Our Balham store is ready for summer

Our lovely Balham store is our 13^th in London – perhaps an unlucky number for some – but we love being in this thriving part of the capital. Balham is a fantastic place for a spot of retail therapy and is home to high street favourites and independent boutiques, as well as a variety of restaurants, cafes and supermarkets. The area has been subject to recent investment which has really helped transform the town centre into a bustling hub which attracts visitors from all over London.

Balham is a bustling hub of activity in South London - a perfect place for JoJo

(photo credit: www.londonist.com)

Just like all our stores, you’ll find everything you need to take you from pregnancy through to pre-school, including gorgeous clothes for mothers-to-be and babies, nursery products, toys and gifts. All members of the family are welcome at our Balham store, with baby changing facilities available, as well as a colouring table to keep your little ones occupied while you browse.

The gorgeously spacious Balham store is perfect for buggies

You'll find everything you need from pregnancy to pre-school

If you’re planning on visiting the Balham store soon, do’t forget to print out a voucher for our exclusive monthly store offer. Bring it with you to claim a free gift when you spend £25 or more. We look forward to visiting you in store soon.

You can find us at: 39 Bedford Hill, London, SW12 9EY

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The BabyBjorn potty arrived and we made a big deal of opening it (with Oscar worthy acting of over excitement!).  He loved the blue colour and the fact it had a teddy bear on the front.  It is more of a potty chair than just a little potty and this has really helped him – we have even been referring to it as ‘Dominic’s throne’.

After a little coaxing, he happily sat on the potty (firstly fully clothed). The high back really supports him and I think he feels a lot more comfortable and secure sitting on it than the other one.  It is not as low as the other potty so is much easier to get on and off of and the rubber grips stop it sliding on the bathroom floor.  I think he probably also likes the fact it is like a mini toilet!  Dom is quite a book worm so I am sure we can get him reading his toilet training books whilst happily waiting for some action…..

We are still yet to actually see anything ‘delivered’ into the potty but every night before bathtime he will happily sit on it – which, trust me, is big progress!

This is a really nice looking potty that offers comfort and security to little ones with the added bonus of being able to remove the middle insert to tip the contents away and clean.

It is too big to pack away and take out for the day, but I will happily use a travel potty as we all love this one so much at home.

A great product.

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This came to the fore when my son was about 17 months and we had enjoyed a long and happy afternoon with fellow NCT mums, watching the babies playing and chatting about anything that popped into our heads (usually along the grounds of ‘my baby is doing this weird thing, anyone else?’). One mum had started using cutlery with her baby and we had a little (fairly messy!) demo and I went home and excitedly told my husband that I thought Charlie would be ready for ‘big kid’ cutlery. Several months earlier I had bought everything I needed (JoJo sell a gorgeous collection of the Very Hungry Caterpillar cutlery set with matching plate, bowl and cup). It has to be said that my husband was sceptical, but I was gung-ho and ready for cutlery action.

Charlie and I didn’t get off to the best start. My son was extremely mystified as to why I was giving him the spoon and so for the first few meal times we just played the extremely fun (for him, not me) game of ‘drop the spoon and make mummy pick it up’ (with my other half silently smirking in the background, and saying ‘not saying a word’ with hands up in front of him when I would glower in his direction). We then graduated, after lots of over emphatic eating from spoon demonstrations, to where Charlie would use a spoon but get the food in his hair or nose or eye (he wasn’t fussy).

Next step was fierce possession of his spoon (with random dropping on the floor, just to keep me on my toes). It got to the point where I had six spoons for one meal time as I found it handy to have one myself, one for him and several for the floor.

Anyway, we survived the experience and now we are approaching his second birthday and he can use a spoon and fork very well. We have yet to graduate to a knife, but we’re in no rush.

Here are a few handy hints to help new parents in the cutlery challenge:

• As with all things with food and weaning, introducing cutlery should be fun and they should be allowed to experiment with it. It takes the stress out for the parents, if you are prepared, so a splash mat and picking a convenient time of day to get mucky is a good plan.
• Don’t feel you need to introduce cutlery for your baby to use at every meal. I found it great to give him his own spoon at the evening meal, as he could make as much mess as he wanted and then I’d plonk him in the bath.
• Certain foods are much easier to eat with cutlery than others. Weetabix, porridge, and yoghurt are all foods that stick well to the spoon, whereas soup can be very frustrating. Pasta twirls are great when using a fork and cutting your baby’s food up into stab-able pieces makes it much less frustrating. I also often pre-speared his food, if he wasn’t finding it easy.
• As I mentioned earlier, having plenty of spoons on hand is great and make sure that the cutlery you give your child is small and easy to manoeuvre. The JoJo ‘first cutlery set’ is an ideal size to start your little ones off with and a collection of plastic spoons like JoJo’s ‘six pack weaning spoons’ are a must.

I would love to hear your experiences of introducing cutlery to your little ones and any top tips you would like to pass on to other parents would be fab. If you are about to enter this next phase of weaning, good luck and remember to stock up on spoons!

Rosie Wright runs weaning workshops for first time parents in Brighton.

www.rosieweaning.co.uk
rosieweaning@gmail.com
http://www.facebook.com/rosiewrights.weaningworkshops
Twitter: @rosieweaning

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The main risks to babies during hot weather are sun burn, dehydration, heat illness (which includes heat exhaustion and heat stroke) and later in life skin cancer.

Firstly keep babies in the shade as much as possible. Babies under 6 months of age should not be in direct sun light. Accessories such as buggy shades or parasols are useful and if you’re going to the beach, you can get sun protection factor (SPF) tents. Stay out of the sun in the middle of the day when the sun is hottest (11am – 4pm).

Think about what your baby is wearing, sun hat (broad rimmed is best as it covers the neck too), light clothes, or at the beach a SPF suit is great. Sun glasses too (if you can get them to keep them on.) You want ones with 100% UV protection.

Use sunscreen regularly, children’s sunscreen are normally 50 or above. If you’re going swimming use water proof sunscreen and remember to reapply it regularly.

In order to avoid dehydration, offer your baby drinks frequently. If they’re breastfed, breast milk is great (you’ll probably find that they want more anyway.) If they are bottle fed, they can have some cool boiled water. If they’re a bit older, they can have frozen fruit or fruit juice. Offer them food that is high in liquid content such as fruit and salad (cucumber for example).

Water is a great way to cool down so activities such as swimming, playing in a paddling pool, with a sprinkler, will all help. A cool bath before bed time is a great idea.

Keep their bedrooms cool. During the hot hours of the day, keep the curtains closed to stop the sun from heating it up. If it’s safe, keep the windows open to allow a breeze in. Keep bed clothes to a minimum. If it’s really hot, babies don’t need much more than a nappy at night time.

Remember that cars get really hot, so don’t leave babies sitting in cars. Use the air conditioning or open the windows and try to park in the shade.

As long as you’re sensible, your baby can have a fantastic time in the summer or on holiday. Here’s hoping for a good summer.

By Dr Orlena Kerek snotty-noses.com

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I really don’t know how I would have faced holidays with my two little ones when they were both in nappies if it was not for the ease of our home in Brittany and Brittany Ferries. In the early years I did travel a lot with the children (I used to take them with me wherever I went) and I remember the agony of long haul flights sitting or even standing through the night so the baby could get some rest on the seat, at my expense. I remember the embarrassment when my toddler took to kicking the chair in front of him and enraging a grumpy business man who thought I had should be able to control my fractious 3 year old. I remember the time my tiny baby had a terrible ear infection and just screamed from the agony of the pressure for four long hours on the way to Greece. The passengers were fed up and I was terrified and helpless. We know that other passengers walk up the aeroplane aisle towards a young family praying silently that the single empty seat in amongst them is not theirs!

So where possible I advise staying away from air travel. Yes, I honestly think that the best holidays I had with my boys when they were little were in Brittany. I would generally pile them into the car with all their usual bits and pieces (Toby insisted on taking a huge cuddly ‘Sheepy’ everywhere he went – we still sell them at JoJo – and Ben travelled with a sleeping bag and a collection of ever increasing toy cars). I wedged us all in the car (often with another mum and her kids) and set off for Portsmouth, an easy drive from London or Wales. The excitement as we approached the ferry grew and grew.

Fun in the sun on a JoJo shoot, in Brittany

Brittany is the perfect backdrop for our Spring/Summer catalogue shoot

The boys JUST LOVED Brittany Ferries when they were younger. It really is a fantastic operation; clean, efficient, with excellent service and probably as child and parent friendly as possible – with both delicious little bottles of Orangina and great French wines. Their first excitement was checking out the cabin. The boys always took top bunks as soon as they were able to climb up alone (before that, cosy cots were supplied), then off we’d go to check out the restaurant and children’s play area. The ferry trip might include a film at the cinema, the games room and any on-board activities, including the favourite magic show and disco. The holiday definitely starts the moment you board the Brittany Ferries, for kids and us parents. The adult restaurant is amazing – langoustines, delicious tournedos of beef and a crème caramel for me – all washed down with a nice bottle of Burgundy, recommended by the sommelier, and generally delicious and very reasonable. I’ve had some of my best ever meals on Brittany Ferries!

Two weeks of beaches, country or coastal walks, feeding the chickens and BBQs, dressing up as medieval soldiers and going to festivals, playing Guess Who and generally having proper family time with very little distraction from technology, was always wonderful. There is so much to do in Brittany that you could take a trip every single day, but equally I have spent whole weeks in my cottage without leaving the garden, just reading books, cooking easy meals, sleeping on the lawn or chatting to the local farmer. It is a simple life, but simple is sweet.

Sadly my teenage boys are not keen to go for long this year. I’m told by others parents with older children that these idyllic rural holiday locations fall out of favour during the ‘spotty’ years.  As soon as the boys grow up, I know they will want to come back out and there is always the hope that in (many) years to come, they will enjoy spending time there with their own children. As a result I won’t be using the cottage too much in the next couple of years and have decided to let it at a really reasonable rate to other families and friends. I can’t bear to think of it being underused, and with our JoJo offer of 20% off Brittany Ferries, this really does make an incredibly good value family holiday destination. So, if you are considering a holiday to France this year, take a look at the page I’ve set up on Owners Direct. I am pretty sure this is the best value holiday let you will ever find!

The cottage in Brittany - we've had some great times there

You can find all the rental details here: http://www.ownersdirect.co.uk/france/FR19552.htm

20% off Brittany Ferries voucher: http://www.jojomamanbebe.co.uk/pu++brittany-ferries+1

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Things have really changed round here: The cheeky but gorgeous Ruby

Let me tell you a little about my working day; I arrive promptly at 9am – method of transport varies – sometimes I’m lucky and it’s a chauffeur-driven service by Laura, but not nearly often enough. Sometimes she makes me trot behind her bike which I confess is a little degrading but mostly, and best of all, I get to walk Emily, one of our International Team, to work. She’s pretty good, lets me have the odd sniff along the way but is a bit reluctant to investigate the discarded MacDonald’s bags that I spot on the pavement. Still she keeps up and chats away in her funny doggy voice. Sometimes I think these humans are totally daft – why can’t they just talk normally to me? You should hear Mel talking; she’s barking.

Once at the office, my day really starts with a rush. It’s breakfast time for the team of course, and there are toast crumbs everywhere. I have a really busy session going from desk to desk being polite and saying my ‘hellos’ whilst having a quick hoover in the hard to reach places. I’m particularly keen on Barbara who’s been at the job even longer than I have, but they are all pretty friendly and respectable of an old girl like me. Once the morning routine is done, I’ll nip upstairs to Laura’s office – popping in to Emma’s on the way for a nice long drink, she always has a bowl of fresh water, I guess the Marketing Team need to be hospitable. By this stage I’m beginning to feel a tiny bit sleepy and unless someone happens to be having a mid-morning snack, my priority has to be a good snore. I jump on my bed and I’m off – dreaming of my childhood in Wales, chasing bunnies, climbing mountains and swimming in lakes.

Funny how lunchtime and a tiny hole in the tummy wakes a girl up, but there’s no time for hovering because on the whole someone wants to go to Battersea Park and I’m always happy to lead them. It’s only just round the corner, but they need to tie themselves to me to remember the way, funny things!  Wow, I do love the park; running around, meeting other dogs, chasing the pigeons, jumping in the lake, it’s just heaven and my only tiny regret in life is that I chose a design and marketing career path. Can you imagine how wonderful it would be to be a Park Keeper’s Office Dog…heaven. But not to be, I’m a professional and I’ve made my bed so I must lie in it.

The afternoon used to be another long snooze with a wake up sniff at around tea time when biscuit crumbs needed sorting out – gosh they are a messy lot. Not that I mind of course, for my part I would prefer they ate the crumbs and threw the biscuits on the floor – would be a lot less work and more satisfying too. However, and this is where I must try not to sound bitter, these days things have changed. Yes I’m afraid they have changed a lot. I know I’m set in my ways but why oh why did we need to get a puppy? It’s not that she isn’t sweet, because she is; it’s not that she isn’t good, because she is learning fast and of course I’m a good teacher, but all the same we really did not need ANOTHER office dog. I’m the Official one so why take on more. Of course I’m getting on a bit but there’s life in the old dog yet and the biggest issue about having two of us on the job is there really aren’t enough crumbs to go round. Do you know I’ve lost a stone since she became my apprentice at Christmas? Life is just so hectic with a baby on hand – not a second to rest, my ‘me time’ is all gone, it’s just work, work, work. As soon as I feel I’ve gotten through my chores and need a little nap she wakes up and wants to play.

Snuggled in our favourite JoJo stripe blanket

I can honestly say I’m exhausted but of course I’m sure you know; I wouldn’t have it any other way. She’s a delight, so funny, and whilst she does give me the run around, I have to admit, she’s probably my new best friend and I love her to bits.

Ruby, the new addition, and I having an afternoon snooze. I love her really!

Woof Woof, Truffle 

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After much consideration – and input from judges at the London and Newport offices – the directors came to a unanimous decision: the overall winner of the Most Beautiful JoJo Store was Market Harborough in Leicestershire.

Although there was much deliberation, the judges agreed that it was Market Harborough’s innovative little touches that earned them the coveted first place. Over the 20th birthday week, the store played brilliant host to our lovely customers, providing plenty of fun and games for everybody. There was a hook-a-duck competition, bingo, treasure hunts, high tea and plenty of smiles from the team and customers alike – even the babies were giggling! The judges were really impressed by the stunning store which was looking fabulously festive for the occasion.

The lovely ladies at Market Harborough

The gorgeous store window

Facebook comments from our customers were also taken into account, and lots of you had wonderful things to say about many of our stores which we really appreciate. Market Harborough customers agreed that the store is fantastically laid out and the team love hearing about your proud mummy stories. You can find all the kind words about our stores on our Facebook page.

Fun and games!

The competition for the runners up was even tougher – many of the stores went the extra mile and so many of you had a fantastic time during the event. However, after a lot of consideration, the judges decided to award second and third place to St Albans and West Hampstead respectively.

The birthday event alongside the gorgeous weather (for most of us, anyway!) was great fun for everyone involved.

Did any of our readers make it down to one of our stores for the festivities?

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Whilst the vast NHS machine rumbles on and professional bodies like the Royal College of Midwives do their utmost to deliver the best possible quality of care, how many of us can really see nationwide service altering changes? Sadly not me in the near future. What will make a difference is user demand. If the majority of expecting women in the UK demand better quality of one to one care, more support for home births, higher standards of antenatal education and NHS access to a menu of holistic or complementary therapies proven to be hugely beneficial for pregnancy and birth, then the government will have to work towards meeting these higher expectations.

Whilst the fight continues, now and again we, the service users can win little skirmishes and an immediate and effective way to do this is to join your local MSLC, Maternity Service Liaison Committee. Run by maternity service users and providers, these meetings give new parents, expecting women or non NHS birth professionals a voice which can speak directly to senior midwifery management representatives. There are not many other ways where a community can meet regularly with midwives, obstetricians and other maternity staff and begin to decide together how to make improvements in the care being offered within their local area.

MSLCs are endorsed and promoted by the government and their own paper, ‘Maternity Matters: choice, access and continuity of care in a safe service’ published on 3rd April 2007 [1] states that if a MSLC does not exist then one ought to be established. So if this is an area of particular interest then begin to email the Heads of Midwifery in your areas and see what can be done.

This is how we can begin to make small changes, bit by bit but crucially this is the voice of the people who do have the power to shift maternity care in the direction it needs to be and off the path it is currently on.

For more information about your local MSLCs please click this link – http://www.chimat.org.uk/mslc/support/websites

[1]http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/DH_073312

As a natural childbirth consultant, Sarah helps expecting women and their partners make informedchoices about their pregnancy and birth. Sarah teaches Hypnobirthing, lectures about normal birth and founded Baby-Birth – an international website all about pregnancy, birth and the immediate postnatal period.

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The funny thing is that our aim today is exactly the same, it’s just we call an ambition a target and can add no end of corporate terms if we like (which I don’t really), but let’s give it a go:  Our mission is to designs great collections and innovative products with customer appeal, market them efficiently to our target demographic groups across the world, ensure we offer exemplary service via efficient operations and logistics systems  and repeat the whole process the next season whilst managing cash flow forecasting, EBITDA and currency hedging all within the confines of employment and fiscal laws.

20th Birthday Directors' Dash: Laura pays our lovely Newbury store a visit

Or we could just say – here at JoJo we started off trying our best and we are still trying.  Life is never easy, especially when a freezing spring keeps everyone indoors, but we stay cheerful and positive, keep on smiling and work as a team to offer what our customers want and need during the most exciting times of their lives.  Who could fail to enjoy running a mother and baby brand?

It’s been a long 20 years with plenty of sleepless nights but I’m SO proud of what our teams have achieved. From such a humble start … to where we are today and where we plan to go. Nobody sane could have ever dreamt this would happen.

So a Huge and humble thank you to our wonderful board with nearly 80 years at JoJo between us and to our  loyal team in order of longevity (starting 20 years ago with just myself, Harriet and Barbara).

You are totally brilliant: Harriet, Barbara, Gail, Anne-Marie, Mel, Sandra, Cath A, Gavin, Hilary, Karen F, Jo E, Beth, Russ, Lynda, Gareth, Christine P, Carol M, Jane B, Kath P, Arron, Agnes, Layla, Leanne, Karen H, Stephen, Cathy, Cheryl, Cath F, Will, Judith, Sughreea, Stefan, Maria, Emma B, Bella, Suzanne, Ian T, Sam, Jo B, Jen G, Sam M, Melodee, Kate B, Ashleigh, Barbara H, Wendy, Clare C, Amy, Glenys, Graham, Helen, Karen B, Donna, Lee, Geoffroy, Clare B, Jason, Gemma, Agneta, Mel H, Nic D, Carl, Sian, Rance, Judith, Rasa, Janet, Jo J, Shelby, Vanda, Julia, Jo W, Lynne, Chris K, Dagmara, Christine G, Becky R, Sue M, Steph, Suzie, David, Brede, Jennine, Nicola R, Louise J, Emily G, Keira, Nichola C, Lisa, Nicola G, Natalie, Tracey, Claudia, Angelica, John B, Kasia,  Yvonne, Sam K, Joanna D, Doreen, Haleh, Georgina, Rhona, Sally, Lynette, Maria P, Chamairy, Tasha, Caroline D, Caroline N, Sandy, Vicky A, Cheryl, Sophia, Ian B, Samantha V, Katie D, John R, Rachel A, Rosie, Paul, Kate T, Sarah M, Ursyn, Niki V, Adam, Suzannah, Toni, Emma H, Fiona, Gemma H, Martin, Chloe, Hannah G, Victoria R, James,  Dean, Alexandra, Alice T, Simon, Amy M, Sunny, Ann M, Jo P, Craig, Siobhan, Lisa DMF, Lianne M, Peter, Linda E, Cherie, Sarah Mc, Will C, Alice S, Simin, Phil, Anna, David, Sherelle, Rytis, Rob C, Janos, Dave W, Charlotte, Maggie, Holly T,  Chloe M, Annette, Colin, Rachel, Jill, Kim, Ann B, Danielle, Claire W, Rob P, Berta, Kate K, Maria, Caroline N, Margalit, Geri, Hollie H, Rob, Susan, Craig, Nicola M-B, Louise B, Barbara D, Michelle H, Claire S, Pelcy, Charlotte H, Jannel, Charlotte C, Shelley, Emily, Dilpa, Becky T, Susannah, Louise P, Natasha, Ella, Lauren, Kathy C, Leanne S, Kaye, Victoria F, Laura C, Tom B, Paulina, Mark J, Nikki W-O, Emma S, Ruth, Agnes, Rachel P, Tanya, Emma G, Tara, Catherine F, Karen A, Nikki P, Justyna, Sara, Esther, Carol A, Verity, Lindsey, Alex A, Laura F, Eva, Lacelle, Margi, Zansika, Hayley, Sila, Eman, Grace, Kirsty, Gita, Sharon, Fernanda, Diane R, Simas, Caroline P, Yesim, Ella, Bev B, Emma D, Sarah W, Rebecca M, Leighton, Helen M-S, Sarah H, Alice F, Laszlo, Stephen T, Jayde, Charlotte R, Stephanie M, Nerissa, Sukyee, Mark S, Sammy-Jo, Emily A, Amanda C, Natalie O, Charlotte C, Julie, Kim L, Chrissie, Carly R, Carly S, Lauren W, Mo, Jessica, Caroline B, Chris P, Glynis, Leah, Dora, Megan, Lauren A, Frances, Murah, Daniel, Naomi, Kate M, Suzanne, Sam A, Natalie L, Hannah L, Scott, Amber, Egle, Ross, Sandra G, Wendy H, Sarah T, Frances W, Deborah, Emma L, Eleanor, Sam T, Shelley M, Emma H, Ella B, Sarah W, Hannah R, Lisa M-B, Hayley, Rachel J, Gabrielle H-S, Lucy, Tom H, Phoebe, Laura P, Sarah F, Rebecca H, Anton, Stacey, Tricia, Stephanie R, Matthew, Jodian, Paul B, Marta S, Emma T, Jane R, Georgiana, Charlotte G, Neil, Kirsty T, Siobhan P, Terri, Kristofer, Katherine N, Victoria S, Judine, Libby, Amanda S, Melissa, Keeley, Gaby, Michelle R, Tamara, Georgina, Shirley, Kelly M, Alison P, Kate B, Agata, Danielle, Amina, Natalie D, Donna C, Annie N, Claire D, Kimberley T, Jane E, Meg, Leoni, Linda H, Heather, Petrina, Nicci B, Amy O, Claudia M, Cheryl H, Linda R, Maria P, Celena, Priscilla, Rachel Mc, Lisa C, Amy M, Emily T, Magi B, Claire T, Marketa, Stella, Natalie D, Eimear, Sandra H, Tara, Meg M, Catherine Mc, Jo F, Samia, Nicole, Tara E, Lee, Amy C, Lucie, Katie B, Claire C, Carol P, Greg, Jessica S, Verity G, Aliesha, Hilena, Amy F, Josephine, Claire B, Angela, Susan P, Jade T, Nakita, Louise M, Ashika, Jodie B, Jennie, Lizzie, Abby, Leann, Andrea F, Zena, Celia, Leigh, Charlotte H, Souad, Elizabeth D, Nichola D, Bassmah, Martin I, Victoria D, Fiona, Victoria B-D, Elwira, Jan, Lynden, Alec, Craig, Stephen F, Christa, Ako, Alysha, Fiona O’T, Sharon D, Chantelle, Demelza, Sylwia, Brenda, Lara, Kate G, Laura S, Sadie, Ruth M, Simon P, Trevor, Fiona A, Sharon A, Ashleigh B, Holly W, Sue M, Grace O’D, Jo T, Jane W, Shelley F, Amanda H, Sarah S, Emma L, Roisin, Daniela, Sadie M, Caitlin, Marena, Sally H, Maria D, Sol, Hepzi, Tania W, Niamh, Maria F, Marta A-C, Yasmin K, Natasha C, Lucy E and last but not least our latest recruit …. Hannah W!

The post Twenty Years and Still Going appeared first on JoJo Maman Bebe.

It’s so bumpy and rattly you just know it’s bad when the stewardess hasn’t left her seat despite the fact we’ve been going for 45 minutes.

I’m actually a very good flyer. I’ve been on 16 flights already this year and by the time I finish this 5 day trip to the States I’ll have clocked up another 6. I don’t mind cramped seats, I have no problem with the odd delay, and I’m pretty calm when the food resembles dog food. I’m absolutely fine with the odd stomach-churning drop on a big chunky Boeing 737, but this plane we are on sets my over-active imagination into overdrive.

I absolutely cannot bear small planes.

If I think about it too much I do struggle with how we are even kept up in the air. It’s always bewildered me how this huge metal tube can stay up and whenever I’ve tried to read about it I’m none the wiser. I’ve come to accept it just ‘works’. But for some irrational reason, planes with propellers give me minor panic attacks. Completely ridiculous given I love the thrill of helicopters and suspect they are significantly more dangerous.

I think when I see a propeller I imagine it could just…stop. Mid-air. Like planes in cartoons with Dastardly and Muttley in.

It’s not helping that the turbulence is so awful and I find myself doing nothing other than plotting my escape should it go down. Can I get to the exit quickly enough? Is the turbulence normal? Why don’t we have parachutes on small planes? And this is a budget airline I’ve never heard of…do they buy old planes? When was the last time it was checked?

All completely ridiculous but the woman next to me closing her eyes, playing with worry beads and gasping every time we take another dip isn’t helping.

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