5 August , 201427 July , 2017 - Sarah 6 Comments

Review: Fisher-Price Laugh & Learn Love to Play Puppy

It was Toby’s first birthday recently and we had a (sort of) party just for his grandparents and a couple of our friends. If you are planning a first birthday party though, Fisher-Price have a whole section of their website dedicated to helping you plan the party and find the perfect gifts. There are loads of tips as well as printables; from invitations, to gift cards, place cards and even bunting and goody bags. There’s also a handy check-list so you can make sure you haven’t forgotten anything!

Even though we weren’t really having a party for Toby the lovely people at Fisher-Price sent him a fantastic birthday present: the Laugh & Learn Love to Play Puppy.

The Details

The Laugh & Learn Love to Play Puppy is an interactive soft toy suitable from 6 to 36 months. It has two modes of play: learning and musical games which are activated by pressing different parts of the puppy. It has an RRP of £19.99 and is availale from a wide variety of retailers. Prices can vary depending on the retailer – it is currently £14.99 at Argos.

The Pros

The puppy is a great size – big enough for easy cuddles but not too big to be overwhelming.
All the buttons are very easily activated making it very easy for Toby to play with the puppy by himself.
There are lots of different sounds and songs – in learning mode the puppy says the name and colour of the body part being pressed, the music mode has lots of familiar songs and rhymes such as heads, shoulders, knees and toes and pat-a-cake.
The sounds can be turned off temporarily by pressing one of the feet (although this is easily switched back on by pressing again) or can be completely switched off using a switch hidden by velcro on the back of the puppy.
The switch also gives two volume settings.
The red light up heart is great for younger children as they can see and hear when press it.

The Cons

From a child’s point of view there aren’t really any downsides – from an adult’s point of view the only problem is that all the sounds and songs can get a bit annoying after a while, but I think the same can be said of all these kind of toys (and you can always switch it off if it gets unbearable!)

The Verdict

The Fisher-Price Laugh & Learn Love to Play Puppy really does make an ideal first birthday gift. Toby’s face lit up when we first gave him the puppy and showed him how to press the different parts. At the moment he especially loves the songs and pressing the heart to make it light up. I am sure when he gets a bit older though he will enjoy learning the words for the different parts of the body and singing along too. This is a toy that I can really see Toby getting a lot of use out of for a long time to come.

**Disclosure: I was sent a Fisher-Price Laugh & Learn Love to Play Puppy in return for this review. All opinions are my own. This post contains affiliate links.

30 July , 20142 August , 2017 - Sarah Leave a comment

Review: SnoozeShade Plus Deluxe

In this fantastic hot weather we’ve been having lately keeping Toby safe and happy in the sun has been my main concern. SnoozeShade is a product designed to do just that! We already had a SnoozeShade Original which has had lots of use over the last year but as Toby is now a very inquisitive one year old he does like to be able to see what is going on when he’s out in the buggy. The lovely people at SnoozeShade gave us the opportunity to try out the SnoozeShade Plus Deluxe to see if it could solve our nosy baby problems!

The Details

The SnoozeShade Plus Deluxe is designed to fit on any pram or pushchair. It has elastic loops around the edges which allow you to attach it to the frame of your pushchair. Whereas the SnoozeShade Original has a vertical zip opening on the front for checking on your baby, the SnoozeShade Plus as a panel on the front which your baby can see through, but which still keeps them protected from the sun. This panel can be zipped either partially or fully open. It also has another layer of the full SnoozeShade fabric which can be poppered over the top if you baby is sleeping. The fabric the SnoozeShade is made from blocks up to 97.5% of harmful UV rays (or 80% through the viewing panel). It is also breathable so there is no danger of your baby suffering from lack of air. The SnoozeShade Plus Deluxe has a retail price of £34.99.

The Pros

First and foremost the SnoozeShade Plus Deluxe is fantastic at doing the job it is designed for – that is providing shade and protection from harmful UV rays. I still use suncream on Toby if we are going to be out for a while but I am much happier knowing he isn’t going to get burnt when under the SnoozeShade.
There are four pairs of elastic straps to attach the SnoozeShade to your buggy meaning you should be able to attach it to any style of pram or pushchair. We’ve used it both parent and forward facing on our Mamas & Papas Sola, and on our Kiddicare Deko stroller without any problems. The loops fasten with two poppers and have always stay securely attached – even with Toby trying to pull them off occasionally!
I love viewing panel! The main problem we had with the SnoozeShade Original as Toby got older was that unless we were actually using it for him to have a nap (and he was really ready for a nap) he would moan when we put it on the buggy so we couldn’t really use it just for shade. With the Plus that problem is solved as Toby can still see out and so he’s happy. If he does fall asleep or I’m trying to get him to nap then I just popper up the extra shade flap and we’re away.
There is a pocket at the bottom of the viewing panel to store the flaps that aren’t being used – a very clever feature.
There is a horizontal zip opening above the viewing panel so you can check on your wee one, or you can leave it open for extra ventilation.
Because the viewing panel zips completely open I can get Toby in and out of the pushchair without having to remove the SnoozeShade. Both our pushchairs can fold with the SnoozeShade still attached as well.
The SnoozeShade Plus is a bit bigger than the Original so Toby’s legs don’t get squashed by the fabric and it should last as he gets bigger.
We have been using the SnoozeShade a lot in the sunshine these last few weeks but they also make great windstoppers in the colder months as well. They will keep off light rain and can also be used underneath most raincovers.
A small mesh storage bag is included (although if I’m honest I have never put either of our SnoozeShades back in their bags!)

The Cons

Getting a good fit is a bit tricky on some pushchairs but should be possible with a bit of playing around. On our Sola with the seat at its most upright and the hood fully open the SnoozeShade is quite baggy – giving Toby a lot of spare material to pull at! By pulling the bottom down and attaching some of the straps further along the frame we have achieved a good fit though so it’s worth persevering. There are also some great videos on the SnoozeShade website that show you different ways of attaching the shade to your pushchair.

The Verdict

I already really liked our SnoozeShade Original and we’ve had loads of use out of it over the last year, it was fantastic when Toby was younger, not only on the pushchair but for putting over his car seat too. However, the SnoozeShade Plus Deluxe is even better! Although this is the most expensive of the SnoozeShades for prams and pushchairs I would say the extra features definitely make it worth the money and I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it.

**Disclosure: I was sent SnoozeShade Plus Deluxe in return for this review. All opinions are my own. This post contains affiliate links.

8 July , 20142 August , 2017 - Sarah 3 Comments

Review: Plum Greek-style yogurt pouches

Toby generally eats whatever we eat but we do use fruit pouches at home and out and about, mostly because they are quick, easy and convenient. Plum have recently introduced some new fruit and Greek-style yogurt pouches and so when they asked if we’d like to try them I was keen to give them a go.

The Details

The Plum Greek-style yogurt pouches come in three flavours – kale and apple, raspberry and spinach, and mango and carrot. They come in a 85g pouch (the bigger size of pouch that you usually see) and retail for 99p each. They are suitable for babies over six months (I presume because of the dairy content). Plum have also introduced their ‘Mighty 4’ range for toddlers which are also fruit and Greek-style yogurt pouches but they also contain different grains so make a more filling snack for older babies.

The Pros

What I really like about these pouches is that they are yogurt that doesn’t have to be kept in the fridge (until they’ve been opened), which means they are great for using out and about. We took them on holiday and they were really handy to give to Toby when stopped for meals during the long journey.
Toby seemed to enjoy them and would happily eat a whole pouch in one sitting. He didn’t really have any preference for one flavour over another.
They were easy to feed to Toby either on a spoon or sucking them straight from the pouch (which is his new preferred method!).
The flavours were all nice (in the interests of a fair review I had to have a try myself!) – I was a bit dubious about the slightly unusual combinations but to be honest the fruit was the predominant flavour in all of them, you couldn’t really taste the vegetable.

The Cons

None really. I’m still not convinced the weird flavour combinations are necessary – they wouldn’t make those combinations for adults so why do it for babies? That said, Toby liked them so I can’t really complain!

The Verdict

I would buy these Plum Greek-style yogurt pouches again. We don’t use them at home because it is cheaper just to by regular yogurt but they are very useful to include in a picnic or lunchbox, or when travelling as they don’t need to be kept cold before use.

**Disclosure: I was sent a selection of Plum Greek-style yogurt pouches in return for this review. All opinions are my own.

30 May , 20142 August , 2017 - Sarah 8 Comments

Review: Konfidence baby swimming kit

You may have read my post a few weeks ago about how we have been chosen to be Konfidence Swimologists. As part of our role as ambassadors Toby was sent some Konfidence baby swimming kit to try out and now we’ve been using it for a few weeks I thought it was time I shared my thoughts with you.

The Details

We received the Konfidence AquaNappy (£9.99) – a one-size-fits-all reusable swim nappy, the NeoNappy (£9.99 or £7.99 when purchased with an AquaNappy) – a neoprene nappy cover which can be used over the AquaNappy or a disposable swim nappy, as is required by many baby swim schools. Lastly we were sent the Konfidence Babywarma (£18.99) – a baby wetsuit designed to keep your little one warm in the pool. All the Konfidence baby swimming products are available in a variety of colours and prints – we went for the Clownfish print on the Babywarma and AquaNappy as it’s just so cute!

The Pros

AquaNappy

If you go swimming with your baby regularly then a reusable swim nappy will save you plenty of pennies when compared to using disposable swim nappies, and as the AquaNappy is adjustable (with poppers and velcro) it should fit your baby for as long as they need it.
The AquaNappy has elastic at the legs and waist and should contain any thing your baby throws at it (and Toby successfully put this feature to the test on his first wearing of the AquaNappy!)
The AquaNappy seemed comfortable for Toby to wear – I was a little worried that the thick elastic might dig in a bit but there were no red marks when I took it off.
It was very easy to clean the AquaNappy, even after a poopy incident! I just rinsed the nappy by holding it under the flush in the loo then hand-washed with a tiny bit of hand wash detergent. It can also be machine washed at 30°.

NeoNappy

Most baby swim schools insist on a double layer nappy system to prevent any leaks in the pool – the Konfidence NeoNappy is suitable to be worn over a disposable or reusable swim nappy.
The NeoNappy is sized by age – Toby has a large (9-12 months) which fits well. The lycra round the legs and waist is snug (as it should be) but not so tight it cuts off his circulation!

Babywarma

The Konfidence Babywarma does a great job at doing what it is designed for – keeping your baby warm in the pool! Even though we have our swimming lessons in a warm water pool Toby seems to be very sensitive to the cold (I think because he is so skinny!) so the Babywarma is essential for us.
I love how the Babywarma folds put completely flat making it easy to put on and adjust with the velcro fastenings.
The Babywarma comes in three sizes – Toby has the biggest size (12-24 months). There is still plenty of growing room in it but we had to go for the bigger size because he is so long!
The neoprene is very soft and flexible with lycra edging so it’s very comfortable and there are no rough edges to rub anywhere.

The Cons

The only downside I found with any of the products is that I don’t think the AquaNappy could realistically be worn from 3 to 30 months as suggested by Konfidence. I know Toby is skinny but he is still wearing it on the smallest setting at 10 and a half months. There is no way it would have been small enough when he was much younger.

The Verdict

We love our new Konfidence baby swimming kit. With the AquaNappy, NeoNappy and Babywarma Toby has everything he needs to enjoy his swimming lessons. We were also sent a Roll & Go Baby Changer which is a fantastic neoprene changing mat – great for those cold, wet changing room floors, or even at the poolside on holiday. As well as Toby’s swimwear Konfidence were also kind enough to give him a Quikfinz Dolphin Float and a set of Floating Flashing Blinkies! So far these have only made an appearance in the bath but they are very popular with Toby.

Konfidence make all sorts of swimming and UV protection products, not just for babies but for kids and adults too. Some of the other Konfidence Swimologists have been trying out the Konfidence Jacket and Floatsuits – you can find their blogs and read more here.

**Disclosure: I was sent a selection of Konfidence baby swimming kit in return for this review. All opinions are my own. This post contains affiliate links.

22 May , 20142 August , 2017 - Sarah 114 Comments

Review: Joe Browns clothing (plus £50 voucher giveaway)

Most of my clothes these days seem to come from the supermarket – just bits and pieces I pick up alongside the weekly shop! Added to which I’m still trying to lose my baby weight so I’m trying not to buy too many new clothes at the moment. We’ve got our holidays coming up in a few weeks though and I really did need some summery clothes to wear so I was very pleased when Joe Browns got in touch and offered me the chance to review some items from their range. Joe Browns is an online retailer of men and women’s clothes, shoes, accessories and gifts.

The Details

I hadn’t heard of Joe Browns until recently but on browsing their website I really liked the style of their clothing. I found it really difficult to choose which items I wanted to review. I originally ordered these Beach to Bar Shorts (£29.95) and the Seaside Camisole (£19.95). Unfortunately the shorts were too big but due to the cut of them (they have quite a low waist) and my big bum I had a feeling that the smaller size wouldn’t fit either. Luckily it was very easy to send the shorts back using the free returns label included in the packing and I was able to exchange them for this Beautiful Bouquet Tunic (£29.95) instead.

The Pros

There is a large selection of clothes to choose from online. So many that I found it hard to choose!
The clothes are very well made – the camisole is fully lined and the jersey of the tunic is a lovely heavy weight so it hangs very well.
Sizing seems to be accurate based on the size charts on the website. (I was between sizes with the shorts so ordered the bigger size hoping they would be comfortably loose but they were a bit too big to get away with).
I like how on the website it gives details of length measurements but also tells you how tall the model is. The tunic top is long enough to be a dress on me as I’m quite short but I like this as it means I can wear it with leggings.
Prices are good and comparable to other high street brands.
Delivery was very quick and is a reasonable £4. Next day delivery is available for an extra fee. Joe Browns also offer international shipping.
Returns are very easy, and free, using the return shipping label included in the packaging. It is also possible to exchange items without having to pay any additional delivery charges.

The Cons

The only problem, as with all online clothes shopping, is that you can’t be sure how something will look on until you get it. Of course with Joe Browns free returns you could always order two sizes if you aren’t sure and then send one back.

The Verdict

I love my new Joe Browns clothes. I think they are very flattering and I’m looking forward to wearing them on my holidays! There’s so much to choose from on the Joe Browns website that whatever your style you’re bound to find something you like.

The nice people at Joe Browns are offering one of you lucky readers a chance to win a £50 voucher to spend on their site. All you need to do is complete the Rafflecopter below.

Open to UK residents over 18 only.
Giveaway closes midnight Monday 16th June

a Rafflecopter giveaway

**Disclosure: I was sent two tops from Joe Browns in return for this review. All opinions are my own.

13 May , 201427 July , 2017 - Sarah 10 Comments

Review: Bambino Mio miosolo nappy

We all know by now (or you will if you’re a regular reader of Toby Goes Bananas at least) that I love cloth nappies. We’ve got our favourites but I always welcome the chance to try out something new so I was very pleased when Bambino Mio got in touch a few weeks ago and offered us the chance to try their miosolo all-in-one nappy. Bambino Mio was founded in 1997 by husband and wife Guy and Jo Schanschieff. Bambino Mio nappies are sold in 70 countries and are stocked in Tesco and Sainsbury’s as well as thousands of other retailers both on and off line. In addition to the all-in-one miosolo that we tried, Bambino Mio also have a two-part nappy, swim nappies, training pants and several cloth nappy accessories such as liners, baby wipes, nappy buckets and detergents.

The Details

The miosolo nappies come in a variety of plain colours and prints (including four fabulous new ones) and retail at £14.99 for plain or £15.99 for prints. We were sent two miosolo all-in-one nappies to try – one plain ‘Flying Saucer’ (blue) and one ‘woodland fox’ print. The lovely people at Bambino Mio also included a roll of their disposable mioliners and some samples of miowipes flushable baby wipes and miofresh nappy/laundry cleanser to try.

The Pros

miosolo all-in-one nappies are super-easy to use. It is a birth-to-potty nappy so you just need to adjust the poppers on the front to get the right length for your baby and then fasten with the velcro tabs. This is getting more important for us as Toby will be going to nursery quite soon and I need nappies that are really simple for the nursery staff to use.
There are 3 different ‘rise’ adjustments using the poppers on the front and Toby is only on the middle one. This is great as he already wears a lot of his nappies on the biggest setting as he is so long and I’m a bit worried that he is going to grow out of them altogether.
The velcro tabs cross over in the middle – again this is great for Toby as he is so skinny!
There are laundry tabs inside the nappy to stick the velcro to while being washed – an essential feature in my opinion.
The absorbent part of the nappy is attached, you simply tuck it in the pocket then pull it out for washing. This is where the miosolo design really is a step above the competition – there is a little pocket across the end of the insert which you put your fingers in to push it down into the nappy, meaning it goes in straight and un-rumpled every time. There are also a couple of loops on the back of the insert which make it really easy to pull out without getting damp fingers.
The stay-dry layer which is next to your baby’s bum is super-soft and stays that way even after repeated washing.
The nappy dried really quickly. It was dry overnight in our airing cupboard. It can also be tumble dried on low which is a positive for me.
Lastly, and most importantly, performance; Toby wore the miosolo for five hours with no leaks and it did very well in the poo-containment test too. Bambino Mio are so confident in the abilities of their nappies that they even suggest the miosolo (with added mioboost booster if needed) can be used overnight. I have to confess we didn’t try it overnight but five hours during the day is still very impressive!

The Cons

The miosolo is a little bit bulky compared to the bumGenius Freetime that we mostly use, but I’m sure Toby will appreciate this when he starts learning to walk and is falling on his bum all the time!
The only other thing I can think to say is that the miosolo doesn’t come in quite as many colours and prints as some other nappies. Although, they have brought out six new prints recently. One was the ‘woodland fox’ which we now have but I also love the ‘elephant parade’ print.

The Verdict

I am always happy to try a new nappy with Toby but unfortunately we have been a bit disappointed with some in the past…not this time though! I thought the Bambino Mio miosolo was a great nappy. I was really impressed with the little details like the pocket to help you put the insert back in. I also found it easy to get a good fit on Toby first time and performance was excellent. The miosolo is also competitively priced and I like that it is stocked by some major high street retailers too. I would definitely recommend this nappy whether you are new to cloth nappies or a seasoned user.

Just a quick note on the miowipes and miofresh too. (We always use fleece liners so didn’t try the mioliners but they seemed soft and a good size if you prefer a disposable liner). miowipes are natural, biodegradable and flushable. They are free from alcohol and parabens too so gentle on your baby’s skin. We usually use washable wipes but I am definitely going to be buying a pack or two of miowipes to take on holiday and to keep in the changing bag at home too. miofresh is a laundry sanitiser that again is all natural. It is designed to kill bacteria even at low temperatures so you can safely do your nappy wash at 30° – helping your pocket and the environment. We actually already use miofresh – I like that you only need to add one scoop along with your normal detergent to so a tub lasts ages and it keeps our nappies nice and fresh.

All in all I have been very impressed with the Bambino Mio products we have tried and I’m sure I’ll be using more in the future.

**Disclosure: I was sent two Bambino Mio miosolo nappies and accessories in return for this review. All opinions are my own.

** This post contains affiliate links.

29 April , 20142 August , 2017 - Sarah 4 Comments

Review: Lindam Safe & Secure Metal Play Pen

I’ve mentioned a few times lately that Toby is well and truly on the move. He has been commando crawling for a few weeks now and is really fast when he sees something he wants! This meant that it really wasn’t safe to leave him on his own any more – which was starting to be a problem when I was on my own with him during the day. Unless he was in his highchair or upstairs in his cot I couldn’t even leave him to go to the loo! So, we needed a play pen, and we were delighted when the lovely people at Lindam said they could send us one.

The Details

Lindam make two different play pens; one metal and one fabric. We chose the Safe & Secure Metal Play Pen which has an RRP of £94.49 (It is available for less than this – at the time of writing you can get it from Tesco for £65). The play pen has six panels (one of which has a gate in it) and can be used as either a free standing play pen, which can be rectangular or hexagonal, or attached to the walls and used as a room divider or multi-panel safety gate. The play pen also comes with a padded hexagonal mat with ties into the bottom.

The Pros

The play pen was very easy to set up. It was simply a case of clipping the sections together and then tightening up each joint with the allen key which was in the box. It would also be easy to take the play pen down again and it folds up relatively small if you wanted to take it on holiday or store it.
The play pen is a great size. It measures 125cm at the widest point and there is plenty of room inside for Toby to have some toys and roll and wriggle around without it taking up the whole of our living room.
The included mat is a great addition. It makes it nice and comfy inside the play pen and it is machine washable which is fantastic for us as Toby is in a very dribbly phase at the moment! We’ve hung our other play mat over the side of the play pen as it’s nice and colourful (and also stops Toby playing with the plug socket switches on that wall!)
The gate is easy to open and close one handed.
The play pen is very sturdy – there’s no danger of Toby pushing it over or moving it.

The Cons

The bar at the bottom of the gate comes right up to the frame – we had a little accident (which was more my fault that anything to do with the play pen but I thought it worth mentioning) when I left Toby for a second in the play pen with the gate open. He grabbed the get and managed to trap his thumb between the bottom of the gate and the frame. There was no serious harm done, and I know for future not to leave Toby even for a second with the gate open!
This isn’t really a negative but the play pen is quite heavy so if you are putting on carpet and don’t want to leave a big dent I would recommend putting something underneath it. We had some thin foam sheet that we use when we’re camping and we’ve put that underneath.

The Verdict

We absolutely love the Lindam play pen and it has made my life so much easier. Toby seems very happy to stay in the play pen with his toys while I clear up after meals, hang the washing out or do whatever it is I need to get done. I know some babies might not take to being confined by a play pen so I’m glad Toby is happy to stay in this one. Lindam are a brand I know I can trust, the play pen is really well made and I’m confident we’ll get plenty of use out of it in the coming months.

**Disclosure: I was sent a Lindam Safe & Secure Metal Play Pen in return for this review. All opinions are my own.

18 April , 20142 August , 2017 - Sarah 9 Comments

Review: Plum Little Yums

After a slightly rocky start with weaning Toby now loves his food and especially likes things he can easily get his hands on and eat by himself. I’m always on the look out for new healthy snacks for him to try so when the opportunity came up to try some of Plum’s new Little Yums we were eager to give them a try.

The Details

Little Yums from Plum are wafers made from buckwheat, fruit and vegetables. They come in two flavours; spinach, apple and kale, and pumpkin and banana. Each box has six packets each containing three wafers. One box retails at around £2.50.

The Pros

I like how the wafers come in small packets inside each box – it makes them great for popping in your changing bag for a quick snack when out and about.
The wafers were easy for Toby to get hold of (although I had to snap one in half for him to be able to eat it).
I like that the wafers are made with all organic ingredients with no added salt or sugar.
The wafers made very little mess when Toby was eating them – there were very few crumbs or bits falling off. Also there aren’t any strong colours so he didn’t end up with a orange face as can happen after some snacks!

The Cons

The wafers were quite big so I had to snap them in half for Toby to eat them – it might be easier if they were more finger shaped.
The wafers don’t have a very strong flavour so if your baby is used to normal adult food (as Toby is) then they might not be that keen on them.
I thought the flavour combinations were a bit odd – I wouldn’t eat spinach, kale and apple so I don’t know why I would want to give that to my baby.

The Verdict

Well. Toby did eat a couple of the wafers but he really didn’t seem to like them very much. However, I know that this is just a matter of taste so in the interests of writing an honest review I also gave my friend Claire some Little Yums for her to try with her six month old twins who are just starting weaning – and by all accounts they went down very well. Claire liked the fact the wafers dissolved in the mouth and thought this made it easier for young babies to swallow. So overall I would say the Plum Little Yums are a handy snack product but perhaps more suited to younger babies, or babies who don’t like strong tasting food.

**Disclosure: I was sent two boxes of Plum Little Yums in return for this review. All opinions are my own.

24 March , 20142 August , 2017 - Sarah 5 Comments

Review: Sudocrem Care & Protect

I’ve mentioned here before that Toby suffers from eczema so I have to be very careful what I use on his skin. We have been very lucky so far that he has never suffered with nappy rash (I credit the cloth nappies – although it could just be luck!) but if I notice his bum getting a bit red I slather on some Sudocrem Antiseptic Healing Cream and it soon calms down. Sudocrem has been around for almost 80 years and so was probably used by our parents and our parents’ parents! But Sudocrem don’t just make the cream in the ubiquitous grey tub, they have lots of other skin care products too. Recently we were asked to try out one of these products – Sudocrem Care & Protect.

The Details

Unlike the original Sudocrem which has lots of different uses, Sudocrem Care & Protect is specifically designed to protect your baby’s bottom against nappy rash. It does this by creating a barrier between the skin and any nasties in your baby’s nappy, it conditions the skin and it guards against infection. Sudocrem recommend that you use Care & Protect to prevent nappy rash, but if it does develop then you should use their Antiseptic Healing Cream to treat it. Prices seem to vary but at 40g tube (which is what we were sent) is £5.45 at Tesco.

The Pros

One of the selling points of Care & Protect is the ‘easy one-handed use’ flip top tube and it’s true the tube is easy to open with one hand! I also like how the corners at the top of the tube are rounded so it’s not going to do any harm if it happens to find its way into your baby’s mouth, as these things often seem to!
The cream is much thinner than original Sudocrem – it is easy to apply and soaks in quickly.
Sudocrem advise using Care & Protect at every nappy change – I have to admit I haven’t used it every time but even so I haven’t noticed any signs of nappy rash. Having said that, Toby has never had nappy rash anyway.
The tube is a very handy size for carrying in your changing bag when you’re out and about.
This is not directly related to the product but there is a lot of useful information about nappy rash and nappy contents in general on the Sudocrem website.

The Cons

I mentioned the ‘easy one-handed use’ of the tube – it’s true that it is very easy to flip open the lid with one hand but I found I still needed two hands to actually apply the cream, whereas with original Sudocrem in a pot I can actually pop the lid off and apply it completely one-handed, which is very useful when you’ve got a very wriggly baby like Toby!
Sudocrem Care & Protect seems quite expensive compared to original Sudocrem or a comparable product such as Metanium Everyday Barrier Ointment.

The Verdict

I think it is difficult for me to give a thorough review of Sudocrem Care & Protect because it is designed to prevent nappy rash, and Toby doesn’t seem to get nappy rash anyway. For us then this product seems a bit unnecessary. If Toby was suffering from nappy rash then I would use Sudocrem Antiseptic Healing Cream to treat it (as recommended by Sudocrem) but as he doesn’t seem prone I don’t think I need to be applying a cream at every nappy change. However, if you do have a baby who is very susceptible to nappy rash then a cream such as Sudocrem Care & Protect may well be useful in keeping it at bay.

**Disclosure: I was sent a tube of Sudocrem Care & Protect in return for this review. All opinions are my own.

18 March , 20142 August , 2017 - Sarah 4 Comments

Review: Mamas & Papas Sola travel system

We’ve been using our Mamas & Papas Sola for 8 months now so I think I know it well enough to write a thorough review! Mamas & Papas have actually just launched the Sola² but many of the features are the same (I’ll address the few that aren’t at the end of this review) so I thought it was still worth writing this review of the original Sola. The old version is still available in a lot of shops anyway and I would imagine it will be for quite a while until all the old stock is gone.

The Details

We have the Mamas & Papas Sola in Denim. We also bought the separate carrycot and we used the Cybex Aton car seat (with Isofix base) which fits onto the pushchair frame using adaptors. We paid £450 for all the parts of our travel system (apart from the Isofix base for the car seat which was another £100) from a local baby shop. Prices vary depending on the retailer but there always seem to be offers and bundles available.

The carrycot and carseat are both parent facing when on the chassis and the pushchair can be either parent facing or outward facing. The pushchair seat has a five point harness, removable bumper bar and three recline positions. It does lie flat so is suitable from newborn if you don’t want to buy the carrycot. The pushchair can be folded with the seat attached when it is outward facing but it has to be removed if it is parent facing. There is a clip to keep the chassis folded when it is collapsed and the wheels can be easily removed to make it more compact when folded. The front wheels can swivel or be locked in place (although I’ve never found a reason to lock them!). The Sola also comes with a universal raincover as standard. Other accessories such as footmuffs, parasols and matching changing bags are available.

The Pros

The Sola is very comfortable to push and easy to manoeuvre. The height adjustable handle means it is comfortable for me at 5’5″ and my 6 foot husband. The handle is foam covered which is very comfortable when pushing too.
Both the carrycot and pushchair seat seem to be very comfortable for Toby. He has happily slept in both. In fact we used the carrycot for all his daytime sleeping for the first couple of months. We use a BuggySnuggle footmuff in the pushchair which adds a bit of padding to the seat but I think Toby would still be comfortable without it.
It is easy to attach and remove the carrycot, pushchair seat or car seat on the chassis.
It is very easy to recline the pushchair seat using the catch on the back of the seat. It simply clicks in place when you pull it up when you want to sit it up again.
The hood on the pushchair is nice and big, especially when the seat is fully upright. Toby also loves looking at the stripey pattern inside the hood.
The hood on the carrycot has a section at the back which lifts up to reveal a mesh panel. This was especially useful to let some air in as Toby was born in last summer’s heatwave.
The five point harness on the pushchair seat is easy to adjust and seems to keep Toby in his seat pretty well (for now, until he works out how to get his arms out of the straps!)
The original Sola came in lots of different colours and fabrics – I love our denim one. It’s a bit different from boring black, but it is also unisex and not to ostentatious!
I liked our Cybex Aton car seat, but you can also get adaptors to use other car seats, including the Maxi Cosi Pebble.
The shopping basket isn’t huge but it’s big enough to carry a couple of bags of shopping, or your changing bag if you don’t want to carry it or hang it over the handle.
I like the catch that automatically keeps the chassis closed when it is collapsed and allows you to stand the wheels up.
The foot brake is easy to operate, as long as you make sure it has actually caught in the wheels.
We haven’t used the bumper bar yet as it seems to be in a slightly strange place (quite low down) but it is very easy to remove completely or swing to one side to get your baby in and out of the pushchair.

The Cons

I find the chassis really awkward to open and collapse. The handle has to be folded in to collapse the wheels which is a two-handed operation. You then have to move two catches on the frame and these often stick making the whole thing a bit of a pain.
The whole thing is quite big and heavy. Mamas & Papas sell it as ‘super-light 10kg’ and I know it is quite common for travel systems to be heavy. The Sola is fine when you are pushing it but lifting it in and out of the car boot is a bit of a pain.
On the same note, it takes up quite a lot of room in the boot – especially when using the carry cot! We have a Nissan Qashqai which is quite a big car but the wheels and pushchair seat take up half our boot.
The shopping basket, although a decent size, is really difficult to get into when the pushchair seat is parent facing. I should say though, it’s fine with the carrycot or car seat and much better when the pushchair seat is forward facing.
I would really like there to be somewhere other than the basket to store the raincover. It takes up a lot of room in there but there really is nowhere else to put it if you aren’t using it.
The pushchair hood as a section of mesh covered by clear plastic. This is really really annoying as it makes it impossible to create a dark environment for naps and in some positions the sun can actually shine right in and end up on your baby’s face. There really seems to be no point to this panel – it is covered by plastic so it’s not for ventilation and you can’t really see through it to check on your wee one either.

The Verdict

Despite quite a lot of negatives I do like our Mamas & Papas Sola. If I never had to collapse it or put it in the car it would be much more pleasant to use! I’m glad we decided to buy a complete travel system. The carrycot was very useful when Toby was small although he had grown out of it by three months, he is very long though. As I said we used it for all his daytime naps both in and out of the house and he seemed very comfortable. I also found it really useful to be able to attach the car seat to the Sola wheels, especially when just popping in the supermarket or something like that.

Would I buy another one though? I’m not sure. It’s hard when I don’t have anything to compare it to but if I was looking for another travel system I would definitely look for one that was easier to collapse. Somewhere to store the raincover would also be high on my list, and with a more accessible basket. It does look like though, that my main bugbear, the plastic panel in the hood, has been fixed on the Sola². There is now a window to check on your baby but this is covered with a flap when you aren’t looking through it. The new version Sola also has suspension which ours doesn’t, although I haven’t found this to be a problem as yet. However, it looks like the method to collapse the wheels is still exactly the same and if it is as stiff and sticky as ours then it would definitely make think twice before buying another Sola.

So now I’m on the lookout for a stroller – Toby has got a new car seat as he outgrew the old one so we don’t have that benefit of the travel system any more. The Sola is fine if we are just walking somewhere from home because I can keep it up in the garage so I would like something a lot more lightweight and compact to use when we are out and about in the car. I’ve got my eye on the Cosatto Supa but I would welcome any other suggestions.

**Disclosure: We were not compensated for this review in any way.