Baby Sensory Cleanse and Protect Nappy Balm

I have been asked by Baby Sensory to trial and review this new 100% natural and ethical nappy balm.  It is handmade in Scotland from locally sourced ingredients. As a Mum with two children who suffer from eczema I am always keen to try products that are natural and of course the words "ethical" and "naturally sourced" make me look twice too too.


It contains No: alcohol, parabens, SLS, steroids, lanolin, petroleum, artificial colours/perfumes, mineral oil and is not tested on animals. Sounds good to me!


It comes in a 50ml tub with a screw top lid. No fancy packaging here but then that wouldn't be appropriate for such a natural product. It costs £5.99. Excellent value I would say.

It looks a bit like Vaseline but is much lighter to touch. It smells gorgeous too...must be the beeswax! Its not an overwhelming scent, more of a subtle aroma but it is lovely.


It is easy to rub in to the skin. It does leave a slight residue but this is not unpleasant at all and once it has all soaked in it leaves the skin feeling silky smooth. 


Not just for bottoms, this nappy balm can leave other areas of your skin feeling silky smooth too. I used it on the tops of my 3 year old's daughters arms where she has patches of eczema and noticed a definite difference in them.


I would definitely buy more and would recommend to others. We give it a huge 9/10.


Karen x

The Gallery -Black and White

This weeks Gallery topic from Sticky Fingers is Black and White.

Now I love black and white photographs, they can be so flattering and make pictures look very different by softening them. 


I have used a few black and white photos on my blog before of my Grandparents here and us on our Wedding Day here but I decided to use this one of my girls for this particular post.  Its a fairly recent one I took on my mobile when they were playing so its not the best quality. It didn't look that great in colour but I when I was playing with the effects on my phone I decided it look great in black and white. I think their cheekiness really pops out:

For more black and white pictures head over to Sticky Fingers and why not join in while you are there.

Karen x

New Car Seat & Both Good and Bad Examples Of Customer Service

This is not a sponsored post, we have just experienced good and bad customer service when ordering a new car seat and I wanted to share our experiences with you.


Poppy is quite tall for a 3 year old.  She is the size of the average 4 year old.  Recently she has been looking a bit big for her car seat even though it is supposed to last till the age of four. As with any new products for our girls, I took to the internet.  I love Briatx seats so started there first. A bit confused about which seat would be best for Poppy due to her age, size and weight, I approached Britax directly on Twitter and got some advice. They were very helpful and based on their recommendations we went on to pick this one: The Kidfix SICT from Britax:

This is a new and improved group 2/3 car seat with advanced side impact protection. Side Impact Cushion Technology (SICT) is comprised of air-filled, energy management cushions that reduce side impact crash energy by over 25%* for the child in the seat. Here is  a video on it to tell you all about its features:

So that's the seat we chose, now for the Customer Service bit.


Once we had picked the seat we wanted we went looking for the best price (as you do). We went for Kiddicare as they were coming up the cheapest (£119 as compared to £164 in some shops). However, after almost three weeks we had not received the new car seat or had any correspondence from them at all.  We chased it up and were told it was not in stock but they were expecting it tomorrow. Husband asked that someone call him back the following day but no one did! The following day I rang.  I was advised they did not have it in stock in the colour I wanted but they could tell me what other colours were available. 


Now I do not mean to be fussy but first I did not want another colour.  I wanted pink (of course) or Elena as its called!  Secondly Kiddicare took our money three weeks ago knowing they did not have the item in stock and thirdly Kiddicare did not bother to tell us it was not in stock. Appalling customer service I do believe.


I think that when parents want to purchase a car seat for their little ones, they want it now, they do not want to wait. Often, as in our situation, your child suddenly has a growth spurt so you need it quickly.


I told Kiddicare that I was dissatisfied with their customer service and gave them tips on how to improve it, I also told them I wanted an immediate refund.


Of course I still needed a car seat so I got back on the internet immediately and found Precious Little Ones. Priced at £124.99 (only £5 more than Kiddicare) you would not believe the difference in customer service. Next to the item it said 1 left in stock and same day dispatch with free Parcelforce 24 hour service. Unbelievable.  I was to receive the car seat the very next day. I clicked on it and brought it. Minutes later I had an email telling me it was being dispatched and I received it the very next morning! We even received a free set of cute pink sunshades for the car ....wow, what a difference in customer service!


I therefore do not rate Kiddicare at all but would like to thank Precious Little Ones for their fantastic and prompt service.


The seat was really easy to install. It uses an ISOFIT system which anchors the seat directly into the cars ISOFIX point. It is therefore very safe and sturdy as well as stylish. Your child is then secured in the seat with the car’s 3-point seat belt, which is correctly positioned over their shoulder and pelvis. There are guides so it cannot possibly go in the wrong place. It has an adjustable headrest which allows the seat to grow with your child. It also has a multi recline position which is great for the younger ones.


Poppy loves it.  She feels very grown up and special. She can climb in and out of it by herself which makes my life easier when I have Rosie in my arms. She has even fallen asleep in it a few times and looks very comfortable. Here she is looking happy:

I love it because I know my little girl is safe and secure when we are out and about, she loves it because she feels very grown up.


We give it a huge 9/10.


Karen x


For the record this was not a sponsored post. We brought this car seat for our little one and love it. All opinions and comments are my own.

MUMenTum - Week 15

Wow, week 15 already..I feel as though I should be super skinny by now but I am not.

Okay here's the confessions: 

Last week I had friends to stay, good friends I have not seen for ages. Of course this resulted in me drinking far too much wine (I don't drink very often), eating too much food and of course having treats like ice-cream! Why do we do that to ourselves? During these few days I also forgot to listen to my slimpods (shock horror, it must have been the wine)! I have also not done any exercise for two weeks.  

Wow, written down like that, it looks bad.  No wonder I am feeling so tired, sluggish and grumpy recently. I have also noticed my jeans are getting a bit tighter again.

I have given myself a big kick up the bum and today I  am starting again. Still not on a diet I will:

• Listen to my slimpods every night
• Contact Sasha from Thinking Slimmer to discuss my lack of progress
• Make sure we have lots of healthy food in 
• Start exercising again

Hopefully, I will be able to report back with good news next week.

Hope you are all doing better than me.

Karen x

Pretty Hair With A Bit Of Flair Review & Giveaway

As you may already know I love everything girly especially hair bows and ribbons for my little girls. Therefore I was delighted to be approached by Kraft Work Boutique to trial and review some of their new hair accessories. I didn't really know what to expect but was thrilled to open up the package to find this:

There was a mix of colours, size and patterns to go with a variety of outfits. All of which are gorgeous.  In fact our bow holder is getting quite full now so the little tub they came in would be handy to keep some of the clips in too. 


Poppy's favourites are these clips.  She thinks they are fantastic:

She also loves this hair bow and couldn't wait to get it in and model it for me.  As soon as it was unwrapped it was in her hair:

Kraft Work Boutique is run by a mummy that loves to make. She sells beautiful hand make tutus, cheeky looking sock monkeys and gorgeous wooden plaques. as well as the hair accessories. All of the items can be personalised and are made as special as can be. They are available to purchase online through KiddieBase and through facebook. There will also be a website available shortly.  


Hair bows and bespoke bows can even be made to match outfits for special occasions.  The sets of clips in a kitty style are available at £4 per set and the big sis/lil sis are available at £3.50 per set. Larger bows are priced at £4 and mini bows at £3.  Quite reasonable I think!


We love them and will be visiting for more.  We give them a huge 9/10.


If you fancy some hair accessories for your little one then Kraft Work Boutique are giving one lucky person the chance to receive a bundle of goodies for themselves (worth a minimum of £20).

Its so easy to enter, all you have to do is:

• Follow me on GFC and leave me a comment saying why you would like to win
• Follow  Kraft Work Boutique on FB

For extra chances you can:

• Follow  Kraft Work Boutique on FB
• Like my FB Page
• Follow me on Twitter, or
• Tweet the following " I would like to win gorgeous hair accessories for my little one with @wouldliketobe and @kraftworkb http://bit.ly/mQFvhx" 

Please leave a separate comment for each.

The winner will be selected at random at 7pm on 21st August 2011.

In the meantime if you can't wait you should check them out for yourselves. Good luck.


Karen x

Get Crafty With This Fantastic Art Jar

I have been asked to do a review of this fantastic Art Jar from Galt Toys for www.izziwizzikids.co.uk.  It costs £14.99 which might seem a little steep but it is fully packed with activities to keep your little ones busy. It  is aimed at children 4+. Poppy is only just three but already plays with toys like this and loves sitting at the table doing arts and crafts.


Poppy was very excited when the parcel arrived and even Rosie was intrigued:

We chose to open it while we had friends and their two little girls to stay. This meant we had more mini testers to help to review it. We did it one morning whilst it was raining and it kept them all busy until the sun came out so we could all go out to play! Despite being promised a day at the beach there was no moaning at all from any of them..they had great fun.

The jar really is jam packed, filled to the brim with an exciting selection of art & craft materials. It also includes handy idea sheets to help you out. It contains: 

70 pompoms, 40 wiggly eyes, zigzag scissors, sequin pack, shredded paper, 2m red fringed crepe paper, felt alphabet, 18 plastic buttons, 7 cotton reels, 50 pony beads, 20 small star beads, 10 pipe cleaners, 10 straws, 6 sheets self-adhesive foam shapes, 7 printed card templates, 10 sheets coloured paper, 25 gummed label strips, glitter & white glue, 2m wiggly trim and 3m elastic. Quite a selection I think you would agree!

 Here is a little video to let you see how we got on:

As you can see, it provided great fun for all and there is plenty left to keep us busy for any more rainy days. The only negative thing I would say, is that with so many activities a little more glue would be nice.  It really is a small tube and children tend to be a bit generous with it. Despite this we still give it a huge 9/10.

Karen x

For the record I was provided with one of these art jars for reviewing purposes but all views, opinions and words are my own.

"This Is The best Toy Ever" Says My Little girl!

I was terribly gutted that I missed Toyjeanius advertising for toy testers and only found out when she announced the successful ones. However, I have been in luck because she has been watching my pink and girly blog since then and has been on the look out for something appropriately girly for my little ones to review.

I was told to expect a surprise and was sent this fantastic toy:

Stylish Eve Wooden Magnetics by Djeco:

This is a 29 piece wooden magnetic dress up set that costs a very reasonable £12.95 and is for children 3+.

We were thrilled with it. Appropriately for our home, it came in a pink sturdy box with a magnetic lid.  This looks appealing, keeps all bits safe and tidy and is easy for little hands to open. The wooden magnetic pieces include Eves head with different hair colours and a variety of outfits including  pretty dresses, a skirt, jeans and a jumper. There are even shoes and accessories to compliment, including handbags and her favourite teddy bear.

As a little girl, I remember having the old fashioned paper dressing up dolls but this is far better and will last much much longer. It also means younger children can use it as it is much less fiddly than the paper versions.

This is a great toy for developing imagination. Poppy has really enjoyed making up stories about what Eve is wearing and where she is off too next. It has kept her busy for hours.

Don't just take my word for it though...here is a little video clip of her using it:

As you can see in the clip, we used ours on a magnetic board but you could use it on a fridge or anywhere you have a magnetic surface. The pieces all feel very sturdy and are a good size for little hands. Poppy is just three and has had no difficulty with it at all.

Poppy even announced that it was "THE BEST TOY EVER"! which is high praise indeed. We give it a huge 10/10.

For a wide range of beautiful toys including traditional wooden ones then head over to Toyjeanius yourself.

Karen x