Bio-Oil Review

I suffer with PCOS and one of the symptoms of it that I suffer from is bad skin.  I have tried and used a variety of different lotions and potions to help my skin, to keep it looking healthy and moisturised and more even skin tone but so far nothing has managed to visibility improve my skin.  As such when I was asked to review Bio Oil I jumped at the chance to see whether it would help my poor skin and maybe even help improve the many stretch marks on my body.

Branded baby wipes for just £1!

Asda currently have a brand new long lasting deal for parents who use disposable baby wipes.  They are currently selling a range of baby wipes for only £1 per packet.

This fabulous deal is on two baby wipes brands – Huggies and Pampers.

Say hello to the Haahoos!

Having just ran a competition to win a family ticket to In the Night Garden Live I thought I’d share with you all about a great opportunity for little ones to see the original Haahoos from the In the Night Garden TV show. 

Andy and Mike's... Big Box of Bananas

Andy and Mike’s … Big Box of Bananas is back on the road this June! And you are invited to their ‘fun pad’ – there is room for everyone and once there you can expect music, laughs, wigs, eye-patches, boats, planes, suspense and a BIG BOX OF BANANAS!

BAFTA-nominated CBeebies’ presenter Andy Day brings his much-loved humour to this high-energy, children’s comedy.  He and Mike James, childhood friends and comedy partners, have created a fast-paced show full of slapstick, songs and stories. With imaginative writing and great gags, Andy and Mike’s… Big Box of Bananas is a treat for the whole family.

The Art of Roughhousing Book Review

Having grown up playing outdoors and enjoying lots of rough and tumble I think it’s good for children to enjoy physical fun and that we shouldn’t wrap our children up in cotton wool, discouraging them from having physical fun.  Little man is very boisterous, he has always been a very active little boy maybe even a tad wild and loves physical fun; with no encouragement or suggestion from mummy or daddy by himself he even started wrestling pillows on the floor when he was about 7 months old, rolling around like a mad man.  As little man loves physical fun and daddy in particular loves his rough and tumble play with him we were excited about the opportunity we were given to review a book all about good old-fashioned roughhousing.

Stuff Every Dad Should Know Book Review

Little man is our first child.  As a first time dad, Lee felt a mixture of emotions leading up to little man’s arrival and when he first entered the big wide World.  Amongst feelings of love and excitement he has felt overwhelmed and worried, wanting to do his best for little man and hoping to cope well with the new challenges of being a dad.  As he has lots of practice with little ones with his nieces and nephews he never had any worry about how to change a nappy, how to hold a baby or how to soothe a crying baby etc. and as such he never bothered reading any baby books, preferring to use his spare time to get ready for little man’s arrival, decorate the nursery (which he did an amazing job on!) and then spend time with our son once he was born.  He would listen and be fascinated by the facts I would tell him from pregnancy and baby books I read but he wasn’t interested in reading books about baby basics himself as he feels a lot of parenting books are very one sided with views that don’t look at different parenting styles.  As Lee has never bothered with baby books, especially ones aimed at Dads he was interested to read one when we were given the opportunity to review ‘Stuff Every Dad Should Know’.

Help Dora Help

Now that I am a mum I am on first name terms with many popular children’s TV show characters, one of which is Dora from the very popular Dora the Expolorer.  Dora’s show is great fun for little ones, entertaining them whilst also educating them.  I am well aware of Dora’s show but I was not aware until recently about The Help Dora Help Fund.  Other Dora the Explorer fans may also have never heard of this so I wanted to share a little bit of information about this fund.

Help Dora Help is a campaign created by award-winning pre-school TV channel Nick Jr. that helps facilitate learning and brings exploration to life in nurseries and pre-schools across the UK.

Brio Duck Review

We love wooden toys; they look nice and are durable which is great when you have a heavy handed son like little man.  As I have a fondness for wooden toys when Hello Baby contacted us to review one of the toys they sell I jumped at the chance of reviewing a pull along wooden baby toy.

Win A In the Night Garden Live Family Ticket

Little man loves In the Night Garden and gets all excited when I put it on for him to watch.  Daddy has a fondness for it too and copies the character noise’s which makes little man giggle like mad.  Like little man lots of little ones love In the Night Garden where they enter this magical place where a community of loveable characters care for each other and have fun together.

Top-selling children’s show, In the Night Garden Live is back by popular demand this summer and I have 1 family ticket to give away! The smash-hit show brings the world of CBeebies’ In the Night Garden to the stage with children able to see their favourite stars Igglepiggle, Upsy Daisy, Makka Pakka and friends up close.

Forever lost

Little man is nearing 14 months and in that time I have lucky managed to never lose any of his things.  No toys have gone missing.  No items of clothing have gone astray.  Amazingly no socks have disappeared without a trace.  I was quite pleased with myself that in the midst of the whirlwind of a little one that I had managed to keep trace of his things and nothing had been lost.

My track record for nothing missing was spotless.  ‘Was’ is the key word here.  My track record now has a big, dirty mark on it.  It is no longer blemish free.  For the first time ever I have recently lost something of little man’s things.

Missing – little man’s adorable Jiglz doggie hat.

Win a £50 Experience Days Voucher

I was recently contacted by Experience Days who offered a lovely prize for one Bumps 2 Babies reader.  Experience Days have offered a £50 voucher for one lucky winner. 

Experience Days have hundreds of brilliant experiences and days out on offer and as their website is bursting with an array of different experiences and activities there is something for everyone.

Weleda Baby Tummy Oil Review

We are fans of Weleda baby products; we love the Weleda Calendula Weather Protection Cream which we reviewed last year and their teething granules have been great for little man’s teething woes.   As such when I was offered another of their products to review I jumped at the chance of trying a Weleda product we haven’t used yet.

Blade and Rose Leggings Review

I have reviewed a few times for PR company Rock & Roll Babyworld, having reviewed The Land of Sometimes CD and Dinosaur Train as well as other products for them I even get to proudly display a ‘I’m a hot rockin’ reviewer for Rock & Roll Babyworld’ in my sidebar and I love working with them.  This amazing PR agency has recently started representing the exciting new baby brand Blade and Rose.  Blade and Rose’s products are for baby girls and toddlers and as I don’t currently have a daughter I was allowed to offer one of their baby leggings to my friend’s little girl, little Angel, to test out for us.

Love - See It, Snap It, Love It

This week's theme for Dear Beautiful Boys' See It, Snap It, Love It challenge was 'love'.

I've predictably chosen the love of my life, my world, my little man.

Yoomi Discount Code

Following on from my review at the beginning of the year of Yoomi’s bottle and warmer they have kindly offered Bumps 2 Babies readers a fabulous discount code to use on their online shop when purchasing Yoomi products.

Yoomi are offering a 15% discount to my readers until the 30^th of June 2012.  To get this great discount use the exclusive code BLOG53 when shopping on the online shop on their website.

Monkey Music and Nordoff Robbins

Following on from my post about the fantastic charity song ‘The Day is Here’ by Monkey Music for the brilliant charity Nordoff Robbins I thought I’d share a little about them.

About Monkey Music

Monkey Music : Nurturing a Lifetime Of Music.

The Monkey Music curriculum was written by Guildhall School of Music & Drama graduate Angie Coates, now Monkey Music’s Managing Director.  Classes first opened in London in 1993 and Monkey Music’s popularity led to the company being franchised in 1998.  More than 50 franchises currently operate in nearly 300 locations across the UK.

Specialist teachers are carefully chosen for their natural ability to communicate with and entertain young children and their carers, gently encouraging social and musical skills within a fun, stimulating and friendly environment. The company’s Head Office is in Harpenden, Hertfordshire.

Monkey Music and Learning

The ear is the first organ to develop fully in the womb, enabling babies to take comfort in the music of their mother's voice at just 11 weeks.  All children are born with instinctive musicality but only if this is encouraged early enough will a child fulfil their full musical potential.

The benefits of music for very young children, particularly when taught within a group, go much deeper than this.  Early exposure to singing, listening to and playing music can sharpen up a whole range of educational skills. Language and numerical skills flourish through action songs and rhymes; fine motor skills are refined through playing hand held percussion instruments, while an awareness of space and one another is developed through movement. The children's confidence and self-esteem grows rapidly as their involvement in the group increases.

Monkey Music Classes

Rock 'n' roll – from 3 months

* Designed specifically for Mums, Dads and very young babies to share together.

* During each class the babies and adults are engaged through gentle songs, fascinating sounds and absorbing activities.

                       

Heigh ho – from 12 months

* Young toddlers love being up on their feet so lots of dancing and moving encourages the children to explore the space around them and express the music they hear.

* The children thrive on the 'steady beat' and are very enthusiastic young members of the Monkey Music band. Themed classes and bold colourful props captivate the children and encourage everyone to get involved.

                       

Jiggety jig – 2 & 3 years

* By this stage, children can really express the joy that music brings them.  They sing, dance, play, move, tell stories, speak, and listen to music together.

* Monkey Music teachers make sure that the children develop their sense of rhythm whilst playing in time to Monkey Music songs and games. Hoops, parachute games and circle dances are always popular Jiggety Jig activities.

Ding dong – 3 & 4 years

* Up until now the children have been listening and responding to music they hear. Now that their ears have been ‘finely tuned’ Monkey Music teaches them what music means when they see it written down. 

* Reading simple traditional musical notation comes easily to Monkey Music children as it is integrated into the final part of our interactive curriculum.

About Nordoff Robbins

Nordoff Robbins is a national specialist music charity delivering music therapy and other music services to transform the lives of vulnerable people of all ages, right across the UK.

Established in the UK in 1974, they are the largest private provider of music therapy in the UK. No other organisation uses music to reach so many people, in so many contexts, with such consistently high levels of expertise.

Since 1974 music therapists have been trained to diploma level at Nordoff Robbins and in 1994 a Masters degree programme was implemented now recognised as a leader in its field. Nordoff Robbins also has a world-renowned training and research programme to ensure work is delivered to the highest standard.

Many thousands of people are helped each year and suffer from a range of challenges including autism, dementia, mental health problems, stroke, brain injury, depression and, in some cases our clients have a life-threatening or terminal illness, such as cancer. All of these people have one uniting factor - music dramatically improves their quality of life.

Delivering over 50,000 sessions per year in centres, units, schools, day centres, hospitals and care homes their work is expanding to meet the vision of reaching as many people in as many settings as possible.

The Nordoff Robbins centre in north London is the largest specialist music therapy centre in the world. As well as London, units in Croydon and Newbury are able to accept referrals from any source and offer a musical ‘lifeline’ to anyone who needs it. Nordoff Robbins also collaborate delivering music therapy services with over 100 national organisations across the UK. As one of our service users recently said, “I simply couldn’t live without this music every week.”

Through music, Nordoff Robbins gives individuals the ability and confidence to express themselves and communicate where they may have not been able to do so previously. The results have a profound impact on individuals and their families and all those around them.

Music therapists at Nordoff Robbins are trained professionals, regulated by the Health Professions Council. They are skilled in using music to help all kinds of people, in all kinds of places.

Nordoff Robbins receives no statutory funding and the organisation is reliant on fundraising income to support their work.

* Information provided to me in a press release by Rock & Roll Babyworld PR *

The Day is Here - Little Monkeys Sing for Charity

I think it’s great for little ones to be introduced to music from a young age as I believe not only is music entertaining but it is a fantastic way for little ones to learn.  We listen to a variety of different music with little man and he loves music!!  He loves a good boogie to music, keeping him active and burning off his excess energy and actions songs help encourage movements and motor skills whilst number and rhyme songs help his numeracy skills and learn new words.

As little man loves music and I believe it has numerous benefits for little ones I would love to take him to a music group for pre-schoolers but sadly one of the draw backs of living in the sticks is that there are no such classes in my area.  A particular well known national music group appeals to me, Monkey Music, as their classes seem great for little ones.  I love the fact that Monkey Music classes are highly interactive and children learn to make music on the finest percussion instruments rather than with toy insturments.  I also think its great that they have developed age specific classes to make the experience rewarding for little ones and that children learn and thrive with friends of similar ages.  I would love to take him to Monkey Music but alas the classes are too far which is a shame as Monkey Music offer a wide variety of music classes for pre-school children.

When I heard that Monkey Music were releasing a new charity single called “The Day is Here” on the 18^th of May I just had to share about it.  Because of Monkey Music not only are little ones benefiting and learning from music but a fantastic charity is also benefiting too.

Asda Baby and Toddler Event Goodies

After writing about Asda’s Baby and Toddler Event, Asda offered to send me a few samples of products they have on offer during the event. 

Little Charley Bear plush toy review

As Tristan has a fondness for cuddly teddy bears and loves watching Little Charley Bear I jumped at the chance of reviewing a Little Charley Bear toy.

Rain free few hours

For a few hours on Sunday the rain said goodbye and even though the sun wasn't shining immensely bright and it wasn't that hot it was lovely and dry outside.  After seeing rain and yet more rain of late it was lovely to have the opportunity to go for a little walk without the risk of looking like a drowned rat by the end of the walk.

Tristan and I set off for a little walk down our track and off into the fields for a little adventure.  As soon as Pops (our favourite little Grandpa that John Crane Ltd kindly sent us) heard we were going on a little adventure he got all excited, jumping for joy and demanded that he come along with us.  

It was lovely to get some fresh air and feel the crisp breeze on my face as we explored the fields.  I always enjoy our walks and especially love showing little man things on our journey from the wildlife we come across to the flowing rivers to the blooming flowers and so much more we see along the way.

Pops was so excited about getting some fresh air as he has been down in the dumps of late with all the rain we have been having and he was like a little boy again running along in front of us.  At one point I thought we had lost him until I heard him shout 'I'm up here!'  Looking all around I still couldn't find him and then I suddenly caught sight of him high up in the tree smiling down at us.

Pops had a wail of a time recapturing his youth and reenacting his memories of tree climbing.  He was full of energy and was like a spring chicken.

Hopefully we will start getting more and more days of nice weather so we can go on a few more adventures in the countryside.

The World Of Popagami Book Review

The World of Popagami is an animal fun activities book created by Popagami.  This book welcomes you to the World of Popagami where you can have fun with origami animals.  Using the designs and guide provided within the book you can make cute 3 dimensional finger puppets. 

Boy or Girl? Gender Reveal Parties

The other day when I was online I kept seeing articles*, posts and comments about a new craze sweeping our nation for parents-to-be.  This new craze comes from the USA where the craze of baby showers also began. This latest trend is The Gender Reveal Party. 

A Gender Reveal Party is as the name suggests a party where parents-to-be reveal the sex of their unborn baby to family and friends.  Not only are the family and friends learning the sex of the unborn baby for the first time during the party but in most cases the parents-to-be are also hearing the news for the first time too.

Water - See It, Snap It, Love It

This week's theme for Dear Beautiful Boy's weekly See It, Snap It, Love It photography challenge is water.  If I had to choose a theme I would have chosen water too so I am pleased that it is this week's theme.


I love water and Mother Nature has created some stunning rivers, waterfalls and oceans which are beautiful and amazing.  I have always been fascinated by the oceans and the creatures who inhabit them.  I love the sound of running water, the sound of a river flowing is a calming noise and there is nothing quite like being curdled up at home listening to the sound of the rain outside. Not only does water look and sound great but it has other amazing qualities too, it replenishes us and gives life to plants and animals.

Win 5 x My First Justin's Jokes Book

Following my review of Justin Fletcher’s new book for pre-schoolers titled “My First Justin’s Jokes” I have been offered 5 copies of this giggle-tastic book to giveaway to my readers.

This book by the talented Justin Fletcher is a joke book aimed at entertaining children 2 years +.  My First Justin’s Jokes is available to buy from today the 3^rd of May 2012 with an RRP of £4.99.  It can be purchased on Faber Kids website or on Amazon.

My First Justin's Jokes Review

Tristan is an active and very busy little boy who never stays still for more than a minute apart from every once in a while when one of his favourite shows are on the TV.  We visit the land of Cbeebies everynow and again to watch some of the shows he likes; Raa Raa the Noisy Lion, Octonauts and Tinga Tales always gets his attention.  Once in the land of Cbeebies it is hard to not notice the very popular performer Justin Fletcher.  He entertains little ones on children’s shows including Gigglebiz and his new show Justin’s House.  Not only does Justin Fletcher entertain little ones on the television but in March he released his new album “Hands Up… The Album” which is an album filled with fun songs to amuse little ones and get them singing and dancing along to the CD.   Tristan loves having a little boogie to this album and listens to it often (click here to read about what we thought of this album when we reviewed it).

But Justin isn’t stopping there!!  The talented Justin Fletcher has released his first book for pre-schoolers.  The book titled “My First Justin’s Jokes” is a joke book aimed at children 2 years + packed full of jokes to entertain little ones.

Sudocrem Sunscreen Mousse Review

Rain, rain, go away

Come again some other day

We want to go outside and play

Come again some other day.

Oh how I wish the rain would go and the sun come out play.  It would be great to see the rain go away and in its place the sun shine all day.  We love to be outside, enjoying the countryside.  If the sun was shining and we were outside having fun, it would be the perfect time to review Sudocrem’s new product which protects little ones from the sun.