How To Sell Your Used Baby Items

Originally published on 29th August 2013. Last updated 10th April 2015.

Buggies, cots, bouncy chairs. Not to mention the clothes, toys & various other necessities useless accessories. Babies are big business! I've mentioned before how easy it can be to save money when dealing with a new addition by simply investing in second hand items instead of the brand-new but when you're done with your own baby items, how do you go about making some money back from them? Here's my guide on selling baby items, from the big investments to the small expenditures.

First you need to ask yourself, what am I selling? The most important part in making a profit is targeting the right audience, in the right place.

Clothes.
• Start by separating them into brands. Baby clothes from John Lewis, Next & Gap all tend to hold a good resale value. For this reason they're ideal for selling as individual items on eBay. Start your auction at 99p to attract attention (& look at similar listings for an expected final price). Just be cautious with your postage costs - too high and you'll put people off, too low and you'll end up making up the expense from what you sell the item for. A second class small package should be sufficient at £2.80 but if you're unsure use the Royal Mails postage price finder. It's also worth reading up on eBay seller fees as these seem to be ever-changing & ever-increasing; for the best success, aim to sell on weekends when they're offering Free Listings.

Top tip: For packaging, I buy a roll of bubble wrap and parcel paper from the Pound Shop. This will package more items economically rather than buying separate padded envelopes.

Top tip: Aim for your items to end on a Sunday evening, as this is the time that most people will have time to enter bidding wars or make impulse purchases. 

• You've no doubt got loads of sleepsuits, vests & cheaper outfits to sell as well. Fear not, people want these too! I find the best bet for these items is to bundle them up - either into age ranges (new born, 0-3 months 1-2 years...), item types (vests, sleepsuits, trousers...) or store brands and then sell them as a bundle. I think 10 items a bundle is a reasonable amount and depending on the condition of your items you can expect to make at least £5 a bundle. However due to postage costs, you are better targeting these bundles through Gumtree, local Facebook selling pages and even Baby Forum selling groups. This allows people to arrange collection as opposed to paying postage which usually ends up higher than that of the item they're buying.

Top Tip: It's worth researching courier costs too if you wish to open your items to a larger audience - this will undoubtedly work out cheaper than using the Royal Mail but it does involve more work on your part.

• • •

Medium Items (eg. Bumbos, Jumperoos...).
• These items are always in high demand due to the high costs of buying new, teamed with the fact they only receive a few months worth of use. They're best collected by the buyer for the obvious reason of postage costs, however this can limit your potential market a little. Again local selling sites such as Gumtree, Facebook selling pages, etc...are ideal but eBay is also good for giving the option of local pickup (although if you're in a remote area the demand might not be as high). Again giving the option of courier can open up your market to a larger audience.
• The other option is to sell person-to-person. Nearly-new baby sales (eg. NCT, Jack & Jill...) are perfect for a guaranteed sale but you need to have enough items to make it worth your while in stallholders costs. Good old fashioned car boot sales are another good option if your stuck for baby items but also have other items you wish to sell.

Top tip: You can also try placing a good old fashioned ad in the selling newspapers.

• • •

Big Items (prams, cots...).
• Like medium sized items, you ideally want the buyer to come collect these items from you. Again Gumtree, Facebook selling pages and eBay (for local pickup) are your obvious options. But some organised selling groups (eg. Jack & Jill) have the option to sell items through their websites, so why not take advantage of their already massive following?
• It's also worth considering eBay with the option of courier the item if your item is in high demand (eg. Bugabooo & iCandy buggies, Stokke high chairs...). These items are always desirable and people are usually willing to pay that bit extra if its for a good deal on an otherwise expensive item.

Top Tip: If you can, offer for you to deliver items for an additional cost to the buyer. Not everyone has a car or the ability to collect big items. Just be sure to cover your petrol costs.

• • •

Nursery Decorations & Accessories.
• eBay is your best bet for these items, as long as you keep your descriptions clear & detailed, in particular using a descriptive title, teamed with a clear photo. We spent a small fortune kitting our nursery out in one of Mothercare's ranges and broke-even (if not even making a profit) selling on the items when we were finished with them. Like clothes, use a low starting bid, carefully consider postage costs and offer the option to combine postage on multiple purchases - this will encourage people to buy your entire range!

• • •

Used Toys.
• Unless they're in immaculate condition, the best place for these is in fact the charity shop, or perhaps donated to your local Toy Library. Toys are a lot cheaper these days so unless they're in great condition you'll struggle to sell them. If you do have some toys worth selling, eBay is a good option but be wary of postage costs & seller fees as not to leave yourself short.
• Another option is to bundle your toys into character bundles (eg. Fireman Sam, Disney Princess...) and try your luck on your local Facebook selling page or Baby Forum selling page.

Top Tip: If you're taking part in a Nearly-new Baby Sale then be sure to include your toys as there's always wandering children who'll fall in love with second hand toys (much to their parents dismay!).

• • •

Do you buy or sell used baby items? Care you share any of your own tips?

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Hand, Foot & Mouth

Aside from being ill at only a few weeks old, we've been very lucky with David. He's only had one minor tummy bug and a couple of snuffly noses, which is the complete opposite of John who had been on antibiotics for a number of chest infections by this age. That was until a few weeks ago when David picked up Hand, Foot & Mouth.

I'd read a little about Hand Foot & Mouth back when John was younger and had developed a couple of spots around his mouth (which actually turned out to be cold sores), so I knew the symptoms but was still surprised when I picked him up from nursery one night to find that the one little blister on his chin - which I assumed was due to a combination of his dummy & teething - had multiplied in what the nursery said was only the past hour.

It was unsurprising really as the days prior David had an unexplained fever and had been off his food & milk, a sure sign that he is definitely out of sorts! If like us, you find yourself dealing with a wee one with Hand Foot & Mouth, here's my top tips for identifying Hand, Foot & Mouth (HFM) & getting through it!

• • •

Blisters. In retrospect, David was ill with HFM before the blisters appeared but it was impossible to know with what until those blisters flared up; the fever, being out of sorts & off food are all signs of HFM but can also be signs of other illness. The blisters will appear as quickly as chicken pox do but will generally be secluded to around & inside the mouth, the hands & the feet (hence the name!). Some unlucky, poor wee soles may also have blisters flare up right up their legs & onto their genitals. Similar to chicken pox the blisters also appear to be filled with fluid and often burst, leaving an open sore.

Contagious. Like most childhood illnesses, HFM spreads like wild fire. When David had it at nursery, all the other babies had it too. Thankfully, it generally only affects younger kids and by some miracles, John didn't catch it too. Because of it's contagious nature, it does mean you'll need to keep your wee one off nursery and out of baby groups until the blisters have healed. Annoying when you know they more than likely caught it there, but it's important to consider those wee ones who may have compromised immune systems & couldn't deal with HFM as easily.

Diagnoses. Given the secluded nature of the blisters with HFM, it's quite easy to self diagnose. However, if you're unsure of any symptoms or wish to have a professional diagnoses, speak to your pharmacist. Given the nature of HFM, unless your wee one has other health issues, there's not a lot a doctor can actually do so save yourself the long appointment waiting times and head to your pharmacist as a best & first port of call.

Treatment. Again, like most childhood illnesses, there's no cure for HFM and it's simply a case of letting it run it's course. Most wee ones will have had the temperature & been out of sorts before the blisters appear so generally fever monitoring & control is to be considered then. But in terms of the blisters, there's not a lot you can really do.
If your wee one if over a year old & really itchy with the blisters, you can speak to your Pharmacist about a oral antihistamine but it's important to not put creams on the blisters, given the location of them; hands & feet end up in wee ones mouths numerous times a day after all!
One ointment I did use with David however was a little coconut oil, dabbed onto any particularly sore looking blisters, mainly to keep them clean & act as a barrier but also taking into consideration coconut oil's magical healing abilities. Plus it's all natural & completely edible, so no worries!

Goodbye Finger Nails! This is one that's less talked about but when you do some searching, it's actually a common after-affect of HFM. Since having HFM, David has lost a finger nail. Like I say, it's not hugely known about so I can't say for sure but my theory is it's due to blisters underneath the nails causing them to come away. Thankfully David has only lost the one finger nail but I've read of many babies losing quite a few, including toe nails.
If this does happen to your wee one, let them be. The nail will come off in it's own time with little intervention. And any attempts to help it on it's way are likely to cause unnecessary pain. If like David, you find your wee ones nail is almost off but they're catching it & in pain as a result, wrap a loose finger bandage around it and pop on a glove or mitten over it for a few days (remembering to check it routinely). This will allow the final part of the nail to grow out without your little one ripping the dead nail off. A soak in the bath can also be a enough to let that nail drop away.
And don't worry! Like a normal finger nail injury, the nail should grow back normally, with no long term affects.

David has had a mitten on one hand for the past day. When he had Hand, Foot & Mouth, he got a blister under one of his finger nails and its gradually been falling off. Yesterday it was just hanging there & he kept catching it and getting upset. I popped a little bandage over it but he just chewed that, so the mitten went on top. He looked quite funny channeling Michael Jackson. Today it finally came off, as did his mitten. Back to normality with a nasty looking finger. Poor bubba. #babiesofinstagram #vscocam #throughachildseyes #drivinginmycar

A photo posted by Amy Lorimer (@amylorimer) on Oct 10, 2014 at 3:17pm PDT

Disclaimer: As with any posts of a similar nature, I'm not a Health Care Professional. All advice is based on our own experiences and if you're ever unsure of any aspects of illness, such as Hand, Foot & Mouth, please consult your doctor.

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Tomorrow is a Birthday

I remember this day, one year ago, like it was yesterday. There was a smell of fresh paint in house, from the day before when my Dad came to paint my bedroom. It was one of the last things on my pregnancy bucket-list that I wanted done before Baby Boy No.2 was due to make his début. There was also a lingering smell of the chutney I'd made whilst my Dad painted, back when I first had the idea of Diddle Diddle Dumpling's Home Made Christmas but for obvious reasons (like two little things such as a newborn and nearly 2 year old...) that idea never really panned out.

That day, the 12th of Novemer 2013, I woke in the early hours of the morning. My pelvis was killing me but as it had been for around 5 months previous, I thought nothing of it. It wasn't until I lay awake for a few hours and realised that the pain was not only really bad at certain points but that it also eased off every few minutes. Contractions. Having learnt my lesson with John in running around like a mad woman & exhausting myself in early labour, I tired to get some rest. That day was filled with lots of cuddles with John, reading Mummy Mummy What's In Your Tummy countless times and texting my parents & Iain routinely to let them know there wasn't any change.

The evening drew in and the contractions continued, although not worsening by any great degree. I put John to bed as normal and when Iain got home at 8pm, I phoned the labour ward. To my shock, and for the reason that this was a second pregnancy, they told us to come in as soon as we could. My parents headed up as we had some pizza, and as I left, I went in and kissed John on the head, knowing that when I saw him again, he'd be a big brother.

Even throughout my entire labour, I wondered how we'd cope as a family of four, if John was actually meant to be a big brother, if we were really ready to take on another baby when our first born already seemed still so small. Would I be able to love this baby as much as John? Would I be able to divide my heart evenly between them?

Tomorrow is a big day.

Tomorrow is a year from the day that we first welcomed David Graham Russell to the world.

Tomorrow is a year from the day that I realised that love doesn't divide & hearts don't half. Love multiples & hearts grow.

Tomorrow is a year from the day that I knew John was made to be a big brother and that I whispered to this little 8lbs 6oz bundle that he was the luckiest baby in the world to have a the best brother in the world.

Tomorrow is a year from the day that we went from a couple with a kid to the family we've always meant to be.

Tomorrow is a year from the day that we started one of the toughest years of my life but by far the most rewarding & with the best of memories.

Tomorrow is a Birthday.

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Tiddley Pom

I've become a bit obsessed with using natural beauty products (aside from the prescription acne stuff...blah...). From coconut oil, to pure argan oil & silicone-free hair products, I'm sold on the idea that nature knows how to look after us. Given my new found obsession, I've been keeping an eye out for some lovely natural products for bath time with the boys. You could be assumed to be living under a rock if you haven't heard that the market leader of baby bath products isn't in fact so great after all, containing known allergens & skin-stripping sulphates - not exactly what you want to be washing your squishy new wee ones precious skin with!

Tiddley Pom is a welcome addition to the market of Baby Bath products (& our bathroom!), providing a beautifully packaged, natural & organic line of balms, lotions & oils, as well as various bundles & gift sets, perfect for both gifts & getting started with Tiddley Pom. And best of all, Tiddley Pom is a British brand, using quintessentially British ingredients such as Lavender & Chamomile.

The brainchild of British Mum & natural cosmetics guru, Emma Nash, Tiddley Pom first came about after the birth of her daughter Iris who like many babies, suffered from eczema. Emma took matters into her own hands & used her own knowledge of natural spa cosmetics and the sourcing of high quality ingredients and came up with Tiddley Pom, The Natural Baby Spa. Including Organic Baby Wash, Sooth Lotion, Baby Massage Oil & (my personal favourite) Nappy Balm, the entire Tiddley Pom range can be used together to compliment one another for a truly relaxing bonding experience with your baby. Tiddley Pom also offers a selection of bundles of their products, such as a Baby Massage Bundle & Baby's First Christmas Pack; both wonderful gift for either new babies or those who are approaching their first Christmas. And all their products are numbered, so you can make the most of them, using them in the order intended.

We were kindly sent the Tiddley Pom Organic Baby Wash & Organic Nappy Balm to try out on David and it's safe to say, I'm in love. I was already sold on the idea of natural baby products but have really struggled to find any that didn't cost the earth or that actually smelt of anything close to appealing. The Tiddley Pom Organic Baby Wash is a dream for bedtime baths, with a comforting lavender scent, plus the easy to use pump dispenser is perfect for when you're running a bath with only one hand free! It only produces a small amount of bubbles, so John much prefers his usual (sulphate-containing - ARGH!) bubble bath but for cleaning babies & leaving their skin soft of not-at-all dried out, it preforms perfectly. I also use it as a shampoo for both boys and aside from John's usual reluctance to hair-washing, we've had no tears as a result. And I'd also be lying if I said I hadn't sneaked a wee pump or two for myself in the shower...

The Tiddley Pom Organic Nappy Balm has been the biggest hit for me though. I'm always on the look out for a miracle cure for a sore bums and although I've found a few creams that have come close to their claims, there's yet to be one that really does the work of miracles. The Organic Nappy Balm has the lovely smell of lavender and is a more solid consistency than you'd expect from a traditional nappy cream. It melts onto the skin so although it can be a bit messy as you wrestle a wriggling baby, any bits that are still solid will simply melt away. The consistency also takes away the fear of the nappy balm bursting in your changing bag (we've all been there!). But best of all, it works! David has even had a runny tummy this past week, meaning we really got to try it out to it's full potential and let me tell you, if you cover your little ones bum in some of the Tiddley Pom Organic Nappy Balm before they go to bed, no matter how red raw they were the night before, they'll wake up with a beautiful clear bum! It's so good that I've even been rubbing a little on some of John (& mine!) dry skin patches.

Overall, we absolutely love Tiddley Pom. Not only are they great natural & organic products, perfect for babies delicate skin but the spa element also adds a little luxury to them, making them perfect gifts too. Tiddley Pom also offers a selection of bundles of their products, such as a Baby Massage Gift Set & Baby's First Christmas Pack; both wonderful gifts for either newborn babies or those who are approaching their first Christmas. And all their products are numbered, so you can make the most of them, using them in the order intended.

You can purchase the Tiddley Pom range from Boots (currently on offer online, so hop to it!) or the Tiddley Pom website.

Disclaimer: We were kindly compensated & sent the Tiddley Pom Nappy Balm &

Baby Wash for the purposes of this review. All thoughts & opinions are our own.

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Littlest Potato.

Whoops. I lost track of David's monthly updates. Although, if I'm being entirely honest, I'm pretty sure the same happened with John and I actually went back after his 1st birthday and edited photos to make it look like I'd actually kept it up... Thing is, you wait through those first few months for something to actually document and then after 6 months, everything happens at once.

David is officially on the move. He's graduated from the sniper crawl onto his knees. He can now pull himself (& climb) onto everything. He's starting to get the hang of cruising but I don't think he's quite aware of his ability to move yet. We're not quite at the stage of getting a walker out for him but he does enjoy pushing his piano & activity table around. He claps! Still only two teeth but he's been His eyes are starting to go brown, from the pupils outwards. He's now in to 18-24 months clothes (!!). Sleep is slightly better although he still wakes a minimum 2-3 times a night. He's a complete Mummy's boy, which I do love. Oh, and he eats like a horse!

I'm still in absolute denial that it's just 6 weeks until his 1st birthday. I still look at him and see a tiny baby, despite his size & development. Always my Littlest Potato.


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Living Arrows 35/52.

Generally, John is a great big brother. He sings to David, he cuddles him, he feeds him ice cream & sweeties... But one thing he isn't so great at is sharing his toys, in particular, his cars. Which is a shame as David appears to be following in his big brothers foot steps and falling in lovely with anything that has wheels.

So the minute John is away, sleeping or his back is turned, David is into the car box like a shot. He hauls each car out, one at a time, spinning the wheels & chatting away to himself. Baby is in his element. Hopefully once David gets some new cars for himself at his birthday & Christmas, John will be more keen to play with the cars as a twosome. Either that or David's car will suddenly become John's too...

Until next week,

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Snufflebabe

Brace yourselves, folks! David has now started nursery. This means I'm dosing us up on vitamins & counting my available holiday days. If he's going to be anything like his big brother, the next year is going to be filled with cough, after cold, after sniffle (& in turn he will never actually be in nursery...).

There's nothing worse than a choked up wee one. Runny noses, trouble breathing, difficulty eating & not being able to get comfortable enough to sleep - it's the times that every parent dreads. You feel utterly helpless and whilst you do all you can to help, sometimes you need a bit of assistance. That's where Snuffle Babe comes in. When a cold set in, you might just pop a couple of decongestant tablets & get on with life, for wee ones though it's not so straight forward.

The obvious alternative to medicinal decongestants is a Vapour Rub and Snufflebabe have the perfect one for stuffed up wee ones. Whether it's used on the chest & back, or on the soles of the feet with socks (honestly, try it!!), vapour rubs are a tried & tested method of relieving cold symptoms. And the great thing about Snufflebabe is that it's not as eye wateringly strong as the well-known adult alternative, with the lovely combination of eucalyptus oil, menthol and thyme oil, making it is much better suited for wee ones. Plus it's suitable from only 3 months, so worth having on hand for that heart-breaking first cold.

The perfect accompaniment to the Snufflebabe Vapour Rub is the Snufflebabe Vapour Oil. A few drops on a muslin cloth, draped over a heater, or into a bowl of warm water, will give some lovely menthol vapours through the night to help wee ones get a good sleep. I also like to pop a couple of drops onto the boys sleeping bag/blankets when they're particularly stuffed up - just be sure to avoid getting it on pyjamas or wee ones skin, as like all essential oils it may cause irritation. The Snufflebabe Vapour Oil is also designed for use with the Snufflebabe Inhaler Dummy, which lets be honest, is a pretty clever invention!

Snufflebabe have a fantastic range of products for helping you get through the inevitable colds & sniffles that come with wee ones. Along with the Snufflebabe Vapour Rub & Vapour Oil, I can highly recommend the Nasal Aspirator for babies that can't yet blow their noses - something we bought for John before he was even born. In theory, it's pretty disgusting (we even call it the snot sucker!) but boy, does it work! As far as I'm concerned, Snufflebabe are by far the best on the market it terms of cold remedies for wee ones.

Have you tried any of the Snufflebabe range? What is your favourite product?

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Monski Mouse at the Edinburgh Fringe

There's a few words that we use in Edinburgh that have different meaning to anywhere else in the world. Possibly my favourite is, "festival". According to Buzzfeed, a word that is usually used to describe a weekend filled with music & mud, is in fact, "an entire month spent fighting your way through crowds of people who just won’t leave," in Edinburgh. For those who have no idea what I'm talking about, it's the Edinburgh Fringe Festival; the world's largest arts festival, hosted in Edinburgh for the entire month of August.

For many years I've been a typical local, cursing the Fringe & all the slow-walking tourists it attracts. This year however, we took the opportunity to embrace the Fringe & take the boys to their first ever show. There are some shows aimed just for kids but few that cater to a pre-school audience. This year though, Edinburgh has welcomed Monski Mouse to the party!

On Friday, with Granny in tow, we headed up to George Square Gardens where the Palazzo Spiegeltent was pitched. Monski Mouse is the retro-fabulous-vintage DJ/Producer/Hostess of the Monski Mouse Baby Disco Dance Hall. Not only that, she is also a Mum of one with no.2 on the way. But her growing bump certainly didn't get in the way of the show. The Monski Mouse disco we attended was at 11am on Friday - a great time for the wee ones but the show we attended was a little bit quieter than the usual Monski Mouse shows. In retrospect, I think it may be due to the Edinburgh School's now being back after the summer holidays & many parents not being able to bring their wee ones due to Friday school run, being a half day in Edinburgh.

The small crowd didn't hold back Monski Mouse & her two lovely assistances though. They were still ready to rock & roll, impressing the group of wee ones who'd come to dance. John reminds me of myself at his age - quite apprehensive & unsure in big groups of people; this meant it took him a little while to come around to the idea of getting on the dance floor, instead hanging around our table asking for cuddles & his dummy (he usually naps around 11am-12pm too so he was a bit tired as well). David on the other hand was ready to rock!

The music of the disco was a nice combination of disco-classics & kid orientated songs, including one of John's favourite nursery rhymes, Sleeping Bunnies, which he was more than happy to cuddle into the cushions for & have Mummy bounce him extra high for. Throughout each song, Monski Mouse's assistants were running about, dancing their feet off, encouraging both adults & wee ones to boogy on the dance floor. The also conducted a rather impressive Conga Line, which John was more than happy to join in with.

The Monski Mouse disco is 50 minutes long, so perfect for the wee ones it's aimed for. Both John & David were exhausted by the end and a little grumpy as a result but they seemed really enjoy themselves. I too was absolutely knackered! One person that seemed to have endless energy though, was Monski Mouse herself, even jumping & shaking on the dance floor at the end of the disco, despite her obvious baby bump. One thing's for sure, you wouldn't have caught me dancing like that at that stage of my pregnancies! (Thank you, SPD  hips...).

Despite the small crowd at the disco we attended, Monski Mouse was a great, energetic morning out. Both boys enjoyed & exhausted themselves and seemed to be more than happy with their first Fringe show experience. And any event that ends in balloons & stickers is a winner in John's books!

For more info on Monski Mouse & her up-coming shows, you can follow her on Facebook & Twitter or check out her official website.

**We were provided with tickets for the Monski Mouse disco for the purposes of this review. All thoughts & opinions are our own.**

Keep dancing,

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Living Arrows 33/52.

This picture pretty much sums up David at present. My usually happy chappy is currently a complete grump! I think it's teething but it could also be to do with the fact his sleep has been rubbish & his nose has not stopped running! Basically, he's just not himself of late.

It's not all bad though! He's now mastered pulling himself up & is starting to take some side-steps towards cruising. It does mean that nothing is safe now but John is very impressed by the fact his little brother is now upright. I'll be more impressed about it when David's happy about it too. And when he's not up every hour of the night. It is Monday, right?

Until next week,

P.S. I'm having some issues replying to blog comments at the moment but I am reading & mentally replying to all! Hopefully I'll figure out the problem ASAP & have it fixed sooner rather than later.

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My 1st Years GIVEAWAY!

Have I ever mentioned my Mum is a baker? Growing up, our house had a constant smell of home baking. Friends used to love coming around, just so they could see what masterpiece my Mum was working on; be it a wedding cake, a Snow White & the Seven dwarfs birthday cake (always been my favourite) or simply some scrumptious scones. Since moving out in 2008, I've continuously craved the comfort of home baking and although I'll never be as good as my Mum, I'd like to think I can teach John a little bit about baking too.

And what better way to look the part when delving into some biscuit baking than with a Personalised Baking Set from the personalised baby gifts specialists, My 1st Years. Delivered to your door (or your gift receiver's door) in a beautiful Tiffany blue box, complete with tissue paper packaging & a little white bow, My 1st Years have a huge selection of gifts, outfits & toys, with nearly all having the option to be personalised for your wee one. Whether it's a new baby, a Christening, or the birthday of an older child, My 1st Years have the perfect gift for every occasion.

Plus, they also offer a Gift List service for you to take advantage of if you've got family & friends who are forever asking, "is there anything they need?" Oh, and did I mention the Free Delivery for orders over £30? Some other favourites of mine from My 1st Years include the Personalised Wood Xylophone and Organic Stripe Knitted Blanket. And if you're anything like me, you'll find there's so much to choose from that you'll end up with a list as long as your arm, struggling to narrow it down to just one favourite.

If the photos didn't already give it away, John is absolutely thrilled with his Baking Set, which not only includes his personalised apron and hat but also a oven glove, rolling pin & biscuit cutters. In fact, once he put them on, he refused to take them back off! Even after he'd made his biscuits, he insisted in wearing his flour covered pinny. And Granny was very impressed with his new baker inspired look, even if his biscuits didn't come out quite as good as hers.

Best of all, Diddle Diddle Dumpling has teamed up with My 1st Years to give one lucky person the chance to win £25 to spend on anything you like from My 1st Years. Whether it's for your own wee one, or a special little person in your life, this is the perfect opportunity to give them something truly lovely, just for them; which even has their name on! All you have to do is enter via the Rafflecopter below to be in for your chance of winning £25 to spend at My 1st Years. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway
T&Cs.

1. The winner will be chosen by random via Rafflecopter, and announced on Facebook & advised by email.

2. The gift voucher amount of £25 is available to spend on any item on the My 1st Years website. There is no minimum spend & if under £25 is spent, the remaining balance can be carried over to future purchases. The £25 can also be used as part payment on purchases over £25.

3. Delivery is not included (unless it falls within £25 voucher amount). My 1st Years do however offer free delivery on purchases over £30.

4. The gift voucher will be valid for 1 year from receipt.

5. Open to UK residents only.

**We were send John's baking set for the purposes of this review. All thoughts & opinions are our own.**

Best of luck,

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OXO Tot Divided Plate.

Iain's a weirdo with food. He has this thing where he can't have certain foods touching others. An annoying quirk of his that he seems to have passed onto John. So when I'd happily pile all my tea onto a plate without much thought (hey, it all gets combined in my stomach anyway!) I find myself balancing & separating John's veg & potatoes as not to have them fall into sauce territory. This is when a divided plate is a life saver.

And here's another winner from the OXO Tot range! The OXO Tot Divided Plate is by far John's (& mine!) favourite plate from the plethora of dishes we have stacked into our cupboard. Cleverly designed with 3 separate sections, each marked with portion guides on the bottom, you can be sure you'll serve up the right amount of protein, veggies & carbs. Surely I'm not the only Mummy to have wondered whether I've gotten this right in the past? Then there's the middle section, perfect for John's favourite - a dod of tomato sauce! Gone is the worries of inter-food contamination.

Similar to other OXO Tot plates, the Divided Plate has a non-slop bottom & removable outer ring (best idea ever), both designed to help wee ones learn to self feed, without their plate slipping away or their peas jumping out and onto the table. There's also the fact that like all other OXO Tot products, this plate is absolutely stunning. And a dream to clean; it's even dishwasher safe, should you be lucky enough to have a dishwater (I am not - and yes, I'm a little bitter about that fact...). At a RRP of £8.17, I can confirm it's worth every penny. Overall, the OXO Tot Divided Plate is a huge hit in our house and something I'd definitely recommend, particularly if you too have a fussy food organiser.

Now, do they do one in adult sizes for Daddy too?

**We were sent the OXO Tot Divided Plate for the purpose of this review. As always, all opinions are our own.**

Happy eatings,

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Instagram Lately

It's been a while since I did an Instagram update and now seems like as good a time as any to share a few recent favourites from my most used app, particularly since my DSLR has been gathering dust of late (whoops!).

This month we've taken a surprising amount of selfies, something I never really do these days, despite being  the queen of them many moons ago (I'll maybe share some as a #TBT one day...). There's also lots of outdoors photos in there too, which again is a rarity in sunny Scotland; one of my absolute favourites is obviously John on a pony! Such an amazing moment. And last but not least is a brief snapshot of a usual weekend morning in our house; two boys in their pyjamas, munching toast & still looking half asleep. Reality.

For more little snapshots of our day to day, come follow us over on Instagram. (Click below).

Much love,

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Hello Summer.

Things have been a little bit quiet here on Diddle Diddle Dumpling. Life has gotten a bit mad recently and at the end of the day, I've been too exhausted to entertain the idea of sitting in front of a computer screen and instead have been trying to catch up on house work & spending some time in front of the TV with Iain. But despite not having much to say, life has been by no means quiet. In fact, lots has been going on...

Lets start with John. The all singing, all dancing, refusing to nap at all, toddler. He can now count to 10 although he's still a little young to really understand what a number is. He often disappears to play in his room where you'll then hear a chorus of, "ba-ba back sheep, shedder wool." (I know, I know - but he's only 2...) Other songs include Twinkle Twinkle, Incy Wincy Spider & the Fireman Sam theme tune.
He's also completely potty trained now, only wearing nappies at night time and he's even dry for naps. However, his naps have become non-existent of late, much to my dismay...
In typical toddler fashion, he's also starting to push boundaries - majorly! After a bit of consideration we've decided to implement "Time Out" à la Supernanny Naughty Step (we're in a flat & don't have steps). At the moment it's being used in situations such as biting, hitting, upsetting David (he's developed this high pitched screech which he uses to make David cry when he doesn't want him to do something...) & refusing to help tidy up. And so far it's been pretty positive! He has grasped the concept and even remembers certain things will lead to Time Out; like picking the neighbours flowers. (NB. These aren't our neighbours flowers - this was the park!).

Then there's David - the biggest thing in David's life right now is starting nursery! He's still doing his settling in days but so far he seems to be enjoying it. I was a little worried as despite him being the happiest, most laid back baby in existence, he's never really spent any time away from me but thankfully he's taken it in his stride.
He's now mastered the sniper crawl and gets around our house with ease but hopefully seeing the other babies at nursery crawling will be enough to be him up onto his knees. He's also loving solid food - particular favourites being nectarines, sausages, pizza & ice cream (thanks, Granny...). And he has two teeth now to help him discover even more foodie delights. David's also taken to babbling away to himself, telling some great wee stories - he particularly loves when John repeats them back to him.
Sleep however? What is 'sleep'? Naps are great for David - he has at least 3 decent ones a day but he's still up at least 3 times a night. Thankfully he settles right after a quick breastfeed but it doesn't make it any less exhausting. He have taken the plunge and pop him right into his cot & ended full-time co-sleeping. But he won't be joining John in the other room until he starts sleeping a little better.

As for me? Well, I've been feeling a little lost lately; not sure who I am, other than "Mummy". It has come at a practical time however, as I'll be heading back to the world of work in a few weeks time, meaning I can have my 'days off' from being Mum and spend some time being Amy; talking to actual adults, who don't bite & who talk about things other than Fireman Sam (because no matter how great Sam is, sometimes I've just got to talk about something else...).

To try & help with my rut I've decided to start buying myself some new pieces of clothing and I've also been trying to give my straighteners a rest & embrace my natural hair. I've discovered the Curly Girl Method and I'm slowly having some success with it, although it's still very much trial & error. My skin on the other hand is absolutely atrocious. I have horrendous cystic acne that is not only affecting my confidence in my appearance but is agony too. It's getting me so down that I've made an appointment with the doctor later this week in hopes that they'll be able to help somehow, although I'm not holding my breath as I don't think there's much hope as long as I'm breastfeeding. 
And I finally finished the Couch to 5K a couple of weeks ago! (Whoop!) I'm now aiming to run at least 5k, a minimum of least twice a week, with hopefully upping the ante once this heat wave passes. Oh and it was my birthday on Tuesday! We celebrated with a trip to the park for a picnic & to feed the ducks, camera in hand to practice some new skills I've recently learnt (more on that later...). So here we are & Hello to 24.

So now you know what's been going on with us... How're you?

Happy summertime,

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