Review: Noddy's remote control car from Spinmaster

Couple of weeks ago my darling L has received new Noddy remote control car (£23.99) to test. I remember seeing something Noddy related online but haven't actually read a book or watched cartoon. For those who don't know who Noddy is, it's a book character who lives in Toyland and up for an adventure or challenge.

Noddy remote control car is a toddler friendly toy as suitable from 2 years old. Noddy itself is made of rubber material and permanently attached to the car's seat where as the car and remote control are made of plastic. From what I have seen online Noddy and car called Revs look very similar to book characters.

Now to the main features:

- the car and remote control are both battery operated (require 7 AAA batteries which are not included)

- car's headlight will light up if the button at the back of the car is pressed

- remote control has 2 musical buttons (backwards and forward) suitable for little hands to press

L only needed few attempts to understand that she needs to press one button at a time. Once one of the buttons is pressed the toy makes engine or horn alike noises. I would have never thought that remote control car can be suitable for toddlers but with it's easy to press buttons it makes operating a car a doddle. Noggy (that's how L calls Noddy) has been thoroughly tested by L and thankfully survived it all. 

We couldn't find any faults with the toy, it seems very durable, fun to play with and I like it's lively, bright colours. The only downside for us as parents was the amount of batteries required, I managed to find 7 AAA batteries but it would be so much better if at at least 3 or 4 of them were already included.

Apart from batteries and for those who can't afford to invest Noddy by itself makes a great toy, L likes playing with it, pretending that she is helping Noddy to drive his red and yellow vehicle and by placing new characters onto the back seat of the car. I wonder what adventures lie ahead for Noddy and L..

Disclaimer: I was sent the item mentioned above for the purpose of this review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Review: Teletubbies Pull And Play Noo Noo Giant Activity Toy

When I was a little younger I recall watching Teletubbies with my nephew, I could never decide which of the characters I like more. Believe it or not I don't remember seeing Noo Noo but as my husband is a massive fan of this cute blue hoover I knew that Teletubbies pull and play giant Noo Noo toy ( £49.99) could potentially be a great toy for my daughter and her daddy. 

If you are not very familiar with the show- Noo Noo is the hoover character from Teletubbies, a bit of an unsung hero if you like.

L loves to discover new toys and finding out how to play with them in case mummy didn't work it out, Noo Noo pull along toy is not an exception. Once the box was ripped apart and giant Noo Noo toy was out L didn't hesitate and started investigating all the buttons and puzzles. 

I was very impressed with a true likeness of the toy and the size of it, it is truly giant and the biggest toy I have or L has ever owned. What makes it even better- much loved Teletubbies characters are incorporated into the Noo Noo toy.

Noo Noo giant pull along toy comes has few entertaining features:

- suitable for 18 months and up
- big, round googly eyes make Noo Noo more realistic
- it has a string allowing your little one to pull it back and forth
- pink "light ball" at the back of the toy lights up when on the move and when playing music; On/Off buttons and slot for batteries are at the bottom of the light

- 3D Teletubbies jigsaw (on one of the sides of Noo Noo toy) with little knob on each toy allowing your little one to grip each shape and take it out or put it back in

- large shape sorter (on the other side of Noo Noo) with a storage section allowing to store shapes and play with them. Both these activities allow your little one to develop skills, both visual and problem solving
- interactive buttons on top of the toy making slurping sounds, repeating Teletubbies speech and playing music depending on the button you press (some sounds maybe similar)
- On/Off button has different mode: Voice- allowing Noo Noo to make all sorts of funny noises, spin the brush and pick up magnetic custard splat (a very accurate representation of the Noo Noo); Off mode and Mute mode which essentially mutes any Noo Noo noises apart form the interactive buttons on top of the toy.

Even though L has never watched new version of Teletubbies she recognised characters from the TV advert straight away, which I think made her even more connected with the toy. We have been testing the toy for couple of weeks now and only recently discovered funny noises Noo Noo makes when set to Voice mode. I would advise to give Noo Noo's nose or eyes a little shake that's how our toy "woke up". 

Unlike other pull along toys sturdy Noo Noo will not fall on it's side or upside down. L pulls it along from one room to another with different obstacles on the way and I haven't heard the toy falling over once which also tells me that it's a sturdy toys.

Teletubbies Pull And Play Noo Noo Giant Activity Toy is a perfect toy for Chistmas or birthday, keeping your little one entertained and educated for a long time.

Disclaimer: I was sent the item mentioned above for the purpose of this review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

The post in written in collaboration with guest poster- my other half.

Review: Wicked Uncle Pegboard Mosaics

As L is getting older I try to introduce more educational toys which will help her learn colours, numbers, new words. When I came across Pegboard mosaics sold at Wicked Uncle (£22.95), I knew it's just what L needs. 

"We are a really cool online toy & gift shop who aim to look after the uncles, aunts, godparents and grandparents of the world who need to send cool presents to kids". 

Fantacolor Junior pegboard mosaics toy consists of a transparent pegboard board with large sections for coloured plastic pegs, a plastic case with handle which works as a stand for the pegboard, storage for pegs and 8 patterns for the pegboard. 

The toy arrived within a week (standard delivery, but you can choose express delivery or collection on person) of me ordering it from the website in a nicely presented wrapping paper (£2.95 extra) with my daughter's favourite ponies and a little message in the corner (free, you can also add a greeting card for £1.95).

As L is so excited about her new toy she had a chance to show it off to her aunties and cousin, and it seems to be entertaining for both adults and child. One of the aunties mentioned that she always notes what toys I buy and where I buy them as this gives her an idea what L likes. 

Wicked Uncle website also divides toys into categories for girls, boys or all and by age preference which helps adults like L's aunty or even us parents to find the best age appropriate toy.

                   
                 
I personally like this pegboard mosaics for few reasons: it looks durable, educational, due to the the size it cannot be a choking hazard and can be easily found in L 's toy box, can be carried as a case storing all patterns and pegs, repetitiveness of basic colours on each pattern provided helps to learn colours quicker.

Having mentioned all these positives there is just one minor flaw- the back of the pegboard which stores the patters is not protected enough from clumsy little hands. Within first few minutes of using the toy L worked out where the patterns are and how to take them out. Knowing how clever L is and what she can do with paper I would recommend taking all the patterns out leaving just one to use, that way you can leave little one to play knowing that the toy and a child will be safe. 

Disclaimer: I was sent the item mentioned above for the purpose of this review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Review: Baby Einstein Discover and Play Piano

L is a very musical child and I do hope it's all due to our efforts and musical toys we have been buying for her.

When L was 5,5 months she has received Baby Einstein Discover and Play Piano (£20) for her 1st Christmas.

The toy's base is made of plastic but piano keys are soft and easy to press for little fingers or toes. 

Baby Einstein piano main features:

- 3 modes: instruments, numbers, animals

- suitable for multi-lingual children 

- 3 language modes: English, French and Spanish

- suitable from 3 months old

- plays over 20 classical tunes 

- volume button to make it louder or to turn it down

- durable but not heavy

Once you have picked the language you can choose a mode and play with keys or use instruments above the keys, depending on a mode they make noises and light up.
                                    
In Instruments mode you can can pick a piano mode, violin or horn mode by pressing one of the buttons above. Once pressed 5 keys will play this particular instrument tunes.

In Numbers mode, each key you or your little one press will say the number from 1 to 5.

In Animal mode you can pick one particular animal by pressing red (for cat), green (dog) or yellow (for duck) buttons above musical keys, once the animal is picked the piano keys will either quack, meow or woof.

I expected that tunes will be annoying and loud but it seems to be quite pleasing to our ear and even if we had too much we can turn it down so that L still can play with it.

It seems to be a hit from day one and 12 months later L still enjoys Baby Einstein Discover and Play Piano, one of the best presents ever!

Christmas gift guide: Stocking Fillers online shop

I am a big fan of bargains and I'm always on the lookout for great shops with not so big prices especially when it comes to buying presents/stocking fillers for Christmas. 

I have massive stockings for myself and L which we kept empty last year as I thought that L is too small to care and it just slipped my mind that I need to fill them. My husband didn't have a stocking which he pointed out was a little bit unfair on him. 

This year thanks to Stocking Fillers I have a stocking and a stocking filler for my darling husband and a little gift for L which hopefully will take up most of the space in the stocking.

"The Stocking Fillers website first went live in 2007, set up to make shopping for Christmas stockings and presents that little bit easier. We’ve been growing ever since, with a huge range of toys, games, gadgets and more that make ideal stocking fillers for Christmas morning. And we’re not just talking about children’s Christmas stockings either, as we have a wide selection of grown-up gifts too!

If you’re looking for an even easier way to get gift stuffed stockings at the end of the bed on Christmas day, then we’ve also got a collection of pre-filled Christmas stockings. There are several to choose from, each tailored to a different age range and gender to ensure it’s filled with things they’ll love. Each one is only £20 and is packed with contents that are valued at £30 or more, saving you £10 on the cost of the great gifts inside.

Of course, if you’ve already sorted the stockings and want something a little bit bigger, we’ve also got a large selection of big Christmas gifts and presents for you to look through. Check out our wide selection of toys that are sure to keep the kids happy, or why not browse through ourgifts for him or for her? We’ve also got lots of lovely little top-up gifts that are perfect for when you want to give that little bit more".

Speaking of presents, L is a big fan of cats and dogs and when I saw this cute fluffy kitten I could resist but to order it for L. 

This adorable kitten costs £22 and I think worth every penny as I know that L would be extremely happy to have a little toy pet which can move forward, meow, curl the tail and look up!

For my husband I have got an empty stocking (£3.99), it is 56cm long and is the same size to the ones I have for L and myself so we are truly equal this year. This traditional red stocking with white trim is made of plush fabric and ready to be filled with presents for your loved ones.

Why not to buy something silly for your friend or loved one?! I have opted for Silly Socks (£3.99) for my husband. We have all seen a man wearing socks with sandals, looks ridiculous!? And yet there are men out there who made it a trend. 

My husband will never wear anything like that but I thought it would be interesting to see his reaction when he sees these socks. White silly socks have a sandals print on them which gives you that embarrassing/Roman look, they are quite practical as well as will fit almost all sizes and are 37cm long to top up this ridiculous look.

What would you pick from the website?Disclaimer: I was sent the items mentioned above for the purpose of this review/gift guide. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Review: Fisher- Price Russian speaking Laugh & Learn Keys

As some of you may know we are a bilingual family (English and Russian) and I always wanted L to speak both languages fluently. In order to do so I try to introduce to speak Russian as much possible, read Russian books with L and always thought that Russian speaking toys would help us as well.

I didn't realise how difficult it will be to locate Russian speaking toys in the UK, but I have finally found Babeltots- an online shop "specialises in foreign language speaking toys for babies and toddlers". 

"We are currently offering products in 16 European languages: Danish, Dutch, English, Estonian, Finnish, French, German, Italian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish and Swedish speaking toys and are continuously working to add new languages and products".

We were offered to review Fisher- Price Russian speaking Laugh & Learn Keys, the toy is suitable for 6-36 months and has different learning features which I was able to find with a small help from my daughter. 

The toy has the main interactive part and 3 additional, developmental toys attached to it.

 The main part aka funny face has 3 coloured buttons- red, yellow and blue. Each button is "themed", when you press in the middle it will tell you the colour, if you press on different sides of the button it can sing a song, make a noise (e.g. car, door bell), say- a house, a boat, a car depending on the button you press.

The additional 3 toys aka keys have different sensory plastic attachments. The orange key has a blue car attached which spins and clicks with every spin and textured, coloured rollers at the bottom. The blue key has a red boat which slides along at the top of the toy and rattling beads at the bottom. The green key has a yellow house with a spinning door which has different pictures on it for more fun and 2 additional toys attached for "sliding".

We have lost few keys already as L seems to be more interested in the main interactive part of the set, which we have attached to the pushchair to keep L entertained when out and about.

The price seems to be very reasonable for a bilingual/ foreign language speaking toy £22.99, which is just £10 more the original English speaking. 

I have also noticed a small progress with L's speech, as she keeps using the toy in a pushchair she hear to the same words, noises over and over again, yesterday we heard her say "blue" in Russian for the first time which made me incredibly happy and proud. It is a great toy which helps to learn first words and colours and I can thoroughly recommend Babeltots for those who have failed to find for bilingual toys for their little one.

Disclaimer: I was sent the item mentioned above for the purpose of this review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Birthday gift ideas: Kid's Concept

Few weeks ago I came across a Swedish online shop offering cute, original gifts for babies and children. As a big fan of Scandinavian clothes (I have already bought few cute sleepsuits for when L is 1 and a winter jacket and trousers) I thought that it would be lovely to spread the word about the brand. Kid's Concept have kindly offered to review a toy box just in time for L's 1st birthday which I will be sharing with you shortly.

These are just few of my favourite Kid's Concept products:

1 Pumpkin - Pink 100% Cotton Runner Rug £32.90 
2. Star - White Wooden Dolls Pram £69.9 
3. Princess - Pink Childrens Play Tent £32.90 
4. Pumpkin - Large Wooden Building Blocks £24.90 
5. Star - White Wooden Chair £39.90
6. Star - White Wooden Table £49.90  
7. Star - Pink Wooden Hammer Bench £19.90  

Brand:

Kids Concept UK is an established Swedish brand that offers unique, original concepts and designs of childrens bedroom and nursery accessories, baby bedding, toys and gifts for children ages 0 - 7 yrs. If you are looking for great ideas to transform a childs bedroom or a babys nursery, you are sure to find these here with our fantastic selection of wooden storage boxes, hook boards, shelves, cute wall decorations, baby bedding, curtains and blinds. Our colourful and fun handmade wooden toys such as the rocking horses, play instruments, dolls cots and prams would also be a wonderful addition in any child’s room and teamed together with our colourful play tents & tunnels they will be the envy of all their friends.
With the growing trend for children's décor, they found that certain unique items were missing from the market, so the inspiration of Kids Concept was born. By coordinating our products by colour and concept as well as showing how to mix and match our designs, we aim to help the customer easily create a stylish coordinated design.

All of our products are designed by Kids Concept and are all quality controlled. Our wooden products are hand-made – with each one being unique. We are continuously expanding our range creating new concepts and product line with our own design and pattern. All with a Touch of Scandinavia.

Products:

We manufacture most of our products in Asia and particularly China and Vietnam. We cooperate with some twenty factories around China and we visit our manufacturers continuously. It is important for us to verify that the factories and suppliers we work with follow all the rules, environment and job requirements that are asked.
We follow all the rules that apply to small parts, risk of pinching, choking hazards, dyes, flame resistance, chemical agents, plasticisers called phthalates, etc. It ensures that before a toy coming onto the market an independent testing laboratory has tested the toy. All other products that are not toys but sold to children are tested so that they contain only approved substances.


What is your favourite item from the Kid's Concept website?

What's in my changing bag?

When I'm venturing out of the house or leaving little L with grandparents I'm always trying to make sure that I have everything L would need. Sometimes my bag looks like a mess and I can't find what I'm looking for but I know that all the essentials are there, even a spare nappy is always there in case I don't have any at home :-)

So here is what I carry:

• Breastfeeding cover in case I need to feed L when out and about
• Teething toy and teething liquid as poor L is struggling with either molar or canine teething coming through
• Straw bottle with water for when L is thirsty 
• Toys to entertain L
• Changing mat to make L's changing comfy and clean 
• Small towel to wipe wet bum
• Baby wipes to wipe dirty surfaces, hands and bum
• Nappy and nappy bag 
• Leg warmers in case if L wants to crawl but wears a cute outfit I don't want to ruin
• Antibacterial hand gel in case if I have to pick up something dirty or wipe surfaces
• Bib for dribble or eating
• Food and snacks, they are not on the picture as I pick on the day what I'm going to take. Normally I would have a jar, a pouch, biscuit and a pack of puffs.

I don't normally put my phone in the bag as I prefer it to be closer e.g. in a pocket, and I don't have a purse as someone stole my purse before few times and I feel safer without one, but I do carry a little bit of cash in my pocket.

Lamaze rainbow rings review

I have tried to stop our relatives from buying unwanted presents for L's first Christmas (each household had an individual wishlist), but as you can imagine it was impossible. My sister bought these cuties along with other toys from the First Christmas wishlist and all of them are very much loved by L.

Lamaze Rainbow Rings (6 months+, £11.99)

- Problem solving skills are fostered as baby figures out how to stack rings on the post
- Gripping and stacking the soft rings strengthens hand-eye coordination
- Full of different textures, the soft rings invite baby to explore- stimulating tactile senses
- Crinkly rings awaken baby's auditory awareness
- Bright, bold colors and patterns invite baby to focus, stimulating vision

It is very easy to recognise a Lamaze toy even without looking at the label. They are well made, soft and are made to help baby's development.

This was bought when L was 6 months and she was fascinated straight away with it's colours and different textures.

Each ring is a different colour, made of a different material/textures and each ring crinkles in different places (side, top, bottom). 

The pole itself is black and white (contrasting colours) and has coloured ribbon tags at the top, it also comes with a little surprise inside- jingle bells which are sewn inside the pole.

They are very easy to hold, very light, squishable, won't harm your baby and keep them occupied/entertained for a while!

Now she is 8 months and she tries to put them in her mouth, throw them, take them off the pole, shake the pole, reach for the rings.

I'm hoping that as she grows older she learns the trick of assembling, dissembling and maybe using them as an accessory- bangle. 
Definitely well worth buying!!