Halilit Rainbomaker Musical Shaker

We first came across this at our son's first jabs.  Our son cried after the first jab and when the nurse shaked her secret weapon - this rainbomaker music shaker, he stopped crying instantly!  The same happened after the second jab.  So we bought it as soon as we got home, and it's very useful in calming our son down.  We have bought this for our friends' babies as we love it so much. (Have at least purchased 5 of these!)

Highly recommended.

You can read more info and more reviews here:

Lamaze Gardenbug Wrist Rattle and Foot Finder

Our son loves this.  When we bought this at around 3 months he has already found his hands, but not his feet, and he did stare his feet lots and eventually realised those feet are his!  Wish we bought these sooner.

The foot finders did come off occasionally as there isn't any elastic bands, hence 4 stars and not 5.

You can read more info and more reviews here:

 

Sing along with Elmo CD

saw this being advertised on facebook, and couldn't help but get one for my son after listening to a sample!

http://singalongwithelmo.co.uk/special/

This used to be 20 quid and is currently on sale for 9.50 (on top there's P&P of 2.99)  This offer is available till 31st March 2013 so if you want one get one now!!

Tommee Tippee Sangenic Nappy Bin

New born babies pee and poo all the time.  Fact.

The wet ones don't stink too badly, but the dirty ones do...

And even more so once you've started feeding them solid food.

This nappy bin doesn't take up too much floor space, and it really helps contain the odour, so you don't have to clear your bin everyday.

Only 4 stars because the cassettes are not cheap, but that's the price to pay if we want an odour free home...

You can read more info and more reviews here:

   

Replacement cassettes (each cassette lasts about one week)

 

Magic bullet

I've heard of the Magic Bullet years ago when I mentioned to a colleague that I like making fresh fruit smoothie, but I never got round to buying one until I need to start making puree for my son.

It is so easy to use - you make puree within seconds.  It doesn't take up much space on the work top, and is easy to clean.  (Dishwasher safe)

There's one thing to watch out though - the white rubber gasket stopping liquid leakage can come loose so make sure it's secure before turning the bullet on. (that's why it's 4 stars instead of 5)

Apart from baby puree, I've also used it to make smoothie for myself, as well as soup for dinner.

Official website with video demo: http://www.buythebullet.com/

You can read more info and more reviews here:

 

EasyN Wireless IP camera

This camera is great!  Works during the day and during the night, we can see whether our son is sleeping or awake without disturbing him.

You can access through the internet (so hubby at work can see our son if he wants to), and the quality is great.  There's also an iPhone and Andriod app.  The price is very reasonable too, many other baby cameras are closer to the 100 quid mark!

We have two of these at home, as we also use it as a security camera while we're away from home - there's a built-in motion detection function so if there's an intruder the camera will take photos and email you.

Highly recommend this product.

You can read more info and more reviews here:

Fisher-Price EZ Clean High Chair

Most high chairs are from 6 months, but we really wanted to get one sooner so that our son can join in during meal times, so we started looking when he's 2 months old.  It would also be great as somewhere safe to put the baby while I cook my lunch in the kitchen or do other house work (or even go to the loo!)

We first started doing high-chair research on the mobile while we were out.  At first we quite like the look of the Bloom high chair, and we thought, "Isn't Bloom a prestige pricey brand?  30 quid for a high chair?  Really?"  Then when we clicked to see the details, we noticed 30 quid would only get you the seat insert!  The actual high chair is more like 300-400 quid.  (We still laugh about it today!)

Back to this EZ Clean High Chair I want to recommend.

Although our son's neck seems quite strong we wanted to get one that's suitable from birth rather than ones that are suitable from 4 months.  If you have a look at the market, there aren't that many choices that doesn't cost a fortune.

After some research we found Fisher-Price's EZ Clean High Chair.  The reason we bought it is because it's easy clean.  The surface is easy to wipe, which is really important because weaning is a messy process.  The seat can be inclined at different angles so it really is suitable from birth.  Our son loves it, he much prefers sitting next to us at the dining table while we dine, than at the bouncer on the floor.  The pattern is colourful and cheerful, would suit either a boy or a girl.  We wished we bought it sooner!

You can read more info and more reviews here:

Stokke Xplory

I would say this is one of the best buy, I love it, hubby loves it, and my son loves it.  It's also a head turner on the street, many people comment on how good it is.  So that's why we give it 5 out of 5 stars.

Why we bought it?

Because the seat is considerably higher than any other buggies on the market, so the baby can
- stay away from exhaust hoods
- enjoy the better view from being higher up
- be closer to the parent
- join in at cafes / restaurants from the seat, rather than feeling left out
- face you or face the world
- can lie down to rest / sit up to look at the world

This is a really good video that summarizes why we like this better than any other buggy.



Things to consider before buying:
1.  It takes up quite alot of space in the car boot compared to other buggies.  So make sure your car boot is big enough for it.  (We have a Mercedes E class and it's fine, you might struggle with a C class)
2.  It's quite big and heavy, so I'm planning to get a smaller one for holidays.
3.  There are newer models - Crusi and Scoot, you might want to consider these as well before making the decision, but we actually love the design of the Xplory better.

Xlory official website: http://www.stokke.com/en-gb/stroller/stokke-xplory/product-information.aspx


You can read more info and more reviews here: