Carla's Blog Archives - MyBump2Baby
Baby, Toddler & Family Directory

Bamboo Eco Friendly Toothbrushes for Children & Toddlers

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Have you managed to do your bit for the environment? 

We know how hard it can be to make the changes to use more sustainable products that are better for the environment, but we also know how important it is that people make these changes. The environment is suffering a lot at the moment and just one small change in each household could make a huge difference which is why we are writing a review on a fantastic brand that offers Bamboo Eco Friendly Toothbrushes for Children and Toddlers.

Bamboo Eco Friendly Toothbrushes for Children & Toddlers

Did you know that just ONE plastic toothbrush takes over 400 years to decompose? Dentists recommend that you change your toothbrush every 3 months. The average family household has 4 people. There are 7.7bn people on earth, so if everyone throws away 12 plastic toothbrushes per year, that’s a lot of plastic in our oceans!

If each family changed to eco-friendly toothbrushes, the environment would be much better off. We have the perfect option for the toddlers and children in your household…and the fantastic company is called Blue Splash.

Blue Splash – Eco Friendly Bamboo Toothbrushes for Children and Toddlers

Blue Splash offers children over 18 months a fun way to help the environment. They produce eco-friendly, bamboo toothbrushes, that are fun and colourful, just what children like! Their aim is not only to support the environment but also to encourage small children to enjoy brushing their teeth. When it comes to making morning and evening routines easier – we are all for it!!!

Eco Friendly Toothbrushes for Toddlers and Young children

The overall theme of their bamboo toothbrushes is to ‘help save our ocean friends’. They are a “Work For Good” partner and give a proportion of their proceeds to conservation charities. We think this is a hugely important theme to consider and would encourage people to look into trying to help the ocean. By purchasing these brushes, not only are you contributing to reducing plastic waste, but you’re also helping charities – it is a win win!!!!

Fun at the Sink with Blue Splash Bamboo Toothbrushes 

The Bamboo Toothbrushes come in packs of 4 at an incredibly reasonable price of £6.99 on Amazon! You can now also purchase them individually for £2.99 each and let your kids pick their favourite ocean friend.

These fab toothbrushes feature a different ocean character on each toothbrush and fun facts about them. Children will enjoy choosing which toothbrush they want to use and learning new things about their favourite ocean friends and their environment. A brilliant way to instil the importance of caring for the environment into young children’s minds.

The toothbrushes have been carefully manufactured to have an ergonomic handle, making it easier for your child to hold the toothbrush and clean their own teeth. The handles are made from moso bamboo, which grows very fast and is not eaten by pandas, so we’re not stealing anyone’s food! The handles are naturally antibacterial and water resistant too. Why wouldn’t you switch?

The Eco Friendly Kids Bamboo Toothbrush Materials

Blue Splash have carefully selected specific materials to form the bristles on their toothbrushes. They are BPA-free, DuPont Nylon bristles that are high in quality and naturally soft. The bristles have also been made to feature 4 different colours – rainbow, aqua green, blue and purple, so your child can choose their favourite one. These brushes are perfect for both genders too.

The outer packaging is 100% recyclable and each toothbrush is individually wrapped. Blue Splash has considered all of the environmental factors and brought a product to the market that is so great. It’s hard to find products that are truly eco-friendly, so this really is a high quality, innovative product!

We think it’s so good that Blue Splash have considered the environment is such depth and it’s great that these brushes are so fun, so children really will enjoy brushing their teeth. It can be hard to encourage children to brush their teeth at a young age, but with these exciting brushes, it’s sure to make the job easier. Click here to purchase your Blue Splash toothbrushes.

Our Review of the Blue Splash Toothbrushes for Children

Morning and evening routines can be a little… what’s the word… challenging, painful, irritating, annoying, frustrating…. You get my drift…. 

When it comes to brushing teeth, the sounds coming from my bathroom could be mistaken for a torture chamber. George likes to avoid brushing his teeth as much as I try to avoid dry January so I was keen to give these new Blue Splash eco-friendly toothbrushes a try and see if it helped.

I am all for protecting the environment for our little ones and making the world a better place so I was keen to give this a whirl.

George absolutely loves that he got to choose his own toothbrush from the pack of 4 provided. He chose the Ollie the Dolphin one. I told him that we are looking after the planet (he has recently been learning about planets at school so this went down really well)

George now thinks that every time he brushes his teeth using the eco-friendly toothbrushes kindly gifted to us from Blue Splash, he is saving animals which is a nice way to look at it, although he has now been requesting to brush his teeth four times a day. Toddlers hey, one extreme to the other.

We have awarded Blue Splash with our recommended on MyBump2Baby badge based on our personal experience.

You can find Blue Splash website here.

Why not visit them on thier social media;

Facebook

Instagram

Making Reading Fun with Reading Eggs

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Are you starting to teach your little one how to read, but find that they get distracted when reading books together?  I had this same problem with my daughter (3) and that’s when we discovered the Reading Eggs, making reading time fun.

Reading Eggs (www.readingeggs.co.uk) is a multi-award winning learning programme that helps children of all ages learn to read.  Designed by experienced primary school teachers, it’s proven to help children learn to read by using interactive reading games, guided reading lessons, fun activities, and a range of different story books!  This app has been used by over 12,000 schools to help their students to learn to read!

Making Reading Time Fun with Interactive and Fun Games from Reading Eggs

Learning to read is one of the most important skills that your little one can learn. The Reading Eggs – Learn to Read app has hundreds of fun reading games, spelling games, phonic activities, word puzzles, nursery rhymes, alphabet games and thousands of different books and stories for your little ones.  The app is designed for children aged 2-13 which helps to nurture a lifelong passion for reading from your own home!

making reading time fun

The app has different categories so you can find the perfect activities for your little ones.  These are:

  • Reading Eggs Junior (aged 2-4).  This helps toddlers to build their pre-reading skills such as phonic awareness, alphabet knowledge, fun activities, games, videos and read aloud books.
  • Reading Eggs (aged 3-7).  This assists children to take their first steps in learning to read, and covers phonics, sight words, spelling, vocabulary and comprehension. 
  • Reading Eggspress (aged 7-13).  This continues the learning journey as your child gets that little bit older, and helps children to learn to read for enjoyment and meaning. 
  • Mathseeds (aged 3-9).  This helps to develop essential early numeracy skills, and covers numbers, measurements, shapes, patterns and more.  

Why we love reading eggs…. 

What I really love about using the app is that it is self-paced, and when you first use the app, you complete a quiz which then means that your child gets matched to the perfect level to assist them in their learning, and offers self-paced, one on one lessons.  We also love that the lessons themselves use colourful animation, fun characters and songs, so as well as teaching your child phonics and reading, it also keeps your little ones engaged and interested throughout each lesson.

The thing that my daughter loved was the reward system that the app has in place.  She will gain a golden egg as a reward for the progress she makes, which she can then use the eggs to buy a fun reward game or use it to buy items for her avatar in its house.  She also gains a certificate for every map she completes, which can be printed off for her as well.

I also love the fact that I am able to see her progress.  As a parent you get access to your own parent dashboard and you receive details progress reports of how your little ones are doing, this also meant that I was able to see what she was improving at, and what we may need to focus on more with her. I also love that I can download activity sheets to use with her that match up with what she has been learning.

I have found that this app really works, as it keeps her completely engaged throughout the time she is using the app. The lessons are really fun and interesting for her, as well as interactive so has definitely held her attention a lot more than any book ever has.

I have also found that since using the Reading Eggs app, that not only has her reading come on a lot, so has her speech.  She is using more and more words every day that she has been learning through the app.

Recommend Reading Eggs

I would completely recommend this app to any parent that is looking to help teach and support their little ones to read.  It has been a massive hit with us, and we will definitely be using the app to help our youngest learn to read when she turns two.

To claim a 30 day Free trial to the program click here

Alternatively, to find out some more information and to see how well the app really works please visit the below links:

Website

Facebook

Instagram

Twitter

Based on our personal review with Reading Eggs we will be awarding them with our recommended on MyBump2Baby badge.

£9.50 Sun holiday codes for January 2020

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Wahooo…. the caravan season is NEARLY upon us!!!

Holiday parks are one of the cheapest accommodation options when it comes to holidaying with your family.

The Sun have made this even more affordable in 2020 by once again offering the £9.50 Sun holiday codes in 2020.

Holiday parks are a great way to visit places you would like to see whilst having access to unlimited fun to keep the children entertained. When selecting your family break it is worth thinking about your location, do you simply want to stay on the caravan park? Or would you like to visit the local area too? If you are staying for the full 5 days you might want to stay somewhere with local attractions too

The Sun are once again offering the chance to enjoy holidays from only £9.50 & £15 at over 300 holiday parks across the UK and Europe.

We love this time for year for the Suns £9.50 holiday codes. We tend to book a few breaks throughout the year so we always have something to look forward to.

The Sun Holiday Codes in January 2020 are:

  • Bonus Code: GOOD
  • Code 1: PEEP
  • Code 2: PING
  • Code 3: GAZE
  • Code 4: ZONK
  • Code 5: RACY
  • Code 6: DAWN
  • Code 7: DUDE
  • Code 8: RULE
  • Code 9: U62K

For parks available click here!!!! 

Online Fitness Programme for Busy Mum’s

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Life as a busy mum is hard. There are so many jobs to juggle that we often put ourselves to the back of the queue when it comes to self care and looking after our health.

As a parent it’s hard enough going to the toilet on your own, let alone taking an hour out of your day to go to the gym. Going to the gym on a regular basis takes willpower and by the time you’ve spent all day chasing your child around, bowing down to their every need and if scenes from WWE remind you of the bed time routine, it is highly likely you will be too tired to go to the gym and who can blame you…. even writing that paragraph tired me out….

Wouldn’t it be much easier to be able to work out from the comfort of your own home? Whilst your dinner is cooking? or whilst your child’s having a nap (wishful thinking)? That’s why we were so pleased to review Funmumsfitness fantastic online exercise programme. 

Online Fitness Programme for Busy Mum's

As a new mum, it’s important to take time out for yourself, exercising is a great way to do this and amazing for both your physical and mental health. It can be hard to decide when the right time to start exercising is after birth, listen to your GP and healthcare professionals and once you have the green light you should get going.

Exercise is extremely beneficial to mums

Exercise will actually raise your energy levels if you exercise regularly. This is more about strengthening your body again, rather than trying to lose weight. Exercise can help your body recover from childbirth and can also help to prevent postnatal depression.

Mental wellbeing can be improved drastically through exercise. We know how hard it is to be a mum to a child of any age, it never really stops being stressful which is why it’s so important to look after your mind as well as your body. Taking even 20 minutes out of your day to do a low impact workout can really help to relieve stress. 

 

Online Fitness Programme for Busy Mum's

Online Fitness Programme for Busy Mum’s

The fantastic company Funmumsfitness at Home offers busy mums online workouts that you can do at home, whatever time and whenever you like. It is so affordable, priced at only £19.90 per month.

This works out at less than £1 per workout!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Online Fitness Programme for Busy Mum's

The online fitness plan for mums includes;

  • A 20 – 30 minute workout every week day
  • Little or no equipment necessary. 
  • Supportive community of mums.
  • Constant support from personal trainers. 
  • Nutritional advice, meal plans and food ideas.
  • Members have access to 2 personal trainers via messages, emails and video calls. 

 

 

Our Review of the online fitness plan for busy mums

We think it’s amazing that you can do the workouts in your own time, with no pressure to complete them if you’re not feeling up to working out. As we mentioned before, it’s important to exercise slowly at first, with the help and advice that’s constantly available through Funmumsfitness, you can always feel supported.

These workouts are fantastic for so many reasons…. there is no childcare worries, the price is fantastic and the community of mums will keep you motivated and inspired.  These classes are perfect to start strengthening your body again, and they’re available for all mums, no matter how old your little one is. 

Online videos make the workouts easier to use, as they’re available to you at any time. You can take your child to the park and do some of your exercises whilst they’re playing,  complete them on a family day out at the beach or at Grandmas house if you can sneak off for a minute. You can even get your little one involved which is also recommended.

Carla founder of MyBump2Baby say’s “I decided I wanted to work out more from home, the fact that Funmumsfitness allows me to do that makes my life so much easier. The 20 minutes I’ve been doing whilst tea’s in the oven has been so beneficial, George has even been doing it with me.” She added “The community of mums is helpful and motivating, it’s so nice knowing you have such a supportive network to rely on if you need to get back on track.”

Funmumsfitness Home has also just launched a 12 week body transformation programme perfect for someone looking to get fit for summer (only £100)

The 12 weeks program is a unique Body Transformation program designed for Mums. It’s an online training program (short workout videos – you can exercise wherever and whenever) PLUS a nutrition program to follow. The members have the 24/7 support of personal trainers. What makes it outstanding is a supportive community of likeminded mums, who know how much you crave sugar after a sleepless night!

Rebecca Vardy Praises Husband for being her ‘Rock’ during 16 Hour Labour

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Rebekah Vardy praises husband Jamie for being her Rock during her 16 hour labour.

Rebecca, 37, and her Leicester City footballer husband, 33, welcomed Olivia Grace on December 28, and Rebekah admits he was her rock  as she went into labour.

Rebecca told Hello Magazine ‘Jamie was brilliant – so supportive and encouraging,’ ‘He even tried to crack a joke about the epidural needle to take my mind off it and the painful contractions.’ … We are not sure how that joke would have gone down but it was sweet of him to try.

Rebekah revealed she has been very ill with anxiety and stress and was panicking that she might be born on Christmas Day whilst Husband Jamie was training with Leicester City ahead of his team’s game against Liverpool. ‘The last thing I wanted was to miss Christmas Day with our children.’ she said.

Former England star Jamie announced the birth on Twitter telling fans: ‘Over the moon to let you know our beautiful little girl has arrived. Becky and baby are both doing well and we are all totally in love with the newest member of our team.’ 

The brunette, who was admitted to Leicester General Hospital on December 27, said their children helped to choose the name “Olivia Grace”

The couple, who tied the knot in 2016, are already parents to daughter Sofia and son Finlay.

Rebekah also has 2 children, Megan and Taylor from a previous relationship. Jamie is father to daughter Ella, who he shares with ex partner Emma Daggett.

She also said welcoming her fifth child feels like a new beginning.

‘I couldn’t wait to see the back of 2019,’ she said. ‘But with a new baby and a new year ahead of us, it’s like a fresh start.’

10 Financial Moves Every New Parent Should Make

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MyBump2Baby is proud to work with trusted financial advisers throughout the UK, raising awareness around the importance of protecting your family. To find your nearest local trusted adviser head to our family protection directory.

Having a baby is an expensive decision, as a new parent it can be extremely daunting to work out how much everything is going to cost you. That’s why at MyBump2Baby, we have decided to provide you with a list of 10 financial moves that you should make as a new parent. 

Get a Will

It’s important to have a process in place in case anything were to happen to you. Along with where you’d like your money to go, your will should also state a legal guardian of your little ones, so you know they’ll be cared for in the best way. It’s a good idea to talk to the person/people that you plan to assign the role of legal guardian to, so that your will is easier to execute in the future should anything happen. A will can be updated at any time in the future, so you can add to it if you have more children or your circumstances change. 

Invest in Life Insurance

If you haven’t already, then consider taking out a life insurance policy. It will help you and your family in the long run. As parents we pay for a lot of things, so it’s important to weigh up all of your financial responsibilities and consider how it easy it would be to take care of them in your absence.

Budget your income and outgoings

Set yourself a household budget. Many expenses come with a baby, you have to buy nappies, milk, clothes, prams, and many other things. It’s a good idea to budget early and unfortunately accept that you may have to lay off your favourite perfume for a while. Also think about the difference in ongoing costs and one time costs, for example, you’ll need to buy nappies for a few years, but a pram will be a one off purchase every now and again.

Have an Emergency Fund

Once you’ve worked out a new household budget for your family, you can build an emergency fund, which means you have a safety net just in case you suffer from a financial burden. You should aim to sort an emergency fund to cover 6-12 months of living costs. If your family is reliant on one income, we cannot stress enough how important it is to consider building up an emergency fund. 

Track your Spending habits

Whether you’re going out for lunch next week, or you’re purchasing your baby’s first car seat, you need to keep your receipts and stay on track with where your money is going. There’s nothing worse than when you’ve forgotten how much you’ve spent and all of a sudden a whopping £300 leaves your bank account, so don’t fall into that trap. 

Plan your maternity

Plan your maternity/paternity leave well. Work out how much leave you’re entitled to and have a good read for your company’s policies. It sounds boring but it’s actually really important for your household’s finances. 

Prepare for the Worst

Add your child to your life insurance policy, it will help your child in the long run. It’s important because if anything were to happen to you, then you know that your child and your partner (if you have one) are not left in a bad situation financially. 

10 Financial Moves Every New Parent Should Make

Childcare Costs

Plan for childcare costs. If you’re working full time, it’s highly likely that you’ll have to pay for a nursery or childminder to look after your child. It’s important to ensure that your child feels safe in their nursery environment, so that should be the main priority for you. Childcare can be expensive, so you must research into what works for you. 

Saving Money

Try and save some money up for when you retire. No matter what age you are, saving for your retirement is incredibly important and it means there’s one less thing for you to stress about when it does arrive. It’s helpful to have a savings account which you can pay into as well as your pension scheme. 

Future Education

Start saving for your child’s education. You might want your child to go into a private school, in which case you’ll need to research the costs that are involved with this process, and take into account that it’s not just a one off payment. Also, if your child wants to go to university in the future, depending on your household income, you may need to help them out with finance along the way. We know it may seem like a lifetime away right now, but they really do grow up so fast. 

We really hope that our financial tips for new parents have been helpful for you. If you need any help, please visit the financial area on our website or don’t hesitate to contact us directly.

The Fantastic Toddler Streetwear Brand ‘Lil Beatz’

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How hard is it to find affordable and individual clothing for your toddler?

At myBump2Baby we know how hard it can be to dress your toddler in fashionable, unique and good quality clothes. We have cheap and cheerful, expensive or just bang average, but what if you want to dress your toddler in unique street clothing? Luckily for you, we have the answer.

streetwear clothing for toddlers

 

Today’s review is all about a fantastic toddler streetwear brand ‘Lil Beatz’

With kids jumping in puddles and playing in the mud, washing clothes can be an absolute nightmare, we know! We’ve all bought those cheap kid’s clothes that get bobbly after 1 wash, they’re low in quality and they just don’t last. They’re worn out before your child’s even had the chance to grow out of them…. It doesn’t matter what washing powder you choose to use, nothing seems to work.

And on the other side of the coin… as a child, sometimes there’s nothing worse than turning up on ‘non uniform’ day and 8 of the other kids in the class have the same t shirt on as you. It doesn’t change much as you get older. That’s why it’s nice to dress your toddler in unique clothes and embrace their true individuality which is why we suggest that you check out the amazing clothing line Lil Beatz has to offer.

Lil Beatz offer a vast range of clothing for boys and girls of different ages, their clothes are fashionable and high quality, meaning you get your money’s worth. The best part is, they’re totally affordable!

Lil Beatz make clothes for toddlers, between the ages of 2 and 6, although that’s not how they started out. They initially started their clothing line to offer their franchise’s a selection of merchandise to offer students. It was only after they began to produce the clothing that they noticed a huge gap in the market for streetwear for toddlers.

Gap in the Market for Toddlers Streetwear Clothing

Before Lil Beatz, there were very few options on the market for parents to choose from, and often the most fashionable brands were very expensive. Parents know where to go when they want to purchase their toddler smart clothing, everyday clothing, and the rest. But there is a definite gap in the market for toddler’s streetwear, and that’s where Lil Beatz succeeds….

The Lil Beatz Streetwear Clothing Review

We had the immense pleasure of trying out a shirt and a pair of jeans from Lil Beatz, the quality was one of the best we have seen in toddler’s clothing and they were so stylish. Our toddler loved wearing them and even said how comfortable he felt in them. We highly recommend this wonderful company, as their products are so affordable.

Within the range, they also offer sports bags and sports bottles, so your toddler can really feel and look stylish all the time. This brand offers toddlers a feeling of individuality, which is so important in children. They also offer a fab range of headwear accessories, such as caps and sunglasses, which are perfect for your summer 2020 holiday.

Overall, Lil Beatz is a fantastic up and coming toddler’s streetwear brand, they offer parents an affordable, high quality, stylish option for their children. They found a gap in the market and have gone from strength to strength since starting their company.

We can’t wait to try out some more streetwear from Lil Beatz.

It’s 5 out of 5 from the team at MyBump2Baby.

 

7 Reasons to Blog on Your Business Website

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Blogging is something many business owners claim they have no time for….

7-Reasons-to-Blog-on-your-Business

There are so many reasons to blog on your business website and here are our 7 reasons why you can’t afford not to blog;

Website Traffic

Blogging creates constant traffic to your website, it’s a key way to keep your content up to date and keep people on your website for longer, which will lower your bounce rate. It’s hard to generate organic traffic to your website without paying a silly amount of money, so if you’ve got an easier way to do it, use it. When blogging for a business, it’s important to blog about relevant subjects that your readers want to hear about. You should answer their questions before they’ve asked them, in a lighthearted and visually attractive way. 

Social Interaction 

When people like, comment or share your blogs across social media platforms, they’re providing you with the chance for more social interaction, which is key for your business. Each time a person interacts with a post, you’re reaching more people. With more social interaction, more people will visit your website and therefore know about you and may purchase from you in the future. 

Sales Sales Sales

Blogging can directly influence your sales, as we said before, with a higher reach, you’ll have more visitors to your website. When customers can see that your website’s blogging content is up to date, they will be more likely to purchase from you. Sometimes it’s hard to promote your own product, so it’s important to have a good website that showcases your products and reflects credibility in order to drive new sales to your business. A alot of small business owners don’t realise they can add a pixel to thier website to track visitors and once they leave the pixel can re-target them via Facebook which keeps Facebook advertising costs down as the audience is more targetted and the client has shown interest by visiting your website which means they are more likely to buy.

If you would like us to instal a pixel on your website click here.

Content 

Depending on what your company sells, whether it’s a service or a product, blogging can give you the chance to write lots of different content. Blogs last a long time and can be updated as and when you want them to be. If you blog about your own products, then they’ll never be outdated. 

Save Money and Grow your Following

Blogging is completely FREE! There’s not much you can say that about, especially not things that are as helpful as blogs. Yes, they take time, but if you do substantial research before you start writing a blog, you’ll be done in no time. Click here purchase a content writer. to When you take into account the higher traffic, social media growth, brand awareness and sales on your website, the time it takes to write a blog pays for itself. 

Exisiting Customers 

Customers love to see fresh content, especially when it’s about things that they’re interested in. A blog is the perfect way to capture people’s attention. People build trust with your company when they read blogs, due to the expertise used within each piece. Trust in customers means more chance for repeat custom, which once again leads to more sales for your business. 

SEO

Search Engine Optimisation keeps popping up. That’s because it’s the ultimate key to ranking highly on Google. Google uses the keywords from your website and places your website accordingly on its results page. So if you want your business’s website to rank higher on Google, you need to take extra care when choosing your keywords. Being near the top of the result’s page can increase your sales drastically. Click here to see our basic SEO package.

Overall, we think that keeping a blog is so important and can help your business in many different ways. Hope you enjoyed the blog, don’t hesitate to get in touch if you have any questions.

Financial Planning for Your New Baby

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Now that your new baby has arrived, you’ve got enough to worry about without having to research too much into your finances. We’ve made it easy for you and written this blog all about financial planning for your new baby. So settle them for their nap, get yourself a cup of tea and read this blog. 

Financial Planning for Your New Baby

Financial Assessment

The first thing you should do is assess where you are financially, look at your savings, your maternity/paternity pay, and your outgoings. This will help you formulate a solid financial plan for the future and help you to understand where you can make any necessary cutbacks in your lifestyle. You should also consider where you’d like to be in the future, taking into account the different baby products that you’ll need to pay for. 

Life Insurance

If you haven’t already, consider your options for life insurance and include your baby in the plans. It can be daunting, but it will offer your family a good layer of protection should anything happen to you in the future. Find your nearest financial adviser using our family protection directory.

Make a Will

Again, if you’ve not already done it, write yourself a will. You should take care when deciding where you want your finances to go and also who you’d want to look after your child in the event of your absence. It’s a huge decision and therefore it’s important to make sure everyone involved is aware of your plans for a legal guardian.  Find your nearest will writer using our family protection directory.

Start a Weekly Budget

You should set yourself a weekly budget up so that it’s easier to keep track of your money. Work out how much you’re spending on your weekly food shop, how much you’re spending on baby products and the rest. That way you can keep a certain amount of money aside for those necessities. Make yourself a shopping list, it might not be how you want to spend your Saturday night, but it can help to make sure that you only buy the things you need. You can also try the cheaper supermarkets to try and cut down on spending. 

Emergency Funding

You should try and set yourself up with an ‘emergency’ fund. If you haven’t already started saving for this, then you should aim to put aside 3 month’s worth of living costs, if you have already started saving, you should try and save for between 6 and 12 months. This can be really helpful should you need to deal with any unexpected financial problems. 

Think before you Buy

Watch your spending, think before you buy and ask yourself if you really need the product. If you’re tight on money with a new baby, the first thing you’ll have to sacrifice are the treats that you’re buying for yourself. Think about the things you’ll need to buy, such as prams and carrycots, try and find the baby products that you like the look of and you may find yourself enjoying them as a treat for yourself too! 

Prepare for Childcare Costs

Start thinking about childcare costs as early as you possibly can, it can be expensive and it’s important to make sure you’re prepared and have the money saved up to pay for it, as it is usually paid monthly. Start asking people around you for recommendations and go and look around the local nurseries before you make your decision. If you’re a stay at home parent, don’t discount the option of childcare, it can be a huge benefit to even put your child in a nursery for half a day a week.

Government Funding

Consider your benefit choices, the government may be able to offer you funding to help with your new baby. Check the official government website to work out how much funding you’re eligible for. It may not seem like a lot but some help is better than no help. (Please note – funding is highly dependent on personal financial circumstances).

We hope this blog has been helpful for you new parents and we hope some of these tips come in handy for planning your future financially with a new baby. If you need any more help, please don’t hesitate to get in touch and be sure to check out the financial area on our website.

Simple Time Management Tips for Busy Mums

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Today’s blog is for all of you busy parents out there. Trying to manage your time when you have a little one, a job, a social life, and a partner can be very tough, trust us, we know.

Today MyBump2Baby is hoping to improve your time management skills, and here’s hoping you’ll have some time to relax as well by the end of it!

time management tips for busy mums

Here are our Simple Time Management Tips for Busy Mums;

Organise it

Sounds easy right? Get yourself a printable calendar/diary, or you could even start using the calendar on your phone efficiently! Set yourself goals for each day and tick them off as you get through them, include simple tasks, such as ‘make dinner’, and you’ll feel more accomplished by the end of the day. 

Always do the worst job first

Have a weekly task list and get the bad tasks out of the way first so you can move on to the less daunting later on. Do the jobs you’ve been putting off for weeks. Once you’ve completed them you’ll wonder why you’ve been putting them off for so long. 

Do your shopping online!!

A great way to save yourself some time and money is by doing your shopping online. Most major supermarkets offer this online service now and you can even choose a delivery date and time slot to fit in with your busy schedule. It takes the pressure off you when you’re dragging your kids around the supermarket, while they are pulling you over to the sweetie aisle! It’s so easy that you don’t even need to leave the house, and you can order at any time of day. 

Set yourself a housework schedule

Do specific tasks on certain days and stick to it. Only do the hoovering on a Monday night and a Thursday night, do a deep clean of the house every Sunday. You’ll soon be in a routine and you won’t feel like you spend every minute of every day tidying up after everyone else. The Clean my house app is a great app that allows you to set daily tasks and click here to see a list of other useful apps

Get up Earlier than your kids

Getting up earlier than your kids gives you extra time to get things organised and get yourself ready. This is proven to make a difference to your state of mind. If you love reading or audio books, we recommend the Miracle morning.

Say NO!!!

We know how hard it can be to have a good work-life balance. As hard as it sounds, sometimes you need to say ‘no’ to people, you need to step away from your phone and  put your mind to rest. If you’re working from home it can be even harder to give yourself a good balance, so don’t get carried away and forget about yourself. Set yourself a time that you can put your laptop down and stop replying to people’s messages. You need to relax as well. 

Schedule Self Care

Take some time out for yourself, make sure you’re eating healthy, nutritional food and getting enough sleep. Set aside some time each day to find time for self care. We know it can be tough with little ones about, but it really is key to being happy and we are firm believers in happy parents happy babies.

We hope these time management tips have been helpful, we look forward to hearing what you have to say.

If you would like to visit our planning and organisation shop, click the link.

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