Little J Is Making Music

No comments
Little J loves making noises with his toys whether it's banging two blocks together or hitting a plastic box like a drum, he is always trying to make new sounds. A few weeks ago he was at play group and was playing with a xylophone and even though it was such a simple toy he loved it. He sat playing with it longer than any other toy there and seemed to really enjoy himself.
 
When we were given the chance to review a toy from What2Buy4Kids I had a look on the website to see if there were any xylophones and there were.  We chose the Lion Xylophone by Orange Tree Toys. 
 
Read More

Discoveroo Squeaker Emergency Cars Set

No comments
Disclosure - We were sent the products below for the purpose of this post. All thoughts, opinions and photographs are our own unless stated. This post contains affiliate links. 

Discoveroo Squeaker Emergency Cars Set
Like most kids little J loves anything he can press that makes a noise. When 1 Two Kids Limited asked us to try out Discoveroo Squeaker Emergency Cars Set I knew little J would love them and I wasn't wrong. They arrived in a set of three including an Ambulance, Fire Engine and Police Car. 
Read More

Free Shopping Using Cashback Apps

No comments
food shopping that was free using cashback apps
I like to think I'm quite savvy when it comes to shopping. It's very rare we will go food shopping without it being planned beforehand. There are so many ways to save money on your weekly shop and if you give it a little thought you can save a lot. 
Read More

Cheeky Chompers Chewy Dribble Bib Review

No comments
Disclosure - We were sent the products below for the purpose of this post. All thoughts, opinions and photographs are our ow unless stated. This post contains affiliate links. 

Cheeky Chompers Neckerchew
My mum and dad were watching a repeat of Dragons Den a few months ago and told me about an idea they had seen, a bib with a teether attached. What a simple for great idea. Little J is now cutting his molars so we are once again full of drool but he is also wanting to bite anything he can get his hands on. Cheeky Chompers, the company seen on Dragons Den kindly sent us a neckerchew for little J to try.
Read More

Water Fun In The Garden

No comments
Disclosure - We were sent the products below for the purpose of this post. All thoughts, opinions and photographs are our own unless stated. This post contains affiliate links. 

Child sat on grass
The sun shone down on us all a few weeks ago and we finally got all our garden toys out and we have been spending most of our time outside. Big J has been getting up and heading straight in the garden, even before he gets dressed. Little J enjoys playing outside and we take a few of his toys out but its very rare he sits still playing he usually just crawls around chasing after the ball and trying to get a goal.
Read More

Disney Cars Booster Seat by Tomy

No comments
Disclosure - We were sent the products below for the purpose of this post. All thoughts, opinions and photographs are our own unless stated. This post contains affiliate links. 
 
Disney Cars Booster Seat
Summer is finally here which means lots of BBQ's and eating Al fresco but this can sometimes be a pain for me because if I put little J on the floor for a picnic he just crawls away.  I have to carry little J's huge highchair into the garden all the time so I can get him to sit still and eat. This isn't a problem anymore because I now have a portable high chair and its brilliant. The Booster Seat is so easy and compact to carry round and has made eating outside a doddle.
Read More

What To Expect On A Young Driver Lesson

No comments
disclosure - we were gifted a free driving lesson for the purpose of this post. 

boy sat in a young driver car having his first driving lesson
I had one very excited son on Sunday when he took his first ever driving lesson at just 12 years old. You might be wondering how he is having driving lessons so young, well its thanks to a company called Young Driver and Goodyear Driving Academy who have teamed up to teach children the importance of road safety. 
Read More

Personalised Fathers Day Gifts To Make With The Kids

No comments
Disclosure - We were sent the products below for the purpose of this post. All thoughts, opinions and photographs are our unless stated. This post contains affiliate links.

4m gift ideas
If you are stuck for some ideas for Fathers Day gifts this year I have a few ideas which will definitely get the thumbs up from Dad. At Easter we were sent alternative Easter gifts by Great Gizmos and now we have received a bundle just for Dads.
Read More

Scotland Yard by Ravensburger

No comments
Disclosure - We were sent the products below for the purpose of this post. All thoughts, opinions and photographs are our unless stated. This post contains affiliate links. 
Scotland yard board game
We always make time to play board games together. Big J is at an age now where he enjoys more challenging games such as Monopoly, Cluedo, Destination and our new favourite Scotland Yard by Ravensburger.

Read More

Belo & Me Little Lunch Bag

No comments
Disclosure - We were sent the products below for the purpose of this post. All thoughts, opinions and photographs are our unless stated. 

I recently found the cutest little lunch bags over at Belo & Me. I love jute bags and I have shopper bags that I take with me when I go the supermarket. I'm not a fan of plastic bags. They always rip or break so I prefer to take my own with me.
Read More

I'm a #MorrisonsMum Thanks To BritMums | AD

No comments
Disclosure - We were gifted £80 Morrisons vouchers for the purpose of this post.

£80 morrisons vouchers
I was so thrilled and honoured last week when BritMum's made me a Morrisons Mum. I was so excited when I opened my envelope and inside was a lovely letter telling me I had been chosen. Enclosed was £80 worth of vouchers for me to spend on May Bank Holiday Weekend.
Read More

April 2014 Degustabox Review

No comments
Degustabox
 We used to be quite adventurous when it came to food shopping but we now tend to buy the same items each week and it has become quite boring.  Receiving a monthly food and drink subscription box over the last few months has introduced us to lots of new brands and tastes. Aprils Degustabox arrived and there was plenty of treats for us to enjoy.
Read More

Why Does My Child Stare At The Washing Machine?

No comments
This post contain Affiliate Links. 

Have you noticed that your little one is fascinated with the washing machine? When my son started staring at the machine I started to worry. As a parent you watch your children a lot and wonder if little behaviours are normal or if it's something to be concerned about. My son loves it and if I let him I think he would happily sit there for hours watching it while it spins and I often wondered why does my child stare at the washing machine?

little boy sitting on the floor by a washing machine


The first time I really noticed it was when he was having his dinner in his high chair. He completely  moved himself around in the chair so he had the washing machine in his view. If something was in the way he would stretch so he could see it. I didn't really think about it at first but when it continued to happen I did start to wonder, why? 

Now he is able to move across the floor he takes himself into the kitchen, crawls to the washing machine, sits up and stares. When I try to move him away he can become quite grumpy and even if I pick him up and put him in another room he manages to scramble his way back to the kitchen. Most of the time the washing machine doesn't even have to be on for him to enjoy looking at it.

Like most I instantly headed to google. Should I be worried? Is this typical? I did a lot of research and the answer is yes it is a typical thing for babies and toddlers to be interested in washing machines and other household appliances and is actually very common.  Google also likes to tell us that if your child likes things that spin such as the washing machine then this could be a sign of autism or aspergers.

There is such a wide spectrum for autism and whilst watching spinning items can be one of the signs please don't read in to it this too much unless you have other concerns about your child. I don't have any concerns about little J at all so staring at the washing machine wouldn't make me think he has Autism or Aspergers. I would be looking for other signs and behaviours.

When babies become unsettled one of the ways to try and soothe them is to play white noise. Maybe they find watching the machine and hearing it spin relaxing. They did as baby, why shouldn't they as a toddler too?

Most of the time we have no idea why children they do the things they do. They are curious, they are constantly learning and exploring and I think watching the machine is just little J's way of trying to work out what it actually is. Why does it spin? Why does it make a noise?

Why not use their love of the washing machine to your advantage. I know my son would sit there for as long as he could so enjoy the peace, have a cup of coffee. It's better than giving them an iPad for 15 minutes. 

If your child does enjoy watching the washing machine and you have other concerns about the behaviours, you can always speak to your health visitor or GP for more advice or guidance.

If you found this post useful there are a few ways that you could say thanks and support Playdays and Runways.

Comments - I love reading your opinions and thoughts - Does your child stare at the washing machine? How do you feel about it.

Growing my social media is something I work hard on. If you would like to follow us - Like us on FacebookTwitter and Instagram

If you have found this post or our blog useful you can say thanks by - Buying Us A Virtual Coffee

If you think a friend of family member would like this post - Tap the share button below.


Michelle

Read More
Copyright © Playdays and Runways. Blog Design by SkyandStars.co