Fisher-Price Zoom ‘N Crawl Monster - Review

Ava has been very lucky lately and has been following in Noah's footsteps by receiving some pretty cool toys to play with, and review. This week she received the Zoom ‘n Crawl Monster which is a new toy from Fisher-Price. I was so excited to show it to her when it arrived! She's just turned 8 months old and is really interested in toys at the moment, especially one's which move and play songs.

Once it arrived, Noah and Ava literally couldn't wait for me to get it out of the box. They both insisted that I open it straight away. Noah was shouting "open it please Mummy" and Ava was yelling at it! They were both very excited to see what it'd do.

The Fisher-Price Zoom ‘N Crawl Monster is a brightly coloured, fun, interactive little toy. It has two different modes of play with the simple switch of a button. It also has 15 fun songs, phrases and sounds which keeps your little one engaged and entertained. It's a toy which grows with your child and one which helps develop your babies senses with it's bright colours, varied textures and different sounds. It's also great for practising their hand-eye coordination.

We first tried out the sit and play setting. We turned it on and filled the monsters tummy with the five colourful plastic balls which are included. We then touched the roller ball on the front of the monster and he began to spin the balls around in his mouth, he then spat them all out one by one. Ava was quite taken with the toy by this point. She was sat there trying to catch the balls as they fell and quickly figured out how to put them back inside. This mode is great for Ava as she can sit confidently whilst playing with it.

Next we switched the button to the second mode of play, the crawl and play setting. We popped the balls back inside the monster but this time it started moving around the floor, spinning in circles, all while dropping the balls. By this point, Ava was totally mesmerised and was almost bursting with excitement! It was zooming all around the carpet and when it was quite a distance away from her she started shouting at it like she was telling it to come back! She's so close to crawling at the moment and watching the monster move around the carpet encouraged her to start rocking back and forth. She so wanted to crawl after it. I know that she'll love crawling after it once she's mobile. 

Fisher-Price Zoom ‘N Crawl Monster is loved by both my children, my almost 4 year old and 8 month old baby. I think that says a lot about a toy because when a toy interests children of such different ages you know that it's going to be enjoyed for years to come! Suitable from 9 months+ the Fisher-Price Zoom ‘N Crawl Monster retails at £34.99 which I think is fantastic value for money! If you are looking for a great gift for a baby this Christmas then I can't recommend it enough.

- I was sent this product for the purpose of this review however all opinions are my own.

The Fisher Price Jonathan Adler Range Review & Competition

Fisher Price is a brand that I've been a fan for years and years, ever since I was a child myself. I remember when I bought Noah his very Fisher Price toy, he was only a couple of months old but I was so excited for him to discover the world of toys. I'm now even more excited because Noah can now introduce Ava to the same toys and as she gets older they can play with them together.

Fisher Price have always moved with the times and perhaps that is why they've been a household name for so long. They recently hired Jonathan Adler to become the creative director on a new range of exciting baby toys, introducing the Jonathan Adler range! In case you didn't know, Jonathan Adler is an iconic potter and designer, famous for his high contrast patters and designs and he’s brought his signature style and infused it into the new range or sensory baby toys. The range features cute animals, bold colours, geometric prints, contrasting colours and much more. 

I was recently asked if we would like to review the new Jonathan Adler range of Fisher Price toys and with Ava now being seven weeks old I happily obliged. We were sent four toys for the purpose of this review: the Monkey Mirror, Activity Elephant, Activity Alligator and Alligator Teething Ring.

Monkey Mirror - £19.99

One side of the toy features colourful animal friends and the other side features a mirror. Sensory-stimulating fun, including a panel within baby’s reach that crinkles, a monkey that squeaks parrot that jingles, bananas that clack, fleece grass that’s soft to touch, and that great-big mirror for self-discovery. It opens and closes easily, ideal for babies and toddlers to watch the bright colours and patterns unfold. It's fold feature makes it great for storage and ideal for travelling too.

Activity Alligator and Activity Elephant - £12.99 each

These are sensory dangling toys with fun clacking and rattle sounds. They hav bright colours, eye-catching patterns and textures like crinkle, corduroy and plush to help boost baby’s senses. They can be attached to a change bag or pushchair when you and baby are on the move. A perfect first toy!

The Fisher Price Jonathan Adler range is simply wonderful and ticks every box when it comes to first toys for babies. The bright colours and contrasting patterns not only captured my seven week old babies eye but my three year old toddlers too! I often find Noah sitting and playing with them as Ava watches and takes it all in. In particular Ava seems quite taken by the Monkey Mirror as she likes to look at her own reflection and I like it because it gives her something to focus on when she's having a little bit of tummy time! I can see her enjoying them even more and more so as she gets older.

How would you like to win a Fisher Price Activity Elephant? To enter all you need to do is use the Gleam form below. Good luck and don't forget to enter my other blog competitions!

Fisher Price Activity Elephant

Terms & Conditions.                                                                                                 
1. There will be 1 winner who will the prize mentioned above.
2. Prize sent directly by myself. 
3. Competition ends 28/05/17
4. Incomplete entries with be disqualified. 
5. UK entries only.

Fisher Price Laugh & Learn Smart Stages Puppy - Review

I don’t know how it happened but I feel like someone has come and pinched my baby and replaced him with a toddler. I feel like I’ve blinked and babyhood has just flown on by and we are now diving head first into the world of toddlers. 

This is totally new grounds for me as a first time Mum but I am already seeing so many differences in Noah. One of the changes that I have seen is that the toys that used to be favourite’s are now been discarded and instead he is looking for ones with really make him think. With this in mind when I was offered the chance to review the Laugh & Learn Smart Stages Puppy from Fisher Price I snapped up the chance because I knew it would really appeal to Noah, especially at the age that he is now. 

Details-
The Smart Stages Puppy has had a makeover but he is the same cuddly pup that we all know and love. He’s an interactive toy that responds to your child’s touch. Not only has he had a makeover but he has had an upgrade too because he now has stages which you are able to set to the level which is most suitable for your child. The Smart Stages Puppy talks, sings, lights up, plays music and many sounds which is sure to keep the kids entertained for hours minutes at a time.

Features -

50+ sing-along songs, tunes and phrases

Paws, tummy, ears and light-up heart respond to baby’s touch (7 activations in all!)

Includes Smart Stages technology—learning changes as baby grows with 3 levels of play!

Level 1 – Explore – 6M+ First words and sounds spark baby’s curiosity

Level 2 - Encourage – 12M+ Prompt baby through questions and simple directions

Level 3 – Pretend – 18M+ Imaginative fun and early role play

Introduces body parts, letters, colours, counting and more!

Batteries required: 3 X AA 

What we thought -

As a fan of buttons, lights and everything interactive the Laugh & Learn Smart Stages Puppy was a big hit with Noah. He will sit down for minutes at a time discovering what all the different buttons do and I throughout the day I will spot him giving him cuddles and kisses, it's very cute. 

I love the fact that you can change the level of the puppy to suit your child's age or development stage, it means that you are buying a baby learning toy that is going to last because your child will find it interesting and entertaining while they grow.

The only niggle that I have is that the puppy doesn't look as cute as he used to do, his head is too large! Ha ha! See, it's just a little niggle! 

I think the Laugh & Learn Smart Stages Puppy would be a welcome addition for any baby or toddler ever-expanding toy collection. You can buy online for as little as £19.99 which I think is a bargain considering how it's a toy that is going to suit so many different ages. 

- We were sent this product for the purpose of this review. However, all opinions are my own. 

Christmas Gift Guide - The Baby Edition

I still can't wrap my head around the fact that it's December already, where has the year gone? Noah was 6 weeks old last year on his first Christmas. It was lovely having a newborn at that time of year but it's so much more exciting this time around as he will be 13 months old and will be causing havok.

I thought I would share some of the items on Noah's Christmas list this year. Some items I have bought already and some I am yet to buy. Perhaps it will give you a little bit of inspiration and maybe you could share some ideas with me too.  

1) Farm Yard Puzzle - Noah is getting to that age now where he is really trying to figure out the toys and games that require logic. I think this two piece puzzle from Orchard Toys is ideal to begin with. Noah loves animals and I think the puzzles will also be great for teaching him the name of each animal and what noise they make. 

2) Wooden Stacker - I just had to buy this wooden stacker from ELC as I have recently fallen in love with wooden toys and it's something that will really help with Noah's fine motor skills. 

3) Cowboy Ragdoll - I recently bought Noah a doll from IKEA and he absolutely loves him, he hugs him, wrestles him, kisses him. After seeing how much he liked the doll I bought I thought why not add another to the mix. I have had my eye on the cowboy rag doll from Imajo for months! 

4) Sing n Learn Bunny Bus - This adorable bus of bunnies from Tomy is fantastic and I have to admit Noah already has had his hands on this one. The bunny band is interactive and helps teach your child numbers, letters and colours. The bunnies are removable and when you place them back in their seats each one plays their very own song.  

5) That's not my Santa - We love this range of books and have an ever growing collection of them. This Santa edition is a must for Christmas.

6) Noah's Ark Balance Game - Another item on my wishlist is this balance game from the fantastic Lou Lou and Jim Jams Toys. It's another toy that I think Noah would really enjoy as it will encourage him to use his mind and imagination. I can't get enough of wooden toys. 

7) Laugh & Learn Crawl Around Car - The Crawl Around Car from Fisher Price would make an excellent main Christmas present this year. There are so many things that you can do with it from sitting in the drivers seat; beeping the horn, shifting gears, pressing buttons, beeping the horn. To joining in, singing and dancing to the endless songs, tunes and phrases. If that isn't enough it even has a built in ramp to pop balls down. I can see Noah having hours of fun with it. 

Have you started your Christmas shopping yet? What gifts do you have in mind? 

All about baby - Day 15 - My toys

Over the past few weeks Noah has really begun taking an interest in his toys. Especially his play gym. It's so incredible watching him grab at his toys and babble at them in fascination. We have quite the collection of toys in his box. It's a guilty pleasure of mine, buying him a new toy every time I pop into a shop. I can't wait until he properly plays with them rather than grabbing at them. 

Baby's First Christmas

Christmas this year was always going to be a special one for us as it was our first Christmas as a family and our beautiful baby boy's very first Christmas! He was only six weeks old at the time so even though he won't remember it there will still be a million photo's to look back at once he is older and it was very special to Nick and I.

We had a lovely lie in on Christmas morning as Noah had had us up until the early hours. All three of us led in bed snuggling, then I dressed Noah in his Christmas gear. We then got up and Nick and I opened our presents while passing the baby to and fro. He watched us opening the presents and seemed to like the sound of the scrunching of the paper. Next we opened his little presents which was a Fisher Price Seahorse, Sophie le Giraffe and Lamaze Rattles. I gave him his play mat earlier in the month as I couldn't resist giving it to him early, bad Mummy! We didn't go bonkers with his presents as we knew he would be spoilt rotten by our family and we wasn't wrong on that front. After that we got ready for the day whilst Noah had a little cat nap, we had a busy day ahead. 

We then drove across the motorway and over to my Mum's where she and my Sister and Brother were all waiting. We exchanged far too many gifts and opened all our presents together whilst Noah slept. We then opened his gifts whilst he slept some more! He is a very lucky little boy indeed. I then did my hair and makeup while my Mum made the Christmas meal and Nick watched Noah (life of riley eh! But I didn't want to look like an extra out of The Walking Dead on our first Christmas photo's!) We then had our Christmas dinner together with my family, a glass of wine and pulled all the crackers. We had such a laugh around the table at all the corny cracker jokes..

My personal favourite was; Why does Santa have three yards? So he can ho! ho! ho! Ha ha!

Noah slept the entire time at my Mum's just waking for feeds. He must of been worn out with all the festivities oh and keeping Mummy and Daddy awake until 3am! 

Late afternoon we drove back over the motorway to Nick's parents house for our third round of presents! There we met up with lots of Nick's family and had a huge present swap. It was actually insane how many presents there was in that house, insane. The three of us were spoilt rotten just like at my Mum's. We are all very lucky. Noah then decided to wake up for a few hours and was passed around like pass the parcel everyone wanted a cuddle of the boy! 

After a few hours we called in a night and went home to put our feet up. Our first Christmas was super special and spent with all our favourite people. We couldn't of asked for a better Xmas and can't wait until next year!