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Wicker new baby crib
Parent & BabyPatchwork Kids

Help with New Baby Essentials for First Time Parents

by Rosie Hurwitz
written by Rosie Hurwitz

Alice and Angus were expecting their first baby and knew that friends and family would want to shower them with new baby gifts – who doesn’t love shopping for tiny clothes? However, living in a London flat meant that space was precious. Rather than risk getting bought duplicates of items that weren’t really needed, they put together a baby ‘wish list’ with all the new baby gifts that they’d need for baby’s first year. Then they set up a baby gift page with Patchwork, showing friends some of the things they’d love, at a wide range of price points to suit all budgets. This meant that everyone could contribute in an easy, secure and fun way, and the new parents received money towards baby essentials that were really wanted and appreciated. From a car seat to a baby bouncer, everything was covered!

Tell us a bit about your new arrival!

We had our first baby Sienna, in 2018; the first couple to have a baby in our friendship group. We celebrated with a massive baby shower a week before she was due, with 100 people who all contributed to our Patchwork. Subsequently she was born the next day by c-section. Advice to new mums, don’t have a baby shower at 39 weeks!

Doing up the Nursery New Baby Patchwork readymade template in iPad

What made you choose to use Patchwork for your baby gift registry?

My friend used it for their wedding gifts and I thought it was a great idea. We are young parents so the idea of getting exactly what you want without having to buy it yourself was great!

Toddler at nursery looking out of window

How did Patchwork help you as new parents?

The support we got for the first few months through patchwork was invaluable. It was great as we had a sum of money we could use to buy what we wanted for our baby. We also didn’t have to use the money straight away. It lasted for the first 6 months for anything we needed. Our friends and family all loved it too! Super easy to use and happy they were buying us what we wanted! The customer support was great too when I had a few questions.

Would you recommend Patchwork to other new parents?

I would recommend using it if you’re a first time family living in London with not much space. When you have a baby EVERYONE wants to buy you something! It’s so lovely but it means that your tiny flat gets even smaller! It’s nice to be able to stagger the purchases so you don’t have too much at one time.

Patchwork Kids: Toddler walking on pavement next to pram

And how is life with a busy toddler?

Sienna is now at nursery in Stockholm. We moved here just before Corona hit. We have great adventures in her pram everyday! Her pram, cot, Moses basket, newborn clothes and toys were all bought using Patchwork. Also some of her bedroom furniture. We still have all of those things and we use them all the time.

THANK YOU SO MUCH PATCHWORK!

Thank you so much Alice and Angus for sharing your story with us, and we wish you many more happy days exploring Stockholm with Sienna!

If you’d like to set up a new baby gift page, for yourself, or a friend, we have lots of beautiful, easy to customise templates for you to use, or you can create your own page from scratch.

From baby shower ideas to celebrating birthdays, Patchwork can help make family milestones fun, personal, and inclusive for your friends and family. And practical and waste-free for you!

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couple-and-their-doula-patchwork
Patchwork Story

Patchwork Story: Chloe & Jude’s Doula

by Ismay Ozga
written by Ismay Ozga

Chloe and her partner Jude are both in their early thirties and having just bought their dream home together, found out they were expecting their first child. One of Jude’s first concerns was the amount of plastic toys that might soon fill their home – while Chloe was obviously nervous about the birth itself! So she decided to kill two birds with one stone and set up a patchwork to fund a doula. That way she would get the support she needed and their family would know exactly what they could buy for them – avoiding all the plastic! We asked Chloe all about it.

Tell us more about why you set up a patchwork?

My partner’s sister introduced me to the idea of getting a Doula, someone who could answer my many questions and support us in the lead up to the birth.

After realising that the costs of a Doula can be expensive we both felt that the money our families would be eager to spend on tiny outfits and teddies would be better spent helping us feel prepared and confident about the birth and early parenthood.

After contributing to a friend’s honeymoon via Patchwork earlier in the year we thought we would create our own and family and friends could fund the help and support of a doula.

We knew that our families were eager to help us, so we wanted them to be able to do so in a way that was practical and useful.

What was the best bit about funding through patchwork?

It was lovely reading all the messages and made us feel so supported during such a special time and such a big change in our lives.

Although the birth itself didn’t go to plan, I have fond and positive emotions surrounding other aspects of the birth and labour and our Doula contributed massively to this. And memories last forever

How were you feeling in the lead up to your birth?

Being the first in our group of friends to venture into the new world of parenthood we were a little overwhelmed by all the things we needed to consider. As a mum-to-be I was eager to know about all my options but was overwhelmed by all the available information on the internet.

Why did you feel you wanted a Doula?

I wanted the continuity of care that a doula provides that unfortunately I feel is absent in today’s maternity system. Between my initial checkups the midwives would always differ from occasion to occasion and there wasn’t that feeling of having someone you know and respect to answer the many questions you will have.

That’s why having a Doula is such a magical gift as you have someone who can be with you along the whole journey who understands your concerns and worries and is able to make you feel confident and self-assured at a time of such importance. The relationship between me and my lovely Doula has continued to this day and my boy’s face always lights up when he sees her.

How did having a Doula prepare you for birth and parenthood?

The Doula answered my long list of questions over a tea at our home, she was a calm and reassuring presence. Although respecting the magnitude of the occasion she made birth feel as though it was an everyday occurrence – which of course it is!

Our time with her made us fully aware of our options in regards to the birth and during the hours after birth she was able to help greatly with breastfeeding and through the days that followed was a continual support.

Even now with our little boy being older I still attend a post-natal group my Doula runs, it is a relationship that I am sure will continue for many years to come, and with that in mind Patchwork enabled our family and friends to provide our new family with a gift that keeps giving.

Thank you Chloe, Jude and little Lenny for sharing your incredible Patchwork story with us. Inspired by their story? You can see more new parent gift ideas here.

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No+mi giveaway baby gift registry
Parent & Baby

Patchwork x No+mi Indulgence Gift Box Giveaway

by Ismay Ozga
written by Ismay Ozga

We think the gift boxes from our friends at No+mi London make the perfect baby shower and birth gifts. Filled with beautiful, useful products, hand-picked by the No+mi team, they’ll make any new mum feel super special and very loved. And now we’ve made it easy for a group of friends to chip in towards one, so it can be presented from all of you at a baby shower, or posted to a far away friend to show you’re all thinking of her. All you need to do is customise one of our new No+mi patchworks (A Hamper for a Mum-to-be, A New Baby Hamper or an Indulgence Gift Box), send it out to friends to fund, then head to No+mi to order your gift.

To celebrate our partnership we’re giving away TWO Indulgence Essentials gift boxes – one for you and one for a friend. The Indulgence box isn’t just for mums to be – it’s perfect for anyone in need of a treat. Each box contains:

1 x Cashmere blend Sleep Socks by YAWN
1 x Dry Nourishing Oil 100mL by Enfance Paris
1 x Box of Herbals caffeine-free infusions by Paper & Tea
1 x Soy Wax Scented Candle 100mL by Earl of East
1 x Luxury Raw Chocolate 45g
1 x 1 Month Unlimited Magazine access with Readly Gift Card
To enter for your chance to win head to either our Facebook page or our Instagram:
1. Follow both @patchwork_it and @nomi.ldn on instagram OR like both Patchwork and No+mi on Facebook.
2. TAG someone in the comment of either this post on Facebook or this post on instagram who deserves a treat
*1 entry per user. 1 winner. UK Only. Ends 06/04/17. Full Ts&Cs below.

COMPETITION T&C’S

Terms & Conditions
The Patchwork x No+mi Collaboration Instagram & Facebook Competition is open to residents of the UK aged 18 or over, excluding employees of the Promoter: Patchwork or their affiliate companies, their families, cohabitants, agents and anyone connected with the promotion.
No purchase necessary.
To enter, you must TAG your friend on the competition posts and FOLLOW @patchwork_it and @nomi.ldn on Instagram or LIKE Patchwork and No+mi London on Facebook so we can see your entry to the competition. Entering on both Facebook and Instagram equals two entries.
The start date of the promotion is 30/03/2017 5.45pm. The closing date by which entries must be received is 06/04/2017 23.59pm. This competition will run for 7 days from the start date ONLY.

Prize
There will be 1 winner ONLY. The winner and their friend will receive 1 x Indulgence Essentials box from No+mi each.
The prize is as stated, is non-transferable and there is no cash alternative.
Should the original prize, or any part of it, become unavailable for any reason whatsoever, Patchwork may substitute a prize of comparable or greater value.

Winner Selection
The Free Prize Draw will be carried out on 07/04/2017. The prize-winners will be picked at random.
The prize-winners will be announced on the @patchwork_it Instagram and Patchwork Facebook page on 08/04/2017. The winners will also be notified via direct message on Instagram and email within 7 days of the Free Prize Draw.
Should the prize-winner not respond to the email within 14 days, Patchwork reserves the right to allocate the prize to another entrant.
The result of the Free Prize Draw is final and no correspondence will be entered into.

General
If Patchwork is unable to satisfy certain terms and conditions of this promotion due to circumstances beyond its reasonable control, they may modify such terms accordingly or, if necessary, suspend or discontinue the promotion. By entering the Free Prize Draw, entrants agree to be bound by these terms and conditions and that their names and counties of residence may be released if they win the prize. Entrants agree that Patchwork shall be entitled to use the entrants’ quotes in any publicity material.
Promoter: Patchwork, 7b Harefield Road, Brockley, London, SE4 1LW

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mother with blonde hair sitting holding baby
Gift IdeasParent & Baby

Gift for New Parents: Baby Sleep Consultant

by Rosie Hurwitz
written by Rosie Hurwitz

Anna has two children. She has a gorgeous three year old daughter Isla who bounces around the house all day and a beautiful six month old boy called Sid who wakes up every hour of the night. So when friends asked her what she wanted for her birthday this year her reply was honest and instant: “Sleep!”

“I adore my children but six months without sleep nearly broke me! I was crying most days and felt like a terrible mum because I kept losing my temper with my little girl. I even wondered if I had post-natal depression. I knew friends who had used sleep consultants to help them in similar situations but spending £300 for professional help seemed completely ridiculous whilst on maternity leave when money is so tight.”

So of course Anna was delighted when her friends got together to ‘patchwork the problem’ of newborn sleep deprivation. From a cup of hot chocolate to a session with a specialist, friends could choose a range of sleep related gift items from £1 to £50 and together contributed the £300 needed to pay for professional help.

A month later and Anna says she feels like a different woman: “It was a difficult week of sleep training but I did it, and actually the fact that my friends had contributed made me even more determined. My baby now sleeps for 11 hours a night and I feel human again. I’m a better mum and I am so much happier – as is my baby! Cheesy as it sounds, I can honestly say that Patchwork changed my life and saved my sanity!”

Thanks for sharing your story Anna. We’re just so glad we could help.

If you like this gift idea check out our Parent and Baby patchworks here.

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