review Archives - Lamb & Bear

October 16, 2016 by lambandbear Leave a Comment

Fred’s Swim Trainer Review

Last month ago I was offered the Fred’s Swim Trainer to review from Babyeeze store in intuLakeside. It was perfect timing because we were due to go on holiday so I knew I could use the product while we were away.

Going swimming with 2 kids takes some practice. 1 child between 2 adults is so easy compared. You see, no one has free hands. One has the pre-schooler, one has the baby. So how do us parents get to do any swimming?

I’d never seen the swim trainer before and when I googled it, I thought it was the perfect product to review on my blog. Why? Because it’s unknown, but innovative. The exact sort of product I want to review for my readers.

Going swimming with a newborn is difficult. They are slippery, wriggly and pretty awkward to hold.

The Fred’s Swim Trainer is suitable from 3+ months and can be used until approx 4 years. 3 months is when your baby will have some head control when laying on their front

The swim trainer is easy to use with 2 adults, but using it alone may be tricky and I recommend practicing before getting in the pool.

Lay baby on their front with their arms over the ring. You then fasten the white buckle around their waist, the the shoulder straps go over their neck and clip into the top of the buckle. Then close the buckle to prevent the clips coming undone. The fastening system is really secure and at no point did I worry that BB would slip out.

What’s great about the swim trainer is you can be totally hands free and know your baby can float safely next to you. As soon as we put BB into his ring we could tell he felt safe and secure. He didn’t wriggle or complain, he didn’t make a sound. He was happy and content.

It also gets them used to using their legs and kicking in the water, giving them the ideal swimming position for learning to swim.

Overall I really love this product and I’m quite surprised more parents don’t own one! As a family we love going swimming. My husband takes Lamb after pre-school on Friday evenings and I take BB for lessons on Friday lunch times.

Both of my boys love the water and now we have the swim trainer our trips to the pool are so much easier with a baby.

~A~

*I was sent this product free of charge in exchange for my honest opinion and review. All words are my own. Contains affiliate links.

October 7, 2016 by lambandbear 1 Comment

Sleepyhead Deluxe Review

You may have seen on social media Baby Bear has been sleeping in a Sleepyhead Deluxe. I’m a huge fan of baby nests and when he was close to outgrowing his previous one I knew I wanted to try the Sleepyhead.

I only had one concern when our gorgeous Sleepyhead arrived. Does it fit in the Snuzpod?!

Answer. YES. Phew.

One thing parents worry about when they have a new baby is sleep. Will they sleep, how long will they sleep, are they sleeping safely?

The Sleepyhead Deluxe (0-8 months) offers your baby a secure and snuggly place to sleep, ensuring they feel cuddled and comforted. Not only does it offer a safe place to sleep, it can also be used in several other ways.

Take it downstairs and put under a baby gym and use as a play mat. Lay them on their fronts during tummy time. Take it with you when staying away and pop it next to you in bed giving them a place to sleep if you don’t have a crib. It has a convenient carry handle for transportation.

As well as having multiple uses, there are also multiple advantages to using a Sleepyhead Deluxe. The security it offers helps reduce startle reflex which happens in babies aged 0-6 months. Meaning they sleep more soundly. The design of the Sleepyhead and materials it is made from helps reduce the risk of flat-head syndrome. It also reinvents the womb offering a snug and soothing environment.

Using the Sleepyhead pod has definitely become part of our routine. If we ever stay anywhere and don’t have it with us, BB definitely doesn’t sleep as well.

I have had people ask me on social media if the Sleepyhead is worth the money it costs, and personally I think it is. But I think anything that helps a baby sleep soundly and safely is worth the money!

Although BB isn’t sleeping through the night yet, we are still in a good bedtime routine and he goes to sleep by himself pretty well.

A combination of lavender bath products, white noise, GroBag and the Sleepyhead in our Snuzpod, all contributes to my baby boy sleeping happily. (Even if it isn’t for very long!)

The Sleepyhead Deluxe is definitely on my list of recommended baby products. Whether you have a new baby or are currently expecting, you should definitely consider putting this on your wish list or gift list. Why not ask the Grandparents to buy it for you?!

Oh, and I’ll be definitely upgrading to the Sleepyhead Grande when he’s bigger.

~A~

* This product was sent to me free of charge in exchange for my honest opinion and review. All words are my own.

January 15, 2015 by lambandbear 14 Comments

Joie Chrome Review

Last year I was selected to be a tester for the Mother & Baby awards. I was so excited when I got the initial email asking if I still wanted to take part – of course!

In the application you have to choose the types of products you can test. For example, pregnancy, breast feeding, baby, toddler, etc. You also have to inform them on how much storage space you have so they know whether to send you larger items.

Although I have a fairly small house, I have extra storage in my cellar and shed, so I was able to apply for the larger items.

Which leads us onto this review.

The Joie Chrome.

The main things I look for when reviewing a pram is the ease of collapsing and putting up, the size of the hood, the size of the storage basket, the weight, and of course, that my child is safe, secure and comfortable when in the pram. Oh, and not forgetting the look and colour.

I can’t stress enough how light this pram is. It’s so easy to push around, however being so light means you need to give it a little extra nudge when going up and down kerbs. Not a problem, most of us mums are pro-pram pushers after a couple of practices!

The storage basket is amazing. It’s huge! As you can see from the photos, there is quite a bit of distance between the basket and the bottom of the seat, meaning there’s plenty of space for chunky items like shopping bags. This gets a big thumbs up from me.

The first time Lamb used this pram he cried and did not want to sit in it. Obviously I wasn’t able to ask him if that was because he was having a strop, or if he hated the pram, but I went with the first one. After a couple more trips out he learned to love his new pram and particularly loved how high he could sit up. Other prams we tested didn’t sit totally upright, but the Chrome seemed to suit Lamb better when he wanted to look around.

I also liked the size of the hood and the different stages I could open it depending on how much shade Lamb needed. The one thing that annoyed me was the way it fastened onto the back of the pram. There are little elastic ties that fasten around hooks, but these never stayed fastened. Luckily this didn’t actually affect the use of the hood, but just meant the hood would fall off when I put the pram away. Not a big deal, just something that bothered me a little.

The Chrome is real easy to collapse. After flipping the seat forward, a simple pull of a lever on the handle and the whole pram collapses, with the seat unit still attached. So good for a mum on the run!

The pram is available as a travel system, with the choice of using a car seat, pramette or seat unit on the chasis and can be parent or world facing.

With a 5 point harness, easily adjustable, I knew Lamb would be safe and secure in the Chrome. The straps were soft rather than like a seat belt, which seems to be more comfortable for the little ones. Fully reclinable, this pram is suitable from birth up to around 15kg and has a 2-position leg rest (which Lamb loved so he could put his feet up!)

I have to say I really loved this pushchair. I highly recommend it for a first time mum who requires simplicity and convenience in a pushchair. I’m not surprised to hear it won Gold in the Mother & Baby Awards!

Alex x

December 11, 2014 by lambandbear Leave a Comment

Tech Timeout Challenge

Last month we were sent a gadget jail so we could take part in Tech Timeout Challenge. The idea is you lock away your phones and gadgets for an hour a day and give yourself some well deserved, quality, family time with no distractions.

“The Tech Timeout Challenge was started by Foresters with the goal of helping spouses, parents and children build stronger bonds, communicate more personally and get more involved in each other’s lives.”

I jumped at the chance to take part in this challenge. I’m guilty of using my phone too much. I didn’t realise how much time blogging would take up when I started at the beginning of this year, but it really is a full time job if you want it to be successful.

I don’t ignore Lamb, but I do get distracted by my iPhone way too much. So i’ve have decided to lock our phones away for an hour a day and give Lamb our full attention.

Believe it or not, we actually left our phones in the jail for longer than an hour! I really thought I would want it back, but we were enjoying reading books, colouring and watching movies, and really didn’t need our phones.

It was so nice to give Lamb my full attention. Technology plays a huge part in our society, I don’t judge anyone who uses a lot of gadgets in their homes. I let Lamb watch TV, he knows his way around the iPad, but this is normal for the time we live in. I believe as long as their is a good balance between family time and watching TV (for example), there is nothing wrong with letting them play the odd game, or watch their favourite programme.

According to my mum, I learned to read at a very early age by watching Sesame Street. I have noticed how much Lamb picks up from watching TV. He learns a new word most days! As long as there is a good mix of education and entertainment, I will continue to allow Lamb to watch a bit of TV each day.

As for my iPhone, i’m afraid it has been sentenced to an hour in jail everyday.

Alex x

December 10, 2014 by lambandbear 9 Comments

A week of sleep training – Cosatto Story Cotbed review

If you follow me on Twitter you may have seen a few stressy tweets about Lambs bedtime routine. Recently it has been all over the place, to the point of us co-sleeping for the last 4 months.

We saw a difference in his sleeping pattern this summer. I couldn’t tell you what caused it, but what I can tell you is going on holiday made it a million times worse. Sharing a room with Lamb in our hotel meant he was scared to go back into his own room when we returned. He literally screamed for hours and refused to lay down in his cot. Maybe he had suffered with night terrors, maybe he was scared of the dark, but this being unknown to us made it so much harder to overcome.

I shouldn’t of let it go on for so long but I was exhausted, stressed and on my own a lot of the time while Daddy Lamb worked night shifts. Putting Lamb in my bed meant he would fall asleep at a decent time and I would have some of my evening to myself. I honestly don’t know how I got anything done over the last 4 months. But, of course, this was a recipe for disaster and made everything a trillion times worse. Deep down, I knew what I was doing was wrong, but I just wanted to peace and quiet!

With our wedding rapidly approaching (yes, it’s in 11 days), last week I decided enough was enough and something triggered in me to fight Lambs fear of sleeping alone. You definitely need to be mentally prepared for sleep training. I knew I would lose a lot of sleep and would have a very upset toddler on my hands. But I didn’t care. I was ready.

Four months ago I threw in the towel and gave in to lambs bedtime demands, but things were about to change! Including Lambs bedroom! I think this is what prepared me for the sleep training. A new bedroom, a new routine, and in that new bedroom, a new Cosatto Story Cotbed!

So lets start with a little bit about the Cosatto Story Cotbed. It’s strong and sturdy. That’s what I noticed first of all and what impressed me the most. The cot we had previous to this one cost around £200, so not a cheap cot, but not the most expensive one. The Cosatto cot is in a different league. Ok, so the price tag is quite high, and if I’m honest that would normally put me off, which is why writing reviews like this is vital for the higher priced products. People need to know you get what you pay for.

The underneath drawer is so useful for us. We struggle with storage in our house so having an extra large space to put things like towels and blankets, opens up space for storing more of Lambs clothes and remove them from my wardrobe!

Lamb is obviously too old to use the cot-top changer, but again, a really useful space saver. Other than for storage (Lambs changing table has 4 large baskets), we didn’t use the changing table very long. I think for my next baby I would have to rely on a cot-top changer as we have a small house and I know a second baby would push the space we have to our limit!

A few details about the Cosatto Story Cotbed…

3 in 1 cot bed
Suitable from birth to 5 years
Safety teething rails
3 mattress heights
3 modes: cot, junior bed and sofa
External size: 145 x 77 x 95.5cm
Matching cot-top changer
Changer top: L: 80cm W: 50cm
Matching under-cot drawer
RRP £410

Introducing Mr. Robot…

When we first introduced Lamb to Mr. Robot he didn’t seem too excited. I was secretly hoping he would see his shiny, new, yellow cot and love his bedroom again. How naive was I? Well, I love him and so does Daddy Lamb (“this cot is incredible!”) and we were determined to make Little Lamb love him too.

So here is how the sleep training went…

As soon as I put Lamb in his cot he cried. Letting him play in the drawer and get used to his new bedroom gave him a little more confidence when I left him alone in his room. It has taken lots of small steps, but taking my time with leaving him alone has slowly progressed into me being able to put him in the cot with no tears.

A week ago if someone had told me in 7 days time Lamb will be sleeping in his cot again I would have laughed in their face. Then 7 days later I would have apologised to them for laughing and high fived them for being totally right!

It’s taken 7 long days and nights of laying in the cot with Lamb (yes, I said it, in the cot), sleeping on a spare mattress next to the cot, and lots of “mummy will be back in a minute”, and we finally have a boy in his own bed.

Ok, so the bedtime routine isn’t perfect, and I’m still laying with him to settle him into bed. He’s still waking in the night once or twice, and often has a bottle to settle him again, but the main thing for us is he’s sleeping in his cot again. This is a huge achievement. Thank you so much to Cosatto for providing us with the stepping stone to this new bedtime routine. Lamb is now Mr. Robots best friend and often kisses him goodnight!

I hope you’ve enjoyed this post on our new Cosatto Story Cotbed, and my experience with sleep training Lamb. I’d love to know your top tips and advice on sleep training as there’s still some perfecting for us to do. If you have any questions about anything in this post, please get in touch, I’d love to hear from you.

Alex x

* we were sent this product free of charge in exchange for our honest opinion and review.

Fred’s Swim Trainer Review

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Sleepyhead Deluxe Review

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Joie Chrome Review

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Tech Timeout Challenge

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A week of sleep training – Cosatto Story Cotbed review

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