We’re absolutely thrilled to have been chosen as one of the top 100 most inspirational small businesses for 2022.
Each year the Small Business Saturday campaign picks 100 of the most inspiring small businesses to showcase. This year we’re delighted that Happity is one of the #SmallBiz100.
It feels even more special as Small Business Saturday is celebrating its tenth anniversary this year – marking a decade of a call to the public to support their local communities and to shop small.
A small biz supporting small businesses
We love working with and supporting all the small businesses who list their classes on Happity. To be chosen as a #SmallBiz100 is not just a celebration of our amazing team but for all the fabulous class providers that help make Happity what it is. If you run a baby or toddler class and are not on Happity yet – join now. We’d love to have you on board.
Big plans for the future of our inspirational small business
It’s an exciting time here at Happity. Thanks to a successful crowdfunding campaign we’re now growing to help connect more and more parents and carers across the UK through baby and toddler classes.
When we started out Happity was just in London. Then covid hit and everything changed overnight. Soon we were listing online classes from all across the UK as a lifeline for parents during lockdowns. Now things are – thankfully – back to normal we’re working hard to bring Happity to more places in the UK.
We’re super excited to have been featured in the press already about being chosen as one of the most inspirational small businesses of the year. Here’s some of the articles Happity has appeared in so far:
Are you in need of spooky Halloween crafts for your toddlers? Well BOO! Surprise! We’ve got your back.
From spooky pebble ghosts to pom pom spiders – we’ve got your Halloween crafting covered.
So get out the googly eyes and get crafting with your toddler to create these spooktacular Halloween crafts.
Little leaf ghosts
One of our favourite Halloween crafts for toddlers. Gather leaves on an autumn walk and when you get home turn them into these little leaf ghosts. Paint them white. A couple of coats of acrylic paint works well. Then use a black Sharpie to draw on spooky faces.
Pebble ghosts
Paint pebbles with white paint (again, acrylic covers well). You can even buy glow in the dark paint too to give your ghosts a spooky glow. Decorate with either black paint or (even easier) a black Sharpie to make the eyes and mouth. Line your ghostly stones along your path for a spooky Halloween signpost to lead kids to get their Trick or Treat Halloween goodies.
Toilet roll bats
Don’t throw away those toilet roll tubes! Turn them into these batty bats. Paint black, cut out wings from black card and stick to the back. Then glue on googly eyes and fangs to finish.
Spooky spiders
The wobbly pipe cleaner legs on these spiders make them really creepy! To make roll a ball of newspaper (or any paper will do). Cover it with black tissue paper or a sheet of black felt. You could even use a piece of a black bin bag. Use sellotape to stick it in place. Then take four pipe cleaners and stick them to the bottom of your black ball, using sellotape across the centre of each pipe cleaner. Bend them to make spider legs. And finish with googly eyes or eyes cut from white and black card or felt.
Ghastly ghosts
If you’re having a Halloween party you can make these to cover lollipops or cake pops as a going home treat. Take a white tissue and wrap the centre of it around the lollipop. Tie a piece of black wool underneath to secure it in place. Add eyes with a black marker pen.
Halloween craft for toddlers – Batty bat bunting
If you’re doing this Halloween craft with tiny toddlers then you might need to cut out lots of bat shapes from card for them. They can have fun sticking down the googly eyes with glue and arranging them on a length of string, ready to hang and decorate your room. Older toddlers could trace around a bat shaped template and then cut out their own little bats.
Spooky finger puppets
Cut two ghost shapes from felt – large enough to fit on your toddler’s finger. Spread glue on all the sides, except the bottom. Then stick them together to make a little finger puppet. Cut eyes and mouths from black felt. And either sew in place. Or – much easier – glue in place!
Merry monsters
Toddlers will love this Halloween craft. They can really get creative and let their imaginations run wild. Save some toilet rolls and put out paint, googly eyes, felt pens and card. Then let your toddler design their own monster. We’ve given you some ideas above to get started.
Vampire bat and ooky spooky ghost
These are both made from strips of card rolled into a cylinder. We made a black cylinder for the bat and a white one for the ghost. Add details by drawing on or sticking on shapes of card or paper for the eyes, teeth, wings and hands.
Glowing Halloween jars
Another of our favourite Halloween crafts for toddlers. These look great on the windowsill or mantlepiece for Halloween. First cover a jar with masking tape. Then cut shapes for the eyes and mouth from tissue paper and glue them in place. Pop a tea light in the jar and watch it give out a ghostly glow. You can buy battery operated tea lights, which are much safer to use when you’re doing this craft with little ones.
Pom pom spiders
These little spiders are more cute than spooky but we love them. First glue some googly eyes to a black pom pom. Then cut short lengths of pipe cleaner, bend and glue in place to make the legs. A glue gun might be your best friend when making these. Do make sure you as the adult use the glue gun and make sure your child doesn’t touch the glue when it’s hot.
Halloween craft for toddlers – handy Halloween
This one is a really fun Halloween craft for toddlers. Draw around their hands on a piece of card and cut out. Use card shapes and felt pens to turn the hands into vampires, monsters or even a cheery pumpkin. You could hang all the hands on string to decorate your room for Halloween.
Halloween bowling game
A quick and easy make for a fun Halloween game. Decorate paper cups with googly eyes and little plastic spiders. Then set them up in a pyramid. See how many ghostly cups your toddler can knock down by rolling a ball towards them.
Happy crafting and happy Halloween when it comes. Don’t forget you can also find all sorts of Halloween classes and special events on Happity.
Looking at a blank piece of paper trying to write a checklist of all the essentials that your newborn baby needs?
What do you need to buy before you have your baby? And what is a waste of money?
We’ve got you covered – with our handy checklist so you know you’ve got all the essentials
You have a new baby on the way, and everything is exciting (and a tiny bit terrifying)! It can be difficult to figure out if you have everything you need once they arrive, so that’s why we’ve created this easy checklist to make sure you have all the essentials.
When it comes to clothing, you want to find a good middle ground. What is the magic number between buying too many clothes (that your newborn will grow out of in just over a month), and not enough (leading to you needing to do the washing every other day)?
The truth is your new-born baby will mostly be styling it out in sleepsuits/onesies. It can be ever so tempting to stock up on endless amounts of adorable teeny tiny clothes.
But, if you can resist temptation, you can save money and purchase just the essentials. Also – chances are you’ll get loads of cute clothes as new baby presents so you don’t need to buy them.
Our rough estimates are:
7 onesies
7 baby vests
7 pairs of baby socks
2-3 swaddle blankets
New-born hat
Optional: One cute outfit to impress visitors (very much not essential!)
Bedding & sleeping essentials
Like most things when you’re expecting a baby for the first time, you can tend to wonder what you do and don’t need. Sleeping essentials for newborn’s can be pricey, and there are lots of options. Our recommended essentials are as follows:
Cot (or alternative) You might start out with Moses basket, but your baby will grow out of it very quickly so borrow/buy second hand if you can.
Mattress – ALWAYS buy a new mattress. It’s recommended as part of the safe sleeping guidance for babies.
3-4 bed sheets
Waterproof mattress cover
Baby monitor
Nappies
How many packs of nappies is too many? Short answer: You can never have too many. You will get through an unbelievable amount of nappies, so it’s a great idea to stock up and get multipack offers where you can!
2-6 packs of disposable nappies/a good supply of cloth nappies
Cotton wool balls for the first weeks of nappy changes (when your baby’s skin is the most delicate)
2 packs of baby wipes
Nappy rash cream
1 changing mat
Disposable nappy bags (these can come in packs of 100-300, and honestly the more the merrier)
Feeding supplies
Of course, there are different approaches to feeding your newborn, and therefore there will be different essentials for every family. We’ve offered a list for both bottle-feeding and breastfeeding individually:
More muslin cloths than you’ll ever thought you’d need! (these might just be the best buy you ever made as a new parents)
10 bibs (e.g. Totsi)
Breastfeeding:
Nursing pads
Nipple cream
Breast pump
Bottles and bottle teats (optional, but may be useful at a later point for convenience)
Bottle-feeding:
5-8 bottles
A bottle brush
Bottle teats
Formula
Steriliser
Toiletries
Make sure baby bath times go smoothly by gathering a few of the essentials:
3 baby flannels (These sometimes come in multipacks of more)
Baby sponge
Newborn friendly bodywash
Newborn friendly lotion
Medicines & care
Of course, you should follow the directions of your GP and midwife for any essential medication, and we won’t be recommending any specific medication in our checklist. However, you can’t go wrong with these little tools of the trade:
Baby nail clippers
Digital thermometer
Baby medicine syringe
Gadgets & furniture
There’s plenty of choice out there for gadgets and additional furniture. The marketplace often supplies endless amounts of furniture and items that are built to make your life easier. However, the essentials only really consist of a few things…
Car seat
Pram
(There are even some options where you can get both of these in one convertible product). Check out Mamas and Papas who supply pushchairs, baby clothing, nursery furniture and more…
You might also want to buy a sling or papoose to carry your baby in too.
Optional (less essential) items to add to your ‘newborn baby needs’ checklist
These items might show up in your list, and you might think that they are a necessity. However, there are cheap/free alternatives to these that are just as safe and easy for your toddler.
Baby bathtub: Whilst they are useful, you can wash your newborn just as easily in a clean washing-up bowl. (Worried about bathing your baby? The NHS have provided a great guide here)
Hooded baby towel: Adorable, very sweet, and suitable for specifically a tiny person. However, you can just as easily wrap your baby up in a normal towel.
Nappy bin: Whilst it might come in handy for you, you don’t necessarily need this. You can dispose of dirty nappies just as easily with a nappy sack in your usual general-waste bin.
Shoes: Yes, we know, those teeny tiny shoes are so cute and you just want to buy all of them. We’ve been there, believe us! However, in truth, you really won’t have any need for them until your baby starts to show signs that they will start walking soon. So resist temptation.
Playpen & travel cot: Whilst useful, this should only really be added to your list if you know that you will be travelling. So maybe save this one for later, and if you find you have a need for it.
Dummies: We aren’t the experts on this, but the resources we’ve seen suggest there’s both pros and cons to dummies. NCT suggests to avoid dummies if you are breastfeeding, and to avoid them regardless in the first few weeks after birth. Read more of their advice here.
Toy box: Those toys will start to accumulate very quickly, and will very soon clutter your home, so the idea of a toy box isn’t a bad one. However, to call it an essential for a newborn baby would be an overstatement
Mobile – to place over your baby’s cot
Play mat – baby play mats are a safe and engaging space to place your baby. They often have dangly toys and textured surfaces to entertain and stimulate your baby. Not an essential but an added extra.
What to skip in your newborn baby essential needs checklist?
There may be a few items that you’ve been tempted to buy before your newborn has arrived. But it may work out better if you hold off until after your baby is born (if you end up needing it at all). Here’s some of our suggestions of what to avoid:
Too many clothes: when they first arrive, they are unbelievably tiny. But babies grow at an extremely quick rate, and will outgrow their clothes before you know it. Save yourself some valuable £’s and hold off buying any unnecessary clothing where possible. Maybe hold off buying that fancy tiny tuxedo until you know that you’ve got a fancy event for them to wear it to.
A toy collection that makes Hamleys jealous: When your friends and relatives want to buy a gift for your newborn, the go-to thing they are likely to want to give you is a toy. Stuffed animals are one of the most common gifts for new babies. Avoid the temptation to buy too many toys.
Items that aren’t suitable for the season they are born in: This might take a bit of thinking, and a bit of counting the months, but it will save you money on purchases that you may not use. For example, you might not want to buy your new baby a thick winter coat if they are due in May as you won’t fully know how big or how little they are at that point. These purchases can always wait until your baby is here.
If you liked our essential list for your newborn baby, you might also like:
We know you’re worried right now about the rising cost of energy and the cost of living crisis. And so we’ve put together some easy energy saving tips for families to help.
We can’t wave a magic wand but we can help, even just a little, by sharing some quick and easy energy things you can do to save energy and save money too.
Keeping your home warm and cosy
With sky high energy bills you might be worried about turning the heating on this year. Here are a few small things you can do that add up to considerable savings over time.
1. Turn the thermostat down. Even by one degree. Money saving guru, Martin Lewis, says: “For each degree you cut the thermostat, expect to cut bills by 4%-ish, or about £100 a year on average for a typical home”. So that’s a quick win.
2. Bleed your radiators. It makes them work more efficiently and makes sure you’re not using up energy heating up any cold spots in them created by air bubbles.
3. Cover windows with cling film. Especially if you don’t have double glazing. This one sounds a bit bizarre and you might just want to stick to wrapping sandwiches with cling film instead. But The Energy Saving Trust does say it works to trap in heat and save energy.
4. Cover up any draughts. Go old school with a draught excluder to stop cold air coming through the cracks under doors. You can even make your own – here’s how.
5. Draw the curtains. Once the sun sets draw curtains to keep in heat. They act as another layer of insulation, trapping the warm air inside and the cold air out.
Cook up a storm without burning the budget
You can still cook up nutritious meals and fill hungry tummies on a budget. Again some little changes you make can save a fair amount of energy and money in the long run. Here are some of the best energy saving tips for families when it comes to cooking the daily meals.
6. Use your microwave more than your oven. Electric cookers cost (on average) 87p per day. A microwave costs only 8p. A slow cooker costs an average of 16p to run a day too. As does an air fryer. So choosing different ways to cook your family meal can make some pretty big energy savings.
7. Cover those pots and pans. By placing a lid on your pans, the water boils faster and uses less energy. A quick win to make a small change.
8. Cut energy with your cuppas. Instead of boiling the kettle each time you make a cuppa, fill a big flask in the morning with hot water and use it throughout the day.
9. Cook up a storm with batch cooking. It saves on energy but it also saves loads of time for you as a busy parent too. Cook twice what you need and then you’ve not only saved on energy but you have a quick ‘ready’ meal in the freezer to whip out on one of those days when you’re too tired too cook.
10. Gather together for meals. Have neighbours/friends/family around for Sunday lunch, then go to theirs the next Sunday (or indeed any day!). Make it a regular meal and house swap. By sharing meals you only need to use one oven and heat one house at a time. And the extra company on a regular basis is lovely too.
Don’t get in a spin over the cost of doing the laundry
As a parent with a baby or toddler chances are your washing machine is putting in some heavy duty right now. Stained bibs and vests, muddy clothes after a day in the park -it all piles up.
So how can you cut corners and save money when your washing machine feels like it’s forever in action?
11. Wash clothes on a lower setting. By washing your clothes at 30 degrees, you could use 40% less energy. Your clothes will still wash as well too.
12. Think about when you wash. The most expensive time for you to wash or dry your clothes is between 4pm and 7pm. So avoid those times if you can
14. Step away from the tumble dryer! The Energy Saving Trust reckons you could save £117 a year if you never use it. There are times when you have to but if you can use it as little as possible it will definitely help.
15. Invest in a heated clothes airer. This one might be a game changer. Yes you have to fork out a bit to buy one but doing so could save you an awful lot. A heated airer costs from 4-15p per hour to run, compared to your washing machine, which costs about 30p an hour.
Bonus energy saving tip – Steal someone else’s heat
The more time you can spend out and about in heated public spaces, the less you will spend on using energy at home. It’s a win-win as you’re always looking for things to do with the kids. Here are some ideas:
Book a baby or toddler class and escape your four walls and meet other parents. Head to Happity to find one near you.
Visit your local library. You can spend a happy few hours reading and choosing books to bring home. Libraries often have story telling sessions and craft sessions too.
Head to your local garden centre. There’s always loads to explore and often a fab cafe for refuelling!
Visit your nearest pet store. It’s like a free zoo for toddlers as they marvel at the cute pets for sale.
Check out museums nearby. As well as having plenty to look at (and often interactive displays with buttons to press and switches to switch!) they often have activities for kids too.
Keep track with an app
Here at Happity we’re finding that one of the easiest ways to save energy is to use an app. Apps, such as Loop, track how much energy you are using. And help you cut your energy use by a whopping 10%. Not only that but you get free energy saving insights and tips to help you save even more too. They’re an easy way to keep track of how much energy you are using and be more mindful of easy ways to make more savings.
We know that this winter is going to be a bit of a struggle. These energy saving tips for families will help a little to shave money from your bills.
Everyone’s experience of them are different, and it’s pretty fun to compare them!
According to the NHS, your pregnancy cravings can start from as early as 5 weeks into your pregnancy, and will only get stronger with time.
We asked our team at Happity what some of their weird cravings were, and also asked the parents of Instagram to tell us some of the things they just couldn’t have enough of during pregnancy! Have you heard of any of these? Or did you have any of them yourself?
Looking for fun activities with your baby or toddler? There are thousands of classes and groups on Happity. Find one you’ll love here.
1. Stuffed vine leaves & Mcdonalds cheeseburgers!
“My cravings were sparkling water and lemonade, I had to have one or the other with me at all times! The other one was stuffed vine leaves, I could buy them in jars from Balham high street and ate so many that I have never eaten them since. I also once made my partner go and buy me a McDonalds Cheeseburger (which I literally never eat) even though he was in the middle of cooking dinner. He brought back the burger which I ate and then ate the dinner he was cooking! “
-Lisa, Customer Happiness Hero
2. Chocolate milk & chicken Super Noodles with Cheese
“Once of my cravings when I was pregnant was chocolate milk, I drank so much chocolate milk that at one point I was convinced my breastmilk would turn into chocolate milk.
“Chicken flavour super noodles with cheese was absolutely up there with one of my cravings too, I was constantly trying to swerve a normal dinner so that I could have super noodles with cheese instead. “
-Alex, Customer Happiness Angel
3. Weird Pregnancy Cravings: Fruit Gums (but NEVER oranges!)
“My cravings were Fruit Gums (only thing that stopped me feeling sick!) with my eldest and with my second baby, all things salty and savoury – like bacon and crisps!
“I also couldn’t go near an orange in both pregnancies (love them usually). I once had a dramatic meltdown because my husband had bought a bag of oranges and left them on the kitchen counter! They just instantly made me feel sick – even the sight and smell of them.”
-Nicola, Social Media Rockstar
4. Doughnuts
“My pregnancy craving (for both pregnancy’s) was doughnuts. I actually have pictures of being pregnant and stuffing my face with a doughnut during lockdown…”
-Sophie, Social Ads Sorceress
5. Apple juice
“Had to be the clear stuff not cloudy! Drank so much of it during both pregnancies!”
-Becky, Coding Alchemist
6. Not so much a weird pregnancy craving, but my tastebuds changed during pregnancy?
“The weird thing is that before having children I didn’t really like chocolate! Tastebuds changed in pregnancy perhaps?!”
-Sara, Co-founder
Sara from our team mentioned this one, and it brought up an interesting question that some parents (or expecting parents) might also be thinking. Is it normal for your tastes to change during pregnancy? According to this article ‘Signs and symptoms of pregnancy‘ from the NHS, this is completely normal for your tastes to change. You may crave new foods and lose interest in others. You’ll probably develop a more sensitive sense of smell than usual too. (Mmm all the better to smell your next meal with!)
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