27 September 2011

Review: Nuby Snug n' Dry Bib & Comfort Grip Convert-a-bowl

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The very kind people from Nuby have sent us some of their snug n' dry bibs as well as their cool comfort grip convert-a-bowl to test and review for them. Here is what we thought.

First impressions are great. The snug n' dry bibs are brilliant. Although it says they are for newborns they still fit Logan comfortably and he's 21 months old. They are very soft and have a good secure velcro fastening strip to hold the bib round your babies neck. One good feature which the snug n' dry bib has is a handy absorbant neckband which helps to absorb any dribbles and prevent skin rashes around the neck and under the chin. The bibs are Phthalate Free and are made from 75% cotton and 25% polyester. It's great that these bibs are super soft against babies skin but they are also super absorbant. They seem to have a double layer which soaks up liquids really well. I used these bibs when Logan wanted to have a drink of milk or water to stop them from dripping on his clothes and it worked really well. Perfect for use as a dribble bib when your baby starts teething too.
The bibs comes in either pink or blue with the pink bibs having a butterfly and flowers design and the blue bibs having an elephant design. Both very sweet and you can purchase your own from Nuby's online shop, you get 2 in a pack RRP £3.99.

As for the Nuby comfort grip convert-a-bowl it's just fab! It's so easy to hold compared to a normal bowl and you get a much better grip so no surprise slippages which I've often had with Logan's porridge. The air tight lid is firm and secure but easy to remove when required. This makes it perfect for taking out and about for babies lunch or dinner and I also found that putting some snacks in it was quite handy too. Inside the bowl there is a divider tray to keep meals seperate so you can have more than one dish but this can be removed to use the whole of the bowl as your child gets bigger and eats more. The bowl itself can also be removed from the grip handle for easy cleaning.

Logan found this little bowl quite easy to hold himself for when I put snacks in it for him to eat so it saved me from having to stay with him all the time and feed him the snacks. Definitely has more than just one use.

The bowl is BPA Free, can be used in the microwave and also in the top rack of the dishwasher which is really good. It comes in 2 different colours, pink or blue and can be purchased from Nuby's online shop for RRP £4.99.

Overall both lovely useful products for newborns and when you start to wean your little one. Pricing is very fair for both products as well, I would happily pay that myself especially for the 2 pack of bibs as they'll last a lot longer than the ones you get from the supermarket. Better quality and softer on babies skin.

Mummies rating - 8/10
Logan's rating - 9/10

Please visit www.nuby-uk.com for more products and information. You can also see what Nuby get up to on facebook and twitter so why not pop over and say hello! Remember to tell them The Breastest News sent you.

Hallmark's Massive Card GIVEAWAY - For Today ONLY

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HALLMARK CELEBRATES ITS BIRTHDAY WITH A MASSIVE FREE CARD GIVE AWAY!

Here at Hallmark, we’re celebrating the third birthday of our online personalised card service in style by giving away another staggering 10,000 free cards!

For today only, you’ll be able to claim your free card simply by visiting www.hallmark.co.uk and entering voucher code FREECARD2011 at checkout. You can then show someone you care and have fun creating your own truly unique card, complete with images, personal message and bespoke design.

We’ve had a great third year here at www.hallmark.co.uk and we wanted to celebrate it with you guys by giving youeach a free card. This is the third year we have given 10,000 cards away for our birthday and it’s set to be another quick sell out. We plan to run this very special offer for our birthday only so do not miss out and head over to our website now!

Your free personalised card can be posted immediately, sent either directly back to you (so that you can write a handwritten message in it as well) OR send it direct to the person receiving it at a date of your choice, up to one year in advance.

So this is a huge thank you from all of us at Hallmark.

Terms and conditions of the offer

*The offer is restricted to one card free per account and applicable to any sized card.
*The voucher must be used to redeem this offer and POSTAGE IS NOT FREE. The redeemer must pay postage on their card.
*The offer is limited to the first 10,000 vouchers redeemed or until midnight on the 27th September 2011 (UK TIME) whichever comes first.

26 September 2011

Review: Widgey Nursing Pillow

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You may remember a while back in June when Breastfeeding week was upon us and I had written a featuring on helping to aid your breastfeeding journey. One of the items on the list was the fab Widgey Nursing Pillow from Perfect Happy People. As well as donating one of their lovely pillows for my bumper breastfeeding giveaway they also kindly offered one for review.

So why Widgey? I'll let them tell you a little bit about the product: "Our multi use pillow has many functions including pre-natal back support for you, optional between knees support whilst sleeping or as a wedge to rest under your tummy when sleeping on your side. Our Widgey Nursing Pillow can also be used as a baby nest. Rest your baby within the pillow. As you baby learns to sit, again you can use the pillow as a support to your baby should they topple backwards. In warmer weather and with the use of a playmat spend some time outdoors with the pillow as a baby nest to enable support for tummy play, and learning to sit unaided. We do not recommend the pillow is used on the floor. Never leave your baby unattended".

 I used a nursing pillow when I was pregnant to help support my back and also for between my knees and under my bump when I was sleeping but to be honest it wasn't a very good one. It became flat really quickly and I should have replaced it with one of better quality to get the benefit I needed but it did ok and it did make a difference whilst I was using it. I so wished I'd have bought one of these Widgey nursing pillows though. It's firm and offers great support for your back. I have quite a bad back anyway so the Widgey is really helping to support it whilst sitting on the sofa so perfect for all your pregnant ladies out there.


When your baby is born this pillow will really come in handy for breastfeeding to help support your baby so your arms don't get tired holding him to the breast and also for bottle feeding so you can keep your baby close and comfortable. It's also good to help keep pressure off your tummy especially if you've had a c-section like I did, my nursing pillow really helped with that.

When your baby is around 10 weeks old you can use the Widgey pillow to place your baby in for support and to give yourself a little rest. It also gives your baby a chance to look at the world around them and take it all in. As your baby begins to learn to sit up the Widgey can be used as a nest to help support their back and also as a safe guard incase the topple over.

One of the things I really like about the Widgey nursing pillow is that it comes with a handy carry case so you can easily keep it clean and carry it into hospital with you to help you feed your baby. The cover of the Widgey can also be removed and washed helping keep it clean and fresh incase any milk is spilt on it. You also also purchase extra covers if need be so you could have all different cute spare designs.

You can purchase your very own Widgey nursing pillow in a range of 6 different colours and designs for RRP £29.95 and from a number of different retailers including; Asda, Tesco, Mothercare Amazon and Boots. Don't forget you can purchase them online direct from the company themselves at www.thebabycatalogue.com.

Overall the Widgey Nursing Pillow is a brilliant 4-in-1 pillow that can be used during pregnancy and for many months after. The price reflects the quality and the amount of use you will get from this will definitely be worth it.

Mummies rating - 9/10

Please visit www.widgey.com for more information.

24 September 2011

Silent Sunday

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Silent Sunday

Review: Forever Friends Naturals

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The lovely people from Forever Friends have kindly sent Logan and I some of their Forever Friends Naturals products to test and review. We couldn't wait to try them out so here is what we thought.

I'll let Forever Friends tell you a bit about their products: "Here at Grace Cole we’re passionate about our products and constantly strive to improve them. Because the skin is the largest and most delicate organ on your baby's body, we wanted to create a range of bath time goodies to help keep it nourished and healthy. Our baby range is as gentle as possible, meaning you can both relax and enjoy bath time, safe in the knowledge that your little bear's skin will be protected from artificial nasties. We also want to protect Mother Nature too – all of our bottles and jars are recyclable and we will continue to do our bit to reduce our effect on the environment. Today's society has never been so interested in protecting our precious planet and we believe everyone should take responsibility for it. We owe it to our little bears to provide a clean, safe world to grow up in."


We were sent the Sleepy Head body wash, Splish Splash bath bubbles and Softly Softly body butter. All products smell amazing. The Sleepy Head body wash has extracts of camomile and calendula so perfect to have as part of a soothing bedtime routine. We use it at every bathtime now as it just smells so lush and helps to keep Logan's skin soft. I was a bit wary to start with as Logan has sensitive skin but this body wash has been really good, not a dry bit of skin in sight. You get 250ml in a bottle for RRP £4.00 which is pretty reasonable for such a lovely product.

The Splish Splash bath bubbles are just as great, smell superb and you only need a little drop for lots of lovely bubbles. It too also has extracts of camomile and calendula for a lovely relaxing bath for your little one. This combined with the body wash makes an excellent combination to use for your babies bath before they go to bed. The scents seem to relax Logan and help keep him relaxed. You get 250ml in a bottle for RRP £4.00.

The Softly Softly body butter has to be my favourite though. It keeps Logan's skin so soft and smooth plus it absorbes into the skin brilliantly leaving no stickiness or extra cream. And... you guessed it, he smells amazing afterwards! I've even had a sneaky wee try myself and my skin loves it. The body butter has shea butter and aloe vera extract in it so all good for the skin. Plus using body butter on your little one will help them to relax if you give them a little baby massage whilst rubbing on the cream. Forever Friends have even created a little handy tips page on how to give your baby a massage in the comfort of your own home. You get 150ml of body butter for RRP £6.00.

You'll be pleased to know that all products are not tested on animals and are free from the usual nasty Parabens, SLES, artificial colours etc. The packaging can also be recycled which is great to know and the products are made in the UK.

Forever Friends Naturals range also includes the lovely Rub-A-Dub shampoo and Nighty Night cuddle lotion. You can purchase these great products from Forever Friends Naturals very own online shop.

Overall these are really superb products. They are so soft and gentle on babies skin and I know I keep saying this but they really do smell awesome! Fair pricing too as you don't need a lot of the product for the desired effect.

Mummies rating - 10/10
Logan's rating - 10/10

Please visit www.foreverfriendsbaby.co.uk for more products and information. You can also see what Forever Friends get up to on facebook and twitter so why not pop over and say hello! Remember to tell them The Breastest News sent you.

23 September 2011

Review: The Birthing Shirt Company

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What will you be wearing during childbirth? It's a question I never really asked myself until the very last minute with only a week or so to go when I started to panic and rush around the shops hunting for a nightie that would be long enough to keep my modesty but also one that opened easily at my chest so I could breastfeed.

To be honest I did find a few cheap nighties however they just weren't long enough and they had buttons at the chest which were a nightmare to open with one hand when you have a screaming newborn to feed plus they were the most hideous colours! Bright pink and yellow don't look great when stretched by a massive bump or worn when looking a bit pale and washed out from labour. And last but not least they were just too thin to keep me feeling covered so I struggled through with the help of my dressing gown but as most of you will know with hospitals they are roasting hot so I sweated like a pig. Not a great experience.

So when the lovely people from The Birthing Shirt Company asked me if I would like to test and review one of their fab birthing shirts and headbands I jumped at the chance. And let me tell you these products are amazing!


First of all the birthing shirts are made using Bamboo, Organic Cotton and Spandex. Oh how soft they are, so smooth and gentle against your skin I so wish I had known about these when I was pregnant. One would have definitely been included in my hospital bag! The length of this birthing shirt is just perfect. It comes right down to your knees keeping you covered but you're still able to move around without feeling restricted and since it has spandex in it it's really really stretching so perfect for fitting over your ever growing bump during pregnancy.

One thing I really noticed about this birthing shirt is that it is very breathable. I've been wearing it as a nightie to test it out and my living room can become very warm sometimes at night with the heat from our tv and normally I'm sweating like mad in my night wear. However, I was pleased to find that I was the one who was cool and comfortable in my birthing shirt whilst my partner was the one who was still sweating.


This birthing shirt is more than just for labour really, you can use it whilst pregnant to keep you comfy at night and also after birth for breastfeeding or bonding with your newborn as is has handy poppers at the front so the shirt can open and close easily and without the fuss or attention that buttons create. The perfect breastfeeding product!

There are 3 available sizes to choose from; medium (10-12), large (14-16) and extra large (18-20) and the birthing shirt comes in a lovely midnight blue colour. You can purchase your very own from The Birthing Shirt Company's online shop RRP £35.99.

As for the headband it's just as fab. Very stretchy, easy to put on and it can also be used as a hair bobble to put your hair into a ponytail or just to keep it out of the way. Brilliant little thing and you can purchase these for RRP £3.39.

Overall 2 fantastic products and both I would highly recommend to all expecting mothers. This will be one of the best purchases you'll have ever made whilst expecting, I promise you that and I definitely know what I'll be wearing next time I'm giving birth!

Mummies rating - 10/10

Please visit www.thebirthingshirtcompany.com for more information. You can also see what The Birthing Shit Company get up to on facebook and twitter so why not pop over and say hello! Remember to tell them The Breastest News sent you.

Fashion Friday #11

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T-shirt: Next
Long Shorts: Sainsburys

Disney Jungle Junction Toys

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Disney's Jungle Junction have finally released some brilliant new toys this year which youngsters are sure to love. Have a quick gander at what they have to offer.

Jungle Junction Figures RRP £3.99 - £6.99
The adorable collection will include all the fun loving characters that all pre-school fans of the show love. The line-up of free-wheeling figures, are available as single or duo packs and the figures ascend in size from the smallest Beetle Bug through to Ellyvan.


Wheel Around Fun Set RRP £9.99
Children can wheel Ellyvan, Bungo & Zooter around on the Jungle Junction play mat, complete with road signs to create their own adventures at home!


Hippobus and Beetle Bugs Play Set RRP £19.99
Hippobus is a big yellow smiley school bus who delivers the Beetle Bugs safe and sound to school. Complete with working sounds, all five multi-coloured Beetle Bugs, plus Stop and Go signs for crossing the road, Hippobus opens out to reveal the rows of comfortable seats and slide.



Jungle Junction Play Set RRP £39.99
With the inclusion of Ellyvan and Zooter figures, this play set features both Ellyvan’s and Zooter’s houses, Miss Jolly’s School, the clock tower meeting point and a working elevator, all joined together by a track roadway that runs through the jungle setting.


So what are you waiting for? Now is the time to let parents know that children can experience the fun of Jungle Junction in their own home with these fantastic new toys and play sets!

Review: CARES - Child Aviation Restraint System

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The very very generous people from CARES sent us one of their Child Avaition Restraint Systems to test and review for them back in April but it's only since we've been on holiday in the last few weeks that we've been able to give this product a proper testing!

I'll let CARES tell you a little bit about their product: "CARES, the Child Aviation Restraint System, is the only harness type child aviation safety restraint ever certified for airplane travel by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). CARES is an elegantly designed belt and buckle device for kids 22-44 pounds that is easy to use and creates a safe airplane seat for your child without the hassle of carrying a 20 pound car seat. CARES weighs just 1 pound and fits into a 6" stuff sack! It is simple to install, adjustable to virtually any size airplane seat, and keeps your child as safe as a car seat would. CARES is made of the same industrial-strength webbing as your own seatbelt. It is engineered and manufactured by AmSafe Aviation, the world's foremost manufacturer of airline seatbelts."


The CARES system comes in a very neat and tidy little box well documented with helpful information and diagrams, and that's before you've even opened the box! It says on the box that the CARES system has been FAA (Federal Avaition Administration) approved which is an American Body but after speaking with the travel agents and airline here in the UK they were more than happy to accept this product since it is manufactured by AmSafe Aviation.

When you open the box the CARES system is neatly packaged in a handy draw string carry bag which is perfect for storing your CARES when not in use and since it's bright red it makes it easy to find in your hand luggage. The belt itself looks just like a normal belt you would find on a plane but just with a few extras to help keep your child sitting up straight.

CARES have a handy how to guide to show you the correct way to fit the system to the airoplane seat plus you get a DVD in the box which shows you what to do aswell. CARES has also been featured on the American show CBS, here's a little video you might want to take a look at.

 

When it came to us using the CARES system it was actually very easy although Logan was a bit grumpy so trying to fit him in without any tantrums was a bit difficult but we managed after 5 minutes and he was sitting quite happily in his big boy seat next to mummy and daddy watching his dvds. We were both very pleased and happy that Logan was happy and it really made all the difference since Logan is very tall for his age there's no way he would have managed to sit on my knee for the whole journey. It would have been hell!

The only problem we had was on the way home from our holiday the seats on the plane were leather so Logan kept slipping down which wasn't great and we had to keep pulling him back up so that might be a bit of an issue as we had to make sure he didn't hurt himself on the CARES system but we survived and I'm sure as he gets bigger it'll become easier when he can keep himself from slipping on the seats.


You can now purchase your very own CARES here in the UK from Mothercare RRP £55-60.

Overall a brilliant restraint system for airoplanes and one which I would definitely recommend for safety as well as some peace for you to enjoy the journey. It is very pricey so not exactly going to fit into everyone's budget but if you plan to fly quite a bit then I would urge you to purchase one of these. It will save you a lot of hassle. It really helped us loads.

Mummies rating - 8/10
Logan's rating - 7.5/10

Please visit www.kidsflysafe.com for more information. You can also see what CARES are getting up to on facebook and twitter so please do nip over and say hello! Remember to tell them The Breastest News sent you.

22 September 2011

Review: Huggle Me Pillows

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Looking for comfort anytime anywhere? Well the Huggle Me pillows might just be for you! Logan has been lucky enough to be sent a very cute Huggle Me red ladybird pillow to test and review. Here is what we thought.

First impression were literally "Awwww how sweet!" The quite big red ladybird is very cute and a lot bigger than I ever expected it to be but then again it does have to hold your head so understandable. It even comes with it's own little draw string travel bag which is very well thought out and a big thumbs up go to the company for thinking of this.


I'll let Huggle Me tell you a little bit about their brilliant travel pillows: "Your truly huggle and travel companion. A pillow that can go where you go! They can be used for the beach, whilst camping, picnics, sailing, relaxing in front of telly , playing computer games or when sleep. The huggleme pillows are great for journeys by car, train, plane, and boat. Made of soft, durable stretch fabric, containing thousands of ultra micro-polystyrene beads for superior comfort. Huggleme pillows are easy care. Hypoallergenic and fully machine washable on 30 degrees delicate cycle."

As Huggle Me have said a very versitle pillow that can be used anywhere and it really can. It's small enough to be easily carried with you as it's light weight but big enough to take the weight of your head and support it with ease.

The Huggle Me ladybird is very well made, all stitching is neat and tidy which shows care has been taken to make this a quality product. It's comfy to rest on and to be honest I've been using it more than Logan in the car and on the sofa! Logan does like it but because he's still young I think he looks at it as more of a toy so probably best for children 3 years and up who'll understand the pillows purpose better.
There are loads of different styles of Huggle Me pillows to choose from. They have Butterflies, Dogs, Cats, Flowers, Footballs and even Dolphins! You don't just have to choose an animals shape either, they have donuts or U-shaped pillows to choose from as well.

The red ladybird we received can be bought from Huggle Me's own online shop or from some independant retailers RRP £12.99.

Overall these are brilliant travel pillows and very very comfy. Easy to use, well made and so cute they'll soon become a regular on trips out and about. Price is a little high for my liking but for amount of use you will get from these simply using it in your car will be well worth it.

Mummies rating - 8/10
Logan's rarting - 6/10


Rainbow Chunckies Series 2 GIVEAWAY

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You may remember the review I did for the lovely Rainbow Chunckies Series 2 books from Award Publications. Well they have kindly donated a set of the Series 2 books (4 books in total) for a lovely Giveaway here on my blog, hurray!!

To be in with a chance of winning all you have to do is answer this simple question below:

Question: "Name the four titles of the first Rainbow Chunkies series"


Please remember to leave a twitter name or email address so that I have a way of contacting you if you win.

This is a UK only giveaway, closing date is 8th October 2011 at 12 noon.
Winner will be chosen using Random.org
Good Luck everyone!!

Please visit www.awardpublications.co.uk for more products and information.

Review: Ultrasun

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The very generous people from Ultrasun heard we were heading for some family fun in the sun and offered us a range of their fab products to test and review for them. We snapped up the offering and packed the products into our suitcases ready for our holiday.

Ultrasun is a Swiss company which was founded in 1992 and specialises in sun protection products. I'll let them tell you a little about themselves: "At ultrasun, we are passionate about sun care and protecting your skin from the harmful effects of over-exposure to the sun’s rays. We don’t do make-up, we don’t do cosmetics, we don’t do fragrance - just the most effective, the most efficient sun protection you can buy. With ultrasun, just one application a day, delivers long lasting, high level protection from both UVA and UVB rays. Our products are free from oils, emulsifiers and perfume reducing the risk of allergy and making them especially suitable for children and sensitive skins. They are non-staining, non-greasy, water-resistant and easy to use. They are ideal for everyone in the family from sporty dads and lads to wriggly tots and tiresome teenagers ... not to mention busy mums, high on good intentions but low on available time!! Ultrasun once-a-day products are suitable for the whole family and protect you while you tan. ultrasun products are not tested on animals."


When the ultrasun products arrived I was pleasantly surprised at the simplicity of the bottles. They're crisp, clean and straight to the point which I quite like. It gives the impression of no nonsense which you need when you have a little one, especially when you want to protect their delicate skin against the suns rays.

The products we received to test were the ultrasun ultra sensitive 50+ (100ml RRP £19.00), the ultrasun family 30 (100ml RRP £18.00) and the ultrasun ultralip 15 (RRP £5.00).

So what did we all of think of these products. Well they're fab! As ultrasun have mentioned the products can be applied once a day for excellent protection and it actually works. I really did think there is no way you can get away with only applying sun protection once a day but I tried it for myself and it worked so there you go. I also tested it out on little Logan keeping a close eye on him to make sure he wasn't burning from the sun and he never did. The ultrasun 50+ cream kept him protected all day from one application. Myself and the better half were very impressed. I also used the ultrasun 50+ on my skin and found that I didn't get much of a tan at all if any so it's brilliant for babies and children but when I switched to the ultrasun 30 I got a bit of a tan without feeling like I was burning which was nice.

I really liked the fact that the ultrasun creams are easy to apply with a pump dispenser and they absorb into the skin quickly leaving no stickiness or residue like some sun creams do. They also didn't stain any of our clothes either so very pleased with that.

As for the ultrasun ultralip 15 product it's just as good as the others. It keeps my lips soft and stops me from suffering with dry cracked lips which I often get when the weather starts to get a little hotter or colder so perfect in all different climates.

You can purchase these lovely products from ultrasun's own online shop or why not pop into John Lewis and pick them up there.

Overall these products are great. Simple yet very effective at what they do and because ultrasun concentrate only on sun care protection you know they'll have put their heart and soul into these products. My only niggle is that they are quite expensive so not everyone will be able to afford them however the product far outweighs the price in my opinion so worth every penny.

Mummies rating - 9/10
Logan's rating - 10/10

For more products and information please visit www.ultrasun.co.uk. You can also see what ultrasun get up to on facebook and twitter so why not pop over and say hello! Remember to tell them The Breastest News sent you.

21 September 2011

Organix Savoury Meal Pouch Giveaway WINNER

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Organix Savoury Meal Pouch Giveaway WINNER
 

 

Drum roll please............

The winner of the scrummy Organix Savoury Meal Pouch Giveaway chosen by random.org is...

@kellywd

Congratulations!

Please email me with the following details and I will have your prizes sent out:

Name:
Home Address:


Thanks to everyone who entered, it is very much appreciated.
Please keep an eye out for lots more giveaways coming soon!

 

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