CHRISTMAS: Gift Guide for Children 2019

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When it comes to present shopping for children I always find it exciting yet overwhelming. The choices out there are vast, not to mention the adverts on television/ billboards/ magazines showing children the latest toys on the market and then there's all of the beautifully crafted gifts smaller businesses have to offer too. Christmas is all about the magic for children, them excitedly writing their wishlists, sending them off to Father Christmas, then counting down to the big day with so much anticipation. This is the second year Isabella has been able to express what she's hoping for at Christmas, which really does add to the magic when dreams come true on Christmas morning. If you're also shopping for children this year then I hope that this Gift Guide will help and inspire your present shopping, as I've put together some of my favourite gift ideas for children this year. There is a mixture from high street stores, online websites and small businesses, so however you like to shop for Christmas hopefully there's something that catches your eye. 

CHRISTMAS: Gift Guide for Babies 2019

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Babies are such a joy to buy for, aren't they? The clothing is so teeny, the prints are adorable and the range of gifts is always growing. This year we are back to the world of babies with Rory's arrival in October, which is incredibly precious. As babies don't really need that much, in terms of toys, I always think Christmas is the perfect opportunity to treat the babies in your life to extra luxurious versions of what would usually be considered as 'essentials', for example muslin cloths and clothes. There are lots of lovely smaller businesses to support when it comes to buying gifts for babies too, some of which I've included in this Gift Guide. I hope you feel inspired and come away with lots of gift ideas.

CHILDREN: Christmas Gift Guide 2017

The excited faces of children on the run up to Christmas is why the magic is just so special. Finding unique gifts that are fun, educational and practical can be tricky, but I've put together some of my top gift recommendations for children this year. Personalised gifts for children add that extra touch, especially when they get to an age where they can read their own name. Who doesn't love a gift with your name on? Most of these gifts inspire children to use their imagination to explore the world of magic and creativity.

BABY: Christmas Gift Guide 2017

This year I thought I'd start my series of Christmas Gift Guides with the smallest little ones in our lives, babies. Shopping for babies is one of my favourite things to do, mainly because everything is so cute! I've left perhaps the more obvious gift options for babies aside and concentrated on what some of the slightly smaller companies have to offer. Supporting smaller businesses is something I love to do and you can often find such unique gifts with a little bit of hunting. To save you the time I've put together some of my favourite gifts for babies this year, so without further ado...

BABY: Bathtime with Minene Mi 1st Bath Buddy

Bathtime is such a fun part of the bedtime routine, but when it comes to bathing babies it can be a bit tricky. They suddenly become so slippery making simply holding them hard work, let alone washing them. When Isabella was a baby I would have a bath with her, it helped with breastfeeding and was the perfect opportunity to have skin on skin during those early months. As much as I would love to do the same with Poppy it just isn't as easy this time. Having Isabella means that I can't just hop in the bath with Poppy whenever I want to, so I needed a solution to this whole 'solo bathing two children at once' scenario. 

BABY: Nursery Tour

 

I've been meaning to do a nursery tour for a while now, as I love reading these posts - any excuse for a good nosey! We have been adding new bits here and there to Isabella's nursery since she was born, so kept putting off doing a nursery tour. It's still not completely finished but she'll be out of the nursery before I do this if I don't get on with it!

NURSERY: Stylish storage from Minene

As we were putting together our daughters nursery I was on a hunt for stylish yet practical storage solutions. Being on maternity leave is lovely but it has been pretty expensive so far, as I had plenty of time (pre baby) to casually browse the internet for baby/nursery items we just must have. So when it came to storage I didn't want to buy the first thing I saw, but instead actually see what the options are out there. Amazon is fantastic as the range is so vast and the prices are generally some of the best. I came across the typical wicker baskets, storage boxes and plastic boxes, all of which are practially but mostly lacked the style I had really wanted for her nursery. Then I came across a brand called Minene on amazon, which offered beautiful, stylish storage baskets and boxes - exactly what I'd been looking for!

After googling Minene I found out that the brand was sold in John Lewis, House of Fraser and on their own website, as well as amazon. I always search around seeing if I can find a product I like any cheaper, as sometimes stores will have offers on. At the time I looked the cheapest place to buy the storage boxes and baskets and it was actually directly on the Minene website due to their online sale.

The general style of our baby's nursery is grey with stars, so when I saw the grey with stars storage baskets and boxes I thought it was meant to be. But then the grey with strips design caught my eye and I feel in love with it. The polka dot interior of the baskets and boxes was too cute and the grey colour still fitted in perfectly with the nursery. Luckily, the small storage box in grey with stripes was in the sale, reduced from £14 to £10 and the large storage basket in grey with stripes was also in the sale, reduced from £26 to £20. How perfect?! They have such a beautiful range of their different sized baskets and boxes in the sale, so it's well worth seeing if you can pick up a bargain too. Unfortunatly some of the designs are sold out, but if you're not looking for a specific design/size then there will hopefully be something in stock you love.

What did/do you use as storage in your child's bedroom/nursery?

Feel free to leave me a comment :)

Helen x