I had a question from a NHM Reader that I asked the NHM Community to help with: ‘Does anyone know of any private speech therapists for children local to Basingstoke? (Already referred)’. Many thanks for your responses, listed below in no particular order:
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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.)
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I recently asked the Friends of my “Louise nhm Smith” profile on Facebook if anyone could help this NHM reader: “I am thinking of sending my two year old boy to football and/or dance classes. Does anyone have any recommendations?”
These were the responses I received. They are in no particular order. Thanks very much to Juliet for putting this post together!!!
NHM Readers recommend football/dance classes for 2 year olds
Christine said: My 2.5 year old really enjoys the football classes at Basingstoke Sports Centre. It’s for 2-4 year olds and run by Achieve Sports on a Monday 10-10.45 x
Heidi said: My son has been going to little kickers football since 18 months. He loves it and it helps teach them so many skills including colours, counting, animals etc.
Claire said: Little Kickers definitely. My son went to one at Carnival Hall when he was 2, gained loads of confidence and discipline and he is still playing grass root Sunday football at the age of 13 for a team with two friends from there.
Wendy said: RugbyTots is also worth considering. Great for hand eye coordination
Katie said: Kids Kan Dance specialise in dance for toddlers and preschoolers.
Zoe said: I can recommend Katie at Kids Kan Dance, my girls love her!
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I recently asked the Friends of my “Louise nhm Smith” profile on Facebook if anyone could recommend any local afternoon toddler groups. (Thank you very much to everyone who responded!)
These were the responses I received. They are in no particular order.
NHM Readers Recommend Local Toddler Groups in the Afternoon
Mary said: There’s one on Tuesday at St bedes church. Have a look on the website. It’s running at half measures at the moment though because the hall was recently flooded.
Wendy replied: Term time, Currently 2pm-3pm, £1 per family. Childminders welcome (and it’s not all women, we have some Dads and Grandads who are regulars too). Follow the church’s facebook page for updates.
Louise said: Messy Monsters Basingstoke run Friday’s afternoon 12.45 x
Vicki said: Pippins at St Leonard Centre in Oakley is from 1.30pm on a Tuesday. x
Katie said: Cookery Doodle Doo run classes on Wednesday afternoons and are currently seeking interest in a Thursday afternoon – PM me if this might suit you. Ages 2.5+
Rebecca said: There is a lady running talking tots groups now to encourage speech, communication and language. Talking tots will have a group starting soon on Thursday afternoon in Chineham for children who start school next year. So that is Talking Tots, they have a website.
Jaz said: Caterpillar Music Basingstoke is opening up an Tuesday afternoon class in Jan. I’ll send you all the details soon Louise as I’m massively spreading out! x
There are more activities available on the activities pages:
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As part of “North Hants Mum Question Time”, I was asked by Juliet “Is there anywhere close to Basingstoke where you can take toddlers paddling in a stream?”
My response, as well as those received from the community, are below.
NHM Readers: Places to take toddlers paddling in a stream
Louise NHM replied “There is a “secret” place in Hook that is safe for little ones to paddle. Plus there is the stream in Eastrop or the streams that are all over Chineham. In fact on Sunday, Mr NHM and Miss NHM walked through several streams in Chineham for two hours and had a blast! I still feel bad about the insects they probably destroyed though! lol”
Hannah said “piggy dams off Newnam Lane is lovely for paddling. At the village hall in basing you take a right down Newnam Lane and on the left there’s a dirt path….if you follow it there’s a stream and little bridgey thing. when we last went someone had put a tyre swing up too!”
Louise said “Hannah – I know exactly where you mean. It’s where the river curves off to the left. There is a footpath sign and a red post box? (I cycle that way a LOT in the summer! lol)”
Saretta said “There’s a lovely stream to paddle in in Overton. It’s down Station Road, once you go over the little bridge it’s just on the left”
Katie said “Saretta – the Overton one is is called Flashetts and is actually the River Test. We were there today”
Charlotte said “The Crabtree there is a little steam my little boy loves it”
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Thank you all for the replies we had regarding a question on baby-led weaning from a member of the NHM community: “I need some inspiration on baby led weaning foods for lunchtime and dinner time. I’ve done the cucumber sticks, carrot sticks, pasta but am wondering if anyone has any other suggestions?”
Thank you also to Juliet who put this post together!!
NHM readers recommend – Baby-Led Weaning Ideas
Kelly says “Eggs are good in different forms – scrambled, slices of omelette even egg muffins with different fillings. Pittas, Hummus, Avocado (messy!!!), Savoury rice, Soup!!!”
Natalie says “Banana egg pancakes – easy to do (2 ingredients) make up a batch and they’re good warm straight from the pan & my little one also likes them cold too so good for out & about”
Catherine says “pasta is my fav with mascarpone cheese and some herbs as it’s salt free or sometimes I use an Ellas pouch for sauce. Avocado toast, grated courgette in pancake mix. Peas are great when they get their pincer grip. I also use a lot of preloaded spoons for rice or lentil dishes etc.”
Jennie says “We do a cooked chopped broccoli with breadcrumbs, cheese, chilli sauce and egg mixed together and baked in a Yorkshire pudding tray that goes down well”
Laura says “Mine loved peas and broccoli for weaning and still loves them now at 4. Steam til they’re soft enough to go a bit mushy. But a great intro to green veggies.”
Kimberley says “Maybe add hummus and other dips to bread sticks and carrot sticks.”
Lottie says “With blw I have just always given my daughter whatever meals I am having. She enjoys chilli, curry, gnocchi and bangers and mash at dinner time. For lunches we have crackers with cheese, wraps, quiche and sandwiches. Just have to be mindful of salt intake!!!”
Also like the others said egg stuff so eggy bread, sliced omelette, hard boiled eggs, cheese cubes, sweet potato chips, homemade fish fingers always go down well and tuna pitta pockets (can also make these with puff pastry and freeze!)”
Rachel says “Whatever you are eating….that’s the best bit”
Laura says “The baby led weaning cookbook app is so good! Only £4.99 I think and so many good and easy recipes”
Karen says “Anything you eat.. (except honey if under 1 year). Cut into pieces that are longer than their fist initially so they stick out of a clenched hand. Let them go for it. Don’t worry how much goes in/down. Food before one is just for fun. As they get used to it make the foods smaller, you’ll be surprised how they’ll concentrate until they can pick up that pea! The book baby led weaning by Gill Rapley is fab”
Wendy says “Agree with above just feed them whatever you are eating. The only real rule is no honey until around 12 months. I’ve heard so many people say how much more enjoyable weaning is second time round because there’s no rules.”
Kath says “As the others have said anything you are eating. Often if my little one was on my lap while I was eating she would launch her hand onto my plate to try whatever it was. They do say that if they can’t handle it they won’t be able to pick it up (eg smaller foods like peas etc with that worry of choking). I remember at around 8 months old she got hold of a spare rib while we were having chinese and started munching on that!”
Tara says “Baby led weaning cookbook app is really helpful. Includes advice as well as recipes”
Jade asked “With the carrot sticks are they supposed to be cooked? Will be asking the exact same question in 6 months time”
Kelly said “Entirely up to you and what you’re comfortable with an uncooked carrot probably will only be used for gnawing!!! But quite good for teething!”
Catherine said “I would avoid raw carrot sticks myself and raw apple slices.. whole raw carrot or apple or else cook carrot or blanch the apple”
Karen said “If they’re sat upright, supervised and only putting food into their own mouth then the risk of choking is very small. As baby hits 6 months(ish) their gag reflex moves backwards in their mouth, they may trigger their gag reflex as they learn to put food in their mouth, but that’s what’s supposed to happen, that way they learn how to do it. Have a look at the book baby led weaning by Gill Rapley”
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I visited FlipOut last Saturday( just before the half-term) as part of NHM community. I was there with my 3 year old son and husband for 1 hour between 11am and 12pm. It was quite easy to buy tickets once you are there, they also offer online pre-booking which has a separate queue. However the entrance is quite narrow which can make it busy during peak time, so be prepared well in advance.
All sessions are timed and they start every half hour. Once you bought the tickets you are then asked to go to the briefing room where they show a 5 mins safety video of do’s and dont’s.
I really liked the graffiti artwork. It was beautifully used throughout the whole of Flip Out which made the place very colourful. My first reaction once I got into the park was “It was enormous”, they have over 50 trampolines of different sizes. They have lots of different areas to cater all age groups.
The park has :
Main trampoline jumping area
28 ft Ninja slide ( for teens/adults)
Foam pit.
Total wipeout( Kids loved it )
Climbing walls
And lots more ( I didn’t get to go into the teens/adults area )
The main park is for all age group but a few areas are height restricted which means under 6s weren’t allowed. They have a special trampoline area with FlipOut’s signature car in the middle. Kids loved jumping from and on to the car. Foam pit and total wipeout was my son’s favourite of the day. Unfortunately we didn’t use much of the teen/adults section but by the look of it I was sure they were all having lots of fun. It was a busy day with lots of toddlers, kids, teens and adults thought it didn’t look over-crowded.
Safety team: They had a good number of safety team staff members spread all over the park. They had a keen eye on the jumping area to avoid double jumping. They are also very interactive and lively.
Baby Softplay area: They also have a separate baby soft play area on the other side of the cafe which is small but good size for 1 and 2 year old babies when you have other kids to jumping on the trampolines.
Prices and Sessions: All sessions are on hourly basis. You can either buy 1 hour session or add another hour for half price. Standard jump ( 1hr) : £9.95 (2hr): £14.95 Under 6: £5.95
You can buy FlipOut socks for £2 or they allow other parks socks as well.
Facilities and Activities
Lockers: They have a huge locker area which works with a pound coin. The locker sizes are quite small so I had a tough time shoving my big bag into it. They are good size for shoes and coats though!
Cafe and viewing area: There is a cafe in the mezzanine floor above to the main jumping floor with seating area. It is gallery styled and got a view to the jumping area, it allows parents to enjoy a coffee while keeping an eye on their kids. The menu is a standard one which caters for all ages. The cafe seating area seemed to be always full and was quite a task to get a seat.
Toilets with baby changing area
Toddler Time: Every weekday between 9am-11am there is a dedicated toddler session in the park. Parents with under 5s can find this time appropriate as you don’t want older kids to run around at the same time.
Fit Classes :
They offer a structured Flip Fit class led by qualified fitness instructors on Wednesday 7pm. It is a pay as you go class and also you can buy 6 session for the price of 5.
Kids and adults party:
They offer different party packages according to your need which also includes exclusive room and arena hire
It looks awesome and is an excellent place for a trampoline park. Fun place and lots to do for all age group. 3 and above would enjoy their time in FlipOut. If you have only small babies then I would ask you to get an idea of what FlipOut is as it could be disappointing for a few who expected it to have big soft play areas. I really liked FlipOut and would go again.
Disclaimer: This post is a review of Flipout Basingstoke. The session was supplied free of charge for the purposes of the review. S was not expected to write a positive review and any opinions expressed are her own.
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You may have seen their Lemon Face promotion (which will be starting again in April 2018) on Facebook, which has been hugely popular.
Click on the pictures themselves to see them in detail
I LOVED the pictures that they did for our family in 2016. Absolutely loved them. You can even see one of them at the top of my “Louise nhm Smith” profile on Facebook. So when Wayne invited me back to review the studio, to see what had changed, I LEAPED at the chance.
Wayne and Lucy are also very kindly offering a Special Offer just for NHM Readers, which is listed at the bottom of this post.
About
The team at Studio 1314 believe in the personal touch, not just in their pictures, but also in the way that they conduct their business.
Once you have made a booking you receive a very professional confirmation email which confirms your booking and provides a link to a slideshow of some of their pictures, a link to a Pinterest board which is a great source of inspiration.
The email also has a really useful section about what to bring to the photo shoot and which clothes would work best.
I really love that they encourage accessorising and personal items as these make the photos even more meaningful.
A few weeks before our photo shoot, Wayne phoned me and we had a really good chat about what to expect and what to bring for the photo shoot. I love that Wayne was interested in what I wanted to get from the photo shoot as well and that he had some great ideas of what to bring along.
The photoshoot
Having been to several family photo shoots since Miss NHM was born(which I am extremely grateful for!) we kind of know what to expect.
However, it’s always a NIGHTMARE the morning of the photo shoot. Trying to get everyone mobilised and in the car and not forget any of our outfits. Mr NHM nearly forgot his outfit this time (facepalm).
When we arrived at the studio (about 15 minutes drive from Hatch Warren) we were all quite harassed as there had been a couple of “discussions” in the car on the way there.
It was sooooo nice to just arrive at the studio and plonk ourselves on the lovely squishy sofa’s.
Wayne was very welcoming and let us catch our breath before looking through the outfits that we had brought with us. He gave us advice on which outfits he thought would photograph the best.
The photoshoot lasted 90 minutes and that time just FLEW by. Miss NHM absolutely loved being the centre of attention (no comment) when Wayne took lots of pictures of her. We also had several family photo’s taken which are just awesome.
I really loved that when Miss NHM was “doing her thing” (total poser. I blame her father!!!) we could just sit and watch on the lovely sofa. It was so nice to see someone else entertaining Miss NHM and to be able to just sit back and enjoy it.
Wayne was very patient with Miss NHM and he made her giggle lots. She’s very photogenic (yes, I am a bit biased) but she can also be VERY stubborn if she doesn’t want to do anything but Wayne had no problem at all with getting her to do the things he needed too, to ensure that the pictures are perfect.
(No, that isn’t Miss NHM. Lol!)
It’s brilliant that the studio is split into several areas. Miss NHM is getting to that age where she’s conscious about her body and doesn’t want to undress in front of someone else, so it was really useful having the dressing area to change in but still be able to talk to Wayne and Mr NHM.
On our way home, I asked Mr NHM if he enjoyed the photo shoot and he said that he did because it was very relaxed and fun. (I often drag him along to these kinds of things and he’s not often that enthusiastic but that previous sentence is high praise from him!!)
Miss NHM talked for the WHOLE 20 minutes that it took us to get home, about how she liked “the man who was really funny” and she liked having her picture taken. So high praise from her too! Lol.
A couple of weeks later we went back to the studio to see the final pictures in the viewing room. This is a lovely big room with a large TV screen, another fab sofa and an area with toys for little ones to play with. It was awesome to see the pictures on a big screen and we are soooo pleased with them!!!
Special Offer for NHM Readers
Wayne and Lucy are also very kindly offering a very special offer for NHM Readers. (Thank you very much!!!)
The first 10 people to contact the team at Studio 1314 and book before May 2018 will receive a Free family photoshoot, a mounted 7×5 inch prints of their choice and a digital file of the same image.
This would normally have a value of £150.
This offer is ONLY open to the first 10 people who book and ONLY available to NorthHantsMum Readers. Yay!
Tips
Make sure you read through the confirmation email and have a look at the pinterest board and the video.
Plan the outfits that you are going to take with you at least a few days before.
Make sure you have everything ready to go the night before your photo shoot so you don’t have a frantic morning like we did!!!!
Food
Wayne has a lovely stash of biscuits and a very wide range of drinks, including tango orange!!
They even had gluten free biscuits available for Miss NHM, which I thought was such a lovely touch!
Facilities
I think Studio 1314 are the only family photography studio in Basingstoke.
The studio itself has a large area where pictures are taken with a couple of sofa’s on where you can sit and watch what’s happening.
There is a separate viewing room which has a very large flat screen TV where you can review pictures and has an area for toys for toddlers and little ones. The sofa is fab in here too! lol.
There is a toilet within the studio and changing area.
Baby Facilities
The team at Studio 1314 are parents so they TOTALLY get what it’s like having children. They even have a baby changing mat available for you to use!
Parking
Is free, ample and next to the studio.
Prices
Please see the website for more details.
Rating out of 5
Definitely 5 out of 5. It’s clear that Wayne is very passionate about what he’s does and ensuring that the customer gets what they want.
Final Thoughts
We LOVE the photo’s that Wayne and Lucy take. Absolutely love them and I’m very grateful for the opportunity to have another photoshoot with them.
Disclaimer: This post is a review of Studio1314. The photoshoot was supplied free of charge for the purposes of the review. I was not expected to write a positive review and any opinions expressed are my own.
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I had only been to a play village on two occasions before with my toddlers, it was a whole new level of excitement for them (which made leaving interesting!) I was always keen to go more often but, being located that little further afield, it just never happened. So when I heard about a pop up play village coming to Basingstoke, I pretty much booked there and then. I wasn’t sure what a pop up version would be like, but I was very keen to find out.
I have to say, I was really impressed. To see my toddlers role-playing is heart-warming, and makes me really appreciate just how much they are taking in nowadays. I am so pleased that something like this is available locally, and we will definitely be visiting again!
About
To quote their website, Pop Up Play Village is “a portable play village that features a supermarket, builders yard, library, hospital, baby nursery, vets and cafe. On our event days, we also feature an art studio where children can get creative by choosing a craft to decorate and take home.” The sessions are aimed from birth to 8 years old and they are offered at various locations in the Basingstoke area. They can also be hired for events such as children’s parties.
The session that we visited was at the Beggarwood Community Centre, next to Beggarwood Park. The hall had been laid out in the different sections listed above, with a clothes rack offering various different dress up. There were large colourful signs indicating the different areas and an impressive selection of accessories in each, all in very good condition. The team kept making sure items made it back to their correct places so the experience continued throughout the session. There was also a cafe available offering a good selection of hot and cold drinks, snacks and healthy snacks for the children.
My toddlers had an incredible time and pretty much tried everything, there were many protests on leaving. I have been trying to find new places to take the boys for a while as they have more or less outgrown play groups and get bored easily, but by the end of this session they were still going strong. Brilliant!
It is a shoes off environment for children and adults alike, so make sure you bring socks.
Food
There is a cafe selling hot, cold drinks and snacks.
Facilities
Dependent on location. At Beggarwood Community Centre there are toilets and baby changing facilities on site.
Parking
Dependent on location. At Beggarwood Community Centre there is a small car park available for users of the centre as well as a larger car park at Beggarwood shops, adjacent to the centre.
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Yay! It’s snowing! I know this is a complete nightmare for LOTS and lots of people but I LOVE the snow so I’m very excited about it, even if we did only last 10 minutes because my extremely strong willed 6 year old refused to wear her gloves and got very cold hands very quickly. Sigh!
I’ve also been up since 6am stressing about keeping everyone updated on which schools and pre-schools are opened or closed so I am exhausted! lol.
You can check on this post for more details about which schools are open still and the times that they close: HCC School Closure Website
Anyyyyywaayy, this is my impromptu list of suggestions of things you can do with your little ones today whilst it’s snowing.
Whatever you end up doing…HAVE FUN!!!!!
Outdoors
Make snowmen snowwomen, snowbabies, snowchildren
Build an igloo
Make coloured ice balls (balloons filled with water and a bit of food colouring and leave outside over night)
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