We took our first little minibreak as a family of 3 last week... 

this post is sponsored by Lansinoh.

Lansinoh wanted me to share how their nursing pads helped me to feel confident when going away for the first time and packing for our first family trip. So let's talk breast pads. I don't know about you, but I started leaking during pregnancy. I was packing my hospital bag and looked down to see a tiny wet patch on my t-shirt. I didn't even know it was possible to leak in pregnancy so my first thought was that I'd spilt some water. But then I quickly realised it was colostrum! Luckily I'd bought a box a couple of weeks before when doing a big Boots order, after my friend had said they were the best. For the first few days, the leaking was intermittent so I didn't wear them everyday. But for special occasions like my baby shower where I was wearing a sheer dress that I would have felt super conscious of getting the fabric wet I put them in. Then, as Freya was born, and my milk came in, they've become a twice daily part of my routine now. Get dressed, put a bra on, put breastpads in. Get ready for bed, put a bra on {side note - I'm still not used to the fact that I have to wear a bra everynight for bed? But on the nights where I go without, I wake up covered in milk or end up soaking the baby during the night which isn't fun!} and put breastpads in. 

Lansinoh have both these disposables and these washable, reusable pads. I've got both and think both have their place. In the early days, where I was going through a fair amount {it's amazing how heavy they get especially when your milk has just come in and your supply is getting established}, I stuck to the disposables. They're really absorbent and reliable, soft {and not itchy like so many others!} and discreet - you can't tell when you're wearing them.

For days out, I keep a couple in my changing bag, and if we were going away somewhere that we didn't have access to a washing machine, or for a long period I'd take some disposables with me.

But these days, now my supply is established and I don't leak as much, I've been using the reusable pads at night, and when I buy more of them will use more in the day too {I have 8 at the moment, so can use them over 4 different occasions before I need to wait for them to come out the wash}. I'm definitely a convert to reusables, so much easier to just put them in your bra without the packaging/unwrapping of the others. 

Both types are really soft and don't irritate my skin at all, in fact you don't even know you have them in. The disposables have sticky strips to keep them in your bra whereas the reusables just sit nicely in there, and then you wash them in the little drawstring bag they come in. 

Having them in just gives you that confidence to go out/go away and wear whatever clothes you want without panicking and looking down to check you haven't leaked. It's totally ok to leak though, and on the odd occasion I haven't done my bra back up properly after feeding, I look down and see a wet patch - which luckily in summer dries fast and also I'm a new mum who's breastfeeding, it's bound to happen occasionally. But I wouldn't want to risk going out without them in right now! 

When going away to Whitstable, I took both with me {disposables for the day, washable at night} and as it was just a couple of nights, we didn't have to do any washing whilst we were there. 

This is a sponsored post but I'm SO so happy to be working with Lansinoh as I have bought a couple of boxes of their breastpads {and will continue to!}, and hand on heart thought they were the very best, before they got in touch with me about this campaign.

Some photos from our trip, if you'd like to see;

Originally, we'd planned to go to Whitstable for the day. Three years ago we had lunch at the Sportsman pub, it's a michelin starred pub with a really relaxed atmosphere but incredible food. I booked it way in advance for Ben's Birthday earlier this year, knowing we'd then have a 6 week old baby and wondering how she'd be, and how we'd feel! But as time got closer, we realised that it would be quite a long time in the car for Freya in a day and so thought about staying for a couple of nights instead. We rented an Airbnb {this one} - and you can get £25 off your first booking anywhere in the world if you sign up with this link {where I'll get £15 of credit} that was fairly good value and really family friendly and struck gold with the weather. I didn't know how it would be to pack allll the gear up and have her longest car journey yet, would it be worth it? But luckily it was all really great and we had such a lovely time {once I felt better from a blocked duct/prevented mastitis on the first day}, that we didn't want to come home and wish we'd booked longer with the late August heatwave!

The Airbnb, in a converted school, was perfect {albeit the bathroom was a little small}. It had Netflix {we finished the Letdown whilst we were away, LOVED that show}, a full kitchen and washing machine {a requirement for any trip away for us from now on} and a little courtyard garden with a BBQ. But the best part was that it was just 10 minutes from the town and the beach for the best sunsets. 

We'd been to Whitstable a couple of years before, but hadn't had great weather. This time, it was gorgeous. The town has got even nicer {with a couple of new eateries - Grain & Hearth and Farm & Harper} and although I don't love the harbour bit for breaking it all up, if you walk towards the sea down the highstreet and go either left or right, you'll reach gorgeous beaches.

We picked up some lunch from this new bakery that had opened just a few months before {and makes amazing sourdough} and some local plums {my favourite} from the greengrocer across the road.

Whitstable is known for it's oysters so you'll find lots of seafood restaurants around. We ate at the Lobster Shack last time.

Going away with a baby is obviously a little different from our trips before she arrived, there were lots of stops for feeding. But feeding with a different view from the usual ones at home is still really lovely.

We walked to Tankerton on our first afternoon, past all of the beach huts, the sea so calm, I love this part of the coast.

The sunsets were a real highlight, I'm not sure if its at all times of the year but you get impressive sunsets over the sea because of the aspect it faces.

Just SO beautiful.

We cooked dinner in both nights and then wandered down to the beach along with everyone else, such a nice atmosphere as you walk along.

Simba baby, she's actually being winded but I couldn't resist snapping this.

Seaside doortraits. If I ever have a house by the coast it would have a nautical knocker for sure.

First nap time beach walk each morning.

Our very favourite part was a 25 minute drive down the coast to Botany Bay, near Broadstairs. A huge, sandy beach when the tide is out with impressive chalk white cliffs towering over it.

Freya's first trip to the beach!

We just wished we'd prepared properly and brought shade and towels with us for a proper day there. But it was coming up to lunchtime, and we knew the shade of the rocks would be gone soon so we drove into Margate for lunch.

Margate is a quirky town, rough around the edges but with some amazing stretches of beach, the Turner gallery and a hipster revived old town {complete with pretty buildings}. 

I definitely didn't realise the sea was this gorgeous here.

We had lunch at GB Pizza Co Margate, which I really recommend.

Followed by ice cream at Ramsay & Williams, again SO good.

Future ice cream lover right there.

On our last day, before we were booked for lunch at the Sportsman, we decided to go to Canterbury nearby to Whitstable for a few hours. But as we were on our way there, with the day heating up already and a bright blue sky, we both suddenly realised we'd be silly not to make the most of the coast. So made a U-turn and drove back to Botany Bay again. 

It was even more beautiful that morning, the sea so still and blending in with the sky. We parked a little way along and walked along the cliffs towards the bay. Just obsessed with these views, and forever wishing we were nearer to the sea.

Sleepy beach babe. 

We didn't see the beach with the tide in either time, so it looked huge when we walked out to paddle in the sea.

And then an incredible lunch to round our trip off, and the main reason for coming for the Birthday boy.

My phone died just as I went to take a photo of the plum souffles! :( 

This little babe was a total star. A really, really lovely first holiday with her and having time to soak her up properly away from the mundane, day to day tag teaming at home where there's always jobs to do. 

R <3 xx