Archive for the ‘Excercise’ Category

The Hide ‘N’ Seek Combo features three crawling tunnels/ tubes, an igloo style tent, a circular popup tent and a club house which can be used separately or alternatively can be linked together to create one large play zone for toddlers and children.

Although Ryan’s Toys (this products manufacturer) suggests that this item is suitable from three years upwards, it is also great for infants who are able to crawl, as they enjoy travelling through tunnels and exploring playing inside of tents with parental supervision.

Infants and children love to play ‘Peek a Boo’ and ‘Hide and Seek’ from an early age, this product encourages movement, play and can be used for a number of activities which are inspiring and fun for young children.

The tunnels and tents are suitable both for outdoor and indoor use as no pegs are required for assembly. Always ensure that there are no sharp or bumpy objects underneath where the Hide ‘N’ Seek Combo is to be placed.

Although this product is fantastic when pieced together to create a large play area for children, it is also really useful as separate parts. The tent and club house are the ideal size for indoor play and can be used of evening for housing children’s toys whilst they are out of use.

The tunnels simply spring together and can be tied and stored away with ease. When packaged, the Hide ‘N’ Seek Combo fits neatly into two storage bags and takes up little space.

The instructions provided in order to put together all the parts are clear and easy to follow although do require an adult to construct.  When out of use the parts can be kept in two Velcro storage bags which are provided.

Available from www.amazon.co.uk for £59.99 the Hide ‘N’ Seek is literally six toys in one and well worth its price.

The Fisher Price ‘Rainforest Jumperoo’ makes bouncing fun for little ones and gives parents the chance to rest their arms while they watch their children discover their jumping legs.

The Fisher Price ‘Rainforest Jumperoo’ is an excellent alternative to a standard door bouncer. Firstly, the Rainforest Jumperoo is portable and therefore babies needn’t be in doorways. Doorway bouncers can be hazardous as babies often bang their heads upon doorframes and become an obstacle for people passing through the doorway in which the bouncer is situated. The Rainforest Jumperoo can be setup in a safe area and does more than just allow them to bounce up and down!

The seat rotates 360 degrees allowing babies to explore the many activities which surround them. The seat has a three point adjusting system to suit the height of your baby. If required the seat can be removed for washing (this can be washed at forty degrees in a normal cycle).

The activity ring surrounding the babies seat features the following:

• spinning coloured discs
• a press and popup tiger
• a spinning and rattling lizard
• a spinning sunshine
• a swinging monkey and parrot
• a pull and twist elephant, as well as a detachable bug teether which can be washed easily.

Above the activity table are two leaves which clip to the top of the three supports for the Jumperoo. Each leaf has a rainforest animal hanging from it. These can be adjusted in height according to your babies size. These swinging animals are great for your baby to reach up to and jump for as well as stimulate them visually.

The Jumperoo has lights and Music which play and flash to reward your babies bouncing. This setting can be changed to play constant Music or alternatively switched off if required. Two volume settings enable parents to chose between loud/ quiet Music.

The Jumperoo can be folded up to store. However, it is still quite bulky and does take up quite a large amount of space.

The Fisher Price Rainforest Jumperoo is suitable for babies who are able to hold their head unassisted and can be used up until your child weighs 11kg. Your child should never be left unattended whilst using this product.

The Fisher Price Rainforest Jumperoo is available from www.mothercare.co.uk or Mother Care Stores UK Wide for £89.99. Although this may seem pricey, it is well worth the money just to see your little one giggling with glee as they find the spring to their step.

Once your child reaches the age of four to six months it seems that they suddenly require a toy upgrade. The cute little play mats which they once laid looking up fascinated by toys hanging above them or the teeny little baby swings no longer cut it, as your baby begins to learn to roll, crawl and most importantly stand with aid.

As as parent this time can seem daunting, the idea of your child becoming mobile makes you wish you had eyes in the back of your head. Worse still, it seems that you can get nothing done around the house as you can no longer leave your child somewhere safe whilst you ‘get on with the domestic side of life’ without them wriggling free and getting into danger.

This is where the Leapfrog Learn and Groove Activity Station comes in perfectly, you can easily set it up in the room you are in whilst you get on with bits and pieces that need doing. Always ensure that a parent is supervising a baby who is using the Learn and Groove Activity Station.

The Leap Frog Learn and Groove Activity Station has a number of features:

• The station is is height adjustable with three height settings.
• The seat rotates 360 degrees to allow your child to turn themselves to the area of the station which they find to be of interest.
• The station is able to rock with your child’s movement or set to be stationary.
• The station is bouncy, if your child wishes to bounce in the seat then the station will move with them.
• The seat unclips from the station and is machine washable
• The station has two volume settings
• The station is easily folded away and clips together to be compact for carrying/ transporting.
• The Activities can be altered by turning the page of a plastic book which is featured on the activity table itself. The Learn and Groove Activity Station helps to develop numeracy (counting to five), literacy (the alphabet), colour recognition and Musical development.
• The activities include a piano/ keyboard which lights up when touched and features counting to five, colours of the rainbow and several different genres of Music for baby to enjoy.
• The activity table also includes a DJ scratch and spin section which plays a range of Music for baby to groove along to as well as providing them with the visual stimulation of a spinning disc and the sensory stimulation of a clicking volume control.
• The activities include a ‘touch and spin’ Disco ball which creates short sounds for baby to respond to and spins whilst catching the light and therefore sending spots of light spinning around your room! This is a top feature of this activity station which has been proven to be a hit with babies.
• Finally the activities include a ‘teething microphone’ for little ones to chew and suck (ensure that you keep this clean by using sanitising wipes).
• A small box/ container is also included on the table which you may wish to put a pacifier into.

The Learn and Groove Activity Station is available from www.amazon.co.uk for £69.99 or currently £50.00 new from Amazon Marketplace!

Mums Baby Magazine gives Leapfrog’s ‘Learn and Groove Activity Station’ ten out of ten. The station occupies little ones, enabling them to develop a wide range of skills, as well as aiding them to become independent and build strength in their legs for walking and crawling. Most importantly, the ‘Learn and Groove Activity Station’ is fun for little ones and with fun comes learning and development.

My son is currently five months old and has recently started to enjoy standing rather than practicing his rolling on the carpet. In order to give him some more independence and enable him to practice his standing without parental aid I decided to purchase a door bouncer.

As my Sons nursery is decorated with Winnie the Pooh I decided to continue the theme and purchase the ‘Lamaze First Years Tigger Door Bouncer’ from the local Baby Shop. I was excited at the prospect of our son having fun and learning how to stand in his new bouncer.

Upon opening the product I was initially impressed with the appearance of the bouncer itself. The door bouncer is brightly coloured and features a plush Tigger head on one side and a plush tail on the other so that it appeared that my son had a Tigger tail!

Although this product is cute it concerned me that the bouncer seemed wide and my my son was unsupported by the material. The bouncer itself isn’t high enough to fully support my sons body and I was worried for his safety and it seemed all to easy for him to lean forward and topple out of the bouncer.

I was also disappointed to find that the bouncer lacked spring as the spring itself was stiff and squeaked loudly whenever my son attempted to move, he certainly didn’t seem impressed! Surely a product which is ‘Tigger based’ should bounce!?

I decided to take the bouncer back to the shop assuming that it was faulty, sadly I found that all the bouncers were the same and shared this common problem. Thus I was refunded for this product and have since borrowed a bouncer from a family member which is far safer and actually bounces.

Mums Baby Magazine gives the Lamaze First Years Tigger Bouncer the thumbs down as it doesn’t give us a spring in our step…

The Lamaze First Years Tigger Door Bouncer is available for £22.98 from www.amazon.co.uk