Sassy Bloom Box Review

 I recently had the opportunity to review a Sassy Bloom Box, if you haven't heard of Sassy Bloom it's a monthly subscription box suitable from the third trimester of pregnancy right through until your tot is two. Each box has a minimum RRP value of £40.  Each box is 'handpicked by age, stage of development and gender'.
I'd never tried any subscription boxes before Sassy Bloom, I'd been tempted by both beauty and baby related boxes but never got round to trying any out.

How Sassy Bloom started has a very touching story behind it. The co-owner Hollie was rushed to hospital at 29 weeks pregnant and diagnosed with a rare heart and lung disease. Whilst in hospital Hollie's friends visited with a box a gifts which became the start of the inspiration. You can read more here.

I was super excited to receive our Sassy Bloom box, if you haven't seen it already you can watch the un-boxing here.

 The first item that came out of the box was a push along shape sorter bus from a brand called Fun Time. I'd been on the look out for a shape sorter toy for Eliot so this was perfect timing! Especially as it's a bus and has wheels, Eliot is obsessed with vehicles so I knew he would be drawn to playing with it.

He's not able to push the shapes through the shape holes yet but there is a flap at the back to get the shapes out which he opens and closes and puts the shapes or various other objects in. So the shape sorter bus gets a big thumbs up from Eliot!

Next out of the box was this musical cow by A-Z. As soon as I pressed the button, I knew this would be a hit with Eliot. The lights flashed and the music played loudly, he likes making things happen himself and it had wheels! Unfortunately the toy was a bit grubby and therefore needed a wipe over before I gave it to Eliot. As I suspected the musical cow went down a treat, Eliot kept pressing the button to get the lights and music on. It wasn't long before it started to sound distorted and eventually it played continually until the battery ran out. Obviously it was a bit disappointing, I emailed Sassy Bloom to let them know. They responded swiftly, apologised and said they would get a replacement sent out. If you read my blog regularly you will know we are moving and things have been a bit stressful, meaning the replacement toy went to the back of my mind. I was emailed by Sassy Bloom at the end of last week and was reminded that we still hadn't received a replacement. The delay in receiving the replacement toy was disappointing. The musical animal toy was no longer available so we were sent a replacement toy this week.

The first bead maze from Melissa and Douglas was the replacement toy. As soon as I took it out of the packaging Eliot was eager to get hold of it and sat down to play with it for a short while. Personally I really like these types of toys, being made from wood makes it a winner and it's ideal for helping develop fine motor skills. Another plus point is that it has four suction cups on the base which make it an ideal highchair toy.

 I was really pleased when I saw this wooden mini xylophone from Janod, musical instruments are another item I've had on my list for Eliot. To begin  with Eliot was interested in holding the beaters and bashing the  xxylophone but it's not a go to toy for him. I think he'll be more interested in this when he's a little older. One thing I will say is that it is excellent quality, very strong and sturdy.

 When I saw a book included in the box I was very happy indeed. I'm keen for Eliot to develop a love for books and right now he's very in to books. He will sit down by himself and flick through pages, at bedtime he usually listens to a short story happily. This is a lovely story, one that Eliot can enjoy for years to come.  Personally I think a hard book would have been a better option to send as paperbacks can be very easily torn by toddlers!

These lunch bag ice packs are great. We haven't used them yet as I haven't packed any lunch boxes but I know they will come in very handy in the future. There are two in the pack which is helpful if you have more than one lunch box to pack or to have a spare. I love the dinosaur design, Eliot has a dinosaur lunch bag so these will fit in nicely.

I am a big Tommee Tippee fan having used a lot of their products since Eliot was born. I've used disposable bibs but hadn't tried out the Tommee Tippee ones. Hands down disposable bibs are amazing. They're perfect for holidays, when your out and about or as a back up at home. We went through many bibs when Eliot was younger thanks to reflux. The pouch for catching food (or reflux sick) is a great and exactly what is needed to save clothes! Eliot did pull these off when we put them on him, so depending on your tot they are probably better suited to younger babies.

 

Overall I was really impressed with our Sassy Bloom box, I loved the fact that we were introduced to brands we haven't come across before and really recommend trying them out. They have some fab offers on at the moment and you can get £10 off with the code Teacher2.

 

Have you tried a Sassy Bloom Box?

 

*We were sent a Sassy Bloom box in exchange for our honest opinion

Tommee Tippee Steri-Bottles

I posted a photo of these steri-bottles on my instagram and facebook accounts the other day. A few people hadn't heard of them so I thought I'd do a quick post and share this handy product!

I first came across the bottles last summer when I'd forgotten a feed for Eliot, I didn't buy them then as he wasn't three months old but didn't forget about them. On bank holiday Monday we went away for the night and I thought they would be much easier than faffing with washing bottles and teats.

 

Quite simply they are sterilised disposable bottles that are ready to use and suitable for babies over three months. Perfect for one or two nights away, long days out or kept in at home in case of  unforeseen events.

All you need to do is remove one bottle and teat from the stack at a time. As long as you don't tear the packaging past the rest of the teats they will stay sterile. The bottles come in a bag which must be resealed each time a bottle is taken out.

We don't sterilise anymore so this wasn't an issue for us but it couldn't be any easier to do hassle free bottle feeding on the go.

 

As it turned out Eliot wouldn't actually drink from the bottles but this is no fault of the bottle! I bought a couple of cartons of toddler formula as they don't need to be stored in a fridge before they're opened. Whereas cows milk obviously does, we didn't have a fridge in the room and it was a bit stuffy.

Eliot took a couple of sips then refused to drink the formula that night. The next morning we tried again but he refused. When we did get some cows milk he wouldn't even try it as he thought it was still the formula. So we had a bit of a milk fail but I still think the steri-bottles are fab!

 

I'm pretty certain they can only be purchased from Boots (bigger stores and online). They are available in packs of two £2.49 or five £4.49.

 

 

Have you tried the Tommee Tippee steri-bottles?



First Year Favourites-Essential Baby Items & Tips When buying



 



I like many other mums, went crazy baby shopping when I was pregnant. I bought far too many baby clothes and other unnecessary bits and bobs, so I thought I'd make a vlog featuring my favourite essential baby items. I realise not all will be 'essential' to some parents but the items featured are what I found essential for us, my favourite baby essentials! I haven't included any of the 'big' items in the vlog just the little things that make a difference!

Even though I did go 'crazy' when baby buying, there are a few tips I'd thought I'd share that enabled me to save quite a bit of money! (especially on some of those larger items)

Tips

• Find out when the next baby & toddler events are on at supermarkets, you can bag some real bargains!
• ALWAYS shop around (including online) and compare prices to find the best deal
• Shops like Mothercare hold expectant parent evenings and offer extra discounts (I bought our pushchair from Mothercare on one of these evenings and got an extra 10% off an already reduced item!)
• Wait for end of season sales
• Find out if any ex-display items are for sale (I could have bought a Silver Cross Surf with carrycot for £250)
• Use ebay (I bought our Mama's & Papas cotbed, changing unit and wardrobe set brand new and saved £95 on the stores reduced price!)
• Coupons, coupons, coupons, use them or lose them!
• Join up with baby clubs such as Boots, Cow & Gate, Aptamil etc for discounts and freebies

 What were your favourite essentials?

 

 

My first year faves...

 



The big 'W' prep

Weaning! It comes round quicker than you know and amidst unhooking your nursing bra or preparing formula feeds you need to consider how and when you’re going to start introducing solids to your baby. Be it starting on sloppy mush or getting straight in with baby led weaning.  
That time has come around for us and I’ve been thinking about weaning for the past few weeks 
In recent years the recommended age to introduce weaning has increased to 6 months. The NHS website says:

 ‘Research shows that babies need nothing but breastmilk or infant formula for the first six months of life.  This gives a baby’s digestive system time to develop so that they cope fully with solid foods.’ 

You can read more here  http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/pregnancy-and-baby/Pages/solid-foods-weaning.aspx#close

After reading Kerry’s post over at
http://www.livedwithlove.com/2013/10/the-pros-cons-of-baby-led-weaning.html
it’s made me think I should jump straight into baby led.






Our lil chappy

Eliot is 15 weeks and a VERY hungry formula fed baby, he has been on Aptamil hungry for over a month. There is no way I can see him getting to 6 months with just bottles. He already has a larger quantity than most babies for his age and weight.


With this in mind I’ve taken advantage of  supermarket ‘baby events’ and have stocked up on some basic weaning essentials from Tommee Tippee as I am a fan of the brand (future post on that coming soon!).

Cute little first cup!



Handy pots for 'mush' or finger foods on the go.

 

Beaker for when we move on to 'no handles'

'Shatterproof'' gets my approval! I love the stars, so cute.

I also have some of the Tommee Tippee Explora spoons but left them at my parents.

 Sloppy mush stuff!

  I would love to hear your recommendations on any weaning books!

How old was your baby when you started weaning? What products would you recommend?