Nonabox is in the UK :D

Hello everyone, I hope you are all doing really well - aside from the weather taking a turn for the worse and the nights drawing in closer *sigh* I do get sad waking in the dark and having to put the big light on at 6pm! Well, what if I could cheer you up with a brand new blog post all about a new amazing concept called Nonabox. 

I am sure a lot of people in the blogasphere and YouTube world will be well aware of the monthly beauty subscription boxes that are out there, well its time for a shake up. Nonabox is a new fab idea tailored for your little babies or like me big ones :D I have always watched in envy as the US have baby/toddler subscription boxes and wanted something similar for Finley (and Mummy) to get excited about every month, well Nonabox has come to my rescue....red pants, shiny cape and all.

Nonabox were lovely enough to send out Finley and I a brand new box to try out, so I thought why not share it with you all and let you see what fab goodies arrived in the post. The boxes themselves are tailored to your babies age so you don't need to worry that there will be chunky toddler snacks before you have even tackled weaning :D

 

Firstly when it arrived I was surprised at the size, it was twice the size of the average box for a beauty subscription and was even bursting open at the seams packed to the rafters with goodies. Finley and I opened it together but at the time if I am honest he ran off with the cardboard outer which left me to unwrap our suprise package in peace. 

The first thing that popped straight out was the cutest softest Cloud B lamb, unfortunately the entire label was in French and as I only speak the 'Del Boy' dialect I couldn't decipher much. From what I have googled it is a fold-able pillow/stuffed animal (with the softest fur) with lavender scented pouches that snuggles with Finley as he snoozes. I am not a lavender lover as a rule but I really cant detect much of a strong fragrance and I think it is more a gentle waft that baby gets whilst laying next to it.

Next up I spotted a MAM toothbrush :) perfect

Finley is currently cutting his last few teeth so getting him to brush his teeth is a little struggle at the moment. The best method I have found is distraction - isn't that the method for all child problems lol. He has his brush and 'brushes' his teeth then its mummies go, but with only one toothbrush it was a nightmare taking his off him! So this has come in so handy to be his new big boy brush whilst Mummy sneakily brushes all the others.

Finley re-joined me with his cardboard box for probably 2 mins before running off with the ribbon that comes around the box and was trying to put it on George and make him look fancy! 

I spotted Water Wipes....Yes. I have wanted to try these for so long, I love testing all brands of wipes, something I never thought I would have said 2 years ago! haha! I love Simple baby wipes and haven't found anything close since using them well over a year ago so I am hoping for big things, I have heard a lot of bloggers rave about them so crossing fingers I'll love them too. I haven't used them yet, I cant bring myself to open the tiny packets whilst we have a back log of half open wipes all over the place...thanks to Finley the wipe stealer!

The next product intrigued me, a 360 degree spoon. How, what, when? I am surprised and delighted at the same time that this intriguing product exists. I bet £100 a parent invented this...they will have had a backwards upside down spoon yogurt eater like myself and couldnt bear to watch anymore. Finley scoops his food, moves the spoon into each hand and then goes for an upside down mouthful resulting in the majority on his chin/lap, so I cannot wait to get his cracking with this. I might try to catch it on film to show you all how it works, it looks amazing!

Staying on the food and drink train I next found the babycup, a teeny tiny plastic beaker perfect for little mouths. I WISH I had this 3 or so months back. Finley went through the fussiest stage of only drinking from a cup, no sippy spouts, straws or any kind of toddler beaker. He wanted an open cup....that was it. He was drinking out of large plastic beakers which was a whole other problem, juice, smoothies and milk all over the place. The lip in the cup is too wide so having this back then would have saved all my worries! If you are going through anything similar I would suggest getting one, even to save you changing their tops every 5 mins. 

Next up an Ellas Kitchen Little Big Meals! Yay, if you have read my blog for a while you will know I am a big fan of Ella's Kitchen, they have helped me through everything from weaning to fussy eating, to getting fruit into one fussy toddler. And yes, Finley is still that fussy boy that doesn't want to eat anything more than bread and petit filous' so I am hoping this will do the trick and get him back on the road to having a healthy appetite just like his mum ;)

The last treat that I picked out of the box was a Gumigem necklace, a teething accessorise for babies and toddlers to help put those teething aches at bay. Finley is probably at the age where he will run off with it and chew it to his hearts content watching Peppa Pig whereas if he was still at that chubby cuddly age he would snuggle up be comforted whist easing those poorly gums.

That was everything that was insides this months fab Nonabox :)

 The great thing about Nonabox is that all the boxes are tailored to your own babies age and from what was in my box gender too. It isn't a sample service so you are paying for actual items rather than a few sample products here and there, your money is going towards things you can use day to day not just once which is what I had disliked about the beauty boxes. The subscription price itself is £25 per month with free postage and packaging :) You can also save if you buy so many months upfront.

You can choose a box from newborn up until your baby turns two, this would have been something I would have loved to receive when Finley was still so tiny. Preparing me in advance and giving me a head start on products I hadn't even thought about needing until it was too late! Plus who doesn't love a surprise every month, especially with sleepless nights, endless nappy changes the idea of an exciting package arriving is just the pick me up you need. 

PS: If there are any Dads reading, why not surprise your wife, partner, girlfriend with a subscription. As much as I dislike the phrase 'push present' this is the perfect solution if you don't have a huge budget but still want to show your appreciation and support, after all I think giving birth warrants even the smallest of thank you presents.

Overall I am super impressed with this months box and very excited to see how Nonabox match up with its next exciting box. Lets just hope I can get Finley more interested in the opening next time. I shall be recording a video version of this blog post so once its fully edited and uploaded I shall link it here for you all.

 If you fancy getting your hands on a Nonabox subscription or even just a gander at the website you can here or just ask away in the comments as I am always happy to reply :D Thank you so much Nonabox

Thanks so much for reading everyone, sorry for the picture overload but I just can help but photograph everything haha. 

Lots of Love

Kayleigh x

What's to do with Finley

A little while back I let you all in on why I have been a little absent on the online world and why posts have been more sporadic than usual. If you missed it you can check it out here :D 

But if you fancy here is a little recap for you all, Finley began cruising around furniture from around the 1 year mark, we were expecting to be kept on our toes pretty quickly soon after chasing around an unruly Finley jumping from one couch to another, running around the house ripping off his clothes or even balancing enough to climb up to the biscuit barrel and pinch a choccy digestive or two....however he is nearly 20 months old and he still hasn't got there.

We are still at the cruising stage with maybe a few unbalanced steps here and there, and his primary method of getting out and about is on his knees. He is quite happy zooming around on them little baby knees, carrying his toys along or even pretending he is shopping carrying around my handbag (sorry Matt) haha. 

I dont have too many shots of him on his knees but here is one, and as an added bonus he is dressed as a dinosaur

Well, finally after months and months of waiting we attended our specialist appointment. And Finley has now been diagnosed with a case of Idiopathic Tip Toe Walking. 

To expand it basically means that he walks on his knees (and tip toes when cruising) for no real reason whatsoever, meaning there is no real cause as to why he does it. There isn't a magic cure unfortunately but it doesn't mean that he will never walk, a lot of babies and toddlers either grow out of it or with a little help start to walk with splints and boots. It isnt an overly common condition BUT the specialist did ease our minds and told us he has at least a dozen current patients with the same as Finley.

We went into detail with the specialist and he saw Finley give a little demo of his party trick knee shuffle, and put our minds straight at ease that he doesn't think it is anything sinister going on with his spinal cord or nerve reactors in his legs - PHEW! But he said that he wont be surprised if we are still talking about this in years to come. I am assuming such an habitual habit is going to be tough to break, especially with Finley being such a blumming strong willed so and so! Plus he told us Finley will quite enjoy the sensation on standing on the ball of his foot, almost like a comforter for him...I try to avoid dummies and this happens lol It just shows you doesn't it.

We described Finley's personality and development and he picked up on a few noticeable characteristics that generally correlate with idiopathic tip toe walkers. Finley has a huuuuggee temper, he can be the sweetest loveliest chap then the next minute you take away his crayons and wow, he goes into full on melt down mode. He is also obsessed with any gadgets, i-phones, normal telephones, controls! He would happily sit and play with a bunch of keys rather than a stack of mega blocks any day. Plus he is a fussy eater, I mentioned it a while back I am struggling to feed him anything overly exciting and we are still at that stage, he said it is all linked and Finley is one of those kids that just like things a certain way at a certain time! 

So where do we go from here, up to now we have just encouraged walking when he is interested but as he only ever balances on his toes he struggles picking up momentum and gets frustrated. If we initiate walking and stand him up he just tucks his legs under and wont even attempt walking, cries and gets annoyed. The last thing we want to do is force him so he is the one in control now. He has taken a few steps months back but never fancied it again!

We are being referred to physio at a local children's centre and they will more than likely give us exercises to perform as they need to avoid his achilles tendon shrinking or becoming too tight. Luckily I pushed for a referral early and surgery is probably not need *crosses fingers* he will probably be prescribed little walking boots and plastic splits to keep his feet at a right angle. Sounds uncomfy, but no more so than walking on floors every day on your knees!

Up to now that's all we know and we are just waiting for the next stage in the process, luckily Finley doesn't even bother and is more than happy shuffling around....shame that we go through pant bottoms like nobodys business.

If you are reading this because you have a similar story please let me know how your journey panned out or if you have any questions what so ever please ask, I have done sooo much reading and question asking I have all this knowledge floating around in my little head. Most stories online are of older children toe walking whereas Finley will stand on his toes but walk on his knees, he is a little hybrid and I can't seem to find many similar stories.

As soon as there is the next update I shall let you all know and when Finley finally does walk please can we all have a virtual 'walking' party and celebrate with balloons, cakes and loads of new shoes :D

Perhaps a cheeky pair for mummy too!

Thank you all for sticking by me and not jumping ship because I am being rubbish lately :D oh also if you want a video of his walking let me know, my friends find it so bizzare and think he looks like a munchkin so if you want to see how he gets about I'll upload a clip for you.

Lots of Love

Kayleigh x