Allergy Free Day

Life with allergies

What to pack for nursery

Sending your child off to nursery for the first time is a really daunting time as a parent. There are so many things to think about, especially if your child has illnesses, health conditions or allergies. Like mine does. 

When it came time to get ready for Daisy to head off to nursery I didn’t know what to pack for nursery. Soon we’ll be dealing with this again, for our second daughter, so it seemed like a great time to revisit this post and make it a little more informative!

I started to do some research before sending Daisy to nursery and quickly condensed my checklist down to the essentials. Well, I say quickly… really I mean after 2-3 weeks of my daughter attending nursery.

Attending a wedding with FPIES
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The joys of the charity shop

I’m a real fan of saving money wherever possible. I always think that a pound saved is the same as a pound earned. When we want items for our home, and toys in particular, I am always checking out our local charity shops. 

Ever since my first daughter Daisy was born, in 2016, I’ve been a big fan of visiting charity shops and looking for a few bargains.

Over the years we’ve had everything from brand new in the box baby toys to clothes and home decor too.

Daisy has had some absolutely fantastic toys and this is one of the joys of the charity shop! Now that we have a second baby, born in 2021, the charity shop brings even more good finds for us!

Daisy, 18 months old, sits in a pushchair wearing a blue floral patterned top. Daisy is looking down at a Leapfrog toy that she is holding. It is a fold open plastic laptop with musical buttons and numbers.
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5 places my child has vomited

My first born daughter, Daisy, was born in March 2016. The first few days of her life were amazing, with her being a great sleeper and feeding really well. After that, on April Fool’s Day, Daisy surprised us with her first bout of projectile vomit. Since then Daisy has been diagnosed with FPIES. 

FPIES is an allergy syndrome that causes Daisy to have projectile vomiting episodes when she is having a reaction to a food she is allergic to. Today I want to share a slightly light-hearted look at what it is like dealing with a poorly child – by talking about 5 places my child has vomited.

Some of this post was written several years ago, before we found out that her sleeps after reactions were actually a sign of a potentially dangerous health issue, so please take it with the light hearted pinch of salt that it was intended if you’re an FPIES parent, or sufferer, yourself!

Daisy eating spaghetti bolognese in her high chair
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Plus size c-section recovery diary (28 days)

In April 2021 I welcomed my second daughter, Aurora, by caesarean section. I’ve previously shared Aurora’s birth story. This was my second caesarean and as my first was an emergency, and my second an elective that was brought forward 2-3 weeks, I decided to keep a diary of my pain and symptoms for the first 28 days in the hope it may help someone.

Hopefully this recovery diary will help another plus size Mum, to know what is normal, and perhaps what kind of preparations to make ready for the recovery period if you’re going to have a c-section yourself, or want to support someone who is.

For me I found that my second c-section was easier to recover from than the first, possibly because of the emergency element to my first one. My second c-section was booked two days before it happened, and while I was first up on the day due to some blood pressure issues from pre-eclampsia it was all very straightforward and much less dramatic.

Katy wears glasses, a mask under her face and a green zip up top while Aurora is in a cot with a white sleep suit on. There is a blue hospital curtain in the background as Katy and Aurora are in the postnatal recovery ward post c-section
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Red pepper pasta sauce [DF, GF, SF]

Every parent has a meal in their repetoire that is ideal for the nights when you’re low on motivation, or time. Being a parent of a child with allergies, and teaching my child about allergies, means that it can be harder to knock up meals quickly. I need to ensure the kitchen is clean and safe before cooking begins and I try to involve Daisy wherever I can too. This red pepper pasta sauce recipe is one of my fail safe dinners. Daisy will ALWAYS eat it, I can add some veggies and protein to bulk it out and it is pretty cheap too!

Red pepper pasta sauce
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