Candyfloss & Dreams

Author: Kat Candyfloss

Felix at Six Months

We’ve had a son for six months! How time has flown from his birth on 4th October 2018 to now. Honestly some of these months are firmly in a fog of sleep deprivation, bleakness, tears and frustration but mostly it’s been a very happy six months. Adjusting to life as a family of four has been hard. It’s much harder to do it without a car which is something I never really gave much thought to when we were a three.

The thing is three people can fit into another person’s car easily. A child above the age of five has to pay but gets a seat on public transport. You can carry a basket easier when you don’t have a pram to push. I get that feeling of needing to have eyes in the back of your head with two kids. Juggling Felix’s routine around the school run is sometimes a real challenge. Not to mention being in a small two bedroom flat. Baby stuff takes up so much space!

One thing that isn’t changing anytime soon is Felix going into a cot in his own room. He’s not sitting up unsupported yet so he’s still in his next to me crib next to my side of the bed. We’ve found a cot bed we both really like the look of and we are planning on buying it in May but he still won’t be going into his own room. It’s really unfair to expect Evie to share with her then seven month old baby brother so he will be in with us, probably until we are able to move home.

We have, however, moved his pram around to parent facing mode although I’m not sure I’m happy with it. The straps don’t seem to have much give for him and the footmuff keeps slipping down when we get him in. It’s also been awkward to push in the wind. I think I’m also looking for excuses as I’m getting a bit bored with it. I know we will also need something that folds smaller and is more compact for our holiday in July and further travels in the future.

We are going to start weaning him so we’ve been getting bits and pieces ready including a highchair, bamboo bowl, spoon and suction plate. I’m completely new to babyled weaning as Evie had purees but Felix has not been ready or interested in food. We will of course be giving him a mix of purees and finger food but encouraging him to do it all himself. We’ve decided on the Cosatto Supa Noodle highchair which is adjustable, folds well, has a removable tray and lots of padding. At six months Felix can not sit unsupported so I feel he benefits from the extra padding keeping him comfortable and secure.

He is, however, moving around the living room by rolling everywhere. The other day he rolled from his playmat on one side of the room to under the coffee table. He will often roll onto his front and shuffle or rotate himself around. I want to get a big soft rug for the living room floor to make it a little softer for him but we are currently laying down a lot of blankets. He will often get on either his forearms or lift himself up on his feet. It looks and seems like he is very desperate to crawl and I think he will make a bit more progress on this soon. I might get Evie to crawl around in his view to maybe encourage him and so he can see what to do as he is getting so frustrated with not being able to move and get exactly where he wants to!

He can now pass objects from one hand to the other with ease and he will actively look for things that are moved or dropped. He is starting to become very interested in smaller details like zips and loves touching different textures, particularly the sofa cushions which are rougher than the rest of the sofa.

He loves music! It can really help calm him down during the day and he really loves his more musical toys. Sometimes it’s helped drift him off to sleep. Anytime music plays he will turn towards it and be completely mesmerised, and that includes mine and Evie’s dodgy singing! He can also make himself heard and can be very vocal with his sounds and wails. He loves a little chatter in the morning and before bed which is very cute. He gives lots of smiles and giggles to Evie and most of the time seems pretty happy.

I love him so much. I love being a mum to two kids, more than I thought. It’s tested my patience of course but I find myself at times just soaking in the moments. I love watching them together, and a bond I didn’t really fully see coming. I love seeing Adam as a dad and getting involved and working hard to do so much for us all. Despite all the stuff going on with me mentally, life does feel good and I feel like I’m in a good place. I’m very excited about the next six months.

April 4, 2019
Glass Sword Book Review 7/52

Glass Sword by Victoria Aveyard is the second in the Red Queen series and follows the story of Mare Barrow, a recently discovered Newblood as she evades the clutches of the new king. This book is quite different from the first being set all around the nation of Norta and features lots of new characters.

Mare is a pretty angry person that is very conflicted by her recent past and she is struggling with what’s expected of her. The relationships she has with the people around her are quite cold and held at an arms length throughout. There are some pretty gruesome scenes throughout the book which really go to show just how disturbed the king is.

I originally listened to Red Queen on Audible and then carried on the series by reading through for my reading challenge. I’m not sure how I really feel about this series just yet but I’m sticking with it because I do want to read on and find out what happens next however I have found myself skimming through some of the chapters. It’s not that it’s bad as the story is okay but some parts feel rushed that I wish weren’t and other parts feel lengthy and a bit like they’re just trying to fill out the plot. Some of the content is a bit too graphic for younger teenagers and it’s absolutely aimed at the older YA audience.

The thing is I’m not really sure I have much sympathy with the characters. I just don’t really know them well enough to decide whether or not I think of them as likeable or easy to relate to. None of the relationships are really very believable and it’s just clear that everyone is really angry. There is a lot of angst throughout the book and given the subject of a nation on the brink of rebellion after years of oppression you can see why. I’m interested to see how the plot continues in the next two books.

One of my goals for 2020 is to read 52 books or around one a week. Some might be new, some are ones I’ve had for a while or been meaning to read, some I haven’t quite finished yet and some will be recommendations from others. You can see all the books I’ve read so far on my Good Reads 2020 Reading Challenge.

April 2, 2019
#BepanthenProtects Challenge – #Ad
#Ad – This post is an entry for the #BepanthenProtects Challenge, sponsored by Bepanthen. Learn more about how to protect baby’s sensitive skin on https://www.bepanthen.co.uk/.

Felix is almost six months old and we have been using Bepanthen regularly since he was born. I was first recommended Bepanthen with my daughter over eight years ago and was happy to use it again when my son was born to help protect my babies skin against the causes of nappy rash. It’s a brand I trust as it’s a firm family favourite and has been around for such a long time.

How We Protect Our Babies Skin

Thankfully, so far, we have not had to deal with any nappy rash and there are plenty of things you can do to help protect your babies skin. Some of the things we are doing are:
- Using reusable baby wipes with water
- A mix of cloth and eco friendly disposable nappies
- Regular nappy changes
- Using a barrier cream to help protect my sons skin during nappy changes and after bath time
- Giving my son nappy free time
- Using a non-bio washing detergent
We are right in the swing of teething and I was expecting to see some nappy rash as I know teething can make babies unsettled – Felix certainly hasn’t been enjoying those first teeth wrigging up through his gums! However, thanks to our routine we haven’t had to also suffer through nappy rash alongside. Bepanthen comes in a variety of sizes which make it easy to keep on our changing table and take on the go in his nappy change bag. We simply massage a little bit into his skin after he’s been cleaned up from a nappy change and away we go. We also apply a little bepanthen after bath time and it’s just become second nature really as a good barrier cream to help protect Felix’s skin.

Helpful info you may not know about nappy rash and Bepanthen
- A newborn baby’s skin is 40% thinner and also softer than adults, which makes it more sensitive to irritants, like those in wee and poo which can cause nappy rash when in contact with the skin. This is made worse by a tight nappy which both rubs and stops the air circulating.
- Bepanthen has a kind-to-skin formulation: No fragrances; No colours; No preservatives; No parabens; No antiseptics)
- Contains Provitamin B5 to help skin to repair its natural protective barrier
- Bepanthen is clinically proven: It forms a transparent, breathable layer, helping to protect your baby’s skin from the irritants and rubbing that can cause nappy rash
- Nappy rash affects 1 in 3 babies at some point , so protecting your baby’s bottom from getting red makes perfect sense, instead of waiting for your little one to suffer from a sore bottom.
- During the first 12 months nappy rash is especially common as stools are more frequent. Nappy rash can cause discomfort to little one. With nappy rash baby may cry when washed or touched and wake during the night due to discomfort, meaning sleepless nights all round!
- Bepanthen is so gentle it can be used straight from birth, including with premature babies and as often as required.
- The most common cause of nappy rash is a combination of soiled nappies and friction. Nappy rash is also more likely to occur if your baby is premature, unwell, recovering from vaccination, weaning, suffering from diarrhoea, or prone to hereditary eczema.
March 26, 2019
Evermore Book Review 6/52

Evermore is the sequel to Everless and was a good read for my 2019 challenge. I read the book pretty quickly as I wanted to know where it was going but I felt the second book was a little rushed which was a bit of a shame really. The first book really built up the story and shared lots of interesting turns where the second was very fast paced and actually I feel like it ended far too quickly.

I would have loved to see more of the history and learn more about the backstory and I felt Jules, the main protagonist, was never really in one place for enough time. I felt in some places she was trusted too quickly with people she barely knew and that just didn’t feel right to me really.

Evermore was very choppy in a way that having a map of the land Jules was in would have really helped as she was on the move a lot and I can’t help but feel she travelled a lot of distance in a very small amount of time. It did have a bit more character development between some of the relationships but again I felt they were too trusting too soon which isn’t all that relateable. I felt Everless was much more powerful and had more of a message behind it than Evermore which is what has left me feeling a little frustrated I guess.

A good, quick read and it was good to see the story progress but it just wasn’t long enough to explain the background more or get right into the nitty gritty of some of those character relationships.

One of my goals for 2020 is to read 52 books or around one a week. Some might be new, some are ones I’ve had for a while or been meaning to read, some I haven’t quite finished yet and some will be recommendations from others. You can see all the books I’ve read so far on my Good Reads 2020 Reading Challenge.

March 24, 2019
Stationary I Use For Content Planning

There is something, I think, that’s really stylish and a little bit chic about black and gold together. It’s a very on trend pairing at the moment so what better than to feature this pattern on my spring stationary. I go through notebooks like you wouldn’t believe jotting down ideas for blogs and social media content and I like to have something with me at all times. I’ve loved using these little gems available from Neon Sheep. ( – #AD – I received the notebooks below and pen in exchange for this feature)

I am loving the gold pen with the crown on top in particular, it’s lovely to write with and looks fabulous. The night thoughts diary is particularly useful for keeping on the bedside cabinet in the evening and writing down any snippets of inspiration. I know some people prefer using digital ways of recording and planning their content but there’s something really creative to me about mapping it all out in pen first and I like having a pretty notebook to get it all out in.

I’m using this alongside my marketing planner from The Girls Mean Business which is so pretty and colourful, for the year which I’m really loving. It’s pretty, has everything I need and gives me plenty to work on and track. I just like to keep my ideas and brainstorming separate so I can get all my ideas down together which often go off on a tangent.

Alongside this I do have an online content planner which has all sorts of useful things such as relevant days, awareness months and a few points about the type of content people are engaging with. I’ve found this really helpful to map out my future content. I find this useful for inspiration and planning out how I can utilise existing content and growing views and promoting older posts.

March 20, 2019