Candyfloss & Dreams

Author: Kat Candyfloss

  • Why Parents Should Help Their Child with Essays

    Parents should help their child write essays because, in my opinion and experience, essay writing is actually a skill. Like many skills, a formula for successful essay writing can be constructed and taught which will, hopefully, allow children to write essays fluently, coherently and achieve good grades. For some children essay writing might come quite naturally however others may need a push or a step in the right direction. Throughout my education I have had to write essays for many different subjects and now I feel I can confidently help my own children increase their writing ability. It’s something I’ve also been able to offer support and advice to my partner who has just completed an Access course for college and is shortly off to University. Some parents may wish to pay for an essay writing service to help their child learn essay writing skills. I think this is a good idea for parents that might not be confident with their own writing ability or may wish to seek further help or advice. There are plenty of custom essay writing services available which can be an invaluable tool.

    help a child write essays, typewriter and notebook

    Helping a Child Write Essays

    I remember writing my first essays was quite intimidating as I didn’t really know where to start. Having a helping hand from a parent can be really beneficial as it opens up the chance for discussion and in depth understanding about a topic you might be unfamiliar with. Different subjects require different essay formats too and some may need to be more academic whilst others have the chance to get really creative. It’s very important to research a topic thoroughly which is something a parent can easily get involved in. This could be trips to the library together to find books on certain topics or perhaps even watching a film that relates to the subject of the essay together. Any further education you can provide to your children will really help them get a good grasp of the subject matter, help them understand different viewpoints and allow them to explore more creative or interesting ways of writing their essays.

    As a writer myself I personally enjoy topics where I can talk about personal experience or even write creatively. I always loved writing stories and using my imagination when it came to essay writing at school and as my knowledge and interests developed I soon found I was able to write more analytical pieces and provide reports on different subjects. I particularly enjoyed analysing text and writing book reports because these allowed me to give a more personal opinion on what I was writing about and I hope this is something I can encourage in my own children. I feel that because I personally find writing relatively easy and enjoyable that I should be able to help my own children when it comes to essays they might need to write in the future.

    write essays, notebook pen and badges

    Getting Started with Essay Writing

    For many, it’s important to start with a good plan which will enable you to write essays in a structured way. You can be really creative with a plan and helping a child to plan what they want to write about can be really beneficial. Some may like to write a few sentences or key words under headings which will allow their essay to form natural progression whereas others might like to map out their essay with a diagram. The way an essay plan is structured does not really matter as long as the child can pick up relevant points, headings and form a concise essay from the plan. Parents can help with essay planning by helping to word headings that form a good introduction, context and conclusion.

    Benefits of Helping a Child Write Essays

    1. You are passing on valuable knowledge
    2. You can make it fun by showing your child creative ways to plan and write essays
    3. It’s time spent together equally learning
    4. Helping your child write essays is a great place to open up a discussion about a topic which will help improve their skills and knowledge. It may also help them think slightly differently about a topic giving the essay more balance and structure.

    Does your child enjoy writing essays? How do you, as a parent, help to support them?

    This is a collaborative post.

  • Setting Up a Baby Changing Unit

    When it comes to changing a newborn baby there are only a few things you really need. A mat, clean nappies, something to clean up your baby with and something to store the dirty nappies in so you can dispose or wash them. There are, however, loads of options and a few things you might want to consider when it comes to buying choices.

    Changing a baby and setting up a newborn changing unit in your home

    To make things easier for us when changing a newborn we have purchased a changing unit which is set up in our bathroom. It has a top layer which snugly fits a changing mat and two storage layers. I really like changing units because they keep everything together nicely. It’s also ideal if you have had a c-section as bending up and down all the time can be quite uncomfortable. Babies should never be left unattended on a changing unit and you should check the age or weight restrictions. In my experience they can usually be used up until 12 months. The changing mat can be moved around the flat if needed, particularly when Baby F is no longer a tiny baby, but as we are on one level I thought keeping everything together in one room would be best. Even in an emergency change situation getting to our bathroom from our living room, bedroom or front door is no distance at all. We also have a changing bag with a portable, folding changing mat too when we are out and about.

    changing a newborn, Blue polka dot change bag

    Changing a newborn is simple. It’s a case of removing the dirty nappy, cleaning up your baby and getting them clean and fresh. I’m pretty sure you already know that however there are things that you can have in your home that you might not have considered picking up for your newborn baby changing unit. Babies need changing frequently throughout the day so having a changing unit or area in place with all the essentials is going to be helpful. Some parents choose to have disposable or, in some cases, flushable wipes but we have opted to use reusable wipes at home.

    Ive talked about making more eco friendly changes and nappies are one way we are doing this. Thanks to Eco by Naty we were sent a few packs of eco friendly nappies, wipes and baby bath products. The nappies we have go up to 13lbs and will be great for those newborn days where we are all trying to get into a bit of a routine and used to the constant changes and feeds. I’ll be reviewing the nappies in full once Baby F is here, hopefully in the next few weeks!

    Nappy changing station, eco friendly nappies

    Cloth Nappies

    We also have a few cloth nappies which we are really looking forward to trying out so that we can be more eco-friendly and reduce our use of single use plastic as much as possible. We have a set of the TeenyFit STAR Tots Bots all in one nappies which are better sized from birth and babies from 5lb upwards.

    Things you will want to keep on your changing unit:

    • Wipes – this could be cotton wool and water, disposable baby wipes, biodegradable disposable baby wipes or reusable wipes.
    • Nappies – this could be regular disposable nappies, eco friendly disposable nappies like Eco by Naty or reusable cloth nappies of which there are many different types.
    • Barrier oil or cream to prevent or get rid of nappy rash. A layer of coconut oil after a clean change can really help rid meconium when changing a newborn too, that stuff can be stubborn to remove! Sudocream or alternatives can help to prevent and soothe nappy rash.
    • Nappy Bags or Nappy Bucket – Eco by Naty have biodegradable nappy bags and a nappy bucket has a laundry mesh bag so that you can pop the bag of dirty nappies in the wash.
    • Flushable liners if you’re using cloth nappies. It’s not recommended you actually flush these however and so you may still want nappy disposable nappy bags to be able to get rid of these.

    Our Baby Changing Unit Set Up

    One of the biggest benefits of a changing unit for us is the extra storage and being able to keep everything together nicely. This is how we have set things up.

    At the top – soft squishy changing mat for baby to lie on comfortably whilst having a nappy change. The baby bath can go on here too if you are struggling to bend over the bath.

    Second shelf – Everything we need for changing a newborn in those first few weeks including eco friendly disposables as we will use those first, biodegradable wipes and creams. At the other end of the second shelf, closer to the bath is our Childs Farm Baby toiletries.

    Third Shelf – Our own toiletries are kept tucked away here as well as all of our clean reusable nappies and liners for when we have finished with the disposables. I will move these up when I need them and we have a nappy bucket and laundry mesh bag ready to use for the dirty nappies too.

    snuggle baby bath lime green changing mat, changing a newborn

    baby changing unit station in bathroom, changing a newborn

    Disclaimer: We received the Eco by Naty products in exchange for featuring them on this blog. All opinions remain my own.

  • Slush Puppie Maker Review

    Having a Slush Puppie maker at home over the summer has been so good. Especially for Evie who loves these cold drinks and they have helped keep me cool throughout the extra hot heatwave during my pregnancy. We were kindly sent the Slush Puppie maker and red cherry syrup in the summer holidays and have been giving it a good test. It is exactly like what you get in the shops and you have slushies within about 30 minutes or so.

    Slush Puppie Maker, Making Slush Puppie Drinks At Home

    You will need a lot of ice, I recommend buying a bag rather than constantly filling up ice cube trays, salt, slush puppies syrup and water. Best results happen if you can freeze the metal canister first to keep the ice cool as it’s mixing. The slush puppie maker is easy to set up. You simply switch it on to mix, half fill with ice, add some salt, add more ice, more salt – following the instructions and then add a litre of syrup mixture. Its then just a case of keeping an eye on the maker until the mixture forms icy peaks and adding more ice and salt as and when you need to. This takes about twenty minutes or so of mixing. You then flip the switch to dispense and pour!

    We have loved having a slush puppie maker and now our red cherry flavour is running out we are looking at trying more syrups and flavours. You can only use one syrup per canister so if you’re looking to mix it up you’ll need more than one machine! I’m eager to try blue raspberry next as it’s my favourite!

    The slush puppie maker detaches from the habit really easily and is pretty easy to clean. Once set up again it’s good to go! If you find that ice is getting stuck or jammed you can flip the switch from mix to dispense to rotate the opposite way and this usually fixes the problem.

    Red Cherry Slush Puppie Mix

    Having an at home slush puppies machine has been brilliant. They’re tasty, cool and refreshing and it’s saved me a few pennies buying them constantly out and about! The Slush Puppie machine is currently available at Menkind for £49.99 (with an RRP of £59.99) You can also purchase Slush Puppie cups and Syrups alongside for £6.99. Current flavours include Red Cherry, Blue Raspberry, Cola or Green Apple. I can’t wait to try more refreshing flavours!

    Disclaimer: We received the Slush Puppie Maker in exchange for this feature, all opinions remain my own. 

    At Home Slush Puppie Maker, Making Red Cherry Slush Puppies At Home

  • Using Birth Affirmations in Pregnancy

    Using Birth Affirmations in Pregnancy

    As part of my hypnobirthing and hiring a Doula we have talked a lot about Birth Affirmations. I know these aren’t for everyone but having these around me have really helped me feel positive and look forward to birth as well as keeping me focused on a positive experience. The idea behind affirmations is to increase a positive mindset and goes along with what the mind believes the body acheives. I really think that they have helped with my confidence and decisions when it comes to planning my birth and generally keeping me feeling upbeat and positive throughout my pregnancy. I wanted to share a few of these with you that I have around my desk, on my living room wall and even on my fridge notice board. I am hoping that my mind is taking these in throughout the day as I get distracted or cast my glance elsewhere and that subconsciously my mind is taking it all in and this will help me during labour. I can’t say how effective they are as I’m still pregnant a the time of writing this but it has been a nice thing to do and has given me some focus.

    birth affirmations for pregnancy and birth

    “My baby will arrive at the perfect time.” – 3-5% of babies are born on their due date, 85% are born before 43 weeks and the rest might come slightly before or after. Did you know that there is no universal time for when a baby should arrive or when the conversation of induction should start happening? Here in the UK our estimated due date is 40 weeks from estimated conception (I can tell you very confidently that 21st September is not 40 weeks from date of conception for this baby…it’s actually at least a week and a bit off – yes, I really do know!) It’s actually better to think of a due month or period because babies are classed as full term between 37-42 weeks. That’s a five week window in which most babies are estimated to arrive. So my baby will arrive at the perfect time that is exactly right for them and us. For me, that means not discussing induction until 41 weeks and not booking in a planned c-section until 42 weeks. The NICE guidelines recommend babies are born before 43 weeks when the risk of stillbirth begins to increase, however, that risk is very small, but still a risk.

    “My baby is the perfect size for my body.”  – I think we get caught up with the size of the baby and the size of the pelvis. It’s unlikely your baby will not fit, although it does happen. There is also no exact average size but anywhere from 5lb-11lb is considered pretty normal here in the UK. I’ve also heard that bigger babies are actually easier to birth. Growth scans also have a 10-20% margin for error either side and the further along in your pregnancy the less accurate they are.

    “Birth is amazing no matter how it happens.” – This is a big one for me. As much as I want my planned home water VBAC I know that a c-section could still happen and I want to avoid feeling guilty or shamed for the way my second baby is delivered.

    “Birth is the ultimate act of love.” – Labour and Birth are designed to feel good releasing high levels of Oxytocin, the love hormone, and natural endorphins – our pain relievers. The more we trust ourselves and our ability the more positive our birth will be. No matter how birth happens you have carried a baby lovingly for nine months and finally you get to have them in your arms.

    “My Birth Partner is by my side and on my side.” – Birth partners do not need to be in the background, there is plenty for them to do and the more open you are about birth place and planning, the more your partner can be your advocate in labour and can feel like they are part of the process too.

    Here are a few others you might like:

     

     

    For more pregnancy content please head to my hub post which contains links to all my relevant pregnancy based blog posts. My second High Bmi Pregnancy.

  • Hospital Bag Preparation

    Hospital Bag Preparation

    Packing your hospital bag for labour can be really quite daunting because you just don’t know how long you will be admitted for. It’s best to overpack if you’re partner is going to find it particularly difficult to get things to and from the hospital, like mine will, as he can’t drive. I am planning for a home birth so I am putting together two little birth packs so to speak. One is a little box of things to help me labour at home for as long as possible hopefully progressing to birth at home and one is a bag for hospital just in case I do need to transfer through. As I said in my birth plan post I like to be prepared so having a bag ready to go should I need it is really helping to prepare for all kinds of situations.

    Hospital Bag

    It isn’t really that long now with a due date of 21st September. We still have bits and pieces we need to get of course but I am starting to feel prepared and he has a good amount of clothes that should at least last him the first week of his life. We are not really looking to go anywhere and with the weather getting cooler he will mostly be in sleepsuits anyway. The biggest expense I have struggled with is the right size nursing bras as I plan to breastfeed. I’m so top heavy and it’s one thing I am really struggling to find in my size that isn’t at least £60. I just can’t justify that cost when you need a couple of nursing bras and then one or two to sleep in. I’m saving money with reusable wipes and cloth nappies and have a good collection of those which is good. I also want to make a list of things to keep stocked up in the fridge that can easily be squeezed into our hospital bag should we need to transfer over.

    I was actually amazed to find you could buy prepacked maternity and hospital bags which is a great thing to do and takes the stress out of preparing and packing one.

    Hospital Bag
    Buy your prepacked hospital bag here – https://amzn.to/2uWLoXN (affiliate link)

    Here are my recommendations for things to consider packing in your own hospital bag or home birth box. Obviously you want to have your maternity notes in your bag ready to go and your birth plan right at the front.

    Hospital Bag or Home Birth Box items

    maternity hospital bag

    • TENS machine – We have the Babycare Elle TENS2 Machine. I used one in my previous labour and it really, really helped to take the edge off. Obviously you can’t use it in the pool but it’s so great to have so many different options in Labour and I think the more natural remedies I can use to help me cope with the pain, the better. If you don’t want to buy a TENS machine there are plenty of options to hire them as well which gives you lots of flexibility.
    • Favourite scents or essential oils – essential oils can be really powerful in labour and favourite scents can really transform an environment for a better birthing experience
    • Straws
    • Hair bands
    • Face cooling spray
    • Socks/Slippers
    • Headphones
    • Eye Mask
    • Tealights/Fairy lights (Loads of battery operated ones around, think dimly lit and intimate)
    • Hot water bottle & cover or heat bag
    • Hypnobirthing tracks/MP3
    • A birth pool
    Birth Pool in a Box Affiliate Link: https://amzn.to/2MrFg3DU

    Food & Drink in Labour

    I want freedom of movement in labour as well as being able to eat and drink when I want so having some of my favourite snacks will be great. You probably won’t want to consume huge meals, even if you’re at home, so think about high protein and high energy snacks you can have on hand to help keep those energy levels up. Some good ideas are:

    • Coconut water/Isotonic/Electrolyte drinks
    • Glucose tablets
    • Honey – a spoonful of this can do wonders, apparently
    • Your favourite sweets
    • Flapjacks or ceral bars
    • Bananas or your favourite fruit
    • Soup – particularly in the really early stages of labour
    • Squash – great if you’re getting bored of water. Staying hydrated is really, really important
    • Pop grapes in the freezer or make fruit puree ice cubes
    • Ice pops/Ice lollies
    • Your favourite tea bags – because that cuppa post birth needs to be the best you’ve ever had

    preparing for birth hospital bag

    Hospital Bag Items for Mums

    For this you want to thing of when you’re in labour and post natal. Think about things that you might need at home so that your partner can get these to you easily and if you’re transferred to hospital or if you need to stay a few nights. Even though money can sometimes be a bit tight do get yourself things you like that will make you feel comforted and excited. Having your baby will fill you with joy and then just having those few nice new extras post birth can give you an extra little boost.

    • Dark coloured PJ’s – easy to open at the front if breastfeeding. Remember you will still be a bit bumpy and mishapen so think maternity PJ’s rather than you’re regular size.
    • Dark coloured towel
    • Maternity pads – pop a few drops of witch hazel and aloe on them, wrap them back up and pop in the freezer if you’re at home. The cooling sensation can really help if you’ve had any tears and feeling a bit bruised and swollen.
    • Spritz for Bits – I’ve not used this before but heard it can work wonders so I’ll be getting some – you can spray this on your maternity pads to keep things feeling cool and help with soreness instead of using oils/aloe gel
    • Small jug for pouring when you pop to the loo (or wee in the bath!) apparently the water dilutes the acidity in the urine which is what causes the sting. It should only last a couple of days but apparently leaning forward and using a jug of lukewarm water can really help.
    • Flipflops – for getting in/out the pool and using communal showers. Shoes that are nice and easy to slip on are particularly good if you have a c-section because you wont want to be bending
    • A pillow or small blanket from home if you’re in hospital
    • Something to wear in labour, a big baggy t-shirt works well
    • Big, black over the tummy knickers – again, if you have a c-section you want something nice and high, away from the wound and stiches
    • Going home outfit – again, think maternity. Comfortable leggings and a nice top.
    • Clean Toiletries and a flannel – avoid using a shower puff with stiches
    • A little bit of makeup and a good moisturiser – because you are allowed to make yourself look nice and feel good after having a baby – if you want! If not, a nice face wash and moisturiser can really help make you feel fresh again.
    • Breast pads
    • Nursing bras
    • Nipple Cream/Balm – this is also great for chapped lips which might happen if you use gas and air. I have the Kit & Kin Breast Balm packed in my bag ready to go!
    • Phone charger. I have a portable one which I’ll be packing just in case for my hypnobirthing tracks and relaxing music playlist
    • Camera
    • Car park/Hospital room TV change

    Hospital Bag Items for Partners

    Dads or partners can sometimes get a bit left out but they might need a few bits and pieces too, especially if you’re going to be in hospital for a long time. Here are a few things dads can pack for themselves.

    • Change of clothes – if your partner wants to be in the water you might get a bit wet. Plus, babies are messy. Having a spare top to refresh yourself after labour and birth will do you some good – as will the cooling face spray if you get overly warm
    • Energy drinks to keep you going or at least some decent tea or coffee
    • A book – the early stages of labour can be quite boring and if you’re partner is in the zone with an eye mask and doesn’t really ‘need’ you at that point, you might aswell have something to read
    • Your favourite snacks/sweets because you need to eat too!

    Hospital Bag Items for Babies

    Hospital bag

    Babies don’t really need a lot of stuff so you can leave things like teddies and comforters at home however babies also make a lot of mess and you might not know how long you need to be in hospital for so always consider a few of each thing. We have packed our changing bag for the things the baby will need:

    • Small bag of newborn nappies – we are using the Kit & Kin eco-friendly disposables. If you’re using reusables from day one TotsBots TeenyFit STAR all in ones are perfect for babies under 9lbs but they do fit up to 12lbs.
    • Baby Wipes – again we are using the Biodegradable Kit & Kin wipes. Aqua Wipes are another great option if you want biodegradable wipes.
    • Vests
    • Sleepsuits
    • Blanket
    • Going home outfit – something cosy
    • Car seat
    • Coat
    • Muslin Cloths
    • Hat
    • Bottle feeding – you will need premixed formula bottles. It’s recommended to have at least six bottles but if you’re anticipating a longer stay in hospital you might want to consider having extra just in case.
    • A dummy/pacifier if you’re planning on using one.

    Hospital bag

    What did you pack in your hospital bag? Are there any other essentials you would recommend? 

    packing your hospital bag for birth and labour

    For more pregnancy content please head to my hub post which contains links to all my relevant pregnancy based blog posts. My second High Bmi Pregnancy.