REVIEW: Jooki - The Smart Player with ToyTouch Technology

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Turning up the volume, having a boogie, listening to stories or bringing a performance alive children love to be surrounded by music. A day doesn't go past where we don't have a kitchen disco dance or Isabella wants to show us her latest dance performance. However, to access music children often need an adult to select a certain playlist or song, which in turn limits their ability to be creative with sound. Jooki have created The Smart Player with ToyTouch Technology to solve this exact problem and allow children to safely access music and stories; bringing back their creativity and enabling them to enjoy screen-free time.

PARENTHOOD: How to Make Long Car Journeys with Children Peaceful without Screen-Time

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Long car journeys with children aren't really that peaceful, are they? If it's not winding each other up, it's the constant 'are we nearly there yet?' questioning or requesting snacks or crying about anything/everything or desperate demands for the toilet. It's understandable because long car journeys can be boring and it's harder for children to understand the concept of time. But how can we make them more peaceful and enjoyable for all those involved? As a parent to three children with family who live a long way away we are often making 1.5 hour+ length journeys, so we constantly have plenty of practice and have learnt a few tips/tricks along the way.

CHILDREN: Num Noms Brand New Launch - Sparkle Smoothies

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Num Noms are the very popular scented collectable characters, which have branched out into Mystery Make-Up Packs, Party Hair Mystery Packs, Smooshcakes, Surprise in a Jar, Art and Activity Sets, Watches, Posters, Clothing and now the all new Sparkle Smoothies (£4.99 each). This exciting brand new launch have scented, liquid lip gloss inside a smoothie cup shape with a scented Num topping. When you unscrew the straw top to reveal the all new sparkly liquid lip gloss with a wand applicator. There are fifteen Num Toppings to collect in the range, which are detachable from the straw lid, as well as four glitter lip glosses and six pearl lip glosses. It's really fun that the toppings and lip glosses can be mix and matched to create unique looking lip glosses. Isabella absolutely loves swapping them between each other, as well as 'delicately' applying the lip gloss in the mirror.

CHILDREN: Finding affordable toys can be a challenge, but not anymore...

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Finding affordable toys for a whole range of ages can be challenging and as parents time is luxury we simply don't have. This is where PoundToy step in, a family operated business started in 2014, their aim is to deliver safe, affordable and quality toys that are responsibly sourced from the UK. As the name would suggest, they have a wide array of toys for £1, as well as many others for very affordable prices. It's the perfect place to shop for children's birthday parties, party bag fillers, stocking fillers or reward chart treats. Also, during January they not only have Toy Sale section on their website, but also a Toy Clearance section that has up to 75% off as well as an extra 50% off using the code: 'EXTRA50'.

CHILDREN: Bringing the Imaginary World of Puppy Dog Pals to Life

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Don't you find children's imagination so interesting? The way that they can create, nurture and bring to life a whole other world is something I wish us adults could do to. Each day Isabella will take Poppy and I on a different adventure, using the toys around her to really bring it to life. One of her favourite recent imaginary worlds to explore is that of Puppy Dog Pals, which is a very popular television programme on Disney Junior. If you or your little one haven't seen it before then it is based around two pug puppies that are brothers, Bingo and Rolly, and they have fun adventures around their local neighbourhood every time their owner Bob leaves the house. They also have a tabby cat sister called Hissy and a robot dog friend called Autodoggy Robotic Friend or A.R.F for short.

CHRISTMAS: My Top 3 Gifts for Children from Wicked Uncle

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When it comes to buying Christmas presents it can all feel a bit overwhelming, can't it? The options are endless, so many ideas and potential gifts, but limited time to decide on which ones are perfect for your loved ones. This is where Wicked Uncle steps in when it comes to buying gifts for the children and teenagers in your life. Their easy to navigate website is filled with toys and games for babies all the way to teenagers, so you can get all your Christmas shopping for them done in one place. To make life even easier they offer a gift wrapping service and you can even add on a Christmas or Birthday card to your order for an addition cost. The children's gifts are split into boys, girls or all, depending on who you're buying for and you can also search by their age. This helps to make your shopping experience quicker, as you don't have to trawl through all of the gifts to find the ones suitable for the person you're thinking of buying for. 

CHILDREN: Dotcomgiftshop Changes Name & My Top Picks Under £15 from their New Website

If you're familiar with the website dotcomgiftshop then you'll probably know it for outstanding value for money, a fun range of unique products and having something for every member of your family. It is the place to buy gifts, home accessories, tableware and seasonal decorations, or should I say was. Dotcomgiftshop no longer exists, instead they've had an exciting name change and are now called Rex London.

TOYS: The 360° Dolls House from Little Tikes

Playing with a doll's house is such a fond childhood memory for many and children nowadays are still enjoying the imaginary world that can be created with them. Little Tikes have created Tikes Place* (£64.99), which is a doll's house that is not only accessible from 360°, but also includes mini versions of their classic toys and a pull-out garden/patio area. The result is a spacious house filled with various areas for little people to play, including a kitchen, garden, driveway, bathroom, staircase and dining area. It also comes with twelve accessories, many of which are mini versions of popular Little Tikes toys. Who wouldn't want to own a mini Cozy Coupe?

TODDLER: Making Tidying Up Easier with Play and Go

Don't you just love the mess that somehow finds itself into every nook and cranny after a day of playing with your children at home? Lego bricks, stacking rings, wooden figures, dolls, plastic animals of all shapes and sizes, books, squeaky eggs...the list goes on. Wouldn't it just be lovely to not spend the end of the day crawling around on your hands and knees picking up endless toys? Now that I'm 33 weeks pregnant tidying up after Isabella is getting seriously tricky! Don't get me wrong Isabella helps, in fact she's pretty good at tidying up, but only when we're working as a team. Play&go have come up with the perfect solution - the Toy Storage Bag.

CHRISTMAS: Childrens Gift Guide 2016

By the time toddler's become children they are often putting together long wishlists for Father Christmas. I remember many hours spent trawling through the Argos catalogue, neatly cutting out gift ideas ready to post to Father Christmas. Nowadays the internet opens a whole new world of gifts, with so many fantastic offers and discounts to be had. The child in me absolutely loves all of the gifts in this guide, many of which I had versions of when I was younger. Oh the memories...

TOYS: Little Tikes Lil Ocean Explorers

Now that Isabella is on the move finding toys that keep her occupied, entertained and encourage development can be a challenge. She rarely stays still for long enough! However one range that has been a big hit is the Little Tikes Lil' Ocean Explorers. We have the Dunk 'n Juggle Seal* (£19.99) and Push 'n Glow Fish* (£8.99), both of which have become firm favourites for Isabella. The whole Lil' Ocean Explorers range is designed to provide fun, active play while supporting babies development. Little Tikes have clearly stated which stage of mobility their Lil' Ocean Explorers toys are aimed at, from sitting to crawling to standing. This is such a helpful feature as it allows parents to easily identify fun toys that their baby will enjoy and learn from. 

BABY: Sophie La Girafe Newborn Baby Set

 

You have probably come across the original Sophie the Giraffe, it's been in babies lives 50 years and is iconic within the world of babies. You may not know that Sophie La Girafe has expanded as a company and now offer a vast range of toys, teethers, gift sets, books, clothes and skincare. All of the products are beautifully packaged too, making them ideal gifts.