Tommee Tippee’s Big Adventure Range
Last month we popped over to The Baby Show to meet up with the lovely lot at Tommee Tippee. Lamb got to play at their Big Adventure play area, while mummy got to talk juice cups!
Their new range consists of fun and exciting cups for the 3 stages from weaning to toddler, 4+months, 7+ months and 12+ months.
4+ Months – weaning
When your little one is ready to move on from the bottle, the sippee cup is a great starter cup. It has a soft spout, which is gentle on baby’s sensitive gums, easy-grip handles and a non-spill valve. Alternatively, they could try the straw cup if they struggle to tip up the cup.
7+ Months – training
As you little one grows, the size of their cup will grow with them. The larger training cups in this range will help keep your baby hydrated, especially if they are on the move. The easy-grip handles are detachable, encouraging your little one to grip their cups using grown up skills.
12+ Months – Active
The 12m+ range is designed for babies and toddlers on the go. With easy-grip sides, soft spouts and non-spill valve, these cups are perfect for a big toddler adventure! The sippee cup and straw cup are insulated to keep drinks cool while on the go.
Mix n Match
What I love about the new Tommee Tippee cup range is the mix n match lids. With interchangeable tops, bottoms and removable handles your little one can choose a different design for every big adventure!
Design
I love the design of these new cups. Bright, colourful and fun. Each cup has a different picture printed on the front, giving you something to interact with when your little one is having a drink. Whatever we are doing I’m always asking Lamb learning questions like “what colour is that?”, I think that’s why his language has developed so well since a young age. Lamb has the green cup with the tractor so I always get him to tell me what the tractor is and what colour the cup is. I love little extra details like this.
Lamb also has the orange 12+ month straw cup, which he much prefers to the green cup. He finds the sippy cup a little hard to drink from, so often asks for the straw cup. He learned to use a straw at quite a young age so this is probably why!
~A~
*Contains affiliate links
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Are you ever ‘ready’?
When we decided to try for a baby we thought we were ready. Mid twenties, career, mortgage, we were good to go.
Well let me tell you, at no age are you ‘ready’ for a baby. How can you be? You’ve never done it before. No experience. No qualifications.
Nothing can prepare you for the rollercoaster of parenting.
You babysat your nephew I hear you say? Nope. Doesn’t count.
You work in a nursery so have plenty of experience with kids. I don’t care. Not the same.
You work nights so are used to a dysfunctional body clock. Pah.
I remember bringing Lamb home after 3 days in hospital and feeling my whole world turn upside down, because that’s exactly what happens. Literally.
Suddenly our house was full of nappies, baby grows, bibs and muslin cloths. Not to mention the nipple pads, breast pump, cold toast and 3 week old magazines lying around.
Life. As I knew it. Had changed.
I remember talking to my younger brother when I was pregnant about having kids. My nephew at the time was around 5 months old. His words to me were “having a kid is 80% bad, 20% good. But the good is enough to out weigh the bad”.
At the time I laughed. I now know what he meant.
Parenting is hugely difficult at times. No matter what age you have your first baby, you are thrown into a realm of unknown sounds, damaged body clocks and shattered hormones, with the expectation that you can carry on smiling.
It’s not always that easy.
Parenting to me came as a complete shock. Since I can remember I wanted to be a mum, don’t get me wrong I did and still do, and everyone close to me thought I was a natural with kids.
That was until I had by own. Little did I know I’m not a ‘natural’.
I struggle.
My memories of Lamb as a newborn are feelings of panic and dread. Panic that I wasn’t doing it right and dread for when he would wake up next. Not because I didn’t want him, but because he woke up every 2 bloody hours!
Lack of sleep is a killer and every parent will tell you, until you’ve had a baby, you have no idea.
Then there’s the added hormone imbalance. Feelings of extreme lows, extreme highs, or just no feelings at all.
You know when Mother Nature is visiting and she’s a little on edge? Anger, tiredness, tears and well, cravings for bad stuff. Multiply that by 100, in some cases 1000 and you’ve got yourself a new mum.
Let’s not sugar coat this stuff. We all know there are those few people who warned us how hard it is and we brushed them away. Those who said life will never be the same. Those who you now want to pat on the back for being so damn honest.
However, where were the ones telling you that first time your son says “sorry mummy” for dropping his toys or the first time your daughter tells you “what a cow does” will bring tears to your eyes.
Where were the people telling you when your fussy eater tries a new food for the first time makes the months of struggling totally worth it.
Where were the ones reminding you how special it is when your little one brings you paintings homes from nursery.
You see, that 80% of bad my brother was telling me about is bloody hard work. Nothing you will ever be ‘ready’ for.
But the 20% of good, the “I love you’s” and “sorry mummy’s”. The overwhelming rush of joy you feel is so powerful, it makes that 80% feel like 5%.
Ax
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Travelling with Joie Stages
For the last couple of months we’ve been trying out the Joie Stages car seat. Last year I was lucky to be able to test the Joie Chrome pushchair for the Mother & Baby Awards, so I was keen to test out some of their other products. You can read my review on the Joie Chrome here.
Let me tell you a little about about the Stages car seat.
- It’s a group 0+/1/2 car seat – birth to 25kg, approximately 0-7 years old
- Rearward faces up to 18kg
- Forward facing from 9 to 25kg
- Side Impact Security provides extra protection for the head, body and hips
- 1-hand, 5-position headrest adjustment ensures a perfect fit for growing children
- 5-point harness system with front tension adjustment
- Padded harness cushions and lower buckle cover for baby’s comfort
As Lamb was almost 2 when we received the car seat I was surprised to find out he was still able to be rear facing. In fact, this car seat is rear facing to approximately 4 years. I have to be honest, this baffles me. I’m absolutely aware of the safety benefits from being rear facing, but how a 4 year old can be seated that way is something I don’t understand. Where do their legs go?
Well, I tried Lamb rear facing and he was fine. His legs did look a little bent, but it didn’t seem to bother him. He looked comfortable and content facing that way, even after many months facing forwards in our old car seat. So I’m up for continuing with rear facing for a bit longer.
Installing the seat this way was super easy. I’m not used to fitting a car seat with the seat belt as our forward facing car seat uses isofix. However, it didn’t take me long to read the instructions and securely fasten the seat into the car.
The instructions give you a step by step guide on securing the seat in place but if you need a little help take a look at this useful video.
Moving on to forward facing. Boy did I struggle to get the seat to fasten securely. Seriously 3 of us tried, and each time the seat would move from side to side and the belt just wouldn’t tighten. We tried both of our cars, followed the instruction manual and watched the video above, but we just couldn’t get the seat to fit.
That’s where a lovely chap from the Joie team comes in. While at The Baby Show last month I explained to him that I was reviewing the car seat but was struggling to fasten the seat in place. I needed to double check I was doing it right before ranting in a blog post about there being something wrong with the seat.
Turns out, all 3 of us must have been doing something wrong, because while at the show not only did he demonstrate how to secure the seat with the seat belt, he also got me to try and I did it perfectly first time! What is the lesson I have learned from this? Pop to your local car seat stockist for a demonstration and practice before you buy. Simple.
So, back to the forward facing installation. Once I got home I gave it another go, and surprise, surprise the seat fastened safely. We were now able to try out the car seat forward facing! It’s actually really easy to fit with the seat belt, I have no idea what we were doing wrong, but I can now install safely with the seat belt thanks to the helpful Joie team member.
That’s what I love about The Baby Show. There’s always someone there to talk to about products, you can try before you buy and really get to know the brand before parting with your money. The Joie team had lots of products on show, so well worth a visit if you want test out their prams and car seats.
You can read my post about The Baby Show here.
One thing that really impressed me about this car seat is the comfort. There’s plenty of cushioning for newborns, and once the newborn insert is removed the seat is still nice and comfy for toddlers. Lamb is so comfy in this seat he even rests his leg over the side so he can fully relax! 🙂
With our old car seat, on long journeys Lamb would sleep for 1 1/2 – 2 hours max. In the Joie Stages he slept for 3 hours on our way back from visiting family! So that tells me it’s a really comfy car seat.
The fabric is high quality, and I love that the newborn insert is cream, rather than the whole seat being black. There’s a cup holder on the side so a drink is with easy reach of your little one on long car journeys. The harness feel very secure and safe, and the buckle seems extremely hardwearing and much higher quality than our previous car seat. Little details like this really impress me when I’m buying a product for Lamb.
The fact that this car seat is from newborn to age 7 is a great money saver. There are so many added costs when having a baby so knowing you only have to buy a car seat once is really reassuring.
I love the adjustable head rest. Very easy to move up and down depending on how tall your little one is, and will obviously grow with them over the years. Having this also means I can make the seat taller for my nephew when I babysit.
The Joie Stages retails for around £150, which I think is really reasonable considering it’s the only car seat you will need to purchase for at least 7 years. For a list of stockists you can visit joiebaby.com and click shop.
Have you tried Joie products before? I’m a big fan and definitely recommend the Stages car seat (C’mon, it won gold at the Mother & Baby Awards last year so it’s obviously fab!)
Alex x
Really bad photo, but look how cosy he is! 🙂
* I was sent this product free of charge in exchange for my honest opinion and review.
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Aldi Mamia Range
A few weeks ago we attended The Baby Show at the Excel centre. I’ve been a few times now, even though I never intend on buying anything! I just love learning about new brands and getting to catch up with some of the brands I’ve been working with.
While there we got to try out the Aldi Mamia nappies and wipes at the changing area. Although I’m a huge fan of Aldi, and have one at the end of my road, I’ve never tried their nappies before. If I’m honest, when Lamb was younger, I was a bit of a nappy snob and would only use Pampers. They didn’t leak and fit Lamb really well, so the price didn’t bother me. That was until my husband was made redundant at the end of last year.
With our income being reduced drastically we needed to rethink what we are spending our money on. I’ve heard so many great reviews about own brand nappies that it was time I tried them for myself. When Aldi approached me and asked if I wanted to try out their Mamia range I was thrilled. This is my opportunity to test their nappies and review them for myself. Think of the money I could save?!
We were sent a lovely bag of goodies from the Mamia Range.
- Mamia Ultra Dry nappies in size 4+ (RRP £4.29 for 48)
- Mamia Easy Pants in size 5 (RRP £2.00 for 20)
- Mamia Sensitive Baby Wipes (RRP 59p for a 64 pack)
- Mamia Fragranced Baby Wipes (RRP 59p for a 64 pack)
- Mamia Strawberries & Apples puree pouch (RRP 59p)
- Mamia Apples, Carrots & Parsnips puree pouch (RRP 59p)
- Mamia Juniors Mini Rice Cakes
- Bebivita Apple Juice with Mineral Water (RRP 89p for 500ml)
Lets begin with the food products. From past experience I can tell you they are all fab. Lamb is too old for the fruit pouches and rice cakes, and as much as I tried he wouldn’t eat them. However, he ate plenty when he was a baby so I can say he definitely liked them! They are good value and the pouch with screw lids makes them great for on the go mums or picnics in the park etc. If your little one doesn’t eat all of the puree you can keep in the fridge for 24 hours and they can finish the next day. Just make sure they haven’t eaten from the spout. The rice cakes are the perfect snack when you’re weaning. They are 100% organic and healthy for those little tummies.
Lamb loves the apple juice and mineral water. We try our hardest to get him to only drink water, but he point blank refuses (apart from at nursery – grrrrr). So we give him the baby juice from aldi and water it down a little more. This juice is amazing value compared to other brands we have used and is just as good.
I didn’t realise the Mamia Ultra-Dry range of nappies offered 4+ as these were not offered to me at The Baby Show, so I was pleasantly surprised to be sent the exact size I needed. Lamb is currently in 4+ nappies however he would also fit into size 5. I think I will soon move him up to size 5, but he’s quite slim so I’m getting away with 4+.
I’ve been using the Mamia nappies for over a month now and I’m very impressed. It’s been the perfect time to test them as Lamb has been fighting a lot of bugs this year and we’ve had some rather yucky nappies! So he has really put the Mamia range to the test! Of course, because he’s been a bit poorly, we’ve had some leaks, but let me assure you, these leaks would have taken place no matter what brand of nappies we were using.
The biggest test for me is the nighttime test. I rave about Pampers Baby Dry and have always been scared to change brands at night. I’ve experience minimal leaks and have never needed to change Lamb during the night once he started sleeping through.
Well, the Mamia range have exceeded my expectations and bumped Pampers down the list! Nighttimes have been a success and again, we’ve had minimal leaks. There have been a couple, however this was down to Lamb having an extra bottle or juice before bed, and I forgot to change his nappy. I know how things work now, I know Lamb can only have one bottle without leaking through his nappy. Any extra and he needs to be changed – no matter what brand of nappy we are using.
The question that you’re probably asking is “would you buy them again?” Well, yes definitely. In fact I’m off to Aldi later today to grab some more!
My general thoughts on the Mamia Ultra-Dry nappies…
- Amazing value
- Colourful design
- Great fit
- Very few leaks
Next we tried the Mamia baby wipes. We were sent the sensitive fragrance free wipes, and the fragranced baby wipes.
Like with the baby food range, I’ve been using the Mamia wipes for a long time. I’ve only used the sensitive wipes though, as I find fragranced wipes a little overwhelming. The smell lingers and I don’t really like it. However, the Mamia fragranced baby wipes are actually quite nice! Another product I intend on buying again!
What I like about the wipes…
- The moisture is very good.
- Great value.
- Don’t tear when pulling out of packet.
- Soft and gentle.
- Made with aloe vera and chamomile.
- Easy lift lid.
- Fragranced wipes smell lovely, not too soapy.
Criticisms…
- I often pull out more than one wipe (like with most brands).
- The end of the packet can get quite wet where the moisture has soaked into the last few wipes.
- The plastic lid has sometimes come off completely which means the wipes dry out.
Overall I am really impressed with the Mamia range. Lamb is now 2 and in the early stages of potty training (when I say early, I mean he knows what a potty is!) so we won’t be using nappies for that much longer, maybe another year. Even with this in mind, I am still quite excited at how much money I will save on nappies by moving over to the Mamia range.
Also, have you heard Aldi are currently looking for parents to join their Mamia Parent Panel? I’ve signed up (fingers crossed) and you should too! Head over to their Facebook page to apply.
Why not take the Aldi challenge and try their Mamia range yourself?
Alex x
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