Keeping Your Car Safe When You Have Children

My partner Chris passed his driving test in May 2017 and it was the best thing to happen to us. With two young children, doing shopping could take all day and we rarely had day trips as it could cost a bomb unless it was relatively local.

Having a car has been a huge help and it has been very important to Chris to make sure that it's in top condition. Even nine months after getting the car he religiously checks everything to make sure it's all working, especially as we will be putting our children into the car. The last thing he wants is for something to go wrong when they are strapped in the back. 

The first thing we insist on doing is making sure that both car seats are fitted and secured correctly (it's also important that if it's your first car that your children are in the correct car seat for their age/height), then ensuring that the children are buckled in with no twisted seatbelts. Not wearing winter coats is important as the belts cannot be tightened fully and may not work properly in the case of a crash.

Checking that all the lights work correctly before setting off on a journey is an important one. The last thing you want is to be on a busy road then realise that a light isn't working as you could quite easily cause an accident. Chris is still a restricted driver as he hasn't yet been driving a year so it's still all new to him and does, on occasion, have to refer back to his car manual and test them out by having me stand by the car and tell him if they're working or not. This can be a bit time consuming but definitely worth doing to be on the safe side.

On Christmas Day last year, we had a lot of family to visit and a very short amount of time to get round everyone. We were roughly ten minutes from our house when, bam, flat tyre! This was the first time it had happened and luckily we had a spare in the boot. It took ten minutes for Chris to replace it and get us on our way again but then we had to make sure we purchased a new spare as soon as we possibly could in case it happened again. It's so important to check your tyres regularly for any foreign objects that may be stuck (this is what happened in our case) but also ensuring that the tread and pressure is ideal.

Our car is up for MOT in April and although Chris checks the car as much as he can himself, he is definitely planning on getting it in for a service beforehand. He thinks that this would be beneficial to pay for so that he can be told of any problems and get those sorted, so that his car isn't failing and he isn't wasting money on having to rebook his MOT over and over again. The important thing is finding the perfect servicing station such as Ossett Tyre House which offers all types of car servicing in Wakefield and surrounding areas. Fingers crossed all is good and his "new baby" passes!

(This is a collaborative post.)

More-2-Explore Adventure Belt - Review

If you are a parent to a toddler, you'll know that they can sometimes be a bit of a flight risk. In saying that, my eldest child C (now 5) was, and still is, a little clingy and fearful so would always hold my hand tightly when we went out walking. His little sister, on the other hand, has no fear of anything and does a mad dash any time Chris or myself happen to let go of her hand for even a millisecond. 

 

We have tried the usual techniques of hand holding, a wrist strap or harness but none have really felt 100% comfortable - until we tried the More-2-Explore Adventure Belt. 

Wrist straps and harnesses required the parent to keep a hold of one end, either in their hand or round their wrist. As I have two children, going to the shop with them both by myself could be a bit stressful. I'd be holding C's hand then have a hold of E's harness with my other hand, all the while trying to choose what to buy, carry a basket and try to keep E on the right side so that I don't get tangled in harness! 

I didn't realise that a solution to that problem even existed until I was offered the chance to review a More-2-Explore Adventure Belt. These are actual belts that go around the parents waist and child's waist, with a strap connecting them, meaning that you are completely hands free to do what you need whilst also ensuring that your child is kept safe and close by. 

The belt comes in a range of different colours and patterns and E was so happy with her Panda belt. I'm not the thinnest of people but the adult belt fits a waist of 75-100cm so it was comfortable for me to wear. The child's pouch is recommended for children aged 2-5 but can be used up until the age of 8.

E loved the feeling of independence that the Adventure Belt gave her. Although she was still attached to me, walking without holding my hand and being able to walk freely made her feel a bit grown up. The elasticated bungee between the adult belt and child's pouch can be adjusted from 40-80cm and it can be removed completely, leaving the child just wearing the pouch when out of dangerous areas. Everything is attached using buckles so there's no risk of a child being able to undo them themselves.

I've been calling the child's part a pouch rather than a belt because that's exactly what it is! E is able to carry small toys inside the 10.5x10cm pouch which is a bonus for her. She is always wanting to bring a toy everywhere. I've loved being able to go shopping easily and carry my bags home with ease.

The More-2-Explore Adventure Belt retails at £14.99 and is available to buy from the More-2-Explore website. You can also keep up to date on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. 

(We received the Adventure Belt for this purpose of this post. All thoughts and opinions are my own.) 

 

Toddler Proofing the House with Fred

I have to admit that when it came to baby or toddler proofing the house, I did the minimum and just hid things away that could fall on the children, tucked away leads and put a stairgate on the bottom of the stairs. I tend to spend 99% of my time in the same room as my children so I always thought they'd be safe. 

My eldest, C who is almost 5 years old, was never a child who would go off and touch things he wasn't supposed to or attempt to climb the stairs (I don't think we actually got a stairgate until he was about a 18 months old!). Two year old E is another story. I swear she touches and climbs everything just to wind me up so I definitely felt that some safety measures had to be put into place with her around.

Fred is a brand that has completely revolutionised home safety products. Did you know that 75% of accidents in children under 5 happen in the home? That's a high statistic and it made me realise that a few things in my home that I'd never thought of before could cause an accident. I chose three products from the Fred range to help make my home a bit safer for the children: Adhesive Double Door Block, Plug Socket Covers and the Door Slam Stopper.

The Adhesive Double Door Block (£5.99) was something that I chose because whenever I'm in the kitchen cooking or doing the dishes, E will always open the cupboard under the sink where we keep cleaning products. I'm forever telling her not to but she's a toddler, of course she won't listen! 

When I first opened it out it seemed like because there were a lot of pieces, it may be difficult to actually install but I couldn't be more wrong. I simply wiped down the inside of the cupboard, removed the adhesive strip and stuck it inside at the top so that when I closed the door, the red plastic stuck out. From there, I simply attached the block and that's it! The only way that the block can be removed is by pressing the two sides and pulling it off - a dual action that children cannot master. It uses SecureHold and ExtremeHold adhesives so there is no risk of it coming off accidentally. 

The block sits right against the doors so there is no room for little fingers to get trapped. It comes with an EZ-Dock too so you can always place the block in it and find it when not in use.

I've used plug socket covers in the past (cheap ones from the pound shop) and they have been almost impossible to remove and I was always breaking nails when trying to pull them. Fred's ones (£4.99 for 6) are amazing! They have a little removal tool that you flip up which makes them easy to remove from the socket. They take a tiny bit of effort so that little ones can't remove them too. They lock with a click and the design means that there is no way that children can grab at them and pull them out.

The Door Slam Stopper (£5.99) is probably the one that I needed most. My children are forever playing in the hallway for some strange reason so would be constantly opening and closing the door to the living room. Both kids are also obsessed with making sure doors are closed so I always find myself saying "Watch your fingers!"

These are so handy and I can't believe I never had them before. The actually stopper is made of rubber and stretches to fit on your door. I keep them high up so that the children can't reach them and remove them but even if I did place them lower down, I don't think they'd be strong enough to pull them off the door. Again, they come with a little EZ-Dock holder with an adhesive back so I've stuck that beside the door to hold the stopper when it's not in use. 

All Fred products are bite and choke safe as they are made from non-toxic food grade material - we all know how little ones put everything in their mouths - so there is no worry of them biting off a chunk of anything. 

I can't believe how quick and easy it was to make my house 100% safer and at a really reasonable price too. I feel like I'm a little bit less on edge and can leave the kids to do as they please (well, kind of!) and know they are completely safe.

You can find out more about the range at the Fred website. 

(We received these products for the purpose of this post.) 

 

Teaching Young Children about the Importance of Road Safety

Ever since C was able to understand us, we have spoken to him about staying safe near the road. Once we ditched the buggy, we used a toddler harness and reins. I know a lot of people see them as treating little ones like dogs but we don't drive and walk everywhere so I would be terrified that he would run off and something would happen.

He would get so excited to push the button at the pelican crossing, wait for the red man to "go downstairs and change to green" then cross safely. He knows that even though the green man has appeared, he stills needs to look both ways in case any cars are still driving. 

Now that he's four, he is much more independent so (mostly when we are near our house) I let him walk on ahead a little bit if we aren't near a busy road. He automatically stops at the edge of every pavement and waits for myself and his daddy to catch up. When next to him, we reinforce the "stop, look and listen" rule but to be honest, I think it's something that we need to work on as he does it a little half-heartedly so I'm not sure he's really taking his surroundings in. Luckily, he does always wait so we can teach him more about the importance.

Accident Advice Helpline have recently created a really fun online game to help teach children about road safety. I've been showing it to C and letting him have a little play around with it. The game follows a little boy who is on a journey and meets a few different road related obstacles and you have to answer the question that is related. There are eight in total and each is a multiple choice question. You even get a little certificate at the end - tons of fun!

How early did you/will you start talking to your children about road safety? 

(This is a collaborative post.) 

 

Christmas Gift Ideas: Moochies Phone Watch

C is only little so doesn't play out on the street yet, but when he does I know I'll be absolutely terrified as I can't see him every second of every day. I have maybe 2 year before this starts and at 5 he will, in my opinion, definitely be too young to carry a mobile phone around with him so this is where Moochies comes in.

The Moochies phone watch is amazing! We received a watch for C and a phone which had the app pre-downloaded (Chris searched and it is easy enough to find on Android too). The phone watch takes a micro SIM card which can be on any network provided it gets 2G coverage. We have a pre-paid one that came with the watch and you can purchase these alongside your watch.

The phone watch has voice calling, parent set contact numbers, an SOS button (which when pressed sends an alert to the parents phone), GPS tracking, safe zones and also a watch function.

With the labelling to show which button does what. This can be removed.

The parent can set up two numbers that the child can call by simply pressing a button but have 20 numbers that can call the phone which makes it great for grandparents and other relatives. The voice calling is so clear and C thought it was great fun being able to talk to mummy through his watch.

The GPS has been wonderful for me when we take C to our local park. In the past I'd keep him either on his reins or by my side when all he really wants to do is run around. The watch has given me peace of mind that if he does go a little too far for a second, I'll know straight away where he is.

The Moochies watch is, in my eyes, an amazing concept. I've suffered from anxiety since C's birth and I honestly think this will be a huge help now and also as C (and E!) gets older. 

The watch retails at £79.99 and you can purchase it from the Moochies website. You can also keep up to date on Facebook.

(Disclaimer: We received this item for the purpose of this post. All thoughts and opinions are my own.)

Fun in the Pool with Zoggs, Peppa and George!

C is very much a water baby and always has been. I try to take him swimming as much as I can and I really hope E will begin liking the water too. She does like a good splash!

Zoggs have a range of Peppa Pig swimming accessories. C is obsessed with Peppa and George so when we were offered the chance to review, I knew he'd love them. We received two sets of George armbands in sizes 1-3 years and 3-6 years and Peppa & George soakers.

E and C turn 1 and 3 next month, respectively, so I thought that the armband sets would be great fits for each of them and I was right. They are super easy to inflate too. The chambers are in two sections, front and back, and you need to squeeze the valve and blow in. Squeezing the valve means that if you let go, you won't lose any air unless you squeeze it again. They fit round both the kids arms perfectly and the fun George design means that the kids love them. They do what they are supposed to do perfectly and are a great buoyancy aid. They are made from heavy duty Vylux so risks of bursting is minimal.

The Peppa and George soakers are little soft toys that are fine to be submerged in water. They are good to use as little friends in the pool and are great to splash and squeeze out water. I thought E would like these as shes only small but she never gets a look in with C! He loves playing with them in and out of the water and they don't take ages to dry out either.

The armbands retail at £7.50 per set, the soakers are £8.00 and they can both be purchased from the Zoggs website. You can also browse their full range of Peppa and George themed products.

You can also keep up to date with Zoggs on Facebook and Twitter.

(Disclaimer: We received these items for the purpose of this post. All thoughts and opinions are my own.)

British Red Cross: Baby & Child First Aid App #RappedUp

Before I had children, I was quite a worrier. Then when C was born, this increased tenfold and my anxiety shot through the roof. This tiny person would rely on me for every little thing that they needed. What if I couldn't protect him or something happened that was out of my control? When he was around 10 months old, we were in the throes of weaning and he was having finger foods. I remember he got a piece of food lodged in his throat. This made me panic, which scared him, but luckily his daddy had done a First Aid course and he knew what to do. The whole ordeal was probably only a few seconds long but it felt like a lifetime and tears were streaming down my face. I was so lucky that he was at home that day and knew what to do. I couldn't believe that I had failed to learn such an essential life skill that all parents should definitely know.

There are approximately 3,600,000 parents of under 5's in the UK. Parents usually feel the need to learn First Aid in their last trimester of pregnancy up until their child is 8 months old. Around two thirds of parents would like more information of First Aid and it is one of the top skills that parents say they wish they'd learned before having children.

The British Red Cross have made it really easy for all parents to learn the importance of First Aid skills specifically for babies and children through their free app. In addition to this, you can also attend First Aid courses throughout the UK. These are great for parents of children aged between 0-12 years or you can learn online too. It's so simple so there is no reason that parents shouldn't know this lifesaving advice.

The British Red Cross app is completely free (you can download it from the App Store and Google Play Store) and it already has positive reviews and a four star rating on the Apple App Store. It covers absolutely everything; anything that you can think of and I can't believe I have done without the app for so long. 

Upon opening the app, you are advised to tap the middle button labelled 'Emergency' if you find yourself in an emergency situation. This will bring up a list of possible scenarios and you choose which emergency you are in. Once you have found your topic, it gives advice on what to do and in what order, it even has videos for more effective help.

The app also helps you learn what to do in certain scenarios and how to prepare for things like hot weather, travelling and lots of other occasions. It can run a test to check how well you are absorbing the information that you're learning from the app and lastly, you can update your child or children's records so you have a handy note of their medications and allergies. One of my favourite things was in the 'Prepare' section, where there is an improvised First Aid Kit. It tells you about things that you have around the home that will work well in a crisis such as using a credit card or library card to remove a bee sting or using beer, juice or milk to cool burns. There is so much information packed into this totally free app and it is definitely an essential for all parents.

Get your First Aid rapped up!

This is a sponsored post.

Dog Owners to Rebel Against New Microchipping Laws?

A survey of pet owners carried out by online retailer MedicAnimal has revealed that many pet owners will rebel against compulsory microchipping legislation – of those whose dogs are not chipped only one in four intend to comply by the April deadline. Comments made by pet owners about the move included complaints about ‘government dictatorship’, an attack on ‘freedom of choice’, ‘big brother’ mentality and anger that the initiative penalises responsible dog owners.

Welfare was another big concern, with worries over adverse reactions to chips, the wisdom of chipping a dog that was old or debilitated and an objection to chipping a much loved member of the family.

An additional area of rebellion is the requirement to keep contact details relating to the microchip up to date. Of those that had cause to change their details, 31% confessed they have never updated them. Some commented on what they said was the unreasonably high cost to change address details which in some cases is about 75% of the original cost of the chip. As one pet owner commented, “This is totally unacceptable. I can change my bank details etc without charge.” Another said, “I found it extraordinarily complicated and long winded to change my address.”

Nearly 150 pet owners responded to the survey and 26% of dog owners said their pet was not chipped. Of those, 53% said they had no intention of having their dog chipped and 20% are currently undecided, meaning the vast majority of the unchipped have no positive plans to comply. Around half of those surveyed said they did not know that microchipping of dogs was to become compulsory until informed by MedicAnimal.

Although it won’t be compulsory to microchip cats, 60% of respondents said their cat was already chipped. Of the remainder, only one in four are likely to microchip in the future.

However, microchipping can be hugely beneficial, both in terms of reuniting pets and owners and reducing the burden on animal charities. Losing a pet is relatively common and 24% of respondents said they had lost a pet. In most cases (47%) the pet had just disappeared, where the reason was known it was most common for the pet to escape from a home or garden (22%) and another 16 per cent had run off during a walk. Five per cent said their pet has been let out of the house or garden maliciously. Of those who had lost a pet, 14% said their pet was returned to them as a result of being chipped.

Andrew Bucher, Vet and MedicAnimal founder, says the company feels it is important to give pet owners a voice, “While some people have positive experiences of microchips and appreciate the benefits, there is clearly a group that feel disenfranchised by having microchipping enforced upon them and some genuine concern over the wellbeing of pets. Whilst I understand there are occasionally some reactions to the microchip, I believe strongly that the risk is very much outweighed by the benefit of finding your lost or stolen dog. Any dog charity in the country will tell you how common it is to have an animal put to sleep as a result of no owner being found. The bigger issue here is how enforceable this new law will be and the fact that non-responsible dog owners may ‘get away with it’. Veterinarians can also help with dog theft by ensuring that all new client dogs are scanned prior to registration at their clinic and more pressure has to be applied to the microchipping industry to reduce the disproportionate cost of updating owner details.”

Thoughts from current pet owners include:

“I don't trust the government. They could be putting anything into our pets”.

“I doubt that microchips do not have negative side effects on cats or dogs mainly as this technology interacts with radio frequencies emitted by cell phone towers, just to give one example. We simply don't know what the long-term effects on behaviour, endocrine and immune system will be.”

“I was out in the woods with my dog and we heard hunting shots fired in the distance, my dog freaked out and ran off. We spent three hours looking for her. As it happens she had run straight home and a neighbour had seen her run down the road and so opened our back gate and let her into our rear garden. But it could have been so different especially as she ran down the middle of the road until she reached our house and could have been injured and taken away before she reached the garden and we had returned. Microchipping is a life saver as far as I am concerned and I am glad it is becoming law. They should also bring back the dog license too!”

“I think there should be system that scans animals in vets as people who take other people's pets often do not tell vet it was found, maybe make it a logging in for appointments system, that way there is no more pet stealing.”

“I would like to update my details for the microchips on my dogs but want to charge me £16 per dog. This is totally unacceptable. I can change my bank details etc without charge so why ? A tax on responsible pet owners perhaps?”

“I do Not agree with compulsory micro chipping, micro chips can migrate and cause problems as in one of my own pets, this law will have no effect on irresponsible pet owners. A suitable collar and information tag is still the best way forward, and as this is the law at the moment how many people adhere to this? Any future dog I have will not be microchipped by me.”

“I found it extraordinarily complicated and long winded to change my address with . The complications are entirely unnecessary and very time consuming. Obviously many pet owners just give up!”

“she will be 15 years old and i can crawl faster than she walks she does not like vet get very stressed so do not want to put her through that.”

Jack (RIP)

When I was little we had a cat that just disappeared one day. Thinking back to how heartbroken I was, it's something that I never want happening to my children. They both adore animals and I hate for something to happen to one of their animals and for them to be upset. 

Pop over to MedicAnimal and take a look at their #Smiles4Pets campaign.

Do you have your animals microchipped? What are your thoughts? 

(Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post.)

Win a Safetots Toddler Bed Rail

When Chris and I first spoke about moving C from his cot to a toddler bed, I was so anxious about it. He wriggles around quite a lot and he is a deep sleeper so I had visions of him falling out and really hurting himself. 

Luckily, since we moved him into a big bed about a year ago, we have only had a handful of occasions where this has happened and the bed is so low to the floor that he isn't very bothered anyway. 

If you have a toddler who you're thinking of moving into a bed, I have the perfect giveaway for you!.

Safetots are offering my readers the chance to win one of their fabulous bed rails!

The bed rail is great for stopping your little one from falling out of their bed. It can cleverly fold down so you can easily put your child in and out of bed. It comes with its own carry bag so it can be stored away or taken with you when travelling.

• The rail can be used on both solid and slatted beds
• Quick and easy assembly
• Suitable for all cot beds, single beds and double beds with a minimum mattress width of 90cm and maximum thickness of 20cm
• Can be used with a sunken mattress
• There must be at least a gap of 25cm between each end of the bed and corresponding end of bed rail
• Can be used in pairs with beds that have a minimum width of 90cm
• Bed rail is suitable for children aged 18 months to 5 years
• Rail must not be used on bunk beds, inflatable mattresses or waterbeds

The rail is available in natural, blue and white and the winner can choose which colour they would like.

All you have to do is fill in the Rafflecopter widget below. 

T&C's

• The giveaway will run from July 1st until July 15th
• One winner will win one standard sized bed rail in their choice of colour
• Open to entrants aged 18+
• UK residents only
• Prize will be sent directly from the PR, please allow 28 days for delivery
• No automated entries
• One entry per person

Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

More competitions at ThePrizeFinder

Munchkin White Hot Super Safety Bath Ducky (Scuba Ducky)

As part of our role as Munchkin/Lindam Bloggers, we received the White Hot Super Safety Bath Ducky. 

As soon as I opened out my Munchkin/Lindam parcel, this was the first item C lunged for. Although it may look like just a toy, it's much more than that. 

The Ducky is really a thermometer with a safety indicator on the bottom. The word HOT is revealed in white if the water is too warm making for easy, stress-free bath times and I think it works quite well. It means I don't have to keep dipping my elbow in the water! 

It obviously doubles up as a bath toy and the chunkiness means that both C and E can hold it and play comfortably. They are water-tight so it won't sink, squirt or develop mildew. He has become a bathtime staple in our house

We received the Ducky who is rocking some scuba diving gear but you also purchase the firefighter duck or princess duck for only £3.29! If you prefer a plain duck, they're priced at £2.80 - bargain! 

You can find out more about the Munchkin range at their website, Facebook and Twitter. 

(Disclaimer: We received this item as part of our role as Munchkin/Lindam bloggers. All thoughts and opinions are my own.)

tommee tippee Digital Bath & Room Thermometer

tommee tippee is probably one of the most well-known baby brands across the globe. We have been lucky enough to work with them on a number of products in the past; Royal Baby range, Explora Animal Antics cup and their Best of British range.

E has now moved into the big bath so I was excited to have the opportunity to try tommee tippee's bath and room thermometer.

The thermometer itself is in tommee tippee's iconic star-shape so it matches their range of nursery and bedroom decor. It comes with a little stand for you to use it as a room thermometer too. This is a little flimsy and niggly to get it to sit on but it does the job. In order to turn the thermometer on, you need to tap it on a hard surface and the temperature is displayed within seconds. I did test this out with our old thermometer and it reads the same so I have no arguments that it works correctly.

For use in the bath, it floats so you are able to see it (unless you put a mound of bubbles in like me!) and the handy LED flashes red when the water is too hot for your baby (at 39°C), putting your mind at ease. The star-shape makes it kid-friendly too. C always wants to play with it when he's in the bath.

As you can see from my photos, I use Celsius but it is possible to switch the mode to Fahrenheit if you would prefer that. It's a great size and do like the fact that it doesn't give a constant reading when in "room mode" as I do always worry about batteries running out easily.

The tommee tippee Bath and Room Thermometer retails at £17.99 and you can purchase it here. 

You can find out more about tomme tippee on their website or follow them on Facebook and Twitter.

(Disclaimer: We received this item for the purpose of this review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.)