Pacapod - baby changing bags

This Pacapod bag conveniently arrived the day before we left for our holiday.  Never really sure what a product will look like in the flesh, having only viewed it online, I was slightly nervous as I opened up the package.

However this bag did not disappoint - in fact it is fabulous.  It is of very high quality, well made, and looks great, and is highly functional, keeping you very organised.  For the last four and half years I have had a totally chaotic bag, with nappies, Hula Hoops, crayons, old bananas and spare vests all mingling together haphazardly.  My mum has often commented on the 'disgusting' state of my bag.

I opted for the Almora print changing bag in Sand - I love the colour and the design.  It has two pods within it - one for all the nappy changing stuff like wipes, nappy bags (it comes with a special little pull-string bag to keep these in), little pockets for the Sudocrem and handwash, and a segment to keep the nappies secure - totally fabulous!  The other pod is for snacks and food, and is insulated.  There is then a section at the top to keep miscellaneous items such as toys, magazines etc - this section is deceptively big - a lady sitting next to us in a cafe remarked that 'every mum should have a bag like that - it seems to be bottomless', as I piled yet more kiddie paraphernalia inside it.  This bag stands upright, is wipe-clean, and is the total business.  Not really being a bag person myself, I LOVE IT!

Pacapod have a whole range of bags in different styles, colours and designs - go take a look at their website and see what you think.  I would have absolutely no hesitation is recommending these bags.  This bag has so many features I have probably forgotten to mention a lot of them, so here is what Pacapod say about this particular bag (the technical bits too):

Baby changing bag features:

• All bags come as a 3-in-1 organising system, with changer pod, feeder pod and changing mat included in your purchase
• Durable Cotton coated canvas print with hardwearing wipe clean finish
• Pebble leather trims
• Chunky silver hardwear and ribbon labels
• Adjustable over the shoulder strap that can be worn across the body to distribute weight
• 3 parent pockets, one with key fob and mobile dividing pockets, one top pocket full length of bag
• Inner cargo hold, which stores the unique feeder and changer pods keeps hygienically separate
• Changer Pod includes 5 pockets, separate clothes bag and much more.
• Padded baby changing mat.
• Feeder Pod - Fully insulated cool bag, holds up to 4 bottles and keeps warm for up to 3 hours, plus additional detachable insulated bottle cover (perfect for twins too!)
• Wipe clean inner and phthalates free, tested to EC & BS food standards
• All 3 bags clip onto the pram handle or can be used on their own
• Remove pods and can use bag on it’s own, most lap tops fit inside cargo area
• This is a baby changing bag, cool bag and nappy bag styled as a tote all rolled into one

Wooden Teatime Set - ELC

Play food is always a winner with my girls - I find I get rather excited about it too - there are such wonderful things available now.  And this wooden teatime set by ELC is gorgeous!

Included in the set is a teapot, cups, sugar pot, tea jar, tea spoons, cookies, tea bags and sugar lumps - and they are all wooden - even the tea bags!

Kids always want to imitate their parents, and obviously the ritual of making tea is witnessed A LOT by the little darlings - so Dolly's sheer joy at having her own tea-making set was lovely to see.  She was a little perplexed by the sugar lumps, having never seen a real-life sugar lump, but she was undeterred, and pretended they were sweets instead, and all was happy.

This set costs £15.  There are also many other wooden food sets available at ELC like their Breakfast Set and their Dairy Set - go check them out too!

United Styles - design your own clothes!

United Styles is a new company offering rather a unique product: Your children get to design their own clothes, from dresses to hoodies to tops, on their website www.unitedstyles.com.  I thought this sounded like a really great idea and so was more than happy to give it a go with Betty (my four year old).

Betty, was of course, pretty amazed that she got to choose what themes, colours and patterns she wanted on her new dress.  At the time we tested this service there was only one style of dress available, but I now see there are three different styles to choose from.  We liked the look of the the one available, which was a hoodie dress.  I also loved the fact that you could personalise the label on the inside of the garment - I thought that was a nice touch.

We found the website easy to navigate, and both Betty and I found the whole process really rather exciting.

Once we had designed her dress and put the order in, the product arrived pretty promptly.  And the dress itself really didn't disappoint - it was of excellent quality and very well made and Betty was thrilled about wearing a dress that she had designed herself.  The hoodie dress we went for is pretty versatile too - it can be worn either as a summer/beach dress or as a winter dress with tights/leggings.

As I have said before, this company are offering a really unique and fun service - go and check our their website and see what you think: http://www.unitedstyles.com

United Styles are also offering my readers a discount until 31st May 2011 - the discount code is: USUKBlog1 which you will need to quote when ordering.