Category: Reviews

1. The Sticker Club : Review

   Posted on 10:17pm Monday 29th Sep 2014

   There is an obsession with stickers in our house. Although I think this *may* not be isolated to our house, so when a bright yellow envelope drops through the letterbox there is a flurry of excitement as the envelope is opened. It is addressed to the littlest member of the family, who doesn't really get very much post but she now knows the envelope design and can't wait to rip it open to see what is inside.

   

   The Sticker Club is a weekly subscription service that was created by two dads who noticed the desire to move back towards traditional, creative play. There is no denying that with everything being done online these days, children still love receiving their own mail through the postbox and the cool design makes it unmissable.

    

   Each week there is a different selection of stickers to choose from and although the stickers come for the little one, there is always something that the tween covets.

   

   The stickers have been made into pictures, cards and frequently found on varying pieces of furniture or doors but I love the creativity they help to develop, the imagination they help to inspire (and maybe the half an hours peace it also helps to give me whenever they arrive).

   Presently priced at £1.99 per week, they may not be the cheapest stickers you will find but the designs are fabulous, the service is great and it is less than the cost of certain fast food restuarants children's meals and is much more educational, fun and certainly less calories!

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2. Changing a room with Vertbaudet : Bedroom review

   Posted on 9:14pm Sunday 14th Sep 2014

   When I was pregnant with the little one, I didn't 'want to find out whether it was a boy or girl, so plumped for a very classic cream look for her bedroom. Now 3 years later, the sides are off the cot and her favourite colour is pink. Cream is just not cutting it any longer.

   So with a little help from Vertbaudet, we added a little bit of pink magic and sparkle to this neutral space ......

   

   First we added a pink heart rug. As the youngest member of the family, she has the smallest room so at 100 x 133cm it fills a large proportion of the floor (which saves me getting a new pink carpet) and it is so soft, the little one keeps flexing her toes over it! 

   

   We then chose a gorgeous butterfly hanging lampshade which casts a beautiful soft pink glow across her bedroom. A couple of people have aked me if there should be a frosted base on the bottom of the lampshade but there isn't and I prefer it that way (and it would be just somewhere that dust can gather). At 25 cm with a base diameter of 50 cm, it is almost oversized but with the cut-out butterfly motifs let the light through, it lights the bedroom softly and warmly. (It is also available in white, if you really don't fancy pink).

   

   So with the addition of some new bedding, the room definitely begins to feel a like more like a girls room, rather than a nursery. I know it seems sterotypical to choose pink but this was her colour of choice and it just goes to show that with a few key items, you really can change the look of a room.

   

   As a huge fan of Vertbaudet, I had purchased some butterflies from their website a little while ago and so we added these to the walls to create a bedroom that she can now "flutterbye" the hours in.

   

   So what do you think? Would you add anuthing more? I just have my eye on this beautiful butterfly mirror!

   Disclaimer : We were given the rug and lampshade as part of this review but as a regular customer of Vertbaudet, I would highly recommend their clothes and homewares for children.

3. Build A Bear Workshop : Review

   Posted on 10:16pm Thursday 11th Sep 2014

   Anyone who has read "We're going on a bear hunt" will know that finding the "big one" isn't always the best option but when you have a vast selection of bears to choose from, the bear hunt gets a little more exciting.

   The Build-a-Bear concept is a very basic one, you don't simply just pick a bear off a shelf and pay for it, you lovingly create it, from choosing the bear, to the stuffing and even giving it a heart (and let's not mention the outfits just yet). The little one had never had the pleasure of "building a bear", so when we were told about the new range, we were excited to be given the opportunity to go and check it out. 

   

   The array of bears to choose from was a little overwhelming for her to start with but she soon overcame this and went for the brightest bear she could find. No amount of persuasion was going to change her mind! (she is a determined one, that little girl).

   

   The new range features, Toothy Shark and Sea Splash Dolphin to Octo-Fun Octopus, the Build-A-Bear Workshop Beach Buddies are the perfect collection to remember the summer with. Despite trying to convince her to have one of the new range, the "Rainbow" bear was still the favourite for our little one. 

   

   The price is really reasonable, considering the whole experience (but you have to remember that this is for the bear only) and then on top, you have all the cute, amusing and frankly adorable additions that have the possibility to increase the cost of your bear.

   

    We chose a voice that had 6 different sayings ... including "you are my best friend" (see I told you it was adorable)

   

   You get to decide just how cuddly your bear needs to be ..... we chose extra cuddly of course. 

   

   And once our bear had her beating heart and a special wish inside her, she then needed a wash ....... obviously.

   

    And then came the difficult job of choosing an outfit .....

   

   And shoes ...... so your bear can be the best dressed bear in town!

   

   She wanted a car but we drew the line at that! The bear has only just been born, I am quite sure it is too young for a provisional licence!

   

   And so we create Rainbow bears birth certificate. The keyboard is very child friendly and allows them to get involved (with some parental supervision of course).

   

   And the best part? The final cuddle of course!!

   Would I recommend the Build-A-Bear experience? Absolutely! You are not just buying a bear, you are creating an experience, you are building a special friend for your child and a memory they will treasure.

   They also do birthday parties at Build-A-Bear, I might look at one for next year ....... that is perfectly acceptable for a 30-somethings birthday party right?

   Disclaimer: We were given the opportunity to review the Build-A-Bear experience but all views, opinions and cuddles are our own!

4. Beach Dragons : UV Protection Swimwear for Children : Review & Giveaway

   Posted on 9:49pm Sunday 10th Aug 2014

   . It is a super cool name and we loved it from the second we heard it but what we loved more was the gorgeous range of children's swim and beach wear that they have on their site.  was founded in 2012 by Jessica Dahlberg, a mother of three who decided to start her own business when she found just how difficult it was to find stylish UV protection beachwear for her children.

   The sun has definitely had its hat on of late but finding a sun hat that the children can wear in the water has been a bit of a challenge for me, so when we were given the chance to review some of the gorgeous  swimwear, we jumped at the chance.

    

   With two water babies in the family, they were both quick to jump into their new swimsuits (unfortunately the pool is not so happy for us to take photos, so stock images will have to do for now) and it was immediately apparent the difference in quality to many of the previous swimming costumes they have had.

   The Butterfly Swimsuit (shown centre above)

   UPF 50+ BLOCKS OUT 98% OF THE SUN'S UVA AND UVB RADIATION. 
   FABRIC: 91% POLYAMIDE AND 9% ELASTANE 
   INNER LINING: 100% POLYAMIDE

   The design is both adorable and practical and always gets comments in the pool. At £38 it is certainly not the cheapest swimsuit on the market but you how can you put a price on the protection of your childs skin?

   Blossom Bikini

   UPF 50+ BLOCKS OUT 98% OF THE SUN'S UVA AND UVB RADIATION.
   FABRIC: 91% POLYAMIDE AND 9% ELASTANE

   This bikini is perfect for a savvy tween. It is fashionable enough to be cool but sensible enough to satisfy mum too. The adjustable halterneck means that it can grow with your little one and my daughter loves the striking blue colour .... because according to her, not everything needs to be pink! We chose the size 9-10 and she is an average 9 year old and it fits perfectly, so if your little one is a little taller than average, it may well do to order a larger size.

   Sun Hat

   One of my biggest grumbles over sun hats is that you have to pick a neutral colour, so that it matches everything! Not with a  hat though, they are reversible giving you twice the wear out of them, which ticks all the boxes for me.  The hat is lightweight without being flimsy and again has an UPF50+. These two-tone hats keep heads protected from the sun's harsh rays and we love that the baby size (6-24 months) even comes with tie strings to help it stay put.

   All the  fabrics can be washed at 30 degrees and they have been in the wash a few times already in the past couple of weeks and there are no signs of the infamous "bobbling" on the swimsuits, as happens with many other brands.  recommend that you rinse it out after swimming but never ring or squeeze it as they may ruin its shape.

   The  collection of products are all their own design, so they are not mass produced and available at every shop corner, which coupled with the exceptional quality demonstrates what you are getting for your money.

   This together with the fact that all of the fabrics are tested and come with a UPF50+, which means that 98& of the sun's harmful UVA & UVB radiation is blocked out, means that you can have confidence every time they jump in the water.

   We genuinely fell in love with the  brand , so we not only wanted to share it with you BUT give you the opportunity to win one Anchor sun protection suit in baby pink or blue (available sizes are 6-12 mths/1-2 yrs/2-3 yrs/3-4 yrs) and one sun hat too (available sizes 6-24 mths/2-5 yrs/5-9 yrs).

   

   

   So what do you need to do? Enter below ......

   a Rafflecopter giveaway

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