OTIS HAS MOVED INTO THE JUNGLE

Its official. We have a six month old. I blinked and my baby isn’t a baby ‘baby’ anymore. Where have those last six months gone? One minute I’m climbing up ladders, decorating our spare bedroom on my maternity leave wondering how much later he’ll be (he was 8 days late), and the next its fast forward six months and we have a little boy who is still keeping us on our toes. Otis is super funny, a great sleeper (most of the time), a great eater… he loves ALL the food and he’s full of energy and loves jumping in his ‘jump jump, jumperoo’ which by the way, why has no one invented a wooden one yet?? HUGE gap in the market! Anyways, I digress.. He loves his daily baths and now he loves sleeping in his bedroom which he sleeps and naps in. And yes we’ve even mastered day time napping. Who knew that could be so stressful?! I certainly didn’t, that’s for sure.

In honour of Otis moving into his room I’ve teamed up with Pottery barn kids to showcase a few of their gorgeous bits from their newly launched UK range. I say newly launched as Pottery barn kids have been established in the states for years and you may have heard the name from the Friends episode ‘The one with the apothecary table.. ’, well they’ve recently launched their UK website and are showing a selection of their range in a number of John Lewis stores over here in the UK, and Otis and I were lucky to get and invite to test drive a few items at their UK launch at John Lewis Oxford Street a few weeks back.

So here’s what Otis and I chose…

Elephant plush rocker £149 from Pottery barn kids; Honeycomb Baby Bed quilt £79 from Pottery barn kids; sleepi cot in grey £575 from Stokke; Melissa & Doug Plush Giraffe £84.99 from Argos. Zebra animal head prices from £29.99 from Fiona walker England.

The first item that caught my eye from the pottery barn kids range was the plush elephant rocker. This fun rocker is something that Otis can grow into and it goes so well with his jungle themed nursery and he can already play on him with a little help. It’s the sort of toy which will hopefully become a family piece as it’s such great quality. We love the wooden rocker and the soft plush body of the elephant. He’s as soft and plush as his cuddly toys, which is great for little baby hands.

Elephant plush rocker £149 from Pottery barn kids; Afaw Berber Style Rug from £269 La Redoute.

What I love about the pottery barn kids range is the attention to detail on all the bedding. Not only are they made from 100% organic cotton, but it’s so rare to find cot sheets which are printed, so I chose the below Elephant printed fitted sheet, which fits most cot beds and is reasonably priced at £29. It’s little grey elephant design also goes super cute in Otis’ jungle themed nursery and it’s super soft for him to sleep on.

I also chose two gorgeous quilts. The first is the horseradish yellow honeycomb quilt (see picture below) and the second was an elephant/ crocodile embroidered quilt which has also doubled up as a playmat for Otis. These quilts are double sided and are so beautiful, they’re like heirlooms which I hope to treasure for years to come. These would make beautiful gifts for a new baby in your family.

I also love how the horseradish honeycomb quilt pulls in the yellow pops from the mustard canopy and the bananas in Otis’ wallpaper print.

Colby Animal Baby quilt £149 from Pottery barn kids; Honeycomb Baby Bed Linen £79 from Pottery barn kids; Melissa & Doug Plush Giraffe £84.99 from Argos. Mobile made by my mum.

Colby Animal Baby Bed quilt £149 from Pottery barn kids

Honeycomb Baby Bed quilt £79 from Pottery barn kids; ; Taylor Organic Nursery Bed fitted sheet (elephants) £24 from Pottery barn kids.

Collins side table £149 from Pottery barn kids; Elephant plush rocker £149 from Pottery barn kids; west elm x pbk Bear Plush £29 from Pottery barn kids; Medium plush elephant £29 from Pottery barn kids. Green velvet chair from Homesense; Animal heads from Fiona Walker; Baby name wooden plaque £12.99 from Fred and Robin

This green velvet chair above is where I feed Otis every morning and evening, but I didn’t have anywhere to put his milk, dummy and muslin so I chose the white collins side table from pottery barn kids to be our little work station. It’s also great that its round so Otis can’t bash his head on any corners when he starts walking and pulling himself up on the furniture. And speaking of muslins, Pottery barn kids also have a lovely selection of muslin’s which would also make great gifts for anyone with a baby under one. I went for the organic muslin/ swaddle set of three in grey, pink and mustard which come tied up in a little bundle. They’re great for mopping up milk and swaddling your baby in those early weeks.

west elm x pbk Dot Muslin Swaddle Set: Platinum, Rosette & Horseradish £49 from Pottery barn; west elm x pbk Bear Plush £29 from Pottery barn kids; Medium plush elephant £29 from Pottery barn kids; ‘I want to bear hug you’ print from West Elm Shepherds bush store, We can be heros print £22 from Disko kids; Mile stone blocks £18.99 from How I wonder kids; Led Cactus lamp £12 from How I wonder kids; Boo and mimi moneybox £50 from lumley locket; Mama and babe candle from lumley locket by Boo+Mimi £16.

west elm x pbk Dot Muslin Swaddle Set: Platinum, Rosette & Horseradish £49 from Pottery barn

Kids Lion Bath Wrap £49 from Pottery barn kids;

I mentioned before how Otis LOVES bathtime and our routine after dinner is a bath, book and bed, so the next items which I chose fit perfectly with our little bedtime routine. I chose this cute lion bath wrap from the vast range of bath wraps which pottery barn kids offer and these two little white collectors book shelves to hold some of Otis’ book collection. Again if you’re looking for a gift for a new baby, a bath wrap would also make a great gift. I’ve added a link here to the pottery barn kids range. I’m quite the fan of the bear bath wrap and the racoon one too.

Collector's Mini Book Rack Shelves £39 from Pottery barn kids; Kids Lion Bath Wrap £49 from Pottery barn kids;

west elm x pbk Dot Muslin Swaddle Set: Platinum, Rosette & Horseradish £49 from Pottery barn; west elm x pbk Bear Plush £29 from Pottery barn kids; Medium plush elephant £29 from Pottery barn kids; ‘I want to bear hug you’ print from West Elm Shepherds bush store, We can be heros print £22 from Disko kids; Mile stone blocks £18.99 from How I wonder kids; Led Cactus lamp £12 from How I wonder kids; White chest of drawers from John lewis; Orange storage trunks £60.50 from Amanda Holden QVC.

Taylor Organic Nursery Bed fitted sheet (elephants) £24 from Pottery barn kids; west elm x pbk Bear Plush £29 from Pottery barn kids, pineapple sleeping bag from Mamadesigns.

And lastly and most importantly for Otis, his new pottery barn teddy mates, as a little boy can never have too many teddies, right? We love the brown little bear (pictured above) which Otis absolutely adores, and the plush grey elephant teddy. The little brown bear has long limbs which are great to grab with tiny hands and the plush elephant is super soft and cosy. I know I sound like a broken record, but these would also make great gifts and are both priced at £29 so are great value.

Elephant plush rocker £149 from Pottery barn kids; Afaw Berber Style Rug from £269 La Redoute; Collins side table £149 from Pottery barn kids; west elm x pbk Bear Plush £29 from Pottery barn kids; Medium plush elephant £29 from Pottery barn kids; west elm x pbk Dot Muslin Swaddle Set: Platinum, Rosette & Horseradish £49 from Pottery barn.

We absolutely love our pottery barn kids haul. The little animal themed pieces fit perfectly with Otis’ jungle themed nursery and are all gender neutral. I’ve mentioned how these items would make great gifts and are such lovely quality, that they will be heirloom hand me down items in years to come. This goes for the rocking elephant and the gorgeous quilts. I just hope the teddies last the test of time after years of being man handled/sucked and bitten by Otis as I think the little brown bear is a favourite in particular. And Pottery barn kids don’t just offer a range for babies. The range is great for kids of all ages. I’m already lusting after the little grey kitchen for when Otis turns one next year, and it matches our kitchen, so would be adorable for him to have a mini version. Altho the pottery barn kids one has brass hardware. So it might actually be a better looking kitchen than my own. ha!

I’d love to hear your thoughts on the range. Click here to go straight to the site.

Source list- Elephant plush rocker £149 from Pottery barn kids; west elm x pbk Bear Plush £29 from Pottery barn kids; Medium plush elephant £29 from Pottery barn kids; Collector's Mini Book Rack Shelves £39 from Pottery barn kids; Kids Lion Bath Wrap £49 from Pottery barn kids; west elm x pbk Dot Muslin Swaddle Set: Platinum, Rosette & Horseradish £49 from Pottery barn; Honeycomb Baby Bed Linen £79 from Pottery barn kids, Colby Animal Baby Bed Linen £149 from Pottery barn kids; Taylor Organic Nursery Bed fitted sheet (elephants) £24 from Pottery barn kids; Collins side table £149 from Pottery barn kids; sleepi cot in grey £575 from Stokke, Home dresser/ changing table £349 from Stokke; Home changer top £149 from Stokke; Afaw Berber Style Rug from £269 La Redoute; Jungle palm wallpaper £198 a roll from Milton and king; Melissa & Doug Plush Giraffe £84.99 from Argos; Animal heads from £29.99 from Fiona walker England; Cotton ball lights from Cottonballlights.com; Mustard canopy £95 from Molly meg; Baby name wooden plaque £12.99 from Fred and Robin; We can be heros print £22 from Disko kids; Boo and mimi moneybox £50 from lumley locket; Mama and babe candle from lumley locket by Boo+Mimi £16.

The Pottery barn kids items shown above were kindly gifted to Otis and I. I was extremely lucky to choose the pieces that myself and Otis love and I will cherish for years to come. All words and opinions are 100% my own. Thank you Pottery barn kids for gifting us with some lovely bits for Otis’ room.

OTIS' STOKKE 'JUNGLE' NURSERY

This is finally happening! I'm finally sharing Otis' finished nursery. Okay, technically it will never be finished because a room never is, and that's why I bloody love interiors. But this is where it's currently up to so far.

Wallpaper- Jungle palm by milton and King, Gold canopy from Molly meg

When I started looking at nursery furniture, all I saw were rectangular white cots and white changing tables. I'm not saying there's anything wrong with white nursery furniture, but I just wanted to be more excited by the offer. After all, interiors are my thing, and I wanted bub to have something a bit different.

So let's start with Otis' cot. This is the Stokke sleepi bed in Hazy grey. What I love about the sleepi cot bed range is that its one of the only cots that can transition from newborn baby to toddler by adding the extension kits. We've gone straight to the 'middle' size, but it's good to know I can extend it and take the middle panel out when Otis gets bigger and can climb in and out of his bed himself which means I shouldn't have to buy another new bed for another four/five years. How many other cot beds can take a baby from infant to childhood?

The stokke sleepi doesn't compromise on style or quality. The 360 degree cot bars mean it's easy to see Otis from every angle and the lockable caster wheels makes it easy to move to clean around, although you don't need to add the wheels. The cot can just sit on the floor on the frame and the sleepi has four mattress height positions to choose from. We currently don't have it on the lowest,  but we'll soon move it down once Otis can pull himself up. 

It's style, longevity and quality make this a perfect cot bed which should see Otis through to his childhood years.  The sleepi cot bed is available in three colours; white, grey and natural. 

Now let's talk about the changing table/ dresser which is also from Stokke. These come as two separate pieces.  The home dresser is handy storage for all of Otis' clothes, spare nappies and blankets and the soft close features on the drawers means you shouldn't wake up baby.  The style and colour compliments his sleepi cot bed and is also available in the same three shades of hazy grey, white and natural. 

The top home changer can be added to make it a changing table, but also easily removed to leave the dresser in perfect condition. 

Extension kits and bigger mattresses are all available on the Stokke website. Click here to view. 

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Leopard rug is from Cotswold trading £149.99

Lion and Elephant felt heads by Fiona walker London.

**Otis and I were very kindly gifted the cot and changing table from Stokke for his nursery. Regardless of this, I would still recommend these items and would purchase them again.** 

MY MUST HAVE *NEWBORN* BABY ITEMS

As Otis is approaching the 3-month mark, I thought it was time I shared my must have baby items. I’d be lying if I said I couldn’t live without any of them, as I’m pretty sure people made do without all of these items years ago, but for me they made my job a hell of a lot easier and got us through that fourth trimester.

When you’re expecting everyone will give you their advice. Most of which I took on board. The only mistake I’ve made is on the buggy front. We bought the Icandy orange which is super sturdy, but it’s also heavy and bulky and takes up far too much room. I know, I know, everyone told us not to get such a big buggy and I should have listened. So with that in mind, I thought I’d share my top items so you can get prepared. 

1. Sleepyhead Deluxe

Otis loved his sleepyhead so much I even wrote a separate article about it being a parenting must have item for a newborn. This portable mattress was brilliant to use all over the house and to take with us when visiting family. It comes in snazzy prints too, so its interior friendly for that mum who doesn’t want to loose their style identity. The snuggly bumper design kept Otis cosy and he could use it from birth, and he's still using it now for afternoon naps. I didn’t get a moses basket, and in hindsight I’m glad I didn’t as they’re not in them for long, and I would have just ended up putting the sleepyhead inside it anyway.

The only downside is the size, but that goes for most baby stuff. Otis is only 11 weeks and he's starting to out grow it, so I might have to invest in the bigger size sleepyhead. **Otis is top of the centile, so I think most babies would be fine to use the deluxe up 8 months if they're smaller.  

2. Baby bath- Stokke Flexi Bath with Support

We’re lucky that we have a bath in our house, but the idea of putting a tiny new born in a giant roll top bath scared me so the Stokke foldable flexi bath with support has been briliant. We place the flexi bath inside our bath to wash Otis and the back support is cleverly designed to clip onto the edge of the box. It keeps Otis comfortable and relaxed, and saves you having to hold onto your baby. Its foldable design means it’s portable to take to the in-laws for his first sleepover so he hasn’t got to change what he’s accustomed to, and as its foldable we’ll definitely be taking it on holiday come September.

3. Baby Bjorn- Bouncer Bliss

I’ll be honest, the baby bjorn bouncer bliss was a game changer. Around 4-6 weeks Otis was becoming more alert and wanted to sit and look around without the constant need to be held and cuddled. Don’t get me wrong, I loved the new born cuddles like everyone else, but a girls got to shower now and then, and being able to put Otis in the bouncer while he watched me meant we could leave the house before 9am occasionally. The mesh fabric has also been ideal for this hot weather making him feel more airy. 

4. Baby Bjorn- baby carrier one 

No this is not an advert for baby Bjorn products. I paid for this carrier and it was, and still is the best £139 I spent. This carrier has enabled me to sterilise bottles, put the washing out and walk to the shops while keeping Otis near to me. It says it’s from birth to 3 years, and luckily Otis is quite a chunky baby, as the only downside to this carrier is that it’s not really suitable for small/ new-born’s and is better suited for babies 6-8 weeks + depending on their size. The positive is you can wear your baby in multiple positions facing you, front facing and on your back and its extremely comfortable due to the waist and shoulder straps which help distribute the weight.

5. Pram- Icandy orange

This one’s controversial. You need a pram, there’s no question about that. But which one? I bought an icandy orange. Its sturdy, safe and has a huge shopping basket underneath. It’s also almost £800. Do I regret buying it? Yes. Do I wish I had listened to everyones advice, of course. If you live in a city or a house without a driveway, or have a narrow hallway like us, then this pram is not for you.  It weighs a tone and takes up too much space. I’ve been advised by a lot of you on Instagram that the best buggy around is the baby zen yo-yo. Its foldable, light weight and even has a new born basinet attachment and it cost's less than £550. Lesson learnt. 

6. Maxi Cosi Cabrio fix carseat

I'm not saying you need to buy this exact car seat, but you will 100% need to buy A car seat before your babe arrives. Hospitals won't even let you leave without one, so make sure this item is top of your list to buy. (That goes for you car less folk too). 

We bought the maxi cosi cabrio fix and the 2 wayfix iso base. You don't need to buy the iso fix base, but it does means Otis' car seat just clicks in and makes things much easier, than having to worry about car seat straps. 

The cabrio fix is affordable and well rated and is also one of the lightest car seats on the market.  You have no idea how much you'll appreciate having a lighter car seat until your baby is over a stone and you have to walk to your car. 

We bought both the car seat and the base at the baby show with our icandy pram and managed to save £100 off the total package. Shop around and definitely don't buy second hand when it comes to the base or the car seat. (for other items second hand is fine, but car seats aren't recommended).

** The toy attached to the car seat has been the best £7.99 spent. Its by Bright starts and was bought from Amazon.  Otis only started paying more attention to toys from approx 10 weeks old, but now he loves this.  **

7. Tommee Tippee Perfect Prep Machine

I had a nightmare with breast feeding. Bad latch, posterior tongue tied baby, blocked nipple (they call it a bleb), bleeding nipples, mastitis and a toe curling pain each time Otis latched on. Pretty much everything that could go wrong, did. Was I  going to let it get me down, hell no! Otis is a big baby. Born between the 75%-91% centile at birth weight,  he wanted a LOT of milk. They say feed on demand, and I was feeding all the time. I breast fed for 3 days,  expressed for 6 weeks and combination fed with breast milk and formula. Then after our 6 week Dr check up at 6 weeks I quit the pump. I had my life back. I was able to leave otis with my mother in law for the night, I didn't have to pump in the night and day and be glued to a socket and otis started sleeping for longer stretches. The perfect prep machine makes the perfect temperature bottle. You just add water, select how many oz's, press the big dial and add powder, shake and its done. First it filters water, then it adds an initial hot shot of water which kills any bacteria present in the formula and helps it to dissolve. If you're planning to give any formula in the first year, then invest in one of these.  

8. Tiba and Marl baby bag

I'm not saying you need to buy an expensive baby bag, but you will need a bag dedicated to your babe for all the nappies, wipes and bottles that you need to carry around. 

I chose a Tiba and Marl backpack as it was the nicest bag I could find, which didn't compromise on style. It's handy insulated compartments keep the milk warm, and the foldable changing mat is super handy for changing Otis while we're out and about. It also comes with a separate purse to keep your phone and keys in so you don't need to take another handbag out with you.

I wear it on my back, or on the handle bars of the pram, or even place it in the basket if its not full of my shopping. 

It's also big enough to hold my laptop. Not that I get to do much blogging these days when Otis is awake. 

9. Snuz pod bedside crib

We first bought the chicco next to us cot, but as soon as we assembled it we didn't feel it was very secure so we returned it and bought the snuz pod. The snuz pod is £199, so £30 more expensive than the chicco next to you cot, but it's worth every extra penny. The wooden frame feels sturdy and the frame even rocks sightly when baby moves. The zip front means you can pull the side down for easy access when feeding if you have the cot attached to the bed. Just to note, I did have the cot attached to our bed, but after my episiotomy I asked my husband to change sides with me as it was super painful to slide out for bed to go to the bathroom in the night. Plus I ended up not breast feeding anyway, so I've since detached it from the bed. **Top tip, buy a basket to keep your nappies, wipes, creams and nappy bags in to keep tidy**.

10. Medela Swing breast pump

The breast pump is something I regret not buying upfront before Otis arrived. It just meant I had to send the husband to Mothercare to buy it when Otis and I were fresh out of hospital and he returned with the not only the most expensive pump, but the double version which came with an eye watering price tag. Okay, maybe I’m exaggerating but I didn’t realise these things can cost up to £180. Whether you choose to breast feed or not, no one can prepare you for the engorgement of your breasts on day 3 post-natal. The Medela swing pump was brilliant. It’s hospital grade so you can’t fail for its quality in pumping. My advice would be to shop around. You can buy them second hand and sterilise the bottles and funnel yourself. I’d also recommend buying the hands-free bra off amazon to free up your hands while your sat next to the plug socket. Those 15 minutes per boob is precious time to yourself.  

11. Stokke changing table

I was only going to write 10, but I had to include our Stokke changing table. We keep ours in Otis' nursery on the middle floor of our home, but we also bought two cheaper changing mats so we have one on each floor- trust me, you'll need them! 

This handy dresser is great for storage for all his clothes and the side compartment gives me easy access to all the nappies, creams and wipes. 

I dress Otis on this every morning and dry him off after bathtime in the evening and get him ready for bed on it. 

The top changing part comes separately from Stokke, which means I can use the dresser without the top once Otis is bigger. 

Oh, and One last thing. You're going to need plenty of memory on your phone, so get clearing those old photos NOW and get ready for the baby spam! 

MY NURSERY PLANS

With just 7 weeks to go until the babe arrives, I thought it was time I shared our nursery plans.

We found out at our 20-week scan that we were expecting a little boy, so with that in mind I decided to have a bit of a think of what the little man’s nursery could look like.

I didn’t want to go for anything too childlike  (I know that sounds ridiculous), but I knew I wanted it to be colourful and stimulating, mainly so the colourful plastic will go in the long run.  

As much as I want to be one of those wooden toy mothers, I know the inevitable will happen, so just best to not be defeated in the end and embrace the colour. Or otherwise that stuff would just mess with my Feng shiu. So, colour was a priority above anything else. 

I took inspiration from the usual Pinterest (link to my nursery moodboard), instagram and my love of indoor foliage, but also our little trip to Graceland last year. Did you know that Elvis had a jungle room? Yep a grown man had a room full of soft animal toys (and guitars).

We decided on a gorgeous jungle palm print wallpaper from Milton and King to be the backdrop of the room which is very Beverly Hills hotel. If you don’t know of Milton and King, then be sure you check them out as I found it so difficult to find something fun like this that wasn’t a full wall mural and that delivers to the UK. They have an exciting range of wallpapers which are all easy to install too by pasting straight onto the wall! 

As the room has lovely panelling and a dado rail already, we're keeping this and just adding the wallpaper to the top. Below is a before a pic of the room, when it was a boring grown up bedroom. 

I've also added a video of the wallpaper going up. I'll keep you posted with the progress. But for now, here's my moodboard. I hope it inspires you if your currently decorating a nursery, or preparing for a baby room.  

1. Jungle palm wallpaper £198 per roll, Milton and King

2. Stokke sleepi bed in Grey £575, Stokke

3. Numero 91 Mustard canopy £91, Smallable

4. Grey ball pit £114,  Scandiborn

5. Fox and cactus mobile £75.99,  Etsy

6. Afaw berber style rug £269,  La Redoute

7. Pirate bunny £19.50, Scandiborn

8. Riceberry luxe toy £25, Kidly

9. Lazy bear soft toy £19.50, Scandiborn

10. Noah the giraffe £45, Scandiborn

11. Melissa and Doug Large giraffe soft toy £79.99, Argos

12. Sleepy head of sweden £170 euro, Sleepy head

13. Grey cotton ball lights £32, Cotton ball lights

14. Toy storage sack with personalised letter £32 Clouds and currents

15. Stokke changing table in grey £349 for unit plus £169 for changing unit Stokke