Category: reviews

REVIEW: Bristol airport parking – is parking on-site better than off-site?!

Years ago, when booking airport parking I’d happily book the cheapest deal available – which meant parking miles away from Heathrow and Birmingham and getting bussed in, all adding quite a bit of time to our journey. The funniest off-site parking we did was when a friend booked us parking at a mushroom packing factory near Bristol airport – their minibus was running late so they dropped us off at the airport in a pick-up truck!!

For my recent child-free break to Marrakesh, I wanted everything to be as stress-free as possible, so wanted to park on-site at Bristol airport….

When I got there, it was pretty busy but I did find a space after a few minutes…. after that, what a bloomin’ treat – I could literally see the terminal and walk to it within minutes! (there’s even a bus if you’re at the far end/don’t want to walk)

 

Bristol airport
How close the terminal is to the car park!
Bristol airport car park
Lovely blossom tree overlooking the car park

Continue reading “REVIEW: Bristol airport parking – is parking on-site better than off-site?!”

REVIEW: Sensimar Medina Gardens hotel, Marrakech

On my 4 night break in Marrakesh, I stayed in the lovely Medina Gardens hotel…

Lobby, indoor public areas etc

It has a nice feel to it from arrival, the outside is full of plants and flowers and as you walk into the lobby you see beautiful Moroccan details like light fittings, tiles etc.

Moroccan light
Moroccan light

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REVIEW: Rockin’ Baby newborn pouch – and our first attempt at babywearing! 

Before S was born I knew I wanted to try babywearing with him as it’s something I didn’t really try with W. So I was delighted when the guys at Rockinbaby offered me a newborn pouch to try. We’d already tried out their fabulous clothes so I knew it was going to be good….
It arrives in a cute compact Continue reading “REVIEW: Rockin’ Baby newborn pouch – and our first attempt at babywearing! “

What to buy a 6 month old for Christmas? Gift ideas for baby’s first Christmas!

Baby S will turn 6 months old just before Christmas. You might think I’m mean, but I’m not going to spend much money on him… I’d rather keep it back for when he’s older!
He has all the clothes, toys and books he needs from his hand-me-downs from big brother W! For W’s first Christmas 2 years ago we bought him small toys like stacking cups, sensory balls and sensory books. So it means we’ve struggled to think of anything S really needs…

What to buy a 6 month old for Christmas

So far all we’ve bought S is:

Continue reading “What to buy a 6 month old for Christmas? Gift ideas for baby’s first Christmas!”

REVIEW: Childs Farm baby and toddler bath products (and our bedtime routine) 

I first tried Childs Farm when I bought some yummy-smelling bubble bath for toddler W, they smell lush and remind me of the discontinued Body Shop range for children (anyone else remember them?!)

childs farm products
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REVIEW: Moony Japanese Nappies for newborns 

Baby S has been trying out a range of nappies… Pampers, Tesco, Asda and Aldi’s…. I’d never heard of ‘Moony Japanese nappies’ til they got in touch to see if we wanted to try them….

First impressions were good – the packaging is awesome! So different to the way British nappies are packaged, it looked quirky to me but I guess this is normal packaging in Japan lol!

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REVIEW: Portmeirion gift sets for children (Peppa Pig and The Very Hungry Little Caterpillar) 

Portmeirion has always held a special place in my heart. It’s an Italian village in North Wales where I visited as a child and again 5 years ago with my other half when we decided to climb nearby Snowdon a few months after meeting!

Portmeirion is also famous for the crockery it produces, which I love. It reminds me of my childhood home, where the Portmeirion dinner set comes out at special occasions like Christmas. If me and the other half ever get married, a Portmeirion dinner set would be on the wedding list, until then I have one of their vases to keep me happy!

So imagine my delight when I discovered they now make sets for children too! We were sent a Portmeirion Peppa pig set and Portmeirion The Very Hungry little caterpillar set for our boys…

Continue reading “REVIEW: Portmeirion gift sets for children (Peppa Pig and The Very Hungry Little Caterpillar) “

Introducing the Silver Cross luxury sleepsuit (part of the ‘To the moon and back’ nursery range)

We’d fancied a Silver Cross pram before W was born, they’re a well-established, high quality British brand… But I never knew they made other products like bedding….

I was kindly sent a Silver Cross sleepsuit/sleeping bag for baby S from their new ‘to the moon and back’ range.

It will still be a good few weeks til baby S can use it as the minimum weight is 8lb 8oz and he’s probably about a pound away from that at the moment! I’ll do a proper review once he’s using it but I wanted to let you know about it sooner rather than later so you can check it out on the Silver Cross website.

It’s such a beautiful, luxurious sleeping bag, I can’t wait to try it out…

As per the name of the range, the design features a moon and lots of stars… Lovely neutral colours which would suit any nursery and any girl or boy!


The fabric feels fantastic and tactile… It’s quilted cotton with jersey lining on the inside, making our babies even more cuddly than usual 🙂

silver cross sleepsuit
silver cross sleepsuit

The rest of the Moon and back range includes: 

  • Luxury musical cot mobile
  • Luxury cot bed quilt
  • Luxury coverlet 
  • Luxury changing mattress
  • Luxury padded bumper
  • Co-ordinating tie backs

It’s worth checking out, especially if you’re getting a nursery ready for a baby or looking for nice gifts… Like I said, very neutral and gender-neutral and perfect for little dreamers!

If the quality of the sleepsuit is anything to go by, I’m sure the rest of the range is just as high quality! I’ll be back to do a full review (will be interesting to see how it comes out after a wash!) in a few weeks so enjoy browsing until then!

Disclosure: I was sent this sleeping bag in exchange for a review but as always opinions are my own!

Linked up to Tried and Tested and #KCACOLS

REVIEW: toTs by SmarTrike Chic Blue Mélange changing bag 

You might have noticed our lovely new changing bag in my hospital bag post… We used it for baby S’s first clothes, nappies etc in hospital…. 

tots by smarTrike melange changing bag
tots by smarTrike melange changing bag

Now we’ve finally had our first outing as a family of four (only to our local shopping outlet!) we got to try it out properly

Is this the best changing bag ever?!

I absolutely love this changing bag for so many reasons:

  • It’s like a tardis – doesn’t look overly big from the outside but it’s really roomy on the inside!

  • It has separate sections and bags on the inside which is great for finding specific stuff, avoiding leakage/contamination etc! That includes a nappy bag, bottle insulator, strap for keys… 

  • It has 4 strap options – the small handle on top, pram straps, shoulder strap for carrying/hanging on pram and the very handy rucksack option!
  • I love the design and choice of plain/neutral colours… I don’t think it’s overly feminine which is handy for when daddy is using it!
  • Great price… RRP is £64.99 but they’re currently on sale at Smyths Toys for £48.99 – I think this is fantastically competitive compared to other changing bags on the market 
  • Despite the low price, it feels like a really high quality product – feels well-made and long-lasting all over including little bits of detail like the zippers 
details on the tots by smartrike changing bag
details on the tots by smartrike changing bag

Is this the most spacious changing bag ever?!

For our first outing we managed to fit into the bag our usual kit:

will it all fit into the Tots changing bag?!
will it all fit into the Tots changing bag?!
  • Spare outfit for Toddler W
  • Spare outfit for baby S 
  • 3 nappies for W
  • 5 nappies for S
  • 2 x Muslin sheets
  • Bottle for baby S
  • Bottle of water and snack pack for W
  • Pack of baby wipes
  • Some of W’s toy cars 
  • My wallet and keys!

bags of room in the Tots bag!
bags of room in the Tots bag!

It all fitted in with plenty of space which is brilliant! If I’ve only got one of the boys with me, there should be plenty of space to use for some bits of shopping etc 😀
our Tots by SmarTrike bag ready to go!
our Tots by SmarTrike bag ready to go!
 

I’ve only got a very small Next bag to compare it to, but this Tots by SmarTrike bag smashes that one out of the park! I can’t think of anything negative to say about this toTs by SmarTrike bag although I don’t have any other premium ones to compare it to. It smashes my cheap, little Next one out of the park! What do you guys think of it? 

Disclaimer: I was given this bag in exchange for a review, but as always all opinions are my own!

Linked up to Tried and Tested and #KCACOLS