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The Parent Trap MSN Life & Style Blog

Trials and tribulations of a first time mother

Selena Ledgerton Cooper

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Selena Ledgerton Cooper has worked with children, authorities, professionals and families for over 15 years.

Having worked in care, behaviour support and education with children with violent tendencies, special needs and behavioural disorders, she has authored books on ADHD and is currently working on her next book on Emotional Literacy.

As well as working here at MSN as a writer, she is also an author and childcare/education consultant for councils, schools and individuals. Selena also trains and advises parents and professionals on building family relationships, working with, and caring for children with special needs and parenting skills.

She is currently completing a Doctorate in Education, concentrating on Emotional & Behavioural Disorders and Special Needs.

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The Parent Trap - MSN Life & Style Blogger - Selena Ledgerton Cooper
June 02

Jaycen's First Birthday!

 
Today, one year ago.. My baby boy was born and I cannot believe how fast this year has flown. It seems like only yesterday when I held his tiny hand in mine and Neil and I welcomed him to the the world with open arms...
 
Now he is a little boy, walking, trying to talk and not just trying things for the first time, but DOING them for the second, third and fourth time. Learning, crying, shouting, finding his way and discovering what he likes and what he wants!
 
This year has been a blessing and we are so lucky to have such a wonderful son. He's such a good boy, well behaved, calm and content. I know we can take credit for some of that (through nurture and nature), but he has grown and developed his own personality which is loving, caring and happy - he's so relaxed too.
 
Having our baby was by far the best thing we ever did. It has been hard, tiring, busy, silly, fun, joyous, rewarding, overwhelming, sensational, new and fantastic! ...But most importantly it is a love you never know until you do it.
 
I'll be back soon to post some birthday photos as we shot off to the beach today for a birthday treat...  But I just wanted to say how lucky we are before I forget.
 
OPENING PRESENTS & A TRIP TO THE BEACH!
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Selena x
 
 
May 14

All Firsts Day...

Update coming...
 
- Standing up in cot
- First haircut at the hairdressers
- First Fingerpainting
- (Later) Walking...
 
 
May 13

Time Flies!

 
Coming soon...
May 01

First Steps...

 
Jaycen took his first steps on Monday (27th) and has been walking ever since... He just wants to walk everywhere and has gone from holding two hands, to two fingers, to one hand - Now he's teetering from me to his footstool on his own.
 
Bless him, he's doing so well. Especially when you consider that he's nearly two stone and has a lot of baby to balance. Just the fact that he's so tall makes it more difficult.
 
Yesterday we bought him a harness and some reins so he could have more freedom when he's practicing. Once he felt like he was balancing alone, he was away and managed to walk from the couch to the footstool (across the room). We also discovered that the harness encouraged him to stand upright (as he wasn't leaning on anything anymore) and previously (when practicing in his walker) he tended to push his tummy out, as that's what he used to propel the thing - LOL!
 
More soon...
(...and photos to come)
 
Selena x
 
PS - We're looking forward to planning Jaycen's birthday party in the next few weeks, originally we were going to have something small and personal but so many people have been in touch who want to see him... Going to get my head together with hubby today and sort something out.
April 28

First Shoes!

 
We went to Clark's on Friday to finally get Jaycen his first pair of walking shoes!
 
His feet have been growing like crazy and he's flown through plenty of paddies, but now the spurt is over and he's taking his first steps, it was time for some fitted shoes.
 
Considering Neil's feet are size 11/12, I'm guessing I'll be at Clark's A LOT over the next few years!
 
So anyway... Back to the shoes.

We popped into a Clarks local to some of our relatives in Cheshire...

It was a lovely sunny day and so as we were driving around visiting, we thought why not?
 
The branch was part of the local Mothercare World, so it worked out as two for the price of one as (thanks to Clark's speedy service) we had time to look around there too.
 
If you're looking to buy your baby their first pair of shoes, I can only recommend Clark's as my experience was second to none. 
 
They have a ticket system to make sure you are served in order, but we didn't need it as we were served in seconds. No sooner did we walk in, than Kym walked over to greet us. What impressed me was how she engaged Jaycen right away and from that point on, he couldn't take his eyes off her. It was all in the detail, she spoke to him directly and even thought to occupy him with the paper ducky from the box - Needless to say he didn't stop playing with it, what a pro!
 
 
I explained that we were looking for Jaycen's first pair of shoes and she settled us on the padded seats, sat straight down on the floor to measure Jaycen's feet and then explained the options...
 
Clarks offer three different types of early shoes - Crawling, Cruising & Walking, so she recommended the best pair for him (based on where he was up to). Jaycen is crawling and taking his first steps with support, so she advised that a cruising shoe is best. "A walking shoe can be a little harder in the base and more difficult to practice in". We felt so at ease. She was friendly, knew all about the product and answered every question I threw. 
 
She advised that she would bring out all of the styles that would fit... (Which I thought was great, how simple and no trawling round the shelves!)
 
 
After trying him in a 3H, Kym checked the fit and noted that they didn't have enough room - so his size would be 4H. 
 
Me, I'm thinking that 'H' should be for HUGE - it's the largest width they do and as for size 4's, I've seen toddlers trying on size 4's - Bless him, our gorgeous little whopper!
 
Neil and I took a look around and couldn't help smiling at the tiny babes who were walking around us. Jaycen was twice the size of some of them...
 
 
After Kym checked the fit once more (on the 4H's) and Jaycen took a walk to make sure he was comfy, we settled on a snazzy little navy and brown pair (called Bumper Car).
 
 
I loved the rubber buffer on the front for extra grip when crawling - Very handy. I was even more impressed when Kym boxed the shoes up, introduced us to their 'Growing Feet' guide and record card and then offered to take our photo!
 
 
Clarks offer a complementary polaroid of you and your child with their new shoes - All in a 'First Shoes' keepsake card. I love this place!
 
 
Honestly, it was one of the best shopping experiences we've had and it was all thanks to Kym - I'll go back time after time because of it. We left smiling and happy, isn't that how every shopping trip should be? Jaycen says "Ta" and so do we!
 



As always, click 'add a comment' below to leave your news, tips or views...

More soon - Selena x

Selena Ledgerton Cooper
Childcare & Education Consultant
Author / Writer (MSN Life & Style)

Selena Ledgerton Cooper The Parent Trap
 
Selena Ledgerton Cooper
Life & Style (Family/Parenting)

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April 22

What A Whopper - Woohoo!

 
I took Jaycen to be weighed today as he hasn't been for a while...
 
After the usual strip and short wait... on the scales he went.
For the first time he was a little gripey as he was far too big to lay down in the pan now. The health visitor advised me to sit him up (and naturally he then tried to escape!)
 
Thankfully she had a rattle on hand and managed to keep Jaycen still long enough to clock his weight AND  for me to take a quick snap.
 
To be honest. I'm quite glad that he was sat up as that means I can post the picture - There's no winky in sight. I know that may sound strange but the last two 'weigh in' photos I had to take down (for obvious child protection reasons).
 
Here's our gorgeous little man getting weighed...
He's a cracking 1 Stone, 10 Pounds and 3 ounces!
 
 
...and just because I absolutely love it, check out my latest favourite photo! I love this photo as it really captures Jaycen's personality - He's such a calm, happy little boy and so content... I couldn't ask for more.
 
 
More soon...
Selena x
 
PS - Here's the 'Sing Along' version of Jaycen's Lullaby. He loves Stay Awake from Mary Poppins and it will always settle him (in the end). I love this idea as Jayce loves music. so I'm going to search for more.
 
 
 
April 17

More Firsts & Fun In The Sun!

 
Coming soon...
 
-Click Clack noises
-Chocolate Cake
-Standing Alone/Balancing in Cot
-Steps
-Two Top Teeth

Eleven Month Milestones, The Park & The Chair...
April 08

CRAWLING! WOOHOO!

 
What can I say, our little boy is crawling! We're so chuffed.
 
He crawled (properly) for the first time yesterday at 16.16pm.
 
 
The very first time he crawled was to try and get Daddy's Playstation controller...
 
 
...and the next, the TV remote control!
Talk about like father like son eh?
 
 
 
 
What a clever boy!
 
 
 
As you know, he's always showed more interest in walking (and is so close to walking on his own), we thought he'd do that first.
 
Pleased as punch and looking forward to seeing him gad about... Let the babyproofing and chasing commence!
 
Selena x  
March 31

Out Of Sorts...

 
To say I am out of sorts today is an understatement.
 
I caught Jaycen's cold at the end of last week and thought I had managed to get rid of it. Unfortunately it's come to a head overnight and today I can't breath, speak or stop sneezing. My throat feels like it's been grated and my nose is red raw. I just hope I don't give this evil mutation back to Jaycen.
 
Thankfully, he seems to know that his mum's a germbag and is keeping his distance - LOL! He's happily playing in his walker as we speak with not a care in the world.
 
Had a lovely day yesterday, will be back soon with pictures... Selena x
March 27

Important Info For Parents With Children Under 6

 
Here's the official information from Tixylix about cough medicines for children. It seems the age ranges are changing again for Chesty Cough Medicines to over the age of 6!
There's additional links below if you would like more info:
 
(This is a reply to a query discussed in the post below)
 
Dear Mrs Ledgerton Cooper

Thank you for your enquiry about Tixylix Chesty Cough. We hope the following will help to explain the current situation with the labelling of our products.


The MHRA (Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency) is the authority that regulates medicines in the UK. In March 2008 it issued advice that certain cough and cold medicines should not be given to children under 2 as a precautionary step.

The new advice was based on the view that children under two years may be particularly sensitive to the effects of some medicines, if not given in the correct dose, and followed a review in the United States earlier last year.  Evidence in the UK has not raised any safety concerns and these medicines have, in many cases, been used safely for over 40 years.
 
Companies who make children’s cough and cold medicines agreed to change the labels on products to remove the dosage instructions for children under 2, i.e. changed the age range from 1-10 to 2-10. This took some months to complete, but new packs began to appear in stores from October last year.

Since that time the MHRA has carried out another review and a few weeks ago in March 2009 recommended that certain cough medicines ( Tixylix Chesty Cough being just one of them) should not be labelled for use in children under 6 years. This is not due to safety issues but rather the MHRA view that there was not enough evidence that these medicines work in children of that age and some children can have side effects to them such as allergic reactions. Therefore, in due course new packs will be produced with the age range for use in 6-10 years for Tixylix Chesty Cough.

We understand that these changes are confusing for our customers so whilst we are revising our product packaging, we are working in partnership with Pharmacy associations to provide information and guidelines to all retailers, healthcare professionals and consumers. We are adding information to the Tixylix website www.tixy.co.uk and parents or caregivers can contact their pharmacist or NHS Direct for additional advice. Any information on our Tixylix products, over which we have control, is being updated to reflect these new changes as quickly as possible. Unfortunately, we have no control over some pharmacy shopping websites and from your experience it seems these are still reflecting incorrect information.

Please be assured that we are updating our product packaging as quickly as possible and working with as many retailers as possible to avoid confusion for our customers.
Kind regards

Medical Affairs UK
Novartis Consumer Health UK Limited


Here are links to everything you need:

Which products can I give to my child under 6 years of age?

Which products can I give to my child over 6 years of age?


Leaflet on how to treat children's coughs and colds

Further information on these changes can be obtained from the PAGB website www.pagb.co.uk

_____________________________________________ 

Selena Ledgerton Cooper
Childcare & Education Consultant
Author / Writer (MSN Life & Style)

Selena Ledgerton Cooper The Parent Trap
 
Selena Ledgerton Cooper
Life & Style (Family/Parenting)

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Where have you gone?  I love your blog and seeing how Jaycen is doing!  I dont have any children as yet but I really like the way you have written about everything so we know the good things and the bad things!!!  Please come back soon!
Mar. 11
bomb shellwrote:
hi hun your photos are fantastic, sorry we are not neighbours anymore but mant days as mums and babies yet to come. the house is still for sale next door. xWink
Aug. 16
Mandywrote:
Hi, absolutly love your site!! beautiful pix too!! congratulatins!!!! xxx
Aug. 10
carolewrote:
I love your site hun, I just wish that when mine were growing up computers and myspace had been around so that I could have shared with the world the lovely experience of being a mum. Hugs Carole xxx 
July 30
Hi, what an enchanting site, I came on to have an update on baby Jayce's progress, an hour later ...I felt that I had to post a blog to tell you firstly how absolutely gorgeous your baby is!!  But also how wonderful the progression of his first weeks are panning out, I have laughed and had tears in my eyes as I have read throught the trials of a new Momma and Poppa, Selina and Neil this is truely amazing and you both are proudly glowing, I am honestly thinking of throwing away my contraceptive tablets right this minute!!! xxxxx
July 27

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