Reviews for Mama & Babas

My boys love their baths and what helps I think is that I always try to make the bath time fun and enjoyable. Currently in The Mamma Fairy there are 2 items which we are really loving and add to the bath time fun.

 1 – The Babyswimmer

I am going to admit, I was a tad dubious about this product not really sure how it was going to fare out with the littlest man, for a teeny little thing he really has his own mind. Like anything when it comes to my kids, I educate myself before I use/ try anything out. According to their website the Babyswimmer has a number of benefits for babies including:

• Improving muscle tone -Building neck, upper body, arms and legs muscles with less stress on baby’s joints while they are having fun;
• Helps with earlier right/left brain development;
• Improve their balance and coordination, support their ability to crawl and walk; and
• Floating relieves constipation and digestion issues, eases colic symptom.

Its an inflatable ring which you sits around baby’s neck with a Velcro strap for really easy putting on and putting off.

It’s fascinating! It really is, once he is in the water his little legs were going a hundred miles an hour and he was bobbing along. It was adorable. He seemed to really enjoy it. We have been using it in his bath for the playtime element for the last couple of weeks and im going to continue to do so. I grew up with a terrible fear of water so I try as best I can to help the boys enjoy water. My 3 year old goes swimming with his uncle who is a trained life guard and the littlest man will be joining him and will be using his Babyswimmer. If it got thumbs up from his very picky uncle it gets a thumbs up for me. They are going swimming later this afternoon and ill report back on how he got on in the pool with his babyswimmer. I think because its familiar to him to there wont be a bother on him.

2 – Naif Skin care products.

As mentioned above before I try or use anything on the boys I always try to educate myself and how better than being able to chat to the founder of this new baby skincare brand – Naif. Naif is a new brand of baby skincare on the Irish market, it totally natural chemical free designed by two Dutch fathers who coincidentally became father around the same time.  The products use natural oils like cottonseed, sweet almond, macadamia and avocado rather than harsh sulfates and parabens. 

Having chatted to the guys it is clear that have a real passion for their products, I was curious to know how long it took them to get their products to market. From initial concept to seeing the product on the shelves the guys were explaining to me that this alone took over a year, as they spent significant time on the testing and development to ensure they got the high quality product they envisaged. There are currently 7 products in the range and the founders, Sjoerd and Jochem were filling me in that early next year they are planning to launch a sunscreen (SPF50 with natural filters) and from there to gradually build the range.

The products I have been using are the softening body lotion and the cleaning wash gel.

Both products have a lovely gently smell, more so the body lotion which contains cottonseed extract. My littlest man suffers with quite dry skin on his ankles and knees so I use this a couple of times a day and it keeps those areas nice, soft and hydrated. What I like about these products are that they are natural, dermatologically tested, hypoallergenic, and PH skin natural. This is so important for babies particularly very young babies whose skin is so delicate. They products are a little more on the pricey side that the average supermarket brand however I don’t have an issue with paying for a quality product. For more information see website here and most of the range is stocked in Boots stores.

Has anybody tried any of the above? If so, would love to know what you think.

Take Care

~Mamma F

I am a firm believer in the benefits of supplements, even more so in the case of my oldest who is a fussy eater. At the end of the Summer we were kindly sent some Eskimo-3 kids to try. I had never used this supplement but did plenty of reading up on it before I gave it to my son.

The timing was ideal for us as he was just starting playschool. I’ll be honest, I wasn’t looking forward to the colds, flu’s and the likes that were destined to come through the front door. Added to the fact that at the time I had a 4 month old baby in the house.

We have been using Eskimo-3 kids since September and I am really impressed and happy with them. I give them to him after his dinner in the evening, no particular reason why its just become a habit now. Now, im not saying this is solely down to the supplements but I am certainly of the opinion that they were a major contributor. We have had some sniffles here and there and dodgy tummy one night after a mammy dinner (that’s a whole other story!) but nothing, yep absolutely nothing else. I am delighted, I was really worried about it and everybody kept telling to prepare myself for an onslaught of illness but thankfully this hasn’t materialised. I am really hoping I haven’t jinxed myself now!

Well what are they….they are a stable fish oil, with omega-6, omega-9, vitamin D and vitamin E. According to the makers of Eskimo-3, Omega-3 fatty acids have been well studied for their role in the support of many systems in the body including brain function. Because a child’s brain and nervous system have different fatty acid requirements whilst growing, Eskimo-3 Kids provides a balance of omega-3, omega-6 and omega-9 fatty acids to reflect these needs.

(pic credit: http://www.eskimo3.ie/)

Its in liquid form and and comes in two flavours – tutti-frutti flavour and orange flavour. We have been using the orange flavour with no objection from said fussy eater!

It’s readily available in pharmacies and costs around €20.

Please do consult your pharmacist for advice, as im neither a pharmacist or health care professional just a satisfied Mamma. For more information on Eskimo-3 products see here

Take Care

~Mamma F

The lovely people at www.magicsleepsuit.com sent me one of their Magic Sleep Suits for Little S to try out. The timing was perfect! We had just moved him from his moses basket and his swaddle wraps were now far too small. He looked so lost in the huge cot and his sleep became a lot more broken. Where had my sleepy baby gone! My first was a terrible sleeper so you an image my excitement when this newest man slept!!

When I opened the post with the help of the 3 year old who thinks every letter is for him, we immediately tried it on S for size, big brother was rolling around the floor laughing calling him a baby astronaut!! Picture below!

What is the Magic Sleep Suit – brilliant name for it! The woman behind the product is Maureen mother of four, pediatric physical therapist and founder of the Baby Merlin Company, a family owned and operated company. Maureen’s educational background includes a B.A. in Biology from the University of Delaware and a Master of Physical Therapy degree from Temple University. It was her first child’s lack of sleep which prompted the development of the Magic Sleep Suit.

According to Maureen, the Magic Sleepsuit is designed to be introduced at approximately three months of age when most babies are growing out of swaddling, transitioning into larger more spacious cribs from smaller sleep environments. It is recommended that babies transition out of the Magic Sleepsuit once they are able to roll over in it, since this is typically a sign that they are ready for more movement in their sleep, and the Magic Sleepsuit is specifically designed for the back sleeping position.

The purpose of the sleep suit is to muffle twitches and startle-type movements that can wake them prematurely, instead keeping them cosy and secure making it easier to go to sleep on their own or fall back asleep if woken.

We began using this product as the weather started to get colder too, which was ideal as it really keeps the baby nice and toasty and no need for blankets.

I love this product, Little S like most babies loves to be cuddled up tight and he was not impressed at all with the cot. The third night after using this he was back to my sleepy content baby. Prior to this, once he was moved to the cot, he would put his comforter over his face or up against his cheek and I was so worried about leaving him unattended in the room. To get him to sleep he had to have lots of bits around him snuggling him up, I would take them away once he was asleep but if he woke during the night we had to do the same routine over again.

Using the Magic Sleep Suit gave me such peace of mind that he is kept warm and im not concerned he is pulling blankets or his comforter up over his face. It meant he could self settle him back to sleep if he woke up.  It is ideal for these cold winter nights too. As I have mentioned before we travel a bit between Dublin and Donegal and with something like the Magic Sleep suit it provides continuity for sleeping for the little man, he can drift off to sleep seamlessly in either location which for me is a mega plus.

I showed it to one of the girls at baby massage and she was going off to buy one after the class as she thought that it would be a huge benefit to her little girl who suffers bad with eczema and wont keep the mittens on night time, she believes the suit will let her have her hands free which she wants but not enable her to reach up and scratch her face. Fingers crossed it helps her too.

Overall, I love this products, the concept, the story behind the brand but most of all it does work. The Magic Sleep Suit is now available in Ireland and the UK from Amazon.

If you decide to get one – do let me know what you think.

Take Care

Mamma F
Ps – I am trying to convince Maureen to make me an adult version!

One of the perks of being a blogger is meeting and dealing some lovely people, one such couple are Melanie and Ross.  Together they run the website www.bookywooky.ie.  I absolutely love the name and as the name suggests,  they supply books.  However not just any book, personalised books you create yourself.  There is a gallery of different types of products to choose from and a very handy You Tube video with tips and tricks if you need any assistance.  There is also a cool on line chat facility if you have queries.
I am totally useless when it comes to printing or doing anything with photos of the boys! However I was delighted to get the opportunity to try out and review www.bookywooky.ie.  I used the animal fun template and created my own masterpiece of photos of my little men.  It didn’t take me long at all, the online editor is really institutive, essential for the likes of me!!

The finished product was a fabulous quality hard book. My 3 year old just loves looking a the photos of himself and his brother so the durability has been put through its paces, so far its still in perfect condition.
The books costs €25 plus P&P, it may seem a little pricey but the ease of use and finished quality is fantastic.  In my own view, well worth it.  We have it only a few weeks and its no exaggeration when I say it has been well loved by the 3 year old.  We have vowed now to create a BookWooky after each family holiday to treasure the memories, otherwise the photos will end up on phone, laptops etc for a lifetime.

Click here for wesbite.

Take care

~Mamma F

My littlest man has affectionately become know as “the drool monster” he has an amazing skill whereby he can soak a bib, his clothes down to his vest in seconds! My oldest man barely drooled so this is new territory for us.

I was kindly sent a packet of Dribble Stop Tops to review and I was pretty delighted to receive them and try them out on the little man.

The details

These tops are identical to regular baby vests except they have a unique waterproof pocket on the chest area to protect the baby’s skin from the drool.

Its so discreet you would barely know its there. The vests themselves are made from soft jersey cotton and are machine and tumble dry safe (very important in my view!).

I haven’t completely binned the bibs I still do use them at feeding time to capture those weaning spills!!

My thoughts

I genuinely adore these tops.  We travel a lot and I have such a fear of bibs on in the car seat but hate the thought of my little man being soaked through with drool so this is the perfect solution for us. They are also ideal for night time as my drool monster would have in the past woke up soaked, which is not good. I noticed he was starting to get a bit of  a rash in the crease on his neck but this hasn’t happened since we switched to these vest

An item like this in my view has to be able to withstand the washing and drying.  My dribble stop tops have been washed countless times since I received them back in August and they are still super soft and the waterproof insert is still perfect.

They come in packs of two, a plain white and a striped one (either blue or pink). Size wise they go from 0-3 months right up to 18-24 months. At Stg£13.99 they are pricier than regular vests but I do think the price is justified as for us, it saved on washing both vests and bibs.  Both of which we would have changed countless times a day and not only that they have stopped the redness that had been forming in  the crease of his neck.

Dribble  Stop Tops are available direct from the website here or through Amazon.

The lovely Emma and Tract at 2mums Ltd have kindly given The Mamma Fairy a packet to give away to a Mamma Fairy reader.  All you have to do is:

1. Like The Mamma Fairy Blog on Facebook
2. Like Dribble Stop Top on Facebook
3. Comment on the Facebook post to let me know you have done both.
4. Sharing is caring 😉

T&C

• This competition is in no way associated with Facebook
• Winner entitled to choose size of vest
• Winner picked 26th September 2015

Take Care

~Mamma F

I was very kindly sent a pair of Shoebee baby shoes for my 4 month old by the lovely Louise from Shobees. I will admit I was already a fan of Shoobees having bought them for my now 3 year old when he was at the cruising phase, following a fall against the coffee table which still gives me the shivers!

I’ll be honest I picked them up in Mothercare in a rush on my lunch break and once we began using them I totally loved the concept. They are made from super soft leather with brushed leather non slip soles. They are really easy to clean and being made from such soft leather they sit snugly around the babies feet. Prices wise they are great value at €15.99 as they last ages due to the soft leather and the elasticated ankle. Size wise they go from small (0-6 months) to extra large (18-24 months). My 4 month old’s pair are size small and they are ideal for him with plenty room still for his growing feet.

There is a lot of published research in this area with the consensus being that soft shoes are recommended especially in the very early stages of walking to allow for the development of the muscles.

What I personally like about them is that they are both trendy and functional. For my 4 month old, they keep his feet nice and toasty out and about as I find most other types of baby shoes slip off or he kicks them off and invariably I end up home minus one on a good day more often minus both!! As he moves into the crawling and cruising phase they will help him with gripping the wooden floors.

Shoobees now are my staple for a new born gift as for me they are one of those products that you didn’t realise you needed until you had them. They come in a great selection of colours and designs too.

Shoobees are available on line at www.shoobees.ie, a list of stockists is also available on the site. My older sons first pair were purchased in Mothercare St Stephens Green.

Take care

~Mamma F

Complications with second pregnancy meant I spent more time in the Coombe Hospital than I care to remember, as a result I read a huge amount to pass the time. Mr Ewan the Dream Sheep appeared in lots of articles and blogs and I think I developed some kind of weird obsession with him!

My first barely slept until he was 2, a stretch of 2-3 hours was a good night. Therefore anything the promised to help sleep, I was hooked! With that in mind I headed off to Boots like a woman possessed two days before my planned section (for medical reasons – but that a whole other post) and purchased this. My husband thought I had completely lost it such was my insistence to get it before the baby arrived.

Fast forward to the arrival of my little man. I enthusiastically took Ewan from its box the first night we got home secretly hoping for a full 8 hours sleep!!! Needless to say that didn’t happen.

The sheep itself, glows a red/pink colour which is supposed to soothing for the baby, however you can turn this feature off. It makes a number of different sounds such as a heartbeat, rainfall, hoover and what they call a womb sound which apparently mimic the sound the baby hears in utro. The sound itself plays for a decent length of time to allow baby to (hopefully) drift off to sleep. It comes with a strap that you can attach to the cot or car seat which is really handy.

Well, how did I get on with it……there is nothing wrong with the product per se, my newbie just didn’t like it, he fussed and fussed when I had it on and settled better with it off. Tried it a couple of nights but no joy. With a heavy heart I dispatched poor Ewan to the wardrobe. About three weeks later, my almost 3 year old saw him and decided he wanted him, ( he went through a week or so of a phase where he just had to have everything newbie had, from teddies, to soother to bottles – thankfully we are passed that phase now!) so for the sake of peace I said he could have him.

Now…..here is where things get interesting. He took him to bed that night and had a great nights sleep, a full 12 hours in his own bed. He just loves the soft red/pink glow. Up until this point we still had a few nocturnal visits a week at around 5 in the morning. Since Ewan appeared in his bed, we now have hardly any visits, coincidence or not??? I just don’t know but I do know one thing, I am not going to take Ewan away just in case!! The benefit for an older child is he knows how to turn on and off the light and the sounds.

This would be one option for a gift for a new born or toddler but there are may more great ideas especially when it comes to buying baby gifts online.

In the end all was not lost. I purchased Ewan in Boots however it is available in many baby stores and online through sites such as Amazon.