B is for....Blinking Awful Weather

Given that the whole country has been battered by sideways rain and gale force winds, I thought I'd do a roundup of places to take a toddler in B&H when you don't want to be outside. I'd also like it noted that, being from Wales, I don't think it actually rains very much on the sunny South Coast so when I can't just go to the park, I'm genuinely shocked. Here's my top five (they are actually all in Hove.)

Sussex Central YMCA, Marmion Road

This great little centre has tons of activities for all ages but B and I are particularly fond of Toddler Gym. This runs on Mon, Weds and Friday and is really well stock with ride-on toys, a bouncy castle, a ball pit, balance beams, squishy mats and a slide. It's only £3 a pop and the YMCA lay on free tea and coffee for the mums (and dads).

http://www.sussexcentralymca.org.uk/ 


Hove Museum, New Church Road

The 'Wizards Attic' in hove museum is a bit of a hidden gem. Each time we've been we've had the whole place to ourselves. The 'attic' consists of toy exhibition, styled to look like an elderly Wizard's workshop. There are cabinets of retro toys, a bedroom with is half modern and half Victorian, drawers of broken toys that little hands can pull out and explore and (pretend) mouse holes dotted along the skirting board. B loves cruising around and exploring the nooks and crannies.

http://www.brighton-hove-rpml.org.uk/Museums/hovemuseum/Pages/home.aspx



Westow's, School Road

This one is a bit of a Mecca for Hove mummies. This soft play area and astro football is free for non-walkers, so expect to see flocks turn up when it's a bit wet out. The under 3s area is small, but large enough to keep crawling and newly walking babies occupied for an afternoon. There's a ramp/ladder to master climbing and if they're feeling brave, a full size slide to attempt. (B did both of these this afternoon, I've never seen him look so chuffed.)

http://www.westows.com/ 



Cafe Intenso, Portland Road

This is a little known Italian coffee house right across the way from Westow's (for when you turn up there and realise it's half-term then immediately leave- that will happen). Around the back of the main seating area they have a lovely, self-contained section which is full of toys ( including one those bigwooden things with knobs on). You may even get to drink you're coffee in piece.




The Book Nook

Despite it's minuscule size, the Book Nook's coffee shop had to make our list. There's been many a day where we've needed to get out. the weather's not been great and I've felt the need for a cheap cuppa. This cafe boasts a little pirate ship full a books, with a real life steering wheel that can occupy B for hours- and with £1.70 for an Americano you can't go wrong.


http://www.booknookuk.com/ 

Getting Out and About

My advice- just do it

I'm definitely not an expert on parenting. Super Nanny's job is more than safe, but I have been doing it for a whole 7 weeks now so I do have a couple of tips, which might be of some use to mums who are even fresher than me.

I was having lunch with a friend who has a baby the same age as B and she mentioned that she was suffering a lack of confidence when it came to leaving the house with her little girl. This is seething that I had heard other new parents struggle with and I think I've gotten over my own fear.

The best thing I did was to just suck it up and get out. We live in a first floor flat and I became adamant that I wouldn't be able to carry my buggy (which disassembles really easily) down stairs on my own. I was terrified B would cry or wee and I wouldn' know what to do. Guess what: I got him downstairs and back up again completely unaided and he did cry and he did wee but, as I'm not an idiot, I managed to find my way to the M&S cafe and change him and feed him just fine.  Now we're old pros at going out and B just loves the M&S cafe.

See?

I feel so much better being able to leave the house whenever I fancy and I probably have a more active social life now than before I had B. 

Hoorah! 

If you're feeling rubbish hanging around the house after the birth of your baby, please ignore the people who say it's your prerogative to sit in a velour onesie and let your little one suckle from dawn to dusk. Buy some new clothes, invest in an easy-on make up kit and go out for lunch, coffee whatever, meet friends go for long walks, talk to people in the street. 

It will make your life better. 

What we did on date night

J and I have resolved to go on a Date Night at least once a month. We're going to let the grandparents take care of B and try and remember what our relationship was like before I got pregnant.

This month we went to the cinema to see Warm Bodies, starring Skins and About a Boy's Nicholas Hoult.

It's a bit of a Dawn of the Dead meets Twilight almost-pisstake, which is very clever, sweet and subtly hilarious. It features an excellent perfomance by Rob Corddry, who's one of those people who's in everything but nobody knows his name, as R's monosyllabic best friend. The leading lady is more compelling the Kristen Stewart (not hard) and the soundtrack is phenomonal- of you're into indie-electro-rocky-poppy-type-stuff, which I am and cheesy 80s rock, which I am.

Here's the trailer, watch it.