Jesolo, Italy Day 1

9 / 27 / 17

When my one of my closest friends suggested I come along to Italy with her, I spared no time at all looking into flights and seeing if it was feasible for me to go. Flights were cheap enough, and the man was able to get it off work, I then entertained the idea of taking the whole family with me. My friend is Italian, so it meant having an instant tour guide, and she planned to stay in the seaside town of Jesolo which she visited as a child. The children love their Aunt Fran, and for the price of 5 return flights (£200), it was cheaper than taking the kids to somewhere like Butlins!

We had the stress in the days before we were due to set off with wondering if our flights were those that were included in the Ryanair cancellations. We found out that our flight out there was safe, but we had to wait a couple more days to see if our return flight was safe, it was, but it was still stressful wondering if we would be missing our Italy trip and losing out on the apartment costs.

It was our first experience of both Ryanair and London Stansted during this trip, Ryanair was exactly what it was on the tin – cheap and convenient and nothing more. London Stansted was fantastic when it came to their special assistance! We got given a blue band to wear which allowed us to use a different queue in security and a walking assistant to the plane. Before we knew it, we were up in the air with a flight time of just an hour and a half until we landed in Treviso.

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Just as planned we were met at the terminal by NCC Friendly who was holding up a sign with my name. The vehicle was immaculate, the driver extremely friendly and the price of 80 euros was the cheapest transfer from Treviso to Jesolo (in season there are much cheaper buses to take you to Jesolo)

Our accommodation was found via booking.com, and we went with an apartment instead of a hotel as it was relatively cheap and allowed us to have three bedrooms. Our host was lovely and made sure we had everything we needed to have a comfortable stay.

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We unpacked, the kids picked their beds and freshened up before heading to meet our friends. We met on the seafront and enjoyed a drink in front of the picturesque Adriatic sea. The kids built sandcastles at our feet, collected shells and excitedly talked about their plans for swimming in the sea.

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Lunch was our first taste of real Italian food; we have spent weeks dreaming of holiday where we would eat nothing but pasta for days on end, and we were not disappointed. The kids squealed with delight when their Mickey Mouse pizza was served to them.

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Our friend being rather excited by the fact we were now in her home country wanted us to try everything. Despite the fact she’s unsuccessfully tried to convert me to espresso in the past, she still wanted me to try one in Italy to which I obliged, and I’m still not a fan. Grappa was then ordered which was an entirely new taste experience and one which left my face more screwed up then when it was trying the espresso. I left the rest to someone who wouldn’t be pushing around a pram for the remainder of the day.

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Being in a seaside town we obviously had to hit the arcades, the arcades here were cheaper than most the ones I’ve come across in the UK. We exchanged some euros for tokens and let the kids loose to play whatever they wanted.

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Us adults joined in the fun and for the below video I totally blame that grappa, there’s a longer version which will stay on the man’s phone never seeing the light of day.

You should see me ice skating.. pic.twitter.com/iF3HyapKZ8

— Emma Harris (@MeTheManAndKids) September 20, 2017

We headed down towards Piazza Brescia to see the ‘Wheel Of Venice‘ and were lucky enough to be able to see this one piece leftover from the Sand Sculpture Festival before it was knocked down.

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We were so tired come the evening after all the walking, exploring and eating ice creams that we decided to head back to the apartment. Oli had the bright idea of grabbing some slices of pizza from the 3 euro pizza place, and the man had the equally bright idea of grabbing some beers from the mini market. It was a blissful end to our first day in Italy.

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Kid’s Eat for £1 at Carluccio’s

7 / 31 / 178 / 30 / 17

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If there’s one thing we like doing as a family it’s having dinner together; we enjoy it, even more, when it involves going out to a restaurant and not having to cook or wash up. So naturally, we were delighted to be invited along to Carluccio’s to review the menu and find out more about kids being able to eat for just £1 this summer.

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Running from 25^th July to 31^st August, every Monday to Friday and between the hours of 12 noon to 5pm children aged 10 years and under can enjoy a main, dessert, drink and activity for just £1 with an adult main. I love the idea of feeding these two little foodies for a total of £2 when the man and I eat!

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The kids were given their own little menus to choose from with a pretty impressive variety of kids Italian meals to choose from. Oli picked the lasagne (his favourite), and Charlotte went for the build your own pasta option and picked the Spaghetti with beef Bolognese.

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I went to Carluccio’s with the full intent of having a pasta dish, but after browsing the menu the Chicken Milanese caught my eye, and I just had to give it a try. The man was the same, and he decided on having the Beef Steak Alla Griglia instead.

Safe to say we were not disappointed with our meals, my chicken was delicious, and the mustard dressed on the salad was perfect, I had it with a side order of Garlic Focaccia which complimented it well. I’ll let the man give you his own words for his dish ‘The steak was cooked to perfection. Juicy medium rare that melted like butter in the mouth. Deliciously seasoned and was the star of the show.’

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The kid’s meals came with the choice of Carluccio’s Ice Cream or Fruit Sorbet. Now Oli couldn’t decide what flavour ice cream he wanted and was struggling to choose (we’ve all been there) and the waitress kindly checked with the chef and was able to give Oli both vanilla and chocolate, nice touch from them.

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It would have been rude for us not to have a nosy at the dessert menu, and this menu did not disappoint! Charlotte went for the Chocolate & Salted Caramel Sundae, while I went for the Chocolate Bread & Butter Pudding and the man went for the Tiramisu. Let’s just say it’s food torture for me writing this review and seeing this image of this scrumptious dessert and not having it actually in front of me to consume. I have a new favourite dessert ladies & gentleman, and it is indeed this scrumptious chocolate bread & butter pudding. It melted in my mouth which is how the man also described his tiramisu.

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We thoroughly enjoyed our meals at Carluccio’s, and we fully intend on making the most of the kids being able to eat for £1 when we eat. Just think the other pounds saved could go towards a family day out!

My Sunday Photo

7 / 30 / 17

Women’s Cricket World Cup 2017

7 / 27 / 177 / 27 / 17

The husband has always said that if we were ever to go and watch a sports match together as a family that it would be cricket. It’s one of those sports we play down the park with the kids and one of the few that they can actually watch on TV and not hear any naughty words being shouted. It’s a real game of sportsmanship and thanks to Nissan we got the chance to watch a game of cricket together at Lords.

It wasn’t just any old game either; it just happened to be the sold out England vs. India Women’s Cricket World Cup Final. The idea of taking my cricket loving 3-year-old daughter to watch women play was one which filled me immensely with joy. Oli loved the idea and was quite excited about attending his first cricket game, and the man could not wait to tick ‘a visit to Lords’ off his bucket list.

We had a slight hiccup at the start of our day as our babysitter cancelled on us, so we had the choice between cancelling or bringing Dylan with us. Nissan and ICC went out of their way to change our seats to disabled ones when we found out we couldn’t keep Dylan in his pram and sit in the family stand. His autism means he just about copes with the environment around him as long as he’s in the comfort of his pushchair so we cannot thank them enough for doing this!

Before we went and sat down for the match, we had some fun in the Nissan family area, and Charlotte got match ready with some flags face paint. There are lots of screens all over the place, so we didn’t miss any of the game while we were here having some fun and chill time away from the main area.

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The kids were indeed amazed by the sight of watching this game they enjoy playing themselves being played right in front of them. They cheered, they clapped and really got into the spirit of spectating. Everyone around us was so friendly and this only added to the family friendly atmosphere we felt the moment we walked into Lords.

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The great thing and the man pointed this out to me was our ability just to get up and go and do something else with the option of returning at any point to our seats. So when the children started to get restless, we were able to change the scenery and go and check out what else was on offer around the ground for the kids to do.

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After grabbing some lunch (kudos for the kid’s range of hot dogs & wedges) we headed back to our seats to watch the rest of the match. The sun had come out to play too which was welcoming, it one of those typical British weather days where one minute we were reaching for the raincoats and the next we were rubbing in the suncream!

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The game had started to heat up, and as the final was coming to an end, it looked at all odds that India had the world cup in the bag. Negotiating the run rate with ease it would take something special to lose it. Enter Shrubsole. The England pace bowler bowled a spell worthy of legendary status taking wicket after wicket, stumps crashed and catches taken as India crumbled under the pressure she exerted. Believing until the end, England had snatched victory from the jaws of defeat.

Charlotte & Oli’s excitement has gone to a whole new level, joining in with the crowd chants and Charlotte’s shouts of ‘You can do it England’ had us mega proud of our patriotic little girl.

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The atmosphere around the ground was fantastic; the kids were ecstatic and joyfully celebrating with all those around them. It was one of those moments that I’m glad we shared as a family.

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The best part (after winning) was watching the England ladies get their medals and lift the cup. We were so proud of these women, and by this point, they had certainly captured the heart of my sports mad children.

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It looked like the lades were doing a victory lap and Oli said it would be pretty cool to high five and congratulate them. We explained how they were very busy and how they could wave at them if they walked past. What happened next made what was already an amazing day even more memorable and priceless.

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Anya Shrubsole saw the kids and came over for a high five and if that wasn’t enough Katherine Brunt came over with the cup in hand and asked Charlotte if she wanted to hold it! I was already emotional at witnessing and being with my daughter as England win the world cup for the 4th time, but this just finished me off, through tears I watched as my three year old got to hold the ICC Women’s World Cup trophy.

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As if that wasn’t enough of a treat for the kids, all under 16s were given a free cricket bat and ball on our way out. We ended the day in applause of how well the children were treated from start to finish and how they catered for families.

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We can not thank Nissan enough for inviting us to come along, and so many more thank yous go to Lord’s cricket ground, ICC, England cricket and especially all the ladies that took the time to talk to my children and letting them be a part of their celebrations.

Since we got back home it’s all Charlotte’s talked about, my cricket fan interest in cricket has exploded, our living room has turned into a cricket cage, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

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Here’s some video highlights including photos from our day at Women’s Cricket World Cup 2017…

Disclosure: Nissan kindly provided us with our tickets for the day.

Go Wild at Crickley Hill

7 / 24 / 177 / 24 / 17

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I’ve discovered a nifty little feature on Facebook which has been helping us find days out in the local area. You know that events tab? Well, it can be used for more than just inviting friends to something and being invited to something. There’s the option of looking up what is happening in your local area that day or in the future, and this is how we found out about ‘Go Wild at Crickley Hill’ hosted by the Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust in the nearby town of Cheltenham.

Crickley Hill is one of those hills I use to visit back when I lived in Cheltenham, it’s a blissful place with fantastic views, and I cannot believe I’ve never thought to take my kids up there. There is a pay and display car park on site and a cafe at the top which is where we found the Go Wild event happening.

The kids first stop were the fossils, always the fossils for these little dinosaur lovers. With the help of the Gloucester Geology Trust, they made some of their own fossils to take home with them.

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kids always do like the grossest of things don’t they, ask them if they want to root around in owl sick to find some bones of the animals they’ve eaten and they jump at the chance.

After the kids had their fill of mice bones, they headed off into the woods on a bug hunt. There were plenty of creepy crawlies to be found under twigs and rocks which kept Charlotte & Oli amused. Dylan enjoyed just exploring the area, and we found sensory objects for him to discover and touch.

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After we had finished our bug hunting, we found some history re-enactment guys who dressed up the children and explained to them what various tools did once upon a time in battles.

There was so much to and all they asked of us was a donation which I thought was reasonable considering how much they had going on to keep the kids entertained.

The welly wanging was enjoyed by all the children; we even got Dylan who struggled with the concept of throwing to wang a well a few times. We had no choice but to make him go without his comfort of his pushchair, it did cost us a pack of haribo though (think Hansel taking that slice of bread and leaving that trail of bread crumbs for them to follow home!) it was such a good afternoon and we’re looking forward to seeing what the Worcestershire Wildlife Trust has in store at the ‘Evesham Goes Wild’ event.

The #PrezzoLaFamiglia Challenge with Prezzo restaurants

6 / 5 / 178 / 30 / 17

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We were invited by Britmums & Prezzo to go along to our local restaurant to try the new Prezzo La Famiglia sharing dish. If there’s one thing, this family loves its food, especially Italian food! We visited our nearest branch in the Cotswolds medieval market town Tewkesbury and here’s both our review of that dish along with our entry for the #PrezzoLaFamiglia Challenge.

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We were quickly seated upon arrival, given a couple of adult menus (obligatory drinks menu included) and the children given menus which double up as activity sheets. Our first task as a family was to decide which La Famiglia sharing dish we wanted. We had the choice of Penne Arrabiata, Spaghetti Bolognese, Spaghetti Carbonara or Penne Alla Rusticana. We went with the Penne Alla Rusticana (Seasoned chicken, pancetta, peppers and rosemary in a creamy pomodoro sauce) as it sounded incredibly appetising.

Oli is a fussy eater when it comes to Italian food, and won’t eat spaghetti or pasta unless it’s plain, so we ordered him a pizza off the older kids food menu. Our side order consisted of 2 large garlic bread for the table, and our drinks consisted of a couple of coke cola’s, and water’s for the children, Oli’s meal came with a capri sun which his sister consumed.

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We weren’t disappointed with what was served, our sharing bowl was HUGE and I can why it recommended for four people. The taste didn’t disappoint either, the chicken melted in my mouth and the yellow peppers added a burst of flavour alongside the sauce. We thoroughly enjoyed this dish, and I’m already looking forward to going back to try it again.

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The sharing bowl may have been our main reason for coming, but I left Prezzo with a major crush on its large garlic bread. The balsamic onions added something different to the flavour, and it has totally rocked my garlic bread world. I’m glad we ordered 2 for the table as there could have easily been a battle between me, the man and Charlotte over how many slices we got.

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When we had all the pasta, we could consume we were left with some leftovers which they kindly boxed up for us which was perfect for Charlotte’s lunch the next day. Then we were passed the dessert menus to browse; it was a case of being full until we saw what was on offer for pudding. I knew the man wouldn’t be able to resist the honeycomb smash cheesecake while I went for the dolcino option and had a Nutella hazelnut spread and banana mini calzone with a latte. The kids had ice creams; they picked the two scoop option with 1 being chocolate and the other strawberry. We all rather enjoyed our desserts and found them the perfect ending to our meal.

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Eating together as a family is one of my favourite times of the day, it’s even more enjoyable when eating out and not having to worry about the cooking and cleaning. Our love of food is one thing that brings us together as a family. I loved having the sharing bowl in the middle of the table and being able to divide the portions between us, handy when you have a small child who one day will eat a whole plate, and the next will leave some. This option avoided any of us having leftovers on our plates.

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Our visit was spot on; the sharing dish was worth reviewing as it’s giving us a new favourite family meal, the staff were friendly and were accommodating when I explained Dylan had autism and how we needed a table where he could stay in the comfort of his pushchair. The prices are reasonable, and I couldn’t get over how cheap Oli’s meal was considering it included a reasonable size pizza where he got to pick his topping, a side order where he picked salad, pudding and drink. Prezzo gets a huge thumbs up from Me, The Man & The Kids.

This post is an entry for the BritMums #PrezzoLaFamiglia Challenge, sponsored by Prezzo

Asparafest Music & Food Festival

6 / 4 / 176 / 5 / 17

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I remember when I first read about the Asparafest Music & Food Festival I thought it was crazy that we had a festival dedicated to celebrating this strange looking vegetable. Then I found out we, the Vale of Evesham is the largest producer of Asparagus within Northern Europe and then I decided actually to try the stuff. It transformed my morning poached eggs, and I couldn’t imagine breaking that soft gooey yolk with anything other than my asparagus tips.

So this year we decided to attend the Asparafest Festival to see for ourselves what this vegetable loving festival was all about.

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We weren’t disappointed with what we found over at Ashdown Farm, Badsey in Evesham. Entrance was £10 each on the gate which would of been £1.50 cheaper if we bought online, under 10s went free, this included a free programme. So we paid £20 for what a jam packed day full of entertainment and free activities.

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There were lots to do for the kids, and after having joined in with the street dance over by the asum stage, we had some ball fun, gooey autism mum moment but Dylan actually got out of his pushchair and joined in with this activity. Super rare for someone who usually finds comfort in staying strapped in his pushchair when there are crowds of people nearby.

He didn’t cope so well when we joined the crowd in front of the stage, but with his iPad and a bag full of snacks, it kept him happy enough for us to watch Mr Bloom while consuming some yummy pulled cajun chicken and skinny fries from one of the food stalls. Check out our video below to see Mr Bloom live in action.

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After we had our mind blown by Mr Bloom’s veggies, we decided to explore the area, but we were instantly greeted by some big bubbles, queue three very excited children!

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We continued our walk and came across the Clik Clik Asparalympics, watched some cookery classes, checked out the falconry, saw some ferrets and so much more. There were even a funfair and pony rides, but with our new family frugal pact, we managed to steer the children away from these and back to the free activities.

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My favourite area for the children was the Junkfish Family Crafts area which had lots of activities for the kids to join in with as well as a play area for the smaller children. We made spoon people, crowns and then made shields and swords. Dylan even joined in which made us smile lots.

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Just before we headed home for the day exhausted and happy, we managed to grab a photo with Gus – The Asparagus Man.

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As I was drafting this post, I saw someone had commented on the Asparafest Facebook page about how as adults they had come along, paid £10 on the gate (would have been £8 for the Sunday if they paid online) and was disappointed with what they saw stating that it was aimed more towards children. Quite the contrary, if we had come childless we would have had just as good as time, we would have hit the bar for starters (duh) and checked out the cocktail van. We would have spent longer at all the food exhibitors checking out new flavours, and we would have spent the day listening to the bands and watching the entertainment provided. We might have been a bit of envious of friends who were there last night doing exactly this.

It was the most enjoyable family fun day, and I’m kicking myself for not checking it out in years gone by. We are even thinking about checking out the camping option for next year. Here’s a video snippet of our day at the Asparafest festival.

This Morning Live

6 / 4 / 176 / 5 / 17

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Charlotte’s getting to that fun age now where we can have conversations and enjoy activities together. We took advantage of her brothers being at school and spent a Friday visiting this Morning Live which was happening at the NEC in Birmingham.

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It had a 4-day schedule jam packed with the presenters like Holly, Philip & Rylan live on stage, cookery demonstrations and hundreds of stalls to discovered. There were various make-up and skincare giving free makeovers and advice, health workshops and even a pets corner where we got cuddles with the most adorable guide dog.

Mine & Charlotte’s weakness has to be food, and we had so much fun trying out some new foods from the different exhibitors. This salted caramel dessert pot from Bonne Mamam was soooo delicious. I didn’t get a look in once I let Charlotte try it!

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There were some right quirky shopping stalls which gave us so much to browse, we shopped for my best friends birthday presents and treated ourselves to some jewellery, Charlotte got a necklace, bracelet & ring to add to her forever growing collection.

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We ended our day by watching Gino D’Acampo cooking live, he so funny and such a charmer as you can see in the video below. Charlotte & I had such a fun girly day and if it’s on again next year then sign us for tickets!

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My Sunday Photo

6 / 4 / 17

My Sunday Photo

The Moment I Realised The Baby Days Were Over

5 / 20 / 175 / 20 / 17

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That moment was yesterday.

I visited The Baby Show yesterday for what felt like the hundredth time since becoming a parent eight years ago. Only it felt different, I felt out of place, like I was no longer part of this club which I’ve been a member of for so long that I cannot remember what life was like before it. It didn’t help that I was attending my youngest who’s now 3, she’s no baby now, and we didn’t even take her pushchair along with us. I don’t think I’ve been to a baby show before without one of my children being in a pram or baby carrier of their own.

For a while, I’ve known the baby days were well and truly over but it was only yesterday that it did hit me, there are no more babies being housed in this body or this house. It will probably be the last time we will attend The Baby Show unless that day comes where one of my closest friends (yeah I’m looking at you two) becomes pregnant.

You see The Baby Show IS the place to go while pregnant or even after the baby is born, it is the perfect place to see everything you need under one roof, to compare it at the same time and even maybe grab it at a lower price. There are samples to be had and experts on hand to explain to you terminology such as ISOFIX and rear-facing.

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When I was walking around, I had this inner urge to shout at all the new parents what would be best to buy and what not to bother wasting their money on. But then that makes me one of *those* people; you know the ones that give you that unwanted advice. Out of habit, I went to my favourite exhibitors, those who’s products have been in our parenting lives since the start and have continued to wow us over the years with new products.

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The Baby Show is currently happening at the NEC Birmingham until the 21st May 2017 and then can be found at Olympia in London on the 20th – 22nd October 2017 and ExCel in London 2nd – 4th march 2018.