REVIEW – Tipitoes Handprint Kit

As my regular readers will know, I am slightly obsessed with making memories. Our children grow up so fast that it’s important to take a moment to capture every day. Despite Neve being born in over 5 months ago in September, I am yet to capture an imprint of her tiny hands and feet. I meant to do some when she was first born, but after my extended stay in hospital, it completely slipped my mind. I have some similar prints of Erins when she was around 6 months old, so now is as good a time as any!!

When taking Erin’s prints I tried a variety of methods, including salt dough ornaments (which looked great until they went soft on the windowsill), paint – (I was always a little dubious about the safety of products on her gentle skin) and even plaster casting (although this was very expensive).

We were recently given the opportunity to road test a new Tipitoe Handprint Gift set, which can be used to create imprints in special orthopaedic foam – this sounded like a great solution!

The Product

Tipitoes handprint gift set retails at £15 RRP and is recommended for babies aged 0-6 months old. They are soon to be available to purchase from JoJo Maman Bebe.

The set is packaged with two sides for both hands, and creates a 3D Print that you can keep forever, using coloured orthopaedic foam, which is completely safe and non toxic.

Unlike some imprint methods, these orthopaedic foam prints can be made in seconds with no stress and no mess!

Our Experience

My initial impression of the Tipitoes Gift Set was very positive. The product has lovely packaging – a really attractive round box, with both sides opening to reveal the pink foam within. There are clear plastic covers protecting the foam to ensure it doesn’t get marked or dented before use. The back of the box has the option to record dates and child’s information.

To create my prints, I waited until Neve was asleep. This is something I cannot recommended enough –  as anyone who has done a baby’s handprints before will know, it is incredibly difficult to get them to lie their hand flat when they are awake! They have an unbelievable urge to grip and curl anything you put in front of them, so waiting till her arms were floppy and rested was much more effective!

Once she was settled I removed the protective cover and pressed  her hand gently into the foam. The imprints were created really easily without requiring excess pressure on her hands. She didn’t even stir!

I was a little nervous doing the prints, as you obviously only get one chance! I did it on my own –  in hindsight I probably should have waited till my partner was around in order to get the prints slightly more central.

I love the way the finished print looks, however it was slightly lower in the space than was ideal. I added my own little 5 months writing to make use of the extra space – this is obviously optional!!

The finished effect is great, and you can see all the lines and markings in her palm.

The best part about the Tipitoes Handprint Gift Set is that there is absolutely zero mess – with no clearing up required whatsoever – Neve was still asleep and completely oblivious!

Overall, I would really recommend the Tipitoes Handprint Gift Set as an easy way to capture your child’s prints. This would make a lovely unique gift for a baby shower or Mum to be – and is a little different to muslin squares or bibs! 🙂

Pros:

• Very easy and simple to use
• No harmful chemicals or toxins
• Attractive design and packaging
• The imprints last forever
• Good value for money
• Would make a great gift

Cons:

Not so much cons here as I really love the product, but some things to be aware of…

• You only get one attempt for obvious reasons so do not rush it, and you may wish to have someone with you to help.
• Handprints can be trickier than footprints, so the child should definitely be asleep to ensure print is successful.
• The gift sets are currently only available in pink and blue. I personally would prefer a gender neutral colour like cream or off white, as I feel this is a little less cliché than pink for a girl and blue for a boy. That said, I do love the finished effect with the pink foam.

Tipitoes Handprint and Footprint gift sets are coming soon to JoJo Maman Bebe.

*Disclosure – we were sent a Tipitoes Handprint set free of charge in exchange for our review, however all thoughts and opinions are my own.*