We gave it a Whirli and loved it!

Do you feel frustrated with having toys all over the house and feel like your little one gets bored of toys easily? If you feel this way then you are not alone! Baby L’s toys get everywhere. She gets super excited with new toys but I just don’t have the space to keep making purchases. Then I came across Whirli.

For a subscription price from 9.99 a month, Whirli will send you toys of your selection through the post. When your little one is finished with the toys, you send them back and swap them for different toys. After finding Whirli on Instagram, I thought that I would give it a go!

Upon browsing the catalogue of toys on the Whirli website, I was amazed by the variety of toys available. They have toys for ages 0-7, wooden toys, role play toys, outdoor, electronic and more. You can browse the selection yourself at Whirli.com There are so many options and it’s easy to navigate suitable toys as you can sort and filter your search easily. I searched for toys in the 0-18 months bracket so that they would be appropriate for my little 6 month old.

Even though I narrowed the search, there were still lots to choose from! By clicking on an individual toy you can gain more information about it. This helped me to make my decisions. I chose the Hape Geometric Rattle, the Melissa and Doug Flip Fish, a Halilit Cage Bell and Hape Beaded Raindrops toy. I selected these toys as they are great for baby sensory. As you know, I’m a huge fan of baby sensory and anything that will help my baby develop while having fun.

When our selected toys arrived, baby L couldn’t wait to play!

Baby L absolutely loved the toys. She loves making noises at the moment so the rattles and bells were her favourites. She wouldn’t let go of the Halilit cage bell and the Hape beaded raindrops at one point. She was creating music. I would shake one, while she shook the other. Toys are great for play and parent-child bonding.

As she is learning to crawl, it was a good idea that I chose the Hape geometric set. The yellow rattling ball kept moving away from her and she would try crawling to grab it. She didn’t succeed yet but it’s great that the toy gave her incentive to practice. She can carry on practicing in this way until I send the toys back. Maybe she will learn to crawl this way!

Tummy time is important. I try to place her on her tummy as much as possible. She’s tolerating it much better when she has a good tummy time toy and the Melissa and Doug Flip Fish Toy did the job brilliantly. She loved crinkling the scales and feeling for different textures. It’s brightly coloured and multisensory to help with her development.

You can find links to my toy selections below:

1.Hape Geometric Rattle

Link to toy here:

https://whirli.com/toy/halilit-cage-bell

2.Melissa and Doug Flip Fish

Link to toy here:

https://whirli.com/toy/melissa-and-doug-flip-fish-baby-toy

3.Halilit Cage Bell

Link to toy here:

https://whirli.com/toy/halilit-cage-bell

4.Hape Beaded Raindrops

Link to toy here:

https://whirli.com/toy/hape-beaded-raindrops

Whirli’s toy sharing service can also enable you to try toys out before you buy. If there was a particular toy that my baby loved, I could make a purchase at a lower than retail price. This is a great way to save money from buying unused toys.

The whole sharing process is great for the environment and teaches children about sharing toys. Baby L is a little small to understand but I still told her about where the toys came from and that they will be going to another child to play with once she’s finished with them. I’m always explaining things to her as it’s good for her speech and language development.

There won’t be huge amounts of toy packaging being added to landfill neither! The toys arrive clean and checked for safety and arrive in a reusable bag. No plastic wrap or tags in sight.

The Whirli subscription service is an amazing idea. I will be having a sort through toys and getting rid of ones she no longer uses or doesn’t like. My living room will be clutter free and my baby is happy! Happy baby equals a very happy mummy.

Go on, give it a Whirli yourself!

Polymer Science Sensory Bag

Hi all,

My daughter enjoyed a very squishy polymer Hydrogel sensory bag today. I’ve done this experiment a lot with secondary aged children and wondered if my little baby would like to enjoy the science also.

She loved squishing this sensory bag. The polymer expands when soaked in water. It creates a spongy snow like texture and appearance. To create this bag you just need three simple items and a little water.

I used:

1 nappy (any size is fine but I used a size 3)
1 plastic container
1 ziplock bag
A cup of water

My method:

Open the nappy and remove all of the cotton wool like material and place it into your waterproof container.
Tear the cotton wool up into slightly smaller pieces
Add the water
Mix a little
Place soaked polymer into freezer bag and seal shut at the zip lock and with tape, removing all air.
Tape the bag down onto a hard surface

The hydrogel is a smart material that changes shape depending on its environment. In water the polymer ionises and becomes negatively charged. The molecules expand and attract water molecules. Hydrogel can hold many times it’s weight.

When she is older she can do the above method herself. For safety reasons I kept the polymer enclosed and supervised her play. She always loves a good sensory bag for some tummy time and a tactile sensory activity.

Messy Play Smash

We have done messy play before, but this has been the messiest so far!

For this messy mash play I made a plain taste safe mash with the addition of a little red food colouring. I placed three mounds of it on the tray and added a few objects. The measuring cups that L enjoyed playing with in the sensory basket were included, along with a potato masher and a silicone cupcake case filled with some water.

My baby girl loved this set up. She was rubbing the mash between her fingers after grabbing a handful. She bashed the cups together and poured the water out of the case. Once she had finished with the tray, L thought it would be great to skip and slide her feet about all over her play mats.

Musical Spoons

We loved stirring up this idea! Excuse me! This activity is amazing. From about two months old, L has loved kicking things. She had a little keyboard that I used to let her kick to make sounds and it kept her occupied while sat in her bouncer. It gave me a great opportunity to eat and have a cuppa whilst she kicked away.

She inspired me to make this activity for her. I tied spoons of varied sizes onto a laundry basket with ribbons. To make the surface level I used the spongy mattress you get from those free baby boxes. I knew the baby box would be useful! It also serves as a toy box.

To make the base crinkly and reflective, a foil blanket was wrapped around the mattress. L liked being right underneath the spoons. Having her feet under them was the best orientation as she kicked them with such enthusiasm. They make a wonderful sound as they clank and chime together. The spoons create a wind chime like sound.

This activity city has proved to be the most popular one in my Instagram feed. Mothers have sent me pictures of their little ones testing it out for themselves. I do love it when I get feedback like that. Let me know in the comments if you try it out for yourself.

Buzzy Bee Book Sensory

L absolutely loves books. She gets excited when I get books out. We have a routine of visiting the library every three weeks. Each time we visit I grab around 8-10 new books for us. If you haven’t visited your local library then I highly recommend it. They have a large number of baby and older children’s books and it costs nothing at all to take books out. You just need to sign up for a library card and I did this on my first visit, it took 5 minutes.

A couple of weeks ago I took out a selection of books that included these two bee books. I created a themed sensory play activity to go with them.

I made a high contrast touchy feely picture with 3D bright yellow paper flowers on a black background. High contrast images are great for baby, especially newborns.

I added a few toys, made a sensory bottle and a sensory ribbon.

We looked at the books first and then played with the other objects after. She loved it! ‘That’s not my bee’ book was probably her favourite. She scratches and strokes all of the pages, looking for the touchy feely sections. She has had a few of these books.

Our First Sensory Basket

Having organised L’s clothing, I realised that I had a spare storage basket. I’d seen these sensory baskets before and thought that it would be lovely to allow L to just select her own objects to investigate. This activity kept her amused for a long time!

I selected safe objects that were to be placed in the basket. The basket included some measuring cups, metal spoons, plastic spoons, a sponge, a mirror, an ice cube tray, silicone cupcake cases and a water bottle filter.

The heart shaped measuring cups were her ultimate favourite. She chose them first and began to hit them together to make lots of sound! She selected other objects but kept going back to the cups.

There wasn’t one item that she didn’t take out of the basket. I will definitely be making more sensory baskets. The baby led play is great. By understanding what objects she likes to play with, I can then incorporate those objects into other play activities. I already have an idea that includes the measuring cups and a potato masher so keep your eyes peeled!

Rainbow Scarf Pull Activity

This activity took me just five minutes to set up. All you need is a washing basket and a few coloured or even patterned scarves. If you don’t have scarves then I’m sure a few pairs of tights, long socks or your partners work ties would do fine!

I threaded the scarves through the holes in the basket and placed L on her tummy. She pulled at the lower scarves and waved them about. I then sat her up so that she could reach the upper scarves.

This activity is great for visual skills and hand-eye coordination. I will probably do this activity with L over and over.

Sensory Balloon Water Play

My little lady loved this baby sensory activity. I filled balloons with a variety of materials. I filled one with flour, water, oats and water. Each one provided a different texture that is great for a tactile experience.

The brightly coloured balloons were placed in a bowl of water to create a combination of visual and water play.

She loved squishing the balloons, grabbing them and plopping them back in the water. The balloons themselves would be great but my baby loves water.

She made a bit of a mess by splashing but nothing a quick mop over wouldn’t fix. It’s fine as we love anything messy!

Mumchum’s Nappy Challenge

Hi all,

I applied to do some nappy reviews but didn’t get a response. I’ve decided to do not only a review but a comparison of the size 3 nappies that I’ve being using on my little bambini.

There are 4 nappies that I have put to the test. These include Lidl’s Lupilu, Pampers Dry, Pampers Pure and the Rascal and Friends ones that can be found at Tesco.

This is an honest review of my experiences with these nappies.

Firstly, the Lidl range of nappies are great! The designs aren’t as cute as some brands but who really looks at a babies nappy other than the person changing them? To me design doesn’t really matter but I know some people love a cute little fox cub print.

I have used sizes 1-3 in the lupilu nappy range and I have been happy with them. They have never leaked urine except for just before I moved her up from a size 2 to a size 3. She obviously just needed a bigger nappy. No leaks in size 3. They don’t even feel as heavy as some of the more premium brands when worn overnight. The only leaks I’ve had have been poopie leaks. It has never been around the legs, only up the back. However, this is a tough issue to resolve on a breast fed baby. I’d say that I have this issue with all the nappy brands I’ve tried.

The price of Lidl’s nappies are fantastic. I purchased a bumper pack of 98 for £4.39. That’s less than 4p per nappy! When on maternity pay you need all the bargains you can find!

The next nappy I tried was the Pampers Dry. These have beautiful little designs on them, for those that are interested. They don’t feel as soft as the Lupilu nappies and the feathering around the legs are very small. I prefer a larger feathering for the ease of pulling it out of the elastic. She did have a few poopie leaks around the legs with the Pampers Dry. There was also two urine leaks. The wee leaks only occurred overnight though. They tend to feel moderately heavy in the mornings.

Despite this nappy been the same size as the others in this review, it felt significantly smaller and she will outgrow this brand before the others.

The pampers dry was purchased on an offer. Most supermarkets currently have the 3 packs for £15 on this brand of nappy. You get 50 per pack so that works out at 10p per nappy. Without the offer these packs retail at £7.

Now onto a more premium brand of nappy, the Pampers Pure range. There are millions of reviews on this nappy. The huge marketing push by pampers have sent these reviews viral on social media. Are they as great as the reviews say they are? I put them to the test!

The packaging and the nappy feels and looks like a more premium brand and that is exactly what they are. They have the best designs and are incredibly soft.

Leakage wise, I’ve only had a couple of poopie leaks up the back but again it is to be expected in a breastfed baby from time to time.

My only issue with this nappy is that after been worn over night, they do feel incredibly heavy and drop with a bit of a thud when you throw them in the bin! They are super soft though and despite the heaviness, my baby doesn’t seem too bothered by the weight.

Price is an issue with this nappy. You pay £7 for a pack of only 31 nappies. That’s about 23p per nappy. They are a good nappy but certainly too expensive for the long term. To be honest I don’t think they are worth the money. I would purchase these over the Pampers dry though.

The last on my list are the Rascal and Friends nappies. These can only be found at Tesco. When I first opened the pack they certainly are different in design and feel like a premium nappy. I was amazed at the quality of these! They have a great design. The bast part for me is that the back of the nappy has an elasticated section in an attempt to stop those poopie leaks.

The size of the nappy felt quite big. Although my little one fits in size 3’s, this nappy feels like a size 4. At one point the elasticated section around the bum/leg had migrated over and was sitting between her bum cheeks! It’s a good job I noticed before she had an accident!

The nappy doesn’t feel heavy when worn overnight. However, this could be because it’s a large nappy.

these nappies retail at £8 for 44 or 18p per nappy.

When my little one grows into these, I reckon that I would prefer these over the Pampers Pure. For now though, the pures get my vote for the best premium nappy as they fit her better at the moment.

In summary, my ultimate favourite nappy has to be Lidl’s Lupilu’s. they are a brilliant nappy brand at an astonishingly great price. My favourite premium brand as I said are the Pampers Pure. However, the pampers just aren’t that much better considering the huge price different from the Lupilu. Honestly, don’t buy into all the marketing of premium brands. Lupilu nappies are great. My little lovely hasn’t had one case of nappy rash since being born 6 months ago and for the majority of the time I’ve used the Lidl nappies. I’ve probably saved enough to buy her extra toys as well. Happy mummy and happy baby!

Hope you found this helpful

Mumchum x

Sweet Wrapper Sensory Bag

I tried baby with her first breakfast and taste of banana today and she loved it. She didn’t eat much but enjoyed the flavour. My little monkey got up a bit too early and I think she was still tired. It wasn’t long after her breakfast that she decided she needed her first nap of the day.

After her nap I let her have a play with the stained glass effect sensory bag. It makes me think of Elmer the elephant! If you follow me on Instagram then you will have seen it already.

I made this sensory bag using chocolate wrappers. What a great excuse to go binging on a box of quality streets! I obviously had to polish them off so that my baby could have her tummy time sensory play!

Quality street have these lovely plastic little wrappers that are multicoloured and transparent. Like that coloured acetate they always have at school. Do you remember that? I remember them passing us little goggles made from blue acetate in the science lab so that we could watch Magnesium burn.

Anyway, as I love being creative and crafty with anything I can recycle, I decided to use these little wrappers. I stuck them onto a zip lock bag and filled it 1/3 with water. I closed it up and removed any air. I then double bagged it so that baby couldn’t remove the wrappers. I taped the whole thing down onto an tray and placed it on the floor.

My little lady loved it. She always loves a sensory bag! They are great for tummy time.

Later that evening I decided to let her have another play with it. However, this Time I added light. I switched the torch on that is on my phone and slid the phone under the bag to create an illuminated sensory bag. Don’t worry! My phone is waterproof and the water was double bagged. You could use any torch if you are worried about your phone getting wet. A little fibre optic wand torch would probably have worked best but I didn’t have one.

My baby was amazed and excited about the reflections as they danced about when she patted or stroked the bag. She absolutely adores lights and this was probably the perfect sensory play for her.

Oh and by the way, did you know that the wrappers dissolve in water? A little bit of water had got onto one of the wrappers and it had dissolved! Well done Quality Street for helping to save the planet.