Not everywhere is a Soft Play Area

Just back from a 4 nights at Sherwood Forest Center Parcs. www.centerparcs.co.uk/villages/sherwood/map/index.jsp

Jamie loved it; though it was quite exhausting for mummy and daddy! Mummy is now on a diet / detox as she needs to get fitter for when Jamie is walking!! He is currently crawling so fast, that if you look away for a second he is gone.

Our holiday officially started last Saturday when cousin Lucy was here. It was so hot we filled up the paddling pool the twins bought Jamie for his birthday. Jamie was straight in – even though it was particularly cold for the adults paddling their feet – so we knew he was definitely ready for the water at Center Parcs.

Once we got settled in at Centre Parcs (in our Travelodge style villa) we went for a meal at Hucks (American Bar and Grill) which is where we went again for our last night, as we really loved the food and mummy especially liked the cocktails. The Children’s Play Area was wonderful for Jamie – although he did cry a bit when he got stuck in the ball pool!

Daddy loved the Jardin des Sports which is where I went for my Hula Hoop a Cise class (try doing the actions to the Cha Cha Slide while hooping!) and Jamie went for his two activities; Wacky Water Play – which was very wet, and Make a Memory – which was very messy trying to get Jamie to make prints of his hands and feet! There was another soft play area and a couple of large screens in the Sports Cafe. We were only sorry we had not gone the day before when England played.

On the Wednesday we took Jamie for the first time on a bike. He didn’t mind the seat it was the helmet he could not stand. To be fare I think it was that the helmet was too big for him and therefore kept slipping down. We cycled across to the Nature Centre and The Country Club / Foresters Inn. It was lovely and peaceful out there, but if we had had a villa that far out we would definitely have needed a bike all week (more expense!). The Nature Trail and Wildlife Sanctuary was not that well publicised and this is a good thing We were the only ones in the Bird Hide and got to see a Woodpecker as well as squirrels, bunnies and lots of other birds.

I do think the week helped to bring Jamie on in leaps and bounds. At every meal he drank from the bottle by himself and had quite a bit of our food – he loves his chips! We love the fact that jars of baby food are free – with a handy microwave, bowls, and spoons in most of the restaurants.

His mannerisms are changing so quickly. He isn’t quite interacting with other children but he is still as nosey as ever!! What was a joy to see was every morning the animals would appear at our villa window – ducks, squirrels, bunnies, moor hens, and two swans with their 4 signets. He was mesmerized and sat watching the wildlife for hours! This distracted him from climbing on the tables and beds etc. Everything is a play area for him at the moment! It was fantastic that there were so many things for children to do in the Center Parcs complex, and it was brilliant that there were different play parks catering for different age groups. Most of the time he loved it – unless any of the bigger boys turned up…

The pool was a little disappointing,; in so far as I had expected something bigger, but I was impressed that there were little pools and areas for babies and toddlers to play without getting swamped by older children. The changing facilities could be a nightmare at peak times but it was good that there were unisex facilities, and swim jackets and toys provided for the children in the pool. On a Tuesday morning we went to Baby Dolphins; which is for young swimmers under 3yrs. This was free and consisted of a general play time with inflatables followed by singing with actions led by 2 of the lifeguards. Jamie loved this. On Thursday we paid to go to Tadpoles; which was a swimming lesson for babies of Jamie’s age (6m-2yrs). There was a lot of crying in this session after the instructor suggested dunking the children under the water!

Cost
Total Cost for a 2 bed Villa in the middle area; including Insurance, Towel Package and a Welcome pack (tea, coffee etc.), 7 activities booked prior to arrival (although we DNA 3 of these), hire of bikes for one day, food and drink (restaurants and supermarket), photos and ‘other’ shopping, came to just under £800. We could have done without the towel package and we only actually used one of the villas 2 bedrooms as Jamie slept in the cot in our room.

It was a bit of a nuisance that you could not get into your villa until 3pm on the day of your arrival (just noticed you can get in from 2pm if you choose the ‘Flying Start’ package but that probably costs) and had to vacate by 10am on your departure day; especially as it was every man for himself in the car parks. That was the worst thing about the whole week.

Will we go again?
Probably. However, I think next time we should like to go with some other children of a similar age to Jamie (and their parents) but we will wait until Jamie can walk so he will be able to enjoy more of the facilities.

13 months...

Thanks to Gurgle.com http://www.gurgle.com/stages/Toddler/13_month_old/default.aspx?ReadMore=true – for their ongoing information.

Month thirteen is an exciting time as your baby’s independence and mobility surge forward and his understanding of the world increases. We can see Jamie changing on an almost daily basis. He is like a sponge and you can see him soaking it all up.

Language and Understanding: His babbling probably sounds more like adult conversation, and he will surprise you one day by being able to follow a simple command like ‘go and get your yellow ball’. He understands ‘No’ but still thinks its funny! Try not to shout at your toddler if he does something wrong or knocks something over; his world is an exciting place to explore and he is testing his boundaries all the time. Instead, explain to him calmly what he did wrong and how he should be a little more careful next time. We do try and tell him off but most of the time he smiles and laughs and our hearts melt….

From now on he starts to grasp the meaning of words more frequently so try not to swear in front of him and use please and thank-you. Twelve month olds recognise roughly around 20-50 words, but comprehension comes before speech so it will be a while before he utters them. He may be able to say simple words like ‘milk’ or ‘mummy’ and ‘daddy’, and will enjoy the sound his voice makes, often repeating the same sounds over and over again. Jamie seems to understand a lot of words; ‘milk’ ‘teddy’ ‘IgglePiggle’…

Mobility: Your toddler is probably busy toddling around by now and will be on the cusp of walking. As the months go on he’ll start to lose his ‘baby’ looks and begin to resemble a toddler. It is an exciting time as his independence and mobility surge forward and his understanding of the world increases. He’ll still enjoy a cuddle from time to time, but don’t take it too personally when he wants to explore the house rather than nuzzle into your shoulder. Still (thankfully) very snugly and cuddly.

Where before he’d loose his footing, take a tumble and cry, by twelve months you may notice him roll out of a fall like a stunt-man! This does not mean you can take your eyes off him when he is exploring the living room, he will still find ways to squeeze through gaps or reach the items you have put out of his reach. Its still madness whenever he is ‘on his feet’ cruising around but I do feel I don’t have to watch him like a hawk all the time. However, why is it that everything that is not a toy is so much more interesting than all those lovely toys he has in his room?

He is probably an expert cruiser by now, which means he can move from sofa to sofa, make his way along walls and bend down, crouch and twist with relative ease. Walking is probably just around the corner so make sure he has lots of open space which is carpeted, grass or covered with cushions so that when he gets adventurous and takes a few steps he will have a soft landing. Definitely! He has started crawling slightly different in the last few days – as if about to stand up. We caught him standing on his own for about 30 seconds yesterday. His balance is getting better by the day!

As well as using those legs, you may notice your baby reacting to music. All babies love music from an early age (in fact babies in the womb show signs of reacting to music they enjoy) but by twelve months (or earlier) your baby may start bopping along and wiggling around when he hears his favourite tunes. Jamie loves a good dance – to anything and everything! Will he be a musician like his Daddy?

Food and feeding: By now he can eat most of the foods you eat as long as they are cut up for him and have no added salt or sugar. As he experiments more with fingerfoods be prepared for messy mealtimes and put a sheet of newspaper below his highchair to catch any food strays. At twelve months your baby can switch from formula to cow’s milk. Cow’s milk does not contain sufficient levels of iron that formula or breastmilk do, so it is advised to wait until your child reaches his first birthday before introducing it. Make sure it is fresh and full fat, not semi skimmed as your baby needs the extra fat to help his brain and nervous system develop properly. He needs to have a minimum of two thirds of a pint of milk a day, so this roughly equates to two beakers or cups of milk. If he drinks too much milk he will store the fat in his body, so if he is thirsty offer water or watered down fruit juice. If he only takes a little bit, make sure he is getting other calcium-rich food as part of his diet. Try mashed sardines, cheese and natural yoghurt. We have started him on full fat milk again (slightly warmed) but are still giving him formulae as well.

If your baby is used to a bottle it might be a good idea to introduce a beaker with a lid or a slanted open top cup like a Doidy cup. This is so your baby stops being so dependant on getting milk from a teat. We have a number of beakers for him but am afraid keep going back to the original one as its less messy. I promise to try harder this week!

Sleepy time: With his eagerness to be upright, comes his unwillingness to be flat on his back, which can make nappy changes a battleground with you virtually pinning him down to keep him still. Definitely – Nappy changing is often a 2 man job!! Putting him to bed has the same reaction, and your toddler may be standing in his cot five minutes after you put him down! Patience is the best way to deal with this. Give him something to play with while you change his nappy so he becomes preoccupied. At night, it is probably best to go back into his room and lay him down, stroke his face and tell him it is time for sleeping now. Put some lullabies on in his room to help him feel sleepy and try not to let his daytime nap go past about 4.30pm. All baby’s and toddlers need ‘quiet time’ just before they sleep to help their minds relax from their busy days (just like adults). Massaging your toddler before bed or reading a story can help them unwind and signify that bedtime is close. We are still being naughty as mostly he falls asleep on us rather than in his cot. Again, must try harder!

Twelve-month old babies need roughly 13.5 hours sleep, which roughly equates to two and a half hours in the day and eleven hours at night. Your baby may have either two naps (morning and afternoon) or one big nap at lunchtime. Hopefully by twelve months your baby should manage to sleep for a decent stretch of time at night. No baby, toddler, child, teenager or adult is the same when it comes to sleep so resist the urge to compare your baby’s sleep patterns with anyone else’s. Currently sleeping from about 7pm to 7am depending on Daddy’s shift as Jamie will wake up earlier if he thinks we are awake. In the day he often has a morning nap but often misses that if there is something he would rather be doing. Does have an afternoon nap most days but we need to start making sure he is awake before 4.30pm as when he isn’t he won’t go to bed!

Having a baby is like hosting one long party...

...you feel constantly hungover and someone has trashed your house!!
(JoBo May 2010)

Put this comment on FaceBook the day I posted it here and Michelle (mum of the twins) added: don't forget about having to clear up the sick as well !!!!