pastry, mincemeat swirls made with puff pastry and even a mincemeat cheesecake (a great alternative to Christmas Pudding).

If you love mince pies, have a go at making your own, you won't regret it!

23 days to go...

Today on our Countdown to Christmas we have decided to feature a product that we think would make a great Christmas present for a soon to be mummy or daddy, or a new baby.

ERGObaby have just released their Limited Edition Winter Edition baby carrier.

Apart from looking great, the design is ingenious!

Available in a beautiful Winter white colour, the ERGObaby Winter Edition carrier has a removable fur trimmed, padded lining to keep baby warm and snug, and for mum, a fur trimmed hand muff in just the right place to keep your hands cosy. Both the lining and the hand muff are removable, leaving behind a carrier that, due to the lightweight fabric, is ideal for Summer holidays.

We are often asked by parents whether their baby will be warm/cool enough in their baby carrier. The ERGObaby Winter Edition carrier offers complete flexibility, whatever the weather!

Here it is on our mannequin in the shop:

Why not add the ERGObaby Carrier Winter Edition to your Christmas list?!

Countdown to Christmas...24 days to go

24 days to go...

What better way to start our countdown to Christmas than to show you our beautiful Christmas Tree?!

The lights will be lit for the first time today to add a bit of sparkle in the shop!

Nothing beats the smell of a real Christmas tree, we are all feeling very festive...