Tommee Tippee

Tommee Tippee Magic Mat

by Lynley Oram in Reviews on 25 February, 2013 at 5:00 pm

Tommee Tippee Magic MatAs far as I can tell, this is the same as the Tommee Tippee Magic Mat I got when son first started weaning. Basically it is a sort of plastic mat that also has a non-slip surface. I got it so that he could feed himself when we were out, without also dragging the plate or bowl off the table.

Unfortunately it doesn't stop them from picking up the plate and throwing it on the floor if that's what your toddler really, really wants to do! It is a magic mat - just not THAT magic. But the sucker does work, and if you're at a restaurant it saves you a lot of mess.

I also had one of those little material portable high chairs, the kind you can use with most sorts of dining chairs. The combination helped him be able to join in at the dinner table where ever we went, even if there wasn't a high chair.

The mat itself worked really well with all the plates we used. So no accidental knocks at all, just the on-purpose, I'm determined to do this, kind. The non-slip surface also helped steady cups when he was trying to be all independent, picking up and putting down himself.

Another major plus is how easy to clean it is, and also how it keeps looking just like new. Even now, 7 years later. Yes, I am still using it. Although now the mat sits on a shelf in my kitchen. There's a few items that I like, and I want to keep, like a gorgeous fruit bowl. It is hard to keep nice things when you've boys in particular. The non-slip mat stops me from knocking them over by accident, or anyone else. Also, again, it is easy to whip off and keep clean. And the blue colour matches my kitchen decor!

Tommee Tippee Digital Ear Thermometer £10 @ Asda

by Luschka van Onselen in Deals on 14 September, 2012 at 6:00 pm

Tommee Tippee Digital Ear Thermometer £10 @ AsdaThe Tommee Tippee Digital Ear Thermometer at Asda is currently £10 instead of £2o, with free Click and Collect or £2.95 delivery as standard.

I have a problem with most thermometers I've used, if I'm honest, because they seem to have vastly different readings for the same child at every reading, even one that's moments apart. If thermometers are to be believed, my two year old goes from 35.4 to 39.3 in the time it takes to reset! I've yet to find a thermometer where this is not the case, so I'm quite intrigued by this one. The things is, this thermometer gets really very good reviews, but every now and then someone comments that that's the case here too. At £10, it's worth trying, but I must admit at £20 it wouldn't be in my book!

The Tommee Tippee Closer to Nature Digital Ear Thermometer has a tiny tip making it ideal for newborn babies, but apparently it can be used on adults too. The 'selling point' for this one is that it has a one second reading, which is much more useful with babies than a minute under the arm!

The fever alarm alerts when the temperature is too high, and it also has a memory store for 9 readings. You can choose for it to display in Fahrenheit or Celsius. If you ever need to use the thermometer on someone else, it also comes with 8 disposable hygiene covers.

Thanks to missgem at HUKD

Tommee Tippee Wobble Bug Teething Ring £3.75 @ Amazon

by Luschka van Onselen in Deals on 13 September, 2012 at 7:00 pm

Tommee Tippee Wobble Bug Teething Ring £3.75 @ Amazon

Amazon have on offer a Tommee Tippee Wobble Bug Teething Ring with 23% off. It's reduced to £3.75 instead of £4.88 and comes with free delivery.

My daughter is six months old today, and her sleep habits have been the biggest surprise - she sleeps almost through the night most nights! I know - wer'e so lucky (don't hate us too much: our toddler still wakes repeatedly!).  Last night, however, she was awake for pretty much most of the night, just moaning and crying and being decidedly unhappy, so a teething toy is right up there on my radar today!

This Tommee Tippee Wobble Bug teething ring squeaks and rattles to distract your baby. There's also a mirror to engage and stimulate, and a lady bird and spaceship 'toy' to keep them occupied too.

Tommee Tippee say it's suitable from birth onwards, so I might be shopping in a minute! This has really good reviews from parents, and most importantly it's easy for little hands to hold.

Thanks to rims790 at HUKD

Closer To Nature Digital Video Sensor Pad Monitor Review

by Luschka van Onselen in Reviews on 14 June, 2012 at 5:00 pm

Closer To Nature Digital Video Sensor Pad Monitor Review

With a newborn in the house, people assume sleep to be something of a foreign concept, but fortunately that’s not been a problem for us. The only time we really need to use our Closer To Nature Digital Video Sensor Pad Monitor baby monitor is when I’m in the kitchen and the girls are in the living room, next door. My toddler is very cuddly, and likes to snuggle and squash the baby, and while we try to encourage a relationship between them, squishing a baby is not a great idea, so I can have an eye on the monitor to make sure our baby is able to breathe!

As we don’t use a cot I’ve never used the Sensisleep Pad, and unless my baby had heart issues, I wouldn’t either – it would make me very paranoid.

The video monitor, however, is very good – I’m really impressed with it.  It is a colour monitor with pretty clear picture quality. It has a night mode that is surprisingly clear in the dark, and has a good sound quality too. The sound sort of switches off when there’s nothing happening, and comes back again when baby stirs.  There’s also a two way talk-back feature so you can talk to your child through the monitor – very useful for telling the toddler not to climb on baby sister!

The monitor has a 1000 foot range, useful if you live on a farm, I guess! It has a signal indicator so you know that it’s all working properly and the video camera has a zoom function.

The display is clear and you can really figure it out without reading the manual, but there is one available.  Usefully, there is a night light with a remote control, so if you need more light on the baby, you can get it without potentially disturbing a sleeping child.

There is also screw hole thingy in the bottom, so you could use a gorilla grip to attach the Digital Video Monitor to the side of a crib or on a curtain or whatever, if you don’t have a shelf or nail to attach it to. The video bit also tilts, so you can get a perfect angle to view your baby from.

At an RRP of £199, this isn't a cheap gadget, but if you're hoping to be using it for a few years, or for a number of children, I expect it'll last a while, and it certainly has the sound and picture quality to justify the price tag.

Tommee Tippee Closer To Nature Video Sensor Monitor £159.99 @ Amazon

by Luschka van Onselen in Deals on 22 May, 2012 at 7:00 pm

Tommee Tippee Closer To Nature Video Sensor Monitor £159.99 @ Amazon

There’s 20% off the Tommee Tippee Closer To Nature Video Sensor Monitor at Amazon right now, bringing the rather expensive gadget from £199.99 to £159.99.

I must confess, that on the baby monitor scale, this one ranks pretty high. Yes, we have it, and although we don’t have call to use it too often, it’s brilliant.

It consists of a parent unit with a video screen, a baby unit with an adjustable video camera, and a motion sensor mat. There’s also 2 mains power adaptors, a battery pack and an instruction leaflet.

We’ve never used the mat, but the camera swivels in all the right ways, the sound quality is brilliant as is the video quality and the range is pretty good too – enough for popping out to the garage or sitting out in the garden and still keeping an ‘eye’ on the sleeping babies.

This monitor also features the two-way talkback function.

Tommee Tippee Heat Sensitive Bath Mat £9.71 @ Amazon

by Luschka van Onselen in Deals on 21 May, 2012 at 7:00 pm

Tommee Tippee Heat Sensitive Bath Mat £9.71 @ Amazon

The Tommee Tippee Heat Sensitive Bath Mat is reduced by 51% to £9.71 from £19.99, saving a nice £10.28.

I’ve never fussed too much with the bath water – so long as it didn’t feel too hot, then someone gave us a thermometer and my daughter was playing with it. According to the thermometer, what I consider practically a cold bath is what it recommends as ideal! Well. That would put an end to bathtime with mummy!

This bath mat features a fun fishy design and it attaches to the bottom of the bath. This is great as it makes the bath non-slip according to one of the reviewers, although another says that the suckers don’t always stick, then the mat slips around the bath.

The mat is nice and soft and colourful to look at and provides a fun focus point at bath time, while serving a practical purpose too.

Thanks to dudebar at HUKD

 

Tommee Tippee Closer To Nature Bottles 2 x 150ml £5.16 @ Asda Direct

by Lynley Oram in Deals on 26 February, 2012 at 11:00 am

Tommee Tippee Closer To Nature Bottles 2 x 150ml £5.16 @ Asda DirectAsda has knocked a third off the cost of this bottle two pack. The Tommee TIppee Closer to Nature bottles, 2 x 150ml, have been reduced from £8.49 to £5.16. Standard delivery is £2.95, so if you're going for home delivery make it part of a bigger order for the best value. However, you can collect them instore for free.

According to the manufacturer, what makes the Closer to nature baby feeding bottles different to other baby bottles is that they come with easivent slow teats made from soft silicone which stretches and flexes to mimic a natural breast feeding action.

You get 2 x 150ml Bottles with Slow Flow Teats. 150ml/5 floz bottles with easivent slow flow teats made from soft silicone designed to mimic a natural breast feeding action, and also featuring a super-sensitive anti-colic valve.

Bottle or breast? Although they say you shouldn't mix the two, as baby will go for one and reject the other, I didn't have that problem. I started using a bottle for one feed when he was 2 weeks old, partly because I needed that sleep and partly because my other half wanted to have some of that time to bond with our son too.

Some of my friends did this successfully too, although they were able to use expressed breast milk. No matter what I did, I never seemed to have anything left over! Despite working with the midwife, the breast feeding 'cafe', and a couple of other breastfeeding experts, nothing I did increased milk production. It just seems like sometimes breast don't work. I compromised with 'half and half', half the feeds were breast feeding and half were formula from a bottle.

Tommee Tippee Promotional Code: 20% Off

by Lynley Oram in Deals on 8 January, 2012 at 11:00 am

Tommee Tippee Promotional Code: 20% OffUse this Tommee Tippee promotional code to get 20% off your order on all full priced products. Unfortunately, it does not work on sale items, or with any other offers.

Click here to use your Tommee Tippee promotional code

  • Discount: 20%
  • Promotional code: WEL10
  • Expires: unknown

To use this promotional code, go to the full Shopping Basket page and enter it in the Promo Codes box. It will be automatically applied, so you'll see the discount straight away in the Totals column. If your order doesn't work with this discount, the code may be accepted but there won't be any discount shown in the Totals column.

I tested the code out on 2 Easivent Bottles. This was priced at £9.49. The promotional code reduced this by £1.90 to £7.59.

Tommee Tippee sells more than just bottles. The site has a wide range of products for feeding, soothing, weaning, bathtime, baby changing and even keeping baby safe.

Thanks to lovebargains at HUKD!

Tommee Tippee Closer To Nature Complete Starter Kit £64.99 @ Amazon

by Sarah Macdonald in Deals on 27 August, 2011 at 9:00 am

Tommee Tippee Closer To Nature Complete Starter Kit £64.99 @ AmazonI've written about this Tommee Tippee Closer to Nature complete starter kit before; I'm always happy to tell you about it again because I think it's such a good deal.

Now, Amazon are selling the Tommee Tippee Closer to Nature complete starter kit for £64.99 reduced, they say, from £99.99.  Babies R Us are also selling it for £64.99 but they state the original price as being £129.99.

Whatever the original price is/was one thing that can't be disputed are the positive reviews the Tommee Tippee Closer to Nature starter set continues to receive:

"Brought this when it was on half price offer and I'm so pleased we did. This is a well known brand and so any extras you may need are easily found. The additions in this set are great, bottle warmer is very handy, the two carriers for keeping bottles warm are brilliant and will be much used."

If you’re an expectant mum and dad and are having trouble working out how many bottles you're going to need then sets like this will be your knight in shining steam steriliser!

It comes with:

  • Electric steam steriliser
  • Travel steriliser
  • Electric bottle and food warmer
  • 2 x 150 ml bottles with slow flow teats - 0m+
  • 4 x 260 ml bottles with slow flow teats - 0m+
  • 2 x Medium flow teats - 3-6m
  • 2 x Fast flow teats - 6m+
  • 4 x Milk storage lids
  • 6 x Milk powder dispensers - 0m+
  • 2 x Insulated bottle bags
  • Bottle and teat brush
  • Tommee Tippee teats are designed to make the breast to bottle switch uneventful, so that their bottles can be used for expressed breast milk too.

    And just to top off a great package, the Tommee Tippee Closer to Nature complete starter kit is BPA free; marvellous.

    Thanks to Dcontrol at HUKD

    Tommee Tippee Cold Water Steriliser Review

    by Luschka van Onselen in Reviews on 14 May, 2011 at 5:00 pm

    Tommee Tippee Cold Water Steriliser Review
    Okay, I’ll confess that I’m just not a super-clean-neat-freak kind of mum. I bought a travel sized hand sanitizer for the nappy bag before I had my baby, and now, 19 months later, it’s still there, looking a little worse for wear and with only about 2ml gone off the top.

    But, since we travel a lot we decided to pop the bottle of Tommee Tippee Steri-Fluid we were given into our travel case, in case we ever need it, and last week it came in handy. To my horror, I discovered that the sippy cup my daughter uses only in the car had become rather slimy on the bit that slows the flow – the bit we don’t really get to see when we’re filling it up. Being on the road we didn’t have hot water and soap, so I pulled out the Steri-Fluid, mixed it with some water and dropped the parts of the sippy cup into the mixture, where I left it for about an hour.

    After the hour, I rinsed everything off, filled up the cup again and had some water through it myself as I was afraid that there would be a chemical residue in the taste, but there wasn’t at all, which both surprised and pleased me.

    Apparently the Steri-Fluid is proven to kill MRSA, E.coli, Listeria, Salmonella, Campylobacter, Staphylococcus and Candida albicans – and I don’t know what the slimy stuff in the sippy cup was, but it removed that too.

    The Steri-Fluid is alcohol and bleach free and is intended as a cold water sterilisation of bottles, teats, soothers, small toys and weaning equipment. Oh, and teethers. I did use it on a teether too, that same week, after I found it neatly lodged in a cow pat. Nice.

    There are a few more items in this new range from Tommee Tippee, including a surface spray, hand serum and a travel sized hand serum. There are also wipes which aren’t intended for use on your baby, but can be pretty handy if you are a bit more germ conscious than I am – although I have used them to clean high chairs in restaurants, and also a particularly gross looking toilet seat at an Easter weekend fair, with the added bonus that they are 100% biodegradable.

    The Tommee Tippee Closer To Nature cleaning range is useful, rather convenient and great for travel, certainly, but the list of unpronounceable chemicals worries me somewhat. However, if you have a child that’s prone to illness or has a lowered immune system, they are certainly better than sterilisers that contain bleach or alcohol.

    Tommee Tippee's cleaning range is available from Tesco, Toys R Us and Asda.

    Tommee Tippee Closer To Nature Essentials Set £59.99 @ Babies R Us

    by Sarah Macdonald in Deals on 9 May, 2011 at 12:00 pm

    Tommee Tippee Closer To Nature Essentials Set £59.99 @ Babies R UsBabies R Us are selling this Tommee Tippee Closer to Nature Essentials Set for half price; it was £119.99 but is currently £59.99.

    How's this for a statement to make new parents' blood run cold: First time parents in the UK will spend, on average, £4000 on their first child during pregnancy and the first year. You don't even want to KNOW what the figure is by the time that first child leaves school, so it makes sense to save as much money as you can, wherever you can.

    If you've been getting in a tizzy about which bottles to have and how many to have fear not, this minefield just got a whole lot easier and cheaper with this fantastic deal on a Tommee Tippee Closer to Nature Essentials set; it comes with everything you need to get going so you can just buy 'the box' and tick 'baby feeding' off your list.

    It includes an electric steriliser, a bottle warmer, two insulated bottle bags, six large (260ml) bottles and four small (150ml) bottles, two medium flow teats, two fast flow teats, six milk powder dispensers, three milk storage lids, a soother, teat tongs and a bottle brush.

    Tommee Tippee teats are designed to make the breast to bottle switch uneventful, so that their bottles can be used for expressed breast milk too.

    You can click and collect your Tommee Tippee Closer to Nature Essentials Set in-store for free if you want to, or you can have it delivered to your home - as you've spent over £50 delivery is free too.

    Happy baby feeding!

    Tommee Tippee Digital Sensor Mat And Monitor Review

    by Luschka van Onselen in Reviews on 21 April, 2011 at 5:00 pm

    Tommee Tippee Digital Sensor Mat And Monitor Review

    I like, and have concerns with, the Tommee Tippee Digital Sensor Mat and Monitor. As a product, I think it's great – but I wish it could be sold only to sensible parents! Let me explain:

    The Tommee Tippee Digital Sensor Mat and Monitor has three parts – a parent unit, baby unit and sensor pad.

    The Tommee Tippee sensor pad lies under the baby's mattress and monitors breathing. It sounds an alarm if no movement has been detected after 20 seconds. Personally I don't find it a necessarily addition to a nursery (probably because we co-sleep) and think it would make me rather neurotic.
    I do think, however, that sickly, premature babies or smoking parents could benefit from this, as such babies are at higher risk.

    The Tommee Tippee baby unit has a nice design and has a very useful built in night light with three brightness settings which can be controlled from it or from the parent unit. It has volume control buttons and an on/off switch for the optional sensor pad. It also gives a room temperature reading. Helpfully, there's a locator alarm for those inevitable I-can't-find-the-parent-unit moments.

    The parent unit is sleek and has a clip for attaching to clothes. The Tommee Tippee parent unit can be battery operated – two rechargables are included in the box – has a docking station for electric charging, and a sound level monitor.

    The two things that bother me about this monitor are also probably its biggest selling points: it has a 300 meter range, and an out of range indicator, and it has a two-way talk back function to “reassure baby from afar”. While this is fantastic for older kids – “Johnny! Stop teasing your sister!” or “Kids, wash your hands and come down for dinner” - I have real concerns about it being used to 'shush-shush' babies who really need human comfort.


    So, for
    sensible parents with older children, I love this monitor, but would urge parents to think twice about using the two-way talk back function as a replacement for physical comfort with infants.

    Tommee Tippee Closer To Nature Steam Steriliser £20 @ Tommee Tippee

    by Sarah Macdonald in Deals on 29 March, 2011 at 12:00 pm

    Tommee Tippee Closer To Nature Steam Steriliser £20 @ Tommee TippeeTommee Tippee are selling their own Closer To Nature Steam Steriliser for £20 whilst stocks last.

    This is a rather nice price as all the other ususal suspects are selling this Tommee Tippee Closer To Nature steam steriliser for upwards of £32.99, which is Amazon's price, Tesco are selling for £40.99 and Boots are the most expensive at £43.99.

    I read an article a while ago stating that first time parents in the UK spend on average £4000 on their first child during pregnancy and the first year. £4000!

    That's crazy, so whether you’re a frugal parent or a ‘must have everything’ parent, getting ready for a baby can be incredibly expensive, and new mums and best friends to expectant mums should jump at the chance whenever a good deal comes along.

    This Tommee Tippee Closer to Nature Steam Steriliser is just one of those deals.

    It has a new and clean-looking oval shape, to mimic the shape of the Closer to Nature bottle, and takes up less space on the kitchen worktop.  It will hold six bottles, teats and even dome tops, it also has space for the tube attachments from the Closer to Nature anti-colic pus bottles if you use those.

    There’s a single push button which glows orange when switched on and goes off when the cycle is finished after five minutes.  If you keep the lid closed the contents will stay sterile for a full 24 hours, so you can switch it on at bedtime and have clean bottles waiting for you in the morning.

    Not only that, the Tommee Tippee Closer to Nature steam steriliser is BPA free; it comes with one bottle to get you going, a pair of teat tongs and a bottle brush too.

    Now, delivery.  Standard delivery costs £4.95 but hotstuffs on HUKD says, "if you register they send you a thanks for registering email with a discount code took £4.00 off my order making delivery only 95p."

    Marvellous!

    Thanks to hotstuffs at HUKD

    Sangenic Hygiene Nappy Disposal System Review

    by Luschka van Onselen in Reviews on 28 March, 2011 at 6:00 pm

    Sangenic Hygiene Nappy Disposal System Review

    I am totally in two minds about the Sangenic Hygiene Plus nappy disposal system. On the one hand it's great, and on the other, completely unnecessary.

    We were given the Sangenic nappy disposal system as a babyshower gift, and used it until the cartridge it came with was empty. With a breastfed baby, the nappies don't have a particularly bad smell, so we popped supermarket bags in the bucket and used it as a normal nappy bin.

    We changed to reusable nappies during the days and disposables throughout the night. We didn't leave them in the nappy disposal system, because the smell would become overpowering before the bin was full. Our washing machine broke and for a few weeks we returned to disposables full time, and by now, with a partially breast fed, partially weaned baby, the nappies weren't quite as pleasant smelling.

    So, we bought a new cartridge for the nappy disposal system, and it definitely helped with the smell. To use it, you pop the nappies in the hole, turn the handle around a couple of times, and it twists the bag to 'seal' in the nappy and the smell and apparently the germs. Once the nappy is sealed, the easi-push plunger pushes the nappy into the tub, where the germ-seal film continues to kill bacteria, and for a day or so, contains the smell too.

    It holds up to 28 nappies at a time, but for us that would be almost a month's worth, which is definitely not going to be hygienic, so we've never tested that claim.

    Truth be told though, since our kitchen bin goes out every day, there's no reason the nappies can't go straight in there. So, is it a worthwhile purchase? I think that depends entirely on your circumstances. It was nice to have, and great to have been given as a gift, but it's certainly not on my list of essentials if I ever have another baby.

    Tommee Tippee Closer To Nature Essentials Set £59.99 @ Babies R Us

    by Sarah Macdonald in Deals on 27 February, 2011 at 9:00 am

    Tommee Tippee Closer To Nature Essentials Set £59.99 @ Babies R UsBabies R Us have knocked £60 off the rrp of this Tommee Tippee Closer to Nature Essentials set, making it half price and yours for £59.99.

    If you’re going into meltdown over how many bottles you might need, then this Tommee Tippee ‘Closer to Nature’ Essentials set could just be your knight in shining steam steriliser!

    Not everyone wants to, or can, breastfeed and sometimes parents choose to do some and some so that dad’s can feed their baby too. But ‘which bottles to use?’, ‘how many to have?’, ‘what else do I need?’ are questions that fry your brain!

    Here's what you comes inside the box of the Tommee Tippee Closer to Nature Essentials set: One electric steriliser, one bottle warmer, six 260ml bottles, four 150ml bottles, two medium flow teats, two fast flow teats, six milk powder dispensers, three milk storage lids, one Pure soother, one set of teat tongs AND one bottle brush *phew*
    And just to top off the Tommee Tippee Closer to Nature Essentials set, everything is BPA free; a rather nice cherry on the top of a storming deal I think, and I'm not the only one as its reviews are excellent...

    "Bought this for my daughter, who is very pleased with it. Great value for money, has everything she needs for when baby comes, no need too buy anything else because it literally has everything in it."

    Thanks to louisef08 at HUKD

    Tommee Tippee Manual Breast Pump £10 @ Asda

    by Luschka van Onselen in Deals on 26 January, 2011 at 7:00 pm

    Tommee Tippee Manual Breast Pump £10 @ Asda

    The Tommee Tippee Manual Breast Pump is only £10 in the Asda Baby Event - £16 off it's £26 price.

    The Tommee Tippee Breast Pump is apparently the best-selling manual breast pump on the market.

    It has only three parts to put together, which is great compared to it's electric counterpart which is way more fiddly.

    The set includes a 5oz BPA-free bottle and slow flow teat with and Easivent valve, a sealing cap for breast milk storage, a Steri box for steam sterilising in the microwave, and also a convenient storage place when not in use and breast pads.

    Tommee Tippee state that the soft touch cup is 'rippled for easier and more comfortable expressing' but this is definitely a matter of personal opinion. Some users find that it actually hinders expressing. As with most things in parenting, every woman is different, and while this pump might not work for you, another might – I know I never got on with a manual pump – so it's worth trying another pump before giving up.

    A reviewer here says the pump is “easy to use and clean and I found it really easy to switch between breast & bottle with the closer to nature system. I've since tried the closer to nature electric pump and the medela swing pump, but am about to buy a second one of these as it's by far the best for us.” Which is ironically the exact opposite of what worked for me.

    Which is why this one at only £10 is great – if it works for you, it's a bargain, and if it doesn't, you haven't lost much!

    Thanks to Chris197 at HUKD

    Tommee Tippee Closer To Nature Electric Breast Pump Review

    by Luschka van Onselen in Reviews on 11 November, 2010 at 5:00 pm

    Tommee Tippee Closer To Nature Electric Breast Pump Review

    The popular Tommee Tippee Closer to Nature Electric Breast Pump offers reasonable value considering it is frequently on sale, but it does come with a few drawbacks too.

    The sleek design makes it a 'pretty' pumping system, and the four speed control is simple to operate. Compared to other pumps I have tried, it's relatively quiet too, allowing for discreet, although not secret, pumping.

    There are two big disadvantages, though. First, the air pipe connects to the area the milk flows through before dropping into the bottle, and if the pump is held any other way than the one instructed in the manual, milk goes up the pipe and into the electronics. You then have to unplug the air pipe and blow the milk out the other side, which isn't great for hygiene. As a one-off it's no big deal, but having to do it three or four times a session because you're also juggling a child and so aren't holding the pump exactly right quickly becomes annoying.

    The second, bigger problem I found was that the silicone shell – which ironically is meant to mimic a baby's natural feeding action – somehow prevents any expressing. After ten minutes of pumping I had dishearteningly less than an ounce of milk. Once I removed the shell and just used the hard plastic cup, I filled almost five ounces in the next ten minutes.

    The pump comes with a feeding bottle with a slow flow teat, a milk storage lid, milk storage pots, breast pads and a handy steriliser box that doubles up as a carry case or storage container for all the bits.

    If you can work around the issues, this is a great pump – especially at sale prices – and if you're only looking for occasional use it shouldn't be too bothersome. For a daily use pump, however, I'd pay a little more for something needing less workaround.

    Tommee Tippee Closer To Nature Essentials £49.99 @ Toys R Us

    by Luschka van Onselen in Deals on 19 October, 2010 at 7:00 pm

    Tommee Tippee Closer To Nature Essentials £49.99 @ Toys R Us

    Setting up for a new baby just got a whole lot easier and cheaper with this fantastic better-than-half-price deal on a Tommee Tippee Closer to Nature Essentials set from Toys R Us for just £49.99, down from £110.99

    I remember an article stating that first time parents in the UK spend on average £4000 on their first child during pregnancy and the first year – an astronomical amount, in my estimation! Whether you're a frugal parent or a 'must have everything' parent, getting ready for a baby can be incredibly expensive, so new mums and best friends to expectant mums should jump at the chance whenever a good deal comes along.

    This is one of those times. For £49.99 the Essentials kit includes an electric steriliser, a bottle warmer, six large (260ml) bottles and four small (150ml) bottles, two medium flow teats, two fast flow teats, six milk powder dispensers, three milk storage lids, a soother, teat tongs and a bottle brush.

    Tommee Tippee state that their teats are designed to make the breast to bottle switch uneventful, so that their bottles can be used for expressed breast milk too.

    Standard delivery is £4.95, but if you spend over £150 – easy to do when preparing for a new arrival – delivery is free.

    Tommee Tippee Explora Roll 'n' Go Bib Review

    by Luschka van Onselen in Reviews on 18 October, 2010 at 5:00 pm

    Tommee Tippee Explora Roll 'n' Go Bib Review

    The Tommee Tippee Explora Roll 'n' Go bib is my new favourite bib for when we're out and about.

    The Explora Roll 'n' Go bib for babies six months and up is made from a BPA free soft rubbery plastic, which is softer on baby skin and doesn't cut in to the flesh as the old hard bibs used to do. The pelican bib is a great catch all and stops a lot of food reaching the floor – meaning my toddler can pick it up again and keep eating without my having to worry about germs and cat hair.

    The Explora Roll 'n' Go bib actually rolls up and the 'buttons' with which you fasten it around the baby's neck also serve as clips to fasten it so that it doesn't unroll in your bag. It is small enough that it can go in a handbag, nappy bag or picnic basket without compromising too much space in already jam packed baggage.

    So what makes this bib any better than a simple .99p cloth version?

    Well, just the fact that it's so easy to clean! That was it's selling point to me, anyway. A mucky bib in my handbag has never really appealed to me, but with the Explor Roll 'n' Go, a quick wipe down or rinse under a running tap, and you're good to go all over again. No plastic bags to keep it in and later throw away, no dirty bib to forget about, no running out of clean bibs when I'm out and about.

    We took an Explora Roll 'n' Go bib with us on a camping trip over the summer and with no washing machine, it was really useful to be able to just wipe it off.

    The Tommee Tippee Explora Roll 'n' Go bib comes in pink, green and blue and retails for £5.49 for two.

    Baby Grooming Kit £10.00 @ Asda

    by Luschka van Onselen in Deals on 17 October, 2010 at 9:00 pm

    Baby Grooming Kit £10.00 @ Asda   I'm generally pretty sceptical of anything announcing itself as 'essential' for your baby and although this Closer to Nature Baby Healthcare Grooming Kit for £10, down from £14.99, from Asda is no exception, I will concede that it contains enough useful items to be worth buying, especially at almost 1/3 off.

    The grooming kit contains nine healthcare and grooming items in a handy material pouch. If you listen to your mother and put things back where you found them this is great as they'll always be easy to locate.

    In the case are a digital oral thermometer – useful for checking baby's temperature, especially when teething, and a nasal aspirator - not that essential, I don't think, having never yet had to use one.

    On the grooming side, there's a toothbrush, brush, comb, scissors, nail clippers and two emery boards. These will probably all come in handy at some point or other during your baby's first few years, and are enough to make the kit useful to own.

    Asda says it is ideal for travel – so long as you pop it in your checked in luggage so that it won't be confiscated at the airport for containing nail clippers and scissors!

    If, like me, you like having a travel kit ready to go, this is perfect. If you want somewhere zipped up and safe to keep sharp objects and grooming items specifically for your little one, this is it.

    Although it can be purchased online, the £4.95 delivery fee arguably means buying in-store makes more penny-pinching sense for PlayPennies readers.

    Thank you to hardikjshah83 from HUKD