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Fabulous Fluffy First Friends! Novembers Top Tester Nicola reviews the Bruin ‘My First Friend’.
Nicola Whittington (26 years old) is Mum to Steven (4 months old). Nicola tells Mums Baby Magazine about her search for the perfect ‘bed buddy’ for her beautiful baby boy.
When Steven goes to sleep he loves cuddling things. All the cuddly toys we had were too big and we were having difficulty finding something that he could comfortably hold and chew upon that wouldn’t cover his face. Steven has lots of comforters but he would always end up with them over his face and because he is so young he had trouble removing them. I searched in a wide range of shops and couldn’t find anything that was suitable for him. Finally I found the perfect toy, made by Bruin, this particular cuddly toy is part of their ‘My First’ range.
At only eight inches in size the Bruin ‘First Friend’ toys are perfect bed buddies. They have narrow necks and small features
, big enough for my little boy to chew on and for him to wrap his arms around and cuddle. Made in a very soft, baby friendly material there are four animals in the range: a hippo, giraffe, 
zebra and elephant. Each toy is made using vibrant colours, my son has the zebra which is in a mint green with lilac stripes. He hasn’t paid much attention to his toys but adores his zebra and settles very easily for naps and at night time.
The only problem was finding an outlet to purchase this item. Although Toy’s R Us don’t advertise this product for sale online. However, they do sell the Bruin ‘My First Friend ‘ toy in store. At only 
£5.99 I think it’s an absolute bargain and my son absolutely loves it!
Mums Baby Magazine would like to thank Nicola for her time. For those of you wishing to get hold of a ‘First Friend’ for your little ones, Bruin First Friends are available online from http://www.baby99.co.uk. for only £5.99 each (the same price of Toy’s R Us’).
Kimberly and Leigh-Anne put Johnsons Baby Bed Time Powder to the Talc Test!
Kimberly Duke, 17 from Huddersfield is Mum to Leigh-Anne Elizabeth (aged 18 months). Leigh-Anne has a daily bath time routine, one essential element of this routine is ‘Talc Time’.
Kimberly uses Johnsons Baby Bed Time Powder, this Talcum powder is said to promote sleep with its relaxing Lavender scent. Johnsons Baby sell a wide range of products within the ‘Bed Time’ collection all of which use a mild, gentle formula. The Talcum powder is said to 
reduce friction and chafing, keeping babies skin soft and healthy.
Kimberly finds that Leigh-Anne’s skin is indeed softer after using this powder, after a warm bath the Talcum Powder aids drying Leigh-Anne properly and the process of applying the powder is relaxing for both Leigh-Anne and Kimberly.
Making bath time soft, smooth and relaxing, Johnsons Baby Bed Time Powder is available from Boots for only £2.99 for a 400g bottle.
Septembers Top Tester Claire reviews the Kari Me Sling.
Claire from Loughborough is Mum to Rudy (3 months). Claire has been using the Kari Me sling since her son Rudy was only a few days old. Claire shares her thoughts upon this product.
I have been using the Kari Me sling since my son, Rudy was a few days old, initially using the front ‘cuddle’ position. This position made Rudy feel so secure and comfortable that he would often fall asleep whilst I pottered about. The ‘cuddle’ position also allowed me to breast feed my son ‘hands free’, so I too could have a drink!
The Kari Me sling is beautifully made, mainly from strong, stretchy cotton (90%+) with no awkward buckles or straps.
Once your baby is heavier and more alert (they must be over four months of age for their own health and safety) you can use the front facing out position, allowing them to investigate as you walk about. Rudy especially likes looking up at the trees from his supported place. The Kari Me sling is fully adjustable to suit the user and allows many different positions, thus Rudy’s Dad is also able to use the Kari Me Sling without having to readjust straps.
Kari Me Slings are light and easy to pack up and to take out and about. We’re looking forward to continuing using the sling as Rudy grows. The Kari Me Sling can be used from birth to three years.
The sling comes with a simple instruction booklet with diagrams fully explaining each position and how to wrap the sling. It is easy enough for even me to understand! Although the sling is very simple and quick to put on it did take me a little practice to put Rudy into single handed, but it is easy enough once you’ve practiced a position a couple of times. I highly recommend this product to other parents.
The Kari Me Sling is available in a wide range of colours, The Kari- Me Sling can be purchased online from www.kari-me.com for £37.95.
Augusts Top Tester, Amanda Armitage reviews the Mamas and Papas Pilko Pramette.
Having used and owned ten different prams, Amanda Armitage is a bit of a ‘Pram Pro’. Amanda tells Mums Baby Magazine about her favourite Pram on the market.
Whilst choosing her fifth pram, Amanda had to select between two very similar models, The Silvercross 3D and the Mamas and Papas Pramette in Vertical. Upon viewing the Mamas and Papas Pramette in the shop, Amanda fell in ‘pram love’.
As this particular pram was in the sale at the time and was a neutral colour, it seemed to be the perfect choice. Amanda explained to MBM that the assistance 
provided at the Mama’s and Papa’s shop was ‘excellent’, the assistants demonstrated exactly how the pram worked and once shown. Mamas and Papas even offered a guarantee which would not begin until her baby was born! Amanda decided that out of the two prams which she had in mind for purchase (the SX3D and the Mamas and Papas Pramette) that the Mamas and Papas Pramette certainly seemed to be the more beneficial.
Amanda outlined the pro’s of the Mamas and Papas Pramette
- It is easy to assemble
- The instructions are easy to follow
- Whilst in pramette mode, the baby is parent facing
- The pram is easy to push
- The Mamas and Papas Pramette has a large shopping basket which is easy to access
- The M&P Pramette has an inbuilt toddler step which comes in handy
- The handles are adjustable in height which is ideal for taller ‘pram pushers’
- The Pram seems quite robust
As with every product on the market, there are some drawbacks to this item. Amanda explains that the cons of the M&P Pramette are:
- Once her baby was four months, they had to be forward facing as the pramette mode was no longer feasible due to the child’s size.
- The Toddler step can only be used when in forward facing mode (not the pramette mode)
- The Apron on the pramette was good, although it didn’t seem to work as well when forward facing.
- One of the hood springs popped out, luckily Amanda’s husband corrected this.
Although the ‘Vertical’ pattern is no longer available, Mamas and Papas still stock the Pilko Pramette in a wide range of other fabrics and designs. The images (left) shows the new ‘Mamas and Papas Pilko Pramette’ in City Scape. This currently retails at £295 from www.mamasandpapas.co.uk
It is however, almost identical in style, shape and design to the Silvercross 3D (images shown below).
The Silvercross 3D is currently retailing at £300 on the Silvercross Website. However, it is often available in other stores such as Babies R Us and Mothercare for much more reasonable prices.
Amanda has had two children and ten prams so far and the Mamas and Papas Pramette is so far Amanda’s favourite pushchair/ pram. Amanda’s daughter is currently seventeen months old and is still very comfortable in this pram.
Wrap it and sack it! Sarah Collins, July’s Top Tester reviews the Tommee Tippee Nappy Wrapper.
Sarah Collins (34 from Huddersfield, West Yorkshire) is Mum to Eva (2 years, 5 months) and Daniel (10 weeks). Sarah tells MBM more about the Tommee Tippee Nappy Wrapper.
“Having used nappy sacks for the first few weeks when my daughter was born and trying to juggle nappy, cotton wool and wipes going successfully into the nappy sack and then remembering to take it downstairs and out to the bin after every nappy change I quickly looked for an alternative and found this. It’s not the most expensive baby gadget we bought, but now with baby number two on the scene and my daughter just about still in nappies, it has been the best investment and addition to the nursery.”
Suitable from birth until your child is potty trained, The Tommee Tippee Nappy Wrapper is available from www.kiddicare.com for only £9.99, the triple refill packs are £12.99 and well worth their value, Sarah explains further benefits of this product to MBM:
The Tommee Tippee Nappy Wrapper is easy to use.- The Nappy Wrapper doesn’t take up a great deal of space
- By using the Nappy Wrapper, it makes the process of getting rid of used nappies hygienic.
- The Tommee Tippee Nappy Wrapper stores up to twenty eight nappies at a time
- Each refill cassette can last last up to one month
- There is no need to fill your outside bin with mounds of individually wrapped nappies.
- The Tommee Tippee Nappy Wrapper makes the disposal of waste products such as wipes, cotton wool and the nappy itself easy and quick, there is no juggling nappy sacks.
- The product is great value for money in comparison with using standard nappy sacks
- The Tommee Tippee Nappy Wrapper saves multiple trips out to the bin to dispose of used nappies.
- The Tommee Tippee Nappy Wrapper is odour free.
- It only takes on simple twist to seal each wrapper.
- An Internal blade in the lid is used to cut the plastic wrapper when you need to empty the tub.
Sarah found it difficult to identify many drawbacks to this product. The only two negative aspects that she could identify were:
- Sometimes the blade does not always cut the plastic so you have to do this manually
- There is no indication when the cassette is going to run out, so you need to have a spare one in the house all times.
Sarah strongly recommends this product to all parents who are struggling with the struggle which nappy sacks can cause. MBM would like to thank Sarah for her time.
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