TrendLife Baby

The Eat and Play mock from Baby Bjorn is a must have for meal times and messy play for any toddler. We think £18.95 is a good investment to save staining clothes and to let babies have the freedom to make a mess, without stressing out Mum!to

Available from John Lewis: ,http://www.johnlewis.com/230510929/Product.aspx

Babies sleep for roughly 70% of the day, so it is important for them to stay cool and comfortable during those hot summer months.

Organic bed linen can help your baby have a healthy and comfortable night’s sleep as organic cottons are far more effective in absorbing moisture and perspiration than non-organic fabrics and have no harmful chemical residues. Synthetic fabrics like polyester don't ‘breathe’ well or aid heat regulation during sleep, unlike organic cotton, which is naturally breathable.  

The Fine Cotton Company have a huge range of organic cotton plain dye baby bedding which is good for baby's skin and good for the environment - so they are a double winner!

Pictured is the Stowe Brushed Organic Cotton range of bedlinen, prices from £6 - £20 www.thefinecottoncompany.com

When choosing lighting for your nursery, you might find it hard to get the right colours to match the theme you have chosen.  Cable and Cotton have the perfect solution, their strings of natural ball lights can be made to any combination of colours using their addictive 'pick-your-own' function where you can choose combinations of over 50 colours! http://www.cableandcotton.co.uk/shop/customise/

The strings come with 20, 35 or 50 ball lights and the balls are made from natural cotton which is hand-dyed and shaped, using natural gum to make it firm.  Each ball is slightly smaller than a tennis ball.

Prices are very reasonable at £20 - £39 according to the number of lights you choose, and they come in a nice gift box, so make a good pressie.

Check out: www.cableandcotton.co.uk 

Nb. As with any lighting / electric cables, make sure they stay out of reach of little fingers.

For people who haven’t found out their baby’s sex, or for people who are buying nursery items with future babies in mind, then unisex accessories are ideal. 

This luxury unisex musical cot mobile from a delightful company, Little Bird Told Me www.littlebirdtoldme.co.uk, has a sturdy birch plywood frame with little garden creatures which move around with soothing wind up music.  The neutral colours and animals mean it is suitable for a boy or a girl.

A woodland themed nursery is ideal for boys or girls, and with it being 'on Trend' at the moment, there are many lovely ideas on the market.

We love this ‘Night Fairy’ toadstool scatter cushion at £17.95 from www.yabbayabbaonline.co.uk. Match it with a White Rabbit England Lamp www.whiterabbitengland.com £59, add some twinkling fairy lights and finish with a woodland mural or wallstickers, such as the ones from www.berryred.co.uk, and you will have the perfect receipe for a magical nursery.

Although it is now 5 years old, the Jool's Oliver book "Minus Nine to One" is a classic in our eyes and a must-read for any Mum-to-Be.

The book chronicles Jool's emotional struggle to get pregnant, then subsequent ups and downs of pregnancy and having a new born.  It provides a wealth of down-to-earth tips and advice for Mums and Mums-to-be without being preachy or too 'celebrity'!  This makes an ideal gift for any friend or family member who has just found out she is expecting and at £7.99 from Waterstones, it is very affordable too.

Minus Nine to One - Jools Oliver - £7.99: http://www.waterstones.com/waterstonesweb/products/jools+oliver/minus+nine+to+one/5514707/

One way to help get as good a night’s sleep as possible is installing black-out blinds in a nursery and your own bedroom.  These block out all of the daylight coming in through the window, which means reduced sleep disturbance even for the lightest of sleepers.

We have put together a selection of bright ideas for nurseries below:

Made to Measure Roman Blinds lined with blackout material are available in a variety of materials from www.curtainsforkids.co.uk.On the highstreet, Argos has a large and affordable selection – such as this lovely spotty design at £18.99. John Lewis has a similar one starting at £35. There are even travel options so holidays or trips to family can also mean maximum sleep. 

Spotty Blind, £18.99 www.argos.co.uk

Hot Spot Blackout Roller Blinds, from £32.00 www.johnlewis.com

Baby/Child Blackout Blind, £29.99 www.presentsformen.co.uk  

It means you can put everything in together without worrying about colours running together or fading on hot washes. Beige doesn't have to mean boring, there are some beautiful clothes with subtle, pale patterns and embroidery such as these from Mothercare in the sale (so be quick!):

Easter Embroidered linen dress from £15 (SALE)

Teddy Bear Dungaree Set, £7 (SALE)

Giraffe Long Sleeve bodysuit-7 pack, £8 (SALE)

All from www.mothercare.com

Flexa, the Danish children’s furniture company, had extended their range of adaptable beds for A/W. Their products provide children with an environment where they can play, study and sleep in comfort.

From a single bed, parents have the option to add on a number of features from tables to slides to adapt the furniture to their child’s needs.

Furniture from a collection at www.flexa.co.uk

These energy efficient little lights come in a set, one for a cute bedside night-light and one to illuminate the way for night-time bathroom trips (or one for the little one’s room and one for you)

The rechargeable lights, automatically charge during the day and illuminate when taken off their base at night.  Each set includes two LED lights in striking shades of blue/green or orange/ fuschia with rechargeable batteries and charging base.

Tooli Lights, £50 available from www.mamasandpapas.com