entertaining toddlers – Page 2 – Motherhood after IVF

I’ve been busy looking for gifts for Dorothea- so thought I’d come up with a gift guide blog. Dot is nearly 4 at Christmas so that’s the age group these would be suitable for.

I’ve based this on the 4 gift rule- Something they want, need, wear, and read. It’s an easy way to teach your children that they can’t have everything they want.

This is a mix of things I’ll probably get her, or things she already has and loves that your little ones may love too.

I’ve tried to stick to the more ethical/eco brands or items from small businesses. Hope you enjoy.

Want- they’ve probably asked for similar

The perfect pram.

The Neo Vario from Bayer design is a Combi pram- so easily converts to a pushchair; it can also be set up child facing or world facing. Dorothea loves the swivel wheels, meaning it’s easy to manoeuvre and great to run with. You little one won’t be disappointed with this beauty

Playset of your favourite book

Dorothea loves ‘we are going on a bear hunt’ so she adores this linked play set from Small Eco steps – it’s a great way to make a story last longer. Other story playsets are available. Use ‘ivfninja’ for discount.

Rope doll basket

Dorothea adores her babies- but doesn’t have anything like this- it’s such a reasonable price too.

https://www.nordicstork.com/collections/imaginative-play/products/rope-doll-basket

Need- these are my must haves for 3-4 year olds

Peg Doll

We love our Peg Dolls from Little Rainbow Play they can be made to order; so to look like your family, or your little ones favourite characters. Small enough to pop in your bag to amuse them at dinner, but a good chunky size for small hands. Great to support a small business too.

Balance board

A great investment is a Balance board- wonderful for all sorts of play. Dot loves hers to rock on, as a slide, or to grab a blanket and chill out on it.

Use ‘ivfninja’ for 10% discount Capikooa shop

Dorotheas favourite Doll

Dot loves her dolls- this is one of our faves. Dinkum dolls come in a diverse range of skin tones- you can also buy cute clothes and accessories. This would make a fab gift for any little one.

https://www.babyandthegang.co.uk/collections/dolls/products/olli-ella-dinkum-doll-sprout

Wear- our go-tos for an awesome wardrobe

Pigeon Organics

We love Pigeon Organics year after year they are one of our favourite brands. They wash and wear really well and the classic designs and fabrics will never go out of fashion.

Buy preloved

You can’t go wrong with good quality preloved; you get more for your money and you get to be smug for shunning fast fashion. I love preloved, as it means I save on half of Dots wardrobe, meaning I can splurge on new items from the brands I love.

My favourites are Peachy & Birdie and Kidclo give them a try.

Frugi at Small Eco Steps

We love Frugi’s values and always adore mixing up their bright colours and funky prints! For Christmas or parties their skater dresses are always a winner. Shop at Small Eco Steps and use ‘ivfninja’ for discount.

Shoes from Colourful Soles

Don’t worry grandparents; you can grab a voucher so they can go for a fitting. Colourful Soles (based in Lutterworth) stock a wonderful range of brands and styles; we rarely leave the shop with just one pair. The experience for your little one is also just awesome; a colourful shop with toys and Peppa Pig on repeat- no stress here!

Read- our favourite books

Books by Joanna Hutchinson

If you love the rhymy style of Julia Donaldson with colourful and cute illustrations- then these are the books for you. Your little one will love the cute characters, such as Hettie the Yeti, and also love guessing the rhyming word. The tales are perfect for true story lovers- as talk about other favourite stories, and are a great length for bedtime. Books by Joanne Hutchinson

Personalised Christmas book

We love this stunning book from Personalised book shop – it has so many cute touches- you can make the character look just like your little one, add a photo and a message too. Use MMMAIVF20 for discount.

Usbourne Christmas books

Every year some of our favourite Christmas books are from Usborne books- this year is no different. Great story’s, activity books and sticker books Katrina’s reading corner is my distributor- mention ‘ivf ninja’ for discount.

I’d love to know if you chose my recommendations- please drop a comment below or tag me on Instagram @ivf.ninja

For our ‘first’ day out we decided to head to West Lodge- I’d been ‘watching from afar’ and concluded they had the whole ‘social distsncing’ thing well managed. I wanted our day to feel safe but fun.

It turns out I wasn’t far wrong. Although our ‘normal’ day out at west lodge would include indoor play, coffee and chats with friends- we all admit life is much different now. A degree of isolation and fresh air feels so safe- and that’s what west lodge offers.

We booked an afternoon session; it was expectedly busy on our arrival- no one in the busy queue seemed to be wearing masks or caring much about distancing; so (having been shielding for 16 weeks) I felt a little wary. But the staff managed the queue quickly, effectively and safely; with hand gel and advice leaflets given- and once inside the farm park felt incredible spacious and distancing from others was easy.

As we arrived at lunchtime we headed straight to the picnic/den building area- and enjoyed the space- no one was around (in fact 8 picnic benches around us) Dot enjoyed the pre built dens and cute toad stool seats.

We then headed over to the animals when Dot (and Nanna, to be fair) enjoyed feeding and petting the incredibly tame, cute and often bouncy goats. We also took our dog Woody; despite being a total plonker, he was incredibly well behaved and enjoyed watching the goats and pigs!

Dogs are surprisingly welcome at West Lodge Farm Park- a blessing to doggy families- of course they cannot cuddle the bunnies or try the swings (that would just be weird) but there’s a multitude of walks to wear them (and their chatty sidekicks) out.

Talking of walks- we then snuck off to an old memory of Mummy’s- the witches house (I remember bring my nephews here 18-20yrs ago- and not much has changed). Dot and Nanna loved spotting the super cute fairy doors, toadstools and the badgers crossing- making a 4km walk a breeze.

There’s a fairy trail and a dinosaur trail for those with older kids; you get a worksheet and a reward if you find them all.

Dot found the witches house, but she was out. A little girl we saw shortly before told us the witch had gone to mend a poorly deer with her magic potions! Dot liked this idea, and although her legs were tired, her imagination carried her up the many steps and back to the farm for an ice cream.

Visiting, what you think is going to a busy family attraction post lockdown was very anxiety inducing for me, but after a hour I felt incredible safe. West lodge have obviously got this all in hand; staff regularly spraying down areas of high use, very clear signage, great leaflets, hand washing facilities, one way paths marked out, and enough space to very safely distance.

Seeing your child’s face enter a play park for the first time in 16 ish weeks was pretty epic, Dot was so happy, so full of energy and she literally loved every minute. She’s keen to go back- so hopefully we can make it a weekly trip.

Dots favourite bits:

– the incredibly tame and friendly goats

– a beautiful walk to the witches house and spying all the fairy doors

– the maze; so impressed with herself that she found the way out

– her first whippy ice cream with flake

– being ‘king of the castle’ in the outdoor play area

Mums top tips:

– take a picnic; there’s so many great picnicking spots

– you have to book your visit online(don’t disappoint the the kids)

– pre book your tractor your online (we didn’t know this and missed out)

– buy some animal food on arrival so the little ones get a hands on experience

– a few quid for the shop is a good idea; they’re beautifully stocked including Lanka kade and cute wellies

– grandparents will also love the on-site garden centre (we left with a huge olive tree!)

– if you live local-ish then membership is a must have (costs 14p a day!)

West Lodge Farm Park is just outside Desborough in Northamptonshire

West Lodge Insta drop them a follow

Tag: entertaining toddlers

Christmas Gift Guide