Posts tagged Product Reviews

Stokke Tripp Trapp Chair and Newborn Set Review

2
15 years ago
by dawniebrown in

The lovely people at Stokke recently sent me a Stokke Tripp Trapp Newborn set to review. The Tripp Trapp Newborn is a cosy, new, ergonomically designed, pod chair that fits simply onto the top of the Tripp Trapp chair to create the perfect environment for your baby – from birth to six months (approx).

I was very impressed with the idea of having a baby seat which was at table height rather than floor height, especially in this household with 2 cats and of course Zara and her sticky fingers :) We are very much into baby led weaning and to us mealtimes are a time when we all sit down at the table and enjoy conversation and being a family. Zara has been joining us at the table for meals since she was 4 months old and able to support herself in a normal highchair and I love the fact that Oscar can join us from birth and that the Tripp Trapp Chair will be the only highchair I need to buy for him as with the addition of the Baby Set he will still be able to use the chair when he outgrows the Newborn Set (note to self: must order a baby set!).

I was a bit concerned when I first unpacked and put up the Tripp Trapp Chair and Newborn set as it does look a little on the small side, Oscar must have only weighed about 6lb when the following photo was taken but having tried the seat with a larger baby (ie my 8 month old nephew Maxwell) I can see how he will still be able to fit into the chair until he is approximately 6 months old (although realistically he will be in the baby seat by then).

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Of course having an inquisitive 14 month old around the house, Zara had to try for herself to see whether she could fit in the Newborn set herself (she is currently obsessed with trying out everything of Oscar’s!) Of course as you would expect she is a little on the large side for it :)

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But she did find that it makes a great place to hide underneath ;)

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Anyway back to my review :) I love the fact that the Newborn set can attach and detach from the Tripp Trapp chair so easily and it is extremely light. I find myself using it all around the house, for instance it’s ideal for taking up to the bathroom with me and having somewhere to put Oscar whilst I’m running his bath or doing other tasks around the house. I find myself often popping him in it at the table whilst I’m cooking dinner in an evening or putting away shopping etc, it’s great to just be able to look up and check that he is ok without having to worry about balancing bouncy chairs on the table (a major no no, I know but I’m sure most mothers will admit it!) or having a chair on the kitchen floor.

Oscar sat at the table whilst mum unpacks her shopping

The newborn set also has a very handy attachment which you can attach a toy to which will keep baby entertained.

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As you can see from the photos, Oscar is quite happy in his Newborn set and I as a mother am extremely happy with it, it’s both stylish and practical and has the added bonus that it is a chair for life and not something which will have to be retired at any time in the near future. The trouble is now I’m going to have to go out and buy Zara a Tripp Trapp Chair of her own as I can see there being battles over who gets custody of this one in the future :) I’m definitely a Stokke convert now and will be checking out their other products on their website here >>Stokke Website

Gumigem Teething Necklace Review

2
15 years ago
by dawniebrown in

I was recently sent a Gumigem teething necklace to try out and review. Now Oscar is still a little young for teething products but Zara is still teething and loves chewing on things so proved an ideal candidate to test the necklace with.

GUMIGEM™ is the original UK teething necklace aimed to provide mummy with a stylish accessory that baby can chomp on to their hearts content. In two styles, and several colours, the necklaces are made from a similar material to that of most baby teethers. Our silicone meets FDA standards and is BPA, PVC, lead, latex and phthalate free. They can withstand high temperatures, making it easy for them to be sterilised or put in the dishwasher.

I received this pretty rusted gumigem heart pendant which is very pretty.

As you can see from the following photos the Gumigem proved to be a great hit with Zara and definitely has her approval :)

It can even withstand Zara's chewing!

She wouldn't even let go of it when having her bottle!

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Natalia Pregnancy and Baby Products Review

0
15 years ago
by dawniebrown in

The lovely Emma over at Piglets Boutique very kindly sent me some Natalia products to review for them a few weeks ago. Piglets Boutique is based in York and online and sell beautifully stylish and uniquely gorgeous baby gifts, check out their website for some beautiful gifts for pregnant ladies and babies.

I received a lovely bottle of Natalia Prenatal Body and Bath Oil, this oil can be used in the bath or as a massage oil and is supposed to be nourishing for the skin, ease muscle tension and nourish dry skin. Now I have to admit I was really looking forward to lovely long baths with this in the later stages of my pregnancy in my brand new bathroom but as you all know Oscar decided that I didn’t need those last 6 weeks of being pregnant. I have however been using this oil regularly since being home from the hospital and it is lovely and relaxing and my skin does feel beautifully soft after a bath. I know it’s supposed to be a prenatal product but as a postnatal product it is pretty fab too! :)

Piglets Boutique sell this product in a beautiful Natalia Pregnancy Relaxation Gift Set which includes: Prenatal Bath Soak (100ml), Morning Sickness Ease (10ml pulse pointer), Prenatal Body & Bath Oil (60ml), Organic Ultra soft Cotton Flannel (ideals for skincare and baths) and Step By Step Pregnancy and Labour Massage Guide (full colour booklet). A lovely treat for any pregnant woman! :)

I also received some Natalia Baby Bottom Butter to try with Oscar, this balm contains Shea Butter, Calendula, vitamin E, Tea Tree and Lavender essential oils to sooth, soften and heal little bottoms. It smells absolutely delicious and it feels lovely too, I have to admit to using it on my dry hands aswell as Oscar’s bottom and it’s worked great on those aswell :)

Piglets Boutique sell the bottom butter in this fabulous Natalia Blissful Baby Box which includes Baby Top to Toe Wash (100ml), Baby Massage Oil (50ml), Baby Bottom Butter (15ml) Baby Special Skin Balm (15ml), Organic Ultra soft Cotton Flannel (ideal for the whole family) and Step By Step Baby Massage Guide (full colour booklet).

Head on over to Piglets Boutique and see what other beautiful and unique gifts they have for mum and baby :) Emma has very kindly given a discount code for any of my blog readers to use and get 10% off their order, just enter DAWNBLOG10 at checkout!

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Robe Around Review

0
15 years ago
by dawniebrown in

As you are all no doubt aware I am now 32 weeks pregnant and starting to resemble a weeble. About the one activity I still manage to do and look forward to each week is taking Zara to waterbabies on a Friday.It is something Zara loves doing and I want to keep going as long as we can :)

When I was offered the chance to review a Robe-Around from Sporty Bump I jumped at the opportunity. The Robe-Around is a wrap-around pleated toweling robe which fastens with velcro and has a pleated section at the front which is ideal for covering growing bumps.

Now if anyone has ever experienced a waterbabies class where we go you will have noticed a few things:

1) Classes are full of mums and dads with their children, which is fine but when you are 8 months pregnant you don’t necessarily feel at your most comfortable wobbling around in a skin tight swim suit in front of other people. The Robe-Around is ideal for this as you just pop it on whilst waiting for your class and you get to keep warm and not feel like a beached whale :)

2) The logistics of getting changed afterwards are always a bit of an issue, I like to get Zara dried and dressed first so I can sit her down with a biscuit and drink whilst I can then get changed. This works well but it does mean that I end up standing in a wet swimsuit leaning over the changing tables dripping everywhere whilst trying to get Zara changed and not get her wet again from my swimsuit. The older she gets, the wrigglier she gets and the more difficult this task becomes, combined with me getting bigger, the logistics are becoming pretty impossible. The Robe-Around was an absolute godsend for this, I simply wrapped myself in it and was able to get Zara dry whilst not dripping everywhere, not getting cold and not flaunting my whale like body to everybody else in the room.

I absolutely loved this product and wish I’d found it earlier in my pregnancy but it will certainly make the rest of my waterbabies classes a lot easier to manage. Of course it doesn’t just have its uses for waterbabies classes, it will also be ideal for pregnant ladies who like to go swimming, aquanatal classes, on holiday or even if you go to the gym (well I’m sure some pregnant ladies do somewhere :) ) I imagine it would also come in very useful for those pregnant ladies who are planning a water birth and want a bit of coverage when they are getting in and out of the birthing pool :)

You can buy the Robe-Around for £20 from the Sporty Bump website HERE definitely a must have for any pregnant lady who loves swimming :) Big thumbs up from me for this one :)

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Dribble Rash – The War is Over!

3
15 years ago
by dawniebrown in

Well there have been a few posts on Zara’s dribble rash over recent months on this blog after our seemingly endless battle. As a quick recap this was the rash at it’s worst

It was awful, we had months of trying different creams, prescription ezcema ointments and pretty much anything we could find and absolutely nothing would shift it. I have a period of about 3 months where I rarely took any photos of Zara as the rash was just so awful :(

But this is us nowadays:

Can you see any sign of dribble rash there? Nope? Amazing isn’t it! I think we have finally won the war. And what was it that finally banished the dribble rash I hear you ask. Well it was a cream I picked up in Tesco one day as yet another attempt to see if something worked.

Kamillosan cream, their website is here if you want to check them out and you can find their cream in most supermarkets. Got to be worth a try if you are struggling with dribble rash blues too! PS and it smells delicious aswell :)

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Quinny Zapp Xtra Review

3
15 years ago
by dawniebrown in , , ,

Apologies as I’m running a bit late with this months Quinnycasters project, what with hospital trips, snow and poorly babies we really haven’t had a good December but one thing that has been reliable has been our Quinny Zapp Xtra.

We’ve been using the Quinny Zapp Xtra now for 3 months and so here is a review of how we are finding it so far:

The Quinny Zapp Xtra

Now having already got an original Zapp which we loved we were very eager to try out the Zapp Xtra. There were only a couple of flaws with the original Zapp which we found, these were the lack of a recline facility which made it hard for Zara to nap in it and that it was only suitable from approximately 6 months old and so we still needed to have a travel system suitable for a newborn baby.

The Zapp Xtra improved on this as it is suitable from birth and can be used as a travel system with the Maxi Cosi Carseat. The seat also has a recline facility and can be used either forward facing with 3 recline positions or in a parent facing position with 2 recline positions. Both great improvements on the original Zapp although it does mean that the seat does now need to be removed before folding losing some of the compactness of the original Zapp.

Unfolding, Folding and Storage

Unlike the original Quinny Zapp, the seating element needs to be removed before folding the pushchair but the frame is basically the same as the original Zapp. The frame is extremely compact and can be folded/unfolded by following a simple 1,2,3 button procedure with the numbers clearly marked on the pushchair so even the most harrassed parent can assemble it easily. The seat then clicks into place securely and voila, one assembled or folded pushchair. Having the seat separate does increase the storage space required in the boot of the car compared to the original Quinny Zapp but not too significantly. The seat element can be folded completely flat and the frame stored on top of it but I find if I do this then the muddy wheels tend to dirty the seat so I stack my seating unit up against the rear seats.

Seating Arrangements

The seat of the Zapp Xtra is adjusted by using buttons at the top of the seating unit. In parent facing mode the seat can be fully flat or semi-reclined and in a forward facing position there are three recline positions. The seat is adjusted by simply pressing the button and tipping the seat to the next position in a nice smooth motion which is ideal for when baby nods off.

Out and About with the Zapp Xtra

The Zapp Xtra is effectively the same as the original Quinny Zapp when it comes to manouvreability. It’s 3 wheel design and compactness make it perfect for nipping around the shops and it can certainly get you down aisles that many larger pushchairs can’t. It also copes admirably well with Durham’s cobbled streets although I have to admit it prefers smoother pavements and flat surfaces.

The Zapp and the Zapp Xtra both have the same issue when it comes to more rough terrain as would be expected with any pushchair not designed for off road use. Although we have the Quinny Buzz 4 for multi terrain walking as sometimes pneumatic wheels are just essential.

Hood, Raincover and Accessories

The hood on the original Quinny Zapp is very flimsy and tends to blow back in strong wind whereas the hood on the Zapp Xtra is much larger and better quality in comparison. It gives much more shade and protection from the elements than the original design and is a god send in the wintry weather we have up here in the North East.

A raincover is supplied with the Zapp Xtra and again this is of sturdy quality and has so far stood up to the North East elements exceptionally well.

Another improvement on the original Zapp is that the Zapp Xtra now comes with a shopping basket included. Now due to the compact design of the pushchair you are never going to be able to fit a substantial amount in the basket but it is certainly handy to have to hold those odd bits and pieces.

Conclusion

We are really loving the Quinny Zapp Xtra at the moment, it’s compactness and manouvreability are fantastic and the recline position has improved greatly on the original Zapp’s main flaw. Whilst however the Zapp Xtra is ideal for being out and about town, shopping and pavements, we do still require a pushchair suited to off road terrain as we do a lot of walking in our family and so it hasn’t completely replaced the need for a second pram/pushchair in our household but it most certainly has a very valuable place in my pram/pushchair collection.

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Tidy Trays Review

1
15 years ago
by dawniebrown in

Having done baby led weaning with Zara, we’ve always found whilst eating out is a pleasure as Zara pretty much eats what we do, the fact that she always eats directly off the highchair tray is pretty worrying especially when you see the state of some of the highchairs that are available. I seem to spend at least 15 minutes cleaning the highchair with a sterilising wipe before mealtimes just so I can be confident that she has somewhere safe to eat off.

When Tidy Trays sent us a tidy tray to test and review we were very happy to start using it straight away. Tidy Trays are a plastic highchair tray cover which creates a clean, safe eating surface for your child guarding them against germs and bacteria. They fit over the top of restaurant high chair trays and provide a clean surface for you to feed your baby from, there is even a built in sippy cup holder. Once you’ve finished using your Tidy Tray it can be quickly wiped with a baby wipe, folded back into the sippy cup pouch for storage and simply popped back into your changing bag, they are even machine washable.

Now I have to admit the first time we used the Tidy Tray cover, Zara did seem more interested in how she could pull the cover off the tray than her food but once the initial curiosity wore off it worked well. I’d recommend using it a couple of times at home first just so baby has time to explore it so when it is then used at a restaurant it isn’t such a novelty.

Using the Tidy Tray cover did give me peace of mind and allow me to relax a bit more about Zara eating from restaurant high chairs and I definitely feel it is a useful thing to have in your changing bag. My one problem with this product and it’s not actually a fault with the product itself, is that most of the restaurants near me are starting to use no tray high chairs and so Zara is having to eat off the table, now if Tidy Trays could also make a nice sticky placemat that I could pop on the restaurant table for her to eat off in those circumstances it would be perfect :)

You can find out more about Tidy Trays over at their website HERE

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Tunes 4 Toddler Tantrums Review

1
15 years ago
by dawniebrown in

Now Zara has only just reached one year old but she is already proving to be a bit of a diva about certain things. I like to think it’s just because she is strong minded and independent like her mum but I wasn’t expecting the tantrums to kick in for at least another year.

When I was sent this CD to review I was most intrigued to see whether it would help at all, not all the songs are particularly relevant to us at the moment as it’s still early days in the tantrum department at our house but two particular issues we have are nappy changes and brushing teeth and so these songs were the ones I went straight for when the CD arrived.

This CD should come with a warning as the songs will get stuck in your head and you will find yourself humming them to yourself all day long, I admit finding myself walking the corridors of work singing the nappy song…

Nappy Time!
Ask your child to pretend to be a wriggly beetle on his back with his legs up in the air. Try it with him to make him laugh. Sing the song whilst changing his nappy. In the middle section stop for a moment and have a good tickle. For the other verses ask him if he can stretch his legs up to the ceiling for the daddy long legs, wiggle them around for the spider (arms as well!) and cross them for the grasshopper.

“I’m going to change my nappy
I’d better make it snappy
There’s a whiff around here that’s getting rather strong
I’m going to change my nappy
To keep my mummy happy
Before my little bottom really starts to pong!”

The nappy song is fantastic, Zara used to scream, wriggle and generally be a pain at nappy changing time, I don’t know why, she just seems to hate it and no matter what we do to distract her nappy times are usually a battle. This little song however does make nappy changing easier, now I can’t say we have a 100% improvement yet but we certainly have less battles and occasionally we now have laughter and giggles rather than tears and tantrums.

The other song that we have had fun with is the tooth brushing lion song, now Zara is still young and she used to be good for having her teeth cleaned but recently she has started objecting to it, I think mainly because of teething and sore gums bless her, but rather than turn it into a battleground we now sing the lion song whilst she is in the bath and try to make tooth brushing more about fun.

The Tooth Brushing Lion
For this song, ask your child to pretend to be a scary lion, growling and showing her sharp teeth. Pretend to be a bit scared of brushing and ask her to give a big load ‘ROAR’! If you manage to brush for the whole song you will have brushed for a minute and a half!

“Here’s a scary lion his mouth is open wide
I’m a bit scared to put my toothbrush inside
I’ll peek inside and see that he’s got sharper teeth than me
I hope this hungry lion doesn’t eat me for his tea.”

There are ten tracks in all on the CD covering situations from eating, putting on shoes, getting in the buggy, tidying up, brushing teeth to nappy time and they are all short, catchy little tunes that you will find yourself singing. I personally think it is a great idea and look forward to trying out the rest of the songs with my little diva, though hopefully we aren’t going to have battles with everything over the next couple of years!
The CD costs £9.99 and can be ordered from the Tunes 4 Toddler Tantrums website here
Tunes 4 Toddler Tantrums Website Pop across and check out their website for more information 

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Quinnycasters November Assignment

1
15 years ago
by dawniebrown in , , ,

Well this month we were challenged to record our children enjoying the Quinny Zapp Xtra and this has been a particularly tough challenge for us this month as Zara has been poorly for most of it and now we have over 12 inches of snow so the pushchair is going nowhere. This doesn’t reflect badly on the Zapp Xtra as none of our pushchairs or cars are going anywhere fast in this weather!

And so the only photo I have to show of Zara using her Quinny Zapp Xtra was taken earlier this month in the pouring rain. (We are really blessed with the weather up here in the North East!). Luckily the raincover on the Quinny Zapp Xtra is very substantial and stays put keeping her warm and dry and protected from the wind.

Hopefully if this snow ever stops and Zara continues to be well we will get more photos of her enjoying her Zapp Xtra shortly :)

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Dream Genii Pregnancy Pillow Review

1
15 years ago
by dawniebrown in

Anyone who knows me, will know that sleep comes very high on my list of priorities. Being 21 weeks pregnant and being mum to an 11 month old certainly keeps me busy during to the day and so when it comes to night I like to make the most of as much sleep as I can possibly get. When my sister asked me to review the Dream Genii pregnancy pillow for her blog over at Mummy Loves I was of course delighted to be able to help her out.

I’ve been using the pillow for about a week now and aside from a teething baby getting me up in the middle of the night, my sleep has been fantastic. This pillow is a godsend. I particularly like that the pillow supports my back and that I can turn over if necessary without having to rearrange the entire pillow. When I was pregnant with Zara I just used a full length body pillow but the dreamgenii is just in a different class, I just feel so supported and comfortable whilst I’m in bed and it’s not so bulky that it feels like there is an extra person in the bed with us :) Of course it does have the disadvantage that it makes it even harder to drag myself out of bed at 3am in the morning to deal with a teething baby but that will be my fault for getting pregnant again so soon lol. :)

Pop over to the Dream Genii website here for more information and also check out their other products, I’ve just seen their new Twinkle Togs for toddlers and I think I might have to invest in one as they look fantastic :) If they ever want me to test one of these on Zara then I’m always happy to help ;)

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