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Wednesday 19 November 2014

Asda George wooden Dolls house and Accessories set

Asda George wooden Dolls house and Accessories set

This is my first Christmas purchase for my Daughter, my niece had a similar dolls house which she adored playing with, which inspired me to buy one for Lilly. Lilly might be a bit young to start forming pretend families but it’s a beautiful piece that she can use and come back to again and again as she grows. For best use you need to make two purchases, the house (£35), which comes with 3 levels and the accessories set (£15) to decorate rooms and has dolls to play with. Although I’m waiting until Christmas to give this to Lilly I spent about 40 minutes this afternoon putting it together to check it had no missing pieces, and success as it went together pretty easily, considering I done it alone and spent most of the time searching for an appropriately sized Philips screw driver (X).

The house is formed of sturdy wooden boards, which are painted beautifully into a pretty pink flower and butterfly inspired cottage. The house comprises of 3 levels, which includes a fully opening roof section and two main front opening doors to allow access for play. The house comes with 2 staircases to give it a real life home feel. The website has a suggested age range of 3-4 years, but like most toys as long as your child is supervised and not allowed too many small parts I feel this would suit my daughter who will be 15 months at Christmas. The given dimensions on the website are 64.9cm width, 58.9 height and 33 depth. The accessories are robust and nicely painted. The accessories help to define rooms and to aid play. I’ve already hinted to my partner that Lilly might like an extra bed and some more kitchen accessories, which I’m hoping he could knock-up himself from some MDF and paint. I also intend on whipping up some pillows and bed sheets with my sewing machine, to give the house a finished look.

The house is very sturdy when it’s all been pieced together. I would have liked the windows to open at the front like the shutters do and the stairs although they are made from solid wood have MDF glued on the top and bottom, which looks a little cheap compared to the lovely exterior. This said the house is way cheaper than other similar dolls houses on the high street. Although I got mine out a little early to check it over before giving it for Christmas, I would suggest putting it together in advance. Wrap it or present it as it is because trying to put it together with normal Christmas chaos and a child in your ear every couple of minutes probably could become very stressful. Nobody wants a stressful Christmas.        

Please comment below about your questions or experiences with this product and I will try and answer them as soon as possible. I would love to know how other dollhouses compare. Please be aware theses are just my opinions and I have not been paid or asked to review this item.







Saturday 8 November 2014

Little Life - Cross Country S2 Child Carrier

Little Life - Cross Country S2 Child Carrier

We brought the Little Life Carrier for my partner’s birthday, we thought it would be really handy as we like nothing more than going for brisk walks with our dog Bonnie. Our first experience with the carrier went really well after you’ve sorted out all your straps to adjust it to your liking, it was breeze to carry (Lilly 6 months old). It allows you to have long walks holding hands with your partner and you don’t have to take long diversions to find ramps or lifts, like you would with a buggy. Our buggy isn’t suitable for coastal paths or muddy bridleways, so we thought it would make a great investment. We used it for Lilly from 6 months and she still fits in it now. We recently used it for a 10-mile walk along the Cornish Clay trails, my partner carried it most the way and although he’s a very fit man, he felt his shoulders ache the next day. If you visit the beach a lot this item is a must have, there is nothing worse than dragging a buggy along the sand as it sinks under the weight of all your beach paraphernalia.

The Little Life Cross Country S2 Child Carrier is a rucksack style child carrier, you can use from 6months – 3 Years. The Carrier is styled in a trendy Red and Grey hardwearing material, with the iconic wildlife creature headrest. The Carrier has several different padded adjustable straps that allow for a comfortable fit for myself 5’2” size 12 and for my partner 6’1” size M. Your child has a comfortable padded seat with an X buckle harness, which can be adjusted to fix your little one perfectly. Under the seat is a roomie pocket big enough for your baby essentials along with bottle pocket on each side. We brought ours from the Cotswold shop for £140 but a lot of other retailers stock them.

The Carrier is ideal for family adventures in town or out in the countryside. Be aware as your child gets bigger, it can get very heavy, luckily by then they will hopefully be walking, so they can give you a rest from time to time. Ours came with a sun cover, which you pop on top of the carrier with poles provided in a little kit bag. The cover is made from UV resistant material that shelters your little one on 3 sides from the sun, it boosts an open front allowing plenty of fresh air to circulate keeping your little one cool. We decided this autumn to invest in the Little Life Waterproof cover from John Lewis for £30, its based on the same design as the sun cover but covers the whole rucksack from top to bottom and has a forth side covered in a clear plastic. The rain cover also becomes very useful in windy weather to stop your child becoming too windswept. I would like Little Life to make an attachable neck pillow, because once your child falls asleep in the carrier, they do bump their heads around a lot with motion of you walking. It would need to be attachable so that when your little one woke up they don’t throw it out without you noticing. Overall I think this was a great buy but then again not everyone likes long walks, but if you would like a bit more freedom when you go out for your next hike or adventure the Little life carrier is a great investment piece that should last several children’s infancy.
 

Please comment below about your experiences with Little Life products. I would love to know how other carrier compare. Please be aware theses are just my opinions and I have not been paid or asked to review this item.