#AD – This post is in collaboration with Zapf Creation.
Growing up, both my daughters have absolutely loved playing with dolls, and as a parent, there is really nothing cuter than watching your own little ones interact and nurture their very own baby, replicating your behaviours and acting just like Mum. It’s adorable. Neve loves nothing more than giving her baby a cuddle, taking her for walks and tucking her into bed at night. Quite often I will get back from work and find a doll that Neve has randomly tucked in somewhere strange, a makeshift blanket covering her so she doesn’t get cold. It is very very cute.
One doll in particular has been a huge hit with them both. Baby Annabell is a super lifelike adorable newborn baby and with a whole host of outfits and accessories to encourage creative nurturing play, there really is hours of fun to be had.
Thanks to the team at Zapf Creation we have some adorable Baby Annabell prizes to giveaway. If you already have a Baby Annabell at home, or are planning on treating your child to a doll this Christmas, why not enter for your chance to win these fab accessories for under the tree too?
Baby Annabell Travel Cocoon Carrier
The Baby Annabel Travel Cocoon Carrier is a great way for children to take their doll with them where ever they go. This lightweight baby carrier (just like Mum’s and Dad’s) has a pretty pink design and is super easy to put on. It can be adjusted to fit a child of any size, with rucksack style straps and a cushioned velcro strap for around the waist.
Neve absolutely loved being able to carry her doll around with her when we went for a walk, with her occasionally holding on to her hands or kissing her on the head to make sure she was ok! The Baby Annabell Travel Cocoon Carrier can also be worn on the back like a rucksack if preferred.
The Baby Annabell Travel Cocoon Carrier retails at £16.99 and is available to buy from The Entertainer here. (affiliate)
Baby Annabell Outfit
With the winter months coming, Baby Annabell may need something a little more cosy to see her through the Winter months. Gone are the lightweight dresses and babygrows, and bring on this super cute trouser and hoody set (suitable for 43cm dolls).
This adorable little set (pictured on the left below) comes on it’s very own plastic hanger allowing your little ones to hang them back up when not being used.
Fancy winning a set for yourself? We have one Baby Annabell Travel Cocoon Carrier and outfit to give away to one lucky reader! Doll not included. To enter use the gleam app below. UK Entrants only. Giveaway opens 18th September 2019 and closes 13th October 2019. Our standard giveaway terms and conditions apply. GOOD LUCK!
*This is a collaborative post. We were gifted the items featured in exchange for hosting this giveaway. As always all thoughts and opinions are my own*
#AD – This post is in collaboration with The Baby Hamper Company
When I had my first daughter, I was so unbelievably grateful for the kind words, cards and gifts I received from my friends and family. I felt incredibly lucky to have their support and reassurance, and with the huge variety of gifts and items we received, it felt like we had a really great starting point from which to welcome our new baby into the world.
When it comes to buying new baby gifts, or even gifts for baby shower or new Mum, it can be hard to know where to start. If only someone could help you select a perfect little bundle of gifts and package them up beautifully without any of the stress? Well The Baby Hamper Company most certainly can!!
We’ve teamed up with The Baby Hamper Companyto giveaway a hamper of your choice from the selection below *worth £40*, meaning you can concentrate on the important part – celebrating their arrival and giving lots of baby cuddles!
Baby Girls / Boys Hamper Large
The Baby Hamper Company large gift hampers include items that have been personally selected to put a smile on any new parents’ faces! Carefully gift wrapped with love and care, with beautiful finishing touches, these hampers are a delight to give and receive.
The large hampers come in two varieties – boys and girls with slight variations on colour scheme.
The Large Baby Boy and Large Baby Girls hampers include:
Crochet Octopus – this adorable little octopus has been hand crocheted and comes in a pink striped design in the Girls Hamper or a green striped design in the Boys Hamper. With a tactile and comforting texture perfect for little hands to play with, this is the and a ideal addition to any nursery. His tentacles also offer a sensation similar to that of the umbilical cord before birth, providing a familiar sensation for newborns.
Aden & Anais muslin square – As most Mums will tell you, you can NEVER have too many muslin squares when you have a newborn! This larger size ‘Musy’ muslin square from designer brand Aden & Anais has multiple uses, being used as a burp cloth, summer blanket, comforter and cot sheet to name but a few.
Sleepsuit in white and grey star print – The Baby Hamper Company have an exclusive range of printed sleepsuits that can be used for daytime wear as well as night. Made from 100% cotton (which helps regulate baby’s temperature) this sleepsuit with a printed with a classic grey design comes in size 0-3 months.
Knotted hat in white and grey star print – The ideal accompaniment to the sleepsuit above, this matching knotted hat will help keep little heads warm and comes in age 0-6 months.
Bodysuit – a short sleeved vest in baby pink, hand printed with a unique ‘Hello World’ design (girls hamper) or a “Boy oh Boy” print (boys hamper) . This 0-3 months vest makes a great base layer for those cute baby outfits.
Mother & Baby Gift Hamper
As lovely as it is to treat the new additions, sometimes it is nice to treat the new Mum to something special too. After the emotional and physical roller coaster that is childbirth, a little gift to say well done and help them recuperate and recover whilst coping with sleep deprivation and cluster feeding can be VERY well received.
The Baby Hamper Company have this covered too! There Mother & Baby Gift Hamper includes:
For Baby:
Skip Hop Cloud Rattle – A funky handheld baby rattle and teether toy from popular kids brand Skip Hop, this will help occupy little hands in the pushchair or crib, whilst also offering some comfort for their gums when those teeth try and make an appearance!
Grey and White Stripe Romper suit – a super soft cotton romper suit, perfect for day or night time wear in size 0-3 months.
White Muslin – a plain white cotton muslin cloth, a new baby essential for keeping clothes clean during feeding.
For Mum:
‘And Relax’ candle tin – This soothing aromatherapy scented candle is perfect for a bit of relaxing ‘mummy time’ when the little one goes for their nap. With relaxing scents helping to induce calm and relaxation, this is self care in a tin!
Cocoba truffles – Looking after a baby can work up quite the appetite, and as an indulgent treat, these 6 handmade white chocolate truffles with a raspberry and Champagne cream filling are the perfect reward! Hands of Daddy- these ones are for Mummys only!
Organic Monkey Better Belly oil – This Better Belly oil is suitable for use on both Mum and baby and can helps with stretch marks and sooth upset tummies.
#AD – Samples sent for review – contains affiliate links*
Erin has always been a huge fans of surprise reveal toys, and now 2 and a half, Neve is following closely in her footsteps. Both are big fans of BABY born dolls and creative play, so we were very excited to learn about the NEW BABY born Surprise toy from Zapf Creation that has hit the shelves this Easter after a successful launch in the US.
Aimed at children aged 3 and above BABY born Surprise is set to be the new craze and combines collecting, unboxing and surprise toys in one. BABY born Surprise comprises of cute baby characters dressed in swaddles, with over 10 surprises to discover with each one. Just like unwrapping a present, children will love unboxing and unwrapping their baby to reveal their adorable features hiding below!
We were lucky enough to get our hands on some BABY born Surprises prior to the release so the girls could put them through their paces. Here’s our verdict!
The BABY born Surprise is much smaller than a traditional doll but larger than other surprise reveal toys on the market, about the size of a large mango when removed from the plastic casing (they may require an adult’s assistance with this bit).
The first ‘reveal’ is to unfold the outer layer of the package by untying the ribbon bow and opening out the wrapping to reveal the baby lying inside. The first layer is a large BABY born sheet which can helpfully be reused as a blanket for other larger dolls or simply to wrap the characters back up again should the girls wish.
There are 12 different BABY born Surprise characters to collect, and each baby character is bundled up in an adorable snuggly swaddle which is made from super soft fleece materials. The designs vary from an ice cream cone to a unicorn, and there are a couple of mermaids designs thrown into the mix too! If your children are anything like mine, the unicorn and mermaid varieties are going to be extremely popular and definitely make the wish list!
When you open up the outer wrapping, you will reveal a small blind bag and your character lying fast asleep in their swaddle, in our case, we revealed a peas in the pod type design which was very cute. The swaddle is easily opened and closed with a velcro fastening, meaning even younger children can pop the baby in and out of her swaddle easily without assistance. The BABY born Surprise baby initially has it’s eyes closed and in order to revel the eye colour you need to use water in order to ‘wake’ the baby.
The eye colour reveal is a one time only activity, and we found that using a baby wipe worked quite well or alternatively you can dip some tissue in water. There is a make up like layer over the baby’s eyes (almost like a paint / foundation type substance), which was easy even for small hands to remove. As you wipe the outer layer away, your babies eyes, and their eye colour are revealed below (looks like we missed a teeny bit on our baby below!).
Once you have revealed the eye colour, unwrap the swaddle to reveal their unique hair style. Again each BABY born Surprise has a variety of different hair styles ranging from a small tuft to a full head of adorable curly hair!
The next surprise is to find out the gender of your baby. Open up your surprise blind bag to reveal either a pink or blue bottle inside. We were lucky enough to get one of each!
Each BABY born Surprise doll has their very own colour change nappy, each with a unique design which appears when their nappy is wet. In order to reveal the design, you must first feed them water to make them pee. This involves sucking water into the bottle, popping the bottle in to the baby’s mouth and squeezing to empty the contents. I have to admit there was a bit of an art to this, and one of our babies pee’d pretty quickly whilst the other needed a bit of shaking and encouragement for the water to come out. If your child is impatient like mine, another option is to simply pop the baby into water, as the reveal happens much faster that way! 🙂
Each character has a birth certificate which comes with fun surprise games to play as they reveal each surprise, and helps children to learn more about their characters name, birthday, star sign and favourite food.
Overall the girls have really loved the BABY born Surprise dolls – Neve in fact so much that she has insisted on taking her baby upstairs to bed with her and have her lie down next to her bed in her little swaddle, and loves carrying them both around with her! The BABY born Surprise dolls are a great alternative to Easter eggs, and at pocket money prices are a great way of treating your child to a doll without having to invest a huge amount! That said, with 12 different characters to collect in series 1 and a collectors sheet, I can imagine the girls will want to try and collect them all.
BABY born Surprise dolls are available from Amazon, The Entertainer, Smyths Toy Stores, Argos and all good toy stores and retail at £11.99 each.
Pros of the BABY born Surprise dolls
Lots of stages to unwrapping and interacting with the baby
12 different babies to collect
Small sized doll / pocket money prices as opposed to larger more expensive dolls.
Fun interactive elements to ‘reveal’ and learn more about the baby – prolongs the play time and makes them a little bit different to other surprise toys on the market.
Cons of the BABY born Surprise dolls
From a parent’s perspective, the wee’ing part in order to change the colour of the nappy was a bit of a faff, and for us we found it easier to simply wet the nappy to reveal the pattern.
You can’t tell which one of the 12 characters from the outer packaging (as you would expect from a surprise reveal toy!) but as a result you may find you get a few duplicates which could be frustrating. That said, children may be able to swap with friends prior to doing the eye colour and opening the blind bag, as they will see in the very early stages of the reveal if they already have that particular doll.
Baby born Surprise Giveaway Bundle!
Fancy winning a bundle of 3 Baby born Surprise dolls for your children to unbox themselves? Which characters will they get?? Enter using the giveaway link below.
SNORING. If there is one thing that affects my relationship with Mike more than anything else it has to be sleep – more appropriately my lack of it. Not only does our youngest never sleep through the night, but Mike snores terribly, some nights successfully mastering all 5 types of bloody snoring – from the subtle steam train, to the log cutter, and the infamous shocked Daddy Pig. Trust me when I say, I’ve had to endure them all.
Whilst we have both taken active steps to getting that illusive good nights sleep, switching off our tech before bed, having time to relax and chasing the dream of a whole night in my nice cosy warm bed, his snoring disturbs me Every. Single. Time, leaving me tired and irritable, and of course – taking it out on him.
When we were offered the chance to review Moorezzzleep pillow, a pillow which claimed to help reduce snoring – I quite literally jumped at the chance – could a pillow actually save my sanity?
About the Moorezzzleep Pillow
The Moorezzzleep Pillow is a pillow with a difference and is suitable for every kind of sleeper, from your side sleeper, to your front sleeper, back sleeper or even your LOUD snorey sleeper.
The ideal solution for the front sleeper, the Moorezzzleep Pillow offers a unique and flexible curved shape, with a distinctive hollow area for arms which reduces symptoms of pins and needles and ‘dead arm’.
Around 8% of people sleep on their back, and it is often the worst position for snoring. The raised angle of the Moorezzzleep pillow also supports the head and neck when sleeping on your front, back or side, offering a more neutral position, elevating the head slightly to keep the airways open and help reduce snoring – ideal for anyone who suffers from sleep apnea.
The Moorezzzleep pillow is made here in Britain and comes with a 5 years manufacturer guarantee which is great for piece of mind as at £99 RRP it is quite an investment. That said, I don’t think you can put a price on a good nights sleep!
The Moorezzzleep pillow is made from a supersoft Vasco 50 memory foam interior and comes with a luxury 100% cotton percale pillow case. Additional cases are available at £19.99 each and are machine washable and tumble dryer safe.
Moorezzzleep pillows are available to purchase at Amazon here.
Our Experience of MooreZzzleep
We were sent a Moorezzzleep pillow for Mike, and I excitedly told him that it was on his way. Time to ditch his old faithful v pillow that he’s owned since life began, to swap it for a pillow with a difference. Our first impressions of the Moorezzzleep pillow was that the shape was a little ‘odd’ and not at all like other pillows we were used to. The revolutionary curve of the Moorezzzleep pillow is very unique, and it was clear to see that the hollow area under the curve was ideal if you wanted to lie on your front. We did wonder how comfortable it would be as the pillow is quite firm – if you are used to a very very soft pillow, this may take a little while to adjust to.
After a few “try outs” of the pillow lying in different positions (what a wonderful picture in your mind that will be!) we both thought that the space for the arms was genius, offering the ability to lie on your front and support your head without putting any pressure on your arms at all. It’s perfect for watching TV at the opposite end of the bed (which I definitely did a lot when Love Island was on!) and is far more comfortable than having to shift your weight around regularly to avoid pins and needles.
The first night we tried it I was hoping for a miracle cure (if only eh) and sadly I didn’t get one, however whilst Mike did still snore, the volume of his snoring was much shallower, and therefore I did sleep much better than I had in weeks, managing to sleep through his rumbles which to be honest is normally virtually impossible.
Mike said he slept well, found it comfortable and that he would be happy to continue using it. First hurdle overcome!
The second night was a vast improvement. We had been to my Dads for dinner and he had had a few drinks, which is pretty much a guarantee that he will be snoring, and snoring badly at that. Using the Moorezzzleep pillow I actually didn’t hear a peep! At one point during the night, I actually found myself waking at 3am and checking that he was actually breathing because he was so quiet. I kid you not! He was lying on his side, but you could see that his head was naturally tilted further back, presumably allowing him to breathe more freely.
We have now been using the Moorezzzleep pillow for just over a fortnight, and the results have been variable but overall very positive. Some nights there has been no snoring at all and others some snoring still but much lower volume, which is a vast improvement on what I had been experiencing previously. I have also noticed that on the occasions that I do hear him snoring, that it is my daughter who has woken me first and not Mike, so had I not been disturbed by her, I probably wouldn’t have noticed.
Mike’s positioning on the Moorezzzleep pillow seems to impact upon his snoring levels, so if I see that he has shifted a bit more on to his back, I can just give him a gentle nudge (aka ELBOW IN THE RIBS) and he moves back on to his side, at which point the snoring generally stops.
If you’ve tried other snoring aids and they haven’t worked for you, I would definitely recommend giving Moorezzzleep pillow a go. If all else fails, you have the perfect TV watching pillow, pillow for back massages or can simply keep it for yourself, however in my experience, it’s been just the ticket we needed. Now if Moorezzzleep can just have a quick chat with Neve and get her to stay the hell asleep everything would be perfect!
Fancy winning your own Moorezzzleep pillow worth £99??
We have a Moorezzzleep pillow to giveaway to one lucky reader worth £99! Please enter using the gleam app below. Our standard giveaway terms and conditions apply. UK entries only. Giveaway opens on the 7th August 2019 and closes 28th August 2019. GOOD LUCK!
What is it about kids and loving squishy things?? Any one else’s kids a little obsessed? Erin is a huge fan of toys that she can squash, squish & squeeze and would happily spend hours doing so as if she finds the process particularly therapeutic – perhaps a little stress release when she’s tired or has had a busy day at school.
There’s been a big increase of squeezy and squishy toys on the market in recent months, and it’s easy to see why they are so popular! They are soft and tactile, friendly and fun, and Squeezamals are no exception! With a few additional features making Squeezamals a little different from the rest, they have been a big hit with the girls!
In case you haven’t heard of them – here’s what you need to know about Squeezamals!
There are two different size Squeezamals available online and in store, both the large cuddly sized Squeezamal and the smaller handheld size.
Large Squeezamals
The Large Squeezamals are super squishy foam animals which are tactile, soft and cute squeezable characters that each have their very own tropical scent!
Made from super-squishy material, these 8″ Squeezamals can be squashed down and then bounce back to life, making them perfect for hugs and snuggles!
There are 4 different character types in Series 2 and children can aim to collect them all! The characters include Kira the Unicorn, Yasmin the Giraffe, Slader the Pug and Percy the Elephant (pictured below).
The Large Squeezamals retail at £16.99 (each sold separately)
Clip on Squeezamals
The clip on Squeezamals are super cute miniature versions, ideal for popping on a book bag, back pack, luggage or keyring! As with their larger relatives, they are still made from the super squishy slow rise material, but these ones have a little clip so you can take them with you where ever you go.
Squeezamals are a simple yet fun toy, and are a refreshing change from your traditional plush toys. They are soft and snuggy, great for cuddles and the larger Squeezamals make an ideal travel companion, becoming a cosy pillow for long car journeys too!
Want to win some Squeezamals of your own?
We have one large squezamal and one miniature clip on squeezamal to give away to one lucky reader! To enter simply use the gleam app below. UK entries only. Styles may vary, winner will be sent characters at random. Giveaway starts 20th May 2019 and ends 9th June 2019. Our standard giveaway terms and conditions apply.
Do you have some fans of Kidz Bop in your house? Erin is a MASSIVE fan of Kidz Bop, first discovering them on TV around 12 months ago and being pretty much obsessed with them ever since. If you haven’t heard of them, Kidz Bop are a group of children who sing and dance to popular contemporary songs and chart hits, but with their own dance routines and with lyrics that are far more family friendly (swear words and inappropriate language removed!). Kidz Bop have sold more than 215,000 albums to date.
Erin loves dancing along to their fun choreography and dance routines, and has been caught on many occasion practicing the steps in the kitchen after asking Alexa to “play songs by Kidz Bop Kids”.
Next year Kidz Bop are headlining their First ever Kidz Bop Live concert tour in the UK, including a stop at Birmingham’s Symphony Hall on 11th April 2020, and I am super excited to be taking Erin to her first ever concert as a Mum and daughterevening out.
With their latest album Kidz Bop 2020 being released on the 15th November, Kidz Bop fans will be overjoyed to learn that Kidz Bop are doing 8 live concert dates in 2020 as follows:
Tues April 7 – London Palladium
Weds April 8 – London Palladium
Fri April 10 – Liverpool Empire Theatre
Sat April 11 – Birmingham Symphony Hall
Mon April 13 – Glasgow SEC
Weds April 15 – Nottingham Royal Concert Hall
Thurs April 16 – Cardiff St David’s Hall
Fri April 17 – Manchester Bridgewater Hall
Kidz Bop Live Tickets are available to buy from www.cuffeandtaylor.com. There are also special VIP meet and greet tickets available should they wish to get up close and personal after the show with the stars of Kidz Bop – Ashton, Max, Mia and Twinkle.
If you want to take your kids to one of the most interactive family friendly concerts of 2020, why not treat them to tickets to see Kidz Bop Live and see them perform some of the biggest global hits live on stage. With awesome new set designs, fab costumes, exciting choreography and lots of cool surprises, there is even a chance for Dads to get up on stage and show off their best dance moves in a Daddy Dance Off!
I for one am super excited to tell Erin we are going to Kiz Bop Live in April, and I can be pretty confident the new album will be on repeat in her bedroom in preparation! 🙂
Hi, I’m Lucy, a thirty something mum of two from Birmingham. A memory maker, tradition keeper, stationery addict and Mr Men fanatic. HR Advisor by day and sleep deprived Mama by night!
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