Cheeky Weekly Winner w/c 1st August

Sorry we're a day late on this one... it was a busy busy day yesterday trying to get everyone's orders out before the postman came!

Thanks so much for all your entries to our poll about the Bumgenius potential new Artist Series. 20% does seem like a lot of people who don't like them at all, but then the other 80% of you like at least one of the others, so perhaps they're not all that bad. They're growing on me, anyway...

Thanks too for all your tweets, likes and shout-outs for us, we love them :)

This week's winner is... CAROLINE STOREY!

Well done, Caroline! Please can you email me at orders@cheeksandcherries.co.uk to confirm the address you'd like me to send your Mini La La to? :)

New CW coming up shortly...

Alix xx

Cheeky Weekly w/c 1st August

Hello! There's been lots of chat on our Facebook page this weekend about the new concept BumGenius prints, whether we like them or not etc, so I thought we'd do a poll to see which you like best (if at all!) - see to the right of this post->
(If you want a reminder of the prints, they are at the bottom of this blog post)

As we are thinking about pocket nappies with prints, we thought it would be appropriate to give away a Mini La La Pocket Nappy in Cathedral Royal print!




 Each entry in to the poll will count as one entry to the giveaway, (but please post a comment below to let us know you have done it!)

 Plus, you can get extra entries by doing one of the following things below:
(You don't have to do all of them though!)

1) Leave a review of any product on our website (and come back here and post a separate comment to tell us)


2) Comment on any post on our Facebook page (and come back here and post a separate comment to tell us)


3) Become a Facebook Fan (and come back here and post a separate comment to tell us)

4) Follow our Blog (post a separate comment to tell us you are following us)


5) Join one of our Champs' Facebook pages (and come back here and post a separate comment to tell us who)


6) Leave a comment on one of our non-Cheeky Weekly blog posts (and come back here and post a separate comment to tell us)


7) Link to Cheeks and Cherries in your own status on Facebook (and come back here and post a separate comment to tell us)


8) Post a link from your own blog to the Cheeks and Cherries blog (and come back here and post a separate comment to tell us)


9) Share this blog post on Facebook (and come back here and post a separate comment to tell us)


10) Share this blog post on Twitter (and come back here and post a separate comment to tell us)




Good luck, and thanks for entering!
Alix
xxx



Cheeky Weekly Winner!

Thanks so much to everyone for your entries to last week's competition. We love reading all your thoughts, and hugely appreciate you linking to us, and reviewing our products online, tweeting about us and generally sharing the C&C love.

The winner of this week (ending 31st July 2011) is .... Jody Smith!

Jody has won the Itti Bitti Beach Stripe Tutto:

Congratulations Jody... please could you drop a line to orders@cheeksandcherries.co.uk to let us know the address to send your prize to.

Thank you!

Another Cheeky Weekly will be coming up shortly...

Alix
xxx

Cheeky Weekly Is Back!

OK folks, the Cheeky Weekly Giveaway is BACK BACK BACK!

But this time on our blog in case the Facebook police get cross with us doing the competition on our FB page (illegal according to the Rules, apparently).


The prize this week is a summery Beach Stripe Bitti Tutto!

We will draw an entry at random to win this... you have until midnight this Sunday 31st July to get your entries in!

Doing one of the following actions below = one entry to the Cheeky Weekly. You don't have to do all of them though!

1) Answer the Cheeky Weekly question on our blog here!

What is your favourite nappy for summertime and why?

2) Leave a review of any product on our website (and come back here and post a separate comment to tell us)
3) Comment on any post on our Facebook page (and come back here and post a separate comment to tell us)
4) Become a Facebook Fan (and come back here and post a separate comment to tell us)5) Follow our Blog (post a separate comment to tell us you are following us)


6) Join one of our Champs' Facebook pages (and come back here and post a separate comment to tell us who)
7) Leave a comment on one of our non-Cheeky Weekly blog posts (and come back here and post a separate comment to tell us)
8) Link to Cheeks and Cherries in your own status on Facebook (and come back here and post a separate comment to tell us)
9) Post a link from your own blog to the Cheeks and Cherries blog (and come back here and post a separate comment to tell us)
10) Share this blog post on Facebook (and come back here and post a separate comment to tell us)
11) Share this blog post on Twitter (and come back here and post a separate comment to tell us)



Good luck and have a fantastic week!

Alix
xxx
 

Choosing Your Nappies

Claire Jones-Hughes is mum to one charming 2 year old daughter, second baby is due any day now and "lucky to be married to a very good man". A keen blogger she lives in Brighton, East Sussex and is known on her blogs and twitter as 'Contented Mummy' (@contentedmummy). Her big passions are family days out, enjoying wine time with friends & without children, music and striving for the elusive work/ life balance as before maternity leave, she worked full-time. Claire also runs an on-line community at www.brightonmums.com with another mum.

Although we've used washable nappies before we probably only ended up using them 50% of the time with our first daughter. Our second baby is due at the end of this month and this time we've decided to use them from birth, 100% of the time.


There were a few simple factors in why we've decided to use washable nappies more than we did for our first, economics and the environment being the biggest. We are acutely aware, as a growing family, our impact on the environment will increase, so need to make more of an effort to be green. But also with our growing family, we need to keep our household costs trim and cutting back on the nappies seemed an obvious way to save case. Plus disposables have their drawbacks too. They are not always the most comfortable for small babies becoming lumpy and awkward when full. Some brands don't fit all babies at every stage of their growth and are prone to leaking, especially with poo explosions!


With our eldest, we bought a set of used FuzziBunz nappies from a friend. Although a perfectly acceptable product, in true 'first-time parent' fashion we lacked the confidence to use them 100% of the time. Usually at night or when we went out of the house for longer than a few hours, we would use disposables. After speaking to a few friends who have been braver with washable nappies, I realised how many different brands there are on the market and they are all good for different situations. I then hooked up with Cheeks and Cherries, their website guided us through the process of choosing the right nappies. This time I thought about some of the concerns I had from our first time round:


- Newborn: the nappies I used before seemed really large and uncomfortable, so I wanted to choose some in a small size for those first few months.


- Lifestyle: what kind of activities will we be doing the most of? What would work best during the day at home or while out?


- Night-time: what were my main concerns about night-time wetting before?


- Washing & care: what would be the easiest to use and clean? With a newborn and a toddler to care for, we need products that are low maintenance to wash and dry.


The difference between buying washables versus disposables if you do have to spend time researching and choosing the right selection for your and your family. But that makes sense, as it's a one-off cost, one-off exercise which with disposables you still end up doing but more as you go along, weighing up brands and sizes as the baby develops. With washables, many nappies are exceptionally well designed to fit babies of different builds and sizes from the start, so you can relax - one thing to tick off your list! We chose the following brands:




Bambooty Easy Dry



Bambooty Easy Dry in the small size. They are slimline and incredibly delicate in structure, perfect for tiny babies.





The Close Parent Pop In Bamboo , all-in-one nappy style, one size. They look a little bigger for newborns but the reputation for absorbency, especially with the booster insert would be ideal for those first few months, with the short sleep bursts, frequent feeding and wetting.

Close Parent - Pop-In - Bamboo

itti bitti - bitti tutto , all-in-one nappy style, one size. Another popular nappy with parents, they come with soft, fluffy outers in a range of colours and patterns plus have a highly praised 'poo fence' mechanism to help cope with tricky soiling incidents.



itti bitti - bitti tutto



BumGenius V4.0 with poppers, 'pocket' style nappies, one size. These seem to come out as the most versatile nappy throughout the baby's development from birth. On appearance they seem quite large for little babies but that doesn't concern me overall, as they don't stay that petite newborn size for long!

BumGenius V4 - Snaps



Overall, I wasn't expecting these nappies to be so easy to figure out how to use, to be so soft, almost like another garment. My first impressions have already boosted my confidence to get stuck in from the first moment i need to use a nappy on my pending arrival. We have less than two weeks to go till my due date and are as ready as we'll ever be.



Potty Training Diary - Part 1!

Chelle McCann is a first time mum, blogger and social media addict. During her maternity leave she set up www.socialmediamums.co.uk and she guest blogs for product sites as well as giving personal advice and random thoughts of her own on twitter.

She loves writing about her experiences on line and is going to share her thoughts on starting potty training as well as testing a few of our products so you can see how they work, wash and if they are a must have too!

Hi I am Chelle and I am a first time mamma to a fiery redheaded toddler called Miss Fizz. Miss Fizz is 18 months old and like any other parent we’ve been dreading that time when it comes to potty training. We have found ourselves in a lucky position though. Our toddler has started to let us know she is ready.



The first time we had a sign was when Fizz held onto the sofa, strained and then tried to get my attention before patting her bottom. The second time she vocally said ‘poo poo’ before patting her bum at bedtime. I, like probably any other parent, thought this was an avoidance of bedtime but in fact after calling daddy to tell him we found that on changing her nappy she was soaking wet – this was after being changed ten minutes before. So for us I think that Miss Fizz is becoming aware is a great sign and with that we are on our travels through potty training.

However yesterday Miss Fizz decided to tell me about her poo mid nappy change. Instead of the usual hands to the front of the nappy she quickly put her hand to bottom to tell me poo. My mouth trying to stay calm and saying no………One clean up and bath later and thankfully no repeat performance so far!

 Time for potties scattered around the house so Fizz gets familiar and time for us to think about how we can make the transition from nappy to potty easier for Fizz.



We also have the difficult position of having a lodger so it'll be a bit strange with random potties around the house as well as for us having to empty, clean and get used to the fact that our little girl is growing up.


I’d love if anyone has any tips as we get started and to share experiences along the way!

Bitti Tutto - Review

Chelle McCann is a mummy blogger who also runs her own social media support business. After discovering cloth nappies 6 months after her daughter was born she is a huge fan. We asked her to try out the Itti Tutto with her toddler.

After meeting Alix from Cheeks and Cherries at the NEC Baby Show and drooling over the soft fabric of the Itti Tutto I was offered one by Alix to review. I was sent home with a lovely green coloured, soft, silky nappy as well as being given a demonstration of the nappy before returning home.

The nappy itself is luxurious in the fabric - it's very soft and that has stayed with each wash so far - we have used it every other day for 3 weeks now.


The colour coding in the nappy to where each of the attachments go is perfect for those who are confused by what goes where when using cloth (a wink towards the dads here). There is no way you can fit this nappy together the wrong way. What's also great is all the attachment panel inserts are included with the nappy - no buying additional night time boosters needed!


The Itti Tutto is at the higher end price wise at £17.50 but if you consider that by the time you add a night time booster to other nappies and this comes with everything you are actually outlaying around the same amount give or take £1 and to be honest the fact that it really is birth to potty.

There is an extra popper at each side to stop that drag down on the side panels often seen with other birth to potty nappies, a great vibrant colour choice perfect for matching to any outfit, the ultra soft fabric and also the poo fence inside the nappy - no leaks, all contained similar to the gusset on the original popins but with this nappy all the panel inserts fit in very neatly. The elastic seems really durable meaning it will last that distance from birth to potty training.

All in all this nappy is a great one whether you are starting to use cloth or near the end of the cloth journey as Miss Fizz is.

Royal Wedding - Did you know...

So, I know the Royal Wedding is totally over (although the bride and groom have only just nipped off on their honeymoon), but I just found out that Millie Pilkington, the photographer who did our first ever photoshoot here at Cheeks and Cherries was the ACTUAL Royal Wedding private wedding photographer!

If you spotted the lady getting into the front of the car at the same time as Kate Middleton and her Dad, apparently that was Millie!

We did know that Millie also does the photography for Party Pieces, the Middleton family business, but it never occurred to us that she would get like, THE gig of the century!

Huge congratulations, Millie, and just to celebrate (oh all right, and show off a bit) here are some of the amazing images she took at our photoshoot in 2009.

New Aden + Anais Muslin Swaddles

At some point in your first pregnancy, somebody mentions swaddling. The first time someone mentioned it to me, I thought they meant either a) the old Chinese practice of binding children’s feet to make sure they don’t grow or b) something to do with Jesus.



As it turns out, and I’m sure you are already much better informed than I was, swaddling means wrapping your baby up in a particular way so that they feel soothed and comforted.


Unfortunately, I wasn’t much good at wrapping, and nor was my partner (as I think I saw Jason Manford talking about this subject on Live At The Apollo the other day - you only had to see the way he wraps presents to see that wrapping a baby was going to be a challenge)


However, doing my reading, like a good mother-to-be, I discovered that swaddling was a pretty vital component in the armoury of a lazy (sensible?) parent wanting to get as much sleep as possible in the post-birth period.


Apparently a practice as 6000 years old, parents have been swaddling their babies to keep them happy since, well, ever. And with good reason, as swaddling keeps babies feeling secure and safe, as in the womb.


Until my first little girl was born, I also had no appreciation of how scary she would find these strange limb-things that were attached to her, but which she had no control over, and that occasionally she would even accidentally hit herself in the face. As soon as I realised this, suddenly the swaddling thing made a lot of sense.


Additionally, I found out that swaddling is scientifically proven to help babies sleep for longer, and to have better quality sleep too, which helps their brain development.


Swaddling isn’t actually that difficult – there’s a more detailed explanation on our site here, but basically, you just turn fold a square blanket into a triangle, and wrap it round the baby, securing their arms by their side, or slightly bent on their chest.

Back in the day though, the only things available to swaddle in were cellular blankets. They sort of worked, but were pretty tricky – not really wide enough when folded to tuck securely under her body, and quite bulky, so that when I did manage to tuck them underneath her, I worried about her having a big uncomfortable lump under her back. I also worried, as it was a very hot summer, if the layers of blanket around her were making her too hot, and ended up dressing her only in her nappy, or just a short-sleeved babygro and nappy to adjust for it. Neither of which was ideal, since the too-short swaddle often unravelled, and she woke up feeling too chilly.


Since then, I have had two more babies, and tried each time to find something better to swaddle with: slightly stretchier knitted organic cotton cellular blankets, thin jersey cotton blankets and so on, but none were really big enough, stretchy enough or lightweight enough, and certainly none of them had cute and funky prints on.


So, I’m a little bit jealous of everyone having a baby now, as they have the opportunity to use these brand new gorgeous Aden + Anais stretchy muslin wraps that are exactly what I have been looking for all these years. Launched only this year, at the Bubble Trade Show, these wraps are lightweight, thin and breathable, and huuuuge enough for even my inept partner to successfully swaddle with. Plus fantastical prints.

If I had another baby I think I would buy the lot.


You can view the new Aden + Anais range of muslin swaddles at Cheeks and Cherries here

Plus a little video by the founder of Aden + Anais, on swaddling and its benefits is here:

New Close Parent Pop-In V4 and Caboo Carrier

Matthew, Kim and I just got back last night from the Harrogate Nursery Trade fair, which was excellent. Lots of fun products (and some not-so-fun...baby nose aspirators, we mean you!) to see, and people to meet. And after show drinks to drink (ahem)

Amongst the many people we saw and talked to over the 4 days were the team from Close Parent, known for their very popular, and cleverly designed Pop-In nappy, and lovely soft but supportive baby carrier.

Close has had a big brand make-over for the show, and gone all urban and contemporary. The branding's pastel colours and flowers have gone, and been replaced by chic urban greys, greens and steel blue. Funky young mums and be-stubbled urban dads feature on the promotional stuff, alongside some blossom trees and leaves for a bit of natural contrast.

Additionally the logo has been re-worked, along with all the labels on the nappies. They're bigger, bolder and clearer, and look fab. We like the new tagline too : "good ideas for great parents".

I really love that it acknowledges mums and dads' inherent natural abilities, as so many baby products claim to be rescuing clueless parents from imminent disaster- not a great subconscious message for an anxious new mum already struggling with the tidal wave of exhaustion and hormones.

As they say in their very concise little brochure: "Close believe that parenting does not need to be complicated, overwhelming or pressured, and because you love your little one, all the ingredients are already in place". Couldn't agree more.

New Dream Dri V4

Launching in June will be the new AI2, the Dream Dri V4, and (drum-roll...) new colours too. The old pastel colours will remain, and new bright colours will be available alongside, consisting of a sunflower yellow, burnt orange, mid-green, dark plum and turquoise colours (my descriptions, but did you see that clever thing I did with the text there?).

The new bright coloured V4s that we saw had grey velcro and snaps too, creating a kind of sporty, biking/camping/running-wear look which was very striking. Close are very keen to create a distinctive and contemporary look for the modern mum (and dad), which they have certainly achieved.

Functionally, if I remember correctly from the demo, the new V4 will have boosters that snap together, but not directly, using a little tag at the end of each booster with a snap on it to attach instead. The aim of this is expedite drying times - as material that is snapped on top of another piece of fabric will always take longer to dry.

So, when you hang up the new inserts, they can remain attached to each other, but the fabric layers won't touch each other. Clever, eh?

New Baby Carrier - the Caboo

The Close Parent baby carrier has also been re-worked, and will be called the Caboo. The same lovely soft and stretchy fabrics, and muted classic colours are available, but the wrap part has had an extra bit of elastic round the bottom to keep baby even more supported.

These carriers look equally fab on mums and dads, and are also made of organic cotton, which we love, as it reduces your baby's exposure to the chemicals that other cotton products bring with them - especially important for newborns with their thinnner, more delicate skin.

New Training Pants

We also loved the new Close training pants that will be launched in June too. They look and feel like normal cotton 'big boy/girl' pants on the outside (not like bigger, pull-on nappies, as with many other brands offerings). The inside of the pants is lined with super soft french soy fabric that will contain 'one big wee', as the lovely Heidi explained to me! With cute embroidered designs on the outside, we think these will be a big winner with toddlers who are very aware of wanting to wear 'proper pants', and their mums, who don't always want to mop up the resulting puddles!

We are looking forward to getting all these lovely goodies in store at Cheeks and Cherries for you soon - do give us a call if you want to know more on 0844 665 3664 or drop me a line to alix@cheeksandcherries.co.uk