Here we highlight the products reviewed by us for you.
This post was contributed by Erica our newest product reviewer - welcome!
I love the idea of baby wearing and I’m the owner of 4 different slings/baby carriers to prove it. Somehow the perfect sling has so far alluded me, so I was keen to try out the Sleepy Nico carrier. For the first 6-8 months of my son’s babyhood, I used a hand me down Mothercare baby carrier which was quite functional, but not what I would have chosen if I had been buying for myself. Once my baby got heavier I found it more difficult to use (even though he was still well under the maximum weight recommended), but my husband persevered for a few months longer. I bought another carrier/sling, but found the instructions too complex. Now we use a Quinny Curbb for going round art galleries, museums, stately homes, etc. and a hand me down basic backpack for country walking. Both work adequately for those needs, but they aren’t very adaptable and are rather bulky. I really missed having a sling I could use on a daily basis, but was worried about wasting money on something else that didn’t really work for me.
Testers: Me, 5ft 7 average build, my man 5ft 9 average build and our 18 month old Mr Active weighing in at a healthy 26 pounds. We used it for about a week both at home and out and about including a weekend trip to London.
Appearance: I tested the Broderie Noire fabric combination which was made of a soft black corduroy with broderie detailing. The detailing is quite low key making this carrier appealing to both mummies and daddies. Bebe Cannelle sell a range of fabric choices of which my personal favourite is the Murmure option, which is stylishly stripy limited edition in cream, moss and chocolate. Being handmade and ethically produced, the quality shows and I think you could get a lot of wear out of these carriers and they would still look good.
Instructions: Very easy in fact I managed to use it correctly without looking at them first - this was quite a relief as I was a bit apprehensive of having to get my head round some complicated boy scout procedure.
Set up: To carry the baby at the front you simply clip the waistband around you, hold baby facing you and put on arm straps. To finish off you clip the horizontal strap across your back. To carry baby on your back the same process is the same except the you hold the baby in a piggy back position and clip the strap across your chest.
I think it would be easy to use the front position from birth and it would be easy to use the carrier without assistance. Carrying baby on your back is only recommended from 6 months and this could easily be done with help to get the baby in and out. I had no problems getting my 18 month old into it without assistance, but he was able and willing to hold onto my neck while I got the straps sorted. I don’t think I would attempt it with a 6 month old if I was alone and I know that my bambino would not have been happy with the front position when out and about from that age onwards.
There is also a hood designed to stop your baby’s head rolling backwards when asleep which fastens with velcro. I did try this but found it wasn’t strong enough to support the large head of my 18 month old, but I can imagine it works better for a newborn.
In use: I used the carrier in both positions at home. For part of the week I had a rather clingy teether on my hands and found that short periods of time in the front position helped sooth him. It was particularly useful after he woke from a nap as I carried him around until he had fully come to. If he went to sleep whilst being carried, it was easy to either keep carrying him or take the carrier off without waking him. Cooking was easy with bambino in the back position keeping him safe and allowing me to get on with things.
Back carries were the order of the day when out and about as this gives the baby a better view of the world. Neither of us had any problems carrying our little boy for quite long walks.
The Sleepy Nico is recommended for use up to 3 years of age and we were testing a baby at the half way point, but I feel confident that we could use this carrier for many months to come, especially when you consider that toddlers gain weight relatively slowly.
Any negatives: As I said earlier, I would have doubts about using the back position for a 6 month old unless I had help. Potentially this could mean that you have a gap of some months where you couldn’t fully use the carrier.
I also feel I couldn’t use this as my only baby wearer because I don’t think the baby or toddler can see enough in certain situations. We took our baby round an exhibition and found it difficult to show our son all the things we wanted to.
Price: From £64.99 from Bebe Cannelle.
Overall: A well made comfortable carrier which is very easy to use. Great for travelling as it folds up nicely and is stored in a handy bag. There are also no trailing straps and it is machine washable.
Verdict: 4/5 for very young or older babies and toddlers. 3/5 for babies around the 6-12 month age range.
Sue writes…
I have always felt a bit ‘guilty’ about using disposable wipes on my 18 month-old daughter, so I was really pleased to try Beaming Baby Certified Organic Baby Wipes. Beaming Baby have even thought about us busy mums too, and I was lucky enough to be able to try their Organic Facial Cleansing Wipes too.
Why would you want to buy these products?
There are lots of baby wipes and facial cleansing wipes available in the shops, so why choose Beaming Baby products? I have never felt happy about using traditional baby wipes as they often have a variety of nasty ingredients listed and they are rarely bio-degradable. The Beaming Baby Certified Organic Baby Wipes are free from parabens, alcohol and sodium laureth sulphate. They are also flushable, hypoallergenic, 100% biodegradable and and totally chlorine free. Perfect!
Beaming Baby also support several charities. 10% of the profit when buying these wipes go to SANCCOB, a charity which rescues penguins form oil slicks on the African Coast and to ‘Baby Lifeline’, giving hospital equipment to baby care units.
What are the products like to use?
Both products are very convenient to use, so are great for when you are in a hurry, or for when you are out. The Certified Organic Baby Wipes come in a neat little pack with a very secure peel open lid. They are great for keeping in your changing bag so that you can use them to clean your baby when you are out or when you are travelling away from home. The Organic Facial Cleansing Wipes also come in a very small, neat pack, so can easily be packed into a washbag for overnight stays away from home.
Any negatives? None.
Price: Both products are great value for money. The Baby wipes cost £2.93 for 72 wipes and the Facial Wipes cost £2.44 for 25. Also remember you can buy in bulk from Beaming Baby and if you buy 11 you get the 12th free.
Overall Rating: 5/5
Cheeky Wipes
Natalie writes
I recently wrote about Cheeky Wipes, a washable wipes system that I’d been sent for review and I’ve finally had a chance to try it out.
Why would you want to try out washable wipes? Well a good incentive is saving around £200 a year which is what they believe you’ll spend on the average baby wipes. It’s also kind to the environment and a gentler on your baby’s bum.
What do you get? Each kit which contains:
25 - soft Terry towelling cloth baby wipes, 15 cm x 15 cm
1 - Fresh baby wipes container
1 - Mucky baby wipes container - with mesh bag insert
1 - Fresh baby wipes waterproof out and about travel bag
1 - Mucky baby wipes waterproof out and about travel bag - with mesh bag insert
1 - 10 ml bottle of Lavender & Chamomile Fresh Baby Wipes Essential Oil Blend
1 - 10 ml bottle of Tea Tree & Tea Tree Lemon Mucky Baby Wipes Essential Oil Blend
How do Cheeky Wipes work?
You fill the fresh wipes container with 2 cm of water and a few drops of the fresh wipes essential oil blend and then pop your towelling cloths in and you’re ready to wipe. Fill up the mucky wipes container with 3 cm of water and the mucky essential oil blend and when you’ve wiped your baby’s bum, put the wipes inside the mesh bag insert so that you don’t have to handle them again. Pop them in the washing machine in the bag by loosening the mesh bag a bit and wash on 40 degrees. Don’t wait for them to dry; take out of the washing machine and put into your fresh wipes container.
Setting Up
It’s all very straight forward because it’s very well labelled with a colour code for fresh and messy. The only thing was that I admittedly spent about 20 mins looking for the ruler that the bambino had been messing with because I admit to being a bit anal retentive about measurements and wanted to ensure I didn’t under or over fill it.
In use
The bambino I think thought she was getting a top and tail so she kept trying to get me to wipe her hands and they smelt great afterwards! Oh and her bum did too. I couldn’t really fault the process. It’s a simple but very much needed idea that even as as the time poor, resistant to too much housework woman that moans about too much laundry can’t really fault. It was a bit whiffy when I took out the messy bag but so is her nappy bin when I empty it. They washed well and smelt great too. I did a couple of outings with the travel bags and even for me it was a doddle. But…I have forgotten them at home quite a few times so I’m not converted on the travel front.
Any negatives
It would be great if there was a marker on the tub but it’s not critical.
Price: £29.95. Prices for refills of the oils start from £4.95
Overall: I’ll continue to use Cheeky Wipes although I still need to use other wipes for when she’s at the childminders and I’m not quite converted to using them when I’m out, but that’s not the wipes, that’s my mush brain and disorganisation. But for at home, I think they’re fabulous!
Rating: 5/5
Buy them direct at Cheeky Wipes.
Santa Claus Hand Squeeze Torch
This Santa Claus Hand Squeeze Torch is absolutely wonderful and would make the perfect stocking filler for any child (or adult!). The Santa Claus face is very friendly and the whole torch is delightful to look at.
The torch is quite small, so it’s ideal for children as it’s very easy for them to hold. It’s ideal for Christmas Day as no batteries are required to use the torch. Sliding a small switch on the side releases a large squeeze handle on the opposite side of the torch. Squeezing this repeatedly with your hand will charge the torch up. It is easy to squeeze the handle and just a few squeezes is enough to get the torch working. Children will be fascinated by this and I think it’s a brilliant way of teaching them about renewable energy and energy consumption. I have used a few hand-squeeze torches before and they can feel a bit ‘flimsy’. However, I found that the Santa torch feels really solid and I am sure it would last for many years, even when regularly handled by an enthusiastic child!
The beam from the torch is small but bright and ideal for children to explore the garden with their parents or just play under the bed clothes or in their darkened bedroom! By far the best bit for me though is the fact that Santa’s red nose flashes when the torch is switched on - guaranteed to get your child laughing!
The Santa Hand Squeeze Torch can be purchased from Ethical Superstore for just £4.99. I think this is a fantastic bargain. As well as being a perfect stocking filler for children, it would also make a brilliant Secret Santa present for adults!
