Filed under: Baby
Light, comfortable and manoeuvrable pushchair. This is what I’ve been looking for lately! So when we received the Graco Symbio – Moon to review, it just hit the spot.
My daughter was very excited, too – she couldn’t wait for me to open the box. Very big box, so I was a bit sceptical at first. But when we assembled it, it looked very nice and compact.
The first thing to notice was the elegant trendy design! In stylish grey and nice forms, this pushchair is a real beauty! Then we discovered another plus: the reversible handle! There is also 3-seat position but what I like most is the 5 point harness as safety is a priority for me when choosing pushchair.
We thought we would immediately give it a try. I was very nice surprised that it was so easy to push (using Silvercross in the past, the difference is huge)! Graco Symbio is easy-peasy to push and navigate with one hand only, so when it’s raining I can easily hold my umbrella with the other hand – phew, one “rainy-day issue” sorted!
But thanks God not all days in London are rainy, so when the weather was nice last month, we spent the Saturday out in the park and at some point my daughter felt asleep. Previously I was feeling guilty looking at her trying to find a comfortable position to sleep. This time was different though – she was feeling so comfortable that she slept for a couple of hours (so I got to see my friend over a cuppa and sweet talks).
Despite the fact that my shopping at Waitrose is still a mission as the basket could have been larger to store some of my shopping while rushing after the kid, overall I am very pleased with Graco Symbio! I would definitely recommend it as a nice and comfortable option for city ride and if your little one still enjoys the outside naps in the buggy.
Symbio Pushchair
- Suitable From 6 months
- Reversible handle
- Comfy seat pad
- Removable bumper bar
- Compact, lightweight frame
- Maneuverable
- One click travel system
- Reversible seat unit for both front and rear facing
- Spring suspension and pneumatic tyres
- Car seat adaptor
- Rain cover included
- Weight 8kg
Dimensions
Open: 79cm x 58cm x 100cm
Folded: 79cm x 58cm x 35cm
Weight: 7.5kg
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October 1, 2010
Creamy Butternut Squash Risotto
Purees (from 6 months)
Ready in 20 minutes
Makes 6 portions
Ingredients
• 1 small butternut squash, peeled, deseeded and finely chopped (about 400g prepared weight)
• 1tbsp baby rice
• Place the butternut squash into the Philips AVENT Combined Steamer and Blender jug. Pour 150ml cold water into the boiler unit and steam for 15 minutes until tender
• Turn the jug to the blending position and blitz 2-3 times until smooth
• Place the baby rice into a bowl. Add 3tbsp boiling water and stir until smooth. Add 4tbsp butternut squash puree, stir well and allow to cool before serving
Cook’s tip
Refrigerate or freeze your remaining portions of butternut squash puree for later use. These will store in the fridge for the next day or in the freezer for 1 month.
Chicken Pot Pie
Chunkier (7-9 months)
Ready in 25 minutes
Makes 4-6 portions
Ingredients
• 100g lean skinless chicken breast, finely chopped
• 1 spring onion, trimmed and finely chopped
• 75g frozen peas
• 1 small sweet potato (about 175g) peeled and roughly chopped
• 1 small potato (about 175g) peeled and roughly chopped
• Place the spring onion, sweet potato, potato and chicken breast into the Philips AVENT Combined Steamer and Blender jug. Pour 150ml water into the boiler unit and steam for 15 minutes
• Add the frozen peas to the jug. Add another 50ml water to the boiler unit and steam for a further 5 minutes
• Turn the jug to the blending position and blend 2-3 times until coarsely pureed
• Transfer to a bowl (add a little unsalted chicken stock to get the correct consistency if necessary) and allow to cool before serving
Cook’s tip
Refrigerate or freeze your remaining portions of chicken mixture for later use. These will store in the fridge for the next day or in the freezer for 1 month. Defrost thoroughly and then reheat well and allow to cool before serving.
Spiced Apple & Pear Puree
Purees (from 6 months)
Ready in 10 minutes
Makes 4 portions
Ingredients
• 2 large, ripe, juicy pears, peeled, cored and roughly chopped
• 2 sweet dessert apples, peeled, cored and roughly chopped
• Pinch of ground cinnamon
• 1-2 tbsp unsweetened apple juice
• Place both fruits into the Philips AVENT Combined Steamer and Blender jug with ground cinnamon. Pour 50ml water into the boiler unit and steam for 5 minutes until tender
• Turn the jug to the blending position and blitz 1-2 times until smooth
• Transfer to a bowl and stir in the apple juice to loosen the consistency if necessary. Allow to cool before serving
Cook’s tip
Refrigerate or freeze your remaining portions of puree for later use. These will store in the fridge for the next day or in the freezer for 1 month.
See even more healthy baby and toddlers recipes here.
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September 27, 2010
Saturday afternoon. Red sunset which I see from the window of the plane. My little girl has spent 4 weeks abroad, away from me. FOUR weeks! That was the first time she’s been away from me for more than a day. The first few days were just terrible – so quiet at home, so empty. Funny how such a small person fills out such a great space… It’s true!
We flew back to London on a Saturday afternoon. I couldn’t stop giving her cuddles and kissing her happy little face. Wea are back home and now I amd looking at her reaction – there are plenty of new toys waiting for her on the floor. What she gets her attention though is the big box in the lobby. “What’s that, mummy?”, she asked. “This is your new pushchair, sunshine, a very special gift from a lovely lady”. Her eyes are wide open; she gets even more excited! “Let’s open it, mummy!”
The buggy in the box is the new Stokke Xplory in a trendy green colour. It’s easy to assemble, so she jumps into it and we are ready to explore the word. Or at least the nearest park from a very special point of view – that of the trendy Stokke Explory with its reversible seat! What does it mean? She now “face the world”, but having the adjustable seat options means a little baby can face you rather than away from you. This encourages eye contact and feelings of safety, security and unity: it’s the most comfortable position for a baby.
The unique height-adjustability of the Stokke Xplory promotes interactivity and encourages the so important eye contact between mother and child. Even better, the stroller’s seat position can be altered with a few simple clicks – good for her, simple and just great for me!
My little girl looks so excited; she can’t get enough of her new stroller! And she also seems to be very comfortable, which is unusual for her to stay still for a long time! There are a few sitting positions to ease things: 3 positions facing parents: sleep, rest and active, and then 2 facing forward: rest and active. How great is that?! The last buggy she had didn’t allow her to sleep comfy – something she would love on a warm sunny afternoon. So the new Stokke Xplory would be our new friend for long summer walks in the park. Although even getting fresh and cooler now, she still doesn’t want to jump off her new stroller and I can see why: it’s trendy design and at the same time it’s seating shape is like a cuddle from a loving mother to her.
There is another feature which brings extra comfort for my little sunshine: the adjustable seat depth and as well as footrest! This stroller is fitted with a removable seat insert to accommodate the smallest kids. The reduced depth that the insert creates makes for a seating position designed for the shortest of legs, and offers a flatter back position for when your baby is resting or sleeping. My daughter is still quite skinny, so that’s just perfect for her!
Then, as she gains in height and (hopefully) weight, I can remove the insert so that the depth of the seat corresponds to the length of her legs. This way, one size really does fit all, which makes Stokke Xplory a good money-saving choice, too!
I would take it with us next summer when we go abroad (and the pavements are not always sleek). The two-wheel function makes it easy to stroll on rough and uneven surfaces (on the beach, on pebbles etc.) Also the swiveling wheels helps it to manoeuvre in tight spaces.
Personally what I love most is…guess what! That’s right – the shopping bag! It’s got expandable mesh pocket inside plus it brings the weight of my always endless shopping down to ground level which makes the stroller even more stable.
I absolutely love it! My only issue with it is where do I keep the enormous packaging box. My little girl has an idea: why not use it as a “princess house”, start painting and decorating it, so she then plays inside all day? – Love the idea. And afterwards I can recycle it safely – easy to do, good for the Earth!
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September 20, 2010
My favourite one is Just So Festival, Barnswood, Nr Leek, Staffordshire on August 20-22. The Just So Festival is a family arts festival, which has been dreamt up by two Macclesfield couples who’ve spent years visiting traditional festivals with their children and finding much of the entertainment to be off-limits. They’ve set up a camping weekend in 65 acres of unspoilt Staffordshire woodland where everything – from traditional fairground to artificial beach, from gypsy bands to top name authors – is aimed at giving children and their parents a magical experience.
Highlights from the programme will include music workshops from Manchester Camerata, Parkour training sessions from some of the UK’s top free-runners, following the Fairy Queen trail with the Fairyland Trust, and one of the organisers’ favourites, a party with the Moomins. Families will be able to go on this amazing journey of the imagination, participating in a medley of art, craft, music and theatre within a beautiful natural landscape. The experience of families going along to the Just So Festival will be a far cry from your average festival. Camping is in small woodland glades. There will be a bedtime noise curfew (though the local rabbits and hedgehogs may not comply), and a large and comfy nappy changing area with changing mats and wipes laid on. The loos will, of course, be lovely.
Here are some other family-friendly festivals:
JULY 14-18 Larmer Tree Festival, Wiltshire/Dorset Turning 20 in 2010, this small festival has won both “Best Family Festival”, giving families an opportunity to choose from fantastic programmes for Comedy, Film, Street Theatre, Adults, YouthZone, Kids, Spoken Word, or Everything together!
JULY 15-18 Latitude, Suffolk. Cute festival with mini-glasto overtones. With just two weeks to go, Latitude still pulls more names out of the bag. Unlike any other festival, Latitude has built its sterling reputation as a brave and pioneering event with a line-up like no other. Four arenas are dedicated to an exciting selection of musical talent from emerging bands, international stars and homegrown heroes, whilst the arts onsite command no less than thirteen arenas providing something for everybody.
JULY 22-25 The Secret Garden Party, East Anglia A weird and wonderful selection of artists will fill the Great Stage, Where the Wild Things Are stage and various other amusingly named venues. They provide the Garden and plant the seeds, but you nurture its life and allow it to blossom. It is your party – your creative participation allows the festival to rejuvenate & regenerate. The Secret Garden Party brings people together by removing all barriers – you will do things you never thought you had the nerve or bombast to do.
JULY 23-25 Womad, Wiltshire This festival offers a world of music with performers from as far afield as Ethiopia, India and New Zealand. Meanwhile, the World of Kids and the Children’s Parade will be one of the festival highlights. Enjoy children’s craft workshops, global market villages, an old-fashioned steam fair and food from around the world. Take WOMAD at a comfortable pace and spend a night camping in one of the ready-pitched tents that sleep up to 8 people and include airbeds and sleeping bags.
JULY 24-26 Camp Bestival, Dorset Winner of the Best Family Festival in the UK Festival Awards 2009, this baby sibling to the Isle of Wight’s Bestival takes place at the idyllic Lulworth Castle in Dorset. With 53 sleeps before Camp Bestival throws open its gates it’s not long until we can enjoy three full days of partying with Madness, Friendly Fires, George Clinton & Parliament Funkadelic, The Human League, Calvin Harris, Stornoway and many ugh Fearnley-Whittingstall and his River Cottage Cafe, enlightened and erudite entertainment at the East Lulworth Literary Institute, Fairy Tale fancy dress, Zippos Circus, The House of Fairy Tales and much, much more.
AUGUST 6-7 Belladrum, Inverness-shire The Editors will headline the event, which takes place on Friday and Saturday. Other acts include Toploader, Peatbog Faeries and Ocean Colour Scene. A new one-man play, tackling the life of occultist Aleister Crowley, and Mr Methane “king of farts” have also been lined-up.
AUGUST 20-22 The Green Man, Brecon Beacons There’s a film tent, a campfire more musical pleasures. Plus there will be literally 100s of free things for kids to do, amazing food from the likes of Hfield, a science tent as well as Joanna Newsom, Laura Marling and Mumford and Sons. This year there’s a boutique babysitting service. If you need a well-earned break from the kids you can always use our new ground breaking Boutique Babysitting service, offering a bespoke and friendly babysitting run by fully qualified childcare professionals. For anyone who’s ever considered taking children to a festival – or for those that already do – The Boutique Babysitters are a new childcare company that has entered the festival scene to provide a bespoke, festival-friendly babysitting service. For the first time, parents can enjoy a care-free festival experience; content in the knowledge that their children are safe and professionally cared for, whilst the kids enjoy a fun-packed “mini festival” of their own at the Boutique Babysitting kids club.
AUGUST 27-29 Solfest, Cumbria There are only 5,000 tickets for this three-day festival that has a line up including James and the Magic Numbers. There are also plenty of children’s activities and the festival takes pride that tiny babies and many generations of the same family come back every year. Solfest is enjoyed by babies under and hundreds of toddlers, older children and teenagers – so it’s an experience for the whole family! Forget the music; this is the stuff that memories are made of!
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August 2, 2010
Clingy toddler at home, no sleep, too much to do… if you are a busy mum like me who sometimes is feeling stressed out can get an instant natural pick me up from a new product that fits conveniently into a handbag or pocket.
The MamaBabybliss Bliss Stick Uplifting Oil is simply dabbed onto pressure points whenever a woman needs a lift. The all-natural ingredients include:
- Lime Oil: lifts depression and energizes a tired mind, while easing breathing and assisting digestion.
- Bergamot: for depression, feeling fed-up, respiratory problems, colds and flu, PMS and SAD.
- Geranium: helps relieve stress, mild depression, PMS, anxiety and tension, menopausal problems and for general energizing.
“All mums need a little lift every now and then, whether they’re an exhausted new mum getting by with very little sleep while coming to terms with her new, often overwhelming role as mother, or an experienced mum of three rushing between work and after school activities,” explains Justina Perry, founder of MamaBabyBliss. “We’ve created the Uplifting Bliss Stick to help mums take a short breather, giving her the energy she needs before carrying on with her busy day.”
The Bliss Stick Uplifting Oil is available from www.mamababybliss.com and costs £5. The product is part of the MamaBabyBliss range of natural pampering products for pregnancy, babies and mothers, all of which are made with natural active ingredients that are ethically sourced and are entirely free of chemicals found in similar products.
The company also has new website featuring a range of videos including relaxation techniques, massage and yoga. See them at www.mamababybliss.com
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July 24, 2010
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