Seven months of Roo

Oh baby boy, just look at you. The past 7 months have went by in an absolute blur, but at the same time it feels like Reuben has been here forever. I look at my timehop from a year ago, and being pregnant feels like such a distant memory (not distant enough yet that I could confidently contemplate the thought of bringing another human into the world any time soon - ha!) We have spent the last couple of months settling into our new home, away from the bright lights of the city and instead we nestle into the leafy suburbs, everything quiet and calm and more than we could have ever wished for. I'll be sharing some photos of the new house on here soon (if anyone fancies a nosy?) and thought I'd start off with a little tour of Reuben's bedroom and how he's been doing since the last update a couple of months ago.

Folks, it's true that when you have a baby, your bathroom loses the expensive candles and cleansers by the side of the bath and is replaced with all the colourful stuff that gets thrown into the tub at 7pm every night. Reuben gets his dinner at 6pm, a bath just after that, then a final bottle before bed and he's generally asleep by 7.30/8pm every night. Bath time is something which he really enjoys, and recently he is LOVING having some toys to play with, especially ones which squirt water because apparently that's just hilarious. The Hape Rock Pool Squirters and the Ocean Floor Squirters are super cute, with one from each set sticking to the side of the bath (again, another hilarious thing in Reuben's opinion) and you can take them apart to clean and dry them inside too. The stacking set was a gift from my Gran, I can't seem to find a link to that but the brand is Nuby. Next in the bath line up we have the Hape Teddy and Duck Mitt Set, which Reuben seems to like better to have his dirty post dinner face wiped with rather than a sponge. The lil baby duck mitt which comes with it is so damn sweet I could cry, it fits over his wee hand and is like a mini version of the big one and basically my emotions (and my ovaries) just can't handle that sort of cuteness right now. At the moment we are using Childs Farm bath and body bubbles, along with the Eco By Naty Shampoo (all cruelty free and smell lovely) and our bath thermometer from the Scottish Baby Box is still going strong too.

I think that middle picture is what we call 'instagram vs reality' haha. I just wanted to put it up there for the people who say Reuben never cries - he DOES cry, and there's generally a good reason to be honest. Normally hunger or being over tired (I would cry for those reasons too tbh) But the night I took these pictures he was being particularly tricky... however with very good reason, as he's suddenly sprouted two teeth! Both the typical first baby teeth, at the bottom and in the middle. They are so smol and precious but also very strong and jaggy as I discovered when he decided to take a wee nibble of my finger the other day. You can also see Reubens tongue tie quite well in the crying picture. This was the reason our breastfeeding journey ended so abruptly, but that's a chat for a whole other post.

Reuben is getting so active during the day, that I've had to move him onto pull up pants for daytime (just the standard pampers ones) and I've got him on the Aldi Mamia 4+ nappies at night. These nappies have never leaked, and that's with him sleeping 11-12 hours, which is absolutely fantastic! Unfortunately the Naty nappies started not working for us anymore at bedtime, because as soon as he started flipping onto his tummy and lifting his knees up that pee was escaping from somewhere. And as soon as he was wet through to his sleeping bag (often a couple of times a night) he would wake up crying and we'd need to do a full change... which made me want to cry too. The Mamia nappies are only £2.69 for 44 (ABSOLUTE BARGAIN) and to be honest if they did a pull up version I'd probably use them for Roo during the day too. Although they don't come with the same level of biodegradability as the Naty Nappies, the Aldi range are made using fibres from a sustainable forestry initiative, so that's a thumbs up from an eco point of view. The absolute golden new find from Aldi though is their wipes. OH MY DAYS. Folks, they are the one. They don't break apart when you pull them out the pack, they don't have a strong scent, and they have the perfect level of moisture to wipe up whatever is waiting for you in that nappy. I have been using the Sensitive Baby Wipes (at 49p a pack) and we've never had a problem with nappy rash either. I was determined that the cheaper brands wouldn't be able to compete with the bigger household names, but I'm happy to have been proven wrong. Every baby has a different body shape and as they grow and change I think you need to be not scared of trying different brands and seeing what works best for your little one.

Another default in household name vs cheaper versions is the Ellas Kitchen meals and snacks vs the Aldi Mamia range. Reuben has tried both, and loved both, yet the price differs greatly and the ingredient list looks identical. I lined up the Organix Carrot Stick Crisps next to the Aldi Mamia version and word for word the ingredients are the same, along with the organic rating, yet the Mamia version are considerably cheaper. I think it's easy as a new parent to fall under the trap of 'whatever is the most expensive must be the best for my baby'  - but now I'm confident with Reuben and our routine it's been interesting to move away from the comfort zone of the big brand names whose advertising has wormed its way into your subconscious (often before you've even had a baby) and give some alternatives a go. Reuben is happy and my bank balance is happy too. Plus, you've got to love an underdog eh! We've went down the baby led weaning route with Reuben, but while stocking up on nappies and wipes I grabbed some baby snacks, fruit puree tubs and dinner pouches for when we're on the go, and he's thoroughly enjoyed them all so far.

We've been so lucky that our house was pretty much in move in condition, so right now we've held off from painting or laying new carpets etc as we feel like it's not a priority at the moment. This has meant working with the existing decor when it came to kitting out Roo's room (and every other room) and I'm pleased with how it turned out considering this! We bought Reuben a wardrobe from Ikea to match the drawer unit we already have, and the Next 2 Me Crib has been popped up in the loft and replaced with a cot bed kindly given to us by my friends Luisa and Ian. For the curtains, rug, and other accessories I shopped at a mixture of Dunelm Mill, H&M Home, Flying Tiger, Ebay, and Amazon. Too many products to list but if there's anything in particular you want to know where it's from just leave a comment below. Moving home is hella expensive but I'm happy at how the room turned out considering we were on a budget.

A fresh start in a new home, with more space for all of us, had been something I was craving ever since I found out I was pregnant. We live 5 minutes down the road from my Mum and my Gran, and it's lovely to be able to swing past and visit them so easily, and much more convenient whenever we need to get the little guy looked after for a few hours (especially when I'm starting to dip my toe back into the world of work) Now I'm off to make a cuppa and get ready, as we're heading out to hang with my bestie Gemma today (again, she only lives 5 mins away now - result!) but I hope you all have a smashing Friday whatever you're up to.