A little note about delivery .....

Just a quick post to say that we've just added a new delivery option to our Indybel pregnancy and baby products in Spain checkout services!!

We still have our two courier options which are of course faster and safer ... these include

10€ ( and upwards if the weight is really large ) for Indybel 48 hour courier delivery anywhere in mainland Spain

7€ for all packages up to 1 kilo .... couriered to your home between 3 and 7 days ... anywhere in mainland Spain and the Islands

and now .....

3.50€ normal correos delivery for all packages up to 1 kilo .... allow between 4 and 14 days for delivery but we estimate most packages should arrive ( in normal circumstances ) between 4 and 8 days .... throughout Spain ....

So with so many great delivery options .... why not have a look at our products! ( http://www.indybel.com/ )

Show and tell .... everyone!

We've decided to attend a consumer show near here in Estepona ... this is qutie exciting because it's our first ( and hopefully not last! ) show .... we'd have liked a bit longer to prepare but we only decided to take a stand this week and the show is next weekend!! So we've had a lot of decisions to make this week ... which products to take, how to dress our stand, what promotional materials to have commissioned or make and not least childcare arrangements for the whole weekend for our toddlers!

Plus there's the added dilemma of Lesley's brand new baby Olivia ( congratulations! ) who will be attending the show with us of course. Olivia will actually be a bit of a feature on a stand promoting pregnancy and baby products in Spain, but of course with Lesley having only given birth around 10 days ago, it's not ideal that she's going to be on her feet for more or less 2 days in a row. I have to say I completely admire her, after Bella's birth I don't think I got dressed for about 3 weeks and didn't leave the house for about 6 ... but then I did have a C Sec .... anyway I'm sure she and Olivia will both be fine!

Anyway it's been quite exciting planning the show, we've had some great banners made up and have found our suppliers have been really supportive and helpful, sending us their own promotional material and linning up stock for after the show. We'll certainly be taking all our favourite products such as the Cuddledry towel, Birthing Balls, Inch Blue Shoes and of course our fab Seraphine range of maternity wear ... all the above are almost soley sold by only Indybel here in Spain .... plus most of our other products .... it will be great for customers and clients to actually be able to see, touch and examine the products on the day and of course they will be avaliable to buy on the day and take home straight away!!

So if you live in Malaga, Fuengirola, Mijas Costa, Marbella, San Pedro or Estepona or anywhere else within a driveable radius AND are pregnant, having a baby in Spain, want to have a baby in Spain, have a baby or toddler or two, then pop along and visit us ... we've got some great stuff for toddlers as well as for the babies and bumps! And don't forget all our products are British and International and also many are Organic ... plus we're the sole suppliers of many great brands, so if you are pregnant or have a baby in Spain this is a great opportunity to see some different products to those in the high street shops and department stores ...

Style N Beauty Show

Palacio de Congressos

Estepona

Saturday 25th and Sunday 26th October 2008

FREE ENTRANCE !!

For more details see www.stylenbeautyshow.com

Driving with a baby or toddler

What is it about having a baby that means your car suddenly resembles the inside of a nursery after a particularly messy party?


Now I was never obsessive about my car prior to having my daughter, but it was a nice peaceful driving haven, where I could listen to my CD's, enjoy my little journey's too and fro, occassionally with a drink or snack. When it came to cleaning it was always the outside that was dirty, occassionally I'd take a few things home that had taken up occupation on the front seat, but I barely registered the backseat was even there, and the boot was a nice tidy space for the dog and shopping bags.


Nowadays with a 23 month old accompanying me on every journey it's a different story. For some reason my car and particularly the back seat area seems permanently litered with crumbs, crisps, biscuits, cereals and even chips. It doesn't matter how often I clean them all out, more seem to appear the next day... they hide in the little spaces between the car seat and car and then taunt me by appearing every now and again!


Food aside, there is also now a constant stream of soft toys, books and jangily things taking up residence in my car. The windows are covered with sunshades and fun sticky on things and instead of listening to 'mummy's music' or 'mummy's radio' I am constantly instructed to play 'nursery rhymes' and believe me when you've listened to 'If you're happy and you know it' for your 55th car journey in a row, you are anything but!


As for the boot, the poor dog now shares his space with a pushchair, various pushchair accessories, rain and sun baby options, such as unbrella's, covers, blankets and mosquito nets ... you never know when you'll be caught out, and occasionally he has the shopping shoved in around him too ...


So it was with particular delight this week that I finally received the lastest Indybel goodies .... driving accessories!!


Since launching http://www.indybel.com/ in August, we've been waiting quite a while for these auto accessories to appear in our shop. We've had our eye on them right since the beginning but they have been out of stock until now. I first came across them last year when I was looking for a mirror to enable me to keep an eye on Bella in the back without turning round. I couldn't find one anywhere in Spain, so it struck me that this would be a perfect thing for Indybel to sell as our aim is to sell pregnancy and baby products that are not currently avaliable or are difficult to find here in Spain. I found my mirror on a trip to the UK. That was last November.


Since then it's been a permanent fixture in my car and is one of those gadget's that I've got so used to, I can't imagine life without it anymore, nor how I managed before buying it. Of course it's an important safety product too, as before I was turning around to face the back seat every few minutes, just to check Bella was ok, now all it takes is a quick glance in my mirror, so at Indybel we are delighted to finally be able to offer two driving mirrors to our customers in Spain. One for viewing forward facing babies and toddlers and one for viewing rear facing babies and toddlers ... particularly useful for those first few months. Both retail for very reasonable prices and are pretty much essential items.


Then there is the Stow n Go ... a fab product which is finally going to allow me to keep my car tidy! Hurrah! This is a back seat organiser and I can finally organise my car, putting all of Bella's drinks, snacks, books and toys into the various pockets. I have a feeling she is going to love this as it will also give her something to look at and study other than the back of my head! And of course older children can reach in and organise their stuff themselves.


Also in this fab out and about collection are comfy strap covers for irritating seat belt of pushchair straps, a great pushchair pouch for storing keys, phone and drinks etc ... and a security harness or reigns ... another product difficult to find here in Spain.




You can find all these fantastic baby and toddler driving, car and auto accessories at our Mums Essential store in the Out and About section at http://www.indybel.com/


So, if like you me, you are attempting to restore some tranquility back to your car ... go take a look!

http://www.indybel.com/ now stock baby and toddler driving mirrors, seat belt covers, seat storage and reigns.... all available in Spain from http://www.indybel.com/

The great weaning debate in Spain!

This week we recieved a new book into the Indybel Bookshop at our online store http://www.indybel.com/.
The book is Annabel Karmels fab new Baby and Toddler Feeding Guide and is a great introduction into they how, whys and whens of weaning. For those of you new to parenting, Annabel Karmel is a very well known and well respected baby and children's food writer in the UK. Her books are best sellers and she is well known for exciting and interesting puree's and seeing many a baby from their first spoon through to their first full meal.

Receiving the book bought back memories of my own weaning days with Bella. Here in Spain weaning is a bit of a controversial topic.
While in the UK it is usual for a baby to start weaning or solid foods at around 6 months, here in Spain the paediatricians often recommend weaning from as early as 4 months. I think it depends on the baby and their weight and their own development, but us British parents in Spain are often left confused as to when and how we should start weaning. I remember reading many a forum post on the topic and still wasn't sure when to start.
In the end I trusted my gut instinct. I didn't think Bella was ready when the doctor said and waited until I felt she was showing sufficient interest in food. Then I tried a few spoons of fruit and cereals. I also never put cereals in the bottle as is common practice over here ( but never done in the UK! ) and I also didn't rush in with the amounts suggested by the doctor at the beginning, but we took it at our own pace. I remembering feeling a bit guilty about this as at our monthy paediatrican appointments the doctor would ask, and is she eating beef? And is she eating turkey? And I'm afraid I would lie merrily, nodding my head, while all the while knowing my little one was eating no more than the odd spoon of fruits and vegetables.

Still we got through the transition to solids fine, on our own and in our own time and again I do think a mother's instinct for what her child needs is the best measure of what to do. During this period I did heavily rely on my Annabel Karmel book though. I took weaning very seriously and Annabel and I had many late nights together with my steamer/blending machine ( another great buy ) as I cooked up humungous amounts of different flavoured puree's, spooned them into little tubs, carefully labelled them and then deposited them in the freezer.

The next morning I would rush down and look in wonder at my little stash of frozen meals, and of course Bella loved them ... so thanks Annabel! These days we have graduated onto more substantial meals, and my days of puree making are over for now, but I will always look back on them fondly. Now and again I still do a big mash and veggie cook up and store it in the freezer for days when I need a quick food fix for Bella, and it always reminds me of my and Bella's weaning adventure ....

Annabel Karmels Baby and Toddler Food Diary is avaliable in Spain now from www.indybel.com
To order your copy simply visit our store ......

Pregnant in Spain .....

Finding out you are pregnant can be confusing enough, finding out you are pregnant in a country where you don't speak all of the language and where the medical and administrational systems are different to your country of origin ... well that can be downright scary!

This is what happened to me nearly 3 years ago. There i was pregnant in Spain and there was very little information availble in English to help me. Nowadays it's a different story, there is a lot of information around and a lot of help in English. There are English midwives, English mums sites and English mother and baby groups .... there are even a few English expectant mums groups. It's amazing how things have changed in the short space of just a few year

An example is two girls who have just launched a site for mumsabroad in Spain. Their site is great and packed with interviews, information and tips for mums living here in Spain or for those pregnant in Spain. They've been really supportive of http://www.indybel.com/ too and we are really grateful for all their good wishes. It's really nice to have the support of other mums in Spain as in many ways they are our customers! If mums who have been through the experience of giving birth in Spain think we are offering useful products then that's great!

Talking of useful products, this week we've had a rush on for our raspberry leaf tea. Our research shows that raspberry leaf tea is pretty much impossible to get hold of here in Spain and Indybel are one of the few companies who sell it, so it's great that people who need it are starting to find it through us. Someone asked me today what it does, well it relaxes the uterus, making the birthing process easier and is very highly recommended by midwives during the last few months of pregnancy. To find out more just visit our site http://www.indybel.com/ and take a look at either the pregnancy or organic stores ....

Well to all your expectant mums who have just found out you are pregnant in Spain ... congratulations! Don't forget to pop along to http://www.indybel.com/ for all your pregnancy and baby goodies ... we've got a great special offers on this autumn too ... our lovely bambino merino baby sleeping bags are reduced ... but just for October ... so grab your mouse and start clicking right now!!!!

ARTICLE Natural Nappies in Spain ....

Imse Vimse Natural Nappies
(also known as real nappies, washable nappies, reusable nappies )
Sold in Spain at http://www.indybel.com/


From the beginning Lesley was passionate about selling natural nappies at Indybel.
Personally I could take or leave natural nappies. Call them what you like, reusable nappies, natural nappies, recyclable nappies, washable nappies, real nappies ... it all sounded like a lot of uneccesary work to me, and I had vague memories of seeing 1970's mothers on TV washing a lot of nappies in buckets and hanging them out to dry!

Once we started to research the natural nappies avaliable on today's market though, I have to say that I have had my eyes well and truely opened! These nappies aren't hard work, they are hygenic, easy to wash and compact. They don't come with dangerous pin's and waterproof sacks, they are comfy and cosy and all in one and usually fasten with buttons or velcro. They are washed in their own little net and look fab. So it seem's I am a natural nappy convert and yes when I do have another baby in Spain I will be using natural or washable or reusable nappies!
We reaserched a lot of brands and eventually decided on Imse Vimse which are a really great and comfortable nappy. We are selling these in Spain with flushable wipes and biodegradable liners.

And I have to say that it's not just about how they look or feel for your baby. Using washable nappies can save you a lot of money. Yes there is an inital outlay and it's pretty big, but bear in mind you won't be buying packets of disposables every week ... so if you tot up what you might spend on disposables over a 2 or 3 year period, you will be rather suprised to find that natural nappies are a much more viable and economic alternative. Plus of course you will be helping to reduce your familes carbon footprint.

But I'm not the expert, so here's a great article Lesley wrote about natural nappies for our site, http://www.indybel.com/

Real Nappies

Why!

Generally babies need nappies for the first two and a half years of their life therefore, the average baby uses 4.16 nappies per day or 3,796 nappies per baby for two and a half years. This equates to 8 million nappies each day in the UK alone being disposed of in landfill sites! As you can see the scale of the nappy problem is a huge one as environmentalists estimate that it takes between 200-500 years for a disposable nappy to decompose. The toxicity from the mix of chemicals used in producing disposable nappies is a hazard with harmful consequences both to humans and the environment.
Many parents these days are considering using real nappies often alongside disposables. Both have benefits and often a combination of the two makes for a happier mother, baby and planet. Remember the days of safety pins are long gone!

How to choose which nappy system is best for you

Flat nappies are rectangular pieces of cotton folded different ways for either a boy or a girl. Generally this is the traditional style nappy and less common.

Shaped Nappies are ready prefolded and often come in one size from birth to potty and can be adjusted to accommodate the babies size and weight. Normally fastened with Velcro or poppers and can be kept in place with an outer wrap.

All-In-Ones are shaped nappies with a waterproof outer wrap already attatched, you only need insert a throwaway liner. The lifespan of this type of nappy is shorter as you have to wash the whole thing and they do take longer to dry.

Wraps-terries, shaped nappies and prefolds are made from absorbent cotton but they all need a waterproof layer. They come in a variety of organic cotton, regular cotton, bamboo and are waterproof and breathable. It is possible to buy less wraps than nappies as they only need to be washed once soiled.

Do I need anything else?

Liners take liquid away from the baby’s skin but hold onto solids and are worn next to the baby’s skin inside the nappy. Liners come in many varieties including bio- degradable and can be flushed down the toilet. You can also buy reusables which you can wash with the nappies but first you need to flush the solid waste down the toilet.
A bucket with a lid is a useful buy for storing the used nappies. We suggest you place a laundry bag inside this as this can be transferred to the washing machine with the nappies inside.

Of course washing powder is required as is a sanitizer as this reduces the need for boil washing or soaking. A few drops of essential oil of tee tree helps to prevent any odours.

How many do I need?

This depends on how often you want to wash but generally a minimum of 12 nappies and three wraps is recommended if you are combining with disposables although up to 20 is best if only using real. Perhaps in the early days it may be worth having a couple of extra wraps.

Are They Convenient?

Real nappies are a lot easier to use than you think. The internet is a great place for any further information if you are at all uncertain of the benefits of using reusables. Realistically, often when out and about it’s not always easy to carry around used nappies. Perhaps it’s worth checking if your little one is in nursery if the centre is happy to use real nappies in which case it may be worth considering a combination of the two both disposables and reusables. At the end of the day it really is whatever works best for you with reusables greatly reducing landfill rubbish therefore saving you money and saving the planet!

The Real v Diposables Debate

There are some further ways to reduce the environmental impact of using increased water and electricity by using reusable nappies. These include:
Using an A rated (energy efficient) washing machine
Washing at a lower temperature
Air drying instead of tumble drying
Use an ecological detergent
Use organic products, produce in a more beneficial way to the environment
Reuse nappies with another baby, or swap/sell them

Not just a playpen!

Buy the BabyDan Playpen in Spain at www.indybel.com

Today it is with a heavy heart that we finally acknowledge that our daughter is beginning to grow out of her playpen and that maybe soon we will have to consider moving it out of our lounge and into the garage for storage or to another area of the house.

Ok, so you might find it strange that we are so attached to what is essentially a playpen ... but this is not just any playpen!! Aside from the fact that this playpen also doubles up as stair gate, room divider and fire guard, it was for me the inspiration for our business http://www.indybel.com/ and therefore has a special place in our company history.

The playpen is known by many names on the market, the BabyDan Playden, the BabyDan den, The Baby Dan Playpen or Playden, the Baby Dan and so on ... whatever you want to call it, it's still a great invention.

When just over a year ago we decided to purchase a playpen for our little girl, we never realised it would be so difficult to find a playpen here in Spain. Playpen's do of course exist in Spain but these days they tend to be of the travel cot kind and we really wanted a playpen with bars ... could we find one in Spain? No we couldn't. Firstly we tried the local Spanish baby shops ... yes they had the travel cot style playpens but quite frankly we didn't want one of those stuck in the middle of the lounge and it's also more difficult for baby to see out. We tried Spanish internet shops with no luck and the big chains ... but nothing. So we turned our attention to the UK and sure enough there was the lovely BabyDan playpen in catalogues, on the net, everywhere ... but could anyone deliver to Spain ... not that I found unfortunatly.

So in the end my parent's purchased it in the UK and bought it over on the aeroplane. And it's sat pride of place in our living room ever since. It's stylish and sleek and looks great. It's a handy area for keeping all the toys and most of all our daughter loves it .... she's more than happy to spend a good half hour in there in the morning with her toys, milk and the TV and dog for company in the background, while I am able to pop upstairs to dress, make the bed and do my hair. Bliss!!!!

So what has this to do with our buisness? Well back then it was just one more item that you couldn't find here in Spain and I also knew many other mums in Spain were looking for BabyDan style play pen's ... so we sourced the distributor and the BabyDan playpen became one of Indybel's very first products ... and we are delighted to be selling the BabyDan playpen or playden if you like, here in Spain.

To see it for yourself check it out at http://www.indybel.com/product.php?productid=25&cat=0&page=1&featured We sell two types of pen, both fab and both come in a range of colours.

Sadly our little girl doesn't really need containing for her own safety anymore so it's probably time to get our old armchair back, but I'm so reluctant to let our lovely playpen go that I'm sure we can get some use out of it as an extra stair gate or room divider for a while .... will keep you posted!