MUMMY TO THE MAX

So Mummy To The Max blog is now just over 3 months old. It started of as something to keep me entertained whilst on maternity leave and something to record Maxwell's life on but now it plays a big part of my life. I personally thought I would get board of it, but how wrong was I!
 Everyday as soon as I get up I come and check and see whats new. Throughout the day I sit and think what I can do to improve and is there anything i can build on. In actual fact I think I spend most of my free time thinking over it or writing on it.

It has become something I have become very passionate and focused on.  I love writing about our life and recording every part of Maxwell growing up, weather it is by using words or using pictures, it is something i can keep forever and no one can take it away from me. I love writing about things that interest me, reviewing brilliant products and writing about things that i believe will help others.
 I have made some great friends along the way, that have inspired me, given me great advice and helped me in so many ways and I am truly grateful to them. I am also hoping to meet more people that can  relate to me, as i personally don't think there are enough young parent bloggers that are writing about there life as a parent.

But............

There is a huge secret,  the secret being no-one outside my "cyber" life actually knows about my blog.... my Mum and Dad read it, my Sister and her partner know about it but that is all.
I have over 1000 friends that are not "cyber" friends on my Facebook, over 100 contacts on my phone but still I refuse to tell people about it. I'm not actually sure why I keep it secret, maybe because I have never been asked about writing about a blog? But then why would anyone? I have nothing to hide and nothing to be embarrassed about but.....

I think I'm scared, scared how people will react. I went from being a outgoing, popular, sociable person to a geeky Mummy that loves nothing more than  having a clean house, seeing my Son smile and spending half my life typing behind a computer screen.
Now Mummy To The Max has started to grow i now  face a horrible scary feeling.... The thing that scares me the most is..
What if my blog is found outside my cyber life? How will people react? Will they ask why I never told anyone? Will I be laughed at? Will it be posted everywhere for people to see?
But then i think to myself why do you even care?

My blog is getting more and more popular. As I do more reviews and posts and run competitions I am getting closer to my secret being revealed.
But to anyone that ever finds this and think they can judge me? Mummy to the Max is something I am proud of, something I have built up on my own and something I can call my own, not many people can say that they have created something like I have and I will continue to keep doing what I do for many years to come.

Since Maxwell was small, we have always had a hard job to entertain him. He has always been a great lover of sounds, meaning most of his toys we have bought him have been musical.  After a busy night at work Maxwell's Daddy bought him a present, it was a Ding a Lings Pram Toy. As soon as Maxwell saw it he has been obsessed with it.
 When I took a look at the toy the first thing that jumped out at me was its twinkling chime sound, I was also attracted to its bright unique eye catching design. The Ding a Lings pram toy is suitable for babies 4 month + and the product is BPA free.
The toy is a fun duck character. The body of it is made of a plastic chime but its limbs and head are made of  different textured material. The material is very soft and although it has a plastic body, Maxwell still cuddles up to it even though every time he moves it chimes at him. I like the fact it has different textures as I think this is good for Maxwell to explore new textures.



 The toy has a ring which you are able to attach it to things such as your pram, walker, baby bouncer, in the cot and car seat. We have found this very useful. Maxwell is able to enjoy it not only at home but whilst going out. He loves to use it in the car as we attach it to the handle and it dangles down and chimes at him but he also likes it on his walker as every time he moves it chimes at him. Maxwell loves hearing the chime inside the brightly colored plastic cylinder, the chime sounds pleasant, not  loud or irritating!
The toy can also be used a teether, Maxwell has enjoyed nibbling the ducks foot and beak. The ring also can be used as a teether as we have noticed Maxwell enjoys nibbling on that often.



 Overall Maxwell loved the bright and colourful Duck, he loved the sound and I believe this stimulated his senses and imagination which kept him entertained when using the toy.
The design is very unique as we have had some toys that we are able to hang on car seats, pram but none have had different textures, nor a chime to entertain the baby.
Maxwell also enjoyed chewing on it and seemed to help him teething. Whilst out we also tested to see if it could ever fall off or get lost, however we found that the ring was very tight and even if it was pulled hard it would not be tugged off or lost

I recently had a discussion with my health visitor as I was curious about what stages Maxwell's teeth would come through. The health visitor was very vague and told me all babies teeth come through at different times.
I have been following Nuby over on Facebook, and was delighted when they posted this image about what ages babies teeth come through. I have highlighted the image, with what teeth Maxwell already has.
Maxwell's teeth came through slightly different from what this diagram shows. Maxwell's upper teeth came through first followed by his 2 lower teeth. At the present moment there are no visual sign of any coming through but he does seem to be in pain with them.

Maxwell has never caused a huge fuss whilst his teeth have been coming through, however he is a huge fan of  the Nuby teething range. We first brought other brands of teething toys but none of these worked. Then one weekend Nanny came barring gifts for Maxwell. She brought us the IcyBite Keys and the Bugaloop teether toy. I then decided to buy the Nuby Nibbler after hearing great reviews from other Mum about it.
 I have taken the time to review all 3 of these teethers:



Bugaloop Teether:

 I think the Bugaloop Teether is Maxwell's favourite toy. This teether was the only teether Maxwell liked when he was smaller. Most other teethers we tried were to big, a horrid shape for him to fit in his mouth and too heavy to hold. However when he was smaller he was always able to hold it well and lift it up to his mouth without any help. Now Maxwell is older he still loves this toy and actually crawls around with it round his arm. He uses it to soothe mainly his back gums, and they will be the teeth coming through soon!
He loves the colours and when he is a little older it will be also great to use to teach him colours and names of bugs. I find the price very reasonable at a RRP of £3.99.
This product is BPA free.
 Its also won the award -  Practical Parenting Silver Award Winner 2010/2011 for toys under £20.

Nuby Nibbler:

The Nuby Nibbler is my favourite product. It is a very clever product that is very unique. When Maxwell started teething properly we got it out and Maxwell first had ice in it, this soothed his gums very well. It's great for soft fruit like banana and stewed apple, but today we put frozen puree in it as well as ice and also some tinned peaches which are Maxwell's favourite as he loves sucking the juice out of them. I would also recommend this if your child has difficulty holding pieces of fruit as i know some are to slippery to hold and this is ideal for the baby to hold and feed themselves.
The only thing i find is the safety catch is a bit fiddly, however once you have done it once you get the knack of it.
This is certainly not going to break your bank balance at a RRP of £3.99 and coming in such a great range of colours that are bright and cheerful for your child, they are suitable for all children!
The Nibbler is easy to clean with all parts coming off separately. The nets need to be replaced occasionally however you are able to buy replacement nets if they are needed.
I can't recommend this Nuby product enough. This product is BPA free.

IceyBite Keys:

We both love this teether! It is a simple design but works well. I've been putting it in the fridge for half an hour before I give Maxwell it and he loves it.This teether is great as it is made up of hard surfaces to chew on, as well as a different set of textures such ridges and raised dots.
I use the keys now and again to put a little treat on for Maxwell such as some purred fruit, he adores this but things can get a little messy!
The keys are a great shape for Maxwell to hold. Maxwell never has a problem moving them round his mouth and enjoyed sucking and biting them. Maxwell enjoys biting the gel bit more than using the hard bits to chew on. This product had a RRP of £4.99 which i again think is cheap. This product is BPA free. Its also won the award -  Practical Parenting Bronze Award Winner 2009/2010.

To view Nubys range please click here.

All Zippy Suit products are machine washable at 40 degrees and can be tumble dried.



Zippy Suit Bibs come in four different colours and each in a starry design.

•  Hot Pink

• Aqua Blue

• Indigo Blue

• Light Pink

Overall I would rate these bibs 5/5
 I can definitely recommenced these bib as they are such a great well made product that has been thoughtfull made not only for comfort for children but for mums. I am now very keen to see what the Zippysuit is all about.

Zippy Suit Bandana Bibs are very reasonably priced at £3.75 each which I personally think is a bargain, or you can buy a multi pack of 4 for £14.50. The newborn milk dribble bibs were launched in September 2012 and are on sale in packs of 2 for £6.50.

These products can be purchased directly at the Zippy Suit website.


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 When I was younger I took my parents for granted, everything I could possibly wish for, I had. My parents worked extremely hard to provide for me and my sister and we never ever went without. Looking back I am truly thankful to them for what they did for me, as I had a childhood others dream about.

When I found out I was pregnant with Maxwell it hit me hard how much a child would cost to raise and I constantly worried over money, throughout my pregnancy. I was sometimes working 50 hour a weeks. I saved very hard and when Maxwell arrived he had everything a baby could possibly need and want. I was paid maternity pay, however I was totally aware that this wouldn't last forever and now I have come to the point where my pay has stopped.

Luckily, Ben has a good job and is paid well, however his money only covers our bills and doesn't cover little luxuries in life that I used to take for granted, don't get me wrong though Maxwell never goes without and we are definitely not scrapping by with half a slice of bread to eat like other people in this country.
When I was pregnant I started to become very money savvy, on my days off I would email companies, asking for freebies that they may have, I would also email companies telling them how much I loved there products in hope they may send me something or I would search the Internet for money coupons. I did quite well with this and got some great things however I knew this was not the answer to all our money questions in life, however I knew by this we would get by a little better.

Then Maxwell came along..... this beautiful bundle of joy. In the hospital the night after I had him I promised him I would never let him down and do everything I could to give him the best in life like I had and I have stuck to my word ever since.
The reasons why? I look at every penny we spend.



Recently I saw a article on the Internet, that it costs over £218,000 to raise a child.
It said that from birth of a child and stocking up on essentials to funding childcare and education; the cost of raising a child to 21 can cost parents more than £218,000 and many end up in debt before the baby is even born.

This is a very frightening figure especially considering the economy we are living in. I see people struggling all the time in life and I can't see it getting any easier for anyone anytime soon. Prices are going up and up and up however peoples income don't seem to be able to support these types of changes.
As a first time parent I have learnt a few tips which I would like to share with you.

• Save - Its obvious but many new parents understand just how much a new baby can cost. You may think you have got everything for your babies needs before it is born, however me and Ben found ourselves visiting supermarkets and shops. As Maxwell started to grow, so did his needs.
• Make full use out of baby events - Baby events have saved us a huge amount of money. We tend to go to baby events near the end, as we find the big supermarkets mark down prices of things even more, however there are plenty of bargains to be had. We have brought Maxwell brand new toys for £2 that are selling in other shops for £10.
• Buy second hand - Whether it is at a car boot sell, on Ebay, on a local selling site or even a charity shop, you are able to pick things up at a fraction of a price it would cost you brand new. We have brought Maxwell many new toys second hand and you wouldn't know the difference. Some were even brand new with tags.
• Research - I see plenty of parents going into a shop and just buying things as it is in front of them. If we see something we like or need for Maxwell I always come home and see if I am able to find the price cheaper - 9/10 I manage to.
• Make full use of price match - A lot of companies actually price match a product if you are able to find it cheaper. Take Mothercare for instance, if you are able to find the price cheaper anywhere else they will price match you and give you a further 20% off.
• Keep a eye out for vouchers and coupons - I have saved some serious money by collecting coupons, you are able to find these online and in magazine. One week I managed to get £23 worth of baby products for under £8.
• Get what you are entitled to - When I went to a young mums group many of them did not know if you are pregnant or had a child in the past 12 months you are entitled to free NHS dental treatment or prescriptions.
• Look out for baby clubs - We belong to a lot of baby clubs, we are sent regularly money of coupons and sometimes little gifts such as weening spoons or soft cuddly toys.
• Buy in bulk - If we ever see baby stuff such as nappy's at a good price we stock up. In Maxwell's room he has a boxful of baby toiletries and nappies and wipes to last him at least 3 months.

 The tips are not going to save you thousands but they sure do help with making the most out of your money.

Since Maxwell was young I have always encouraged him that reading is something he should do before bed, I believe personally that it will benefit him with speech development and as he gets older and is able to read himself, it will also help other things such as his spelling.I normally get books from the library for Maxwell to read or buy him big story books, however we were delighted when we were recently sent some books.

First up we have the amazing Splotz series of books. The books are very colourful with cheeky characters. The books are a ideal size to read to your children or for the child to read to you. The stories are very easy to follow and are a good read.
At the end of the book the characters go Splotz and on the page you are able to smell a lovely scented smell. The smell is not a horrid smell but actually a very nice refreshing smell. The are four characters Ice, who smells of mint, Blossom, who smells of cherry, Splitz who smells of banana and Bubble, who smells of bubblegum.
Not only do you get the Splotz to smell you also get a page of scented stickers at the back of the book. Maxwell is a little small to use the stickers yet but for older children maybe you could use the stickers to reward your children.

 Maxwell is now 9 months old, I can not get over how quickly he is growing up! When I fell pregnant with Maxwell, I don't think I was aware of how hard but also how rewarding becoming a parent would be. Being naive I thought to myself parenting comes with a handbook, however I don't think in my hearts of hearts I thought over how hard it could be.
Whilst becoming a Mummy I battled with a lot of demons inside me. I missed not being able to go work and missed communicating with different people. Some days I would wake up and think all day to myself what I was doing wrong as a parent and not what I was doing right. I found it hard that people would try and tell me what to do with my son and always thought they were criticising. Most of all though I have lost all my "friends" around me, I went from a popular fun person to a Mummy who enjoys sitting in with a chocolate bar and watching baby TV all day.
Then one day, after my family and the health visitor reassured me that I was doing a good job, a lady on the bus said to me one day "What a good job you are doing, you should be very proud of yourself, when times get tough just think to yourself... It will get easier". It was that that has made me grow in confidence, to be told by a outside person I was doing a good job and being told I was made me believe.
I am used to horrible comments by people on the bus and in public mostly by the older generation, I am only 20 so I believe people get it into there heads i must be the worst parent in the world. People assume I'm a single parent, live of benefits and don't have any ambitions this is largely thanks to the media!
The thing is I have ambitions and I'm blessed with a family who all work hard and a partner that works all hours he can to provide for me and Maxwell.



Here are things I have learnt in the first 9 months of Maxwell's life:

• Talk to your baby - Maxwell start recognising my voice at a young age, and as he has grow older he has started to pick up on words that I say and has started to say them himself.

• Praise your child from a early age - Maxwell always picked up when he was doing something good, he learnt this through the tone of my voice but also giving him a lot of affection.

• Sing to your baby, Read to your baby and let your baby listen to music - Maxwell has grown to love music and I'm sure this has started to help him with brain development but also helps speech development later on. 

• Feed your baby slowly and patiently, encourage your baby to try new tastes but never force them to eat. Babies need to try things at least 8 times to get used to it - Maxwell loves his food and I actually haven't found anything he doesn't like to eat yet!

• Try not to keep your baby in swings, strollers, bouncer seats, and exercise saucers for too long. Keep your baby active. - Maxwell might not be able to run yet, but there’s lots you as a parent can do to keep your little arms and legs moving throughout the day. Getting down on the floor to move helps your baby become strong, learn, and explore.

• You do not need to buy your child lots of toys and they don't have to be the latest things in the shop - Maxwell enjoys playing with a variety of toys and in actual fact his favourite toy is a plastic plate he eats his food off. Maxwell also has many toys that have been brought from charity shops. Some of these toys have been brand new.

• A Young Parent can be a better parent than someone that is in there 40's - I personally think people are under the impression older parents can provide and give better care to a child however Maxwell has never gone without since he has been born and has always been cared for - in actual fact in Maxwell's 9 months of being born I have been to town twice with my friends and didn't drink as I knew I had responsibilities at home.

• You as a parent always know best - People have always been quick to criticise or "offer" me advice however I am the person who has looked after Maxwell mostly for 9 months so I ask myself why do I need your thoughts and opinions of how to look after Maxwell... I DON'T!

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At the end of our weekend break, i started to feel mega grotty. On Tuesday i awoke to a bad headache, a sore throat and i ached all over. Fantastic! I am never ill so this was a horrible horrible awakining.
I managed to get threw Tuesday and went to bed early in hope i would feel better. I had a awful night sleep - cold and hot, ache ache ache! When will this stop? I thought.
On Wednesday i was very lucky as my Parents offered to look after Maxwell! I felt bad about sending Maxwell to them and actually cried! All day i missed him and was glad to finally get him back in the everning even though i still felt awful.



Maxwell had a action packed day and my Parents took him for a walk - we live in the New Forest so we are extremely lucky to have such a beautiful area that we are able to walk in. They took him here and he had a exciting time. Apparently he screamed the whole way round and couldn't stop laughing at Nanny as she jumped out behind the trees at him After coming home they played with Maxwell in the garden! Maxwell loves to be outside so im sure he had a great time.
When Maxwell finally arrived back - it felt a life time that we had not been together he was extremly tired and went straight to bed.
 Today i am feeling a bit better, i have taken Maxwell out for a walk and have been drinking lots of apple juice to soothe my throat! Call me mad but to try and make my nose run and trying to get rid of this horrid cold i have been eating plenty of Doritos and Salsa Dip and it actually seems to be working.
Hopefully i will be back to my full health in the next few days!

I was extremely lucky to recently win a competition for a weekends stay at the luxury family Woolley Grange Hotel! We were planning for weeks to go and Friday arrived and we set off!

We arrived at the hotel and were amazed at the sight of the grounds and hotel it is a beautiful 17th century mansion house!  The friendly hotel cocker spaniel who has just turned 4 months old, Monty greeted us which Maxwell loved are we strolled in to reception and we were greeted by friendly staff  that were very helpful. This is most definitely a hotel geared for families.We went into our room and there was a wooden cot for Maxwell to sleep in and when asked we were given a nappy bin, a changing mat and a kettle, the hotel is equipped well to give family's everything they need. I was however surprised at how small our room was.
In the corridor of the hotel there were some great displays, outside our room was my favourite display a big scary bear and houses that you would find on a carousel.


There was to plenty on offer to keep the children entertained, there was a wooden children’s play area, which include trampolines, a table tennis table, football nets and swing ball. All this we found was a bit to old for Maxwell to use but for older children we thought this would be great!
There was also a nursery on the grounds, we never visited the nursery as we wanted to enjoy and spend as much time with Maxwell, but you are able to leave your child in the nursery for up to 2 hours a time.
In the grounds you can find the spa. It offers a huge range of treatments and therapies. I was treated to a hour full body massage which was great! The staff were very friendly and it was great to have some me time where i could just relax.
There is a swimming pool, sauna and steam room – all with clean fresh towels, shampoos and shower gels. We used the swimming pool as it was the first time we had taken Maxwell swimming! He seemed a bit bewildered about the whole experience however i shall keep taking him swimming so he can get used to it.

The restaurant was equipped for family's well, on the first night we had simple style, produced with fresh local ingredients. I wasn't very impressed with our first night dinning, Ben choose steak and it was thick with fat, i chose a toasted sandwich however the toast was rock hard and cold! The breakfast was much better and catered for all ages! We had full English cooked breakfast and Maxwell and yogurt and toast. On our second night we got a babysitter for Maxwell and went down to dinner - the gourmet menu! This was much better the food was delicious and well presented however i am not sure if we had to pay for it we would fork out £42.50 per person!
Overall we had a great time! This is a great break away for a family however you need a lot of money to go. It was our first break away as a family and i can not wait for more family time.

Each Dizolve sheet has the concentrated washing power to tackle a load of laundry, if you have more stubborn stains on the clothing i would perhaps use 2 sheets. The sheet pops straight  into the drum on top of the dirty washing and dissolves into the water during the washing cycle.  They are quick and easy to use, are mess free and save you taking the time to measure out liquid and powder!
Dizolve washing sheets work really well leaving clothing  very clean and white if you are doing a white wash.
I use a 40 degree wash and they work perfectly at that temperature.
Dizolve are suitable for all types of machine. They are powerful, consisting of 90% detergent concentrated into every convenient sheet.  The non-biological formula is kind to skin and to clothes which is great as myself and Maxwell have sensitive skin. 

I would rate Dizolve washing sheets:

5/5

You are able to visit there website www.dizolve.co.uk to find out more information!

As many people who read my blog know i love to comp! I rarely enter any comps however that require likes and shares as i always believe most of them are full of cheats however i could not turn this competition down!
I have entered Maxwell into the Smile Factor Summer 2012 competition - It will not be me benefiting from winning it shall be Maxwell - the prize is a £250 voucher for a store. The reason i would love to win, is because Maxwell's Nursery could do with a brightning up! When Maxwell was born we were living with my parents and When Max was nearlly 6 months old we moved into our own place but never got to spend a lot of money on Maxwell's nursery! I am in no way begging for votes, just asking for your help!
If anyone reading my blog would Like and Comment Maxwell's Picture i would be really thankful.

You can find our entry here:

 http://www.kidstartconnect.co.uk/member/smilefactor/photo/286

Thank You for supporting us so far everyone!

 Recently myself and Maxwell were sent some lovely products by Oxo Tot to review. We were asked to choose some of there products that we would like to review.

We were sent the OXO Tot Mini 4 in 1 Screwdriver for Toys. I thought these would be very handy to use not only for Maxwell's toys but also round the house as i am always looking for a set of screwdrivers especially for items such as Maxwell's baby mobile (he likes to turn it on say and night). 
I found these screwdrivers helped me open battery compartments on Maxwell's toys and also to screw household items like glasses. I was slightly worried that they wouldn't be able to get to hard to get screws however this was not the case
The screw drives are very compact, they are colourful which may appeal to smaller children who like to help around the house.
The screwdrivers have four different sized attachments, this comes in very handy!
 The magnetic attachment heads attract and hold even the tiniest of screw whilst the screwdriver spins for smooth turning. The handle is soft and has non-slip handle which ensures a comfortable grip when using them.


One of the things I am trying hard to do is at the present moment is to get Maxwell to drink his juice from a cup instead of drinking out of a bottle all the time. He finds it hard to grip a cup and likes to hold a small bottle when drinking his juice. I have tried a number of different sippy cups, all very well known products however Maxwell hasn’t been able to use any of them very well.
 I thought it would be helpful to give a different style cup a try and so gave the sippy cup from OXO tot a try. It is different to the other cups I have tried in that it has a hard spout and a removable valve.
When using the cup i found that the handles were soft and had non slip handles, they were angled so Maxwell was able to drink out the cup. I also found it having translucent walls good as we were able to identify how much fluid was left easily.
The leek proof valve is a excellent design for the cup as it releases pressure so that it is comfortable for the baby to sip. The leek proof valve is also great as it is easy to remove for cleaning.
 We liked the fact that it had removable handles that can be used with other OXO cups and also that it has a removable valve so the cup can grow with the baby.

OXO Tot’s bottle brush is a great brush, better than any other brush i have used! The brush has both soft and firm bristles for gentle cleaning or serious scrubbing, i keep finding some dried milk in Maxwell's bottle and when cleaning the bottles i normally have a battle to get it out however i found it extremely easy doing this when using this brush. The flexible neck allows you to easily reach inside bottles of any shape and size, i use 3 types of different bottles for Maxwell and found the brush was easy to move around the bottle.  The soft handle on the brush is very comfortable when cleaning the bottles, i have found recently that cheap bottle brushes have given me sores on my hands. The brush also has silicone teat cleaner tucked inside the handle tackles hard to reach, smaller areas such as in the teat. The bottle stand keeps the area it is placed dry, and includes a pour spout to empty drained water.
When trying to clean i found it was very easy to do so as it all comes apart.

I would rate OXO tot products:
5/5

I am not able to fault anything about the OXO products that me and Maxwell reviews. They are a great product, and maybe a little more expensive than what you would normally buy but are definitely still great value for money, i think this as they are great quality products but also they will grow with Maxwell so this will save us money as he reaches different stages. I would definitely recommend there products.

You are able to see what great products Oxo have to offer here,