Handmade hair clips by Lollipop

Lollipop Boutique is owned by a mum (Colette) who started making hair clips for her daughter, and then went on to sell them to the other mums at her daughter's school, and now has her own website! Lollipop specialises in handmade clips for babies, toddlers and big girls.

Colette sent me a set of hair clips for both Betty and Dolly to try out, so that we could let her know what we thought.  We opted for some fuzzy flower clips for Dolly (specially for a toddler who doesn't yet have much hair!) and a fuzzy flower, and tutti frutti felt flower for Betty, which were slightly bigger.

The clips are beautifully made and very eye-catching and a welcome and unique change to the clips found in high street shops.  My children both love hair clips and were thrilled with these.

To see all the hair accessories available visit Colette's website: http://www.lollipopboutique.co.uk/ where there are many clips to choose from, from flowers, butterflies, cupcakes, bugs etc, as well as other hair accessories such as hairbands.

Thank you Colette, we love them, and good luck with your new venture!

ELC: My First Scalextric set

Betty and I tried out My First Scalextric today, sent to us by the Early Learning Centre.

Firstly I was embarrassed to note that it is in fact pronounced and spelt 'Scalextric' and not 'Scalectrix' which is what I have always said, ever since my younger brother had a set when we were little.

Anyway, I digress.  I was full of anticipation and excitement, because I used to absolutely love playing with the Scalectrix, even more so than my brother I think.  And as for poor Betty, she didn't get a look-in for the first few minutes.

Once the figure-of-eight track was set up, which was quick and easy to do, it was ready to go.  The thing that I absolutely love about this product is that it DOES NOT NEED BATTERIES!!!  It plugs into the mains, which was a welcome change to many of the other battery-operated toys we have in this house. 

The two BMW Mini Coopers and hand-controllers are colour coded in red and yellow to match chevrons on the circuit, making this set easy for little people such as Betty to grasp.  And my goodness, I was completely blown away at how much Betty loved this product - she was laughing, jumping up and down, and at times getting really rather competitive about the whole racing thing, and beating her cautious-driver mum.

I read a review about this product that said it was difficult for young children to grasp (it is aimed at aged 3 years and up) and needed adult supervision, and that the cars easily flew off the track.  I could not disagree with this more.  The cars sped round the track at a phenomenal speed without coming off the track (even granny commented on the staying power of these little Mini Coopers).  As for the adult supervision - it couldn't be more easy for a young child to pick up.

This product is simple, lots of fun, and is a great introduction into the world of Scalextric. 

It retails at £34.99.

Night lights for kids, by Pabobo

A company based in Paris who design lights specifically for children, called Pabobo, recently sent me two night lights for Betty and Dolly.  We were sent the Lumilove Penguin  and the Barbapapa chain light (both pictured below).

These lights are fab because they are designed to be handled by children, and so are safe.  They are also tasteful to look at, and create a really relaxed atmosphere just before bedtime (which is vital in this household as my kids go into hyper mode at this time).

I would totally recommend these products to anyone looking for a really lovely night light for their little ones.  To find out more visit their website: www.pabobo.com where they have lots of other lights to offer too.