I passed the Closer to Nature Video Monitor over to hubby to unbox and set up, in my defence I was slightly distracted by a teeny tiny baby. He reckoned it looked more like a high end gadget than something supposedly as mundane as a baby monitor.

The immediate difference, apart from the obvious addition of a video camera and viewing screen, from any of the previous baby monitors I’ve seen is how stylish and grown up the units look. As you can see from the video below, the video monitor looks really swish. I personally wish our house was a tidy (and white) as the one in the promotional video.

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I was sceptical of how good the video monitor would actually be, given how ropey video footage shot on even an expensive smartphone can be. At £199 the closer to nature ® Digital Video Monitor with Movement Sensor Pad isn’t exactly cheap but at that price, you would be pushed to buy a decent video camera and a pair of walkie talkies. But after charging the receiver for the mandated ten hours, I was really really impressed with the quality of the video footage. Not just in the daylight either, in the dark it slips into infra red night vision mode. It’s like its the baby monitor of choice for the SAS or something! The camera cleverly tilts in the base unit, so you can put it above the cot on a chest of drawers or dresser and angle it down.

The audio clarity is as good as the video too, I suppose this is because it’s digital but I was very impressed. The quality is actually better than our phone line. I must admit we didn’t spend long testing the movement sensor pad because for me, an alarm going off if Ned didn’t move for 20 seconds wouldn’t give added comfort, it would just put me on edge. I can see how it would be useful for others who don’t worry quite so much as me though.

There are loads of other great features too. For the two most useful were the pager to find out where the heck I’d put the monitor unit and the temperature sensor that tells me how hot or not the nursery is.

Overall then, I’d say you definitely get what you pay for and with the Tommee Tippee closer to nature ® Digital Video Monitor with Movement Sensor Pad I think you certainly get good value for money. Considering the version without video is still £99, you’re getting an incredibly good video monitor built in for only £100. The great thing is I can see it coming in useful for child surveillance when Ned’s a bit older. I have a notion we’ll install it in the playroom…

Without a shadow of a doubt this is Fifi’s favourite book at the moment. For a three year old its a laugh out loud romp. In fact, she loves it so much and finds it so funny that we read it over and over again and I really don’t mind.

Inside you’ll find sockerels, sockdiles, sockish ponies and even goldisocks (which we thought was brilliant). Its basically a book full of different things made from socks and rhymes to go with them. I think the strength of the book is that it is very inspirational. Our sock drawer has been mined to make, sock puppets, bed socks for babies and mersocks. We have drawn things using a sock shape as the basic shape and discussed our favourite socks. It’s really great a joy to read, you’ll love it.

Published by David Fickling Books
on 2nd February 2012
ISBN: 9780857560377
Hardback £10.9

We were given a BabaSling to review. I’m keen on baby slings and have used a couple in the past both of which I enjoyed using and which I was really pleased to pass on after Sophie as I knew they would be well used and enjoyed.

The BabaSling has the advantage over many other slings in that you don’t need to tie it up in a really complicated fashion, you just pull the straps to adjust it and clip it together. Easy. It retains its fit well so you don’t need to redo it ever single time, although it’s worth checking the fit, just in case.

The thing I liked about the sling is the variety of positions in which you can hold the baby. I tend to favour two ways so at the moment I’ve stuck with these. However as little Ned gets older I’ll probably experiment a bit more. I have to say, I do feel very confident about carrying Ned in this sling for a long time. With other slings I’ve used I have found that they become loose and the baby slowly slips downwards, because this is not reliant on a tie, it’s very secure and doesn’t do that. I would say though, that it’s taken me a bit of practice to put Ned in so he is comfortable and not crunched up, sticking in me and moaning to himself. He has long legs and I think this could be an issue with one of the positions as he gets older as they sling won’t be big enough.

The size of the sling in terms of the wearer is great. I can say this with confidence as it’s big enough to fit my husband who is rather big, he’s 6ft 4 and about 17 stone. This is unlike many of the other slings he has tried and is a clear benefit. Furthermore, in terms of materials, there is a great range of colours to pick from and the material is excellent quality. It feels a really well made, quality baby product.

Overall, all I think the fact that I’ve been complimented by a few of the school mums (I have been using it a lot for the school run) and asked where they can get one speaks volumes. My only issue is whether or not as Ned gets bigger there will be too much strain placed on one shoulder in terms of weight, but time will tell and I will come back  and let you know. 

If you want to have a go yourself you can find out more and look at the whole range of colours here at the BabaSling website.

I was really kindly given a Widgy Nursing Pillow to review just before Ned was born, now he is with us I have had plenty of time to give it a good run for its money. The first thing I have to say is that the one I have really does have the cutest design. I love it, I’m told its a special one in a design called Birdie which you can only buy from John Lewis but there is a wide variety of styles to pick from on the website here

The thing which is very handy about the Widgy Nursing Pillow is that its shaped so you don’t need to fiddle about trying to stack the sofa cushions into a suitable shape before you begin nursing. I’m not very good at balancing babies so this has been a real help. The only slight issue I have is that although I’m a 12/ 14 size its a little bit on the small side when wedged around my middle, however I suspect that it will fit perfectly in a couple of weeks when I lose a few baby pounds. The midwives were certainly very impressed with how easy it was for them to assist me in feeding the baby and positioning him properly.

I’m told that you can also use the pillow as a baby nest when they get a bit older which will also be very handy. I think this must be in part due to the fact that its quite solid as opposed to fill with lots of little loose balls like some other nursing pillows. The cover comes off and is cotton so washes well.

All in all, I think this is a very a worthwhile pregnancy investment which you’ll be using after the baby is born for quite some time!

The Clarity Digital Audio Monitor by Lindam is a stylish baby monitor that the nice people at littlepumpkin.co.uk sent us to test. We’re now on our third baby and our original monitor we used for our first two (the eldest is going to turn 5 very soon) was just a bit knackered, so it was nice to try something new.

Things have moved on in the 5 years since we last bought a baby monitor. The big chunky kiddy look appears to be out, the Lindum Clarity Digital Audio Monitor looks smart and sophisticated. Okay, so in a house full of Ben10 and Peppa Pig, it’s pretty easy to spot, but if you’re having your first child and still have grown up things about, this is the monitor for you since it will fit in with a house that hasn’t been thoroughly infiltrated by kids stuff.

There are several features we really liked about the Clarity Digital Audio Monitor that littlepumpkin.co.uk kindly supplied us with. Because the monitor is digital, it has a very clear sound, a lot of the static you get with an analogue monitor is simply just not present here. You can hear every single snuffle and squeak. Whether it’s good for your sanity is of course another matter.

The parent handset is a good size and shape too, it’s akin to a large cordless phone. It has a docking station, so you don’t have to fiddle around plugging cables in to it. There is a belt clip but I admit to not using it, I don’t often wear a belt and prefer to pop the monitor on a counter/table in the room I’m in. The LED’s that tell you the link is okay and the battery has charge are clear and easy to see. In fact the whole parent monitoring unit itself is very uncluttered and simple to use.

The base station itself is sturdy and can run either from battery or from mains, depending on whether you happen to have a power socket near the cot or moses basket.Be prepared to buy a good set of rechargeable batteries if you are going to rely on battery power though!

The base unit contains the usual night light, and of course you have the intercom ability that is common to a lot of baby monitors. I have to admit to never using this sort of function, my husband once did his best Orson Wells impression and pretended to be God telling our lad off via the intercom. Miraculously, the boy was quiet for a couple of minutes. Probably shock.

In summation, the Clarity Digital Audio Monitor by Lindam is a stylish and solid baby monitor that has excellent audio clarity (just as well as the name would look stupid otherwise).

The Lindum Clarity Digital Audio Monitor is priced at £59.99, and is available from littlepumpkin.co.uk for the bargain price of £49.99 as well as other leading retailers.

Morbs Battle Fortress

Morbs are a big favourite in our house with Small Boy. He has a few and plays with them a lot! Up until now we have just had the singles but Flair were kind enough to send us a Morbs Battle Fortress to review, so here goes….

For the uninitiated, a Morb is a ‘Morphing Orb’ which is a ball about the size of a table tennis ball with a big face on. When you throw them at something, or drop them on the floor, they morph into little men. That is, a little body springs out and they become little aliens. Sometimes quite a force is required to get them to open but Small Boy sees this as a bonus, not a drawback! The bodies then tuck back in so they can roll into battle again. The Battle Fortress is quite small, about 20cm high, I thought it looked bigger in the pictures, and comes with a Morb firing cannon and an exclusive Morb Battle Orb. The Fortress itself comes in several pieces which slot together to build the wall for the Morbs to be fired at.  It is designed to fall to bits when hit, which is another plus point for Small Boy. The cannon is air powered and needs quite a sharp push to get the Morbs to fire effectively, but there is a technique to it and Small Boy (almost 7) didn’t take long to acquire it.

The Morbs range is quite impressive, starting with single blind packs, which retail at a couple of pounds. This makes them very collectible and popular with Small Boy and several of his friends. There are larger items, like the MegaMorb and the Super Sonic Jet which make excellent presents for Christmas and birthdays, and would keep any Morb fan happy. Morbs are also a good size – small enough to pop in a pocket but big enough not to get lost too easily.  They’d be great in party bags too.

As a parent, I suppose I was a little disappointed with the size of the Battle Fortress – the name alone makes it sound large. However, I think that maybe I need to remember that Small Boy is, well, small and things must seem bigger to him.  He is absolutely happy with the Battle Fortress and with Morbs in general.  He loves firing them, setting up little soldiers and bowling them over and launching his Morbs down the stairs to see which will ‘morph’ first. He’s given all his Morbs names and likes to keep records of how they do in battle!

The good news is that a massive range of bestselling books are released during the winter. You will be able to slip between the sheets of a steamy romance, so that you can leave the world of unthawing turkeys and disgruntled grandmothers behind, or you could decide to immense yourself in the realms of a historical thriller, and let the heroic and sometimes beastly stories of a bygone age whisk you away from your responsibilities. Whatever it is you are after, you are sure to find something that will keep you mesmerized and page-turning! The best news is that there are now phenomenal deals in London and other UK cities on many bestsellers which can save you an absolute fortune! Vouchers are very much the way forward, and the Groupon Deals website is a must for anyone looking for massive savings on a huge range of books. In fact you could save as much as 70 per cent off the price of political thrillers, fantasy novels and even sport and film star biographies!

Books make fabulous gifts, and to your friends and family you will probably find that they like them a great deal more than another pair of ladies leather gloves, or an expensive bottle of Belgium beer. You’ll find numerous books that will also help you make Christmas easier as well! Whether it is bestsellers that teach you how to relax more easily, or books that reveal to you how Jamie Oliver really gets that Boxing Day ham to look so perfect – there really is an opportunity to learn the tricks of the festive trade.

It is always worth mixing a few fun toys for your children with a few edifying and serious books. It is one way to drag them away from the TV! It is important that children don’t just read the books that they are given at school, but that they also read for the enjoyment of reading. And even if they are reading about a teenage witch or magician, it might just be the perfect means to get them to improve their reading age and enhance their concentration abilities. Check online and you could be experiencing not only a huge range of books, but also an astonishing array of bargains as well.

Cars was unashamedly the story of Lightening McQueen but Cars 2 surreptitiously almost tells the story of his goofy sidekick, Tow Mata. Yes, I’m slow and didn’t pick up the pun during the first film. The animation is up to Pixar’s usual standard but the racing is really a subplot in this story, a bit odd given the fact it is after all about cars. The story follows a plot by a nefarious underground cartel to discredit bio fuels, headed by a mysterious figure who is, in spy film tradition, unmasked in the final scenes.

There are some great cameos, particularly from Michael Cain. Since Michael Cain can’t really act, and has only ever really played Michael Cain in any film he’s been in, it’s great to see a Michael Cain car being, well, Michael Cain. He pulls it off brilliantly. The action sequences are as good as anything that’s about and the visuals are nothing short of astonishing. Perhaps oddly though, our 4 year old didn’t take a shine to it, he still prefers watching the original Cars. Our soon to be three year old though loves it with a passion and it has (temporarily?) displaced Dora the Explorer as her television of choice.

From a parents point of view, like any Pixar film it’s watchable and even enjoyable but I’m with the boy, I didn’t enjoy it as much as Cars. Perhaps it’s the slightly heavy moral to the story; “Don’t judge people on looks”, but I must say I enjoyed the tractor tipping and general stupidity of the original more. That probably says more about the original film and how it was fresh than it does the sequel. Generally, sequels aren’t as good as the original and that’s not really different here.

Whilst the highlight for Fifi is undoubtedly Tow Mata, I must say the outrageously rude French F1 car is a particular highpoint for me. This did lead to a rather long and involved discussion on twitter about why it’s always the French that get to be the comedy rude characters in motion pictures but I digress.

Cars 2 is available now on Blu Ray and DVD. If you’re so inclined you can take Amazon up on their very generous price of £14.49.

I actually have a further confession to make, two weeks ago on a long haul flight, I opted to watch The Goonies rather than Deathly Hallows Part 2. This was because I knew we had a copy on the way. The person sitting next to me was watching it though and I did keep getting glimpses out of the corner of my eye. With no sound and only the occasional glimpse, it very much seemed like it should have been renamed “Harry Potter & the People Standing Around Looking Vexed“. Fortunately the addition of sound also added some sense and drama to it and I’m happy to say (as a viewer of the films at least) it’s a good finale to the series.

I don’t want to give the plot away too much ( who would watch this film without having seen the preceding 7 anyway?) but the whole film is pretty much the Battle of Hogwarts, leading up to the inevitable final battle between Harry and Voldemort. Despite the subject, the film does manage to vary it’s pace and drama though, and has time for some excellent comic relief, I particularly liked Neville Longbottom’s bridge defence, it had me chuckling out loud. The climatic battle isn’t too much of an anticlimax either, which is a massive achievement for something that’s been built up for donkey’s years. The epilogue wasn’t too saccharin sweet either.

Some of the earlier Harry Potter films were a little too evidently cut down into film from huge tomes but this problem of condensing a massive book into a couple of hours on screen hasn’t affected both parts of the Deathly Hallows so much from a cinematic perspective. Perhaps it’s the doubled running time or the nature of the story, it just seems to flow better.

An overall opinion is pretty pointless- I imagine most of you will have seen this at the cinema and got it on preorder but just in case you haven’t, it’s great and it’s £12.72 at Amazon at the moment on triple play Blu Ray!