Boo may be 3, but that doesn’t stop me appreciating a fine pram. I’m a lover of Joolz already after their Blogger Breakfast last year, so I was super thrilled to find out the launch of the new Joolz Day Quadro Collection. Joolz have combined their love of luxury Italian design to create their new premium pushchair. The Quadro’s soft mélange fabric features quilted stitching and comes in four new colour ways; Blu, Carbon, Denim and Grigio.

As with all Joolz prams, a tree is planted in the name of your baby in a Columbian rainforest – the Joolz Birth Forest; and with now you can track the growth of the tree along with your baby, such a thoughtful detail that really sums up Joolz’s ethos of postivie design

The Joolz Day Quadro Collection is available from October 2014 with and RRP of £799.

For the first part of your baby’s life, their crib is vital. A crib is a safe place to sleep, rest and view the world as the child grows. Like most parents, you go out of your way to ensure the crib is as comfortable as possible. But you may not be aware of how to secure a baby crib properly. 

Fit the Right Bedding

Like your own bed, your baby’s bed should be comfortable enough for a sound sleep. This means in addition to a sturdy crib, your baby needs multiple items for a good night’s rest. The most comfort comes with items made specifically for the crib, such as baby fitted sheets for Moses baskets and cots. Additionally, the crib should be equipped with breathable dimple quilts for a soft and soothing sleeping environment. 

Remove Toys and Stuffed Animals

Your child’s nursery is a great place to stimulate their senses with plush and colourful toys like stuffed animals and toys. Yet placing these in the crib, as is common, can be a hazard for a baby. Various health organizations recommend that you don’t let your child sleep with stuffed animals and soft toys until they are at least 12 months old. It is thought that the risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) is higher in newborns and even more significant in the presence of such baby items.

Check for Hazards

In addition to detachable sides or harmful mechanisms, some cribs are designed with many hazards. Most specialist baby manufacturers are aware of most risks and will create their products accordingly. Yet, there are still some things to watch out for. These include:

• Sharp edges: try to buy a crib with rounded edges.
• Nuts and bolts: cover nuts and bolts with tape if possible.
• Cracks in wood: sand or seal any cracks.
• Toxic paint and varnish: check for volatile organic compounds.

It seems counterintuitive, but not all baby products are manufactured with the baby’s safety 100% in mind. By staying aware of some of the dangers of a crib and regularly inspecting it, you can reduce the chances of injury to your bundle of joy when you bring them home. 

Close Gates and Lock Movement

There are various types of cribs. Classic cribs allow you to place a baby from the top-down position. Yet, others, such as practical and functional cribs, will enable you to detach the sides. These can present a hazard when not appropriately secured. In addition, some can slide down and trap a baby’s fingers. In contrast, others may separate and potentially let the baby roll out of their crib. Therefore, you should always follow all safety guidelines, as demonstrated in a crib manual. And secure all fittings and mechanisms every time you place a child inside a crib.

Remove Cords and Dangles

One of the most dangerous hazards of a crib is that of loose cords and dangling toys. For example, you may want to place a mobile above the crib, yet if it were to fall, the strings might present a severe choking hazard to your baby. The same goes for anything that is to be secured to a crib. For example, some crib bedding sets use strings and cords to fasten to a crib. So always ensure these are firmly secured and excess cords are tucked away and out of reach of a baby. You should also be aware of hanging toys over the side of the crib.

Disclosure: This is a collaborative post.

It’s three weeks since me and two friends took part in Mudderella and I think it’s fair to say I’m hooked on obstacle course racing – there will be a full review of the race itself in the coming days but I wanted to spend a little bit of time first on my reasons for signing up and how the experience as a whole made me feel; yes this one is all about feelings.

Mudderella is an American concept with this having been it’s first UK event – there is no clock, no chip timing, no medals; it’s all about competing with, not against everyone. The rules are simple: be safe, have fun and you must help your fellow Mudderellas; but let’s not beat round the bush, it’s still nearly seven miles of physical endurance and twelve obstacle challenges.

I’ve completed quite a few 10Ks so I had a good understanding of the distance, but why did I have to add obstacles and mud to the mix surely I knew I could run 10K why did I have to make it harder?

If I’m honest I wanted to do something that was completely new – can you remember that feeling you got when you tried something new when you were a kid, ever since I had Boo I’ve been determined to not give up trying new things, I want Boo to see how constantly exploring and having fun is so important to be happy inside. Who am I kidding, setting a good example for Boo wasn’t the only reason I decided to complete Mudderella – I wanted something for me, an achievement all for myself that wasn’t something to do with work, or family life or anything else – is it completely wrong that I chose not to raise money for charity? . So on the 30th August (which is my birthday – taking my madness to a whole new level) for the time it took us to get round the race, I wasn’t a mother, blogger, daughter, fundraiser, friend – I was Rosie – one of the thousands of women who along the course owned their strong. I discovered I have a newfound phobia of heights but I overcame it and finished the course complete, happy and proud as punch.

Owning my strong, I discovered, is so much fun – it’s a feeling I’m chasing already.

Can you believe it’s been a year since we were lucky enough to go on the Thomson’s PreSchooler Trip to Majorca – it wasn’t Boo’s first time on a plane but I still made an effort to talk about it before our holiday so she was familiar with what would happen; as a result Boo loves flying and will even give a loud and precise narration of what’s going on e.g “And now we’re going to land, ok? It’s like bumping down the stairs!”

Going on holiday should be an exciting time for a toddler and that’s why I think it’s really important to introduce the whole airport/airplane as an experience as early as possible before your holiday.

Parragon books sent Boo Away in my Aeroplane by Margaret Wise Brown – it’s a beautiful picture book that really helps toddlers to become familiar and more importantly excited about flying. The story is really well written and perfect as a bedtime story – Boo loves the illustrations and really enjoys how it rhymes, a sure fire winner with the little ones.

Away in my aeroplane is the perfect bedtime story which introduces the notion of flying to little ones and is entertaining enough as the perfect airport read.

Disclaimer: We received Away in my Aeroplane for review. No payment was received and all opinions are 100% honest we promise.