Laura Chelmick | Loved by Laura

Loved by Laura

Here are a selection of my favourite products I have used and discovered in my work with little ones, and brands that I now work alongside with!

My aim is to empower you with my knowledge and direct you to the best places and people.

I love products that last, and often have more than one use.

This is based on personal opinion and what has worked for me in my work with babies and now with my little boy Nico! Of course every baby is different but we are sharing things that we both Love and other babies all around the world have loved too!

For a more personal service, I can come to you with a selection of my top products and we can chat about everything you may need. Always happy to help answer any questions! Also available over skype.

This list is my treasure trove of information and tips, there is no charge for this but I have added affiliate links to some of the products that I Love!

I hope you find it useful, Laura & Nico xx

I’m finally going to be a Mummy!

After wanting to start this business for the last ten years, being pregnant actually feels like the most perfect timing.

I will be sharing my ‘what Laura bought’ along this journey, alongside my ‘Loved by Laura’ list.

I found Accupuncture an amazing part of my fertility journey. With working shifts away each month in wasn’t easy to get pregnant. Mo at the unity clinic in Burgess Hill is a wonder – www.unitypractice.co.uk

I honestly didn’t believe it when the test said pregnant, and even now at 23 weeks it feels surreal. The greatest blessing.

We didn’t tell friends and family until after the 12 weeks scan, where I actually found out I was 14 weeks! It was lovely to wait and just keep the joy and the best secret in the world, also at times not east though!

I did the test alone, if I’m honest I think I wanted to hide my disappointment from my other half if it was another negative. This was the right decision for me. I went to the baker and bought the biggest chelsea bun and put it in the oven as a surprise. He came into the kitchen and I burst into tears, utter sobbing! SO much so that Ross was not in the least bit interested what was in the oven, he was so concerned with why I was so upset! It was then the best moment in my life – we hugged, he played me a song and I felt like all my dreams had come true.

I’m Pregnant!

An insight into my journey to motherhood and my top tips so far!

The Nursery:

Although its lovely to have this room set up, you are in no great rush as it is recommended for baby to stay with you in your room for the first six months. It is however lovely to have this room ready so they can get used to having playtime in the cot and nap times as they get older.

I will be sharing with you my nursery purchases over the next few weeks – again its all very personal choice but the items I feel you need in the nursery are:

Moses Basket with new mattress and stand, I LOVE the Natural Moses basket by Little Green Sheep – if you are wanting little one in a sleepyhead then a Chicco next to me or a Snuzpod will be a good option. These last for up to 6 months, depending on your babies size and stage of development.

www.littlegreensheep.co.uk

Cot or cotbed and mattress – I love the Little Green Sheep for mattress and linens. There is a whole world of cots out there, Ikea do a great basic starter. Other brands to look at are Kidsmill, Boori and Stokke.

Changing station – this can be a chest of drawers with mat on top.

Wardrobe – can be a full adults one adapted for baby (not essential)

Nursing chair and stool – I have chosen to go for a chair from IKEA called the STRANDMON chair, its not made for nursing but I love the high back.

The Nursery

Your little one’s first bedroom.

How much clothing does little one need?

Baby clothes are so cute but remember in the early weeks/months they will be growing so fast.

I love white for babies, and it works so well as you can wash everything on a hot wash.

In my opinon you need approx;

Eight bodysuits (short or long sleeved depending when baby is born)

Eight babygrows – the ones with integrated mits can be useful for early days.

A couple of nighties can be useful for either gender as it saves you with all the poppers at night time nappy changes.

Hats x 2 again depending on the time of year – cotton/merino wool

A couple of cardigans

That will be a good start for you, and you will be sure to get lots of clothes as gifts.

M&S do a lovely organic range, and I love that they have a different colour popper to help you know have started with the right one!

I find Next to be great quality too and wash well.

Sizing can vary so so much between brands so its worth getting a selection. The french brands, Petit Bateaux and Bonpoint are absolutely tiny, but gorgeous!

Baby Clothing

From brilliant basics to complete cashmere cosiness!

Play is Learning!

The brain grows by use – did you know in the first year you little ones brain will DOUBLE in size?! Amazing hey!

One of my top must have’s are the ‘Etta Loves’ sensory muslins. The wonderful Jen has created a gem of a product. Its an absolute winner as every new mum needs muslins and these are designed specifically to help stimulate your newborns vision.

Have a look at Jen’s website www.ettaloves.com

Sensory stimulation for tiny eyes

PLAY & Early Learning

One of my favourite topics and something I am very passionate about!

Remember that Fed is Best!

The way that YOU choose to feed your baby is the BEST way for you both.

Out of the mums that I have worked for over the my career, I have seen so many different feeding scenarios, every baby and mum on a different journey.

For me, I am planning to breastfeed but also want to be prepared for bottles if needed. I don’t want to put any pressure on myself and just know that a fed baby is a happy baby! So many mums are full of guilt which has no positive impact on mama or baby.

Things to prepare for Breastfeeding;

Lansinoh nipple cream – worth having, although good LATCH should mean that it doesn’t cause nipple trauma.

Nipple Shields – I like the MAM ones, great to have in your bag just in case your nipples become sore and you need a break. I’ve worked with lots of babies happy to feed through shields but you may hear advice not to use them as they can affect the yield of milk.

A pump – I currently like the MAM pump as it can be hand or electric, it also has covers for the funnels and its not too noisy. I am very intrigued by the Elvie pump and will be possibly reviewing it soon as i’ve heard its a game changer!

Feeding baby

Everything I love for your Breast/Bottle Feeding journey

Shhhh baby Sleep..

Sleep for you and your baby is so important. Its good to remember how sleep deprivation can affect your wellbeing. In my work as a maternity nurse, my daily 3 hour break was a god send and I felt a completely different person after this rest.

There is a whole world of ‘sleep aids’ out there for new sleep deprived parents – the most important advice is from The Lullaby Trust, for the safest sleep advice.

www.lullabytrust.org.uk

Your baby should share your bedroom for the first six months – ideally next to you in a moses basket/chicco next to me or a snuzpod. The mattress should be new to be a safe sleeping environment and there should be nothing in the bed.

Sleep ‘props’ such as dummies and white noise can be really beneficial in the early weeks – I have always loved Ewan the dreamsheep and My Hummy.

Swaddling can also really help little ones with a strong moro reflex (when their arms go out involuntarily and wakes them up.

For more information and support with helping baby get into an early rhythm, see my sleep baby sleep workshop/online video coming soon.

Sleep

Safe Sleep for baby

Preparation is everything!

From my nanny/ maternity nurse days I did a lot of travel with newborns, this meant being super organised – planning for everything that could happen before it happens!

I would recommend having supplies in the car –

A little bag prepared with a couple of nappies/nappy sack/wipes and a change of clothes – also keep some snacks in there for you.

Change bag checklist:

Nappies, Wipes, Nappy Sacks, change of outfit (keep a check that this is the right size!)

Snacks for you

Sterilised bottle and ready made formula if using

Cover for breastfeeding or big muslin

Etta loves muslin – so many uses and also a FAB toy for early development

Sterilised dummy if using

Small pack of tissues

Hand sanitiser / milton anti bacterial wipes can be very useful

Empty ziplock bag just in case of ‘nappy explosion!’

Purse of coins for car park – you never know when you may need this!

Leaving the House!

Hospital or Home, it’s good to have a bag of things packed.

The world of Prams – are you ready?!

I was so surprised at how overwhelmed I was with the choice of prams. Even though I’ve been working with many different brands over my career as Laura Poppins, it feels a completely different choice finding the right pram for us.

Where can you actually see prams and try them out?

If you are near London then Anita’s House www.anitashouse.com is perfect! The Lovely Anita is a wealth of information and has the top brands in her showroom ready for you to try out. You can also do lots of your baby shopping all in one place. Advanced booking essential.

I LOVE the Baby Show for pram testing! They have so many brands and have two shows per year in London, usually in September and March. Lots of special offers to be had www.thebabyshow.co.uk

Also The Natural Baby Shower store is fantastic – based near Reading. They have a wonderful showroom and great online service. You can email any questions and check what they have in stock – a really great find! www.naturalbabyshower.co.uk

My top two prams are currently;

Bugaboo Fox www.bugaboo.com

Mountain Buggy www.mountainbuggy.com

See my latest video all about prams to help you with your decision!

Prams

Your little one’s first wheels!

Nappy Talk

In those early weeks you will be using on average 10-12 nappies per day.

There are now some great brands that I have met who are doing their bit to make nappies softer, chemical free, kinder to skin and also kinder to the environment.

Again nappies are personal (and also budget choice) but my favourite brands are;

Mama Bamboo www.mamabamboo.com

Kit & Kin www.kitandkin.com

Nappies

Best for baby and best for the planet

Teething

Its a big topic, did you know your baby could actually be born with a tooth?! This is however very rare..

Teething symptoms can begin around two months, but the first tooth usually doesn’t appear before around six months.. however EVERY baby is different.. the symptoms can appear long before a tooth! Some little ones in my care haven’t had their first tooth until after their first birthday.

This doesn’t however affect their weaning opportunities as their gums are so hard that they can still chew.

I LOVE Brush Baby products, they have such a good range of products to help with all aspects of teething as well as dental care.

www.brushbaby.co.uk

Teething & early dental care

Tips and products to help you with the early symptoms, and looking after the gums and first teeth.

Don’t feel rushed to doing the first bath!

The magical white substance that babies have at birth (vernix) has so many amazing properties, it can be best to delay the first bath. It used to be common practise for babies to have their first bath in hospital but now research shows waiting is better.

I like to wait until the cord stump has fallen off and healing nicely.

Little ones can love or hate their first bath experience, the key is in the preparation and also that you are calm as they will pick up on your anxiety. This can be a lovely activity for your partner to do with little one.

In fact I LOVE to encourage dads to get in the bath and then do the first bath with little one.. skin to skin in a lovely deep warm bath. Ideal temperature is 37-38 degrees, you can use a thermometer or your elbow to test.

My top list of things for a lovely first bathtime are;

Philips bath thermometer

Bath support – Angelcare – or a shnuggle bath

Muslin – cover baby as you lower them in to give them added security

Classical/piano music playing -something you find relaxing

A cosy warm bathroom

Cuddledry hooded towel on the radiator or wrapped in a warm hot water bottle, www.cuddledry.com

Cotton wool pads for washing each eye individually

Kokoso natural baby products if you want to use something for the bath and for a massage after www.kokosobaby.co.uk

You don’t want baby to be too hungry or full of a feed for bathtime – often a split feed can work well – half a feed before and half after.

Bathtime & Skincare

Different bath options and organic natural skincare

Weaning is first tastes of food –

Milk will make up the majority of little ones diet but after six months it is important to encourage first tastes. This may however be before 6 months depending on your baby, but must never be before 17 weeks as the gut will not be developed enough for anything other than milk.

There are two main types of weaning – ‘Baby Led- and ‘Puree’ – my approach is a mixture of them both! Baby led usually begins around six months

Starting Solids!

The transition from milk to new tastes and textures of food!