Tag Archives: Big Brother

Painting with Legos

I can write about our love of Lego ad infinitum. At the moment it seems all encompassing which is great because as a parent I believe it’s a great educational toy.

We’ve had lots of fun with Lego. We make endless towers, houses, tunnels, bridges, and manage to use it alongside other toys such as cars and trains too. We’ve been trying to think outside the box and made Lego crayons, Lego biscuits and even painted using Legos.

painting with lego

 

We started off with some pots of paint and chose some different sized bricks and figures. Initially the toddler started off printing Lego shapes on a piece of paper and letting his Lego figures stomp over the page. It quickly descended into paint everywhere, including all over the toddler!

painting with lego

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Filed under crafts, playing

How to upcycle a duvet cover

I don’t need to tell regular readers that my son is a huge Thomas the Tank Engine fan. I spotted a vintage Thomas duvet cover in a charity shop and snapped it up for a couple of pounds. When I got it home I wasn’t sure how to use it – re-size it as a toddler duvet, a bean bag cover or cushion cover. Instead I thought it would make two fun fitted sheets. The ones we’ve been using have been plain blue and these would be a little different.

sewing a hem

It was quite simple to make. I unpicked the duvet cover, which had a different pattern on either side, and re-sized it for a toddler bed. The mattress measured 140cm x 70cm x 10cm so I trimmed the sheet slightly to 180cm x 110cm, this included a 5cm hem. I also slightly trimmed each corner, them pinned the hem and sewed along it, leaving a small gap to thread the elastic through.

To thread the elastic I attached it to a safety pin and threaded it through the fabric. I didn’t cut the it until I had tried the sheet on the bed, making sure it was a snug fit around the mattress.

how to fitted sheet

I put it on the toddlers’ bed without him seeing so when he whipped back his duvet to climb in he saw it and loved it!

Linking up with handmade monday, craft schooling sunday and nifty thrifty things

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Filed under being green, sleeping, toddler, vintage

Practical solutions (Kiddicare review)

I was invited to take a look at the Kiddicare website and choose some items to review. Established in 1974, it is the UK’s leading online nursery retailer. I always have a mental list of things the children need and was really pleased when I sat down to browse the Kiddicare website to find everything I needed!

We needed a small step so the toddler could easily access the kitchen sink. We found the BabyBjorn Safe Step which has rubber feet and a rubber mat so it’s non-slip. It allows the toddler to reach the sink to wash his hands, but he’s also used it as a tunnel for his trains, and moves it into the lounge so he can look out the window and wait for daddy to come home!

We had also been looking around for a night light for the 8 month old. She’s currently in our room and we wanted something to help us see without putting the main light when we go in to see her. I saw the adorable Brother Max Bear Carry & Hang Nightlight in a magazine and knew this was the one for her. It has a lovely soft glow and can be set to a choice of single colours or a gradual colour change and stays cold to touch. I love it and I think Little Sis does too, she also uses it as a handy teether!

brother max night light

Kiddicare sell cots and nursery furniture, prams, car seats, high chairs, feeding equipment, and most importantly, toys. Little Sis has been surviving on hand-me-down toys from her brother but now has the Leapfrog Little Learning Home and Big Brother was spoilt with the retro-tastic Mr Potato Head.

Kiddicare pride themselves on next day delivery and 1 hour delivery slots, they price match, and there’s a handy iPhone app too. I enjoy buying online but for those who like to see the items before they buy apparently Kiddicare will be moving offline by opening 10 new stores soon! What’s not to like?

Disclosure – I was allowed to choose some items to review free of charge for the purpose of this review.

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Filed under baby products, shopping