Getting Rid of the Bedrail-Gro-to-Bed Review

 

Today's post is about how my husband and I successfully said goodbye to the not so eye pleasing bedrail on our eldest daughters beautiful Antique Bed.  About a month ago I was very fortunate to receive a fabulous package in the post from 'The Gro Company'.  They asked me to review the product "Gro to Bed -Single Cover".  It was a perfect product for my three year old daughter Farrah to review as she is in her own single bed.  This product, as all The Gro Company's products serve a very functional purpose.  I knew this product would be functional but I didn't know how cute and girly the style of the cover would be.  My daughter loved the pinks and greens, she was very happy to hop in to bed and try it out.  Not only is the cover girly and pretty but it is also great quality.  I have now washed it numerous times and it still looks and feels great.

The Gro-To-Bed product contains a bed sheet and duvet cover.  The bedsheet has many key factors to it.  It contains a built in pillow case.  This prevents the toddler/childs head going under the pillow during the night, and the pillow falling out of the bed altogether.  The bedsheet comes with straps that secure under the mattress, keeping it securely on and fitted no matter how much movement takes place. The bedsheet has zips on it.  These secure the duvet in place on to the bed sheet.  This is the best feature of the product for me.  This stopped the, in the middle of the night wake up calls to 'cover me up' that we were so used to from an ordinary duvet cover.  The bedrail was removed on the first night we tried this product out.  Having the zips on each side of the toddler/child while they sleep keeps them secure in the bed.  To date our daughter has not once fallen out of the bed and the bedrail now takes its new home in the attic!  I highly recommend this product.  I recommend buying two packs of linen as when one set is ready for the wash you therefore have another ready to go as spare.

 

This product by The Gro Company has gifted my daughter with an amazing self confidence and happiness within herself.  She now confidently and proudly informs her teacher/extended family and friends how she no longer has a bedrail and how she stays in her own bed 'ALL' night.  Thank you The Gro company, the Gro-To-Bed product has helped us along the way of another milestone quickly, easily and hassel free whilst making our child feel confident and happy within herself.

To purchase the Gro-To-Bed simply click on here 

Thanks for reading.  Do you have the Gro-To-Bed product or any of the other Gro Company products?  I would love to hear!?

Don't forget you can keep up to date with Countryside Mumsie on our social media accounts facebook and instagram.

Lots of Love,

Orla & Kerri Xx

Is it Time to Get Your Child a Pet?

I always had a dog growing up.  I have some lovely memories of my dog growing up in the countryside.  I had a black Labrador, his name was Prince and I was absolutely mad about him. I remember clearly the day I got him and the day I found out he had died.  All these emotions, ups and downs are part of life and a great learning tool for children.  I personally think it is very important for a child to grow up with a pet.  What you need to make sure is that, it is the right time to introduce an animal into your family.

My husband and I got our Standard Schnauzer Jesse a good few years before we got married. I wont lie she was alot of work at the beginning and even up to the age of 2 years.Now she is 8 years old and just lies around the patio/garden or sits near the kids playing.  When we first brought my eldest daughter home from the maternity she barked every time she cried (even at night!) you can imagine my frustration, but as the weeks went on everyone got used to the new family unit.  Now we would never change it, the kids love her,our baby girl calls her 'CiCi'.

Pets can be a great way to teach responsibility and affection to children.  If you are still at the toddler stage think carefully if you want and have the time for a young animal and all the feeding and toilet training that goes with it.  Getting a pet is not a decision to take lightly.  Vets bills, insurance, kennel fees and licence costs all add up.

Starting Out (Hassel Free Mini Pets)
The following pets are interesting and can test out a child's willingness to take on the responsibility of a larger animal down the line. 
Maybe start here first and then move on.

-Stick insects
-Goldfish
Ant/worm Farms


Caring Behaviour-How to Teach this to your child?

The benefits of looking after a pet are wide ranging and often surprising. Children with pets are said to have stronger immune systems, resulting in fewer days missed at school.  Children who own pets are said to have increased self esteem and compassion and finally it is said that they find it easier to share also.

Teaching your child how to be a responsible pet owner takes time and effort on your behalf but it is certainly worth it. Teach your child consideration by always respecting the pet and never handling the pet roughly.  Inform your child about how pets need 'Quite Time' and must not be constantly disturbed.  Teach your child how to correctly handle a pet to avoid pulling of the tail etc. Finally give your child responsibility by giving them at least one part of the pets daily care need to carry out i.e changing the water bowl.

Pet Hygiene

It is very important to teach a child basic pet hygiene.

Here are a few pointers to remember;

-Always wash hands after touching animals.

-Don't let pets sleep on beds

-Don't let cats walk on tables or kitchen surfaces

-No rodent cages in bedrooms

-Feeding bowls always away from human food preparation areas

-Never let pets beg at the table or lick plates

House Hygiene and Pets

-Keep the house well ventilated and encourage pets to go outside

-If you have a dog or cat, you need to vacuum daily, paying special attention to upholstery 

-Shake out pets bedding daily, hot wash it weekly.

-Clean cages weekly and do it outside if at all possible.

So if you are planning on welcoming a pet into the household best wishes, you wont regret it.  Pets are an amazing addition to any family.  Do you have a family pet, what is your experience?  I would love to hear?

Don't forget you can keep up to date with Countryside Mumsie on our social media accounts facebook and instagram.

Thanks for reading,

Orla & Kerri Xx

Bepanthen Review

About a month ago we were very fortunate to receive a wonderful package in the post from the lovely people at BAYER makers of Bepanthen to review. Not only did we enjoy the products but we also found the website very helpful; packed with Baby Skin Care and Nappy Care information, tips and links.

Timing of the products however was perfect:

For Kerri the Bepanthen Baby Moisturiser  has been the star of the summer.

 With the weather just begining to improve we struck for the beach on many an occasion. Anyone with kids will know that getting stuck down into the sand, digging the "biggest hole ever", and becoming covered from head to toe in layers of wet on dry sand is all part of the days fun. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE the beach. However Seán seemed to be constantly covered in sand.

 We live near the beach, so one sits on a towel in the car and with the quick trip home you come in with your wet togs and jump straight into the shower. This is where I really found Bepanthan was a life saver. Each day I washed the sand off. I know its not good to over bath children, especially children with dry skin as Seán does (very slightly on his arms). However what was I to do? It was a comforting reassurance that a very suited moisturiser was going to be applied within minutes. Bepanthen Baby Moisturiser is free from alcohol,colours, fragrances, parabens and other preservatives, lanolin or paraffin and is suitable from birth.

 The packaging is very user friendly and is a great size tube (pictured far right above). It goes on as a light white lotion and soaks into the skin within minutes. By bed time I could feel Sean's skin rehydrated and ready for another day at the beach. I used it each evening after his bath or shower so a couple of times a week and after a month I can see such an improvement in his skin. I love that there is no smell form it, and even Seán commented that it not sticky! I rub it on in circular motions and its a real hit. Back in the nappy days Bepanthen Nappy Care Ointment was a God Send however I had never tried the Bepanthen Baby Moisturiser. After using it for a month, I will certainly continue to use it and  I would highly recommend it for children of all ages. 



For Orla:

I have loved trying out the Bepanthen range. I used the Bepanthen Moisturiser on both Farrah and Georgia after their baths, it contains Provitamin B5 and you can notice the difference this unique ingredient makes to your child's skin. The girls skin looked and felt hydrated. Their skin was soft and it was not a heavy moisturiser, I could see that their skin looked fresh and could breathe after application.
Bepanthen recently launched their 100g Nappy Care Ointment in a new plastic pack with a flip top. For me this is a major improvement by Bayer, makers of Bepanthen. The original packaging annoyed me. You would have to screw off the lid and roll up the packaging as time went on to get cream out which resulted in it cracking and cream coming out from all angles, usually all over my changing bag. With changing a toddlers nappy and all the wriggling that goes with it, you just don't have the patience for a screw top lid, give me flip lid any day!Well this problem is now a thing of the past. The new plastic packaging and new flip lid is clean and easy to use! It is 100% better for me due to this. Now I would certainly recommend this product. Georgia still gets nappy rash when she is teething. We have a long time of teething left as at 18 months she only has 8 teeth. Recently she cut a tooth and had runny nappies resulting in nappy rash. I used Bepanthen Nappy Care Ointment and it cleared it right up. Bepanthen Nappy Care Ointment is gentle and can be used everyday to prevent the causes of nappy rash. It contains lanolin and Provitamin B5 resulting in a long lasting breathable transparent layer, therefore I would certainly recommend applying it daily especially when teething strikes.

Thanks for reading! Have you tried Bepanthen products? Did you find them good? We would love to hear from you?

Kerri & Orla Xxx





Disclaimer:  We received the Bepanthen products above free of charge in exchange for a fair and honest review. We did not receive any other remuneration for this post.  All thoughts and opinions in this review are our own.


Don't forget you can keep up to date with Countryside Mumsie on our social media accounts facebook and instagram.

Our Allergy Adventure

I will be the first to put my hand up and admit that when I was younger I had little tolerance for those children with 'allergies'. I thought it was over sensitive parents looking for something to fuss about for the little one. Since becoming a parent, I have quickly realised how ignorant I had been. Having a son or daughter with any kind of allergy or intolerance can be very difficult. 

A short list of foods account for about 90 per cent of food allergies: milk, egg, peanut, tree nuts, fish, shellfish, soy and wheat. Our story is about Milk.

In our situations, I had been ebf for almost 6 months, then with the decision to introduce a formula feed once a day we quickly realised somehing was a miss. Vomiting EVERYWHERE within 15 minutes of swallowing the cows milk based formula feed, made me quicky realise we had a problem.So next day we brought  our son to the GP and were told it was just a co-incidence he vomited and told it was just a tummy bug, and keep going with the introduction of formula. When the vomiting continued later that day and again on the same feed the following day, it was a case of back to the GP. This time we met an out of hours doctor who we had not met before. He was very helpful and suggested it may be an allergy and so prescribed a non cows milk based formula. From then on we have been advised many things by many people; some in the medical profession, some from a  homeopathic background, other mums, and then everyone else who likes to share their tupennny's worth. 

Overall I found, and still find it a really difficult task to get assistance and information. I realise milk intolerance or allergy is not any way as serious as other allergies and here in lies the descripiencies. Reseach and Professionals cannot seem to agree. This has confirmed in my heart that, like everything about a child, each child is unique and individual. Its a mothers instinct that knows not to take the first bit of advice. It can be a lonely journey and sometimes i'm questioning my sanity; maybe i'm that fussy parent looking for something to fuss about? But No, when my son is struggling to breath at night due to a spoon of yogurt earlier that day, I know to stop. I know that  this gentle introduction of dairy, called the The Oral Food Challenge (http://ifan.ie/milk/oral-food-challenges/) is not working so we were back to square one. 

It's been a tricky journey but here's what we do: Avoid ALL dairy! Yes ALL. We have become experts at finding subsitutes for all the typical, and even non typical dairy food your child may enjoy. 

The symptions our son gets if even the smallest bit of daiy has accidently gotten into his diet that day: begins with a runny nose and by bed time his beathing gets very shallow. One time we woke him from his sleep, afraid he was not going to take his next breath. 

The diagnosis: Having seen homeopaths and a few GP's and then a pediatric consultant that yes, he thinks its an allergy and we are now waiting to see a paediatric allergy specialist in the new Year. However, despite the outcome of this day, I know dairy does not like our son, and our son doesn't like dairy. Its that simple really.

The solution: We ensure dairy is excluded from his diet. We have swapped  cows milk for coconut or almond milk (luckily we found fresh almond milk), butter for cocount oil or sunflower butter and chocolate for Dairy free chocloate. After that we make sure products do not contain dairy and that's it. The hardest part was educating other adults our son may be with if we are not, such as Grandparents, Aunts and Uncles, Childminders or Babysitters. Everyone means well but there have been some mistakes, these have been tough but once addressed it becomes clear that he is being punished not treated by giving him dairy.

Our favourite dairy free Ice-cream 'No bó' (No Cow)

Personally I find following blogs and getting advice from other parents with similiar experiences is what has helped  our family adjust.  Dairy Free Kids is a blog I religiously follow and find brilliant. There are so many myths and old wives tales out there. My advice to any parent unsure about whether your son or daughter has an allergy or intolerance is to stick to your gut feeling. Avoid the food and note any differences. This way you have evidence of differences in your childs health or behaviuor and you will not question yourself when asked by a health care professional. 

With our son now 3 1/2 it has taken 3 years for us to figure the whole thing out, or some part at least. And with preschool, school, friends, birthday parties etc all around the corner God only knows how we'll cope! Deep breaths, deep breath......it'll be grand! He loves strawberries......of course he will say no thank you to ice-cream, chocolate and tayto's at birthday parties.....wont he!!!  

In the meantime I'm bursting my backside making and baking dairy free alternatives! Keep an eye on 'Country Cooking' tab in the blog for recipes. 

Don't forget you can keep up to date with both us countryside mums on facebook and instagram. We'd love you to drop by and say hi x

Until next time,

Kerri and Orla xx 

Some helpfull websites and blogs on allergies and Dairy Free: 

http://ifan.ie/

http://www.safefood.eu/Food-safety/Food-Allergies/Allergy-or-intolerance.aspx

https://www.fsai.ie/faq/allergens.html

https://www.facebook.com/dairyfreekids?fref=ts

https://www.facebook.com/TheHappyPear

Yummy Carrot and Ginger Soup

Morning,


This morning I am sharing my love for making soups and a great little recipe. 

I am always trying new recipes for the girls and I. My girls will drink a bowl of soup through a wide straw and I just adore the idea of them getting a meal packed full of goodness. I am in my cooking mood today and plan to batch cook for my ladies to get myself organised as returning to work is on the horizon.

I have made this particular soup a few times and its a big hit each time.

Carrot and Ginger Soup

1 medium Onion 

8 medium Carrots chopped

Teaspoon of ginger 

500mls of Stock

Peel and chop the onion. Splash of olive oil in a pot,cook onions for 5minutes until soft but not browned. Carrots and ginger are peeled and chopped.

Add the carrots,ginger and stock and bring to the boil. Then simmer for 20minutes.

Blend to smooth soup consistency.

Yummy! Enjoy!


PS. These are the stock cubes I use, available in Boots.

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Orla & Kerri Xx