Review: TUM TUM Tots

Hey everyone, back with a review today. Last year, seems so long ago, we were kindly gifted some items to try from TUM TUM Tots and we have been using them since. TUM TUM Tots is a brand which focuses on dinnerware for children, including plates and bowls, cutlery, drinkware, and tupperware. The have a wide range of products available on their website www.tumtumtots.com and we were gifted a few items which I will review below.

TUM TUM Eco Cloud Dining Set - Blue/Green £20*

Their eco friendly cloud dining set comes with a plate, bowl and cup, the plate is shaped like a cup, the bowl a sun and the cup a rain drop. It is available in two colour ways, blue/green and pink/orange. Not only is the design fab but is made from beautiful bamboo fibre, which is biodegradable. 

The cloud plate is a great size and has a little compartment which is fab for dips and liquids. It has quite deep edges which helps with little ones scooping.

The sun bowl is a really cute design with steeper edges, which really helps with teaching children spoon motions with in the bowl. It has a sturdy surface and so Tabitha hasn't been able to knock over the bowl, like she has with other traditional style bowls we have used.

The raindrop cup has a solid handle and it a lovely first open cup for toddlers. Tabitha has been practicing with drinking out of it and although hasn't quite got the hang of it she still loves giving it ago.

On a whole the dining set is a lovely design and is great for those parents who love making creative meals. It is durable which means I don't have the worries of Tabitha breaking it, like she has many other dining sets. I also love that it's eco friendly and kind to our environment.

TUM TUM Trainee Stainless Steel Children's Cutlery Set with Removable Grippy Sleeves - £16*

The cutlery set comes with 3 pieces and is ideal for infant to junior children. For those learning to first use cutlery it has removable grippy sleeves, these help with infants holding onto their cutlery without them slipping from their hands. The colourful sleeves are also attractive for children as they are so bright! Once a child has learnt to use cutlery the sleeves can be removed and they become just like adult cutlery.

They are quite a weighty set and they handles are quite chunky, which we found worked well with Tabitha holding the cutlery and picking up food. Both the spoon and fork are bowl shaped which really helps with scooping up food and keeping it on. Tabitha has become a pro at scooping up liquid foods since using this cutlery. Although Tabitha hasn't really used the knife yet Casper has found it easier to use than other knives we have tried which designed for children.
Overall it is a great set and you can tell they have focused on helping young children learn how to use cutlery well.

TUM TUM Trainee Super Stable Grippy Kids Cup, Fish £8.50*

Casper at 4 loves to think he's a pro at drinking out of regular cups, however he still manages to knock over cups and beakers quite regularly the TUM TUM Trainee cup has some great design aspects which really helps to try and eliminate this problem. It has an innovative design with it's wider base to help with stability and the anti-topple feature makes it hards to knock over. The cup is made out of a grippy material, like the cutlery set, which helps protect insulates the cup and protecting children from warmer drinks. 

The cup has been a great hit with Casper, he loves the clear fish panel and being able to see his drink through it. The grippy material has helped with him holding it, keeping his fingers protected and also it helps with it slipping from his grip. The wide base has honestly been a great solution for him accidentally knocking his drinks over, as it generally stays in place if he does hit it by accident. We also really love the design as a whole and the look of the cup.

When Tabitha has finally gotten the hang of drinking out of cups we will be passing this along and will hopefully save us a lot more spills than we had for Casper when he first starter drinking out of them.

Final thoughts

TumTum Tots is a great brand with some innovative designs, some beautiful products and a great variety. They have really thought about helping children with learning how to eat and drink from weaning age and moving onto the next stages of learning. Their products are a little pricer than basic dinnerware, but it is so worth it for the stability, durability and overall design of their products. We have definitely enjoyed using their products and honestly think it has helped Tabitha loads, especially with using cutlery as we have noticed her being a lot more confident with it at this age (20 months) compared to Casper at this age. 

Be sure to check their full range on their website www.tumtumtots.com!

Thank you for reading!

Natalie x

*we were kindly gifted the items in exchange for a review, all opinions are our own.

Zara Kids - Wishlist

Hi guys, hope you are well. The aim in January was to do weekly updates of how my no spend was going but to be honest we've been so bogged down with illnesses and chicken pox that I haven't actually been out to be tempted, so instead going to do a wishlist of clothes on Zara that would be fab on Tabitha!

I love the style of clothes for children from Zara as I find it's quite timeless. We got a lot of Casper's clothes from there when he was a toddler too.

Ruffled Jumpsuit £19.99.
I love Tabitha in a jumpsuit, and this one is so stylish without breaking the bank. I find jumpsuits are perfect in the colder months as they keep children warm, easy to layer up with a tights, cardy and boots but still look fab.

Frilled Jumpsuit £14.99.
Sorry another jumpsuit but I've literally fallen in love with this more dungarees style. It has the same gorgeous frills around the shoulders too. The colour is absolutely gorgeous too and I think that as your child grows it would look lovely in the warmer months even if it stops higher on the ankle/calf.

Denim Pinafore Dress With Matching Pants £14.99.
If you follow out Instagram page you will know that I love Tabitha in a dress, and gosh this is gorgeous. I love denim and the washed black colour is a fab edition to a wardrobe. What I also love about dresses is that as they get a bit shorter they can be worn with leggings to make them last that bit longer.

Basic Polka Dot Jeggings £6.99
Talking about leggings, Zara have such a fab array of leggings/jeggings as well as harems with some really cool designs. The basic range starts at just £5.99 and when can Casper was 1 up to about 3 patterned leggings was all his wardrobe consisted of. I love these polka dot jeggings and such a bargain price, I think they would look amazing paired for a baggy jumper and Tabitha's red docs!

Ruffled Sweater £12.99.
I seem to be loving the ruffled look, which is amusing as Tabitha doesn't actually have anything ruffled that I can bring to mind. I do love a jumper on here, especially sized bigger so it gives a baggier look and they are definitely great for comfort. I like the cream colour as it will match so much more and isn't stuck in one season either.

Faux Leather Biker Jacket £24.99.
So this is something that she's never worn before but I have fallen in love, I think she'd look incredible in it! I'm actually so tempted by it, because I haven't really seen anything like it for toddlers before. It would be so easy to style, whether with a really girly dress or rocking jeans and boots - and definitely not too expensive at all! Love, love, love!

So, I have discovered I love nearly everything currently on the Zara page for Tabitha's age and struggled to just narrow it down to 6 :O. Definitely think a Zara shop will happen when I have some spare pennies.

Do you like Zara? What sort of style to you dress your little ones in?

Thank you for reading :)

Natalie x

Review: Zimpli Kids - Gelli Baff, Slime Baff & SnoBall Play

Hey guys, how are you all doing?

So, last month we was kindly sent a selection of Zimpli Kids products for Casper and Tabitha to try out and now we've finally given them all a go I thought I'd give you our thoughts! Zimpli Kids have an array of products, aimed at aged 3+, which include products focused on making bath time fun - turning the water into a range of different colours and texture whilst being 100% safe for children. There was 3 types of products that we were sent to try: Gelli Baff, Slime Baff and SnoBall. I will give a small review of each and then our overall thoughts!

Disclaimer

I would just like to say that their products are designed for aged 3+ and Tabitha who is 20 months old enjoyed playing with them as well. However, Tabitha and Casper were never left unattended and when in the bath I was sat directly next to Tabitha on the floor.

Zimpli Kids Gelli Baff

First up is Gelli Baff, we was sent Gelli Baff in the red and green colours and with Casper's favourite colour being green that was the one he was in a rush to try out! This product turns the bath water into a jelly like formula, it came with two sachets - the first to turn the water to goo and the second to dissolve the jelly to rinse the bath out - and it is so easy to make. I filled the bath so there was only about 5cm or so of water, tipped the whole of the first sachet in, mixed with my hand and within 15 minutes the water had turn to our Gelli Baff. I mixed for the majority of the time and once I was happy with the texture I added more water into the bath until I was happy with the amount and final texture of the bath. I was so pleasantly surprised by how much the Gelli Baff felt like jelly and how it held the texture and weight of it even when playing. I actually added warm water so they could enjoy playing in the bath without getting cold quickly and the Gelli Baff actually maintained the warm temperature for the whole half an hour they were in the bath - which was a pleasant surprise as I thought it was go cold quickly. It dissolved quickly with the second sachet and was very easy to clean both the children and the bath after use. 

Both of the children loved playing in the Gelli Baff and were in no rush to get out of the bath. They enjoyed feeling it between their fingers and even laying in it. It was definitely a fun experience for them and they are looking forward to their next bath with the red Gelli Baff packet.

Zimpli Kids Slime Baff

I was most excited for them to try Slime Baff, this product turns the bath water into slime. Casper is absolutely obsessed with slime and so having slime that can be contained to the bath and easily washed off afterwards is a mum's dream! It was easy to make, with the same instructions as the Gelli Baff and it stated the more you stirred the thicker the gooey slime became. Unlike the Gelli Baff, the Slime Baff dissolved by just running the tap water. 

It was really easy to make and the slime came out really well! I shared it on my instagram stories when the children went in the bath and was asked if it actually felt like slime, and it really did - if you put your hand in and scooped and lifted up you could definitely feel and see the slime texture. Unfortunately the slime became cold quite quickly, even when running the hot tap, but I feel like that would be expected as slime is generally quite a cold feeling texture. 

Casper and Tabitha both loved the Slime Baff and really didn't want to get out, even when it was really cold. The longer they was in the bath and more the moved aroind the thicker the slime became and they really enjoyed watching the slime fall from their arms and fingers. The Slime Baff did take longer to dissolve than the Gelli Baff, and I found it was harder to clean out of the bath too. It left a "slimey" texture even after rinsing and the children were really slippery after too. I think I learnt for next time to leave the water running for longer and see if that combats that problem.

Zimpli Kids SnoBall Play

The last product we got to test was the Zimpli Kids SnoBall Play, this product is also added to water to imitate the texture and look of real snow balls. There was two 20g sachets in our box and for the whole box it's meant to make 30+ SnoBalls. Like the previous two products you add the sachets to water and mix until you get the desired texture. I added the specified amount of water to sachets in a plastic bowl and mixed until we got snow like texture. To begin with I didn't think iy was working but the longer I mixed the less watery it became and definitely thickened up well. 

Casper and Tabitha loved feeling the snow in the bowl and playing in the bowl. Unfortunately I jusy couldn't get the right texture to make snow balls that stayed gelled together, I would definitely need to give try in the future to see if I can get the perfect texture for us. However, even without being able to make perfect balls, the children really did enjoy playing with the snow and throwing it about. We played with ours in the garden and after use I went around diluting with water. It did leave the ground slippery with a gel like substance but the next day when I checked it had dissolved well.

Where to buy?

You can find where Zimpli Kids stock their products on their website here, and also not listed is Amazon. Both Gelli Baff and Slime Baff retail at £4.99* for a single use box and SnoBall Play retails at £4.99* for a box of 60+ balls.

Overall thoughts

All three products were definitely fun to try and play with and we will definitely use again in future. My favourite as a parent had to be the Gelli Baff, the temperature of the product meant I didn't have to rush them out for getting too cold, it cleaned up well and I thought was the most fun. Casper's favourite was unsurprisingly the Slime Baff, he really enioyed the texture and didn't want to get out. I think the products are versatile and in future have said I would love to use the Slime Baff and SnoBall products for messy play on a tuff tray, as I think you can then get more than one use out of each box and will make messy play a lot easier to clean up.

If your children haven't tried Zimpli Kids products before I would definitely recommend, there is a wide range of colours - so definitely something for everyone. I do think lots of children would love it and parents don't have to worry about clean up afterwards! 

Please do let me know if you've ever tried them? Which was your favourite?

Thank you for reading :)

Natalie x

Review: myHummy Mia Bear - SleepAid!

Hey guys, I hope you are all well. Today we are back with a review of the myHummy Smartheart bear called Mia.

If you have read my post about Tabitha and her sleep woes (post here), you'll know all about how Tabitha doesn't really sleep and that she still wakes up very frequently during the night. I have to say I was sceptical if myHummy would really work for us because Tabitha has had a sleepaid since being a baby and it really didn't help with the constant waking up, but I have to say I have been pleasantly surprised!

What is myHummy Sleepaid Bear?

Mia, our Smartheart bear, is one of six out of the new range of myHummy sleepaid bear which uses pink and white noise to help settle and soothe babies and toddlers. What makes this range exciting, is that the new humming heart connects via bluetooth to an app on your smartphone - meaning it is all controllable on your phone. There are 5 different white and pink noise sounds that can be selected to help soothe your child, I have found the vacuum sounds works the best for Tabitha. On the app you select your sound, the volume of the sound and the length of time it will play for. 

The features don't end there, there are several exciting settings that you can have a play with to see which works best for you and your child. There is constant play or the option of sleep sensor. We use 12 hours of none stop sound, however if you don't feel like your child needs the constant sound you could have it set so it fades out after 60 minutes and the sleep sensor will switch the sound back on when the child becomes unsettled. 

The bear itself is beautiful and attractive to the eye and the material used is a lovely soft fleece like fabric, which you can machine wash (when you remove the humming heart) to keep it looking fresh. There is a zip on the back of the bear to insert or remove the humming heart and if you didn't want to take the whole bear with you everytime you go out it also comes with a humming heart pouch. The heart pouch is in the same material as the bear and can be used for travel and can be attached to a pushchair/carseat with the multiuse teether clip for safe keeping. The teether can also be attached to Mia, meaning that you can take her out with you without worrying about losing her.

Tabitha's reactions to Mia

I have to say I was worried Tabitha may have been a little bit too old (20 months) to really benefit from Mia, but I'm so glad that was unfounded. As soon as Mia was out of the box Tabitha was repeatedly saying bear, she grabbed her and gave her a big cuddle and that was when I knew they'd be great friends. Tabitha has become attached to Mia so quickly and we take her everywhere with us, she especially loves laying her head on her. In terms of sleep I have to say it has really improved things for us, I'm not saying she's suddenly sleeping 12 hours a night - because she isn't, haha - but she is sleeping for longer periods of time and settling a lot quicker the majority of the time during the night. Before Mia we was lucky to have 1 hour of uninterrupted sleep, but we are now getting on average 4-5 hours before I need to feed her and on the third night with Mia she actually slept for 6 and a half solid hours, I was flabbergasted. And to really top things off nap time has improved as well! Tabitha has only had one nap a day for nearly a year now and that nap only lasts 40 minutes, it's like a speed nap, and when she naps with Mia she is napping 2hours +!


Mummy's Reaction to Mia
Having a child who doesn't sleep is so difficult, I really struggle with sleep deprivation and it has such a massive effect my day to day life. Since having Mia I am getting more free time away from Tabitha and it has been such a god send. I, myself, am getting more uninterrupted sleep and I'm benefiting greatly from it. I am more energised than I have been in over a year, and I'm motivated to do more with my day. Before Mia it was taking hours to get Tabitha to sleep and if I moved she'd wake up so now I am so excited to start having more free time in the evenings and to enjoy my evenings with Jamie again. Mia is definitely helping mummy as much as Tabitha.

Where to buy myHummy bears?
You can buy Mia, or any of the other bears, on www.myhummy.co.uk and they retail at £84.99* with the Bluetooth humming heart included. Also, for the next 2 days (starting from January 3rd) we have been given an amazing discount to offer our followers and readers, the discount code is TABITHA15 and it will take 15% off of your myHummy bear on www.myHummy.co.uk, it is currently the highest discount available!

Final thoughts!
I am so happy and grateful we have been given the opportunity to try Mia, she has been such a pleasant surprise to both of us. Tabitha loves her so much and she has really helped with sleeping. I am just sad we didn't try her before, I could be more rest than I currently am - haha. If you want to read and see more about the myHummy range you can visit their instagram page www.instagram.com/myhummyuk.

Have you tried any of the myHummy sleepaids? I definitely recommend if you haven't, and please let me know how you get on if you do!

Thanks for reading!
Natalie :) x


*we was kindly gifted Mia in exchange for an honest review, all thoughts and opinions are our own.

January No Spend - The Rules

Hey everybody, and happy new year! I hope everyone had a great Christmas and new year.

So, for the month of January I have decided that I am on a no spend, we have been trying to save money to buy a house and it's so easy to buy unnecessary things without realising how much they actually add up and so I am not spending this month.

The rules

1) I am allowed to buy essentials - these include food shopping of course, cleaning and health products.

2) I am not allowed to go out for drinks or food - I find this is probably the one that builds up the cost ever so quickly, just a few pounds here or there adds up. We have two meals booked for my sister and niece's birthdays, and these are allowed ;).

3) I am not allowed takeaways - we eat far too many takeaways and doesn't the price (and calories) add up! Even popping to the £bakery ends up costing more than expected.

4) I am not allowed to buy anything for the children.... repeat... I am not allowed to buy anything for the children - my biggest weakness is buying for the children whether clothes or activities and I really don't need to, I know this. They both already have so many clothes and we have craft things coming out of our ears, so I need to stop.

5) I am allowed to spend Christmas money that the children or I was gifted - I'm still going to try not to spend it, but as it's a gift if I was to use it on something I'm allowed... hehe loop hole.

So, I think that's about it for the rules. Basically I just don't want to spend on anything except essentials.

What I'm expecting to gain?

Obviously I'm expecting to gain, or keep, a little cash. I really need to clear my credit card which went a little higher than I was wanting this festive period and so I'm hoping to put towards that. But overall what I'm hoping to gain is an insight to money I spend unnessarily, yes I love buying for the children but right now they really do have an abundance of clothes and toys and sometimes I just feel like I'm buying for the sake of it. I, also, want to see if at the end I would still want to buy things that I really wanted.

Updates

I'm going to do a couple of updates of how well I have done - or how much I have failed... I am going to note the top things I have been tempted by, whether it be going out for dinner, grabbing a takeaway or buying Tabitha a new dress. Then at the end of the month I'll do a recap and overview and if I've learnt anything from my no spend.

I did a no spend many moons ago, but it was a makeup no spend, and I actually did enjoy seeing how I did so I'm looking forward to this - though I expect it to be much harder now I have children. I'd love to know if anybody else is doing a no spend this month and let me know how you get on! 

Take care everybody and wish me luck!

Natalie :) x