Category: Reviews

1. WIN a Magic Mitten : Baby Calming Aid

   Posted on 10:28pm Thursday 1st Aug 2013

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   On the Lilypad, we love unique and unusual gifts and every once in a while a truly revolutionary product hits the market and the incredible Magic Mitten is one such example. This ingenious product is set to help parents across the world instantly settle distressed babies and regain precious sleep!

   The patented Magic Mitten is the first ever handheld baby calming aid that plays settling white noise sounds that only your baby can hear. The specially designed sounds have a swiftly calming effect that will soothe your baby whenever it’s distressed. Even babies with colic are gently soothed into a calm state, removing a stressful burden from sleep deprived mums and dads.
   

   The clever design allows you to securely and easily hold your baby while holding the Magic Mitten to your baby’s ear so it can be used by anyone, at anytime, at home or out and about. Simply pop it in your baby bag wherever you and baby go.

   Features:

   •   Fixed volume providing safe decibel level               
   •   Automatically switches off after 10 minutes use for safety & prolonged battery                                                                              
   •   Three sound options, including mother's heartbeat, ocean waves and rain on a tin roof
   •   Triple layered comfort pad for cushioning and sound diffusion
   •   Removable comfort pad for easy cleaning
   •   Rechargeable via AC/DC charger or USB connection included 

   

    

   The Magic Mitten is set to hit the UK this month and will be available for £39.99 from www.jojomamanbebe.co.uk as well as a number of carefully selected retailers. 

   The Magic Mitten Story

   The Magic Mitten was created in New Zealand by father Mark Hubble to help soothe his new daughter Lily. When Lily got herself in a state she was very difficult to settle and Mark and his wife exasperated themselves trying all kinds of things to calm her; dummies, pacing, rocking, singing, driving around in the car...the list goes on. Mark believed there must be a better way. So he began researching the calming effects of white noise and vowed to create a product that brought together the perfect sounds at the perfect pitch.
   
   Mark began designing an effective, safe and portable settling aid, that could be operated while holding a baby, and that didn’t drive everyone in the vicinity crazy. Mark's initial prototype was so successful at calming his daughter Lily that he knew he was onto something. The results were like magic!
   
   Together with friends Simon and Dean, Mark developed, patented and began selling the Magic Mitten, which is now being distributed all over the world.
   
   To find out more about Magic Mitten you can visit www.magicmitten.com but to be in with a chance to win one, you can enter below!

   

    a Rafflecopter giveaway

    This competition is also listed on Prize Finder

2. Santoro London : Tell Me Something - Santoro's Eclectic bag review

   Posted on 9:54pm Sunday 28th Jul 2013

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   We often review baby items, so my eldest daughter was thrilled at the opportunity to review a "grown up" bag, designed for the more aspiring young lady! Santoro London has an amazing collection of gorgeous gift ideas and truly unique designs that appeal to my desire to find beautiful things.

   

   My daughter loves bags and shoes (I wonder where she gets that from) and she was visibly thrilled to receive the Santoro "Tell Me Something" small satchel and to be honest, I was a little envious that I wasn't going to keep it for myself. The satchel retails at £42.00 which is a more than I would normally pay for a bag for my daughter but the bag is suitable for all ages and the price is reflective of the quality.

   

   There is particular attention to detail and this magnetic key is just one of the gorgeous details that make this bag a perfect addition to anyone's collection. The bag opens up to reveal a delicate lining, an inside pocket, key hook, and a mobile phone pocket (or iPod holder in the case of my daughter, although I suspect she would happily choose to have a phone).

   I love that each bag is hand-finished, so the detail may vary from piece to piece, which means you truly are getting a unique item. Not all items are in this price range and with gifts starting at £5.99, there is something for everyone.

   Santoro was conceived in 1983 and from the very beginning, "Lucio and Meera focused on quality and originality, wanting to produce distinctive and captivating collections that epitomised their eclectic taste and flair for innovation". I think we can safely say that 30 years on, they are still innovating and creating inspiring items for us all to admire and enjoy.

    

   Disclaimer: We received the Santoro bag to review but thoughts and comments in this review are our own opinions. 

3. Going to the chapel .....

   Posted on 9:12pm Wednesday 24th Jul 2013

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   I was chatting with my neighbour over the back garden fence earlier, (in a 1950's kind of fashion) and she was telling me how she had been invited to three weddings this year and was fretting over what to wear. Now we all know that I have a penchant for shopping and whilst I may not be in the same league as the mother of the bride outfits, I still love to find beautiful clothes for a wedding, (being careful never to try and upstage the bride of course).

   The good folk at Kaleidoscope have put together this great inforgraphic for what makes a great outfit this season and I love the cream dress and coral fascinator!

   

   Outfit shopping can be stressful but I think that Kaleidoscope may have just made life a little easier for us busy mums!

   

4. Keep Calm and BlogOn

   Posted on 9:35pm Monday 22nd Jul 2013

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   First of all, I have to admit that I have stolen the title of this post from the ever so lovely Laura from TiredMummyofTwo. I met Laura earlier this year and her enthusiasm for being the master of your own blog was infectious, so there was no doubt I would want to attend an event organised by her. BlogOn wasn't designed to rival some of the bigger blogging conferences, in fact it was perfect in its individuality. There were no choices to be made about which session you wanted to attend (or those you would have to concede to missing), there were simply three sessions, run all day about the things bloggers wanted to talk about and let's be honest, we all like to talk!

   My conversations on the day ranged from SEO and the legalities of running a blog, brand discussions, my love of a good wine and cake, to birth stories and the ability to go to the toilet at a festival *looks in direction of a certain Mammasaurus* The day was certiainly not dull.

   

   The Museum of Science and Industry was the perfect back drop for an amazing event and I was impressed by the very personal welcome by the MOSI team as we walked through the door ..... although I am not entirely sure they knew what had hit them with all the ladies (and a few men) trooping through their doors with excitment and intrepidation.

   

   I could sit here all day and rave about the fabulous brands (like the LEGO stand that was very cool) and speakers, yes Liz, Cat, Tanya and Helen, I am talking about you but the thing that struck me most was the strength of a community. I have said it before but in an age where so many of us only engage with some friends online whether by choice or circumstance, the ability to meet like minded people and feel comfortable in your own skin is a testament to each and every person who attended the conference.

   There was a TV programme called "Cheers", the bar where everyone knows your name and that is how I felt about BlogOn.

   It was a comfort zone, while many were outside of theirs.

   It was helpful, without being patronising.

   It was exciting, without being overwhelming.

   It was familiar, without being intrusive.

   And (with the help of our name tags), it was a place where everyone knows your name.