Children

13 things to do in Basingstoke in Spring with a three year old

Posted by Louise NorthHantsMum on in Spring, Things to Do, Toddlers, Walks 0 Comment

1. Visit PlayDays, JJ’s, Fun House or Gym Tots at the Sports Centre

2. Go to the Aquadrome.

3. Check out nature detectives to see which packs you can use to go on a treasure hunt. Click HERE for a list of nature walks you can do.

4. Play Pooh Sticks on the bridge at Eastrop Park

5. Go Ice Skating at Planet Ice

6. Check out the aquarium’s in the fish shop at Sherfield on Loddon Garden Centre

7. Attend a Toddler Class. Have a look at the Activities Drop down on the tool bar above, to see the Classes available each day.

8. Visit the Old Fashioned Sweet Shop in Milestones

9. Go Bowling at the Leisure Park and play in the new Soft Play area after. (Keep your receipt for softplay as it gets you half price entry the next time you go.)

10. Visit a Pick Your Own Farm

11. Fly a kite on Crabtree Hill

12. Take a ride on the Viables mini steam train when it’s running

13. Go to Basing Lime Pits and play on the Train climbing frame and slide down the extra long slides

What would you recommend in the area for something to do with a three year old?

Related Posts

9 Things to do in Basingstoke with a newborn

15 Different Experiences for Children

7 Cheap or Free Rainy Day Activities in Basingstoke

11 Things to do when you are pregnant

11 Places to Breakfast “out” with Children in North Hampshire

15 Different Experiences for Children

Posted by Louise NorthHantsMum on in Children, Older Children, Outings, Things to Do 0 Comment

I believe it’s important, as a parent, to introduce your child to as many different experiences as possible. Obviously, you don’t want to overwhelm them, but the different activities and experiences may help to broaden their horizons.

For example, I would have liked to have taken my little on to the Olympics, but I wasn’t sure what the logistics would be like. I have some friends who took their 1 year old to see the London Marathon and to the Jubilee last summer. What an awesome experience for a little one.

Below is a list that I’ve put together for ideas on different experiences. Please add your suggestions in the comments.

1. Stroke a wolf at Beenham Wolf. Beenham is near Aldermaston and they have Children’s Wolf Walks which look AWESOME!

2. Go swimming at an outside swimming pool. See the previous NHM Lido Post HERE

3. See a show at the Planetarium in Winchester. See the previous NHM Chatterbox Post HERE

4. Trampolining at the Active Life Centre

5. Pet a Sheep at Finkley Down Farm, Wellington Country Park, Odds Farm, or Bucklebury Farm 

6. Pick Your Own strawberries

7. Fly a kite on a very big hill. Crabtree is great for this, or if you want go a bit further, try the hill behind Watership Down on the way to Kingsclere.

8. Take your child to see London. It’s such an awesome experience and we are so lucky to only live 40 minutes away on the train. Check HERE for a previous post about travel discounts for families. Or you could drive straight up to Richmond and park in Deer Park car park and get the train in (it’s much cheaper!). If you don’t want to schlep around London with your kids in tow, I totally recommend the London Sightseeing Bus. You get to see all the sights without moving from your seat 😉

9. Enrol your child on a cookery course. Newlyns Farm do great cooker courses. Or take your child to a restaurant where they do food “differently”. Wagamama’s or La Tasca could be good restaurants for this.

10. Hold a snake at Marwell Zoo.

11. Take your child to a Gallery and use this opportunity to discuss the pictures or photography. The Willis Museum in town regularly has different exhibitions.

12. Show your child some of the military history of this country. You could try the Royal Navy Submarine Museum at Gosport, the Army Flying Museum near Andover or the Gurka Museum in Winchester.

13. Take your child on a steam train. The Watercress Line isn’t far away and is a brilliant experience.

14. Visit an Aquarium. I think the nearest ones to Basingstoke are the Blue Reef Aquarium in Portsmouth or the London Aquarium. Or you could take your children along to one of the local fish shops.

15. Take your child to the theatre. The Anvil and The Haymarket have regular children’s performances.

Toddler Games: Coloured Spaghetti

Posted by Louise NorthHantsMum on in Games, Toddlers 1 Comment

I’ve been meaning to do this activity for ages and we finally got around to it this morning. It was BRILLIANT! I really didn’t think we would have so much fun. I made blue spaghetti first, to try it out, and gave that to my little one with some plastic plates, cups and a spoon. She spent about 20 mins playing with it, whilst I pottered around the kitchen. I then did some red and green spaghetti and we both played with it together for about another hour!! I really didn’t expect to have so much fun with it:

It’s easy peasy. I first saw the idea HERE and have had it on my “list of things” to do since my little one was born. All you need is some spaghetti and food colouring. I picked up the spaghetti we used from the Sainsburys value range, about 40p, but you can get it cheaper in Tesco’s. We used about a quarter of it, so we can do this at least 3 more times. I cooked my spaghetti up with the food colouring directly and am pleased to report that it didn’t stain my saucepans. I got a bit covered in food colouring, but that was half the fun and I’m not great with those food colouring bottles! lol. My little one had so much fun moving the spaghetti from bowl, to plate, to cup and learnt that she could bite the spaghetti in half to make smaller pieces. We came up with some very multicoloured patterns as you can see:

It was a great opportunity for my little one’s motor skills and for us to practice colours. I totally recommend this activity with your toddler, especially for a rainy day. If you do try it out, let me know how it goes!

Children’s Bike Seats

Posted by Louise NorthHantsMum on in Children, Exercise, Health, Outings, Travel 0 Comment

Getting a childs bike seat sorted has been on my to do list for a very long time, but I just never seem to get around to it. I want to go in to Basing Cycles in town and have a chat with them as they specialise in Specialized bikes, which is the bike I have. I was also hoping that I might be able to see if they are interested in doing a discount for NHM Readers also looking to buy a child bike seat.

I’m finding that a childs bike seat might be like a sling. I really want one and I just want someone to tell me which one to get, but we will probably end buying a really expensive one (like we did with the sling)  because we don’t know any better and then we will probably only use it twice (like the sling).

I’ve also been trying to put together a post about Children’s Bike Seats since March this year! In an effort to pull my finger out and get the post started AND completed, I put a request out on Facebook to see if you wonderful readers would be happy to provide your insights. This is what you came back with:

Wendy made an excellent point “The first thing you have to consider is your bike. Not all seats fit all bikes.” Amber also made an excellent point “It’s worth emphasising that ALL children should have cycle helmets along with their parents whenever they are cycling.”

Matt, a keen cyclist, said: “My recommendation is the Co-pilot Limo seat, RRP £109.99”. Lesley also recommended the Co-pilot Limo child seat. She said “We did a lot of research when looking to purchase a seat for our daughter. She was 2 years old at the time (now 4). The seat has a lot of protection, just I case your bike topples over. At that age she tended to fall asleep after a while, but the side protection, meant she could rest her head comfortably. The seat also grows with your child, straps move to deal with growing legs. And, a final bit of usefulness – the seat doubles up as a seat off the bike too. We would stop for a picnic, and our daughter was able to sit comfortably and securely for her meal. (equally-it can be a handy retaining option if you are on your own and don’t want your child to toddle off while you tend to your bike). 5* as far as I’m concerned. Daughter now cycling using her own Steam, and she asks to go to places we used to take her on the back of our bikes.”

Karen recommended a Hamax child seat “I’ve got a hamax one – very pleased with it. What about some research on the difference between rear and front seats- the ones that go near the handlebars- they look pretty dangerous to me! Amber also recommended a Hamax seat “Both my husband and I are very keen cyclists and did a lot of research before buying ours for our daughter and as Wendy says, not all seats fit all bikes…. We bought a Hamax Sleepy which is great, they are very robust seats with adjustable footrests and harness so it growns with your child. With hindsight I wish we had got the Siesta model which reclines further than the Sleepy as she invariably nods off in it and she just lolls forwards in the seat. She doesn’t seem to mind that but it is a little disconcerting!”

Charlotte suggested the Wee free ride, “We have wee free ride. Lo sits on the cross bar in front of you. Very safe for them as they’re inside your arms and they get a great view. BUT it doesn’t work well on small frame bikes as you have to ride with your knees out wide! My bike at 16″ frame is too small. My husband’s at 17½ is just about OK.”

I was originally leaning towards a Wee free ride but I have a small bike frame so I don’t think it will be suitable. I would love a Co-pilot seat but I had a quick look on Amazon and the Hamax seat seems to be a bit cheaper. If anyone has any other suggestions please do add a comment.

I hope to do some more research this weekend and will add any links I find into this post. I’m hoping that by getting this post out there it will help me get my butt into gear about getting a bike seat sorted!!! 😀

Further Reading

Which Cycle Seat Guide

Mumsnet Child Bike Seats

Carrying Children on bikes

What is the right age for a baby bike seat?

Local Bike Shops

Basing Cycles – Basingstoke

Winklebury Cycles – Basingstoke

Pedal On – Tadley

AW Cycles – Caversham, Reading

9 Foody Places to go as a group of Mums with babies/toddlers

Posted by Louise NorthHantsMum on in Babies, Cafe's, Food, Restaurants, Toddlers 0 Comment

Are you looking for somewhere to meet up with several of your friends, their babies and pushchairs/buggys?

The list below are some of the foody places you could visit that welcome large groups of Mum’s and babies:

1. Queens College Arms – Tadley road

Recommend booking in advance and asking for the “big” table. They have baby changing facilities onsite and bottle warming facilities. Very friendly and welcoming of Mum’s and babies. For bigger children, there is a climbing frame in the pub garden.

2. Little Roses Tea Shop – Elm Tree Garden centre, just up from the Queens College Arms

They have excellent baby changing facilities and even provide free baby wipes and nappy bags! There is a changing station and several highchairs upstairs if you don’t want to take your pushchair in. Recommend looking in the Chests/tables as there is a treasure trove of toys that will keep children amused for a while. Very welcoming of Mums and babies.

3. Dayers – Chineham Business Park

This place is normally empty in the mornings. They do good breakfasts and cake. Gets busy at lunchtime, so maybe not the best place to go for lunch.

Unfortunately they don’t have baby changing facilities (they used too!) but they do have large toilets so if you don’t mind doing emergency nappy changes on your changing mat on the floor, you should be ok.

4. Dobbies Garden Centre – Tilehurst (25 mins from central Basingstoke)

If you fancy going a bit further afield or live near Reading, it’s worth checking out the restaurant of this Garden Centre. They have a large restaurant with a big outside eating area. Seems to be quiet because it’s outside of central Reading.

5. Wyevale Garden Centre – Sherfield on Loddon

They have a large restaurant and outside area. The baby changing facilities are good, but are in the ladies toilets. I recommend signing up for the Gardening Club as you rack up the points quite quickly which give you discounts in the store and restaurant.

6. The Cafe Project, The Dome, behind Asda in Brighton Hill

Open Tuesday to Friday’s from 9.30am.

7. Portsmouth Arms – Hatch Warren

8. Costa Coffee – Hampshire Centrecourt Hotel (Behind the large Tesco’s)

The Service is slow but you can sit indoors or outdoors and there are baby changing facilities

9. Conkers Garden Centre

Related Posts

9 things to do in Basingstoke with a newborn

8 Cheap Restaurants in Basingstoke

11 Places to Breakfast with children in North Hampshire

The Importance of Skin to Skin

Posted by Louise NorthHantsMum on in Babies, New Parents, Newborn, Post Natal, Pregnancy, Wellbeing 0 Comment

This weeks theme is “Babies”.

I only picked up on how important skin to skin is when my little one turned a month old. We didn’t have a very easy time with breastfeeding, for several reasons, but it was only when I went to see Lorraine, one of the breastfeeding counselors at North Hampshire Hospital, that it became apparent to me how important skin to skin is. I am eternally grateful to Lorraine for her pearls of wisdom.

I made sure that in the morning I spent as much time as possible skin to skin with my little one. This was fairly easy to do as it was summer time (this was last year, so nowhere near as much rain!) but I can imagine that in winter time it can be quite difficult to do this. My husband also found skin to skin very rewarding and whilst we spent our first few days as a family in hospital, he spent a lot of time with our little one on his chest. The nurses at the hospital were all cool with it as I’m sure they’ve seen it all before!

Even if you aren’t breastfeeding, skin to skin is still very important. Once my little one switched to bottles I had to make a conscious effort to make sure that skin to skin still happened.

My little one is now 17 months old and if I am not dashing to work in the morning I always make sure that the first feed of the day is skin to skin. My little one has always had her milk first thing in the morning so it’s worked out pretty well to be able to do this. I’ve noticed that my little one always needs to touch my skin when I’m holding her now. She puts her hand on the edge of my top or around the back of my neck. It makes my heart sing when she does this and reminds me of when she was really tiny. I’m sure that the skin to skin approach has helped us to bond as I really miss it if we haven’t been able to make time for it.

Whether you agree with skin to skin or not, and based on my experience,  I would really recommend trying to do this as much as possible, especially in the first few months. I can imagine this is really difficult to do with your baby if you have more than one child. Does anyone have any suggestions about to manage this complexity?

If you would like more information about the importance of skin to skin, please check out some of the links below:

http://www.naturalchild.org/guest/jack_newman2.html

http://www.nbci.ca/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=82:the-importance-of-skin-to-skin-contact-&catid=5:information&Itemid=17

http://www.nhs.uk/Planners/breastfeeding/Pages/skin-to-skin-contact.aspx

10 Places to Breakfast “out” with Children in North Hampshire

Posted by Louise NorthHantsMum on in Cafe's, Children, Food, Outings, Restaurants 1 Comment

As a parent you and your family are probably up early. Why not make the most of your weekend and indulge in breakfast out. If you plan well it doesn’t have to cost the earth and gives your family a great start to the weekend. Or, you could arrange to catch up with other families for breakfast as you know they will be up too!

1. Nelsons Diner – On the way to Newbury

I love Nelsons for breakfast. They do a great American breakfast, pancakes with maple syrup. If you aren’t watching your waistline, I totally recommend the milkshakes. Totally moreish. (I may regret putting up such a raving review next time we try to get a table! :-D)

2. Dayers – Chineham Business Park

They are only open from 8am until 3pm and don’t have baby changing facilities but they are generally very quiet in the morning and do a good breakfast. They do have free wireless though, if you can juggle that and a child! It’s only open on week days for breakfast though.

3. Sainsburys – Hatch Warren

4. Debenhams – Town Centre

There is a baby room next to the Restaurant. They also offer a special children’s menu and provide baby food and bottle warming facilities, free bibs and wipes.

5. BHS – Town Centre

Breakfast is £1.99 when you buy any hot drink before 11.30am

6. Morrisons – Brookvale

7. Frankie and Benny’s

Not sure whether I should be suggesting this place because the last few times I’ve eaten here friends have been sick afterwards. It could have been coincidence as it happened twice, but I haven’t dared risk it again!

(Dec 2013 – We tried again and had the pancakes for breakfast which were yummy. No one got sick this time ;-). They have a children’s menu and baby changing facilities.)

8. The Beach Arms – Oakley

Not eaten here yet but it’s on my list of places to try.

9. Wyevale Garden Centre – Sherfield on Loddon

I would recommend signing up to the Gardening Club they have because you can also use the points for meals. They also send you deals out in the post which can often work out to be very reasonable.

10. The Harvester

13 Things to do in Basingstoke with a newborn

Posted by Louise NorthHantsMum on in Classes, Mums, New Parents, Newborn, Parents, Pregnancy 2 Comments

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1. Subscribe to NorthHantsMum

Obviously! :-D. 

The best way to ensure that you receive each post is subscribe using the “Email Sign Up” box” on the right hand side of the home page of NorthHantsMum.co.uk. Every time there is a new post on NHM you will receive an email in your inbox.

I get the most interaction on” Louise NHM Smith” on Facebook . The best discussions and comments are always via “Louise NHM Smith“, so I also recommend adding me as a friend. Don’t worry, I don’t ever look at anyones’ profiles. I don’t have the time or interest! lol.

Also ask to join the secret “Newborn”  (or “Pregnancy”) facebook group that I have set up on “Louise NHM Smith” for parents of Newborns. It’s a great way to meet other Mum’s who are in the same stage of babyhood as you.

2. Join a Baby PEEP course

Click for more details about what a PEEP course and Baby Sensory.

3. Go swimming with your baby

Go swimming with your baby (after 12 weeks old) at the Sports Centre in the week or QMC swimming pool at the weekend. See Swimming with Babies for more details. You can check out other baby and child friendly swimming pools. Or maybe look into structured classes with Water Babies.

4. Go to a baby weighing clinic

Go to The Nest at Chineham Church on a Monday morning. I always found the cafe area to be lovely as everyone was very friendly and willing to chat to each other, even if you didn’t know them beforehand! You can check out other baby weighing clinics: Baby Weighing Clinics in Basingstoke. 

5. Visit a local coffee or tea shop

Visit the Little Roses Coffee Shop in Elm Tree Garden Centre for coffee and cake with your friends who are also on maternity leave. You can find other baby friendly tea and coffee shops: Reasonably Priced Afternoon Tea‘s and NHM Recommended Children friendly Coffee Shops.  I also recently reviewed The Parlour TeaRoom which also comes highly recommended.

6. Go to the Newbies cinema

Go to Newbies cinema on a Monday morning at the Odeon. It’s specifically for parents with babies. The sound is reduced and it’s half lighting so you can still see your baby. Much cheaper than normal cinema tickets and includes free biscuits and tea and coffee (if you get there before the Senior cinema oldies demolish the lot at 11am!). Also recommend signing up to their Odeon Club as you get points and it’s amazing how quickly they rack up and convert into free tickets or free food! Miss NHM went to the cinema every week from 3 weeks old till 6 months old!

7. Take a Baby Massage Course

You can book independently here or investigate whether one of the local children’s centres has a course. (this tends to work out much cheaper!) Gail who often does the courses is lovely and a real calming influence.

8. Go to a Baby Rhymetime session

Go to a Baby RhymeTime session (normally hosted at one of the libraries).

9. Visit “Coffee and Chat on a Friday morning

Visit “Coffee and Chat” on a Friday morning. This group also host a “Sling Day” on the 1st Friday of the month (see Slings for previous posts about slings) and they also do bra fittings on the 1st and 3rd Friday of the month.

10. Have a photography session with your newborn

You can click Family Photographers in North Hampshire for a list of family friendly photographers in the area. Some do specific newborn packages, so have a look through.

11. Join a local baby class

There are LOADS going on in the area (Tots Play, Buggy Fit, Baby Signing and Baby Sensory are just a few). To find more details about which classes are available have a look at the Activities Page on NorthHantsMum.co.uk which lists classes by day.

12. Take some hand prints whilst your baby is tiny

Get a head start on those all important first Christmas presents at Pots2Paint. Perfect for creating keepsakes from your baby for your loved ones.

Finally…

I found it really important to get out and about with my little one in those first few months. The house became thoroughly neglected but it was totally worth it for my sanity!

If you have any friends who have just had a baby, don’t forget to share this post with them!

Don’t miss out on future posts like this – you can receive updates directly to your inbox by email by adding your email address to the box on the top right of this page and hitting subscribe. You can also follow NorthHantsMum onTwitter,Google+, Facebook Profile, LinkedIn and Feedly. I hope to see you there! 

Amber Teething necklace’s

Posted by Louise NorthHantsMum on in Babies, Health, New Parents, Post Natal, Pregnancy 0 Comment

I was incredibly sceptical about the Amber teething necklaces. Someone at my Husband’s work recommended them to him and gave him the link so he ordered one. I thought it was a total waste of money and probably wouldn’t work. However, my husband isn’t the kind of guy to buy into “New Age B****ks” (his words, not mine) but the fact that he’d gone to such effort made me think I ought to at least try the necklace out on our little one.

Much to his delight, I’ve had to eat my words. I cannot praise this small necklace enough. You can totally tell when my little one isn’t wearing her necklace. Without it she’s grimbly, she dribbles lots more and she constantly has her fingers in her mouth pressing against her gums. With it, she’s a delightful, smiley, happy child. In fact, several people have commented that she’s one of the happiest babies they have met and I often wonder if it isn’t down to this little necklace.

She also looks very cute when she’s wearing it and is just in her nappy. Like a little Oompaloompa or Pygmy Tribal Warrior! Annnyway, I couldn’t recommend the necklaces enough. Just don’t lose it at swimming like I did so we had to buy another one!

Amber Teething Necklaces

One point I hadn’t picked up on but have just seen whilst reading the blurb is to: Avoid getting the necklaces wet and occasionally allow the amber to recharge by exposing to natural sunlight.

This is NOT a sponsored post and I’m receiving no money or any other perks for recommending Amber necklaces.