Safe Socks for Pregnancy!

Indybel are delighted to now be Spanish stockists for an exciting new product .... Pregnancy Travel and Support Socks!

Maternity travel socks are designed to reduce the risk of DVT in pregnant women and new mothers. Ideal for travel during pregnancy or general relaxation as aloe vera plant extract in the socks eases swollen ankles and supports tired and aching feet.

During pregnancy and after the birth of a baby it is important to feel comfortable when you travel. My Baby Specialist travel socks are designed with a compression factor of 17 to maximize support, comfort & safety during your journey. They are specially designed to reduce the risk of Deep Vein Thrombosis.

Made from soft cotton & Lycra with aloe vera plant extract, they can also be used on a day to day basis to support swollen ankles and soothe tired, aching feet .... Perfect for all stages of pregnancy and after the birth of your child. Ideal for the expectant mum who travels a lot for work or those going on holiday. Also a great item for expectant mums suffering from swollen ankles and aching feet .... also an original and clever gift idea! Avaliable in two colours and sizes Natural and Black ...

So whether you are a jet setting mum to be who has to travel for work ... or pleasure! Or are expecting and will be travelling to visit family and friends ... or if you just suffer from swollen ankles and aching feet ... Pregnancy travel socks could be the solution for you!!

Order them now from http://www.indybel.com/

Storksak and Babymel Changing bags now at indybel.com

We have just added a great new range of changing bags to the store. Storksak and Babymel changing bags are the creation of hip London designers Melanie Marshall and Suzi Bergman. Creating bags that are highly fashionable without sacrificing function, Storksak has carved out a new niche in parenting bags. Celebs love these cool, high quality and fully functional bags and celeb parents such as Jessica Alba, Angelina Jolie and Julia Roberts have all been pictured sporting Storksak bags!

Babymel is the little sister of Storksak. The changing bags are more moderate in price but just as cool and functional. We love these new bags all of which can be purchased in Spain from http://www.indybel.com/ in a range of colours. Here's a little preview of the bags, to find out more or to buy one just click on the bags ... Changing bags also make great gifts for new and expectant mums!

Babymel Amanda 69€

Babymel make some of the hippest changing bags around and the Amanda has long been one of their best sellers. The new Amanda has been updated to make it larger and roomier and to include one insulated bottle pocket. A very stylish and affordable bag ... great gift!

Babymel Big Slouchy 59€

The Slouchy is a brand new style for Spring Summer 2011, featuring a simple modern shape, original print and shiny laminated canvas material. Great value too ... a must for the modern mum! In black or Red ....

Babymel X2 79€

A great idea! Twice the Baby, twice the Bag! If you are having twins or a second baby, this brand new concept from Babymel is perfect for you! Two separate bags which can be clipped together or separated as needed so you can pack for each baby but still have the convienience of one bag! Brilliant...

Storksak Dori 109€

Trimmed with chic tan leather, this bag is as stylish as it is practical. Featuring two large external pockets, two zipped insulated bottle pockets and a comfortable webbing shoulder strap. Roomy interior with five large storage pockets, a detachable key clip and padded mat.

Storksak Jess 115€

Casual and roomy, this classic satchel style favourite from hip London designers Storksak is perfect for carrying all your essentials, whilst big enough for an extra change of clothes or a picnic rug! Boasts 3 outer pockets, 6 inner pockets and insulated bottle holder and padded mat.

Storksak Jools 120€

A smaller, lightweight bag perfect for the busy mum and quick trips. It features two large outer pockets including a front zipper pocket, thermo-insulated bottle pocket, padded changing mat and detachable inner sak. It also boasts an adjustable shoulder strap and wipe clean linings throughout. ...

Storksak Tania 130€

Ultra modern & roomy, practical and spacious. This super lightweight bag is made by hip London changing bag designers Storksak. Features a multitude of storage pockets, built-in stroller straps and avaliable in petrol blue and graphite.

Feria del Nino, San Pedro

This weekend ( 26th, 27th and 28th of Feb ) there is a children's fair in San Pedro!

Attractions include stands, bouncy castles, fairground rides, workshops, crafts, bar and cafe area, performances, puppets, magic, clowns, storytelling, dance and a cinema!

The fun kicks off every day at 11 and the fair closes at 8pm. Enterance is just 4 euros per person.

The event takes place at the Recinto Ferial de San Pedro / Main San Pedro Feria ground!

Sounds like fun!

Back to Front ....

Currently my 4 year old sits in the back of the car in either her main car seat or a booster seat.
As I am now expecting twins I have to think ahead to how I'm suddenly going to go from one child, a buggy and a dog in the car to 3 children, a double buggy, and if possible a dog in the car!! The obvious awnser would be to get a bigger car but unfortunately for the time being that is not really an option!

I reckon that I could get two baby car seats in the back with my daughters booster seat in the middle but it's not idea. While my daughter will probably enjoy this at times, I can imagine that at other times the option of sitting in the middle of two screaming bundles won't be very attractive, so I started wondering if it's legal in Spain to sit a toddler in the front?

Luckily I have a friend whose husband is in the Spanish police so I asked them. After double checking he confirmed that it IS legal for a child to sit in the front so long as

* They are sitting in a proper ( ie not booster ) carseat which has been certified as going through the safety checks
* The airbag is turned OFF

Finding out what's legal or not is hard in Spain so I thought I'd share this bit of info. I don't particularly want my daughter sitting in the front all the time and it's not ideal either but at least we now know that it is a legal option. ( I can't imagine I'll be brave enough or energetic enough to go out with the 3 of them alone for a long time anyway!!! )

At least I have my trusty See Me Driving mirror which I am totally addicted too and which allows me to keep an eye on my daughter in the back. Don't forget www.indybel.com stock a wide range of driving accessories for mums in Spain, including the See Me Mirror, Easy View driving mirror and another favourite of mine, the Stow n Go, absolutely essential when travelling with children and all their bits and bobs!

So problem solved, but not sure where the poor dog will go :(

Little Cheerleaders ...

My friend Vanessa has come up with a great new idea which will leap into action this Saturday on the Costa del Sol.

A trained cheerleader herself, this autumn Vanessa is bringing The Costa All Stars Cheerleaders to the coast. Designed for children aged from 3 - 13 years her classes will combine dance with gymnastics alongside chants, cheers and team games! Perfect for energetic little one's who need to burn off some steam!

Cherrios is for 3 -5 year olds, Sparlers for 6- 9 year olds and Costa All Stars for 10 - 13 year olds. All as well as the fun of learning to cheer, older children will show off their skills at sporting events up and down the coast during the autumn and winter.

Classes start in Sept in Benalmadena and Calahonda. To find out more email costaallstarcheerleading@gmail.com or call 677 493 280

Galaxia - New Soft Play center in San Pedro, Marbella

As it was the last week of the summer holidays and the weather was cooling down a bit we decided to check out Marbella's newest soft play last week ... Galaxia!!

Galaxia is a large well equiped soft play with great plans for the future! At present there is a party area, under 3's area with a ball pool, swing and various padded toys and a large over 3's area with a trampoline, slides, bridges and tunnels and ball shooting area.

There is also a great outside play area which is completely enclosed and safe for little ones.

There is plenty of adult seating and the outdoor seating is particularly nice with comfy outdoor sofa's and umbrellas. At the moment Galaxia provide a small mouth watering menu which is set for expansion and will include Sunday roasts in the autumn! A great idea for families wanting to eat a nice lunch in a child friendly setting.

The owners are really friendly and welcoming and really hope the center will become as much a relaxing venue for parents to chill out as an exciting place for children to play. Future plans include a toy shop, dance studio, mother and baby mornings and charity events and there is also a space exhibition center which is open for school trips. Other nice touches include mini toilets and a nice baby changing area.

We really liked Galaxia, the spacy interior, warm welcome and yummy menu mean it's def somewhere we'll be going back too!

Galaxia can be found on the Centro Comercial Guadalmina, just under Supersol. For more info check out the website http://www.galaxiaplay.com/

Shrek Forever After ...

I took my 3 year old to the cinema this week to see Shrek Forever After and we had a great afternoon!

The lovely cool air conditioned cinema was a welcome relief from the endless sun and the movie which we saw in VOS ( original sound version or English! ) was great, really funny and entertaining and great for little one's as there were lots of references to fairy tales, plus not too scary. As my 3 year old commented, 'I didn't even have to sit on your lap mummy'!

You can see Shrek in 3D or normal ... we went for normal, I think 3D might be too much for a 3 year old ... and it's on in both Spanish and English at cinema's across the country.

Afternoons in the cinema are def a great diversion in the summer and something we'll def be doing again ... Hmmm wonder if she'd like Toy Story 3?

Babybjorn Travel Cot Light

The Babybjorn Travel Cot light is a fantastic travel cot ... it's easy to carry, easy to set up, comfortable, stylish, light and created with the highest safety standards in mind ...

It's not difficult to see why the travel cot is so popular for holiday and has recently become one of our bestsellers.







The Babybjorn Travel Cot light is readily avaliable in Spain but not so easy to buy in the UK, for this reason we have sent several cots recently to UK customers and have several enquiries per week about this product from the UK.



Delivery to the UK costs in the region of 40€ using a secure courier service and takes approx 2 - 4 days!



If you are a UK customer and would like to order the Babybjorn Travel Cot Light for your holiday then please email info@indybel.com for more information. Or check out the travel cot on our website http://www.indybel.com/. The Babybjorn Travel Cot light is avaliable in Blue or Silver and we can also supply the lovely cosy 100% organic cotton fitted sheets ....

Aqua Park - Mijas Costa

Yesterday we went to the Mijas Costa Aqua Park for the first time. Our three year old had a great time and I have to say it was a really good day out!








At 18 euros per adult it's not cheap and that's before food and drinks but children under 4 can go in free which takes the edge off! We arrived at 11.30 and only had to queue for about 5 minutes which wasn't too bad although I'd imagine that July and August are a lot busier. We then secured beds ( which cost 3 euros for two ) right by the chidren's pool, so the perfect spot to watch the kids and sunbathe at the same time ... bliss!

The children's area is very nice. A large pool divided into two by a bridge houses a number of different slides and water type attractions such as elephants with water coming out of their noses and walkways under showers etc ... there are smaller slides for the really little ones and the water is thigh deep on adults so you do need to keep a close eye on toddlers but overall there was certainly enough to keep our energetic tot entertained for a good six hours. I woudn't necessarily recommend it for children under 3 but for 3 and over it's great ....

We had lunch at the restaurant which was clean and quick and chicken and chip type meals cost approx 4 euros per person so not too bad. There are numerous smoothie, ice cream and waffle stands dotted around the place too ....

For the adults there are number of different slides, a couple of swimming pools ( for kids too ) the wave pool ( which didn't have any waves while we were there ) ... grass areas and picnic areas. There is also an indoor games room, mini golf, trampolines and shows. The highlight of the day for my daughter was face painting in the water ... a rather odd concept but one that certainly pleased her!

The toilets were very clean and well maintained and you can rent lockers for your valuables for the day. The park was actually very well run with good queue management and a nice atmosphere ... but I couldn't say how it would be in high tourist season!

My main and only gripe has to be that the water was COLD ! I really thought the water would be slightly heated and more pleasurable but it was pretty cold and it was a hot day so it shouldn't have been that cold. I'm sure it must be heated when they open in April and even in September. Aside from that we all had a great day out and I'd def recommend it for anyone on holiday in the Fuengirola, Marbella, Malaga area or if you live here with little one's!

The Mijas Costa Aqua Park is situated just off the N340 in Fuengirola. ( Marbella to Malaga direction ) Take the first exit after passing the Miramar center on your left .....

Ballet at the ITS in Fuengirola

A few months ago now my 3 year old started ballet at the ITS in Fuengirola ... The ITS is actually the International Theatre School and is run by Nicola Jones.

My little girl does a half an hour class on a Saturday morning and absolutely loves it ... they do a mixture of ballet style moves, jumps and dance. Parents can watch through a glass window and it def seems like a lot of fun with games like musical statues incorporated into the ballet to add to the fun.

Aside from letting off steam on a Saturday morning, my little girl is definintly becoming a more delicate dancer which is an improvement on her previous 'breakdancing' style! At 4.50 euros a class I think it's a bit of a bargain and well worth getting up early on a Saturday for! The dance school is housed in Centro Nordico on the Mijas Road, just up from Lidl, around the corner from the Mijas Costa Cortes Ingles and next to Puegoet.

Not sure what we will do over the summer as the school breaks until the autumn!

To find out more about autumn classes check the ITS out here

Family Fun Day in Calahonda for LIVE

We went to this event last Saturday and thoroughly enjoyed it .... it was a really well organised event in a great venue where the children could roam around relatively safely without the risk of running into a road or leaving the park. There were plenty of attractions for kids including a bouncy castle, face painting and fairground games. The stalls were nicely laid out and good quality and the atmosphere was lovely.

We were really impressed by how well organised and well publicised the event was. I hope they made HUGE amounts of money for LIVE and look forward to the next family fun day .....

Battery Park in Torremolinos

Last week we finally made it to Battery Park in Torremolinos .... I say finally because we tried once before but got completely lost ( it's not the easiest park to find ) and then when we finally got there we couldn't go in as we had our dog with us and it's one of those parks which don't allow dogs .... ( not happy about that ! )

Anyway on Friday we followed a friend ( without dog ) and finally got to embark at the park. And it was def worth the wait. The children's play area is fantastic. Divided into 3 sections, there are areas for really little one's, toddlers and older children.... Each area is really nicely set out on fake grass ( did get a bit hot, must be really really hot in the summer ) with a number of 'different' attractions including huge slides, big bowl type swings for several children, large and small trampolines and climbing frames.

A small walk away is an ornate man made lake where you can purchase rowing boats ...

There are toilet facilities at the park ( but only two toilets so be prepared to queue ) and vending machines with drinks and snacks ....

I'm glad we finally got there and think I could now just about find it again ... def a good one for wearing out the kids!

Reiny Season

It must be reiny season ...!

I say this because toddler harnesses and reins suddenly seem to be the 'hot' baby product in Spain of the moment!

I used reins with my toddler and found them to be really useful. There is a period when excitable toddlers find out they can just about walk ( or stumble ) and start to really explore the world. This is great fun for them but when you are out and about it can be a worry for parents ... you need to be able to keep a strong hold on your toddler especially in busy places such as supermarkets, parks and markets ... This is where the simple baby harness comes into it's own. It allows you to keep a hold of your toddler while also giving them freedom to explore their surroundings safely.

In Spain there is quite a negative attitude to reins from the more traditional parents. I think they see them as unneccesary and uncomfortable. Yet while they might have been right in more innocent times, the truth is that in this day and age, as a parent, I want to be able to really keep a hold of my child. It's another interesting culteral difference between Spanish and British parents. That said we are selling reins to the Spanish too, so attitudes are starting to change ...

For parents who don't want to restrict their children too obviously we have recently found a brilliant invention. It's called My First Back Pack and is a toddler backpack which also functions as a harness for parents to hold onto .... toddlers love wearing them and hardly realise they attached to their parents! They also look really cute ....

To buy our Sure Steps conventional toddler reins or My First Backpack here in Spain check out http://www.indybel.com/

Paloma Park Benalmadena

Yesterday we spent a really nice few hours at Paloma Park in Benalmadena. I've always loved this park as it reminds me slightly of when I used to live in London round the corner from Hyde Park.

Paloma Park is great for the kids, there is a big pond where you can feed the ducks and swans ( although these creatures are so massively spoilt for choice that they now tend to turn their noses up at anything but the very best bread! ) chickens and rabbits wonder freely around and are tame enough to feed. There are also other animals in enclosures, a cactus park, another pond where you can remote control steer little boats, and most recently you can hire multi person bikes and little cars for the kids. There is also a massive play area which has recently been added to and improved upon, esp the bit for toddlers ... before it was okay, now it is really nice with new slides, a little house, a sand pit and climbing frames ...
There are cafes in the park and area's for picnic's as well as toilets. So it really is a great park for a day out.

I'm also a fan of Paloma Park because you can take dog's there ( on a lead ) We recently went to Battery Park in Torremolinos with our dog and were a bit cross ( to put it politely ) when we got there and found big signs barring dogs. As any dog lover and dog owner will tell you, a walk in the park with your beloved dog is one of life's pleasures and so it annoys me that a park doesn't allow dogs ... As long as owners keep their pets on a lead and clear up the mess then what's the problem?

Luckily there is no such silliness at Paloma where dog's are welcomed, even by the chickens and rabbits! Which really does make it my number one park for both children and animals ...

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

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

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?

Disney On Ice comes to Spain ...

We are going to see Disney on Ice on Saturday in Malaga and I don't know who is more excited ... my little girl or me!!!

All little girls love princesses so it's great that this particular show is called Princess Wishes and features all the favourites including Snow White, Cinderella, Belle, Ariel, Tinkerbell, Sleeping Beauty, Jasmine and Mulan ... and of course no Disney spectacular would be complete without appearances from Mickey and Minnie!

My little girl has probably only 'got into' the whole princess thing in the last 6 months or so, but she has all the outfits and loves all the stories so I think she is going to love this. We saw a Snow White panto at Christmas in the UK and she loved that ...




As for me, well I was happy to go along with the whole outing, but having seen the Disney on Ice Spanish website complete with video, I have to admit I'm rather excited. The whole extravaganza looks stunning with great music, fireworks, special fx and acrobatics and being a fan of 'Dancing on Ice' I can appreciate that the skating itself looks spectacular too ...

So, one rather excited mummy and daughter! I'll provide a full review next week, but in the meantime check out the Disney on Ice Spanish site and take a look at the video for yourself ... the show starts in Malaga this week and then continues throughout Spain with shows in Madrid and Barcelona as well as selected Spanish cities ... Not to be missed!!!

Fed up with the rain in Spain ....?

What is going on with the weather at the moment?

Apparently the weather is all mixed up. The UK has snow from the States and we have the UK's endless rain and wind ... great! The problem with the endless rain is that it makes life very difficult for mums struggling with pushchairs, prams, toddlers, babies and bags ...

A couple of years ago at indybel we came across the fantastic buggy brolly ... a brilliant huge brolly taking the UK by (rain) storm that clips onto the bars of your pushchair or pram giving you and your little one protection from the rain ... the clip on design also means you have your hands free to grab your phone, car keys, a toddlers hand and so on ... all in all making life in the rain so much easier ...

The buggy brolly has been a great seller for us and really popular here in Spain. We've only got a few left in stock so if you fancy one, take a look now! Oh yes, the brolly is also UV lined, meaning it doubles up as a great sunshade in the summer ... so really two fantastic products for the price of one! And at just 28.99€ it's a bit of a bargain. What more could you ask for!!

Take me to the buggy brolly at indybel.com

Take Anywhere Chair - Special Offer

We still have our great special offer on our take anywhere portable high chair ... perfect for eating out or at someone else's house .... here's how you can get one for nothing!