Archive for the ‘MBM Top Testers’ Category

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.

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.

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.

Stacey Turnbull from Fleet, Hampshire is Mum to Amelie (2 years, 10 months) and Isla (7 weeks).  Stacey first started using Dr Brown’s bottles when her eldest daughter, Amelie developed colic at three weeks of age. Stacey told MBM that she had tried all the ‘tried and tested’ methods of relieving colic and had bought almost every colic relief product available upon the market to no avail. After only a few days Stacey found that her daughter’s colic subsided and after only one month had completely disappeared.

Dr Brown’s Anti- Colic Bottles are suitable from Birth onwards, available from a wide range of supermarkets and chemists (£5.79 for 120ml Bottles or £5.99 for 240ml Bottles). The Dr Brown’s Starter Kit comes complete with 1 x 120ml and 2 x 240ml bottles, 2 x stage 2 teats and 3 x stage 1 teats, therefore saving money. The Bottles come complete with a mini bottle washer and sealant caps to prevent the bottles from leaking.

The Dr Brown’s Anti- Colic Bottles use a anti-colic vent system which prevents babies from taking in air during feeding thus reducing potential wind which can be painful for infants. The reduction of wind therefore prevents colic from developing.

The Dr Brown’s Anti-Colic Bottles are long-lasting and extremely durable, there are a large variety of teats available for the bottles (stage 1, stage 2, thicker liquid teats etc) thus enabling bottles to be used for a long period of time whilst your baby grows.

The Dr Brown’s Bottles easily fit into a variety of different sterilisers, Stacey explained to MBM that she has used these bottles in both the Tommee Tippee Steam Steriliser and the Advent Steriliser.

 

When asked, Stacey told MBM that the only downside to this product is that when put into very hot water, or when put in a highly pressurised environment such as an aircraft cabin, these bottles can sometimes leak. This can however be combated by removing the air vent system until required.

 

Stacey swears that the Dr Brown’s Anti-Colic Bottles were a Godsend for both herself and her husband as they were able to get some sleep during the early hours of the morning. When Isla, Stacey’s second child was born Stacey and her partner chose to use the Dr Brown’s Anti Colic Bottles straight away as they felt that these bottles had changed their lives immeasurably during the time that they used the bottles with Amelie, they would therefore no risk using any other brand.

 

Although the Dr Brown’s Anti Colic Bottles can seem pricey in comparison to other bottles available upon the market, they are well worth the cost. Stacey recommends these bottles to all Mothers who have babies that are bottle fed and suffer from colic.

 

MBM would like to thank Stacey for sharing her opinions and time with MBM. The Dr Brown’s Starter Kit and  Bottles featured in this article are available for very reasonable prices from www.boots.co.uk

Julie McQuaid (29 years old) from Hillingdon, Middlex is Mum to Isabelle Dee (7 months old). Julie currently uses a 0-1 group car seat for Isabelle and drives a three door Corsa (55 reg). Julie shared her opinions upon this product with Mums Baby Magazine.

How easy is the seat to fix into the car?

With the base, this car seat is very easy to install into the car, I had Isabelle via C-Section and was fine installing and removing the Maxi Cosi Cabriofix Car Seat into and from the car postpartum. I  wouldn’t have coped in the first few months without this model of Car Seat with only having a three door car.

Is this Car Seat Isofix?

Yes

Does the car seat have washable covers?

Yes, although I have never had to wash them.

How easy is it to get your little one in and out of the car seat?

It is really simple and easy, the strap holders are also a great idea, this stops Isabelle from getting caught up in the straps when getting in and out from the car.

Which way does the car seat face?

As this car set is a Group 0-1, the seat rear faces.

Where did you get your car seat?

Mothercare

How much did you pay for your car seat?

£100

List five things you love about your car seat:

• It’s easy to put in and take out of the car
• The hood is great as it keeps the sun out and makes it easier for baby to sleep
• The newborn insert is useful as it kept her very flat when she was smaller
• I like how it clips onto my Loola Pushchair
• My baby likes to sleep in this car seat and the rocking function is useful when out and about for settling Isabelle.

Is there anything that you dislike about your car seat?

• As Isabelle has grown bigger, her head tips forward in the seat due to the angle of the Isofix installation
• The fabric gets all sorts of fluff and hair sticking to it
  

If you were to buy your car seat over again, would you chose the same model?
Yes!

 

The Maxi Cosi Cabriofix Car Seat is available from www.preciouslittleone.co.uk for only £99.00. The Maxi Cosi Cabriofix Car Seat is available  in a wide range of colours with Isofix or Seat Belt fittings,  this seat is suitable from birth to twelve months (0-13 kg) and has been awarded ‘best in test’ by the European Consumer Tests every year since 2007!

Mums Baby Magazine would like to thank Julie and Isabelle for their time. If you are interested in becoming a Top Tester for us then please email MBM on writeforus@mumsbabymagazine.com