Our Family Day in London with the Samsung Galaxy S6

Posted by Caroline Elliott

If you follow me on social media you may have seen that I was hugely excited last week to be given the opportunity by Three Mobile to review the brand new Samsung Galaxy S6 phone. In addition to letting me put the S6 through it’s paces for a few days, Three Mobile also very kindly gave us a day out in London where we visited the Natural History Museum and their wonderful “Sensational Butterflies” exhibition.

The Samsung Galaxy S6

A little bit about the phone first. It is really slim and light though a bit longer than my current phone. I tend to carry my phone in my pocket and I was concerned it wouldn’t fit, but actually, although taller than my current Nokia, it is slimmer so fit a little better if anything, result!

It runs on Android, and being a Windows Phone user this did take a bit of getting used to but is much more user-friendly than the last time I used Android (we are talking a few years ago now) and I soon got to grips with it. I also found the phone very fast which is nice as being nearly 2 years old my phone can be a bit sluggish!

The best thing about the S6 though has got to be the cameras. Yes, plural, because both front and back cameras are very impressive. The back camera is a whopping 16megapixel and the front is a lovely 5megapixel. I love a good family selfie so it nice to be able to take a quality shot with the front camera for a change. To show you the difference here is a couple of selfies taken with the front camera on my current phone compared with the front camera on the S6. I have no make up on so apologies but you can see the difference. The third shot has “beauty mode” switched on which kindly smooths your skin out for you – definite improvement I think! 🙂

I also loved the speed of the cameras. It loads super fast even when the screen is timed out, and, best of all it takes the photo almost instantly when you press the shutter. Kids move around seriously fast and I often find with my current phone that by the time it has focussed and taken the shot, I have missed the moment. This happened a lot less with the S6 which is a HUGE plus in my books.

That’s about as technical as I am going to get as I am not that technical! So that you can see for yourself how great the cameras are, here is our day at the Natural History Museum.

Our day at the Natural History Museum

We set off on the train to London first thing in the morning. Monkey was so excited to be on a really fast train and loved every second of the journey, especially the tunnels.

We had hoped LM may nap on the train but it would seem she was too excited too as was not remotely in the mood to nap. We had a lot of fun keeping her entertained instead.

Getting around London on the tube with two tots, a buggy and our bags was interesting. The tube was absolutely packed, and we were squeezed in like sardines! Monkey was such a good boy but LM was not a fan…. though she was charming everyone by making sneaky grabs for people’s jumpers and sunglasses etc! Thankfully everyone she chose to grab was friendly and in a good mood.

We finally arrived at the Natural History Museum which is such an impressive building, and after a cheeky selfie (though I really need to have a bit more practice with my selfie stick) we headed inside to see the huge Brontosaurus.

We were concerned Monkey may be a bit wary of the dinosaur but he loved it and decided it was smiling hehe. We just had time for a quick cup of tea and slice of cake before heading out to the Sensational Butterflies exhibition.

Sensational Butterflies

In the grounds of the Museum is a tropical tent housing lots of beautiful butterflies who are free to fly and roam as they please. As you go through you follow the trail which charts the life cycle of the butterfly, from caterpillar to cocoon to butterfly, while all the way you are surrounded by butterflies fluttering past.

Unfortunately Monkey had a full on freak out about the butterflies. He found them really scary flying so close to us and one landed on my back which really set him off. LM seemed to love watching them flutter past though! I managed to get some gorgeous shots but we did have to rush through a bit to get the screaming, clinging mess of a toddler out of the tent :/

It was such a shame as it was a wonderful exhibition and lovely to see the butterflies up close and learn more about these gorgeous insects, but that’s kids for you, always unpredictable. I was glad that the camera was so fast to load and at taking photos, I would have liked a bit more time in there to play with manual mode – but was dead impressed with the shots captured with the auto focus.

The Museum

After calming Monkey down we headed back into the museum for more of an explore.

Sadly the queue to see the dinosaur zone was massive so we went for a walk around the mammals instead. Monkey had a few initial jitters about the stuffed Lions and Bears but once he realised they wouldn’t move he relaxed and he loved it – he even told the Polar Bear that he loved him… bless him, such a softy.

We had a great time wandering around and looking at all of the animals, skeletons and the other models. Monkey loved this big rotating earth and I love this picture of the two of us, again I am just so impressed with the photos we took on the S6.

LM dozed off on our walk round (thank goodness) then we headed for some lunch. The service and speed in the restaurant were great considering it was a busy Saturday but it was pricey and the food wasn’t very good quality. We were hungry though so scoffed it down. Hubs had fun taking photos of the four of us in the huge mirrors in the restaurant.

After lunch we checked on the queue for the dinosaurs again but it was even more massive so after a bit of a wander in the museum we headed outside to the ice cream van we had seen earlier – only to find that they had turned the ice cream machine off! We couldn’t believe it! We had promised Monkey an ice cream by this point and as the afternoon was getting on we decided to make our way back to the station. We found an ice cream along the way then had another hot and busy journey on the tube back to Kings Cross where we got the train home.

It was a long day and very tiring but so much fun too and I am proud of us for stepping out of our comfort zone and taking the kids on the train and tube on such a busy day. It proves we can do it, though I am not sure we will do it again in a hurry.

I loved giving the S6 a real test out and it has really got me thinking about what phone I am going to go for next. I’ve always loved the Windows Phone OS but I found Android to be really user-friendly and the cameras are just amazing on the S6. I use my phone largely as a camera since becoming a blogger so it really is important to have a good one. There are things about the Windows phone OS that I would miss on the move to Android…. but not as much as I thought, so I may have been converted as the camera is such a big temptation.

I really cannot fault the Samsung Galaxy S6 at all as it was so fast and just so easy to use and I think the pictures speak for themselves. I was using it all day, taking tonnes of photos and a few videos, and the battery lasted well until we got home which I did find impressive. I think I will be hard pressed to find a better option when it is time to upgrade my phone in a few months’ time!

Is your phone your main camera? Are you a lover of Android, Windows, or Apple?

I was loaned the Samsung Galaxy S6 for a few days and Three Mobile gave us tickets to London and entry to the Sensational Butterflies exhibition for the purpose of this review. All opinions and images are entirely my own.

WOW Toys Review & Giveaway

Posted by Caroline Elliott

We were contacted recently and asked if Monkey would like to review some WOW toys and I have to admit that we jumped at the chance. We regularly visit a few garden centres stocking WOW toys and Monkey absolutely loves playing with the ones they have on display. He also has one at his Nanny & Pops’ house which he loves so we know what great toys they are. So we are thrilled to be able to review this great set and even better, we have a fantastic giveaway so you can see how great they are for yourself!

WOW Toys are designed for pre-schoolers with some toys from 12 months and many from 18 months plus. They are safe, durable and don’t require batteries to make them work. They are perfect for firing little one’s imaginations as we saw when we reviewed the Police Patrol Pals set.

This set comes with both Charlie the Police Car and Pete the Police Plane, along with 2 policemen and 2 police dogs. Monkey loved them as soon as he saw them and was immediately flying Pete the Police Plane around the room.

We then drew a very basic road and runway on a big piece of paper so Monkey could let his imagination run wild and he spent ages nee-naw-ing the police car and vrooming the plane

The toys have great little details, such as the stickers showing the policemen’s equipment, notepad, torch, and of course supplies for their doggie friends! Monkey also loved the fact that the roof of the police car flips up when you press the petrol cap. In fact he spent the whole weekend showing everyone we came into contact with “look, it does this!” and flipping the top!

They are such fab toys and you have a chance to win one via the fab giveaway below! They are also available on Amazon, which you can reach by clicking my Wow blogger buddy badge in the sidebar. They are available at a variety of independent shops too so be sure to keep an eye out for them.

On to the competition, good luck! (Competition opens 00:00 16/06/15)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Children’s clothes from House of Fraser

Posted by Caroline Elliott

We have quite a lot of friends with slightly older kiddies so get a lot of hand-me-down clothes for Monkey and LM, which is great as so many are barely worn. But sometimes it is lovely to choose clothes for them myself. To pick something I want them to wear. So when House of Fraser got in touch and asked me to review some clothes for the kiddies again I couldn’t resist.

House of Fraser as a department store says luxury to me, and so traditionally isn’t somewhere I have thought of when looking for children’s clothes. But boy was I wrong as they have so many lovely bits to choose from and the prices are not astronomical either.

With Monkey’s birthday coming up I couldn’t resist this gorgeous Little Criminal shirt he could wear for his family birthday party. He is in t-shirts a lot of the time and it was lovely to see him in this lovely shirt as he looks so grown up! I love the colours too and it looks perfect with his purple trousers.

For LM I couldn’t resist this gorgeous Pumpkin Patch dress. Two of my favourite colours are purple and teal (and these colours were the theme for our wedding in fact) so I just thought this was gorgeous.

I tend to prefer jersey dresses for her day to day as they are a bit more flexible and comfy but for a special occasion this is lovely and with it being cotton it is very lightweight so is perfect for a warm sunny day.

Even with these two little beauties I still had room in the budget they gave me for a third item! So I chose this cute little octopus t-shirt by name it, a brand I had not heard of before. It is such a lovely t-shirt and is a lot more closely fitting than any of Monkey’s other t-shirts.

It’s a lovely fit actually and more like the fit hubs wears with his t-shirts, so it makes Monkey look so grown up! We love it 🙂

I am so pleased with the quality and fit of all of these lovely clothes, and the best bit, all together they come in at under £30, which is brilliant!

We received these clothes free of charge for the purpose of this review, however all words, opinions and images are my own.

Launch of the new changing bag range from Babymoov

Posted by Caroline Elliott

Last week I was very lucky in that I managed to get some real Mummy me-time, a day in London! Not just for anything, but for the launch of the fantastic new range of changing bags by Babymoov. Being mid-week I didn’t think I would be able to go, but knowing I was in need of a break Hubs took charge of the kids for the day and off I trotted to London, very excited to see some lovely bags.

Before the launch I got to have a bit of a mooch round by myself (such a luxury) and had yummy falafel in a very cute Lebanese restaurant near Carnaby Street. All very peaceful and pleasant 🙂

Anyway enough about that, and on to the Babymoov bags, which I am really excited to tell you about because I truly think they have such a fantastic range with something for everyone.

My Bag, My Style

‘My Bag, My Style’ is the theme for the new range, with the idea being that your changing bag should be your bag, your style. A bag that you would have chosen just for you that doesn’t feel like a frumpy changing bag, but that is still every bit as practical. They have designed the range with Mums and Dads in mind and I really think they have a bag for just about everyone and for all occasions.

There are 29 styles in total, ranging in price from £29.99-£79.99 with 7 models each coming in a number of colours and/or patterns. From uber-glam bags that don’t feel like changing bags at all, to large holdalls and some styles which make perfect changing bags for Dads to use.

The whole range of bags come with the essentials, an insulated bottle holder, soother holder, wet clothes bag and the changing mat, which always has it’s own outside pocket/storage space which I love. It may sound daft but any parent will know it is not always easy getting a changing mat back inside a very full bag, so having a place to put it without having to do that is a real plus in my book. All the bags come with a lifetime warranty as standard too.

My favourites

My absolute favourite in the range has to be the Glitter bag, and I was lucky enough to be able to take one of these beauties home with me (cue girlish squeal!). It is just gorgeous and does not feel at all like a changing bag.

It looks and feels like a luxurious handbag and some of my non-Mummy friends have said that they wouldn’t hesitate to use it as a bag.

Inside though it is every bit the practical changing bag with plenty of pockets and space to keep all the nappies & other bits and bobs . Plus of course the coordinating essentials and shoulder strap.

It is so roomy and although it looks very similar in size to my current changing bag, when I transferred everything across it felt a lot more spacious and much less crammed in! (With two kiddies still in nappies I have a lot of stuff in there!)

WP_20150519_13_37_19_Pro Another style that I absolutely love is the Messenger bag. I think this style is so perfect for Dads as it is so unassuming and again just looks like a normal bag.

I know Hubs would much rather carry round one of these than the girly bags I prefer so we may well have to get him one. It’s not just for Dads though as it comes in different colours and styles to suit different personalities.

image courtesy of babymoov.co.uk

The Glober bag is also worth a mention as I love the idea of a backpack changing bag. I think this bag would be perfect when you are out and about with active toddlers as you can have your hands free but still have everything you need.

This would also be perfect for anyone with back troubles as the weight can be distributed more evenly. This would have been perfect when I was pregnant with LM because of my SPD.

I was under orders from my physio not to carry a bag on one shoulder so used a my normal backpacks, but it just didn’t have the necessary pockets and useful bits so this would have been much more handy. Again it comes in a variety of colours and patterns, from an assuming grey to lovely bright patterns.

The range also includes:

The City bag, which is another glamorous handbag style changing bag which also comes with a handy change purse. and stroller harness.
The Traveller is a large holdall which would be perfect to take away on holiday,or to use as a hospital bag.
The Essential bag is a simple design which would be great to use on days out to the beach etc.
The Style bag, which is a lovely handbag design in gorgeous patterns and colours.

I had a lovely day in London and really enjoyed hte launch of this fantastic range of changing bags, perfect Mummy me-time!

I received the Babymoov Glitter bag in return for attending the launch of the range however all thoughts and opinions are entirely my own.

Fountains Abbey & Studley Royal Water Gardens

Posted by Caroline Elliott

Regular readers will know that we were on our hols in Yorkshire a few weeks back. We stayed in a lovely barn conversion just outside Thirsk, which was the perfect base to explore lots of wonderful places.

First of all, we headed west to Fountains Abbey & Studley Royal Water Gardens near Ripon. We have some very good friends who live up in Newcastle and we had arranged to meet up with them while we were staying “up north” and Fountains Abbey seemed like the perfect place. It is a National Trust place which is perfect for us as we have membership and it is huge too which means lots to see and do to keep the kiddies entertained!

We started out at the West Gate which is nearest the Abbey itself. It is not the main entrance but friend is heavily pregnant so I wasn’t sure how far she would want to walk, as it was she was fine but it was still a good place to start.

The Abbey is incredible and ginormous! It is so sad to think that the abbeys are ruined by choice. After being basically bankrupted, monks were forced to leave the abbey, and then the monarchs ordered the roofs to be removed so that they could never return and the abbey fell into ruin.

It was a beautiful sunny day, though pretty freezing at the same time unfortunately. We all had a great time exploring the ruins, then when it was time to feed LM we got out the bubble wands and let the boys run around in the sunshine chasing the bubbles.

We then had a lovely wander, following the stream towards the Studley Royal Water Gardens which was created in the 1700s. They really are magnificent and beautiful and a lovely place to explore.

After a little picnic we carried on all the way to the lake at the opposite end, where we saw a Swan’s nest!

By this point we were all so cold and very happy to see a nice little tearoom where we could go to get warmed up. It was really lovely and I have to say they had the nicest baby change room I have ever been in. Even after a bit of cake both toddlers were getting a little tired by this point from all of the running around and exploring, so we started the long walk back towards the abbey and our cars.

We had a lovely lovely day exploring both the Abbey and the Water Gardens, but there still bits that we didn’t get to see so we will definitely return one day to see more. It was a great place to go and visit with so much to see, and the perfect spot for us to meet our friends.

Have you been?

Lotherton Hall, nr Leeds

Posted by Caroline Elliott

Last week we headed up the A1 towards Yorkshire for a lovely little family holiday. We wanted to head off first thing in the morning during LM’s first sleep but couldn’t get into the cottage until 3pm. We decided we would stop off along the way, but actually made really good time that morning and decided to carry on a bit further than the halfway point where we thought we would stop. The question was, where to stop?

SatNavs are great but I love a good map, and this is the perfect example of why. I got the map out and had a look for some landmarks and places where we could visit. I found Lotherton Hall, just off the A1 not far from Leeds and after a quick look online (thank goodness for mobile internet) decided it was the perfect place for a little visit!

Entry was £5 per adult, 2.50 for children but under 5s go free which was great for us and compared to a lot of places we have visited I didn’t think the price was bad at all! (There is membership available too if you are local and there seemed to be a lot of mums with kids there who go there regularly.

So what is there? Loads! It’s a lovely big house which you can go round, though we found plenty to keep us amused outside. There are manicured gardens where you can play games on the lawns, a rock garden to explore, a lovely woodland walk with some adventure play areas amongst the trees (more on that later) 2 big play areas, a cafe and outdoor seating area, plenty of picnics spots, and to top it off a big bird sanctuary in the centre of the grounds!

LM woke up when we arrived so we headed straight to the cafe for some refreshment. the cafe was lovely and not too expensive, with a lovely sunny seating area. I was also really impressed to see a section of the stables set aside for indoor picnics on days when the weather is less than warm. So many places don’t provide indoor eating areas unless you buy their food, so I thought this was a nice touch.

We then headed to the main playarea, which is huge! There is so much to do for all different abilities and Monkey had a fab time climbing, though Mummy did have to clamber up and help him on one of the difficult bits, after that we kept him on the younger side of the playarea hehe. He also got his first ride on the zipwire swing and he absolutely adored it! Trying to get him to hold tightly enough was a challenge though!

After a bit of a play we went for a wander and discovered the bird sanctuary! We had no idea it was there and it was massive with lots of lovely fascinating birds with many of them in really nice roomy enclosures. they even had a couple of condors and one of them was suitably impressing us by showing off his awesome wingspan.

Then it was picnic time and we headed to a big field, which is where we discovered another play area! Spread across the field was all manner of climbing frames, swings, monkey bars, spinny things, two more zipwire swings and all sorts – and there was a lot of children out there enjoying the sunshine and having a lovely play on all of the equipment.

After lunch we took a stroll to get LM to sleep and had a little look at the deer park, then wandered through the woods. Which is where we discovered lots of lovely wooden play equipment spread amongst the trees. Some of the wooden beams took hubs and I back to our childhood and we had a great time running across the spinning beam – miraculously I surprised us all and managed it on my first run across… but couldn’t do it at all when hubs tried to catch it on camera lol. Monkey thought it was great fun seeing Mummy and Daddy playing!

We headed back to the field after that and had a bit more of a play there before deciding to head on to our holiday cottage

We had a lovely time at Lotherton Hall, there is so much to see and do which to me makes the entry fee totally worthwhile. If we lived nearer I imagine we would go quite a lot as Monkey loved it too!

The Gadget Show Live with the OmniO Rider

Posted by Caroline Elliott

Last week I was contacted about a fantastic new product, the OmniO Rider. A lightweight stroller which can be folded up and worn as a backpack. Straight away it sounded like a great idea to me for any parent with a toddler who wants to walk, but then gets tired out for the journey home.

WP_20150410_10_07_00_Pro I am not the only person to think it is a fantastic idea and the OmniO Rider has just won the Gadget Show Live’s “British Invention of the Year Award!” The OmniO team invited us to go along to The Gadget Show Live and take a look for ourselves.

Continue reading →

Dr Brown’s Teethers

Posted by Caroline Elliott

Monkey was an early teether and got his first tooth at 4 mths. Therefore it is no surprise that LM is also teething early, although no teeth as yet and her symptoms have definitely been up and down! I took to twitter for some advice on remedies people have used and received some really helpful info. Don’t you just love blogging and social media for that?

The lovely people at Dr Brown’s also replied and very kindly offered to send me a couple of teethers to try out with LM. They sent me their “Ridgees” Giraffe shaped teether and one of their “Orthees” which looks almost dummy shaped. Both are designed by Paediatric dentists and are suitable from 3 months up which is perfect for LM.

TE332_Product_H

Dr Brown’s Orthees

Developed by a paediatric dentist

Massages sore gums and relieves mouth pressure during teething
Ideal for front and back teething, Orthees® are easy for little hands to hold and help the jaw to develop as baby transitions to biting, chewing and speech
Freezer safe

Dr Brown’s Ridgees

Developed by a paediatric dentist

Textured surfaces ease sore gums during all stages of teething
Reaches all areas of the mouth–including back molars
Firm edges massage gums while soft surfaces provide pressure relief for erupting teeth
Freezer safe

Both teethers are lovely and have different areas which are suitable for different parts of their little mouths. Both are also great for little hands to grab. Of the two LM definitely prefers the Ridgees Giraffe. Whenever I try and use the Orthees with her she gives me a very perplexed look and promptly spits it out. She always did the same with dummies and we never managed to get her to take one, she prefers sucking on her fingers. I would imagine that little ones who are used to dummies may take to it better… or it may just be that LM is particularly fussy and most other babies would be happy with it!

She loves the look of the Ridgees Giraffe and spends as much time looking at it as she actually does chewing it and it is a perfect size for her to grab hold of. It is harder plastic than I thought it would be from the pictures but I guess that is what they need for their little gums!

I like the shape of it too as I think it will be easy for her to use as she grows and needs to chew on different parts of her gums. Both teethers are also freezer safe so we could pop them in the freezer to cool and help her little gums that way.

At this age (4 mths) she is a little fickle and doesn’t have preferences for anything or chew or play with any one toy for long so I can’t say that she has a particular preference for these but I hope that as she grows and continues to teeth that they will really help soothe her little gums.

For more information, or to buy any of the Dr Brown’s Teether range, please visit drbrowns.co.uk

We were sent the Dr Brown’s Ridgees and Orthees teethers for the purpose of this review however all thoughts, opinions and photos are my own.

Kiddy Evo-Lunafix 0+ Infant Car Seat review

Posted by Caroline Elliott

Shortly after LM was born, we were asked if we would like to review the new and innovative car seat from German brand Kiddy. The Kiddy Evo-Lunafix car seat is a 0+ car seat meaning it is suitable from birth – 13kg (approx. 15 mths). It is innovative because it has patented Kiddy Lie Flat Technology and is the first car seat that can be moved into an ergonomic lie-flat position which is best for baby’s spine.

The general rule is that newborn babies should not be in a car seat for more than 30 minutes, and older babies no more than 2 hours, as it is not good for their little backs and because the position of their legs can press on their stomach and lungs, potentially leading to breathing difficulties. With the Evo-Lunafix there is no such time limit as baby can be laying flat, in the car or on the pushchair.

I was really intrigued and excited to take a look at this fantastic new car seat!

image courtesy of kiddy.de

The seat works in conjunction with the Kiddy Isofixbase2 which makes the seat easy to click and lift in and out of the car. We previously had the Maxi-Cosi Cabriofix and isofix base and we love being able to click the car seat in without faffing about with straps. (It is worth noting that the Evo-Lunafix cannot be used in a car without the isofix base. A list of cars compatible with the Isofix base can be found here. The Kiddy Evolution Pro 2 can be used without isofix, I haven’t reviewed it but I understand that while it won’t recline in the car, it can be reclined on the pushchair or flat, i.e once you get home.)

If anything, the Kiddy seat clicks in easier than our Maxi-Cosi seat and is a little lighter. It is fantastic to be able to just click the seat in and go. It is quite long however and in our car (an 08 Honda Civic) it is a bit snug and in order for it to fit in the lie-flat position the front seat has to be pulled quite far forward, which isn’t great for Hub’s long legs! I guess it depends on exact dimensions in the car and the angles of the seats, a smaller car than ours may have more room in the back. With the handle in the recline position the length from handle to the foot of the seat is 76cm, if that helps anyone!

The lie-flat function of the seat is linked with the handle, so by pushing the handle back, the position of the seat changes so that baby is lying flat. There is a great animation of this on the Kiddy website. This is a fantastic feature if you are going on a long journey with your little one as they can happily lie in the back of the car without you having to worry about the effect it has on their back or their breathing. It is also great if, like most babies, your little one tends to fall asleep in the car seat. Often when out for a walk or in the car LM has fallen asleep and when you get home there is the usual dilemma. Do I move her and risk waking her? Or leave her be? How long should I leave her in the car seat for? With the Kiddy Evo-Lunafix there is no dilemma. Because you can have baby in the lie flat position, there is no rush to move her.

LM comfily dozing in the lie-flat position after a trip out

The only downside to the movement being linked to the handle is potentially having to change baby’s position when moving the seat from the car to the buggy – I guess it depends how light a sleeper your baby is, although you can move the seat without using the handle, but it is certainly trickier!

The Kiddy Evo-Lunafix can be used as a travel system, as with many car seats these days. You can get connectors which fit on to a lot of pushchairs. Unfortunately it isn’t compatible with the Phil & Teds Pushchair we have so Kiddy kindly sent us their City’nMove pushchair for the purpose of the review ( separate review on that to follow). It attaches pretty easily and again means that if you are out and about, baby can lie flat in the car seat and be moved indoors still in the flat position. You can find a list of compatible pushchairs on the Kiddy website (if you scroll almost to the bottom, below the video you will see the full list). The buttons to detach the car seat from the travel system adaptor are in a slightly awkward position for lifting the seat off the pushchair, but it is easily do-able.

out and about

The car seat comes in some gorgeous colours and we opted for the lovely teal option, Hawaii. It has a fantastic sunshade which I love as it extends a long way, giving a lot of protection from the sun which can sometimes be very harsh on a little baby staring up at the sky! It also has a slatted design which prevents baby’s back from getting to sweaty. With Monkey being a summer baby I found that he very quickly became uncomfortable sitting in a hot car seat so this definitely appeals to me.

protected from the sun by the fab sunshade

Because the seat is in the 0+ group it adapts as your baby grows. There is a newborn insert, which honestly we never needed for LM, and you can also get an insert for tiny or premature babies too. The height adjust is actually one of my favourite things on this car seat (saddo I know) because it is so easy to do. I admit to dreading changing the height setting on some of our previous car seats as they are just a rigmarole, whereas adjusting the height on this one took seconds.

I do have a couple of slight niggles about the straps on this seat though. The button to lengthen the straps is under the fabric and is in the perfect position with the handle is up, but when the seat is in a lie-flat position it is tricky to locate in order to lengthen the straps if you want to strap baby in once they are in that position. Also, our Maxi-Cosi seat has a some handy places to tuck in the straps while you put the baby in the seat. Without these the straps do have the tendency to fall back and end up under baby. Not a huge issue and certainly not a deal breaker, but being used to having a seat with places to tuck the straps we noticed their absence.

In summary:

Pros

There is no doubt that the Lie-Flat function is fantastic and a huge plus point – giving you peace of mind when baby is in the car seat for extended periods of time.
The maxi sunshade is brilliant and gives a lot of protection from the sun
The slatted back prevents baby’s back from getting too hot and sweaty
It has the easiest height adjust I have seen on an infant car seat
Super easy to click in and out of the car on the Isofix2 base
Compatible with a wide variety of pushchairs
Lovely vibrant colours and designs

Cons

With the lie-flat function attached to the handle, it is tricky to move the seat when in the lie-flat position.
No tie backs for the straps and the button to lengthen the straps is tricky to locate in the lie-back position.
The buttons to detach from the travel system adaptor are in a slightly awkward place when lifting the seat
It is quite long when in the lie-flat position (76cm) so may be snug in smaller cars.

So yes, in order to provide a balanced review there are a couple of things that niggle me a little with the Kiddy Evo-Lunafixcar seat – but I don’t think any car seat is ever going to be perfect and I think the lie-flat function outweighs any cons I have found. None of them inhibit the use of the seat and I found you just got used to them and worked around them after a while.

This car seat really is the first of its’ kind with this ability to recline the seat and make it safer for our babies. It is a lovely style and so easy to use as it clicks so simply in and out of the Isofixbase2. LM is super comfy in it and it has lots of lovely features, such as the slatted back, and the longer than average sunshade, which make it even comfier for her. It really is a great car seat with a great solution to the problem of how long to keep a baby in a car seat.

We received the Kiddy Evo-Lunafix Car Seat or the purpose of this review however all thoughts, opinions and photographs are my own.

The National Railway Museum in York

Posted by Caroline Elliott

Some really good friends of ours live in Newcastle, which is around a 4 hour journey from where we live. In order to see each other a bit more often we are trying to meet in the middle a bit more – making day trips with small children much more manageable. For our first such meet up, my friend suggested the National Railway Museum in York.

We considered going on the train but it was going to be about £100 without a seat for Monkey, plus the added stress of where to put LM and her buggy, so we wimped and out and went in the car. The train would have taken a little over an hour whereas it was nearer 2 hours in the car, but we were comfortable and LM slept both there and back which was brilliant!

The National Railway Museum

The National Railway Museum is the largest railway museum in the UK and home to over a million artefacts showing the history of railway. It is free to enter, though you can make a donation ot purchase a guide book if you wish. A must for any train lover and what little boy doesn’t like trains?

Well, ours, apparently! He had been really excited about going, then as soon as we arrived and walked into the museum.

“I don’t like trains” “I don’t like trains” repeated on loop at least 50 times on the way to the cafe where we headed to feed LM and meet our friends. Ever the contrary toddler eh?

In truth though I can understand why. The building itself is vast, and absolutely filled with trains, including the biggest trains I have ever seen! Hubs is 6’2″ and one of the first trains you can see when you arrive is a Chinese train where the wheels are as tall as hubs… and the whole thing about 3 times his height. Understandably daunting to a 2 year old I think bless him! So in saying “I don’t like trains” I think what he was actually saying was “Hey Mummy I am not sure about this, they are a bit scary! I thought trains were smaller than this!”

Possible the biggest train I have ever seen, difficult to tell scale as hubs is not that close but trust me, it is huge!

After having a snack and meeting our friends we hoped Monkey would feel more enthusastic about the trains and took him to have a look inside them. But no, he was having none if it, typical! This was just him you understand, my friend’s little boy was loving looking at all of the trains and there was lots of other children there enjoying themselves, There was however a model railway which he adored and didn’t want to leave!

One train we did get him interested in was, unsurprisingly, the post train! He seriously loves anything “post” related. We did also manage to persuade him that some of the big trains he saw were like “The Greendale Rocket” form Postman Pat so he did enjoy those a little more.

The post train

Both boys thoroughly enjoyed the great little outdoor playarea, even though it was bitterly cold and so windy that day!

Dining wise, there is a couple of cafes and restaurants to choose from and there is also a lot of benches and picnic tables available to use, both indoors and outdoors. We had a a morning cuppa, and an afternoon break at the cafes but took our own picnic for lunch and there was lots of families who had done the same. It is always nice that there is seating areas provided for this, and that we didn’t have to sit out in the cold to enjoy our picnic.

The museum has great access for pushchairs and wheelchairs and our boys adored running up and down the ramps – it really is the simple things that entertain children isn’t it? The museum is divided across the road and there is a concourse that runs underneath, with lifts at each end.

Our boys loved the sweet playarea, which of course, had lots of trains to play with and even Chuggington dressing up clothes! Though I believe they are renovating it soon which I am sure will only improve it.

There is a variety of exhibitions and so much to see and honestly we barely touched the surface and weren’t really able to take much of it in with small children to entertain. They do demonstrations of trains turning on turntables and we did go to see a show, which sounded great and very entertaining, although we realised it was little above our boys’ level when they started discussing Newton’s laws of motion! I am sure older children would have loved it though.

Waiting for the show, with our wriggly boys!

I think the highlight for our little Monkeys was standing out on the viewing platform watching the trains go in and out of York station. They loved waving at them all as they went by and the train drivers were great, waving back and tooting at them – they must see kids there so much but for them to respond to it is very kind and made their day!

We had a really lovely day out at the National Railway Museum and will defiitely go again when the kids are a little older too and can appreciate it a little more!

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reviews

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The National Railway Museum in York

The National Railway Museum