Erin is a massive Despicable Me fan, and as such, I am secretly excited about the arrival of Despicable Me 3 in cinemas, and can’t wait to take her along to the cinema to see it. As well as the beloved Minions themselves, Erin is a big fan of Fluffy, Agnes’ unicorn friend.
I was recently asked if we’d be interested in trying out one of the inflatable remote control characters from Bladez Toys, and when I saw there was an Remote Control Inflatable Fluffy, I didn’t have to think twice!
About the Product
The Remote Control Inflatable Fluffy is a super cute inflatable 3D Fluffy character with wheels on the base on the underside, suitable for ages 3 and above. Simply inflate to play!
Using the simple remote control keypad provided, children can easily move Fluffy forwards and rotate her 360 degrees, both indoors and out.
Fluffy requires 6 AA batteries – 4 in base unit and 2 in the controller (not included), and comes complete with puncture repair sticker in case of accidents!
There are other Minion characters in the Despicable Me range including Tom and Mel, and they retail at £24.99.
Our Experience
Erin recognised Fluffy as soon as she saw the box and was super excited to get her out to play with. There are instructions included but to be honest it is pretty self explanatory to set up. You simply inflate as you would any inflatable, and use a screwdriver to open up the base section and add the batteries in. The base of fluffy needs four AA batteries, and the remote control needs 2. As my partners an electrician, we always have a little screwdriver around, so it didn’t take me long at all to get Fluffy set up and have it ready to go.
Fluffy was smaller than I expected from the box, but I was actually quite relived by that. I was a bit worried Fluffy would dominate our living room, but it is actually much more of a manageable size than I expected, at around 34cm in height when inflated.
The controller is very easy to use, with just the two buttons – a forwards button and a 360 button, enabling Fluffy to do full circle turns. I do wish there was the ability to move Fluffy backwards as well as forwards, as the 360 turn can be a little bit trickier when you get stuck in a corner. As a result, Erin spent a lot of the time sending poor Fluffy going round and round in circles, but this didn’t seem to bother her – she still found it hilarious!!! 🙂 Poor Fluffy!
There is a power saver mode on Fluffy which means she turns off if it isn’t played with for a few minutes, which is great as there are obviously quite a few batteries inside, and therefore I wouldn’t want them to wear out too quickly! To get her moving again, you simply need to hold down the forward button for a few seconds before she springs back to life.
We played with Fluffy both indoors on carpet and outdoors on our patio, and it worked well on both, although occasionally she did get stuck on the odd uneven surface. Erin had lots of fun, particularly when someone else had the controller and sent Fluffy running towards her! I love the idea of a group of friends or siblings having a Minions dance off, or having little races or challenges together!!
Overall, the Inflatable Jumbo Fluffy is not a low value product at £24.99 however I think it would definitely go down a treat with any Minions fan! Neve on the other hand? At 10 months old she is absolutely terrified. The poor thing is wondering why some other life form has started approaching her in the lounge! Probably one to get out whilst she is napping to avoid the tears! 🙂
You can learn more about the Minions range of the Bladez Toys website. The Bladez Toys inflatable remote control range are available to buy at The Entertainer. Entertainer stores across the country will be demonstrating the range THIS Saturday (8th July) in store should you wish to see them in action!! 🙂
*Disclosure – We were sent a R/C Inflatable Fluffy free of charge for the purpose of this review, however all thoughts and opinions are my own.*
I always love reading about new pushchair launches, and often flick through magazines looking at pushchairs in admiration in the same way that Mike does when flicking through the brochures from his favourite car manufacturer! Yes it’s a bit weird, but there are some truly beautiful pushchairs out there, and I am always amazed at what they come up with next in terms of style and portability.
When I was given the opportunity to carry out a Quinny Zapp Flex Plus review I think I actually let out a little squeal. I had seen them online and thought how gorgeous they were. I couldn’t wait to put it to the test with Neve.
About the Quinny Zapp Flex Plus
Quinny Zapp Flex Plus – Key Features:
Suitable from 6 months to approx 3.5 years (15kg)
Combine with either the Quinny Lux Carrycot, Quinny From-Birth Cocoon or a Maxi-Cosi Pebble Plus car seat for a from birth solution (all sold separately)
Seat unit can face both ways and reclines fully in both directions
3 recline positions (2 rearward facing and 3 forward facing)
Highly compact 3D folding mechanism
Highly manoeuvrable
3 compact sized wheels with a swivel front wheel
Easy to access shopping basket
Compact fold
Includes sun canopy, raincover, Maxi-Cosi car seat adapters and shopping basket
The Quinny Zapp Flex Plus is available in 12 different colours – TWELVE! I challenge anyone to make that decision quickly. Quinny even offer the ability to fully customise your own – choosing the frame, canopy and seat colours from a range of options. My favourite colour options were the Frost on Grey (pictured) and the Graphite on Blush.
Where to buy the Quinny Zapp Flex Plus?
The Quinny Zapp Flex Plus retails at around £335. See below for the latest Quinny Zapp Flex Plus offers:
The pushchair arrived in a fairly compact box, and where as I would normally divert the task of assembly straight to my DIY savvy partner, I decided to give this a go myself. I am so glad that I did! It was really really straightforward, and I got to see the slightly put out yet pleasantly surprised smirk on his face when he arrived home! 🙂
The box comes with only a few items to put together, and includes Maxi Cosi adapters if required. This allows a Maxi Cosi car seat to be attached to the chasis so that the pushchair can be used from birth. Without this, the pushchair is suitable from 6 months.
Assembly basically involved slotting the wheels into place on the chasis (super easy), and folding open the chasis, before attaching the shopping basket to the bottom fitting some simple elasticated loops to hooks. The whole process took no more than 10 minutes and then the pushchair was ready to go.
The instructions were fairly easy to follow, although I did personally find it easier to watch the quick YouTube video to see how the pushchair folding mechanism worked. The process is labelled on the chasis itself with numbers so once you become familiar with the process, it is relatively straight forward.
First Impressions
My first impressions were really positive! 🙂 I loved the colour – frost on grey, and the silvery aluminium coloured frame. The lightweight nature was immediately obvious and whilst the wheels were big and chunky, the pushchair was extremely easy to steer one handed. There is no bumper bar, however at the age of 9 months, Neve doesn’t really need one – you can purchase one as a separate accessory if you wish.
Our Quinny Zapp Flex Plus Review
So far I have taken Neve out and about on a number of trips with the Quinny Zapp Flex Plus, both walking to our local park and out in the car to one of our local National Trust gardens. This put the pushchair to the test on a number of different ground surfaces, as well as putting the folding mechanism into action getting it in and out of my car.
First things first, the Quinny Zapp Flex Plus is super lightweight and easy to manoeuvre. I was able to steer one handed whilst still holding my eldest daughter’s hand, a real positive for those with more than one child. I am 5ft 5, and the height of the handlebar is perfect for me. It isn’t adjustable but didn’t feel too high or too low, so I would imagine this would be ideal for the majority of parents.
The wheels are big and chunky, and the benefit of this was very noticeable when pushing over grass and pebbles. We have a pebble drive, and sometimes I am lucky enough to get a pushchair to move at all on such an uneven surface, whereas these wheels made it feel at least somewhat manageable!
With the weather being lovely during the weeks of our Quinny Zapp Flex plus review, the extended sun canopy was a real positive, without needing a separate parasol to keep the sun out of Neve’s eyes. The sun canopy was already attached to the frame and simply pulls open, with a zip to increase the amount of cover provided. The fabric of the canopy is very lightweight yet still has an SPF benefit of UV50+. as well as shielding from any wind. The thin fabric however did make me feel slightly uncomfortable hooking my changing bag over the handlebar for fear of damaging it.
Quinny Zapp Recline settings
There are 3 different recline settings on the Quinny Zapp Flex Plus, including an almost lie flat setting for sleeping. It is extremely easy to switch between them using the press button on the handlebar, and I was able to move between recline settings without waking Neve (i.e. once she had nodded off I could easily lower the seat to lying mode)
The seat can be turned around if you prefer to have parent facing, however with Neve being almost 9 months, she prefers to be able to see where we are going (I guess she’s seen enough of my face by now!).
Neve is happy and comfortable in the seat. Being very lightweight fabric, there is minimal visible padding to it, with only the base of the seat having additional cushioning. At first I wasn’t sure if this was going to be as cozy as she was used to, but she seems very content and comfortable in the seat.
Shopping Basket
The Shopping basket is attached by small elastic loops and is of a matching colour to the seat. Although made from lightweight fabric, the basket is pretty strong, being able to take a reasonable amount of weight. That said, for me, the storage basket is on the small side, and for me one of this pushchairs few negatives. It is not big enough for my changing bag (although most seldom are!) and I don’t think therefore I would be able to use this for a quick stroll to the supermarket, without needing to carry the majority of my purchases by hand. Again Quinny however do appear to have thought of everything, as the Quinny Xtra Shopping bag is available to purchase as an optional accessory. It doesn’t look as stylish with the additional basket attached, but does mean you could clip it on if you knew you needed some addition space for a particular trip.
The Break
The break on the Quinny Zapp Flex Plus is a little different to what I am used to, in that instead of having one foot operated break system, it has two- using two distinct break buttons on the left and right wheels. The red, right wheel is pressed to trigger the break, and it is then released by pressing the grey button on the left. It took me a little while to get used to this, and at first I got a bit muddled as to which one I was supposed to be pressing, tapping on the grey one and wondering why nothing was happening. Eventually this sunk in, although I would probably prefer one button for both if the truth be known. That said, it does the job well, and holds the pushchair firmly in place when engaged.
The Straps
At first I found the straps a bit fiddly as I couldn’t get them to pull as tight as I would have liked. The five point harness easily clips into place, and features rubber shoulder supports which keeps them neatly in place. As your child grows, you can move the harness up and down, setting it at one of three different heights. The YouTube video implied it was very easy to simply pop the straps through the slits in the fabric – it wasn’t quite so straight forward in my experience, but this may just be whilst the fabric is new. It took me a while to move them, but once I got them to a position I was happy, with they are secure and easy to apply.
Raincover
The rain cover comes included with the pushchair and as with the rest of the design is extremely lightweight. The cover is VERY easy to apply, taking literally seconds to pop over the top and pull into place. I love the contrasting colour, and the access zip so you can say hello, check if they’re awake or more commonly in my case, pass them a wotsit. Neve is renowened for trying to pull off raincovers (not normally liking being covered up), but with no obvious edges to grab or bother her, Neve simply drifted off to sleep instead!
Unlike some rain covers I have used, this one folds up extremely small which means even with the small shopping basket there is still space for other things.
Compact Fold Quinny Zapp Flex Plus
One huge positive of the Quinny Zapp Flex Plus is the folding mechanism, making the pushchair a compact and portable product. It really is impressive, looking a little like a large scuttlebug when folded down.
The up and down setting involves 3 distinct movements, which once mastered can be done very quickly and easily, and are labelled on the chasis itself incase you forget.
The steps for putting the pushchair down (pictured above) are:
Pressing the button and flicking the switch on the handle, fold down the seat forwards (it hinges downwards).
Slide the release locks and fold down the handlebar.
Press the number 1 button and apply pressure – this causes the chasis to fold in upon itself.
Unlike some pushchairs, the folding can be done with the seat still attached, as it hinges in the centre and folds in on itself. This is a real positive for ensuring more room in your car. The Quinny Zapp Flex Plus fits easily into the boot of my Golf with plenty of room to spare.
Pros:
Super lightweight and very easy to manoeuvre even one handed (great for when you have a toddler in tow!)
Looks super stylish
Large sun canopy which zips open for further coverage.
Available in a wide range of colours with contrasting elements
Raincover folds up incredibly small and is very easy to fit in literally seconds (no faffing around in the rain!
Small size when folded.
Innovative folding mechanism which is quick and easy to operate.
Cons:
Basket is smaller than I would like, as I do a lot of walking and completing errands with the pushchair in tow!
Moving straps up and down was a little on the challenging side, however once done, I did not need to move them regularly.
As it is so light, having a heavy changing bag hanging off back made it a little unsteady, I was worried that the lightweight fabric may also tear, so preferred to carry my bag instead.
You can learn more about the Quinny Zapp Flex Plus and check out all the different colour options (Swoon!) on the Quinny Website.
For advice on choosing the right pushchair for you – we found this Independent article helpful.
*Disclosure – We were sent this pushchair free of charge for the purpose of this Quinny Zapp Flex Plus review, however all thoughts and opinions are our own*.
Now that the spring and summer seasons are on their way, we love nothing more than being outside and getting some fresh air. Erin LOVES to play and having nearly finished our garden renovation project that spanned most of the last 12 months, we finally have a space for her to play outside and bring her imagination to life. Having seen Erin play with the Cozy Coupe at her local playgroup, I was excited to be given the opportunity for her to take one for a test drive! 🙂
What is the Cozy Coupe?
The classic Cozy Coupe Princess Edition car features colours and styling specially designed to please every little princess. Complete with a working horn, a contained storage area perfect for toy travellers and an updated pretty look, your child will be ruling the road in style.
Key Features include:
Removable floor and handle on back for parent-controlled push rides
Specially designed colours and features to please every little princess! 🙂
Designed with a high seat back and storage in the rear
Special features like an “ignition switch”, real working horn and an open-and-close gas cap
Cozy rolls on rugged, durable tyres
Front wheels spin 360º allowing for multi-directional movement
Trailer and accessories sold separately.
Adult assembly required.
What are is the Cozy Coupe Princess Edition suitable for?
The Cozy Coupe is advertised as suitable from 18 months to 5 years.
How much does the Cozy Coupe Princess Edition cost?
The RRP of the Little Tikes Cozy Couple Princess Edition is £59.99. You can check the latest price here.
Little Tikes’ latest Cozy Coupe innovation has scooped a total of four industry awards in the past year, including Best Outdoor Toy at Toy Fair’s Best New Toy Awards. With over 10 variations to choose from, the Cozy Coupe is now the biggest selling toy car in the UK. It remains as iconic in the garden as ever with 1-in- 4 kids now driving a Cozy Coupe. Now in their 37th year of production, there is literally a Cozy Coupe to suit every child’s personality!
Our Experience of the Cozy Coupe
Erin was super excited when the delivery arrived, as a photo of the product was visible on the box’s exterior. She was very keen, and wanted Mummy to build it right away! This was perhaps our biggest stumbling block, as Mummy is not much a dab hand when it comes to “flat pack” furniture! The Cozy Coupe did require adult assembly, including a screwdriver and hammer. As this would have required a visit to the “man cave” shed, I decided to wait until Daddy got home, and had to find something to entice Erin from sitting amongst the larger parts of the product until he arrived! 🙂
Does the Cozy Coupe Princess Edition require assembly?
There are quite a few parts to assembly, and therefore the process took around 30-40 minutes in total – although he did stop for a dough ball or two whilst working! 🙂 If you are buying this as a present for birthdays or Christmas, I would therefore suggest you don’t leave this to the night before, particularly if you want to a relaxing evening before the carnage begins! 🙂
As soon as Erin woke up from a nap and realised that Daddy (her now hero) had assembled her new car, she couldn’t wait to get in. As Erin is nearly 3, we had assembled without the floor plate, as this was not required. Younger children could use this so that they are fully contained within the car when the parent pushes them along.
Erin didn’t need any guidance, and was quickly scooting herself all around the patio, turning the key in the ignition and beeping her horn. We love the finishing touches including the sticker Princess number plate, internal dashboards and the opening and closing fuel cap.
What I love most of all about the Cozy Coupe is how it brings Erin’s imagination to life. Having watched her play on numerous occasions now, I have observed her drive to the shops, park in the “mum and baby spaces” (I must mention those a lot!) and say “we’re here!!!!”. She then gets out, goes for a quick walk and then returns to her car to go home.
She enjoys popping things into the back of the car in the storage section, whether it be her “big girl drink” or most recently some pegs of the washing line and then driving them to her destination. She even drove up to me the other day and stated she was Policeman Erin who had come to take away a monster that had got into our house. I have no idea where she gets the inspiration but I love watching her little mind work! 🙂
Occasionally we do get a “push me” plea, usually if she wants to go a little bit faster, and sometimes she tries to climb out without opening the door, to which I have to say no, but overall its been hours of fun playing in the garden, and I think she feels like quite the grown up to have her very own car.
Her biggest concern was the car being left out in the rain, so she asked Daddy to put “her” in the shed until morning. She double checked this information two or three times (god forbid her interior gets wet!!) ;). I should add here, it is perfectly fine to get left outside, although I guess under cover is best to protect from sun damage or prevent stickers from peeling off.
Pros of the Cozy Coupe
Spans a number of age groups, using the base plate and pushing with younger children, through to the self guided and feet control approach with older toddlers.
A number of “personalities” available to suit different genders and themes.
Attention to detail – little touches such as the petrol cap, key ignition and stickers.
Easy to navigate for the child and lightweight enough to be moved by the parent without pulling a muscle!
In addition, the Cozy Coupe is great for encouraging imagination and role play – kids will love being just like mum and dad in their very own car.
Cons of the Cozy Coupe
It can take a little while to put together – so don’t leave it until the last minute!
With only one side having a door, Erin sometimes tried to climb in and out of the other window, which is not recommended as could cause the car to tip. Some children I’m sure wouldn’t even try, but Erin being Erin, she always likes to be unorthodox! 🙂
Finally, at at RRP of £54.99 it is not a budget item, however, it is well made, sturdy yet lightweight and in my opinion is made to last, and therefore a long term investment. Occasionally the Cozy Coupes are also on offer more around the £40 mark, so worth snapping up when they are on promotion.
#AD – Little Tikes 4 in 1 Sports Edition Trike gifted for review
We recently read about Little Tikes initiative with Olympian Greg Rutherford, encouraging families to enjoy the great outdoors! We were interested to read their tips on how to get active, and how the Little Tikes 4 in 1 Sports Edition Trike can make this easier for the whole family!
Some of their tips included:
Going out as a family – You can walk and talk at the same time and enjoy exercising and spending time together. This is a great idea for meeting up with other family members as well as friends.
Watch your steps – It’s recommended you walk 10,000 steps every day. Use an app or a pedometer to measure how any steps you do. Going out with your child in a Trike, you will probably find you are surprised by just how many steps you’ve taken!
Look up – It may sound obvious but it’s important to take stock of your surroundings, feel inspired the nature all around you.
Walk tall – Walking is a great gentle exercise and if you walk tall and pull your tummy you can help improve your posture too.
Change it up – Don’t do the same route all the time, you will lose motivation and give up. Go to the park, walk around the block or in town. Check out walks from other parents on the Little Tikes’ interactive map and on Twitter and Instagram with #toptriketrails.
We got ourselves out and about road testing the Little Tikes 4 in 1 Sports Edition Trike, and our full verdict is below.
About the Little Tikes 4 in 1 Sports Edition Trike
The sporty and cool styling of Little Tikes 4-in-1 Sports Edition Trike is suitable from age 9+ months and is perfectly suited to any budding sports stars. Great for babies and beginner riders, these funky pink, blue and red trikes are designed to grow as a child’s skills develop. We road tested the Little Tikes 4 in 1 Sports Edition Trike in pink – which is actually more of a purple shade. Retailing at £99.99, the Little Tikes Sports Edition Trike is a fun trike that grows with your child, through four learning stages.
The Little Tikes 4 in 1 Sports Edition Trike is suitable from 9 – 36 months and features:
A secure 5-point seat belt harness
A break peddle to lock the trike wheels in place
A protective sun canopy with fully flexible handle allowing canopy to be fully manoeuvred to shield your child from the sun.
A large multi-purpose storage bag at parent accessible height.
A back open topped storage tray at floor height
A convenient drinks / bottle holder
The four learning stages are as follows:
Guided (9+ months) – where parents can push and control. Infant foot rest is down and safety harness in place, so child is unable to turn the wheel and enjoy the feeling of being on the move;
Learning (12+ months) where the infant foot rest is up and the safety harness is in place. The child is unable to turn the wheel, but can learn to pedal, strengthening legs and learning about speed control;
Developing (18+months) where it is both child and parent powered. The waist bar is removed so the child can pedal and turn the wheel, whilst parent also has steering control – to help avoid any veering of course as little one learns.; and finally
Independent (30+ months) where the child full control as the guided handle is removed – allowing them the chance to travel and discover at their will.
How easy is the Little Tikes 4 in 1 to assemble?
The Little Tikes 4 in 1 Sports Edition Trike comes packaged compactly in a large box with all the pieces ready for self-assembly.
On opening the box the sight of all the pieces can be a little bit daunting, particularly if you aren’t a fab of flat packed furniture, and the instructions on multiple pieces of paper made it a little complicated at first glance. For that reason, I wouldn’t have even attempted it myself, and asked my other half to take on the job! He did comment that he might need a degree in astro physics, but that said, the instructions were relatively straightforward to follow although could have benefited from some larger diagrams for those that find it easier to follow visual guidelines.
There are quite a few fiddly bits, such as the wheel assembly, but overall the process took around 30 minutes. Definitely one to assemble earlier than Christmas Eve if buying for a Christmas if you want to keep your stress levels down!!
First impressions
Once set up, the first impressions of the Little Tikes 4 in 1 Sports Edition Trike are great. The design of the Trike is really fun and appealing for a young child, with the purple/pink colour being bright and inviting. Having used other trikes before, this one does appear to be a little more sturdy, as the poles and wheels appear thicker and wider. That said, this does make the overall weight of the trike seem heavier, but the product feels safe and secure for the littles ones which is the most important thing!
The trike comes with two different storage areas, a good sized zipped pouch on the handle with plenty of room for wipes, a drink, change of clothes for child etc, and a large open style tray on the lower section of the trike, offering plenty of room for bits and pieces to take out with you. There is a cup holder on the handle bar giving the child or parent easy access to some juice or water for the journey.
The seat is padded and provides comfort for the back and base, and the harness fastens securely in a similar way to a car seat, with the ability to tighten to your required amount. (Erin is quite petite for her age so this was particularly important for me – I would have personally preferred to be able to have made this a bit tighter, and on first use this wasn’t immediately obvious. This may not be such of an issue with children who aren’t so petite.)
Our Experience
We took Erin out on the Little Tikes 4 in 1 Sports Edition Trike to various locations including visiting our local park. Being familiar with other trikes, Erin was very comfortable in the trike and adjusted to a new product really well. She very much enjoys being low to the ground and being able to see everything in front of her – the vantage point is clearly quite different to bring in the pushchair. She likes to be able to point at dogs and children and flowers as they go past! (or we pass them!). I also think she secretly likes the “lady muck” mentality of mummy pushing her around!
As Erin is 2 years old, I had set the trike up in Stage 3 set up of the trike. I as the parent was able to retain full control of the direction in which the Trike was travelling, using the easy steering handle to gently manoeuvre the trike around corners, she also however had access to the handles which turned the wheels, so I was able to let her control the approach until I felt she was going slightly off kilter, and then I could bring her back on track. Because Erin is so diddy, her legs aren’t quite long enough for her to start peddling properly yet, so she tended to alternate her feet between the foot rest and the pedals. I am hoping as she grows a little bigger that she will be able to fully reach the peddles, and start moving the trike independently. At that point, I can then fold the footrest safely out of the way.
The trike really is very easy to steer, and can be done one handed, so no worries about her drifting off the pavement or towards any parked cars! It does have quite a wide turning circle, so doing a full 360 degree turn isn’t totally slick, but it’s not something we have to do very often, unless mummy has forgotten something! The storage provided with the Trike is really good, in that there are various places to store bits and pieces. When I took her to the park in it, I was able to pop her favourite teddy, a spare nappy, some wipes, and her cardigan in the top handle zip pouch, and had room to spare. This was a lot bigger than the storage I have experienced on other trikes. The storage box tray also provided plenty of room – Erin popped her Frozen bag (of key importance for the park!) and her drink in there, as well as her sunglasses as it was a bright and sunny day.
The sun canopy was really useful, and could be pivoted in virtually every direction as required depending on how bright the sun was. Now that the winter is coming, this canopy option could be taken off completely, however it is also quite useful at shielding a bit of the wind, so we will be leaving ours on. I was really impressed with the bubble type tubing for the sun canopy, as it literally allowed you to bend it to where ever the sun was, even if this was right at the side of your child’s face. As a Mum who quite often forgets to take out a sun hat I found this a really great feature. My only real criticism of this product would be the break handle as it was a little flimsy, and at times, attempting to press down the break felt as if I was going to break the plastic. Once pressed down, the break locked the trike firmly in place, it just could have benefited from being a little more rigid to press in my opinion. Overall, we really loved the product and felt it was a really fun way to get out and about with Erin giving her a different perspective on the world. Erin certainly enjoyed being in the trike and I look forward to her testing out the next stages in its journey!
Pros:
4 in 1 trike that grows with your child
Bright and colourful with attached sun canopy.
Child is lower to the ground than in their pushchair giving them a different perspective on the world
In earlier stages, the parent has full control over the steering, so even when the child is holding on to the handle bars, they can’t control the direction in which we moved.
In stage 3, when too young to peddle, Erin was able to rest her feet on the stands instead. These can be moved out of the way as her legs grow!
Plenty of room to take things out with you, including a large zipped pouch bag on the back and an open tray at rear, as well as a drinks holder on the handle.
Fully flexible sun canopy, which can be moved to shield the sun from your childs face where ever it may be.
Long lasting product- the Trike is sturdy and strong, with a steel frame and it is clear that it is of high quality and made to last. The fact that this trike would grow with Erin to 3 years of age, makes it great value for money, and a much cheaper option than buying a new one for every stage of her development.
Cons / Things to be aware of:
There isn’t a rain cover – which is the same with pretty much all of the trikes on the market, so your journeys would need to be timed carefully!
The size of trike doesn’t reduce. Because of this, it does take up a fair bit of room, and can’t easily be popped into the car to take out and about (in our Golf at least!). If like us, you have no shed or garden storage, it will probably end up living in your hall or porch! We have wooden floors so not a major problem but something to think about if you’ve got a cream carpet!
The break handle appears a little flimsy although does successfully lock the Trike in place. Just an element of caution required that you don’t press down too hard.
We recently came across Quut Alto, and it made quite a statement during playtime!! My children love playing in the sand, and so this Easter, despite not having a holiday as such, I was keen to enable the kids to build a sandcastle or two, even if it was only on UK shores! With the nearest beach being almost 2 hours away, we decided to head down to Stafford Park and their mammoth outdoor sandpit, and the kids got stuck in, using their new beach toy from Quut.
About Quut
Quut was built by Pars Pro Toto, a Belgian Design agency with more than 20 years experience in designing and engineering innovative products and attractive brands. Their integrated team have 24 kids between them, and therefore have first hand experience of the existing poor quality beach toys on the market, that offered no emotional commection or excitement. They decided to create their own – a range of real, durable and clever designs that offer fun and beauty for both kids and parents to enjoy.
Quut are committed to designing and developing new beach toys for families to enjoy, launching one new product each and every year.
There are currently 6 toys in the range, each one offering a unique, fun and interactive approach to playing in the sand (or snow!). Yes, Quut toys not only make great beach toys, but also offer an alternative approach for playing the snow, making them a great product for all seasons!
All Quut products are BPA, Phthalates and latex free and are recyclable.
The Alto product from Quut retails for £14.99 – read on for our full verdict!
Our Experience
I road tested the Quut Alto with my two children Lucy, 8 and Charlie aged 5.
The Alto is a three part toy inspired by professional sand builders. It consists of three brightly coloured containers that slot inside each other, making them compact and easy to pop into the car, whilst taking up limited space. The containers can be filled and stacked on top of each other, before removing them all in one swift motion by pulling the bottom container upwards. The three containers all then stack in to each other, leaving behind an impressive and firm structure that even the most competitive of sandcastle builders would be proud of!
Having watched the video online on Quut’s website, I was keen to see how easy it would be for my children to figure it out, and what they would make of this alternative building experience!
Lucy, being slightly older, understood the concept and appreciated the importance of packing the sand in tightly to achieve a better result, whereas Charlie, being 5 wanted to go a bit quicker and therefore his result wasn’t as good – when he rushed and lifted the 3 pieces up, some of the sand crumbled.
They found the various steps in the building process relatively easy to follow, as per the photo below:
Whilst Lucy probably could have lifted them up on her own, Charlie would have struggled, so it was nice to watch them both working together to remove the product and see their anticipation when revealing their sand tower underneath!
The Quut Alto caused a bit of a stir at the sandpit, with other mums watching my children play, and showing an interest, having never seen anything quite like it before. They too felt it was a really good idea and felt for the older children Quut Alto could make a model with more pieces to make an even higher tower. A real conversation starter, it ended up with my children playing with the Alto with a group of other younger children whilst I chatted to the parents! Lucy enjoyed showing some of the younger ones how to do it, feeling like a bit of a pro!
If we had to suggest an improvement, we felt it would have been good if each part had a number written on it, so that younger children could pay attention to which order they should use them. The reason for this is when I watched 2 younger boys (about 4yrs old) playing, they kept trying to put the smallest piece straight on top of the biggest, missing out the middle one, which obviously didn’t work quite so well!
Overall we had lots of fun with the Quut Alto, and think it would go down well with any children who love playing in the sand. Where as a bucket does have other uses, the Alto is somewhat limited to castle building, however we loved the fact it can be used in the snow as well, so that when Winter arrives, the igloo and castle building can continue in cooler climates!
Pros:
Takes up limited space in the car as fully stackable, unlike the more traditional individual sand buckets (great for family holidays where space is likely to be very limited!)
Bright colours and fun design appealing to children and adults!
Really works – quickly and easily creates some quite impressive structures!
Allows children to work together with friends or siblings to remove the alto and reveal their masterpiece!
Made sandcastle building a lot faster than having to continually fill and turn, fill and turn. As such, this means that children will have time to build an impressive castle even during a limited time visit to the beach!
We love that it can be used for snow building too, meaning it doesn’t just have value during the summer months!
Unlike traditional buckets it doesn’t have a bottom, so no relentless tapping and patting required to remove the sand!
Can also be used in smaller sandpits – anywhere where there is sand!
Cons:
Younger children may struggle to get to grips with the Alto straight away.
For younger children, or children that are an only child, they may need adult support to remove the Alto structure from their sandcastle creation. In our opinion the Alto works best for siblings or groups of friends to play together.
At £14.99 it is obviously more expensive than some basic bucket and spade toys which can be bought on a lower budget – however, we felt that for the uniqueness of the item, and the fact that it was a fun gadget for those who love playing on the beach, it was worth paying a little extra.
You can learn more about the Quut Alto and see their full range of beach toys on the Quut website here
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!
This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.
Strictly Necessary Cookies
Strictly Necessary Cookie should be enabled at all times so that we can save your preferences for cookie settings.
If you disable this cookie, we will not be able to save your preferences. This means that every time you visit this website you will need to enable or disable cookies again.
3rd Party Cookies
This website uses Google Analytics to collect anonymous information such as the number of visitors to the site, and the most popular pages.
Keeping this cookie enabled helps us to improve our website.
Please enable Strictly Necessary Cookies first so that we can save your preferences!
