Baby Business: Week 11, F is for Freddie Frog

Opened all Little One’s Christmas presents. Tick (just!)

Stayed awake to see in the new year. Tick (only because Little One wouldn’t sleep!)

Found space for all Little One’s new toys. Given up!

Happy new year to you all. 2011 is here and how different life is! This time last year I believe I was still recovering from the over indulgences of new year celebrations. And this year? More like bottles of milk than bottles of bubbly. And I love it.

Between opening the mountain of presents for Little One and the continual eating (me and the milk monster), I spent the Christmas week learning about the wonders of baby’s toys. The bright colours; the beeps, buzzes and doinks; and the bits to press, pull or squeeze. It is a true education in understanding your little ones... the toys we adults like are the very toys our little ones show no interest in. The more garish the colour, the weirder the noise and the more it clashes with the decor – then that is the one they love.

It’s at this point that I need a sanity check from all you mums and dads out there... Is it just me or do you also end up naming every animal toy? I now have Freddie Frog, Horace Horse, Carla Cow, Sid Squid... the menagerie goes on. I can’t help myself. Is it the creative marketeer in me or is it the unfulfilled dreams of becoming a zoo keeper? Either way I am getting raised eyebrows from my friends and the people working at Costa Coffee.

But you know what? Little One loves it and greets every single one of her newly named animals with a big chuckle, so the menagerie is here to stay.

Back to ‘normality’ now (what’s that then?!) and I have resisted the urge to share my new animal friends with my clients. However, I have managed to gain inspiration from Terry Toucan whilst naming a client’s new business... now that really is a baby business balance! Shhhhhh, don’t tell my client that his new business is named after a plastic squawking baby toy!

Baby’s firsts:

Christmas!

Business first:

Terry Toucan!