4 in 1 Pram - by Chad Valley

This brand new playset, created by Chad valley, converts from a doll's pram to a carry cradle, to a high chair and to a cradle swing.


A lot of thought has obviously gone into this product - to come up with a design that can be four different items in one. I have to admit I was expecting this product to be a little easier to transform from one thing to the next ie. without having to remove wheels, poles, and bolts etc.  But of course, I was expecting the nigh-on impossible!  


I actually haven't told Dolly (my two year old) that her new doll's pram cleverly transforms into other items because if she clocks that things come apart she will start doing exactly that, pulling it apart, and losing bits from it.  So the way I would like to use this product is have it as a pram for a few weeks, then when she is not around I will change the pram into the baby swing, as if by magic (to her anyway).  I think that to have it rotating like this will work really well, and keep her interested.  The other drawback with her knowing that it turns into other things is that she likes to keep me on my toes and will constantly be demanding that I change it for her.  


So what does my darling daughter think of the pram?  Well, she has really enjoyed playing with it, so much so that she insisted on taking it away with us last weekend.  The pram has a lovely pink gingham lining, and an adjustable handle, which can be adjusted according to the child's height.  The product is very pink, very plastic, and thus very appealing to a little girl. I would love my child to prefer her handmade wicker cradle, but alas it's not the case - manufacturers seem to know what kids like.

This product will be available from 30th July 2011, and will retail at around £35, and is suitable for children aged 18 months +.  

Tag Interactive World Map - by LeapFrog

This interactive map is a perfect example of how toys have progressed in recent years, and while this excites me, and I look at this map in absolute wonder and awe and try to work out how the heck it works, it fills my husband with fear for the future.

This jumbo map, which is aimed at 4-8 year olds, is double-sided, and is used in conjunction with the Tag pen, and it has many different educational games and activities to choose from.  

Tom and I spent a whole evening competing against each other to see who could find countries and continents the fastest in the race game.  And with my geography not being that great, I found that I learnt an awful lot in that couple of hours.


I was excited about unleashing this product on Betty (my four year old) the following morning, and she too was slightly in awe of what this map could do.  She had been learning about Africa at pre-school, and so spent her time in Africa picking up all sorts of useful information and facts.

The map enables you to find distances and travel times between major cities and learn about children around the world, including how they say 'hello' and what they have for breakfast. It also talks you through major landmarks, seas, rivers, mountains and desserts.

The games on this map include:

Map racer - this timed quiz tests your knowledge of the world's countries with three different levels

Treasure hunt- follow the clues to locate the "mystery country"

Continents and countries - this timed quiz tests your continents and countries knowledge

Let's explore - go on exciting expeditions with your hosts Reggie Rover and Sara Sahara

Travel time - touch any two children on the map to find out how far apart they are and how long it takes to travel between them

Kids like me - learn about where children live, what they eat for breakfast and how to say "hello" in their language!

Children can earn online rewards and parents can connect the Tag Reader to the online LeapFrog Learning Path to see what their child is learning. 


This product retails at £14.99, which I think is fantastic value for money - as it provides hours of educational fun - we love it!  

The Mumsnet Rules book review

The Mumsnet Rules is a big purple book (Tom commented that it looked a bit like the Bible), full of loads of parenting advice, tips, and anecdotes taken from postings on the site.

I have never been onto the Mumsnet website, I feel blogging has always given me everything I've needed in terms of an online parenting release/therapy. So I must admit that I felt  irritated at the patronising and unnecessary jibe at blogging mums on the first page: '...when do they find the time and how bored must they be to write these blogs? Why do they never post about their bad days? But let them blog - we all have to get through the day somehow' - I personally don't see that there is a whole lot of difference between a mum who posts on a blog and a mum who posts on Mumsnet. As for never posting about bad days... well, I thought that's what mum blogs were for, to let off steam about the horrors of parenthood.

Having said that, I did think that on the whole the book was well-observed, funny, refreshing, and at times informative. The general vibe of this book is: don't beat yourself up about not being the perfect cake-baking parent, don't sweat the small stuff like whether your baby has reached her 6-week smiling milestone, do what you want to do, and don't worry about what other parents think - as they quite rightly point out: 'you are not six'.

The following sections (for example) struck a chord and I found myself nodding in agreement wholeheartedly:

You don't have to go to baby groups - I forced myself to go to baby groups when Betty was a baby; mums and tots, baby yoga, water babies etc, and hated every minute of it. I came to my senses with the arrival of Dolly, who is now two, and consciously made the decision to never put myself through the same pain again - she has never been to a group in her life.

It's OK to do controlled crying - I have always been a believer in controlled crying, and children thriving on routine - as a way of keeping everyone in the household happy and sane. I used to be embarrassed to admit this, but again, when Dolly was born, I sang it from the roof-tops.

Avoid loud (otherwise known as performance) parenting - this made me laugh,  because as much as I hate it, I often catch myself doing it 'Yes Betty, you are absolutely right, that leaf HAS fallen from an Oak tree... and WHAT ELSE falls from an Oak tree?'.  And I know a few people, one in particular, who is a fine culprit for performing loudly and relentlessly for their public, and it can be cringeworthy: 'Yes, you can have that one sweetie, as a SPECIAL TREAT.  Then you will be having lots of lovely free-range organic brocolli later for supper, won't you?'  And so on.

And the section 'You don't have to have family meals' almost changed my view on this. I have always believed that it is important for a family to all sit down and have lunch or supper together, as a social thing, and as a time to share stories of the day etc. Yeah right. This rarely happens, specially with small kids. Mealtimes can be excruciatingly painful, with arguments, tears, telling-offs, and food not being eaten. So as the book points out, why bother?

I would have found this book much more useful about four years ago, when Betty was a baby - the things discussed in this book would have felt more current and relevant, in what was then a crazy, sleep-deprived, daunting baby existence.  By the time you have had two (or more) children, through bitter experience, you learn, or work out most of this stuff for yourself, and you naturally stop caring so much, thus making you a far more relaxed and seasoned parent.  Having said that, I have a child who is about to start school, and so I found the section on starting school informative and helpful - and to avoid the whole school gates bitchiness and the fear of being pointed at for being too fat and not driving a 4x4, I shall send Betty on the bus.

The book is packed full of rules and advice, some of which I agree with and some of which I don't. As with all these guide books, what is right for one child/parent isn't necessarily right for another. However, this book has the advantage of being laugh-out-loud funny, unsentimental, and it keeps it real.

Magic Belles - a fabulous new website for little girls

When I was contacted by Maxine, one of the creators of the Magic Belles website, I was immediately drawn in by her friendliness, warmth and sincerity. I promptly went to have a look at her new creation - Magic Belles - a website specially for little girls aged 3-7 years.

The Magic Belles are tiny, jingly beings who live in the colourful valley of Bellevue, and are each named and look after life's special wonders: rainbows, flowers, cupcakes, butterflies, stars, and love.  I think that this is inspired, because Betty (my four year old) will often tell anyone who will listen that her favourite things, are indeed, all of the above - so when being presented with this website she literally did not know what to do with herself - it was lovely to watch her wide-eyed excitement.  It was as if the whole thing had been personally designed for her! 

There is so much to do on this website: you can make music with each of the Belle's individual jingles, you can colour them in either online or by using the printables, you can join the Flutterbud club where you can hear their latest news, or send in your own photos and drawings to be published on the blog. You can download goodies such as pretty screensavers, or bunting, and you can learn more about each special wonder in more detail, and download  your own Spotter's guide and tick each wonder off as you find them.

I have spent many an hour trawling through websites looking for a suitable one for Betty to use, and often it is a fruitless exercise.  I am genuinely thrilled to have been given the opportunity to discover and review this fabulous, well thought-out, magical, and wholesome website.

If you have little girls aged 3-7 years, please do go and discover the Magic Belles for yourself.

You could also print off this colouring sheet of the Magic Belles which has been created specially for my readers (Betty will be colouring her sheet in soon, and sending it into the Flutterbud club!)

Butterfly habitat and feeder

This butterfly house and feeder is such a lovely idea, specially if you have a child fascinated with butterflies.

The house provides butterflies with a place to feed and roost, and it also may help bumblebees survive in early Spring.  The feed tray is painted with special ultraviolet paint which attracts the butterflies, and inserted within the tray are four little feed cups around the outside, which you fill with a water/sugar solution, and then a larger feed cup in the middle which can be used for nectar or pieces of fruit.  The cups are easily removable so that they can be washed, and you can access the house through a little side window.  The house is made from solid naturally durable FSC timber and is obviously designed to be kept outside.

The house is really tastefully made, and looks really attractive (to me and my kids, let alone the butterflies!) and we are really looking forward to seeing it in action.

It retails at £19.99, and came from Find me a gift.co.uk which is a website full of great gifts for everyone, and for all occasions.

WoodenToyShop.co.uk - traditional wooden toys

We recently received some toys from a fabulous online shop selling all sorts of fantastic traditional wooden toys from doll's houses, to easels, to train sets, to play food (to name but a few). If there is a wooden toy that you are after, they are sure to have it!

We have been after a traditional flower press for quite some time and oddly could not find one anywhere, so I was delighted to find a choice of two flower presses on their website - we went for the John Crane one - it is very well made and is a lovely design, with a red flower painted on the front and red wooden flowers acting as the four bolts that hold it all together.  Betty (my four year old) was thrilled with it, and has had such fun finding different flowers to put in it.  This particular flower press costs £10.79.

We also received a traditional wooden Jack in a Box, and they come in either pink or blue; we obviously went for pink.  It is a wooden pink box with a big latch - when the latch is unhooked out pops the wonderfully bright and cheerful clown.  I have always had a bit of thing about Jack in a boxes, and so I absolutely adore this product - I would even go as far as to say it is actually the most tasteful one I have seen, and it sure does beat the flashing, plastic variety I have seen in the past.  It is gorgeous, and costs £13.49.  I think this is something I will definitely go on to buy as birthday presents, for all and sundry.

A weaving loom is also something I have been on the look out for, for quite some time - and again WoodenToyShop.co.uk delivered!  This BigJigs loom costs just £7.99 and is exactly what I was looking for.

Betty loves arts and crafts, and is desperate to learn to knit, but with her being just four, and me not being that good at knitting, I thought weaving would be the perfect thing for her (and me) - it is relatively easy and she gets a lovely finished piece at the end of it.  We haven't yet finished our fabric, but will keep you posted.  Betty is really enjoying this little project, and it gives me much welcomed peace!  This weaving set comes with everything needed to create your piece; a wooden frame, bobbins and needles, coloured thread and a fabric comb.

All these toys would make lovely gifts - they are tasteful, well made, and fun, and my girls have thoroughly enjoyed playing with them.  Please do go and check out the website where there is a wide selection of traditional wooden toys.  There is so much to see on there!