Author: Sarah

I am well on my way to becoming a barrister, and hope that one day my little munchkin will follow in my footsteps! I'm also a wife to a Grenadier Guard dealing with army life, and I write letters to Olivia as well as writing for the amazing blog we run over at www.mummykind.com

Mummykind’s December (and 2019) Top 5

Here it is! The final one of 2019! So as well as just a roundup for this month, we’ve done a roundup for the whole year.

Top 5 Blog Posts in December

Top 9 Blog Posts in 2019

  1. Planning a Moana themed party
  2. Getting your toddler through a cold
  3. Collecting colostrum during pregnancy
  4. Ideas for your paper anniversary
  5. Post-partum haemorrhage
  6. Sarah’s birth story
  7. I refuse to be ashamed about my miscarriage
  8. Recognising the signs of sepsis
  9. How I use my bullet journal to get my parenting shit together

Top 9 Instagram Posts of 2019

And, just because it’s easier and prettier, here are our Top 9 instagram posts of this year!

Personal Top 5s from 2019

As it’s the end of the year and it’s always good to focus on the positive things… here is a personal Top 5 from each of us!

Sarah

  1. Got pupillage!
  2. Managed Christmas alone with Olivia while Jamie is away in the Falklands
  3. Went to New York in April
  4. Got her first car after passing her driving test last year, OH THE FREEDOM!
  5. Went to see Frozen 2 with Olivia… 4 times…

Amy

  1. Went on holiday to New York
  2. Got Mummykind featured on BBC South East Today and inspired lots of mummies across Kent and East Sussex with her story about Postpartum Psychosis
  3. Oliver began interaction therapy for his ASD and is even saying some words now!
  4. Felt more empowered than ever as a single mum
  5. Started learning to drive

Paige

  1. Made an effort to be more present with friends and family, which meant spending less time on her phone or online
  2. Spent a long weekend camping with her church family
  3. Prioritised her mental health, especially avoiding eating disorder triggers
  4. Made more time to plan date nights with her husband!
  5. Finally got answers and diagnoses for lots of medical problems that have long been an issue

Charlie

  1. Had a beautiful baby boy!
  2. Went on holiday to Norway
  3. Got engaged!!
  4. Got promoted at work to a specialist vulnerable women’s worker
  5. Had a mini break at the New Forest

Maria

  1. Had a beautiful baby girl!
  2. Maria’s son started school this year
  3. Received an environmental award
  4. Started a new business – South East Reusables CIC

Harriet

  1. Started an Open University course in Psychology
  2. Got a 1st class mark in her first university assignment!
  3. Went on holiday to France with her family
  4. Celebrated 6 years suicide attempt and self-injury free
  5. Had her first plus size modelling gig

Top 5 Other Blogposts we LOVED

  1. Preemie Parents – Guilty as charged
  2. Advice from a Twenty Something – 7 ways to take care of you this holiday season
  3. Confessions of an Irish Mammy – When the bin truck comes early
  4. Counting to Ten – Christmas with my family
  5. Mama Castle Writes – Embrace the motherhood

Mummykind’s November Top 5

Wow – November is over already! Where has the year gone? It’s very nearly, dare I say it?, CHRISTMAS! I’m not sure whether we will continue our round up posts next year – what do you all think?

Top 5 Blog Posts

This post from Maria is number 1 this month!

I guess we know what everyone’s kids have been suffering with since the wintery weather came along!

This one from Sarah is still up there in the top 5! I guess it’s still Summer somewhere…

With the release of Frozen 2 we may need to plan a Frozen themed party to suit those winter birthdays!

We’d love to know if anyone has tried this during their pregnancy as recommended by Maria – get in touch!

This post is up at number 3 this month.

We must have had a few readers looking for gift ideas this month! I’m sure that many of these gift ideas for your paper anniversary could also be appropriate as Christmas gifts for your other half!

This one from Sarah is up at number 4 this month.

Last but not least, at number 5 we have Sarah’s birth story making a comeback!

Keep an eye out for Maria’s new birth story post all about baby no.2!

Top 5 Things we did

  1. Sarah took Kiera to see Little Mix at the O2 Arena in London! Coincidentally, Amy also went to see them the day before. Everyone had an amazing time and came away feeling so empowered. #GRLPWR anyone?
  2. Maria applied for funding to expand her nappy library – keep your eyes peeled for more developments!
  3. Harriet & Florence and Charlie, Immy & Leon all went to Little Street together and had a lovely time
  4. Harriet got a 1st in her first university assignment – we’re all so proud of her!
  5. Maria and her husband celebrated 8 years together – CONGRATULATIONS GUYS!

Top 5 Other Blogposts we LOVED

  1. Tales From Mamaville – The importance of mental health as a mother
  2. Rainbows Are Too Beautiful – An Elf on the Shelf for our autistic kids
  3. Vikalinka – White Christmas Truffle Cake Recipe
  4. Easy Mommy Life – 10 phrases to use when your toddler doesn’t listen
  5. A Moment With Franca – 12 Family Movie Nights Advent Calendar

What have you been up to this month?

Military Children – The World They Live In

Adapting to change is something we all struggle with, and we all know how change (and lots of it) can disrupt children and affect their wellbeing.

Military children are inspiring.

We waved goodbye to Daddy in our house for the 2nd time in 2 years. Last year, she had her 2nd birthday a month into his deployment and was barely aware that he was going. When she asked, I told her Daddy was at work (or on holiday!), but with little concept of time at that age, she didn’t know when he was coming back. That was probably made all the more confusing when his tour was extended, and he returned for 2 weeks R&R in the middle of it before heading back out to finish the tour off.

This time is different. It’s a much shorter tour for a start (just shy of 3 months as opposed to 8), and Olivia is older now. She’s 3.5 years old and much more aware that Daddy has gone away to work for a while.

It’s something she’s used to, though more from me being away at work than Daddy. In fact, she is used to both of us working long and unusual hours, having little routine in terms of who will be picking her up from the childminder, or who will be tucking her into to bed.

She takes it all in her stride, only occasionally being upset that either Mummy or Daddy aren’t around when she wants us. I am so immensely proud of how well she manages all of that change at such a small age. I suppose the big, independent and fierce personality (that she was destined to inherit from me and her Nanny) probably has a lot to do with it!

The other home truth about military families is that, usually, when one parent goes way, the other one is around to do everything. If they work, it’s part-time or in school hours or a normal job with normal dependable hours. The army mantra is still very much set back in the 1950s, expecting the ‘wives’ to do everything when it comes to childcare or managing a home. I’m not sure how this equates when the serving member is a woman with a husband at home, but, in our situation, Olivia is a bit of an anomaly in that respect. When Daddy is here, it’s him doing the majority of the home life, but in reality, neither of us are dependable because either of us could be away at the drop of a hat.

She didn’t choose this life, and no military children do, no military spouses do either, for that matter! We’re all lumped with it and have to make the best of it. But our children are certainly the most incredible little people, managing the change so well and with few complaints along the way.

Their voices are rarely heard. Spouses often feel overlooked when it comes to the respect and awe that their service member receives for ‘what they do’, because the people left behind dealing with the everyday are forgotten. If the spouses feel that way, imagine how the children must feel. Especially those like Olivia who are too young to really understand where Mummy/Daddy is other than ‘at work’ and wondering how long it will be until they’re back.

The cake we baked for Daddy after his last deployment!

Unfortunately for Olivia she has even more change to come. There is no support at all for military families needing childcare while one spouse is deployed, and so Olivia will be spending the weekdays with Nanny for the next 3 months so that I can carry on going to work.

Military life is so incredibly frustrating, and definitely better suited to single people who want to travel the world! Our family of four became two, and is soon to become one, whilst we wait for Daddy (and Kiera with him) to come back home.

I’m so proud of our ‘pad rats’ for adapting so well to everything that’s been thrown at them. But we certainly cannot wait to have Daddy back home!!!

Are you a military family? What’s your experience of military life?

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Mummykind’s October Top 5

Another late one! Whoops! We are still here (I promise), but all dealing with our lives and their respective complications!

I’ll try and be on time for November’s post!

Top 5 Blog Posts

Top 5 Instagram Posts

https://www.instagram.com/p/B31UzvCFRsp/

Top 5 Things we did

  1. The new Mummykind babies celebrated their first Halloweens!
  2. Paige celebrated her 3rd wedding anniversary
  3. Florence and Harriet stayed at the zoo! Read her review here
  4. Sarah celebrated her 2nd wedding anniversary
  5. Harriet started her degree with the Open Uni! Good luck Harriet, we are all behind you and know you are going to smash this!

Top 5 Other Blogposts we LOVED

  1. Soldier’s Wife Crazy Life – The Independent Dependents
  2. Claire Justine – 17 Tasty Pumpkin Recipes
  3. Morgan’s Milieu – 9 Self Care Activities you can do in 10 Minutes
  4. Rainbows Are Too Beautiful – Autism is like a Courtesy Car
  5. Catholic Mom Journey – My NICU Story

Mental Health Monday: Keeping up Appearances

Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex, has been interviewed by ITV news recently and shared the stark reality of her feelings when she became a new wife and mother.

The thing is, how many of us recognise that look in her eyes? I’d be willing to bet we all do in one way or another.

But as she says, nobody has really asked her how SHE was doing. She’s been keeping up appearances, looking so incredibly strong on the outside, that it probably never occurred to anyone that she might not be feeling that way on the inside.

How many of us are guilting of doing that, too?

How many of us have a picture just like this one? Smiling and happy on the outside, but actually suffering a lot more than people would realise?

When you have a baby, you’re “someone’s mum”, and all of a sudden everyone is concerned with the new baby, how they’re doing, if they’re okay. It’s a lot less often that anyone is concerned with how YOU are doing, and if YOU are okay. It’s so easy to lose sight of the fact that you are your own person, especially in Meghan’s case, where she has the entire world watching her through the eyes of the press. I felt lonely and isolated enough after having a baby, that I cannot imagine how it must feel for her.

I recently had the strange experience of actually having some time off work, and decided, for once, to treat myself. I took care of ME for once, invested in myself a little bit, and felt so much better for it.

It’s important to remember that every “new mum” is still a person in their own right. It’s important to remember that YOU are still YOU, not just “so and so’s mum”, no matter how many people call you that.

Meghan, thank you so much for being honest about how you’re feeling. Being a parent is so hard, but if you’re only ever told how amazing it is, so that you’re never fully prepared for when it isn’t so amazing all of the time.

I don’t think I’m alone in being in awe of how inspiring a woman Meghan is, all the more so for this honest and frank interview. But there are SO many other mums in the UK and abroad just like her, feeling like things aren’t really okay.

Rosey (@PNDandME on Twitter) is also one heck of an inspiring lady, working so hard every day to make sure parental mental health is taken seriously, and providing an amazing support network for new mums and dads who are suffering with their mental health. I 100% recommend her weekly twitter chat #PNDHour on Wednesdays at 8pm if you feel like you’re alone and could do with a supportive network of people around.

If you are reading this and could do with some extra support, check out these online resources to access help with mental illness:

  1. http://www.pandasfoundation.org.uk
  2. http://www.samaritans.org/
  3. http://www.papyrus-uk.org/
  4. https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/4WLs5NlwrySXJR2n8Snszdg/emotional-distress-information-and-support
  5. https://www.nhs.uk/using-the-nhs/nhs-services/mental-health-services/how-to-access-mental-health-services

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Perfect Weaning Recipes for Busy Mums

When you start to wean your baby, the last thing you want to do is prep separate meals for the whole family.

The best kinds of meals are going to be ones that you can batch cook, and have plenty leftover to make up baby sized portions and that freeze easily!

When I started weaning Olivia, I still suffered with anxiety and had a particular fear around her choking. So baby led weaning didn’t work out for us very well at first. Instead, I prepped lots of (pescetarian) meals for her and blended them up.

These are my top meals (and quick recipes) that I used a lot while weaning Olivia onto solid food!

  1. FISH PIE
  2. BOLOGNESE
  3. LASAGNE
  4. PASTA BAKE
  5. LEEK AND POTATO SOUP

Fish Pie

Ingredients:

  • Frozen White Fish Fillets x 6
  • Frozen Haddock Fillets x 4
  • Peas
  • Plain Flour (25g)
  • Butter (25g)
  • Milk (1 pint)
  • Cheese
  • Baking Potatoes x 3
  • Chives
  • Black Pepper
  • Parsley
  1. Pre-heat the oven to gas mark 6 / 200 degrees C.
  2. Chop the potatoes and place them in a pan. Add boiling water to bring the potatoes to the boil and keep them on a medium heat. Stir regularly.
  3. In another pan, add the butter and flour. As the butter melts, whisk the butter and flour together to make a roux.
  4. Add a little milk at a time, whisking the roux into the milk. Whisk out any lumps and continue until you have used all of the milk to create the sauce. Do not let the sauce settle for too long.
  5. Sear the haddock and white fish fillets in a frying pan and remove the skin from the back of the fillets.
  6. Add cheese to the sauce and continue stirring. Add as much as you want for however cheesy you want your sauce to be!
  7. Add the fish and 2 cups full of garden peas to the sauce and stir regularly.
  8. Now add your herbs to the sauce. If you’re using ready chopped herbs, you need a pinch of black pepper, about a teaspoon of parsley, and a teaspoon and a half of chives.
  9. By now your potatoes should be soft enough to mash. Drain the water, and mash them using a splash of milk and a dash of butter.
  10. Pour the sauce, fish and peas into an oven dish.
  11. Gently scoop out the mash and spread it over the saucy layer into the oven dish. Use a fork to spread the mash so that it covers the dish evenly.
  12. Add more cheese to the top and put it in the oven for 20 minutes, or until the cheese has melted and browned.

This can easily make 6 portions, and is very easy to blend thanks to the sauce!

Slow Cooker Spaghetti Bolognese

Ingredients:

  • Mince / Quorn Mince (500g)
  • Chopped Tomatoes (2 tins)
  • Carrots
  • Brown Onion
  • Garlic (2 cloves)
  • Cheese
  • Spaghetti
  • Tomato Puree
  • Black Pepper
  • Basil
  1. Put a little bit of oil in the bottom of your slow cooker and turn the heat onto low.
  2. Peel and chop the onion and add that to the slow cooker.
  3. Crush the garlic and add to the slow cooker.
  4. Add the mince/quorn mince and chopped tomatoes.
  5. Stir the pot thoroughly.
  6. Peel and chop the carrots and add to the slow cooker.
  7. Add some tomato puree and stir the pot again.
  8. Add your herbs and stir again.
  9. Now you can leave your pot and come back to it later. I don’t tend to leave it more than 4 hours, even on a low heat, without stirring!
  10. About 10 minutes before you want to serve dinner, boil enough spaghetti for all of you. Then drain once cooked.
  11. Grate your cheese (cheddar or parmesan).
  12. Plate up and garnish with your cheese on top! The leftovers can be blended up for baby to enjoy with you, and are easy to freeze.

Lasagne

Ingredients:

  • Mince / Quorn Mince (500g)
  • Chopped Tomatoes (2 tins)
  • Aubergine x 1
  • Courgette x 2
  • Brown Onion
  • Garlic (2 cloves)
  • Cheese
  • Lasagne Sheets
  • Tomato Puree
  • Black Pepper
  • Basil
  • Easy Mix Béchamel Sauce / Ready Made White Lasagne Sauce
  1. Pre-heat the oven to gas mark 6 / 200 degrees C.
  2. If you need to prepare your Béchamel sauce, do that now.
  3. Put a little bit of oil into a frying pan and turn the heat onto low.
  4. Peel and chop the onion and add that to the pan. Stir until the onion starts to go transparent.
  5. Crush the garlic and add to the pan.
  6. Brown the mince/quorn mince and then add chopped tomatoes and stir.
  7. Stir the pot thoroughly.
  8. Chop the aubergine and courgettes and add to the mixture.
  9. Add some tomato puree and your herbs and stir again.
  10. Leave the pan to simmer while you pre-boil your lasagne sheets.
  11. Lay as many lasagne sheets as required on the bottom of your oven dish, then pour about half of your lasagne on top.
  12. Pour some of your Béchamel / White Lasagne Sauce over the lasagne.
  13. Repeat no. 11
  14. Top off your lasagne with more lasagne sheets, and the rest of your Béchamel / White Lasagne Sauce.
  15. Grate your cheese (cheddar or parmesan) and sprinkle it over the top of your lasagne.
  16. Cook for 30 minutes or until the cheese has all melted and begins to brown.
  17. Plate up – the leftovers can be blended up for baby to enjoy with you, or for you to have on another rainy day.

Pasta Bake

Ingredients:

  • Fusilli Pasta
  • Chopped Tomatoes (1 tin)
  • Tinned Tuna Chunks
  • Cheese
  • Tomato Puree
  • Garlic Puree
  • Basil
  • Oregano
  • Sweetcorn
  1. Pre-heat the oven to gas mark 6 / 200 degrees C.
  2. Boil enough pasta to fill your oven dish when cooked. Remember that pasta doubles in size when cooked, so don’t do too much!
  3. Drain your pasta and put it back in the pan. Add your tomatoes, tuna and sweetcorn. Depending on how much pasta you’re making, you may need more than 1 tin of chopped tomatoes.
  4. Stir the pot and add your purees.
  5. Grate some cheese. Add about half to your pot and continue stirring.
  6. Now add your herbs and stir thoroughly before you pour the pasta into an oven dish.
  7. If you’re not making baby a portion, add some crunched up crisps to the top of the pasta to make it nice and crunchy once baked. If you are making a baby portion, it’s probably best to just sprinkle the rest of the cheese on top.
  8. Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes.
  9. Plate it up and blend/keep the rest for baby! Pasta is a great weaning food because it’s soft and easy for little ones to pick up with their hands.

Leek and Potato Soup

This one is one of my all time favourite recipes, so I’ve blogged it before! Check it out here.

This one is also great fun for babies because

  1. it’s already blended
  2. they get to munch on bread and butter with it

What are your favourite weaning recipes for your tots? Have you used any of these ones before?

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Introducing a pet to your family home…

After more than a year of threatening to wait until Daddy is away and bringing home a cat, Olivia and I finally managed to talk Daddy into letting us get one! I think he knew I was starting to get very serious about just moving one in while he was out one day…

So, off we went to our local RSPCA centre and found ourselves a lovely pet cat.

Meet Shadow:

Shadow is a black Domestic Shorthair cat, and she only has 3 legs!

When you adopt from the RSPCA you have to have a home visit from RSPCA staff. Ours came and went quite quickly and gave us a pack of helpful information and advice when introducing a pet to your home. It included tips like:

  • Isolate your cat to one room at first
  • Make a cat friendly room with a scratching post, their food and litter tray, and somewhere they can get up high
  • Keep their diet the same as what they’ve been eating in the RSPCA centre
  • Keep them indoors for 4 weeks

When we went to collect her, she came with her blanket and toys in order to help her settle. We were also given another pack of helpful information, and the RSPCA gave us 4 weeks free pet insurance, which was one less thing to worry about!

We moved her in and she was a bit nervous at first, but she has gotten used to Olivia’s pestering now.

Olivia was so excited to have a pet cat that she would not leave her alone (and she still doesn’t 2 months later). It was important for us to get a cat that was friendly with children, and Shadow was perfect – so chilled out, and a little older as well so she wouldn’t get too excitable around Olivia. She’s 7 in human years, which I think is around 44 in cat years, but she still has a lot of life left in her!

It’s also been really helpful having friends with cats to ask advice about things. For example, did you know that cats eat grass to help their digestion? Well, I didn’t! I am planning on getting her some cat grass that we can have in pots in the house, as Shadow mostly stays indoors.

What else have you found to help your pets settle in the first few months?

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Mummykind’s September Top 5

Sorry this is so late! It’s been a busy month for all of us and we’re all a combination of exhausted, delirious and happy at the same time!

So here it is… our Top 5 from September:

Top 5 Blog Posts

Top 5 Instagram Posts

Top 5 Things we did

  1. Charlie had her baby boy! Welcome to the world Baby Leon. Mummy and Baby are doing very well.
  2. Imogen not only became a big sister but also had her birthday this month! Lots of celebrations for Charlie and family.
  3. Amy had her tonsillectomy, and unfortunately managed to get an infection! She’s feeling much better now. Speaking of infections, Harriet and Paige also suffered a bit this month! They both had 2 kidney infections but are on the mend.
  4. Maria’s little boy started Reception in school (HOW DID THAT HAPPEN?!) He has settled in really well and his favourite lesson is Maths.
  5. Maria’s baby girl has been diagnosed with CMPA like her big brother. Maria has had to change her diet to carry on breastfeeding but it’s going well and the little one is so happy she did her first smiles!

Top 5 Photos this month

Maria’s little man in his awesome school uniform!
Sarah went on a trip to Hull to visit her grandparents with Olivia – here they are all smiling and happy at Yorkshire Wildlife Park!
Olivia and her friends at playgroup doing each other’s hair
Maria’s smiley baby girl!
Charlie and her new bundle of joy! Photo taken by new big sister, Immy!

Top 5 Other Blogposts we LOVED

  1. Rainbows Are Too Beautiful – How Autism is Like a Courtesy Car
  2. Morgan’s Milieu – How to Play with Your Kids When You Don’t Like to Play
  3. This Glorious Life – Screen-Free Ideas to Keep the Kids Happy and Entertained
  4. The Desperate Housewife – Why I am the Mum who Wears Make-Up Every Day
  5. Confessions of an Irish Mammy – The 10 Stages of a Hangover with Kids

Are daddies better than mummies?

We’ve all been there…

Your toddler is, quite frankly, being a bit of an arse. Whether they’re having a full blown tantrum or simply need an attitude adjustment, there comes a point where they’ll say those words: “I want Daddy”.

The last 3 weeks of Olivia’s life have been “I want Daddy”. She even told me she hates me, and constantly tells me “Daddy’s the favourite” or “I love Daddy, not Mummy”. I know she’s only 3, but it kinda hurts.

I’ve started feeling a bit bitter, which I think is no surprise, given that I carried her for 9 months, gave life to her, altered the appearance and functionality of my reproductive organs, abdomen, vagina, boobs, the works, all to bring something into the world that was only going to grow up to hate me.

It grates on me, just a tad.

Of course, she’s 3. So, she doesn’t know that I feel bitter. She thinks she’s being funny, or maybe she just actually does prefer Daddy when she comes out with it in the middle of screaming at me.

Is Daddy better than me? He’s the classic, laid back, fun Daddy. I’m the classic, mean Mummy. It’s frustrating, right?

The thing is, our toddlers do this because they love us so much. Sounds like a cop out, but it’s not. It’s actually a really good thing that they feel so comfortable to push those boundaries with us, because they know that we will always love them unconditionally.

So if you’re noticing that your little one is misbehaving for you and not for daddy, just remind yourself (and him, smugly) that it’s because they love you more!

And remember that it’s okay if they make you feel like poop for a while, because those tantrums are physically and emotionally draining to deal with! Just try not to take it to heart (easier said than done, I know).

How do you cope with toddler tantrums? Do your toddlers have a “favourite” parent?

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A great day for dinosaur lovers – York Maze review…

Olivia and I have just returned home from a lovely long weekend visiting our family in Yorkshire.

Living in army quarters roughly 200 miles away, and being ridiculously busy with work all the time, means I don’t get to see them as often as I would like, but we did manage a solid 4 days of visiting! As it doesn’t happen very often, we ended up being very, very busy and visiting lots of different places (so expect to see a couple of reviews in the next few weeks!) It became a little mini holiday for us which was really lovely, and I had some precious quality time with Olivia, too.

One of the places we went to was York Maze. We spent about 4 hours there in total as there was so much to do, but some little legs got the better of us. Never have I done so many piggy backs before this weekend! I will probably regret ever demonstrating what a piggy back is, I am sure…

What is York Maze?

It’s a fantastic, fun-filled day out that caters to the entire family. Although I only went with Olivia, who is 3, we could easily have had just as much fun if 9 year old Kiera was with us too.

It isn’t just a maze, but they mazes (plural) are of course the main attractions. Over the years, the maze has been shaped into a number of different characters/features from films/television, including Star Wars, Jurassic Park and Harry Potter. This year, the main maze was Lion King themed. You have 6 checkpoints to get to and answer some themed questions to get the magic word for the end of the maze. Olivia enjoyed shouting the secret word very loudly so that everyone could hear her!

On top of the main maze, there is also a separate Jurassic Park themed maze with 8 dinosaurs inside. Olivia insisted on stroking them all… but on the up side she was also able to name all but one! The spinosaurus evaded us, but there was a helpful list on the way back out naming them all so that you can see if you got them right!

The Jurassic Park maze is much smaller, but the classic theme tune can be heard throughout, and it’s great fun finding the dinosaurs. For my little dino lover, this was perfect!

Is it just a maze?

No, there are so many activities at York Maze aside from just the mazes, which is how we ended up spending so much time there.

As well as the maze, they have a sweetcorn themed obstacle course (which Olivia and I smashed) and meet and greets with the animals. You can hold a snake or a creepy crawly and the owls and reptiles are out for you to meet, too.

Is there much for little ones to do?

Yes! Olivia loved jumping on the popcorn pillow which had split sessions for little ones to jump together without the big kids. That worked really well and was much nicer for the children (and parents) not to worry about any big kids hurting the smaller ones by accident.

What can the big kids do?

There’s a lot of things for the bigger children to get stuck into, too! As well as all of the other activities, there’s a rock climbing wall and an adventure play park that’s suitable for big and little children.

The quiz in the main maze is probably more geared towards older children too, although Olivia still managed to have lots of fun!

Have you ever been to York Maze? Let us know what theme the maze was and whether you enjoyed it!

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