Nuts For Life

I was lured into this new coffee and nut shop on Chiswick High Street by the enticing cupcakes on display in the window.

Cupcakes seem to be having a bit of revival. I see them all over nowadays. I had the coffee flavoured one and it was delicious, really moist. There is something about these cupcakes that make them seem grown-up, yet retain their childlike fun. Both shopgirls said that the vanilla one was their favourite, so that’s what I’ll be having next time I go.

The shop is a salad bar of nuts: raw, flavoured, roasted and coated. They also do dried fruits, muesli, cakes and coffee.

Veggy Knitted Rattle Set

These were bought before Issey was born. I thought they were very unusual and funny. I couldn’t resist getting several: Carrot, radish, pea pod, cauliflower and squash (in the wash).

Issey plays with them regularly now, especially since she started shaking anything that rattles. They are soft and nice to handle and easy to keep clean, just pop them in the wash with baby's clothes.

Available from Urchin.

Skwish

I was lucky enough to find a Skwish in a charity shop.

It's an amazing toy and Issey has played with it since she was a couple of months old. At first we hung it as a mobile above her playpen so she could watch it spinning. Later, when she started flapping her arms about, she managed to pick it up and move it around, before she was able to grip any other toy. It's also become a popular teething toy. Since it squashes down, it's easy to travel with and can easily fit into luggage for trips. For me, the best thing about the Skwish is that it feels like a big toy and yet it's not heavy.

Bowlerman Mobile

I saw this charming mobile when I visited a friend, who bought hers at the Surreal Things exhibition at the V&A Museum.

Unfortunately the exhibition was over and their shop no longer stocked it, but I did find the manufacturer after much creative googling at Flensted – a Danish family firm that has been making mobiles for over 50 years. They have some truly lovely stuff. I ordered mine from Danish Design, together with this one, which I couldn’t resist.

Nursery rug

Another lucky find for the nursery. We have a neutral woolen carpet all over the top floors of our house, but the nursery floor needed some cheering up as it’s a very small space. I searched high and low for a rug that wasn’t overly pink or nauseatingly gender stereotyping. And hiding under my nose all this time was this little gem on the John Lewis website. It is just the right size, very pretty and has a lovely feel to the toes when you walk over it. I think it ties the room together nicely.

Brightspark Slings

This sling was a recommendation from my NCT antenatal class teacher and a complete winner for me during the first couple of months of Issey's life. My husband and I took turns carrying her around in this fleecy sling. She loved it, the sling kept her warm and close whilst freeing up both of our hands to get on with chores. I've heard mums say how they felt so trapped during the first few weeks on the sofa with the baby because it needed to be held all the time.

I imagine the sling must recreate to some degree the experience of being in the womb for the newborn, the same rocking motion of the mother moving around and the sound of your heartbeat. It was sometimes the only way to soothe her at night, walking around with her in the sling.

I wouldn't have another baby without one of these. I was able to get out and about, get my shopping done and nurse her discreetly when necessary. Plus it is easy to wash and dries quickly. Available in a number of colours and sizes. We ordered one a size too large, but they were quick to despatch a replacement.

Snowman Milk Jug

I loved this little milk jug the moment I saw it in the Design Museum shop. An alluring liquid white and intriguing design.

I bought a matching sugar bowl, but the lid broke so now the milk jug stands alone. I quite enjoy when people aren’t sure which bit to pour the milk out of, the small hole or the big one. (Both work, but the small hole works better.)

Cuckoo Clock

This curious thing hangs on our kitchen wall. I’ve always wanted a cuckoo clock. My granny had one in her farmhouse and I have a very early memory of spending whole afternoons waiting for the cuckoo to come out. I remember that feeling of time passing so slowly and what was probably only a few minutes feeling like an eternity. Childhood seems to be all about anticipation.

Unfortunately my granny’s clock was lost after she died, but this one comes from my husband’s side of the family. It belonged to an eccentric aunt, who never married but kept a menagerie in her house. She bought it in Switzerland, many years ago. After she died it stayed packed away in a cardboard box under a bed for over 10 years before it made its way to me.

I had it put back together and serviced at the London Antique Clock Centre. It runs very well, but needs winding at least twice a day. I found information about setting and maintaining the clock here.

I love the atmosphere it creates, with the constant tick-tock-tick-tock in the kitchen, and occasionally the cuckoo calling. (It seems loud at first but it quickly fades into the background.) You can find clocks like these for sale all over, new ones and old ones …and especially in Swiss souvenir shops of course.

Here are some funny modern ones that might suit a kids' room, but probably too noisy for a nursery.

Knitted Finger Puppets

Hand knitted wool finger puppets, sometimes very odd and funny. They make lovely gifts for new babies, even just to include as part of the gift wrapping at a babyshower. They are super useful to take with on long trips. Easy to carry around in your pocket and provided you have a free hand can be a great source of amusement for your baby. Great for teaching animal names and sounds or for acting out stories.

I found my first set in a sale at a local plant shop and bought all their stock. Then I found a shop in Paris that only sold finger puppets, but fortunately they were closed otherwise my bank account might have taken quite a hit. Most of these in my collection come from Peru (bought by a friend) or a nun in Greece who knits these for charity. But you can find them all over the internet and I have seen them for sale on some markets in London too.

Its possible to collect them endlessly as the range is vast and very inventive.

Coffee Grinder

We had a coffee grinder just like this (only with a different picture) when I was growing up. Coffee was a big thing in our house and it still is. I was visiting an old friend in Haarlem, the Netherlands when I saw he had one on his kitchen wall. I couldn't contain my nostalgia, I simply had to have one. He explained that they could be bought second-hand on the markets and promised to pick one up for me at the next Koninginnedag.

It's made out of porcelain with a wooden lid and glass jar to catch the grinds. The handle has a wooden knob too. I know its possible to get replacement glass (and perspex) jars as I had to get hold of one for my dad a couple of years ago. I couldn''t find any useful links then or now, but I remember calling the Douwe Egberts head office in the Netherlands and they were very helpful.

Nothing beats a coffee made with freshly ground beans. Plus the grinder has a gauge at the back so you can control how fine the coffee is ground, depending on how you plan to filter it. (We either use a cafetière, a stovetop espresso maker, or most frequently, a one-cup filter — the kind that sits on top of the cup — that you can buy at Whittard.)

Handmade Cat Doll

I bought this for the nursery before Issey was born. You can find the most amazing handmade toys on the internet these days. I am very inspired by Loobylu and her softies (I think she played a major role in popularising the trend), and the softies for sale on sites like Etsy. I found this little doll at Bettyjoy.

She’s fragile and not for playing with, just for looking pretty on a shelf or windowsill. I love that little smile and her apricot fuzziness.