Buggy Fit

It can be hard losing those extra pounds after having a baby ... well it's not hard losing the monetry pounds ... prams, cots, nappies and forumula takes care of that quite nicely ... losing the bodily pounds takes more effort unfortunatly ( although shopping does help! )

I was quite intrigued this morning to pick up a leaflet for Buggy Fit ... "the ultimate fitness class for mums and babies" .... I'm past the buggy stage myself at present but thought this might be useful for others looking to get fit and make friends with other mums because that's half the fun of this type of thing ....

Buggy Fit is basically power walking and re-toning ( walking fast with your buggy in other words ) ... the benefits of doing Buggy Fit as opposed to joining a gym are you don't need to pay for a creche or babysitter as baby comes on the walk with you, you get to chat with other mums and your baby gets to socialise with other babies and you can all motivate each other to keep going ....

If you fancy trying Buggy Fit in the Costa del Sol area then contact Sally on 628 679 689 or email sallyelisabeth@live.co.uk

Where to buy Easter Egg's in Spain

My 3 year old loves chocolate and loves egg's ( the hardboiled and chocolate variety ) and loves Princesses so I was very excited to find the perfect Easter Egg for her in Iceland. It's a Princess box with a pink chocolate egg sitting in a Princess mug. It also comes with a Princess egg breakfast kit including a princess egg cup and spoon! Perfect ....




I have to say I love Iceland ... I don't think I ever shopped there in the UK but here I find it an economical and nice place to shop. The staff are very friendly and the food is well priced with lots of special offers ...


They have a fantastic Easter Egg selection with eggs to suit both kids and adults and all sorts of tastes .... don't forget to check them out after Easter too when they are bound to have all the leftover's on special offer!!


That's why mums go to Iceland .... obviously!!!

Service with a smile ....

Poor customer service drives me mad. I'm no retail expert but I do know that when a customer calls or emails or I meet one face to face that it's important to smile and be nice ... in fact it's a pleasure to do these things because it makes someone elses day and someone else is asking for your advice and opinion.

On Friday I wanted to buy some flowers for my mum so I went to a florist. I didn't particularly like any of the bouquets already made up so I selected several other bunches and asked the florist to make them into one bouquet. The florists face was as black as the sky at that moment ( we've had rubbish weather here on the Costa del Sol) ... really you wouldn't think I was a customer offering her business, money, and asking her to do her job ... no, I felt like an inconvienience! It's going to take me at least 10 minutes she snapped. Oh so sorry to trouble you , I thought. I had a cake in the oven and the clock was ticking so I decided to pop back home to take the cake out and then go back for the flowers. In the car I was fuming at the rudeness of the woman and was half inclined not to go back and find some flowers elsewhere, but I'm not that kind of person and felt that I couldn't be so rude as to do that. So I went back and the florist left her assistant to give me the bouquet which as actually incredibly nice. Just such a shame that her attitude didn't match ( the assistant by the way was lovely ) as I won't be getting anymore flowers from there again .... in case you are wondering it's a florist outside a well known supermarket in the Las Lagunas area ....

This morning I had to go to the bank to transfer some money. 'Good morning' I breezed to the unsmiling cashier .... no response okay ... so I asked her to check the amount in my account ... and got surly look for my troubles!

Really, what is the matter with people these days? Ok, the bank cashier could be having a bad day, she's not working for herself, she's just one of a large company and maybe she hates her job, but then again if she's taken a position working in the front line of customer service she should do her best to be nice to customers ....
The florist however has no excuse .... she runs her own business and if she wants to keep her customers she needs to be nice to them.

End of rant!

Congratulations ....

As Spanish retailers ( and businesswomen ) for the very popular UK brand JoJo Maman Bebe we would just like to say congratulations to JJMB founder Laura Tenison who recently won the highly coveted Veuve Clicquot Businesswomen of the Year Award at a ceremony in London!

Laura Tenison started JJMB in 1993. Today the company have 27 shops and employ over 300 people.

Congratulations from all in Spain!

IVF in Spain

Well, before you get to the pregnancy and baby stage you need to concieve first. Whilst I conceived very quickly first time round and had a text book pregnancy, I have since had a miscarriage and now find myself in a situation I never thought I'd be in ... with blocked tubes and told our only chances of having another baby is via IVF!

Dealing with infertility or secondary infertility in my case can be quite daunting. IVF is a big new world I though I'd never visit and yet at the same time it's quite exciting too....

While researching IVF I came across a website called ivfspain.com which is run by a fertility nurse called Ruth Pellow who was formally head of the egg donation programme at the centre for reproductive medicine at St Barts in London. Now she resides here in Spain and with her husband dedicates her time to helping British ( and Spanish ) couples who are seeking IVF treatment abroad ( in Spain or Greece ) ... everything from recommending and arranging clinic appointments to picking them up at the airport and arranging hotels.

Ruth is both incredibly knowledgable and incredibly helpful. She called me and patiently answered all my IVF and blocked tube questions, explained the differences between the long and short protocols and about some of the tests we needed to have done.

Sometimes it's just great to be able to talk things through with an expert who is not your doctor and who can offer advice and recommendations.

If you are in a similar position to me or are in the UK and thinking of coming to Spain for IVF then I'd highly recommend contacting Ruth for more advice ...

I'm sure I'll be posting here more about the trails of my IVF journey in Spain ..... so if this is something that has affected you then please do comment here if you'd like to share your experience ... I'd also love to hear from other people who have been through IVF in Spain and particularly any recommendations for either Ceram in Marbella or Clinica Fertia in Fuengirola.
If you'd prefer to email me privately please email samantha@indybel.com

Yoyuba Fuengirola

The Yoyuba is a soft play center in Fuengirola. We went there yesterday so our little one could let of some steam and while it's not the first time we've been I always come away thinking it's a really nice little place and so deserves a bit of a write up!

The Yoyuba is situated on the Camino de Coin near the garden center. It's not a huge place but does have 3 different soft play areas. A baby area ( with all the usual baby play things ... ball pond, little slide, little house etc ) and then a larger area for toddlers upwards with two levels of soft play. There is also another section reserved for older children and presumably adults which has rock/wall climbing and rope climbing.

There is a party area, decent toilets, often someone doing face painting and a bar selling drinks and snacks. ( sweets and crisps really, although I think proper party food can be ordered )

It's Spanish run and very friendly. Sometimes ( not all the time ) there are staff moniteering the softplay but this isn't guarunteed.

The thing with the Yoyuba is that you really have to pick the right time to go, especially with little ones ... The Spanish love this place and so late afternoons it is often heaving and too busy for little one's who just get trampled on in the soft play. Yet if you go around lunchtime or early afternoon it is much quieter and you avoid the parties ( which tend to be late pm ) and so much safer for little one's who can run around with more freedom. We've been on a saturday morning which was fantastic as our little one and her friends virtually had the place to themselves and also yesterday we went at around 3pm which was also perfect as by 5 when it began to get really busy our's were exhausted and ready to go home ....

Price wise it's not bad .... we paid 4.50 for an hour and a half, if you stay longer than that you pay for unlimited time which is 5.50 ... not bad when you consider that for over 3's Kidz Kingdom is 10 euros. There is no pricing per age here, just pricing per time of play. I think there is also a cheaper tariff for just an hours play ....

A great venue for a rainy play date .... just ensure you pick the right time to go! ( Friday pm's are a no no by the way! )

To find out more visit www.yoyuba.com

Paramount to build their biggest themepark in Murcia!

Considering that my daughter asks at every opportunity when we will be visiting Disney World ( or land, Paris or America is all the same to her, and the awnser incidentially is not yet! ) I know she ( and I ) will be very excited to hear that Paramount Studios have decided to build their biggest ever theme park right here in Spain.

The chosen destination is Murcia which is not that far at from where we live on the Costa del Sol. Hopefully this is an announcement that really will become a reality over the next few years as it would be a fantastic place to take kids and also be a great boost for the Spanish tourist and leisure industries. I remember hearing talk of an Alice in Wonderland world for the Costa del Sol a couple of years ago that never came to anything ... so fingers crossed for this one!

Here's the article in full ....

Paramount Pictures have chosen the region of Murcia for the construction of the biggest theme park in Spain, which aims to compete directly with Disneyland in Paris.

The project will have the added value of some cinematographic studios which will be the centre of all Paramount’s productions in Europe, according to the Murcian Councillor for Culture, Pedro Alberto Cruz.

Cruz has just got back from a trip to Dubai with a letter from the executive president of Paramount, Michael Bartok, who wants to start the ball rolling just as soon as it has been proven to be economically viable.

Cruz has said that the region of Murcia will become the “Leisure Centre of Spain, with a 2.5km² complex with 15,000 beds in hotels, creating 20,000 jobs, and attracting 3 million tourists to Spain. The amount of money to be invested will be decided next month, and private investors will be offered the possibility of putting their capital into the project.

The project is estimated to be completed within 2 years.

From www.theleader.info

Indybel on Facebook ....

Well we've known for ages that we should get a Facebook page for Indybel, afterall it's the thing to do in this day and age and good for advertising and marketing as well as just keeping up with our friends, customers and supporters ... so we can now announce that http://www.indybel.com/ has a .... drumroll ..... facebook page ...

Actually it's incredible how quickly Facebook can get your name out there, but most importantly for us how it can circulate our name to friends and supporters in many different Countries, which is crucial to a business such as ours ....

So, please take a look at our page, become a friend of indybel and follow us on facebook .....

Baby Show comes to Torremolinos ....

Whether you are an expectant, new or seasoned parent in Spain here's a great date for your diary!!

The Salon Bebe y Nuevas Familias show is coming to the Palacio de Congresos Y Exposiciones in Torremolinos this May.

The three day event ( 21st - 23rd May ) will feature a large number of exhibitors, shops and baby experts as well as housing an extensive toddler play and entertainment area, baby feeding area, baby changing area and pregnancy area. There will also be yummy on site catering and the first ever Baby Olympics to hit Spain .... we'll post more about the Baby Olympics later but let's just say it's an event not to be missed and a chance for parents to compete for some amazing prizes!

The event promises to be informative and a lot of fun too ... To find out more or to download a discount voucher for entry check out

http://www.salonbebe.es/

Indybel will have a stand at the Salon Bebe show and look forward to seeing you there .....

The Best Mother's Day Gifts ...

My 3 year old made me a gorgeous card yesterday and a tissue paper flower arrangement in her art class. She also insisted on buying me flowers while we were out shopping the other day ... of course I had to pay for them, but the thought was there ... all her gifts were so sweet and special because she made and choose them herself .... and it seems it's not just me, according to a recent survey us mums don't want expensive gifts on Mother's day ... we just want hugs from those we love the most ....

"You may have bought an extravagant gift for your mother today, but all she really wants is a big cuddle.

According to a poll, nine in ten say a simple hug will make their Mother’s Day. Second favourite to keep her sweet is a card – with those home-made by young children being the best.

The survey of 2,000 people found that, overall, sons are more generous than daughters when it comes to gifts.

Men spend more on their mothers than they do on their lovers for Valentine’s Day.!!!

They are also twice as likely to take their mother out to lunch than women.

Flowers were the top gift to mothers, with 42 per cent of men and 36 per cent of women giving bouquets.

The average amount spent on presents was £14.85.

Glaswegians were the least extravagant, while Essex mothers were the most spoilt with an average of £22.35 spent on them.

Those polled by mystery shopping firm Retail Active named actress Joanna Lumley as Britain’s most ideal mother – other than their own.

Retail Active managing director Julian Chamberlain said the poll results were ‘heart-warming’, adding: ‘From the mums’ point of view, a demonstration of affection and family unity are the most important things.’"

From http://www.dailymail.co.uk/

Dry Nights .... Toilet training at night ...

Well at 3 years a bit, my little one has been potty trained during the day for nearly a year now and is a seasoned and expert toilet and potty user! We've continued to use nappies at night as quite frankly after going through daytime toilet training the last thing you feel like doing is the nighttime equivalent and anyway I reasoned that she wasn't ready yet as she still wakes up every morning with a full nappy ....

I'm a great believer in letting your toddler lead the way. I have friends who do everything by the baby book ... at xxx months your child must be doing this, that and a million other things and I've witnessed time and again harrassed parents trying to get their child to do what the book says as the time the book says it. Whilst I think these books work well as a guide for babies and young children, once your child hits toddler age and is vocal about their needs I think it's healthy to listen to what they want, when they want it too ....

We did this with formula. Rather than trying to wean my little girl off her beloved nightime bottle, I waited until she was ready and asked to try my 'big girl milk' instead ... the transision was instant and easy because it was what she and not I wanted ....

And so we decided to do the same with nighttime nappies, I decided that when she was ready she'd tell me and this weekend that time came! At only 3 I was quite surprised as I've read that often children are not really ready to stay dry all night until between 4 and 6, but we were prepared to give it a go ...

I must admit I was not expecting results. I thought I'd humour my little girl. Let her try without nappies and then when she wet the bed, explain that perhaps she was not ready yet. However she surprised me ... night one she got up twice and wee'd on the potty I left in her room and i had no need for the emergency sheet, pyjama bottoms and duvet cover I'd left ready for a quick middle of the night change!! Last night she didn't wee on the bed and didn't wee on the potty. Which just goes to show that when your child tells you they are ready, it really is so much easier than when you decide they are ready .... basically ... your child knows best!!!

We are only two nights in, and I know there will be wet beds, accidents and a bit of trauma along the way, but I'm immensly proud of my determined little one and will resolve to listen to her needs a lot more carefully in the future!!!

Mother's Day ....

Don't forget ... it's British Mother's Day this Sunday ( 14th ) ...

Living in Spain can be confusing ... do you celebrate Spanish Mother's Day or British Mother's Day? Celebrating both seems a little excessive. We celebrate British Mother's Day as I am English and Spanish Father's Day as my husband is French .... hmmm that doesn't make much sense either!!!

Happy Mother's Day to all mummies this coming weekend!

March Movers and Shakers ....

This month we have lots of brand new products at http://www.indybel.com/ .... you can find out all about them in more detail on our main site, but for those who want a sneak peak, here is our top ten of brand new must have baby and maternity product movers and shakers .... some are new to Spain and some just to Indybel, but either way it's all happening this month!

In at number 10 it's the ........ Flexibath .... cool, stylish, sleek and foldable ... this is the ultimate baby bath for the twenty first century!



At number 9 we have the Theraline Pillow .... comfy, safe and helps protect your babies head ....

At number 8 the beautiful, stylish and affordable Tarok Cot from BabyDan.....

Looking to send a memorable and totally gorgeous gift to a much loved family member who is expecting a baby in Spain? Look no further than number 7 ... the Sofie Crib

At number 6, another stylish nursery addition ... the sleek Scandinavia Cot by BabyDan

The latest BabyBjorn carrier is known as the Comfort Carrier because the emphasis is on comfort for both baby and parent. With the weight carried on the hip, this clever new design carrier ensures no back pains on long walks .... we love it at number 5!

The perfect gift or just treat yourself, with number 4, our new giftwrapped organic Hug Me bodysuits for newborns ... so cute!

At number 3 is the fanatastic new playpen from the king of playpen makers ... BabyDan. The Felix playpen can be used on two levels so it can be a downstairs cot or playpen meaning it is perfect for use from birth to 3 or 4 .... We love it, love it, love it !!!

Want to combine stylish eating with easy to fold and compact ... then you need the BabyBjorn Appeitite chair ... it's also strapless with the specially moulded seat and security table designed to keep even the most mischevious of little one's in place ... our number 2 ....

Finally, our March number 1 new product of the month is the .... BuggyPod! The stylish and clever solution for coverting a babies pram to add a cosy space for a toddler. Far more economical and weather proof than just a step!

School Registration ....

I always find March very stressful ... why? Because it's school registration month ...

Here in Spain, parents must choose a school and fill out the enrolement forms for their children during March. Later in the summer they find out what school their child has got into ...

Infant education is non compulsary and is from ages 3-6
Primary education is compulsary and starts at age 6 ...

From what I understand you need to enrole to ensure your childs place every year ....

I learn't a new Spanish word today ... matricula / enrolement or registration!!

The Future is the .... FlexiBath

Baby baths are traditionally rather cumbersome ... when my daughter was born we invested in one of those drawer units with a bath in the top ... well ... never again!

What a strange invention. Ok, so here you are recovering from a birth ( or caesarian in my case ) and you have to heave bucket loads of water into your childs bedroom, lift them to chest height to tip them into the bath. Then bath the baby ... then attempt to drain the bath through a rubbish tube which constantly gets stuck, then end up heaving the bath and water from the unit and carrying it into the bathroom to drain .... of course in the end we just took the bath out of the unit and had it in the bath ... we may as well have bought a plastic tub!

There are of course several plastic bath tubs that fit in and on your own bath on the market but they are difficult to store which is why parents sometimes opt for the unit option as we did. Most bathrooms don't have room for an extra bath and you don't want it sitting on the floor as it's not the most hygienic place in the house ... so baby baths are a bit of an issue ...

UNTIL NOW

The lastest baby bath on the market, and really it's such a simple and clever idea we can't believe it hasn't been done before ...... is the FlexiBath!

The Flexibath does as it's name suggests ... it's flexible, it folds up .... so you can bath your baby and then once dry, fold up and store the bath meaning it's nice and clean and tidy and ready for the next bath. Not only that but inbetween babies you can keep it safe and clean rather than with conventional baby baths which just end up in the bin as you get fed up of them sitting around in your home getting dirty and so end up forking out again when baby number two comes along.

So score 1 to the FlexiBath for compact hygienic storage qualities ....

But, that's not where the genius of the FlexiBath ends .... it's just full of lovely little features to make life easier, like oh let's see ...

* It's non slip ... simple but yet effective!

* It's got it's own temperature indicator, so stressed out parents can see if the water is too hot or too cold ...

* Thoughtfully the makers have done a lot of research and so this bath is BPA and PVC free ... in other words it's safe ... there will be no nasty little chemicals leaking from this bath onto your little one's skin ....

* And it's big, but not too big ... big enough for a child of 3 or 4 though, so in other words you can use it for years longer than most baby baths, you can bath 2 children together in it and it's still perfect for newborns too ...

* It travels well ... the fold up mechanism means the FlexiBath can go on holiday with you, on camping or caravaning trips, it can go for nights at the grandparents with little fuss meaning you don't have to buy double the stuff and it will just slide neatly into your car boot ...

Is it any wonder that already the FlexiBath is the winner of 3 awards including the 2008 Kund Jugen Innovation Award and has been called the 'must have' product of this year by the parenting media and on TV?

I'll certainly be recommending it from now on!

http://www.indybel.com/ now sell the FlexiBath in Spain. To find out more click where can I buy a FlexiBath in Spain?

My Daddy Cooks ....

....Actually not my daddy, he makes toast and boiled eggs but that's about it ... no, My Daddy Cooks is the brainchild of my good friend Nick Coffer and I am proud and delighted that his venture is really taking off and becoming the talk of the UK!

My Daddy Cooks is a great blog following Nick and his little son Archie's adventures in the kichen. From baby led weaning receipies to fun family meals, Nick and Archie detail ingredients, methods and a lot of mess via the video diaries and written recepies on their site. So much fun and some really scrummy stuff on there too ...

Recently My Daddy Cooks has grabbed the attention of the media and I'm so excited because Nick is about to sign a book deal. The sky really is the limit now and I predict you will be hearing his name in the future ...

Do check out http://www.mydaddycooks.com/ for some great meal ideas and just because Archie is soooo cute ... ( and a friend of my little girl! )

Well done Nick, we are all very proud of you here in Spain! Looking forward to you inviting us for the dinner the next time we are in the UK too!

This month we are GIVING AWAY GIFT VOUCHERS ....

Have you read it right?

Yes, this month we are giving away gift vouchers to all new customers who register their details at www.indybel.com

So that's it, register today and we'll email you a gift voucher which can be put towards any future purchases ...

Happy Spring from Indybel!

The Princess and the Frog

Well we finally got around to taking our little girl to see The Princess and the Frog ( in Spanish ) and she really enjoyed it. It is a little scarey for the little ones with a rather nasty villian in the shape of a voodoo magician and his very scarey shadow sidekicks, but my little one took it all in her stride and didn't seem to bothered at all. I think this is because before we went we bought and read the book quite a few times so she knew what to expect and there were no nasty surprises ... a good tip before taking little one's to the cinema.

She also loved the whole cinema experience .... 'wow it's just like a big TV!'

From an adult point of view I found Tiana y el Sapo quite refreshing for a Disney movie. There are no flouncy princesses wafting around looking for Mr 'Prince Charming' Right in this film. Oh no, our heroine is a feisty hard working would be restauranteur, who's main aim in life is to find a fulfilling career ... of course this is Disney though so she does find it in the end but with the help of true love too! The movie is darker than your average Disney movie ( Snow White excepting ) but really beautifully done with the forest scenes standing out in particular. I like the fact that in this film Disney have returned to their roots ... good old fashioned animation with no special fx's etc ... great songs and a lovely wedding at the end .... well what else would you expect!

8/10 !!!

Win a Cuddledry this month at indybel.com

The Cuddledry towel remains our favourite baby ‘must have’ product and so in celebration of all things natural this month we are running a fabulous competition!

Every customer who makes a purchase during March will automatically be entered into a prize draw to WIN a Cuddledry Towel!

The draw will take place on the 1^st of April and we’ll announce the winner on our site next month!

So, to be in with a chance of winning visit http://www.indybel.com/ now .....Good Luck!!