In love with 'Sudocrem Care and Protect' ointment

Im a mum on the go. I couldn't think of anything worse than being stuck indoors all week with my dribbling mini me (or mini 'her dad' to be honest) and just watch tv or swivel the same rattle at a desperate attempt to converse with my 5 month old! Don't get me wrong, I love that part of being a parent, but it's hardly fulfilling to either of us! We like mini experiences!

So...We took a road trip! I woke up super early (to be fair I wake up no later than 6am every morning thanks to my babbling, snooze-free [mini] human alarm clock! We were headed for a picnic at the park with Amelie's grandparents!

I was ready for a fun filled day; she woke up grumpy. This was a combination of a horrendous nights's sleep and teething! The joys of parenthood meant I'd drawn the inevitable short straw and was about to endure a fairly long car journey with a monster. She fell asleep to be fair and the drive was smooth sailing! Until about half way, when she pooed herself awake! I've lost track of the amount of times I'd spent my driving times bargaining with my 5 month old about which bit of road (usually an A-Road) is safe to pull over at. If she's not in the mood to wait (she never is) I have to pull over on some obscure looking supposed parking bay. So on this particular day, I did just that. Found a safe place and plonked my pooey baby in the boot! I was met with not only the usual, but nappy rash too. Great. I have a couple of go-to creams - one which is so intense it irritates her skin after more than a couple of applications; the other  Sudocrem. I was excited to recently receive a tube of 'Sudocrem Care and Protect' and decided it would be the perfect opportunity to test it out.

Sudocrem Care and Protect is a triple care ointment which can be used at every nappy change - something which is unique to me as I have not yet discovered an ointment that is suitable for frequent use. I'm not saying the rash disappeared after one single use, but it had begun to look less angry and my little one's mood improved not long after applying the ointment no doubt. This was a huge relief as it meant she could enjoy her time with her grandparents who had travelled some distance and don't get a chance to see her often. I felt relieved that I could apply as frequently as I wanted and continued to use it throughout the day. I had no reason to worry about rubbing or chaffing, as the cream itself acts as a barrier not only protecting the rashy area, but locking out the bacteria found in baby's waste. It also ensures that the good stuff like Vitamin E and Pro Vitamin B5 (which help skin stay soft, healthy and moisturized) stays sealed in.

We got home after a great day at the park with the in-laws and I was ready to tackle the bedtime routine. Much to my surprise, there was not the usual thick 'paste-like' residue as one might expect with the original 'pot' of Sudocrem. One of my favourite things about this cream in particular is that it's so light in texture and leaves no trace of anything behind, only a genuinely soft feel to your baby's skin. I even used it to try and soothe minor sunburn and was shocked at the amazing result!

It's no wonder that Sudocrem Care and Protect has won Product of the Year 2015 in the category of 'Best Nappy Cream' and with a very reasonable price of around £3 (having looked across a range of pharmacies and supermarkets) it's a no brainer!

Every mum most certainly needs one of these as part of their baby care essentials, I certainly won't be going without mine for a while.

I've looked across a vast range of shops and currently the best offer stands at Superdrug. You can pick up a tube here

My Cost-Conscious Week: Fun for a Fiver

So I've said before that I will share my motherhood discoveries as I discover them myself. Recently on the life-vine: money. With it being summer and wedding season we are definitely feeling the sting, so I've been scratching my head a little over how best to ensure a wholesome experience for Amelie [albeit she is only 5 months] and myself throughout the week. Then I realised that actually, there are a large number of ways to enjoy the weekdays that don't cost much at all. (Obviously excluding petrol because to me, that's already calculated into the essential monthly budget) 

So I set myself a challenge of entertaining ourselves for the week, for £5.

Day 1 - Soft Play

We have recently discovered soft play. So let me just declare my love for these places. Anywhere between 50p-£1.25 is standard adult entry, and totally free for under 1s! The price is great, but the best part? It's a sensory heaven for babies. They are constantly taking in their surroundings and absorbing new sights, sounds, textures and the like, so it acts as an intense learning platform for them. What appeared to be a large foam Lego piece to me, provided over an hour of entertainment for Amelie and me. Of course we weren't just holding onto a block for an hour, there were colours to look at, other children to socialise with and a great deal of varying sounds to take in. I don't crash and bang around at home, I don't run around and I certainly don't screech. These things are all new for Amelie and are (often scary) but part of her learning, and will do wonders for her social skills! So for 65p it's great! Usually I would get a cup of tea and a cake, but for this week I wanted to actually stick to the £5 rule so opted to take a drink with me and had lunch at home!

Day 2- Picnic in the Park

What better than to ensure mumma and baby both gain something from the venture. I met up with my friend who also happens to have a baby to have a picnic in the sunshine - and shade for Amelie -and we had a great time. I picked up some Sainsburys Basics strawberries (which looked nicer than the slightly more upmarket ones to be fair) and a lovely Apple and Pear juice, and grabbed some crisps from home! £1.80 was the total cost here, and I become aware I had spent nearly half of my weekly budget on the second day but I was determined to achieve my goal! 

Day 3 - Garden Centre

My little cherub absolutely adores fish! I'm sure it's the lights and sounds as well as the colourful nature of fish that she enjoys really, but nevertheless it's always a great success for us. This month we do not have £17.50 for the sea life centre (yes it is that expensive) so I researched garden centres in the local area to see which ones had an aquatic section, so we could have our fishy fun for absolutely free. We saw puffer fish, pond fish and pretty much the entire cast of finding nemo (or Dory, whichever one is most currently 'lost') without spending a penny. I felt a little apprehensive with zero intention of buying fish so I actually asked one of the salesman if it was ok to have a quick look at the fish. He ended up coming around with us for a short while to talk us through some fish! So an all round great experience.

Day 4 - Beach Walk and the Chippy

What's better than the sea front? Amelie and I had a lazy morning with a nice lay in and some garden time, but we both prefer to get out every day, so we waited for Joe to finish work before our day out. We went for a super long walk equipped with bottles, nappies and other baby essentials like a change of clothes in case of a poo explosion and a jumper and million blankets. Just a few of the bare necessities. So a large portion of chips is £1.50 and a jumbo battered sausage is £1.00. Joe and I shared a large chips so I could technically claim it cost me personally 75p, but I won't! The point is, 4 days in and I'm £4.95 down. Not bad at all.

Day 5 - Windmill Walk

I am always fascinated by the windmill I drive past nearly daily. So despite the unappealing distance by foot, I packed a small load of baby bits and set off on what turned out to be just a little longer than a 2 hour walk. It sounds a lot, but in the 'walking-with-a-buggy-mum' world that's no distance at all! I'm seriously debating using Strava for these walks - now that I'm not likely to use it for runs or a bike ride anytime soon! So anyway, my point is, we discovered a beautiful windmill tucked away discreetly in a back road. And we loved it! A completely free day! It would seem silly not to research places like this locally. We are exceptionally fortunate to live in such a history-rich country, it'd be a shame not to take time out to appreciate it! 

My weekly total... £4.95! Mission accomplished. 

This is just a typical week for me, and by no means extensive! I do find it super easy to book into/onto things and before I know it were £50 down and that is hardly cost effective! We do not scrimp at the weekends either (but probably could) so these are just a few ideas to save a few pennies because who doesn't like saving 'some P' [I recently heard of this expression from my girl Tania - she keeps me up to date with the lingo] so below are a list of affordable or free activities I came up with!

• Play dates 
• Swimming - check your local swimming pool as often there are baby sessions. Our local area offer £2 for 2 adults and 2 children!
• Pet shop
• Local farms 
• Duck feeding 
• Long, adventurous walks
• Book shops - often offer free drawing stations for older children 
• Libraries - story times 

I'd love to hear any I might've missed! Hope this helps anyone at a loose end!

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Dads! I'm Learning to Empathise, not Critisize

Guess who I am? I've been to work all day, I've had endless meetings where I've spent a large chunk of it not really there. I mean, I am of course, physically there - but my mind wanders a lot lately. I have a brand new baby. I often wonder what she's up to, or whether she's mastered the particular skill she's been working on. My phone flashes. I'm excited at the thought of opening it up to find a picture of my little beauty queen. Instead it's my wife.

"Thanks for leaving the kitchen messy again ffs. I tidy all day and you mess it up every time you do anything. You literally have no respect for how hard it is to keep it clean. Thanks for appreciating my effort, I'm done cleaning up after you."

I want to explain myself and say that although I had promised to help with tidying up, it was half an hour before Amelie's bedtime, and I chose to play with her. Then I just somehow forgot. I have so much to keep in mind all day and for that I'm sorry but I also want to see my little girl. I know you tidy whilst looking after her all day, but that's just it. You see her ALL DAY, and I get half an hour or maybe an hour if she can manage staying awake. So I chose her.

Instead I just opt to say a simple 'sorry', because I really am. But I don't want to try and justify it because it's not really justifyable. My wife keeps a tidy house alongside the hard work of a baby, I should've done it later. That, and trying to make excuses would make it even worse. So I reply a simple reply and hope she's calmed down by the time I come home.

She hasn't. I'm met with an extremely stressed out woman who's indulged in one-too-many unsavoury nappies, so I'm immediately handed a child. If I'm lucky, there's not a poo explosion. Usually there is. She's even phoned me in the car on my way home before (on several occasions) to ask how long I'll be to see if a pooey nappy could somehow be 'saved' for me. Luckily, it never has. Yet.

She needs a break, I get that. But so do I. Both of us learnt quickly that it's not a competition; we are both tired. At the end of the day, she's exhausted and overwhelmed by baby related tasks, and I have an ever-exploding head full of business matters, baby bits and how I've been a shit let down, (according to the expression on her face) again. I haven't even had a second to catch up with my friends, so I spend an hour or so on my phone trying to catch up with the world, usually on the sofa after dinner. But this is a definite cause for bollocking. So I take it. Because she's stressed.

Guess what I am yet? A stressed out Dad, and person too.

                         *

 So my husband would never actually write a blog post and display it on social media; for starters, he doesn't say anything. but he doesn't have to. His expression says it all. It's no secret that a baby and relationship is extremely difficult to manage. Joe and I are no exception. But recently after a serious and very long chat, we both discovered that we are actually feeling EXACTLY the same - just he felt as though he didn't have as much right to say he's stressed out because I spend 90% of my time with Amelie. So this gave me a chance to (for the first time) EMPATHISE with him. Here he is, emotionally rock solid and always working to improve our situation in every way, yet all I could see were the surface behaviours which were not only annoying but completely frustrating me. Then I put myself in his shoes and kinda understood. I'm not sure how many dads feel like this, and I'm fairly certain they don't scower the Internet for mummy blogs.. The closest thing to 'mums' men look at would be on a TOTALLY different kind of website! But I just wanted to raise awareness of the other side of the coin as it were, because it was a real lightbulb moment for me!



I'm currently in the process of phasing out my blog posts from being linked to my personal Facebook account with a view for me to solely use my new Facebook page dedicated to this blog in a couple of months. If you would like to continue with me on my journey of motherhood, please head over to my page here and give it a like to continue receiving post updates.  Alternatively, you can search 'Mumming Madness'