Thursday 17 April 2014

Read With Me Scout - Review

Rocket was sent a Read With Me Scout from LeapFrog a while ago to review and being the book worm and cuddly child he is, it is amazing!

 Scout is a loveable interactive green puppy dog that is aimed at ages 24 months to 5 years, so a nice wide range making him a lasting companion that can be passed down to brothers or sisters!

Scout comes with his own set of 5 books which are programmed for Scout to read to you by pressing the corresponding colour to the book on his collar, he also asks questions about the book, making him a fun friend for your little one. Rocket absolutely loves pressing Scouts interactive pressure points and being told he is Scouts best friend!

There are 5 interactive spots on Scouts body - Kiss his cheek and he will tell you that you are his best friend, his left paw activates the songs and the right paw gives more responses.

There are 70+ different questions over the course of the 5 books, all which have a different theme to them for learning : Rhyming, Learn about, Narrative, Pattern and Concept - all presented by an exciting Scout stories!

Rocket has just turned 4 years old so is well within the age range that Scout is aimed at and I've honestly never seen a boy love a toy so much! Scout is literally his best friend, he is obsessed. Even to the point where when we are out in the car, he says he misses him and that we have to go home to him - its cute! He also gets brought out to show his friends during play dates!

Scout gets a big thumbs up from us, a fun, loveable, cuddly educational pup with a mind of his own!

You can also buy Read With Me Violet for the little ladies!

BRITAX AND BOB SPONSOR THE BLISS BUGGY PUSH FOR A SECOND YEAR

 For the second year running, leading child safety brand, BRITAX, is proud to announce its dual headline sponsorship of the 2014 Bliss Buggy Push alongside sporty outdoor stroller brand, BOB. The Bliss Buggy Push involves a series of family-friendly 5km buggy walks or runs across the UK, designed to help raise money for Bliss, the special care baby charity.
Bliss is a UK charity working to provide the best possible care and support for all premature and sick babies and their families. One in every nine babies is born premature or sick - that is around 80,000 babies every year.
Bliss is encouraging people all around the country to organise their own Buggy Push in their local area between May and December 2014, with the flagship London launch event taking place in Battersea Park, London on 31 May.
The Bliss Buggy Push series is Bliss’ most successful family fundraising event where mums, dads and children come together to raise money for the charity. Alongside sponsorship of the event BRITAX will also be giving away one of its most popular pushchairs, the BRITAX affinity, to the highest individual fundraiser in this year’s Bliss Buggy Push series. More details about the events and how to enter the competition are available here
Bengi Bingol Yalcin, UK Marketing Manager at BRITAX remarks, ‘We’re very proud to be coming on board with Bliss again this year. The Bliss Buggy Push is an incredible event that’s really accessible to anyone who wants to get up and active with their little one - and the best part is it’s all in the name of a fantastic cause.’
This year, the London Buggy Push closely follows the launch of the brand new BOB Revolution PRO, BRITAX/BOB’s most versatile outdoor stroller yet. The Revolution PRO allows parents to run and train with their child, with the added flexibility of having a swivel front wheel, making it the perfect everyday stroller too. So if you’re looking for a new training companion ahead of your push this year, don’t forget to check it out.

Tuesday 1 April 2014

Mummy Stress!

This week really has been the toughest since becoming a mum! Bee is (I'm guessing) teething... dribbling everywhere, screeching, screaming, crying, more screaming.. it's exhausting and last night actually left me in tears.

I took him for his audiology appointment yesterday as we had concerns he couldn't hear due to the wax build up, we were kind of right.

Bee passed on his left ear but failed his right, they think he has a build up of gloop behind his ear drum which should sort itself out over time but we have to go back when hes 7-8 months for further tests.

They weren't too concerned as you only need to be able to hear out of one ear for speech and learning development so that is a relief, I'm also glad its only one ear, although I'm pretty sure a couple of weeks ago he couldn't hear at all bless him.

Rocket is doing extremely well, loving preschool and as inquisitive as ever but I am loving teaching and explaining things to him and am fascinated by the things he learns at preschool and comes home to tell
us!

Bee-ing the last!

Now that Bee is born we have been thinking hard about what to use for contraception. He is our last baby and after actively trying for a baby for 2 years, going back to using contraceptives is a difficult decision as there are so many different options out there.

In the past I have had the implant 3 times, never got on with it so in the end just gave up. I've had the depo shot too, but when adding those hormones one of the side effects is that you can gain weight and that's really not an option for me.

Condoms are the quickest and easiest contraceptive option for us and we were recently asked to review some of the newest condoms from Durex; 'Real feel'. You can see what we thought about them HERE.

Part of me is sad that Bee is our last but due to my HMS being so bad, having any more children really isn't an option for us.

https://www.realfeeldurex.co.uk/






*This is a sponsored post and we were also sent product free to test in return for our honest review.

Wednesday 26 March 2014

Saints and Slimmers ready meals review

A while back we were sent a couple of ready meals to review by Saints and Slimmers.

Saints and Slimmers is a company with a website that tailor different diet plans and sell diet products at a very reasonable cost.

The 3 that we were sent were : Chicken Satay, Sweet and sour chicken and Chilli con carne.

S&S : Our Chicken Satay combines juicy chicken, herbs and soya sprouts in a delicious spicy peanut sauce and comes with a separate serving of white rice to leave you feeling completely satisfied. At only 473 calories, our Chicken Satay diet ready meal provides a high level of your daily protein requirements and is low in fat and fat saturates. Stores at room temperature until you're ready to eat it and cooks in just three minutes. Great at lunch time or in the evening.

Our review : The chicken Satay has to be my favourite that I tried out of the 3, I was expecting it not to have much flavour, as I guess when it comes to 'diet food' I kind of expect cardboard tasting meals. However I was not disappointed with this meal as it had alot of rich flavour to it and despite its portion size I was satisfied after.

S&S :  Our Chicken Sweet and Sour diet ready meal is filling and full of flavour, yet it contains just 461 calories. Low in saturated fat and a good source of protein, this delicious Chicken Sweet and Sour will leave you feeling satisfied. The tasty chicken, pineapple, tomato, peppers, onion, carrots and celery, in a gently spiced sweet and sour sauce goes perfectly with the supplied portion of plain rice. Cooks in just three minutes and can be stored at room temperature until you're ready to enjoy it.

Our review : I actually really enjoyed this one too, it tasted very similar to a sweet and sour chicken meal you would have from a Chinese takeaway (which is fab considering the low calories!)

S&S :  Our Chilli Con Carne diet ready meal, with its juicy minced beef, tasty red kidney beans, tomatoes, onions and fine spices isn't short on taste, but it is short on calories. In fact, it contains just 416, but still leaves you feeling satisfied and full up and it can help your diet plan when you combine it with our meal replacement bars or shakes. It even comes with a separate portion of rice. Ready to eat in just three minutes and can be stored at room temperature until you're ready to enjoy it.

The hubby's review : (I didn't have this one as I'm not a chilli fan or of things spicy but my husband wolfed it down no complaints and said it wasn't different to any other chilli con carne that he had had before so it was OK for me to go ahead and get more ;) )

A quick summery : I love that these meals have a long shelf life on them and they don't need to be refrigerated - on top of that they cook in just 3 minutes so they are perfect for meals on the go or if you don't want to worry about food. We will be stocking up on these meals and trying the others too.

Children and Technology - a guide for parents by LeapFrog

Now that I am beginning to think ahead as Rocket will soon be off to primary school (this September!) It is a perfect timing for me to be sharing a guide that the lovely LeapFrog guys have put together on Internet safety and protecting children 'online'.

Rocket is a very tech savvy little boy, he always has been. He could work my iphone by the age of 1 and by 2 had a whole host of apps on my ipad! He also won't be fobbed off by toys that aren't the real deal - clever boy!

I do worry about what will happen when the time comes and he wants to spend time on the Internet, not just playing on apps and that's why it's so important to be aware of the things we can do to help keep our children safe.

Here is the guide from LeapFrog

Do you worry about the technological future?

Wednesday 12 March 2014

Springtimes here!

Gosh this winter has been dull! I'm so thankful for the lighter evenings and beautiful sunshine we have had for a few days, although it's not meant to last! (we can hope ;) )

Having a newborn over winter made it even more difficult for me to get Rocket out the house and between my hormones, a small baby and my HMS being just as bad as it was during the pregnancy I became a bit of a prisoner to the indoors.

Rocket is an amazingly active little boy, he is definitely the outdoors type and thrives outside so I did feel guilty that most of the colder weeks he was in front of CBeebies and the Disney Channel!

We were actually sent some vitamin D drops from Natures Aid that are suitable for the whole family including breastfeeding babies. So we have been giving drops to Rocket whilst the sun was no where to be seen! Hopefully it has been working, I'm not too sure how you know if you are getting enough vitamins or not but I feel happier as a mum knowing he is getting that supplement.

Now the flowers are blooming I have actually been enjoying short walks with the boys (as much as I can handle right now!) But we have many plans for the warmer weeks to come!

Friday 28 February 2014

Britax DUALFIX Review




We have been reviewing the DUALFIX car seat from Britax for a good month or more now and I'm really excited to share my experience with you all.

Having Hypermobility Syndrome is hard enough at the best of times but dealing with the extra relaxin hormone from pregnancy, I really suffered after Bee was born in November.

The biggest problem I had was taking the baby car seat carrier I had in and out of Rockets pre-school as not only was it heavy, it also involved me awkwardly trying to navigate the think corridors of pegs, coats and other people trying to pass - as well as an energetic 3 year old! I was in alot of pain and also pulling my shoulder out of its joint regularly. This made me not even want to venture out and left me with constant flare ups on top of having to deal with a newborn.

When Britax sent me the DUALFIX as part of the Mumbassador scheme I was desperately excited to try it! Its a fabulous design of smooth curves - my immediate thought was how it looked like something out of Men In Black!

Its an extremely heavy seat as it needs to weigh a lot for the swivel action. I had to wait til my husband got home so he could install it, but that was relatively easy as it pops straight into the ISOfix slots in the car. (The ONLY thing I am sad about is that it can't go in the front as it needs the ISOfix, but that isn't the seats fault!)

Having  seat that you can place baby in facing the door is simply amazing for me, especially after struggling sideways with our past seat. All you have to do is secure little one in the comfortable 5 point harness then press the button located behind the seat and swivel the seat with your right hand and you will hear it click into place... easy!

I think its great that it comes with a recline feature, although this can only be used when the seat is rear facing. I find the recline very comfortable for Bee.

Also, the rotate feature means you can completely turn the seat round (obviously not whilst the car is driving) but if you needed to you could access baby easily from the back seat.

Now when I drop Rocket off at Preschool it takes me seconds to remove Bee safely and I have the freedom of carrying him in with me which is so much easier!

Of course I have only had rear facing experience with Bee so far but I will update the review as he moves to forward facing.

Although this seat is on the more costly side, I would really recommend it for anyone that has joint problems like I do, it really does give you that extra help you need as a parent with chronic pain  - plus the smiles you get from your baby as you put them in facing you is heart warming!

The fact that it suits up to 4 years old also makes it a worthwhile investment.

Visit the BRITAX website and you can find them on TWITTER and FACEBOOK.

Some facts about the DUALFIX -

  • Rearward facing from birth to 18 kg allows you to keep your child rearward facing even longer. Choose rearward facing or forward facing for your child from 9 - 18kg – offers you the choice of position that best fits you and your child 
  • 5-point safety harness with one-pull adjustment distributes the impact forces out across the strong bones of the body and into the seat, plus it allows you to perfectly adjust the harness to your child’s size and keep them secure in the seat no matter what collision you have
  • 360° seat rotation makes it easy to move the seat between rearward and forward facing without re-installing and also place your child in and out from the side
  • ISOFIX system allows direct connection to the car’s ISOFIX anchorage points for a simple and safe installation
  • Multiple recline positions allow a comfortable sleeping position for your child that you can adjust without disturbing them
  • Newborn insert provides extra comfort and support for your baby
  • Height-adjustable headrest and harness with easy singlehanded adjustment allows the seat to grow with your child without the need to remove and re-thread the harness
  • Deep, softly padded full side wings provide optimum Side Impact Protection for your child along the entire seat
  • Performance chest pads reduce your child’s forward movement and energy that occurs in the event of an impact
  • Installation indicators confirm the seat is installed correctly
  • Quick-remove washable cover eliminates the need to remove the harness when washing the cover, therefore ensuring the harness is always installed correctly
  • Belly pad for your child’s comfort
  • Softly padded cover keeps your child comfortable in their seat
  • Rearward facing from birth to 18 kg allows you to keep your child rearward facing even longer. Choose rearward facing or forward facing for your child from 9 - 18kg – offers you the choice of position that best fits you and your child
Group 0+ & 10 – 18kg(≈ Birth – 4y)
ValuesHWDWeight
78 cm45 cm53 cm14,7 kg

































Wednesday 5 February 2014

Skibz Bibs Review


We were sent one of Skibz bibs to road test with Bee a few weeks ago now. The design we were sent is the Cowboy Star original dribble bib in red and white (you can buy it HERE).

When Rocket was a baby I didn't know much about bandana style bibs so completely missed out, but since Bee has been here, they are pretty much all the style that he wears now.

My first thought was that at £8 each, they were a bit on the costly side for us but after comparing them to other dribble bibs around, the quality speaks for itself.

Skibz are made of 100% cotton are exceptionally thick with brilliant absorbancy. I can get twice as much time out of Bee wearing his Skibz than I can from a supermarket brand dribble bib.

At the moment of course, Bee is still very young (he is 12 weeks old) but he constantly has his hands in his mouth so his clothes do get soggy - which is why we love the Skibz as it looks like part of his outfit and firs snug around his neck comfortably. There are 2 popper choices on the Skibz so it can grow with him which is great.

They also wash well so I predict it will have a long lasting job to do when Bee turns into a teething
dribbler!

If you head on over to the Skibz website, you can see all the fabulous different designs you can choose from, as well as other awesome products that they sell.

We are very pleased with Skibz and as teething approaches, we will be stocking up!

You can follow Skibz on FACEBOOK, TWITTER and on Instagram ( @SkibzBibs )

Friday 31 January 2014

12 Weeks Old






Dear Bee,

You are now officially 12 weeks old and turn 3 months on the 8th. What a whirlwind these last 12 weeks have been!

I have known you now for just under 1 year as you grew inside me and we are now discovering eachother even more.

You are amazing, you have the most beautiful soft fluffy brown hair, I love kissing it. Your eyes are slowly beginning to change from murky blue to what I'm guessing will be hazel green/brown like your big brothers. You have such sweet expressive eyes and eyelashes the girls are jealous of!

You were weighed yesterday at 13lbs 15oz so just one ounce off a stone!

You hold your head up so well and it's great for taking photos with your brother together.

You coo and smile which makes me melt. You are such a serious baby, you love frowning and working the world out, I can see you taking every detail in and it takes a lot of work to make you smile, but when you do it makes it even more magical. I love how you smile at me when you haven't seen me for a while.

You seriously love your milk! you are still mix fed, bottle and breast milk. You have 6-7 ounces a time! I adore the squidgy baby rolls you are developing on your thighs, they are so cute.

Unfortunately you are still unwell with your cold, you have been suffering with it since you were 2 weeks old bless you. I feel sad that you don't know what it feels like to breathe easily. We are getting it sorted though and you have an appointment at the hospital soon.

Bedtime is going great, I love co sleeping with you, I really look forward to nights now so I can lay down next to you and tell you stories. Your face is the first thing I see when I wake up and that makes me so happy. You are also a fantastic sleeper and no longer wake through the night!

You are growing fast and are just moving into size 3-6 month clothes (you have really long legs like your daddy!)

Your brother Rocket absolutely adores you and loves showing you off to his friends at preschool. He kisses you on your head but doesn't understand that you are still too little to play yet. I can tell you are going to be the best (and probably worst) of friends.

I'm so proud of you both.

Keep growing and amazing me sweetheart. My world is compete now you are here with us.

Much love, Mummy xxx

Thursday 30 January 2014

Win Tickets to The Baby Show - with Britax!

Taking place from the 21st -23rd February at ExCel London, The Baby Show is the UK’s leading pregnancy and parenting event. There will be hundreds of stands, which will feature anything and everything baby and toddler-focused – from innovative new inventions to showcases from all your favourite brands.

There will also be hourly guest speakers including nutrition expert Annabel Karmel, breastfeeding expert Clare Byam-Cook, and infant research and professor Dr Robert Titzer. With giveaways and special offers galore, make sure you don’t miss out!

To celebrate BRITAX’s continued involvement with the Baby Show and my role as a BRITAX Mumbassador, I’m really excited to be able to give away a pair of tickets to the next Baby Show in February! BRITAX’s stall will be stocked with all the latest BRITAX and BOB products, as well as having exciting offers available to Baby Show visitors. BRITAX experts will be on hand too, to explain the latest technology and take you through all the car seats and strollers on offer.

The tickets entitle you and a friend to full access at the London ExCel Baby Show on a day of your choice. Little ones get free entry so they’re more than welcome to come along too!

Please use the Rafflecopter form below to enter! T&Cs apply.
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Monday 13 January 2014

My top baby reviews of the first 2 months!

Now that Bee is 9 weeks old I thought it was time to round up the products that I've found the most helpful or pleasing to use! Of course I can't list everything but I hope this will help you discover some things you didn't know about :)

Theraline - The Original Maternity and Pregnancy Pillow


Oh my gosh! this pillow has been an amazing support for me. I received it when I was pregnant with Bee and it really helped getting comfortable at night using it in between my legs to support my hips until the last month when my SPD was bad and there was no way I could get comfortable with or without!
 I used it to prop myself up in bed which was useful for the horrid heartburn I suffered with.
The pillow is nice and long and filled with micro beads which mould to the shape of your body, making you as comfortable as possible. My mum was so impressed she went and got herself a Theraline pillow too!

as a photography support!
When Bee was born I was in alot of pain from the birth, especially with my fall I had and the pillow became my best friend. It literally helped me support Bee and made it possible to get comfortable enough to breastfeed.

We use the pillow every day still and I don't see me ever stopping. Its great for me because of my HMS and can support my joints in so many ways.

One of the surprise uses we have had from it is a photography support! It helps Bee with his tummy time and I get some great snaps of him and his brother.

I would highly recommend this maternity pillow, is a product that has so many uses and you will definitely get your moneys worth!

MamaScarf

The MamaScarf is a nursing cover designed to help mothers breastfeed in public whilst keeping fully covered, making it relaxing and discrete.
 I struggled badly with breastfeeding, especially in the early days and we went to Center Parcs when Bee was only 10 days old and I took my MamaScarf with me.
 I never ended up feeding in public but that was due to not being able to get my joints into a comfortable enough position and with him fighting the latch it was too much.
 However I ended up wearing my MamaScarf every day we were there! Not only is it stylish and actually looked funky it also gave me confidence that if i leaked through my breast pads that I would have extra cover as I was embarrassed people would see! Plus it hid my very new wobbly mum tum!
  Its a beautiful piece of material made out of 100% cotton and it washes brilliantly. Its nice and big, can cover any age baby and can help with confidence to feed anywhere. I love the MamaScarf!

SwaddleMe Swaddle Banket

This was actually a hand me down from a friend but I have to include it as it ROCKS! Bee didn't have it for the first couple of weeks and none of us got any sleep at all. When we swaddled him in this blanket he started sleeping 5 hours straight! It's so easy to use and is a nice snug fit around his arms but leaves his hips and legs to move freely. He is now growing out of the one he has and I will definetly be buying the next size up as we plan to swaddle him for as long as possible. He still has a very strong startle reflex.
 Thumbs up for the SwaddleMe!

Softly Snail Baby on Board - Little Bird Told Me

We were sent the Softly Snail Baby on Board for the back window of our car. I adore this range which is cute and colourful and unisex. The sign gently sways in the window to catch the eye of the driver behind so they know you have a little bundle in your car and to keep their distance.
 Unfortunatly ours managed to fall out whilst shopping sometime and we didn't notice so just make sure it's stuck on nice and secure as its a shame to lose such a pretty sign.




Tommee Tippee Sangenic Nappy Disposal System

When Rocket was born we never had a nappy bin and ended up with bags of nappys waiting to be thown out in the black bin outside, so I was really excited to try it out.
 It's been great so far, we have used it for 2 weeks and there is no smell at all coming out from the bin (its been emptied twice). Its an easy design of lifting the lid, placing the nappy in and pushing it down below the level, twisting the handle then closing the lid.
 We keep ours in the lounge but it's easy to transport it to the bedroom at night for nappy free peace of mind ;)
I'm awaiting a delivery of new cassettes for it at the moment so my tip is to buy them ahead of time so you're not waiting to use it. They come in packs of three and are pretty reasonable.
 Although a nappy bin is a bit of a luxury, it's one luxury I am glad to have!


Thursday 9 January 2014

Snugglebundl Review






We've had a snugglebundl since the day Bee was born. It's a product that sounded amazing to me as, suffering with my HMS, the prospect of not having to strain to pick baby up was fabulous.

I was not disappointed! We packed the snugglebundl in our hospital bag and in fact, the first time we used it Bee was less than an hour old and we were still in the labour and delivery suite.

It's made of such soft and cosy material that it lives up to its name of snuggle as that exactly what you want to do!

It has a very soft head support within the blanket so when you pick baby up it totally supports his/her head whilst their back is also supported comfortably.

You are also able to transfer your sleeping little one from the car seat straight into your arms or cot which is fabulous as every parent knows it's a task to do that and once you've woken the baby that's that!

Look how snugly Bee looks in his. We took it to Center Parcs with us when he was only 10 days old and aside from using it as a lifting blanket (in and out of the cot was brilliant) it was also great for keeping him warm whilst out and about.


I would recommend anyone that has joint problems like myself to invest in a Snugglebundl, for me it helped me bond without the increased pain I would have experienced bending and lifting without help.


You can find out more about Snuggbundl and buy HERE.


Follow Snugglebundl on TWITTER and FACEBOOK