Bobux soft sole shoes

Babies usually start crawling (or bum shuffling) between six to ten months.  This varies from baby to baby.  There’s no reason for you as parent to be concerned if your baby is not yet crawling around this age.  Although there is no need to rush your baby into crawling, there are different things that you can try out to stimulate your baby to start moving around.

‘Traction control’

Crawling babies love bare feet! And they need a lot of traction when they crawl.  Protect those tiny little feet from cold and dirt by clothing him/her with the best flexible little shoes you can possibly get.  Soft sole leather shoes that moulds naturally with the shape of your baby’s feet provides excellent traction on indoor floor surfaces.   

Out of reach

A very common way of stimulating your baby to start crawling is by putting his/her favorite toy just out of reach in front of him. This might just encourage him/her enough to start crawling – depending if he/she really wants the toy.  Your baby would have no other option to get closer to the toy than crawling.  It might be a good idea to repeat this little exercise a couple of times.  If you notice that he/she need some more strength in the arms and legs consider giving your baby a little help if this is the case.

Build up strength

By using a large folded up towel you can build up a baby’s arm and leg muscles, while giving him the initial support and stimulation to start crawling. Fold a large towel and place it under your baby’s stomach and upper body area. Lift the baby up, and hold the towel in such a manner that the baby is not supporting its full weight any longer, but the towel.  Ensure there’s plenty of padding to make it comfortable for your baby when using this method. Try and  vary the amount of support depending on your baby’s needs. If you do it right and gently, this could be a great way to build up strength in both arms and legs.

Set an example

You can set an example for your baby by playing with your baby when he/she is on his/her stomach. In this way your baby gets accustomed to this position early on, and chances are that he/she might start crawling sooner. You can stimulate him/her by lying down on the floor with him/her, and start crawling around. Your baby might try to imitate you. But whether he does or not, it will definately provide amusement for your baby, that’s for sure!

Lisa - Bobux shop Co-Ordinator

Our shop in East Tamaki has undergone some major changes over the last few months; it has moved two doors along, it is bigger and you will now be warmly welcomed into the shop by Lisa.    Lisa is the co-ordinator of the shop and she is lovely !    (Most of you have already met Lisa during our recent sale.)

She was a pre-school teacher and nanny before and, ironically most of the kids she first babysat wore Bobux shoes!

   She is excellent with children and she says her friends often joke that she’s more into kids clothes and shoes than having kids themselves !  Lisa LOVES kids clothes (and of course shoes !!)

  Lisa has been working in the Bobux shop for just over two months, and it already feels like we have known her forever.  She is friendly, and her open personality makes her an ideal person for mums to come to for honest and good advice about baby clothes and shoes.  She understands the milestones babies go through from sitting to crawling to walking, and understands what they need to achieve for the next great milestone.  And she’s truly a great help to us and mums visiting the shop.

 If you’d like to meet Lisa in the shop, come and see her Tuesdays to Fridays from 9am to 17:00pm or Saturdays 9am to 15:00pm.

Wynsor (left) and Mali (right) -Wynsor was our tip-toe baby

“Thanks Bobux after less than a week my tip-toe wanna-be walker is now successfully bumbling her way through life!!!

Plunket gave advice of putting her in “stiff shoes” or even better “stiff boots” which would confine her foot therefore forcing her to stand flat footed. On consultation the GP agreed with this suggestion.
We tried it for a while but nothing was improving and her twin ‘never tip-toe’ sister was already successful walking?
Time to take matters into my own hands I thought, as my 13 years of early childhood experience told me this was not good enough . . .

A combination of my research and consulting with a podiatrist then sent me on a search for the perfect shoe, which lead me to Bobux.
The information on the Bobux web site confirmed and back up what the podiatrist and I had concluded.

At the Bobux store we received excellent service from a very knowledgeable and skilled attendant, who unknown to her was being quizzed with my many questions.

Less than a week later our wee lady is right on track with her sister.

To Bobux I say thanks for having the perfect shoe (needless to say we brought two pairs along with other goodies) and we’ll be back !!!

My pathway to Bobux will now be re-told many times during my interactions with parents and families in both the early childhood and healthcare settings, as well as being a discussion point if not a teaching one with my collogues

Many thanks again for the excellent service we received (you even impressed my mother-in-law)”

Kind Regards
Abi Jones

The addition of a “just born” bundle of joy to the family is a rush of excitement, love & amazement !  But they don’t just come with the joys and amazements, they also often bring along sleep-deprived nights!

Night-time waking can get quite challenging for new parents; especially when baby is not yet used to a routine.  And the often continuously interrupted sleep can lead to uneasy times at  home.  

Here are a few simple things that you could try out: 

 1. A routine is good.  Get into a comfortable routine that works for you both.  If your baby wakes up late in the morning, begin waking him/her earlier every day.  This will encourage your baby to get the sleep he needs at night- and when you sleep.
2. Have a well-lit room for your baby’s naps.  This will encourage him/her to take shorter naps during the day. . . and it might help your baby to sleep earlier and better at night-time.
3. Avoid night-time nappy changes – if at all possible…
4. Carry your baby close to you in the beginning of the evening.  It’ll make your baby feel much more relaxed earlier on, and you might find that you could get away with putting him / her in bed earlier than normal.
5. Increase the daytime feeds. Your baby will be satisfied during the night if you feed him more frequently during the day. He will have already met his nutritional needs at a time more convenient to you.
6. If your baby is easily distracted during feeding in the day-time, feed him in a quiet and darkened room. In this way you ensure that come bed-time at night, he / she will be satisfied with a full tummy.
7. If you are breastfeeding, give your baby time to finish the first breast before you offer the second breast during the same feed.  He’ll get to enjoy the rich milk that contains the proteins, fats, vitamins, and carbohydrates he needs to feel satisfied.  And in turn it would help him/her to space out the night-time feeds.
8. Keep the evenings calm and relaxed and avoid overstimulation of your baby. If your little one melts away into relaxing mode when you bath him/her, do so before you put him/her to bed. If a bath is too stimulating for him/her, then you might want to wait until the morning to bath him/her.
9. Make sure the bed is nice and warm. Placing a warm baby into cold sheets might be what your baby does not want.  Use flannel sheets in cold weather, or place a warm towel on the sheets to warm them.
10. Don’t turn on the lights to feed your baby should he wake during the night. By feeding him in a dark room you’re letting him know that nights are meant for sleeping.

The last tip- and maybe even the most important tip: take care of yourself!  Rest while your baby rests, especially if you have a high-need baby. If you don’t feel like sleeping, take a walk,  put your baby in a stroller and go out in the sunshine and get some fresh air.

The Easter bunny was here too !  He came a bit early, so we could share in the childrens fantasy and enjoy some yummy chocolate eggs and bunnies before the weekend started!  It was the first time he came around to Bobux.  By the looks of it, it might be a good idea we send him an invitation to visit next year again!   We’re like kids when it comes to chocolate egg hunting …at least for most of us. 

In New Zealand, chocolate is the main Easter treat everyone looks forward to receiving. Every grocery store has a huge selection of small and giant chocolate eggs and bunnies and every other Easter-related shape imaginable! 

Also, Easter means the beginning of school holidays, daylight saving has ended and the sun is shining (in Auckland at least).  What a great way to celebrate the start of autumn.

We were into it !  Everyone left on Thursday with a handful of eggs, a big smile and ready to having  4 days off.    The luckiest person in the easter egg hunt was Patsy who would claim all the “unfound” eggs in and around the factory when she picks customer orders today!

I hope you had a lovely Easter break too!