Category: Product reviews

2nd February 2020

🐇 “O” IS FOR OTIS! 🐇

Can you tell how chuffed Otis is with his new fabric letter for his nursery? When @reeceandfoxx discussed the fabric options with us it was a no-brainer really as Otis’ room is grey and white with a Peter Rabbit theme so this matches perfectly. @reeceandfoxx Is a brand new business opening this month, although you wouldn’t know it from this fabric letter – the quality is fantastic! They stock all sort of personalised goodies from water bottles to keepsake boxes, so many wonderful gift ideas! If you don’t follow them already then head on over now x

30th January 2020

💙 2 Peas in a Pod 💙

These two are celebrating Eddison turning 2 weeks old by having some snuggles in bed! They look so cosy wrapped up in one of their gorgeous muslins from @babyhiveuk 💙 I’m not surprised, these muslins are definitely as cosy as they look! They are made of 100% bamboo which makes them really soft to touch, almost silky even. The bamboo fabric means they also help the boys to regulate their temperatures: keeping them warm on cold days, but also keeping them cool when we have left the heating on for too long. I’m a huge fan of the bamboo fabric because I also know that is it antibacterial so doesn’t harbour nasty bacteria like some muslins could.

I absolutely love the designs by @babyhiveuk because they are hand illustrated which makes them really unique and pretty! This one is a particular favourite of mine because what’s cuter than a bear riding a unicycle and a panda and bunny riding bikes??? 🤷🏻‍♀️ 😂 this design also includes a cute elephant balancing on a ball. If you haven’t checked out @babyhiveuk then make sure you do today, you won’t be disappointed!

27th January 2020

🏐 SPORTS 🏐

Otis is a huge fan of sport, football in particular is a massive passion of his. I feel it’s so important to expose little ones to a variety of different sports though so when @vetrasports got in touch about a collaboration I was very keen to try out their volleyball and sports bottle. I hadn’t thought about introducing Otis to volleyball before, but actually I think it’s great for toddlers to experience as it helps with hand-eye coordination.

This afternoon Otis and I spent some time in the garden with his new volleyball and bottle. It was fun teaching him how to throw the ball and try and hit it with his hands. The ball is so soft and lightweight and a nice change from the heavier footballs we have dotted around. I’m looking forward to practicing volleyball techniques with him more as the weather gets warmer!

The water bottle is a very welcome addition to Otis’ collection. We have noticed recently he is emptying his bottles a lot faster and they need refilling more regularly so the generous size of this one is great! It’s also really easy to clean with no fiddly bits that could harbour mould.

26th January 2020

💙 TWINNING 💙

Growing up I always said I’d never put my children in matching clothes etc. Roll forward a few years to now with my two boys and I can’t get enough of all the #twinning possibilities!

I absolutely love these matching bibs from @lexie.drew for many reasons. Firstly I love that the boys match, but in their own style. Otis looks adorable in his bow tie bib and I love the outlander style on Eddison too. Otis’ bib is a great size for catching all his mess from meal times and Eddison’s one fits well under his chin to catch his dribble and sick to protect his skin from getting sore as well as outfits getting ruined! Both bibs are handmade in the U.K. and are lined with bamboo fabric which not only makes them soft, but also means they are really absorbent too!

@lexie.drew have a lovely range of accessories from bibs to laundry bags in such a fab variety of fabrics too. I have my eye on the dolphin fabric next! Definitely check them out if you haven’t already!

20th January 2020

🐝 DON’T WORRY, BEE HAPPY 🐝

At a time in your life when everything is changing and you start questioning all the things you thought you already knew about being a parent, it can be easy to feel like you’re doing things wrong and are losing your way a bit. I’ve certainly felt like this in the last 24 hours – parenting a toddler is hard enough without adding a newborn to the mix. But then I look at my precious boys and I am so, so proud of both of them and I remind myself to stick to my own instincts. Otis is the sweetest natured little boy who has only shown love and care towards his new baby brother. I always have been so proud of the amazing little boy he’s become and now seeing him in his new role as “big brother”, I’m even more proud.

🐝 this beautiful bee Muslin was kindly gifted to us from @babyhiveuk and is the perfect reminder to just “bee happy” and throw my insecurities away! @babyhiveuk muslins are breathable and versatile with such beautiful hand-drawn illustrations on them. As they are 100% bamboo they are sooooo super soft and can be used in so many different ways such as baby wraps, blankets, cover-ups for mums, pram and sear covers and even as a comforter. Today Otis and Eddison has shared this muslin- Otis has used it as a comforter and Eddison has used it as a swaddle. I love how big it is – at 120cm x 120cm it’s just so handy to have to hand.

If you haven’t yet checked out @babyhiveuk I would definitely recommend them. You will be blown away by not only their gorgeous designs, but also the quality and softness of these swaddle muslins 😍

19th January 2020

🦊 COSY LITTLE FOX 🦊

Oh there’s just something so snuggly about a swaddled baby! Eddison loves being swaddled, which is fantastic because Otis didn’t 🙈 so I’m really enjoying wrapping him up and making sure he’s cosy and comfortable. Generally Eddison is such a content baby and sleeps well in the day. I think I would too if I was wrapped up as snuggly as he is!

I am in love with this bamboo muslin from @lovemomuk, not just for it’s gorgeous print, but because it’s huge, soft and full of amazing bamboo qualities such as temperature regulating. I find this reassuring as it means I know he’s cosy, but not at risk of overheating.  Today is the last day that you can take advantage of our 25% off discount code of LITTLEPEA25% ❤️ their designs are so gorgeous, if you haven’t already then you should definitely check them out!

9th January 2020

🌈 REWARDING 🌈

The last couple of months I’ve really started to notice how a reward system can have a big impact on a toddler. As a teacher, I’ve always had some sort of reward system to adhere to, but they’ve been aimed at teenagers. I tried a sticker chart with Otis for potty training, but the novelty of that wore off after two weeks.

However we were very kindly gifted this gorgeous rainbow reward system from @_bunnyandbuds_ and Otis seems to never bore of it! He likes to use it as a puzzle so enjoys playing with it too and putting the stars in, which is a nice way of discussing colours together.

This morning we used it as a reward for tidying the playroom. He put a book away: he got to put a star in! He put the balls back in the ball pit: he got to put another star in! It works really well so I think we will have to start using this as our potty training reward system too!

Honestly, I don’t recommend anything that I don’t believe in myself, but this really does work! It’s great to see Otis taking responsibility by tidying up after himself and being excited about it too because of the stars. 

@_bunnyandbuds_ are about to launch a whole range of these personalised products and they’re gorgeous! They come in all shapes and sizes and you can even get a discount with the code OTIS10.

6th January 2020

SWADDLING

When Otis was newborn he liked to be swaddled in his Moses basket, but it wasn’t long before he decided he didn’t like it anymore. Instead, his muslins became his comforters and he still has one every day for nap time and bed time (and to wipe his eyes if he’s been sad!). We call it his “shushie”.

Because of how important a comfort role muslins have played in Otis’ life I was so excited to receive this gorgeous baby fox print one from @lovemomuk for Littlest Pea 🦊 I can not wait to wrap baby up in it because not only is it huge and gorgeous, but it’s super soft too as it’s made from bamboo. I have been learning so much about the advantageous properties of bamboo recently and I think you really just can’t beat it! Here are some of my favourite advantages of the @lovemomuk bamboo swaddles:

🌱They are super soft

🌱The antibacterial properties means they don’t smell after a few days

🌱Bamboo fabric cuts out 97.5% of harmful UV rays

🌱it is antistatic so is kind to allergy prone skin

🌱Due to its natural ability to thermal-control, it is good for use in all temperatures

🌱Bamboo is a highly sustainable plant and it’s cultivation is kind to the environment.

@lovemomuk products include their bamboo muslins in a variety of stunning prints, blankets and car seat covers. They are so beautiful and you can even get a very generous 25% off with our code LITTLEPEA25% ❤️

3rd January 2020

🦁 TONIES 🦁

Otis was very lucky to be sent his own starter set from @tonies_uk just before Christmas and we have had so much fun with it! Just this morning he has been dancing on his bed to the Lion King soundtrack!

@tonies_uk take you to a world full of audio adventures and it’s so easy to set up and use. Not only were we sent the Lion King audio book and songs (figurine pictured), but also the Snowman figurine which links to the audiobooks for The Snowman and The Snowdog as well as songs and Otis also received a penguin figurine which links to children’s favourite Christmas songs and carols.

We listened to the Christmas songs in the lead up to Christmas as well as on Christmas morning as we unwrapped our presents, it was so lovely and also so easy.

Once you connect your box to WiFi via the website it’s all set up then is ready for use. You just turn it on and put the figurine you’d like to listen to on top and it will play straight away. Otis loves it because he can control it himself.

The Toniebox comes in 6 colours: grey, purple, red, blue, green and pink and there is a huge variety of figurines you can buy that come with their own stories and songs. However, the box also comes with its own Tonie figurine which you can personalise and record to yourself so the possibilities are endless.

We absolutely love this item and would recommend it to anyone with children. Some of my favourite features are:

✔️It is battery operated so can be used on-the-go

✔️it is robust

✔️there is (really easy to use) volume control

✔️you can skip forward and backward just by tapping the sides

✔️you can plug headphones into it

✔️I can record my own voice and stories for Otis to listen to.

18th December 2019

👣 INKLESS PRINTS 👣

We are currently working with the lovely people at @keepsakeco to help spread the word of their gorgeous products. Stage 1 of our #collaboration was to get some prints from Otis. I decided to try a hand and a foot to see how they come out! It was so easy and quick to do; we just wiped the hand and foot with a special wipe included in the pack and then place the chosen body part on to the special paper for 3 seconds. Otis was absolutely mesmerised, he couldn’t get his head around the magic! He kept looking at his foot and couldn’t figure out why it was making a print when there was nothing on it 😂 luckily the kit comes with 2 pages of the special paper so there was room for error in his excitement of continuously stamping his hand down the first time 🙈 I was surprised how easy it was, even Precious the cat got involved and gave us a paw-print too! 🐾

Stage 2 of this process is to return our prints to @keepsakeco where they will be used to create a special piece of keepsake jewellery. I’m so excited to see how it turns out and can’t wait to share more of this process with you all!