Review: Munchkin Click Lock Cups

Munchkin are bringing out some new cups for six months and up which feature "Click Lock" which is a brand new way of locking cups shut that is easy for parents but not so easy for little ones. It also means you know for sure that it is closed properly as you hear it click in to place. Here are the cups that have the Click Lock which will be available in Asda and Mothercare mid-October.

Click Lock Trainer Cup (8oz. /237ml.) RRP: £3.99
With an all new contemporary design that is easy for little hands with the hold easy-to-grip handles, the Click Lock Trainer Cup is ideal for baby to grasp themselves and begin to drink on their own. Featuring the Click Lock innovation with a silicone seal, this cup is ideal for even the most mischievous little monsters!  The cup is also available in a range of colours.

Children in Need - Build-a-Bear Workshop

We were offered the chance to build our very own Pudsey bear and well... we couldn't say no! Our nearest store is in Birmingham's Bullring which isn't far at all and decided to make it a day for the whole family to enjoy.

Following the success of last year’s campaign that sold over 11,500 bears, Pudsey and Blush Bear are back and now available at Build-A-Bear Workshop stores nationwide. The bears are £15 (£5 goes to Children in Need) and then you can pick all sorts of accessories.

In 2010, Build-A-Bear Workshop donated a bear-illiant (get it?!) £135,000 to BBC Children in Need through the sale of Pudsey and Blush Bear and this year they’re hoping to do even better with the addition of new clothing for the furry pair. Every penny raised helps to make a positive difference to the lives of disadvantaged children and young people right here in the UK.

We decided to make a Pudsey and the lovely lady who helped us out was fantastic in showing us how you build your very own Pudsey. She showed us the machine where you can pick a voice for your bear if you wanted one. I saw a Star Wars button... I was tempted but passed on the chance of having our very own Jedi Pudsey.

The stuffing machine and the love hearts.

We then went to the machine where you pick a heart for your bear. Both Alex and I gave the heart a big kiss and placed it into Pudsey. Sadly the stuffing machine was loud and Alex got upset by it, however he loved the fact they had flashing lights inside the machine!

He doesn't trust the machine now!

Up next was deciding whether we wanted our Pudsey to be naked or get him some clothes. I felt a bit bad leaving him all naked, even though he is very soft and cuddly. There are tons of outfits to decide on and brilliant accessories. Did you know you can get a wheelchair for your bear? Brilliant idea! But we decided on the Children in Need PJs. We could have gotten some slippers but we knew Alex would remove them and lose them so just left Pudsey in PJs. For the PJs £1 was donated to Children in Need.

Pudsey & Blush outfits. £1 donated to Children in Need.

Once you have made your bear and clothed it then it is time to give it a certificate which was printed out and given to us to keep.

Alex kept pressing the button to restart everything. 

And the finished product...

Thanks to Children in Need & Build-a-Bear Workshop for showing us how to make a Pudsey. We really had a blast and certainly would recommend Build-a-Bear Workshop. I also feel the need to show you this picture as well.

Spider-Bear, Spider-Bear, does whatever a Spider-Bear does...

I may be back for a Spider-bear outfit for Pudsey! Thanks for reading, check out your local Build-a-Bear workshop and make your very own Pudsey or Blush for yourself or for your kiddies. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I was given a personal tour of our local workshop, however we bought the Pudsey bear ourselves.

Review: Maclaren Techno XT

Maclaren is well known for being an English company that makes high quality strollers. Founded by Owen Finlay Maclaren in 1967, Maclaren has continued to base their designs on his original stroller and today their strollers are sold in over 50 countries worldwide.

Easy on public transport.

The Maclaren Techno XT is one of them which allows you to recline the seat fully down so the child can lay flat as well as include a handy pocket for the raincover and a UV protection shield that can be lifted out within the hood. It has smooth and comfortable handles and can easily be folded down in the umbrella fold which many strollers do. You are able to use this from birth all the way up until they are old enough to walk on their own and no longer wish to be in the buggy. The hood also zips out to cover the child further which is perfect for newborns that require extra shade from the sun. It’s a brilliant stroller with slightly larger plastic wheels that make it more stable then strollers with small plastic wheels.

Harness has 2 buttons
for extra safety!

Fitting this into a car boot was something we knew had to be done for our reviews and thankfully we have a mixture of cars with different size boots. We tried this out in a Ford Focus, Renault Megané, Mini Cooper and Volvo V70. Because it’s simple umbrella fold it would fit in three car boots but one of them failed for us. Had a little bit of trouble with the Focus as it only left us enough space for a small suitcase, the Megané was tricky mostly due to the fact the boot had a large sound system built into it but the stroller fitted nice and snug. As for the Volvo V70 the large boot could easily take on another two or three more of these strollers without much hassle at all. Sadly the Mini Cooper was not so great and in the end the only way to get it in was to put some of the back seats down.

Overall this is a great stroller, lightweight and easy a smooth ride for both parent and child. Downside to this stroller was not easy to find as it did a great job and having the pocket for the raincover meant the shopping basket was actually for shopping.

The UV flap helps protect your little one's eyes.

So what do our judges think of the Maclaren Techno XT? Here comes the scores...

Petit Boy's Rating: 10/10
Petit Mom's Rating: 10/10 

Wow, An amazing score from both judges! Well done to Maclaren, who once again have made a brilliant buggy for little ones and parents to enjoy.

You can find Maclaren Techno XT on Amazon

Review & COMPETITION: Dr Brown's Deluxe Bottle Warmer

Dr Brown's Deluxe Bottle Warmer is so easy to use and heats your baby's milk up quicker then most warmers on the market. We had only used some bottle warmers in the past when out and about in restaurants or shops and found I spent most of my time waiting for the machine to start up which left us with a rather grumpy baby. But this one was different.

Unlike other bottle warmers I found the Dr Brown's Deluxe Bottle Warmer to heat up my son's milk quickly, even milk that had been in the fridge didn't take too long to warm up and with the easy controls I had no trouble setting it to warm the bottle up at all.

The issues I had was my old Tommee Tippee Closer to Nature bottles were too wide for this bottle warmer and I also found at first getting the water in to be a little tricky, however after two or three tries I mastered the skill and spills were no more.

I must say the bottles are also brilliant too. I may actually buy some more of their bottles when we have another child as I just preferred the flow and Alex seemed to have no trouble with them either.

So what do our judges think? Let's have a look shall we...

Baby Al's Rating: 9/10

Petit Mom's Rating: 8/10

Oh very high but not the full marks. I just wished I could use my wider bottles with it as well and Baby Al kind of missed holding his sippy cup.

WIN A DR BROWN'S DELUXE BOTTLE WARMER!!!

Normally this would cost you £46 (RRP) but Dr Brown's has offered one of you lucky readers of Petit Mom a chance to win one of your very own!

But how do you be in for a chance to win. It's very simple and there's always extra entries to give yourself more chances to winning this brilliant prize.

- Leave a comment on this post with a contact such as email address or twitter name (required)

- Tweet on Twitter including @petitmew and a link to this competition (extra entry)

- Comment on one of my non-competition blog posts and let me know you did (extra entry)

- Follow my blog on Google Reader (extra entry)

Please use a separate comment for each entry!

Maximum 4 entries!


Term & Conditions:
Closing Date for this competition is 3rd September 2011 11:59pm.
Competition is open to UK and Ireland residents only.
Winner's name will be announced on here and on Twitter.
If the winner doesn't respond within 48 hours another winner will be picked.

This product was kindly provided by Dr Brown's for us to review. The opinions are our own and are un-biased.

Review & COMPETITION: Inch Blue Baby Shoes

Inch Blue are beautiful shoes which are handmade in Wales. Made from soft leather they are of high quality and soft on baby's feet. The best thing has got to be they have so many brilliant designs for girls and boys. Go check Inch Blue out and you will see what I mean!

The elastic part that keeps the shoe on is good enough to help keep them on little feet but not hurt their sensitive skin in any way. I must say these shoes really don't come with any issues as far as I can see. And the price isn't all that bad. I really can't find a problem with them, they even come in a rather cute little bag!

I tend to try and find a problem in some way but sorry to disappoint, nothing comes to mind at all! So our scores are...

Petit Mom's Rating: 10/10

Baby Al's Rating: 10/10

Wow! We are in LOVE with these shoes! Well done, Blue Inch! We recommend you full on to all our friends, family and our blog readers.

So I bet after reading this you are considering buying a pair for your child, right? Well Blue Inch have kindly offered for us to run a competition with Petit Mom so you lovelies can win any design you want! This competition does NOT include the gift sets or sheepskin boots.

To enter...

- Comment below telling us which design you would like to win AND a way of contact (email or twitter name) [required]

- Tweet "Win with @petitmew and @inchblue over at Petit Mom's Blog! www.petitmom.co.uk" [extra entry]

- Follow my Blog on Google Reader [extra entry]

- Follow @inchblue and @petitmew [extra entry]

Please leave a separate comment for each extra entry you have made!!!

Deadline is 20th August 23:59 BST (British Summer Time). Sorry UK residents only.

This product was kindly provided by Inch Blue for us to review. Our opinions are our own and un-biased.

Review & COMPETITION: Smart Fit Wrap from Smartipants

This nappy wrap is very unique and isn't hard to use at all. I've so far had no leaks from this wrap compared to others and it'll last for many years.

Petit Mom's Rating: 9.5/10

Baby Al's Rating: 9.5/10

Check out Petit Mom's Facebook Page for your chance to win either a Smart Fit Wrap or a Smartipants nappy! Click "Smartipants Contest" and just answer the questions for your chance to win. Also remember to check out Smartipants on Facebook as well. Good luck!

Review: Tefal Actifry

We wanted to try making our own chips, so when we got offered to try out the Tefal Actifry it was something both myself and Gadget Dad were interested in testing out!

Mmm... Fresh Home made chips!

The Actifry is very easy to use to make home made chips. Cut the potatoes up and with the green spoon that is provided just add the correct amount of oil. There's a helpful book that gives you an idea on how much oil you should use. If you are using it to cook oven chips then you need no oil as they already have oil inside them. Taste test was a success and we soon found ourselves fans of the home made chips, infact we keep the skin on as we both enjoy chips with potato skin, yummy!

We have also tried a few different meals in this machine, including stir fry! The only thing we learnt from trying was fish fingers or potato waffles are not suited for this as they just get mashed up, whoops! But so far everything else has tasted good, if not better then what we cook in the oven or in a pan. So it is versatile and can be used not just for making fresh chips.

The downside is that this thing is very loud. My mom bought a deep fat fryer to make chips in and that barely makes a sound, however you can't exactly make stir fry or cook chicken in a deep fat fryer like you can in the Actifry. I'm also not to keen on spending £199.99 for this.

So what did Petit Mom and Gadget Dad think of the Tefal Actifry?

Gadget Dad's Rating: 7/10

Petit Mom's Rating: 7/10

It's great that it can be used to make so many different meals so easily, but the price and the noise put both of us off.

Review: Dribble On

You may have read my Sock On review and how pleased we were with them (if you haven't go read it!). We also got asked to try out the Dribble On. I decided to write two full reviews on both products so here's the Dribble On.

The Dribble On Bib has a terry cotton lining that draws the moisture, as well as looking like the next best fashion accessory for your baby. These super cool bibs that have hit the market come in a whole range of colours for you to choose from. I must admit I thought these were more a fashion accessory but having tried them out they really do work! Once again they have blown me away with another fantastic product that left my dribble monster's clothes dry all day long. And for £4.99 I must admit the price isn't all that bad either!

My issues? Sadly I do have a slight problem with this product. As my son has grown I have found it harder to put this product on. He's not a large baby so when it started to get a little tight and uncomfortable around his neck as he grew older I was somewhat sad to see it no longer in use.

Pros
- Easy to wash.
- Range of amazing colours!
- Good price.
- Keeps drool off your child's cloths!

Cons
- Was outgrown by the age of 12 months.

So what did our judges think of this drool locking bib?

Baby Al's Rating: 8/10
Petit Mom's Rating: 9/10

I wished it just lasted longer as it really is a brilliant product at a price I wouldn't mind paying.

This product was kindly provided by Sock Ons.

Review: Bum Deal Cloth Nappies

Ever thought about going cloth but are unsure what to buy or the mess that is involved? I was the same and have become a cloth nappy user. Bum Deal Nappies asked me if I'd like to review their products so here's our thoughts on their nappy range.

I fell in love with their assortment of nappies and adore the Undercover nappy for little boys. Each nappy you buy from them you get two microfibre inserts. Washing them isn't hard at all and I actually found I didn't need to remove the insert as it would come out during the wash cycle every single time. When it comes to solid poo all you have to do is shake it out into the toilet and pop the soiled nappy into the wash. I found with a soiled nappy putting it on a 60 got all the stains out and would also make sure it was clean of any nasty stuff that may make your child ill. The Bum Deal Nappies are all-in-one size which poppers so you can make it fit your child from day one all the way up to toddler age. The poppers are strong so tricky for little ones to pull them off, but not so hard for parents to use. I hear many stories of toddlers removing their nappies because they are easy to rip off, but these will be tricky to take off, least for your little one to remove that is!

As for how long this nappy lasted me I found Baby Al could wear it for 2-4 hours. As the weather has picked up he has been drinking more so nappies have needed to be changed more often, but so far only had one accident with this nappy and that was from drinking lots and wearing it for 4 hours so I think I am to blame there!

Cloth nappies are also kind to your baby's bottom. I have found Baby Al to suffer less with rashes now that I use them more often. And with the Bum Deal Nappies the soft mink fabric makes you just want to stroke it all day! Of course that may seem weird that you are stroking your child's bottom but really they are very soft and stay soft for a good long time. You can get plain nappies also but I like the mink fabric.

Negatives? There is only one slit for you to put the insert through and I found having a nappy with two slits made putting the insert in properly a lot easier.

The price is only £6.45 and you can get booster inserts for just £2.00. Surely you can't say no to such a great price like that?! Check their website out at: www.bumdealnappies.co.uk

Pros
- Cheap!
- Loads of great looking nappies.
- Easy to clean.
- Simple to use.

Cons
- Only 1 slit for insert which makes putting it in a bit tricky.

So what do our judges say to this nappy? Let's find out...

Baby Al's Rating: 8/10
Petit Mom's Rating: 8/10

We both agree that they are easy to use and I love how I don't need to remove the smelly insert, but getting the insert in properly isn't as easy as other cloth nappies I have used before.

Review: Flexibath

Have you ever noticed how big babies baths are and how troublesome they are to store away? We live in a small 2 bed flat where space is very important to us so when Flexibath contacted me about doing a review it seemed like the perfect product for us to try out.

 

The Flexibath is easy to open up and easy to put down. The rubbery sections to it means there's no cracks for water to leak out and also makes folding it simple to do. I opened ours and straight away putting it up was as a breeze, so I cannot fault them there! It's a decent size and the bottom of the bath isn't slippery so Baby Al had no problems sitting inside it and if he moved around he didn't find himself slipping. We felt at ease with him in this bath and the plug made taking the water out of it straightforward.

The main issue I have with it has to be the plug. For one doesn't really need a plug as you can just tip the water out, but the plug if used is very hard to get back in. Another issue is that the cost of £29.95 and to me that is a bit too much. Although it is a space saver and unique design to the baby bath area I don't think I'd pay more than £20 for a baby bath.

Well it looks like our judges have come to a conclusion. Here are their scores.

Baby Al's Rating: 8/10
Petit Mom's Rating: 8/10

I say it's a great idea and with it's fantastic range of colours it's not only a space saver but also makes bath time a bit more fun. It's just a shame the price is a bit more then what we'd like to pay.

Review: Britax B-Smart 4 Pushchair

When I was asked to test out and review one of Britax's pushchairs I jumped at the chance as we own a Britax car seat and had heard many good things about their products in the past. So we got sent the B-Smart and here's what we thought of it.

Waiting for our train - I love how big
the shopping basket is!

I picked the B-Smart 4 as this suited us more than the B-Smart 3 would have. Putting it together wasn't too hard, I was shocked to see the size of the back wheels which are huge! The manual was fairly easy to follow, although it came in so many different languages the first task was to find "GB" for English. Everything clicked in with ease and didn't come back out without the use of a button of some kind, which puts your mind at ease knowing the wheels you just put on aren't going to pop off whilst out doing your weekly shopping. Unfolding it was also simple to do too. It's slightly wider then I expected and bigger looking and first downfall for me was the handle bar isn't as soft as it could be. I do however like the brake system which you just press it down so it clicks in and shows red. This means it's on and won't move at all. You then press it again and it goes green, meaning the brakes are off and can move the pushchair again. The only way you can not put the brake on properly is by not clicking it down enough, but if you see red and it stays red then the brake is on fully. The hood is very large and there's a zip in the middle so if you have your child forward facing and want to check on them then you can unzip the hood and see them with great ease. I also like to point out that the shopping basket is very big and has two pockets as well. Thumbs up so far from me!

In Town
Taking this around supermarkets was a breeze, however a few times whilst clothes shopping I found it was too wide and I ended up dragging a bunch of clothes with me as I passed them. The wheels easily moved around and felt smooth when on a bumpy bit of pathway.

In the City
I didn't have much trouble getting around the city, however in some of the shops where they have put stands in the middle of their floor space I found we'd get stuck and unable to get around them due to being too wide for the gap that they considered to be suitable.

In the Country
No real problems here, thanks for the big wheels. I must say the wheels have taken some damage though and did collect a bit of dirt on them. Disappointing there but this didn't have trouble on bumpy ground.

On Public Transport
Getting this on the train was tricky as it meant picking up it. This pushchair is 12kgs which is 2kgs more then what I'm normally use to. It can be little hard to hold onto when someone is trying to help by picking up the front, and a few said it was pretty heavy. However the big wheels did help once again and where there were gaps between the platform and train the wheels were big enough that didn't lose control of the pushchair and it was safe on the platform.

So what problems did I have overall? Well the raincover doesn't fit very well when you have it rear facing (baby facing you) and when I did get it on when rear facing it was tight and Baby Al got upset as it pressed against his feet. Also for the £329.99 price tag I'd expect a footmuff.

You can change the height of the bumper bar.

Pros
- Big wheels helps with bumps and taking down stairs.
- Black base makes it look very stylish!
- Easy to maneuver.
- Huge shopping basket with two pockets!
- Comes with a raincover.
- Easy click on and off braking system.

Cons
- Wider than most pushchairs.
- Expensive.
- Raincover only fits properly when seat is forward facing.
- Doesn't come with a footmuff.

Baby Al's Rating: 7/10
Petit Mom's Rating: 7/10

We do really like this pushchair, but the price of £329.99 is a bit much for us, specially when it doesn't come with a footmuff. I must say I did get the raincover on the B-Smart 4 to fit when rear facing, but it stopped us getting to the shopping basket and was very tight.

This product was kindly provided to us by Britax.

Review: Brother Max 3-in-1 Digital Thermometer [Video]

RRP: £34.99

Check out Amazon for a great price.

Pros

- Easy to use.

- Lightweight.

- Can be a room thermometer.

- Easy to change between the 3 settings.

- Can switch to C or F whichever you prefer to read.

Cons

- Sometimes it can't seem to understand when I'm holding it upright or up-side-down.

And our judges scores are as follows...

Baby Al's Rating: 9/10

Petit Mom's Rating: 9/10

It's so easy to use, works and lightweight. It does exactly what it should do and that's what is very important when it comes to your child's health.

This product was kindly provided to us by Brother Max.

Review: Sheer Cover Mineral Make-up

Every woman should feel good about themselves, but when you are a busy mummy you may find you spend less time putting on your make-up then you ever did before. I was asked if I'd like to test and review Sheer Cover's Mineral Make-up range and here's what I thought.

I've always found make-up tricky to buy as my skin is fairly sensitive and many foundations just make my skin look a mess and feel mucky. I had not tried mineral make-up until Sheer Cover. I have to say I am very impressed with their mineral make-up range. It looks great, feels smooth and soft on my skin. I also don't feel like I'm wearing tons of make-up. My skin isn't itching and I look and feel wonderful with it on.

The lovely Sheer Cover Deluxe Kit has everything you need from Sheer Cover. It comes with two brushes, two different foundation shades, a duo concealer, mascara, a compact with lipgloss, eyeliner and highlighters and a tube of primer. You also get a guide and a DVD filled with really helpful tips and tricks for you to try out. The primer really helps and felt so soft and smooth on my skin so it's certainly something you should try out. The mascara is also one of my favourites, it wasn't messy and the brush was a good size for me to use. I find some brushes are too big and I end up making a right mess, with clumps of mascara sticking between eyelashes. Sheer Cover's mascara didn't seem to do this so thumbs up from me! Baby Al's Gran (that's my Mom!) tried it as well. She suffers badly with many make-up products on her skin and also cannot use perfume or anything with a scent to it as it. She found this make-up to be very good on her skin and had no problems with it at all.

You can get all this for £59.85 on their website (you can also pay monthly if you wish). I think if there was a more lipgloss I'd not mind this price as much, but I think the small amount of lipgloss is a downside to this great package of mineral make-up.

Pros

- Works well on Sensitive Skin.

- Mineral based make-up.

- Helpful guide and DVD with tips and tricks.

- Comes with two brushes.

- Mascara is great!

Cons

- Pricey for what you get.

- Not much lipgloss, highlighter and eyeliner.

As this is a woman's product it is left to Petit Mom to judge on her own. 

Petit Mom's Rating: 7/10

I like it very much, but the amount of lipgloss and eyeliner given is very small for the amount you pay. If you suffer with skin problems with most make-up products then mineral based make-up is the way to go!

Review: Mamas & Papas Quackers & Scoopies Bath Toys

We were offered by the kind people of Mamas & Papas to review some of their bath toys as part of reviewing their Mr Turtle which we reviewed earlier in the year. Here are our thoughts of the Quackers and Scoopies Bath Toys.

Quackers Bath Toys

Very colourful, I wouldn't really call them ducks as they are very artsy and designer and to me a rubber duck has eyes at the very least. The colours did catch Baby Al's interest and sometimes he wouldn't let go of the baby duck so one of them would always end up from the bath to his changing mat.

The problem we had was the little ducks didn't stand up-right very long and would easily turn up-side-down. I found adding some water into them helped a little. But that said these cost £9 so you'd expect them to at least float.

Pros
- Colourful.
- Mother Duck comes with a water scoop.

Cons
- Expensive.
- Baby Ducks don't stay afloat.

And our judges have come back with their scores.

Baby Al's Rating: 6/10
Petit Mom's Rating: 4.5/10

Baby Al loves to put the Mother Duck in his mouth and chew it which helps soothe his teething pains, but they aren't the greatest bath toys we have.

Scoopies Bath Toys

There are three different toys and each has a water scoop toy. They are shaped like sea life creatures such as a fish, starfish and a jellyfish. These very all very colourful and will spray water.

Baby Al doesn't know how to get water into these yet, however he loves squeezing them and giggles like crazy at them. The scoops are of no interest to him at all, I think the problem is there's too many holes in them so the water comes out of the scoops way too fast.

These are £10 for the set. It's a bit more then I'd be willing to pay, but Baby Al has enjoyed them and all three of us love putting water into them and spraying each other.

Pros
- Colourful
- Fun to squeeze and spray water at one another.

Cons
- Scoops have too many holes in them.
- A bit too pricey.

So what did the judges think of these bath toys?

Baby Al's Rating: 6/10
Petit Mom's Rating: 5/10

We do like these ones more then the ducks, but the scoops are totally ignored and because of that both Baby Al and Petit Mom had to mark it down.

These product was provided by Mamas & Papas.

Review: Sodastream

Do you remember Sodastream? I do, my parents had one and I remember the glass bottles that had a swirly pattern around them for some reason. But it is now back and has a new modern look for the 21st Century! Here's what we thought of it after trying it out ourselves.

The man in my life (sometimes known here as the Not-So-Petit Dad) installed the cylinder of gas for me as I just knew if I tried to do it I'd not do it right. We tried a few sample flavours and were disappointed with the lack of fizz and it simply tasted like yucky semi-fizzy water. It later turned out that we were not pressing the button in far enough! We tried it again and we had succeed in getting fizzy drinks.

We tried the X-Stream as our very last sample and well... can anyone tell us what it is? All we know is we drank about half a cup each and didn't like it. Lemonade was my favourite and the Cola one was okay, but competing against Coca-Cola and Pepsi there's no contest that the big named ones taste far better. I also remember making fizzy Ribena when I was little and tried it again with the new Sodastream. I recommend it to all Sodastream users as fizzy Ribena is tasty!

It has been vastly improved and the idea of making your own drinks is a fun idea for everyone to enjoy, it is more ecologically friendly, however we have yet to find anywhere local that sells the cylinders or flavours which leaves us with having to buy online.

Since this is a product Baby Al is a bit too young to try we have Not-So-Petit Dad to judge for us.

Not-So-Petit Dad's Rating: 7/10
Petit Mom's Rating: 7/10

The judges are in agreement then! Improvements have been made to the Sodastream, but unless you can find somewhere local to buy the cylinders and flavours it can be a bit bothersome.

Review: Splash n Bump's Bath Bumper Set

Bath time is great. It's part of our bed time routine and can be a fun way to get rid of that last bit of energy just before bed. Of course bath time can also be a scary time for parents as babies can easily fall. So when we got asked by Splash n Bump to review their Bath Bumper Set we jumped at the chance! Here is what we thought of them.

Baby Al has been having regular baths as part of his bed time routine since he was 3 months old. We started using our bathroom sink at first as it just felt safer when he was so tiny! He outgrew the sink and soon he could sit on his own and enjoyed a baby bath. Now he's a bit squashed in this and so we moved him up to the big bath. Out came the Bath Bumpers!

The Bumpers stick onto the bath with great ease and each bumper comes with an aquatic shaped sponge. These are great fun as far as Baby Al is concerned. They help teach hand-eye co-ordination as your little one learns to take the colourful and fun looking sponges out from the bumpers and back in. It's also a good way to learn hygiene as the sponges can be used to clean your little one, thus making washing them more fun and teaching them it can be enjoyable to go in the bath.

The only negative I've had so far, and believe me finding any issues with this product was very hard, is the sponges could be a bit softer and thicker. My son was able to bite the poor innocent Starfish and took a small bit of sponge out from one of it's arms.

Pros
- Colourful sponges to play with and use.
- Makes the transaction to big bath safer.
- Easy to use and suits all sorts of baths.

Cons
- Sponges could do with being a bit softer and thicker.

It was actually hard to find a problem with this product really and our judges came to an agreement very quickly.

Baby Al's Rating: 10/10
Petit Mom's Rating: 9.5/10

You can buy this product on Amazon for £24.99.

This is most certainly one of the best products we have tested. Well done to Splash n Bump!

This product was kindly provided by Splash n Bump.

Review: Mamas & Papas Sola Pushchair

Some of you may remember my post about our current pushchair situation and now that we no longer need the infant car seat or the carry cot it was becoming too much of a space waster. Mamas & Papas kindly offered us a chance to test drive their Sola pushchair and here is what we thought of it. I understand we live in different areas and some pushchairs work best in urban places whilst others may suit the country life best. For each pushchair review I shall be testing them in all sorts of ways, including in our car (we have a Ford Focus) and on public transport.

This is my second pushchair that I've ever had to put together, the other being the Hauck Condor. Both were partly put together already so the first few steps were something to ignore such as how to put the shopping bag in. The main difference between this and my old pushchair has got to be putting it down and back up.With the Mamas & Papas Sola it was quite simple and would go down into a flat position, which I find much better for storing as I can rest it against the wall and it wouldn't take up a huge amount of space. The wheels are also bigger and actually makes having to take it down two flights of stairs not so troublesome as I thought they would, infact they made it easier. It's 10kg in weight like my old pushchair, yet it felt much lighter and easy to lift. The soft bar handle is also very comfortable to hold and I would probably say I prefer the bar handle style now, specially as I could set it to different heights which made things easy for me as a petite lady. Turning it so he can face me was very easy to do! Just click the two side buttons, pull it off and turn it around then.. click! And because the seat is light, it's not that hard to do at all. If I can do it, anyone can!


In Town
Taking it around town was a breeze. Barely had any problems with bumps in the pavement and it felt smooth and easy to push along. Getting in and around stores wasn't a problem as the wheels turn very well an with such ease.

In The City
I found getting around the chaos of Birmingham city very easy with this. The front wheels turn like a charm and the big back wheels help make it smooth and enjoyable for little one.

In The Countryside
The big wheels did help, and the option to lock the front wheels can be of use when on muddy grass or somewhere that is very bumpy. Perhaps it's just me but I found these wheels didn't keep the mud and dirt on them all the way back to our flat, or at least most of the dirt was got by the time we were home. Our old one would collect everything and meant leaving it outside our front door so we could scrub the muck off before wheeling it in onto our wooden flooring.

In the Car Boot
We own a Ford Focus from 2004. It's a fairly good size car, however getting this pushchair in wasn't easy. We had to remove at least one of the wheels and once we did there was no space left in the boot. It wasn't possible for us to put it on the back seats either.

On the Bus
I took the bus from the city back home and it fitted well. The bar can be placed down to put it out of the way and once you hear the brake button make a "click" sound you can be sure that it won't be going anywhere. At first I didn't push the brakes down fully but when I did I had no worries about it sliding about, he even fell asleep as we waited for our stop.

On the Train & Underground
I was lucky to have gotten an invite from Dettol to go to London as well as given entry to The Baby Show. I took the pushchair with me on the train and tube. The train I was on had no baggage area, but cos it is very easy to put down and fold up I had no problems doing so in a short space of time. The Underground I had problems mainly getting on the tube trains, otherwise easy to get off and the brakes being so easy to use and very strong he wasn't moving around as the train sped off to the next station.

So here are the Pros and Cons.

Pros
- Easy to put down.
- Simple to change seat between forward and rear facing.
- Handle bar can be put up or down to suit your height.

Cons
- Doesn't come with foot muff (sold seperately at £66).
- Can't fold it down when seat is rear facing.
- Too big for car boot.

So what do we think of this? Our judges have come back with their scores and...

Baby Al's Rating: 9/10
Petit Mom's Rating: 8/10

Baby Al would have liked a foot muff, but he does not care as much about the car issue then Petit Mom does!

This product was kindly provided by Mamas & Papas.

Review: De'longhi Icona Bar-Pump Coffee Machine

Ever made yourself a cup of coffee and then gone to sort little one out who decided now is the perfect time to have a tantrum or perhaps had an accident that required an emergency change of nappy and clothes and to which you return to a cold and not so refreshing drink? The De'longhi Icona Bar-Pump Coffee Machine could be the answer to your prayers of a warm coffee. Well we have been kindly offered the chance to test this out and let you know what we think of this coffee machine.


We have found this coffee machine to be pretty simple to use. You fill it up with water and put the grounded coffee into the filter. You can also place the cups on the top and it'll warm them up for you. The only problem with warming up the cups really is that it takes a pretty long time to heat them up. We enjoyed making Cappuccinos and found making the milk simple to do. We do think this product should come with some sort of jug for milk which will fit as our jug was too big unless we were making coffee for two or more people.

Keeping this machine clean can be a bit of a hassle. I found emptying the coffee filter tricky as the coffee would form into a solid block. No matter how hard I tapped it against the bin or sink it didn't loosen or fall out. I ended up digging at it with a spoon and a bit of warm water from the tap. The rest of the product can be wiped down very simply with a cloth ready for next time you decide to have a coffee. We also realised we didn't have any cups that were low enough to get under the filter and I ended up going to Tesco Extra in the evening just to get a pair of  coffee cups. We also found the steam boiler for the milk a bit annoying. We had to use it three times as it kept having to reheat, just didn't last long enough.

So has this swayed us towards ground coffee and saying goodbye to instant? Well... we do love the taste of ground coffee compared to the instant stuff, but the price of this machine is too much for our liking.

Pros
- Easy and simple to use.
- Heats up your cold cups.
- Ready in just a few minutes.

Cons
- Steam boiler for milk doesn't last long enough.
- Filter tricky to clean out.
- Heating the cups is slow.

Since Baby Al wasn't testing this product out we have Not-So-Petit Dad!

Not-So-Petit Dad's Rating: 7/10
Petit Mom's Rating: 6/10

Not-So-Petit Dad disagrees with the filter issue, perhaps Petit Mom isn't putting enough effort into it! But they are in agreement with the steam boiler.

This product was kindly provided by De'Longhi.

Review: Mamas & Papas Mr Turtle Bath Tidy

Bath time is an important part of our routine, it's a great way of getting rid of that last bit of energy before bedtime and also that water can be fun to be in. However it's annoying having to collect all the toys afterwards, well until now!

Mamas & Papas have a brilliant product called the Mr Turtle Bath Tidy. It's in the shape of a turtle and the shell part is actually a scoop, which can hold bath toys in and the holes in it allow any water to drip out. It's pretty large so it can hold several bath toys in it. Currently we have some Mamas & Papas bath toys (review on those coming soon) and a few rubber ducks which we have collected over the last few months.  It's very bright and sturdy and comes with two options for putting it on your bathroom wall. You can either screw it in or you can use the suction pad. As we rent our flat it's not an option to screw ours in, plus we have tiles around our bath so using the suction pad was the best choice for us really.

My one issue with it was my poor man spent a good long time trying to clip in the handle to the scoop. Yes, the handle doesn't come ready attached to the scoop. Rather disappointed with that and almost snapped part of the handle trying to get it in, annoying for parents and very hard as well.

Pros
- Vibrant colours.
- Easy to use.
- Picks up most small bath toys with ease.

Cons
- Handle hard to get on to the scoop.
- Bit expensive.

And now it is time for our judges to give out their scores!

Baby Al's Rating: 7/10
Petit Mom's Rating: 7/10

Baby Al loves the colours and finds it very interesting, whilst Petit Mom finds it very useful but also thinks the handy should already have come attached or be made easier to clip on.

You can buy this product at your local Mamas & Papas store or from their website for £28.

This product was provided by Mamas & Papas.

Review: Smartipants Reusable Cloth Nappy

Have you ever considered reusable nappies? Not sure if it's the way forward. Smartipants contacted us and offered us the chance to try out their one-size cloth nappy. Our thoughts? Read onward!

We had considered the reusable way of nappy life before having a baby but time flew by and we didn't really know what nappy to buy as there are so many out there you can buy, we just settled in the end with Pampers nappies and left it at that. Smartipants are £13.50 each and as it's one size you don't have to worry about getting bigger sizes as your baby grows! The snap fastenings are simple to clip and firm so they won't pop off as your little one wriggles around. There is a removable sleeve insert with the nappy which fits fairly snug into the nappy. And when the nappy has been used and you're not too keen on removing the sleeve then don't! The sleeve can easily come out during the wash cycle. What's more important is cloth nappies are VAT free in the UK, disposable nappies are considered to be a luxury so you could be saving yourself more money by going reusable.

We were use to the super absorbent powers that are in disposable nappy and I had been told that cloth nappies do not last as long due to lacking the chemicals used to make the disposables last so long and absorb so much. Upon first try it lasted about two hours before he had a little accident. Maybe I put it on wrong, perhaps it was too loose, so we wash it and try again. Washing is was easy, the cloth insert came out during the wash and was able to dry it out within 3 hours. The next test included a smellier and dirtier problem... poo! I wasn't sure exactly what to do as I have never used cloth nappies before! In the end I removed the solid bits, dipped it in some warm water for a bit and then put it on a warm wash. hours passed and the cycle ended to give me... a perfectly clean nappy that smelt fresh! I was amazed that there was no sign of any soiling and not a single stain could be found upon inspection.

Using reusable nappies such as the Smartipants nappy could save you as much as £1,300 per child over the course of just a few years. Smartipants are considered to be the most advanced reusable nappy on the market today and are also affordable too. You can help the environment too by going reusable. Every year 200,000 trees are cut down and 80,000 lbs of plastic are used to make disposables. That's a lot of dirty nappies going to landfills! Smartipants nappies are built to last and guarentee high quality snaps for as long as two years.

We do have some issues with this nappy we'd like to bring up. We found the nappy would last about two hours, three if lucky. This would mean we'd need a lot of cloth nappies just for one day and also would probably mean accidents would happen at night time, something we haven't had problems with since he was a newborn. I also thought "what if he needs changing when we're out?" and the thought of having to carry a poo-filled nappy around until we got home didn't sound like a great idea, compared to disposable ones which you simply put in the bin provided.

Pros
- Eco-friendly and saves you money in the long run.
- Cloth nappies are nicer to your baby's bottom compared to disposables.
- Great choice of colours.
- Cheap!
- Easy to put on.
- Don't have to buy a size up after a few months.

Cons
- Don't last very long.
- Tricky when out and about.
- Need several to last a whole day.

 So what do our judges think of the Smartipants cloth nappy? Let's find out!

Baby Al's Rating: 8/10
Petit Mom's Rating: 8/10

Oh an interesting result! Baby Al likes the refreshing feel of cloth nappies on his sensitive bum. Petit Mom does think they are a good investment, but wishes they'd last just at least four hours.

So have we converted you from disposable nappy life and made you a greener mummy? If you're interested in this nappy then check out Fill Your Pants and look at the "One Size" section.