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Review: Bit Bike

We have been very lucky to be asked to review one of the fabulous BitBikes,  from Barcelona duo Sergi & Marc.


And it really is fabulous, The Boy is a child obsessed! He had recently become very interested in the Tiger Trike that he'd been given for his first birthday, but with the advent of his second birthday we thought he might find this innovative design more interesting. I do like being right.

The BitBike is a different style of ride-along to others already on the market. There are no traditional handlebars, instead there is a handle cut into the chassis of the bike which promotes the correct riding position from a young age. The forward position which the rider sits in allows good control and The Boy can steer really easily.

My husband has always been a keen cyclist, but hasn't had much chance to get out on his bike for the last few years. I'm a scaredy cat on a bike, I learnt in the lane behind my friend's house. Problem is that it was a straight lane so I never learnt how to steer! When it comes to teaching The Boy in the future, it's going to be hubby that teaches him, not me. When he saw this, he was thoroughly impressed with it. There aren't many ride-ons nowadays that have only two wheels, the BitBike does. There are two really wide wheels which are so sturdy that there is hardly any wobble when The Boy is riding about.

It's a really attractive and smart bike. It's also incredibly light. Not only does that make it easier for The Boy to steer, but it also makes it really easy to carry if you're out and about. The integral handlebars also make for a great carry handle, or there is a lightweight canvas bag with a shoulder strap.

Practical points aside, The Boy loves this bike, he finds it easy to climb on and off, to steer and to push along. Aimed at 18-36 months olds, The Boy at 2 years is really reaping the benefit and enjoyment out of it.


For more information on The BitBike, click here.

I was provided with the BitBike for review purposes. My opinions are, as always, honest and unbiased.

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We have recently been sent a By Carla Bib and Splash Mat to review.

By Carla is a range of products launched in 2009, which includes products for use throughout pregnancy and with babies and toddlers. These stylish and contemporary products include:

  • support pillows
  • blankets
  • changing mats
  • sleeping bags
  • bed protectors

The product which interested us was the waterproof bib and splash mat. Now it just so happens that The Boy is actually quite a tidy eater; he's never really been one to smear his food everywhere, something that my father has often commented on. He (The Boy, not my dad) tends not to miss his mouth, doesn't like dirty fingers and asks to be cleaned if he does get a little mucky (unlike his grandad).

However he does like his craft activities, including painting, water play and cooking. Therefore we decided to test the bib and splashmat out in these situations, as well as at tea-time, which just goes to show the versatility of them.

As you can see he's been kept clean and dry throughout, which makes me happy (less washing) and him happy (not mucky). The splash-mat we used under the easel to save the floor.

There are two other really good features about this bib; there is a fold under crumb catcher (brilliant for younger babies who sometimes miss) and because it's waterproof it can go straight into the sink and be washed up like the dishes! Excellent!

Competition:

I have a By Carla Bib and Splash Mat Set (worth £12.99) in either nougat or playtime to give away to one lucky reader.

To enter please do the following things:

I've entered to win a @ByCarla_uk bib on @TheBoyandMe's blog http://www.theboyandme.co.uk/?p=2106

  • Leave one comment below to tell me that you've done both

For an extra entry please 'Like' By Carla on Facebook. You'll need to leave a separate comment to tell me that you've done that one.

T&C

Competition closes on Friday 17th June 2011 at 8pm. I will draw and notify the winner that evening and they need to respond by Sunday 19th June or I will redraw. Facebook or twitter cannot be held responsible for this competition. Open to UK addresses only.

THIS COMPETITION IS NOW CLOSED.

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If I'm ill and need to buy medicine then I go to one place before others. If I need new make-up, I go to the same place. Baby goods? First port of call. Sunglasses? I will not consider another store because in my mind you can guarantee that they won't be as reliable or effective as this one. Sun cream? Yep, you guessed it.

Boots.

Because their products are reliable and quality aren't they?

Which is why, when I was contacted them asking me if I wanted to try some summer products, I didn't hesitate with an affirmative answer.

I was sent essential baby items; sensitive wipes, sensitive conditioning shampoo, sensitive moisturising bath and sensitive moisturising cream. Of course, all are amazing quality; that goes without saying, it's Boots! However, these were all in addition to the real purpose of the review gift; Soltan Sun Protection.

It is the one brand that I will use on The Boy in the sun without question, and it is the one that I reach for without hesitation or deliberation. Soltan is tried and tested and proven to work.

I was sent these two bottles:

  • Soltan Once Kids Water Play with 3 hours of water resistant protection or 6 hours of sun protection (follow instructions). What brilliant news for on the beach or the paddling pool in the summer. It's SPF50+ UVA and UVB, and hypoallergenic for sensitive skins as well!
  • Soltan Baby which is SPF50+ against UVA and UVB rays, and is again hypoallergenic for sensitive skins. This lotion also contains shea Butter (yummy smelling) to help counteract dehydration of the skin.

Now all we need is the hot weather to test them!

Competition:

One of the other items that we were sent was a harness and pair of reins. Now this is incredibly thoughtful and very appropriate because actually, I don't think enough parents use reins with their children. When I drive nowadays, I am always watchful for toddlers who aren't restrained and might dart off into the road. I have always used them with The Boy and will continue to use them until he no longer fits in them! As a result, we have about four sets of reins in all locations that we might need them; change-bag, car and both pushchairs.

So we'd like to give this pair away to a mum or dad that does need them for their little one.

All you have to do is tell me why you love Boots in the comments box below. Simple!

 

T&C

Competition closes at 8pm on Friday 10th June 2011. I'll use random.org to draw one winner. I will contact the winner that evening and they need to reply by Saturday 11th June 2011 at midnight or I will redraw. And @Slovakmoon, you can enter this one because I'll open it up to Europe as well as the UK.

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I've got a little bit of a lazy boy when it comes to drinking. I think he may have inherited a few of my OCD tendencies which is apparent in the fact that he likes to do things in certain ways and will not be swayed to try something different. This is never more apparent than when it comes to drinking. He only has two things to drink; milk and water (we don't do juice), water comes in a blue tippy cup and milk comes in bottles. That's it, don't try and persuade him otherwise!

The only problem there is that he's 2 years old next month and I'm very conscious of the fact that he's still drinking his milk from bottles. I know, I know! But you could at least try and contain your gasps of disgust you know! My (new) Health Visitor has done her best to reassure me that it's ok and that her daughter (who I taught, how bizarre?) had a bedtime bottle until she was 3, but with The Boy we are talking three bottles of milk a day.

I recently had an e-mail asking me if I'd like to try the Dr. Brown trainer cups. I metaphorically bit their hand off. "Yes please" was the swift and grateful reply! I have tried other drinking devices but like I said, he just won't drink the milk from them. Bearing in mind my Health Visitor also told me that he should still be having one pint of milk a day, I felt trapped in a never-ending cycle.

These are the trainer cups that I was sent to review:

I started The Boy off on the soft spout cup because he's used to the flexibility of the bottle when drinking his milk. It took him a little while to get used to it because it's a sip-activated cup, which is great because it means it didn't spill or drip anywhere. However, once he'd worked it out he adjusted quite quickly and started to associate his afternoon milk as coming from that cup. When he was comfortable with that, I started trying him out on the Hard Spout cup which is actually brilliant for a little boy who is struggling with the pain of his 'eye-teeth' (canines) coming through.

These trainer cups are cleverly designed to resemble a bottle, but have the additional feature of removable handles which means that the baby/toddler can feed himself. I would imagine that in a young baby you'd just not put them on under the screw-cap, but when they start to become more independent the handles would be an excellent feature. All parts in the Dr Brown's Trainer Cup System are interchangeable (handle, spout, valve) which is extremely handy if you've got more than one bottle, or actually if you want them to have a bigger drink but with the soft-spout and vice-versa.

Another clever design feature is the parts that make up the sip-activated valve. It drives hubby (because I don't do washing up, he knew that before he married me before anyone says anything!) mad when he has to wash the valves using a variety of brushes in different sizes. On the Dr. Brown cup, they are quite simply; screw-cap with a hole in it for the spout to come out, flat plastic disc to hold the spout section in, and a flat disc with a protruding spout. No fiddly little rubberised bits that attach here, here and here.

All in all, a great success! I've managed to wean The Boy onto these for breakfast and afternoon milk, and he only has a bottle at bedtime.

Competition

Now TWO of you lucky folks can have the opportunity to own a Soft-Spout Trainer Cup and a Hard-Spout Trainer Cup by doing these simple things:

  • 'Like' Dr. Brown Natural Flow on Facebook
  • Tweet this message:

I want to win @DrBrownsUK trainer cups with @TheBoyandMe blog http://www.theboyandme.co.uk/?p=2104

  • Come back and tell me that you've done that in the comments box below. One comment only please, additional comments will be deleted.

T&C:

Competition ends Saturday 28th May 2011 at 8pm. Open to UK entrants only please. I will notify the 2 winners via twitter or e-mail and they need to acknowledge this by Monday 30th May at 8pm or I will redraw.

THIS COMPETITION IS NOW CLOSED.

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I'm rather aware that I'm knocking on a bit now, what with being the grand old age of 33. In addition, I'm a mother, wife and teacher. All of these things can lead to frowns occuring on a daily, possibly even hourly, basis! I've discovered that pushing my skin back down and trying to smooth down my eyebrow furrows doesn't really work, which I think is a bit inconsiderate.

So when I was approached to review the brand new NIP + FAB Frown Fix, I metaphorically bit the hand off of the kind soul offering. You may have seen NIP + FAB in the beauty pages of the national newspapers and glossy magazines. If you haven't then you've not been paying attention properly. The range of products is amazing, including a Tummy Fix and a Cellulite Fix, and is coveted by many a celebrity from Alexandra Burke through to Jennifer Aniston. To top it all off, they are launching the Frown Fix as we 'speak' so I feel a little bit special in having the opportunity to review it!

The Frown Fix which I have to try comes in a neat little tube, similar in size to a mascara so it can fit nicely in your make-up kit. One end opens up to show a little brush, the other twists to push the formula up. The description on the box says 'Frown fix is a concentrated formular designed to plump and smooth the appearance of expression lines, fine lines and wrinkles.' And hopefully my furrows caused by people who stress me out!

I followed the instructions to 'brush directly onto clean skin to target expression lines around eyes, forehead and mouth', although I didn't need it around the mouth (clearly I don't smile enough!). It is incredibly smooth, doesn't sting or feel tight (or any other unpleasant sensation) and just gently works subtly. The research indicates that 'the effects are instant (within a couple of minutes), but everyday use also results in a cumulative effect so lines become permanently more visible. Clinical tests on the active ingredient has shown a reduction in wrinkles of up to 50% over a 60 day period.'

I'd call it botox in a tube, but that sounds derogatory to Frown Fix as it doesn't render you incapable of showing expression. Don't even think of it as polyfilla. Consider it a magic wand to indicate that you are a young and carefree woman! It could just be your new BFF!

I am giving FIVE of you lucky individuals the chance to win a NIP + FAB Frown Fix (which retail for £10.25 each in Boots and Harvey Nichols don'cha know).

In order to be in with a chance of winning, please do all of the following things:

  1. Tell me in the comments box whether you are going to be using it fill the laughter or frown lines, and who causes them!
  2. 'Follow' NIP + FAB on twitter or 'like' on Facebook
  3. Tweet the following message:

"I've entered to win a @NipandFab Frown Fix on @TheBoyandMe's blog http://www.theboyandme.co.uk/?p=2216"

Please only leave one comment to tell me that you've done these things. You won't be getting more entries if you leave separate comments!

T&C:

The competition will end on Monday 9th May 2011 at 8pm. I will draw five winners using www.random.org and notify them by e-mail, I will need a reply by Wednesday 11th May 2011 at 8pm or I will redraw. Open to UK entrants only please.

GOOD LUCK!

I have been provided with a tube of Frown Fix for the purpose of this review, which is as always honest and my own opinion. No other reward was given.

To see the winners, please click here.

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I've recently been provided with the opportunity to review Organic Baby Shampoo by The Little Green Sheep.

The Little Green Sheep is a luxury baby brand with an entirely organic and natural range of baby bedtime products; based on the simple idea of offering you and your baby the best in nursery night-times for a natural night's sleep. Founded in 2006 and based on an organic farm. Primarily a baby bedtime range, they have expanded their range to include sleepwear, bathtime products and toys.

The Organic Baby Shampoo is made using organic ingredients and, something that is important to me, no nasty chemicals. The two main organic ingredients are Lavender and Aloe Vera which, as we all know by now, soothe and cleanse in an ideal manner for our little angels. The other biggy for me is that it has not been tested on any animals, not even sheep; green or otherwise.

The shampoo comes in a good size bottle with a very handy pump dispenser, which is ideal for one-handed usage at bathtime. It also measures out an exact amount of shampoo needed for a little head. The first time I used it, I pumped out two lots and it took loads of rinsing! One is just enough. The Boy's hair smelt clean and fresh, and looked glossy and very healthy.

In order to be in with a chance of winning a bottle of The Little Green Sheep Organic Baby Shampoo you need to do the following:

Follow The Little Green Sheep on twitter or 'like' them on Facebook and tweet the following message:

I've entered to win Organic Baby Shampoo with @GreenSheepBaby & @TheBoyandMe's blog http://www.theboyandme.co.uk/?p=1514

Don't forget to tell me what you've done in the comments box; one comment only please, duplicates will be deleted.

Terms and conditions

- Closing date is Friday 6th May 2011 at 8pm.
- The winner will be announced and notified within 24 hours, and will need to respond by midday on Monday 9th May 2011 or I will redraw.
- By entering this competition you are indicating that you are interested in the product, therefore your e-mail address may be used by The Little Green Sheep for marketing purposes.
The winner is: @babynotincluded
Congratulations! Many thanks to everyone for entering.

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I have been lucky enough to be approached to review a new range of 'big' bags created by Charlotte over at MiaTui.

MiaTui bags are a fantastic range of bags which have been created by mother of two Charlotte, who is currently living out in Vietnam as an ex-pat. Charlotte realised that many of the change-bags available nowadays just weren't practical or attractive enough for modern women, and therefore set about designing and producing practical bags which are fashionable and can be multi-purpose.

What makes these bags different for me is that they are not produced by a huge multi-national company by a man. MiaTui have used local (Vietnamese) designers, resources and manufacturers to produce the bags; I particularly found it fascinating that Charlotte has made the decision to work with "local women who have their own small businesses, getting paid a fair wage for their work and working their own hours to suit their family circumstances." This is an incredibly responsible attitude of Charlotte, it probably would be easy to having the bags produced in less than ethical situation, but she has thought long and hard about the image that MiaTui bags present. This post really illustrates the background to MiaTui.

The bag came in a large box well protected by air-pockets, but again this is another example of Charlotte's responsible attitude; Opus Air Pockets are biodegradable and compostable, so when put into plastic recycling it only takes 12-24 months to degrade. Underneath this is a beautiful wrapped bag in bright pink tissue paper: I felt like it was Christmas!

And so on to the bag and why it's better than others out there!

I chose the Amelie White-Pink bag to review after much deliberation, although I had the choice of seven different colours and I seriously considered the Aubergine (a brilliant colour for Autumn and Winter I feel).

Sunday was test day, a beautiful day to go to the park (by the sea) and the picture on the left illustrates all the things that would normally be shoved into the change-bag or bottom of the push-chair. I know what you're thinking, "That will never all fit in there!"

"Ha!" says I, "Look!"

Look at the organisation in that bag! And look how little space is taken up in it!

Inside the bag are several really deep pockets to hold the contents in an organised way:

  • a big pocket along one side which is perfect for The Boy's spare clothes and nappies.
  • a pocket for your phone (underneath the end of the zip so you can access it quickly) and it's also big enough to fit the iPod touch (a necessary must to distract The Boy sometimes)
  • a proper-sized insulated drinks pocket (how infuriating is it when only half the bottle fits in like in other bags?)
  • two further pockets along the other side, into these I put my purse and camera, and the wipes and nappy sacks.
  • in the middle section I had the two PVC bags which come with the Amelie bag but are also sold separately. One of them had nappy cream, Savlon, teething gel, anti-bac handwash and sun-cream. The other had packets of snacks for The Boy. There was a towel (in case he went paddling) and I also had the matching clutch bag into which I put essential make-up and other bits and bobs that you'd find in a lady's handbag!
  • my car keys which were clipped on to one of the two safety clips.

The Amelie bag hangs brilliantly off the back of the stroller because, as well as the big handles which enable you to use it as a shoulder bag, there is a long strap which can be attached to either end of the bag. Yes, that is a photo of me!

The bag held everything in it that I needed it to and there was space for more; I could quite easily have had a couple of small toys or a book in there for The Boy, or his swimming stuff and a picnic blanket (I'm thinking ahead here to Friday when we're going to country park which has paddling facilities in it). The most important feature for me was the long zip closing the contents up nice and secure; I hate it when everyone can see into your bag and everything falls out!

The Amelie bag is adapatable to your needs; travel bag, work bag (the large pocket can hold a 13" laptop or iPad), change bag, beach bag (it is made from a splash-proof material). I actually wish that Charlotte had created this two years ago and then I could have dispensed with the two or three change-bags that I've tried during that time!

For a short-time only, until Easter Monday, to celebrate the launch of her online shop, MiaTui are offering the bags with 20% off which brings them down from a very reasonable £54.99 to a bargain £44.50 with free postage and packaging. They are despatched from the UK, so don't worry about waiting more than a couple of days for them to be delivered.

Not only do MiaTui produce multi-purpose bags for mums, but they also produce a range of rucksacks for children with 8 different designs for both girls and boys. I actually really like the silver dot and am thinking of sneakily buying one for myself The Boy!

To be in with a chance of winning one of these rucksacks for your little one (or yourself!) then you will need to do all of the following:

1) Visit www.MiaTui.com and then come back to tell me your favourite item in the comments box below.

2) Either follow MiaTui on twitter or 'like' on Facebook.

3) You will also need to tweet the following message:

"I've entered to win a @miatuibags with @TheBoyandMe's blog http://www.theboyandme.co.uk/?p=2095"

There are no additional entries, so please just leave one comment in the box telling me: your favourite item from www.MiaTui.com and whether you have followed on twitter or liked on Facebook.

Competition closes on Thursday 5th May 2011 at 8pm. I will contact the winner that night and they need to reply with their colour choice of rucksack by Saturday 7th May 2011 at 8pm or I will redraw a winner. Open to UK entrants only.

While I have been provided with this bag for the purpose of this review, my opinion is honest and fair, and I have not received any payment for this post.

The winner of the competition is: SomethingBlue_2!

Congratulations, and thank you to everyone who entered!

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The rather fabulous @Jessies_Online has recently sent me some cellophance bags with the challenge of:

"What can you do with these?"

Ha! I'm quite fond of a challenge! Even more than that, I'm rather fond of wrapping presents; Christmas presents get the whole works; tissue paper, shiny paper, ribbon, baubles, etc. It makes the whole present seems so much more exciting (and helps disguise the fact that we're on a budget).

So Helen, you give me these bags:

and I will give you these!

My sister's birthday present using Helen's bags, B'Organics Skincare products, and my trusty Ikea ribbons.


I've done one of these for my niece and nephew; they get a lot of chocolate at Easter so I wanted to give them a little token present, and by using the bags it looks like a much 'bigger' present.

You can get hold of some of these really rather clever bags from the lady herself here. The prices are so reasonable and are approximately £1.50-£2.00 for about 20 bags. I know where I'll be going in future!

Jessies Online Store

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I popped into Mothercare yesterday to buy The Boy a pair of sunglasses (with the band that goes around the back of the head) and ended up spending £56 on toys in the Early Learning Centre department! They've got a brilliant little wheelbarrow at the moment, which he just had to have, and some other things fell into the trolley as I was walking around. (Whoops, don't tell hubby!)

One of the things that I bought is the Happyland Puzzles, which is a set of 6 puzzles for ages 18 months – 3 years.

I'd become very conscious lately that the only puzzles that The Boy ever does is the inlay designs; this is not helping him develop his problem-solving skills that much. I was especially alarmed when a work colleague had told me that her 2½ year old son had just completed a 25-piece jigsaw. I panicked! I don't think that The Boy has managed more than a 2-piece one that I bought him at Christmas and he struggled with then!

[Please note the image shows a tin and the one I bought came in a cardboard box made from 'forest friendly cardboard'. I know which one I prefer]

Why I particularly like this pack is three-fold.

  1. It has 6 jigsaws in it, some are 2-piece, some are 3-piece and some are 4-piece. It doesn't follow suit that the hardest one is the 4-piece; I actually think that the hardest one is the 3-piece one because of the angles that it has to join in at. Therefore they are of differentiated ability and challenge. As a teacher, this pleases me.
  2. The pictures are of the Happyland range, and we have quite a few of them. Seeing his face earlier as he recognised the merry-go-round was classic. He then upped and pulled open his toybox and yanked it out. He looked back at the picture and even tried to press the button on the jigsaw. The other set that we have that features on the jigsaw is the school, and yes, he tried to open the door on the school and press the bell on the tower.
  3. The pieces are nice and chunky, but small enough for little hands. They're also made of FSC mixed sources cardboard.

This jigsaw set is a winner in this household and at only £6 is a bargain as far as I'm concerned.

No, I didn't get the sunglasses, they're not in stock yet.

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The lovely Emma over at Piglets Boutique has recently sent me this keepsake book to review.

I've got the obligatory baby book, infact I have two (one didn't cover everything so I felt the need to buy a second, don't ask!).

'Stuff about my Kids what I'll Forget' is the grown-up baby book. It's the equivalent book for when your children reach school-age; it's full of helpful and practical sections to help you get through the school-life of a child (it is quite a busy and complicated time, and I speak as a teacher here), like:

  • Useful names, numbers and e-mail addresses;
  • Birthdays and dates to remember;
  • Holiday and term planner;
  • School timetables.

However, it's also got the all-important sections to help you remember your mini-me's personality and character traits:

  • Favourite films and DVDs/singers and groups/toys and games;
  • Cute and funny things what they did;
  • Quotes from my kids.

These ideas are presented in such an attractive and practical manner; the cover is hardback and quite hard-wearing, and it's an A5 size so perfect to keep in your handbag for those moments when you need to note things down instantly!

A lovely keepsake book available from Piglets Boutique.

I was sent this book to review independently, no reward was provided. My reviews are, as always, honest.

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