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Reading without Restrictions for Bump, Birth and Beyond with the Great Little Trading Companies Sling Bookcase
Reading is an essential life skill that most children are able to develop with the help and encouragement of their parents, family and teachers. You can never start too early when it comes to reading with your child. Believe it or not, it is suggested that parents start reading to their children before birth! Whilst in the womb your child is able to recognise patterns of sound and intonation from outside of the womb, by reading to your bump you are building your little ones familiarity of your voice and others too. Reading to your bump is an excellent way in which to bond with your child before birth, this can be extended to Fathers and siblings to be too.
It is important to model an enthusiasm for reading by demonstrating to your children that you (their parent) enjoy and actively take part in reading. Your children look up to you as their role models and tend to copy and repeat the behaviour and activities that you carry out.
Reading is a key tool for developing imaginative and creative thinking skills, by reading fiction or non fiction stories to your children, they are then able to use their imagination to conjure up images and pictures which accompany the narrative of the story.
Reading is a critical skill used on a daily basis, whether it’s following instructions to cook a meal or perusing through the local newspaper to find out what activities are taking place nearby, reading enables us to access this information.
Try to encourage your children to build a love for reading by spending time each day with your little ones reading to them. In order to make this easier for yourself and your child, try to keep a small collection of your little ones favourite reads close to hand. Ideally, try to collect a few hardback board books which can be explored by little ones without potential damage such as ripped/ creased pages. Try to ensure that you enable your children to have open access to reading at all times, although they may not have developed the skills to read alone , they will still enjoy looking at the shapes of words and accompanying pictures, recalling the stories that have been read to them in the past.
Keep either a
box full of board books or better still, a floor standing shelf which displays your children’s books by their cover so that your little one is able to recognise the book with ease and select it for reading at leisure.
Mums Baby Magazine put the Great Little Trading Company’s ‘Sling Bookcase’ to the test with a toddler whom has a great love for reading. We put together the bookcase from a flat pack (this was a fairly simple task) and then placed it in the central family room.
Our toddler was delighted with the sling bookcase, firstly he began pointing to all the books that he could see. By having the books in a forward facing position, children are able to see the cover of the 
book, whereas most bookshelves are designed so that books are slotted in and then only the spine can be viewed.
The Great Little Trading Company Sling Bookcase features one sling (made from cream cotton canvas) which is hung on four wooden rods to create four separate sling shelves that books can be placed into easily. The height of the sling bookcase is ideal for toddlers and children as books are easy to reach. The Sling Bookcase is a freestanding bookcase. However, on the back of the sling bookcase there are two brass hooks which enable parents to bolt the sling bookcase to the wall to prevent any accidents occurring if the bookcase ever was to fall forwards.
The Sling Bookcase was recently featured in the ‘Ideal Home Magazine’, 
it is not only the ideal bookcase to aid the promotion of reading for little ones but it is also a beautiful piece of furniture for the home. The Sling Bookcase is made from thick MDF, measuring 71cmH x 62cmW x 30cmD and is available in white.
Mums Baby Magazine was greatly impressed by the Sling Bookcase and would like to recommend this product to our readers. We love the fact that children are able to select a book at will without any storage restrictions such as the height of shelves making books inaccessible. We believe that by displaying books by their covers rather than the spines, children will build a pride in their reading material and independence in selecting individual choices for reading. Mums Baby Magazine give the Sling Bookcase 10/10.
Available from ‘Great Little Trading Company’ for £55.00, the Sling Bookcase makes reading accessible at anytime for toddlers and children, aiding little ones to independently select a book and in turn develop their interest and enthusiasm for reading, a critical life skill.
The Ideal Solution For The Big Move From A Cot To A Toddler Bed, The Twinkle Tog, A Wearable Bed Time Quilt!
Choosing the correct bed clothes for your little one can be difficult. With recent studies from the FSID upon SIDS which suggest that the ideal room temperature for sleep is between 16 and 20 degrees Celsius, it can often make selecting the correct bedding an arduous task. Do you choose a blanket? sheets? a gro-bag? Which one is the safest?
The answer all depends on a combination of the room temperature, the tog of the bedding and what your child is wearing beneath their bedding. The general guide is to have a thermometer in your child’s room and to try to keep the room as close to 18 degrees Celsius as possible, obviously this isn’t possible during hot summer months and freezing winter nights.
Safe sleep for infants and toddlers is highly important, Toddlers are renowned for climbing and the height of the drop from the rails of a cot/ cot bed in cot mode can be dangerously high. At the point when your toddler is trying to do a ‘Houdini’ from their cot, it is time to take the next step with your little ones by introducing a toddler/ single bed. From previously having the freedom to roll and move within a cot/ cot-bed in cot mode without the worry of falling, Toddlers now face the concept that they can indeed fall, thus a wide range of bed guards are readily available on the market to prevent this.
Suddenly the worry of bed clothes returns as we find that little ones who were happy sleeping within a traditional infant sleeping bag (gro-bag) can no longer use these due to the danger of them getting out of the bed and effectively having to complete the sack race in order to get around (this may sound funny but it’s unsafe). Many toddlers find themselves getting caught up in blankets and duvets and this can too can be dangerous and often uncomfortable as toddlers find themselves wriggling about to try and free themselves and eventually being exposed and cold.
The Dream Genii ‘Twinkle Tog’ is the ideal solution at this point. Dream Genii’s Twinkle Tog draws upon the original design of the infant sleeping bag except two separate legs have been added to enable your little one the freedom to move around safely, snuggly and in comfort. Not only is the Dream Genii Twinkle Tog the ultimate solution to moving up from the cot to a toddler bed but it is also ideal for travelling as little ones can be easily transferred from their car seat into their bed without having to disturb their sleep.
The Dream Genii Twinkle Tog is available in either one or two Tog rating and comes in a variety of sizes and designs. With a quilted exterior and soft jersey lining, the Dream Genii Twinkle Tog ensures little ones have a comfortable and snug nights sleep.
Mums Baby Magazine put this product to the test, we really like the design although found the zip a little awkward to do at first as it zips from the neck down to the groin area. Upon completing the zip there is a flap of fabric to cover the zip to protect little ones from scratches or from ‘unzipping their own bedclothes’. The fabric felt smooth and soft, the soft jersey ankles are elasticated and soft, enabling parents to add socks to their little ones feet if it’s a particularly cold night. The sizing seemed pretty accurate and our toddler seemed content in his new suit for sleeping.
The packaging of the Twinkle Tog gives clear instructions how to use this product safely including exactly what bed clothes your little one should be wearing when using the Twinkle Tog according to the specific room temperature.
As with all bedding you would require at least one spare whilst the other is being washed. This product can be easily washed at forty degrees on a normal cycle and dried either naturally of by using a tumble dryer on a low heat.
Available from www.dreamgenii.com for only £29.99, the Twinkle Tog Wearable Bed Time Quilt is the ideal solution for your toddlers ‘next step in sleep’.
Keep your little one snuggled safely and securely with the Lindam Safe & Secure Bed Guard.
Moving your toddler up from a cot to a single bed is a big step in terms of development, for children this tends to be an exciting time as they are offered some elements of freedom in terms of being able to get in and out of their bed at their own will. However, for parents this can often be a time of worry and anxiety over their child’s security and safety during sleep.
Sleep is the time when our brains process the day’s activities and our bodies secure rest. Sleep is the time when growth takes place and interrupted sleep can cause numerous developmental problems thus ‘sleep’ is a crucial part of the human daily cycle.
Little ones generally tend to move around a great deal in their sleep and the safety of cot rails ensures that they stay secure in their cot/ cot bed during an essential and important time of their day. However, when your child becomes too big for a cot or is endangering themselves trying to climb out from cots/ 
cot beds then it is time to move them to a single bed, thus moving about can potentially lead to ‘falls’.
Suitable from eighteen months to five years of age, the Lindam Safe & Secure Bed Guard offers security from falling out of the bed, The bed guard is padded and is soft the touch offering comfort and support if laid against by little ones yet is strong and sturdy to prevent children from rolling off the mattress.
The Lindam Bed Guard is easy to put together and fits securely upon single beds (by laying the mattress neatly into the rails of the bed guard which is adjustable). Suitable for all single bed types (slatted divan and ensemble) with mattress widths from 76 to 100cm and lengths from 141cm to 210cm, The Lindam bed guard is adjustable to ensure a neat and secure fit. However, if you are using a cot bed in ‘bed mode’ then this bed guard is a little too chunky and wide to use, thus it may be worth investigating other bed guards which are suitable for your specific cot bed.
Once the bed guard has been fitted it can then be folded down by pressing two buttons featured either side of the rail, so that your child is able to get in and out of the bed easily whilst awake. The simple folding mechanism also makes changing the bed and lifting children from the bed far easier for parents.
Once asleep the bed guard can be raised and clicks into position with the safe and secure locking mechanism to offer your child a ‘safe sleeping environment’. If children do wish to get out of the bed during the night then they able to by shuffling further down or up their mattress to exit from the bed. The Lindam bed guard does not run the entire length of the bed as this would simply be a hazard as little ones may try to climb over the guard and suffer injuries from falling, as they could well do with cot rails.
The Lindam Bed Guard is available in three colours (blue, pink or neutral) and costs only £19.99 from www.safetots.co.uk, a small price to pay for peace of mind and safe, secure, sleep. For other stockist details log on to www.lindam.com
Assuring that new-borns receive the royal treatment with the Babyroyale Receiving Blanket
When you first think of a new born baby, your first thought may be how soft their skin is, how delicate and tender their tiny fingers are to touch,how holding them feels so special…
The Babyroyale Receiving Blanket could almost be described in a similar light! The bamboo-cotton (70% bamboo/ 30% organic cotton) receiving blanket is soft to the touch, so soft infact that the wool almost feels silky smooth.
This 90cm x 75cm blanket feels cool to the touch, yet it is the ideal blanket for keeping a little one warm. Bamboo Cotton tends to breath, allowing air flow to your little one whilst insulating them from the cold.
Bamboo is a naturally hypo-allergenic and anti-bacterial, bamboo also has several positive environmental aspects: Bamboo crops are fully regenerative (crops only need trimming and do not need replanting annually). Bamboo is ecologically friendly as no pesticides or chemicals are used to produce this product, with bamboo being a naturally anti-bacterial material the fibres within the material are pest-resistant.
The overall texture and appearance are important elements that Babyroyale consider highly important thus they opted for a unique hand-woven, inconsistent look rather than a uniform/ mass produced effect.
Babyroyale is a small company based in Hertfordshire. Babyroyale formed to create a range of quality and ethnically sourced baby products that focus primarily upon material performance and suitability for use with all skin types.
The Babyroyale Receiving Blanket is available for £34.99 online via www.hellobabydirect.co.uk. Hello Baby Direct sells a wide range of baby and nursery products. The Babyroyale blanket comes in three different colours (blue, pink or white) therefore is suitable for either gender. This receiving blanket feels and looks luxurious, our little ones deserve nothing but the best, thus the Babyroyale Receiving Blanket is the ideal gift for any new born.
February’s Top Tester Kim Massey reviews the Fisher Price Precious Planet Snow Globe & Lights Bouncer
Kim Massey, 29 from Newcastle upon Tyne (Mum to Lylah,14 weeks old) shares her views and opinions upon the Fisher Price Precious Planet Snow Globe & Lights Bouncer
“The good things about this bouncer are that it is suitable from birth, literally from day one! Lylah had her day time naps in this bouncer chair. The vibrate function which this bouncer seat offers is ideal for colic, wind and hiccups and often sent her to sleep.
The snow globe and fish featured upon the toy bar light up which mesmerises little ones, this is a useful feature during the night time or other times which may require low lighting.
The Music and sounds featured as part of the bouncer are soothing and environmentally based. The features included as part of the seat such as lights, sound and vibration can either be parent activated or baby activated, this setting can be altered according to your choice. Although, when on hard flooring the bouncer seat does tend to make a rattle…
Although you may expect the Fisher Price Precious Planet Snow Globe & Lights Bouncer to use up batteries it tends not to use up battery power as you might imagine! However, as the bouncer seat requires 4 D batteries, they can be expensive to replace!”
This unisex, deluxe baby bouncer is lightweight and has non-skid feet for safety. Available from www.babycity.co.uk for only £59.99, the Fisher Price Precious Planet Snow Globe & Lights Bouncer features a safe, comfortable seat with a three point harness. The cushioned seat is removable and can be machine washed at 40 degrees Celsius.
The Fisher Price Precious Planet Snow Globe & Lights Bouncer is the ideal place to seat your child whilst soothing, stimulating and entertaining little minds!
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