Safe T' Sleep

This is one of those products that you will initially look at and think, what on earth is that and do I really need one ? Then you think about it and can see how it would work and how it could come in handy at certain times but ultimately can also see how you could do perfectly well without one. Then you'll talk to other mums and dads going through a specific problem and they'll open your eyes to a whole load of advantages that you'd never have even dreamed of.

That's what happened here. The Safe T' Sleep is basically a velcro wrap that you incorporate into a baby's or toddler's bedding to keep them in the position you want overnight or at naptime. The advantages are obvious - it would be very handy if you have a particularly wriggly baby who refuses to stay in the recommended anti-cot death sleeping position (on their back, but if you're reading this review several years from now, check that the guidelines haven't changed - 8 years ago when Sophie was a baby, it was on their side that was the recommended position !). If you have a toddler who has progressed onto a "grown up bed", it's a softer alternative to a bed barrier to stop them falling out of bed.

For us, the huge bonus is that it takes up a small amount of space in the luggage and can be used to transform a normal single bed into a baby-safe bed in place of a much heavier and bulkier travel cot. For our trips over to the grandparents, it's a real spacesaver (and is also so much easier to use than travel cots, which always seem to fight back whenever we try to assemble them, usually after arriving tired and in a rush to get the kids to bed !).



For us, it was a useful but not indispensible gadget, an alternative solution to something already on the market (namely a travel cot). Then we got talking to some friends who have a son one month older than Pierre, who has "flat head syndrome" and who has to keep sleeping in different positions to try to even out his head shape. "Easier said than done", said the Mum, who is tearing her hair out because whatever she does, he just goes back to his usual sleeping position on his flat bit. I lent her the Safe T' Sleep and she was blown away at how easily it overcame the problem, because she could strap him in however she wanted and try as he might, he couldn't wriggle out of that position. She said she'd mention the product to her doctor because she saw it as an absolute Godsend.

The Safe T' Sleep has in fact been tested and used in hospitals. The website describes it as "an innovative product promoting a more restful and safe sleep in babies (suitable from 0-36 months)" and suggesting its use for babies with reflux, colds and colic. As well as keeping baby in the correct sleeping position, another safety aspect is that it prevents overheating and keeps baby's face and head clear.

The only downside I can see is that, although it is aimed at children up to 36 months, I would think that by then, they would be quite able to open the velcro fastening and get out if they are so minded. Until then, it is a great piece of kit for parents who want or need some peace of mind while baby sleeps.

RRP : £47.60

star rating : 4/5

for more information and to buy online : http://www.safetsleep.com/

JML Colour Touch Alarm Clock

"Red and yellow and pink and green

Orange and purple and blue,

I can sing a JML Colour Touch Alarm Clock,

Sing a JML Colour Touch Alarm Clock,

Sing a JML Colour Touch Alarm Clock too !"

OK, it's not 100% correct, there's no orange, but you get the idea ! Every time you touch the clock, it changes colour so you can choose the one that best fits your mood. Bright red, yellow or purple for the daytime or the less glaring blues and greens for night time. The lights aren't so bright that you can't sleep with them on (unless like my husband, you're used to sleeping with shutters and can't sleep if there's the slightest pinprick of light !) but they are bright enough to provide a gentle glow that is reassuring for people who are scared of the dark or who need to move around without turning on the light but without falling over things in the pitch black (like me, when I need to go and check on a crying baby who, unlike a pinprick of light, never seems to wake up aforementioned hubby !).

The website actually lists nightlight as one of its functions and I think this is absolutely perfect for older kids who are too old to sleep with the light on but are still prone to the odd nightmare and an overactive imagination making every little shadow look like a monster. Sophie is 8 so is way beyond the sleeping-with-the-light-on years but, since moving into her new room in the loft, has been freaking out at times over the strange noises of the wind and rain. This light allows her to have a reassuring glow in her room when she needs it without the embarrassment of having a babyish night light when her friends come to play.

As I mentioned,the backlight changes colour every time you touch it - but it's also noise-sensitive and changes colour when you make a sound close to it. This kept the girls in hysterics for ages when it first arrived, clapping and jumping and clicking their fingers so that it changed colour. Then shouting a colour and seeing who was right (Sophie worked out the sequence of colours way before little sister Juliette !). And when baby Pierre let out a particularly loud burp one day and made it change colour, I thought they would never stop laughing. Who needs expensive toys, eh ?!

Once everyone's stopped playing with it and oohing and aahing over the different colours, you can actually have a closer look and see that it's got some pretty nifty little functions. As well as the obvious clock and alarm functions, it can be used as a calendar (date and week), a countdown timer (up to 180 minutes) and a temperature display (in either celsius or fahrenheit). That's a lot of handy functions for a little plastic box measuring just 7 x 10.5 x 2.5cm ! The timer is great for counting down 2-minutes of tooth-brushing or telling the kids they have to tidy up as much as possible in 5 minutes (you'd be amazed how much you can get put away with no complaining when you make it into a 5-minute beat-the-clock game !). Also, if you use the clock as a night light in baby's room (just enough glow for night feeds), it's really handy to be able to keep a check on the room temperature.

It's not amazingly sturdy but it has dropped on the floor a few times (when the girls have been jumping to make it change colour !) and it hasn't broken yet. Just don't forget to keep a stock of batteries on hand - it needs 3 x AAA batteries.

star rating : 4/5

RRP : £9.99 (now £4.99 on the JML website)

available at ASDA, Debenhams, Tesco and Wilkinson or online on the JML website

Beautiful Mess : The Story of Diamond Rio

The blurb on the back of the book says, "If your only exposure to Diamond Rio is the band's flawlessly layered harmonies and tender lyrics, you only know a fraction of the story." Well, if you live in Europe, the chances are you won't have even heard of Diamond Rio at all because they, and the whole genre of country music, is basically unheard of. If you ask your average Brit to name a country singer, you might possibly get a tentative Dolly Parton, Patsy Cline or "err that bloke who did Country Roads Take Me Home" if you're lucky ! There was a bit of a trend for line dancing a few years back but apart from Achy Breaky Heart, country music still never got a foot in the door !

Well, I was introduced to Diamond Rio by some online friends who set out to convert me when I snorted in disdain when they said they liked country music and I have to admit, I was a pushover. Songs like I Believe and One More Day are easy on the ear but also offer up some great lyrics, and some of their songs have lines that are guaranteed to make me smile like "Buy an ice cream, Jump in the car, See how far you can drive before it melts". It takes me back to carefree summer days as a kid !

I didn't actually know a great deal about the band members themselves or their history, but I was hoping to find out some of the stories behind the lyrics, as they seem so heartfelt they must surely be based on real-life experiences. Well, the book doesn't offer any insight into the lyrics - so maybe they are just pure fiction. But the group's story is fascinating enough in itself that it doesn't matter.


We're so used to reading about big stars and their diva-esque behaviour that it's really rare and comforting to hear about a bunch of genuinely nice, down-to-earth guys who made it big. Even if you know nothing about Diamond Rio, their story is the classic American dream and is a heartwarming tale that's as wholesome and typically American as a slice of homecooked apple pie. (I love the fact that there's a theme park based on country music ! Try transporting that outside of the States !)

The book is packed full of pictures and anecdotes from the band members' public and private lives and you feel like you really get to know them, so you feel for them and are really rooting for them when they face hardships and difficulties. It takes a lot of humility and honesty for one of America's top groups to admit that they went through a rough patch and performed badly for a couple of years, but they rode out the storm, keeping the values of friendship and loyalty at the forefront, and are back on top form now.


If you like Diamond Rio, you'll love it, but even if you don't know them, it's a fascinating slice of Americana that offers an insight into the trials and tribulations of a bunch of nice guys trying (and succeeding) to make it big in the music industry.

star rating : 4/5

RRP : $24.99 (comes with free downloadable audiobook and ebook format)

Hardcover: 288 pages
Publisher: Thomas Nelson; 1 Har/Dow/ edition (September 15, 2009)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1595552685
ISBN-13: 978-1595552686

Splat Cooking Bunny Hutch - Mini Gingerbread House Kit

8-year-old Sophie and 4-year-old Juliette both adore cooking and luckily so do I, so we often while away a wet Sunday afternoon turning the kitchen into a flour-covered disaster area ! I was therefore really excited when asked to test one of the gingerbread kits from Splat cooking. We often make a Hansel-and-Gretel-style gingerbread house at Christmas-time but I love the fact that Splat offer a wide range of kits that can be used at other times of year. We got the Easter-themed bunny hutch.


As they say on the website, "Available to order from January 2010. This is a DIY Gingerbread House Kit which makes a really cute little bunny Hutch which measures approx 10cm high x 11cm long x 8 cm wide, with two different options for the hutch, either a Swiss Chalet style hutch or a proper rabbit hutch type hutch." The "small print" (it's not small, you can't miss it ! ) that you need to notice is : "Please note this kit does NOT contain ready-made gingerbread, just the recipe and template which you have to cut out, also it does NOT contain the green food colouring or the black foodwriter pen to mark the Bunny's eyes and whiskers, it's up to you if you would like to add these on, they can be purchased from local shops and supermarkets." If you look around the rest of the Splat Cooking website, you'll find loads of other things you'll want to add and some of the prices are very reasonable - I noticed lots of cute cookie cutters for less than 50p each so I highly recommend a thorough look around the shop before placing an order.

When you unpack the kit, this is what you get :

Gingerbread House template - ready for you to cut out
Gingerbread recipe
Silver Cardboard Disc
100g Royal Icing Mix
2 x Icing Easter Eggs
2 x Icing Characters, eg, rabbit, chick, nest with eggs, etc
5 x Chocolate Mini Eggs
1 x Packet of flower shapes
100g White Sugarpaste
1 x Small Packet of White Hologram Glitter
Disposable Piping Bag
Pieces of Cellowrap and Ribbon to finish your house off professionally

I felt I could have done without the cellophane and ribbon, which ended up being thrown away, going against my eco-friendly minimum-waste values, but it is environmentally-friendly biodegradable cellowrap, in keeping with the company's green ethics and focus on recycling. It does give you the possibility of wrapping the finished kit in a pretty package to give to a granny or auntie as a special homemade gift. But let's face it, if the kids are doing most of the work, you won't get a "professional" look however hard you try or however much cellophane you use ! I found this also slightly went against the very kid-friendly cooking instructions, which I loved. First instruction : "wash your hands" ! A bit further down, "Break the egg into a small bowl. Remove all the bits of shell" ! It's great for kids to feel that their "mistakes" are quite normal and par for the course and increases their confidence no end. Sophie was very proud of the fact that she only got two bits of shell in the bowl !

The gingerbread recipe is easy to follow and made a mild, not overly "hot" gingerbread that both the girls liked. Definitely an improvement on the last lot of ginger biscuits that we made following my dear old nan's recipe and that neither of them liked "because it set their mouths on fire" ! I didn't have all of the ingredients listed ... or rather, I did, but the brown sugar had gone into huge lumps and the golden syrup had set rock hard ! So we replaced half of the golden syrup by runny honey and used a sieve to crush and get rid of lumps from the brown sugar. But it all came out fine ! The girls loved the "making do" mentality of it not having to be perfect and got stuck in, mixing and kneading with their fingers.

As the cooking instructions suggested we would, we had enough cookie dough to make the required pieces for the hutch and also about 20 ginger cookies, so the girls got out their animal cookie cutters and had a blast. The only bad thing was the extra washing up this generated ! At this point, with the last batch of cookies in the oven, baby brother Pierre woke up and wanted feeding so we had to put the bunny hutch to one side until the next day.

Next day, as soon as Sunday lunch was eaten and tidied away, both girls immediately asked if we could decorate the hutch. They absolutely loved all the edible decorations, funky edible glitter and mini eggs, as well as the sugar paste, which I split in two so they could make one rabbit each. I gave them three silver balls each, from my kitchen cupboards, to make eyes and noses on the rabbits and I think it would be good for these to be included in the kits.

The royal icing was a bit of a pain ! It was incredibly gooey and stuck like glue to the paper piping bag and my fingers, but didn't always want to stick to the gingerbread ! The quantity of icing was too much for the size of the piping bag so it all splurged everywhere when I squeezed the top ! Also, the girls were too impatient to wait for the recommended hour for the icing to dry on the main hutch structure before adding all the decorations so I was a bit worried the whole thing was going to fall apart !

But as you can see from the finished result, it didn't - they did a great job !

I must admit that it works out quite expensive for what it is, especially as you have to add in the cost of the ingredients for the gingerbread, but the girls did really enjoy making it and we got two half days of entertainment out of it. When I asked them what they thought I should write for the review, Juliette said "it's really pretty" and Sophie said "it's great fun to make and it looks very yummy". They said I should definitely give it 5/5 but as the mummy, counting in the value-for-money aspect, I've been mean and deducted one point! For a special occasion (Easter, Christmas, ...) or to keep the kids occupied during the holidays, it's a great kid-friendly project.

star rating : 4/5

RRP : £11.50

for more information and to buy online : http://store.splatcooking.net/

Breast Vest breastfeeding vest top

Well it's been a while since I've talked about breastfeeding in a review but here we are, six months on, and Pierre is still on the boob-juice, even if he has also progressed on to his first fruit and vegetable purees. The early days, back in the summer, posed absolutely no problem on the clothes front - little strappy vest tops that you can just pull down are great for breastfeeding on the move. But now it's way more complicated. Not only is it too cold to flash your flesh and lift up your top for a feed, in this colder weather you end up wearing more layers so trying to get through layers of jumpers, Tshirts and nursing bras at feed-time is a real pain. To make it easier (and warmer !), I end up permanently wearing button-up cardigans and zip-up hoodies so that I can feed relatively easily and quickly as well as staying covered up so I don't freeze to death.

Well, this new breastfeeding garment, named The Breast Vest, is one of those things that has so obviously been made by "someone who knows". I'd bet money on the fact that this has been designed by a breastfeeding mum. (Just checked on the website, I'm right ! ) It may look strange to non-breastfeeders and is admittedly not much more fashionable than the Borat-style lime green man-kini, but it is so practical.

It's basically a vest top that only goes up as far as your bra. You can do exactly the same thing by wearing a dirt-cheap vest top under your jumper and pulling it down so it sits under your boobs during a feed ! (If you do this with your favourite tops, you'll totally wreck them, hence the dirt-cheap option.) I have done this myself, but the material inevitably cuts in and chafes a bit and you end up with a cleavage worthy of Pamela Anderson crossed with a Wonderbra ad which may go down well with the menfolk but isn't very easy for poor Pierre to latch on to ! The Breast Vest is actually designed for the job so you really gain in comfort.

It also means that you can wear what you like, knowing that you won't have to fight through extra layers of clothes at feed-time. If you have a button/zip-up top half, it's a piece of cake - you're straight through to the bra and can feed or express your milk (if you've gone back to work by now) quickly and discreetly. You don't get the roll of fabric in baby's way either, that you inevitably get with hitched up Tshirts, so if you love skin-to-skin contact, you'll be in your element. Alternatively, you can wear it as an extra layer under your normal clothes so that when you hitch them up out of the way for a feed, your bottom half stays covered and you don't flash your flesh in public !

As I mentioned earlier, it's great for keeping your tummy area warm during feeds but - and I'm sure all new mums will agree with me on this one ! - it's also a fabulous way of hiding any unsightly bulges when you sit down for a feed if you haven't shifted all your pregnancy weight yet (and let's face it, if you're not an A-list celeb, you probably haven't !). It could also be a good thing to wear in the early weeks of pregnancy when your boobs are likely to be very tender and wearing clingy tops is uncomfortable. It's also a great solution to those annoying tops - even the maternity ones - that always ride up too high and expose your baby bulge during the later months of pregnancy.

Admittedly, you won't really get much use out of it after you've stopped breastfeeding, but maybe you could buy yourself some nipple tassels and resurrect it as a burlesque dancer's outfit (for hubby's eyes only) !!

star rating : 4.5/5

RRP : £15

for more information : http://www.breastvest.co.uk

Available in six colours: black, white, cream, grey, royal blue and hot pink, breastvest comes in XS, S, M, L and XL sizes.

Kingsmill Oatilicious

You can't beat the smell and the taste of freshly baked bread, and, since buying a bread-maker a couple of years ago, I hardly ever buy bread from the shops any more. Especially here in France, where the baguette you bought in the morning will be so hard it could be classed as a lethal weapon by evening ! However, sometimes, you just need shop-bought finely sliced bread to get what you want ... a bacon sandwich with homemade bread just somehow doesn't hit the spot !

Well, if you like the taste and health benefits of wholegrain bread but you (or more likely your children) don't like the "bitty" texture, Kingsmill's newest addition could be just the answer because it combines the nutritional advantages of wholegrain oats and wheat flour with a totally smooth texture comparable to white bread. Big smiles all round - Mum's happy because of the extra roughage and the kids won't be turning their nose up at their packed lunches any more !

Unlike lots of brown or wholewheat breads I've tried in the past, this bread isn't all hard and scratchy when you eat it, and it doesn't have the stale look and feel that some brown loaves have. It actually reminds me vaguely of the bread we used to have when I was a kid called Mighty White (although I seem to remember that did have "bits" in it). Oatilicious is classed as "healthier white" bread so it's a good compromise that should keep everyone in the family happy.

The added oats offer a whole host of health benefits. The Kingsmill website explains that "oats contain fibre, vitamins, minerals, antioxidents and phytonutrients, but oats are probably best known as a source of soluble fibre". Even more impressive is the fact that "oats are a good source of beta glucans, a soluble fibre that can actually help to lower cholesterol levels". Not sure that would work if I use it to make that bacon sandwich I was talking about though !!

If one of your New Year's Resolutions this year was to start eating more healthily or to try to get in shape, trading in your usual white loaf for the equally soft and great-tastings new Kingsmill bread could be one easy way to get on track. Go on, get your oats - you know you want to !!

star rating : 4.5/5

RRP : £1.39

Sensilube Intimate Moisturising Gel

Since going back to work just before Christmas, I haven't had much time to get online so I've barely been on Twitter at all for the past few weeks. However, I did manage to have a quick "tweeting" session the other day and couldn't help laughing to myself at a few shocked Mummy Bloggers who were slightly offended by a press release they'd been sent. I was intrigued but worked out that they'd received the same press release as me for a new product from Durex called Sensilube.

Although it's not a product I'm particularly interested in, I didn't find anything shocking or offensive about the press release or the product itself. As this is a Family Reviews website, I guess making babies is part and parcel of that so I'd better get reviewing ! It can't be any less glamorous than some of my other reviews anyway (Femfresh, Tena, washable breastpads and headlice treatments spring to mind !).

The PR people know they'll have a tough job promoting this one ! They say "It's designed to relieve vaginal dryness. I know the topic seems a little up-front and somewhat embarrassing to some people but it is a condition that we are trying to normalise to be as routine as moisturising your legs or applying make-up." A noble sentiment but I can't see girlies discussing it or asking each other to try out their different products in the toilets on a night out somehow !

On to the product itself, if you're a coconut cream-flavoured massage oil, glow-in-the-dark condom or self-warming lubricant kinda-girl, it probably isn't for you. (Mum and Dad, if you're reading this ... I don't even know what they are, I just found out about them while researching this review, honest !! Even if I have got three kids !!). The key word here is discretion. The website says that it "has been designed with a unique texture that unlike other gel lubricants closely resembles your body’s natural moisture. Sensilube is also aligned with your body’s natural pH, and immediately adapts to your body’s natural temperature when applied." It's also said to be totally colourless, odourless, gynaecologically tested, dermatologically tested, suitable for women of all ages and safe to use with condoms". I had a little snigger (another one !) reading that last point because the product is being targetted at pregnant women, who presumably wouldn't want to use it with condoms ! ... but the website mentions that 44% of menopausal women suffer from intimate dryness too, so it's probably a good thing.

I'm slightly confused about the press release promoting a "new product from Durex" and the website telling us "millions of women have been relying on Sensilube for more than 15 years" but Durex is such a well-known and trusted company that the product is presumably of a very high quality and totally safe, however long it's been available. If you want to find out for yourselves, you can request a free sample on their website ... then cross your fingers that it doesn't come in an envelope with a huge Durex logo all over it so that the postman gives you a cheeky wink when he delivers the mail !!

Another thing to be careful about - the product comes in a little plastic squeezy bottle that looks exactly like Mike's contact lens drops bottle. Could be highly embarrassing if you accidentally pull out the wrong bottle when you take your contact lenses out in public !!

RRP : £5.89 for 40ml

24 Hours London - Marsha Moore

I've been to London loads of times and have even guided groups of camera-clicking foreign language students and French schoolkids around the main tourist sites several times, so I wasn't really expecting to learn anything particularly new or different in this London guide. Well, how wrong could I be ? Marsha Moore uncovers little known gems way off the tourist track that even most of the locals probably don't know about.

Who would have imagined the existence of the London Necropolis Railway or the Cafe in the Crypt at St Martin in the Fields Church ? Who would have thought of visiting the Victorian Pet Cemetery in Hyde Park or the Old Operating Theatre Museum ? Who would have dreamed of having a caviar hair mask or a gold-leaf waxing ? Other amazing discoveries that only those with inside knowledge could possibly know about are an Oxfam store that specialises in second-hand designer labels and the number of the bus route that will give you a great view of the main monuments at a fraction of the cost of the tourist tourbuses (number eleven, in case you were wondering !).

The gimmick that has turned into the major selling-point of this guide is its structure, with the excursions divided into hour-by-hour slots throughout the day, as opposed to the usual classification by geographical location or theme. Despite its compact size, it's packed full of interesting and often surprising ideas for things to do in London, although, since each idea is condensed into one short paragraph, you'll have to go to the websites indicated to look up all the important information like opening times and admission prices yourself. I was also slightly disappointed to begin with at the total lack of photographs ,but to include them would have more than doubled the number of pages, due to the sheer number of ideas presented.

I love the one-page, at-a-view lists of themed activities, such as "24 hours with the family", "24 hours of romance" or "24 hours of luxury", which provide a quick way of finding activities suited to your needs without trawling through the whole book. Sitting down and reading through the descriptions is half the fun though, and even armchair-travellers who have no intention of ever setting foot inside the city will still spend a few enjoyable hours being virtual tourists.

Tourism and travel aside, the book is also full of fascinating nuggets of information. Before looking through the guide, I never knew, for example, that the expression "in the clink" came from the Clink Prison.

However well you know the city, sit down with a highlighter pen and I guarantee you'll be marking things to see and do that have tickled your fancy. Just don't expect to manage to fit them all in one 24-hour period though because you'll end up with a long list !

star rating : 4.5/5

RRP : £9.99

Paperback: 222 pages
Publisher: Prospera Publishing; 1st edition (4 Nov 2009)
ISBN-10: 0956122299
ISBN-13: 978-0956122292

for more information : http://24hourslondon.blogspot.com/

Sleepy Wrap

I'm a huge fan of babywearing and have used a baby carrier with all of my babies. It's so much easier for public transport or busy shops when pushchairs and prams would get in the way. It frees up your hands so that you can carry shopping bags, hold elder kids' hands to cross the road and get on with running errands. If it's cold, it keeps baby - and you - warm by sharing body heat. A babycarrier takes up much less space in the luggage when you're travelling. Baby is up out of the way of ground level car exhaust fumes and as he's at your face level, you can talk to him non stop and take advantage of all those gorgeous baby smiles that you'd miss if he was in a pram or pushchair. Hearing your heartbeat and feeling your movement will remind him of being in the womb and keep him calmer and happier. You can breastfeed on the move and totally discreetly. The list of advantages is endless.

When I bought my baby carrier back when Sophie was a baby (almost nine years ago), I opted for a structured, semi-rigid baby carrier because basically, that's all that existed back then. For anyone coming to babycarrying now, the choice is huge - and totally confusing because there are almost too many different types to choose from. Slings, pouches, mei-tais, wraps, ring slings, soft structured carriers ... stop already, where to begin ?!

I actually really liked the idea of a wraparound sling because it seemed to be getting back to basics and using traditional methods that have existed for centuries. How's that for some serious roadtesting ? Like other traditional methods, such as using cloth nappies, breastfeeding and even swaddling, many people seem to be agreeing now that our grandmothers had it right all along. I was totally stressed out about messing up the knots and having baby fall out though (in which case it would be totally my fault) so I stuck with my rigid carrier. Then a friend, who had recently become a babywearing consultant, told me that that wasn't the best option - mum and baby get back ache, it pulls apart babies legs too wide and puts pressure in the wrong places so it could cause hip problems and - now that I had a boy baby - I really should be worried about crushing his extra bits ! So I rose to the challenge and decided to try out a sleepywrap.

When it arrives, it's just a very long strip of material and my first thought was that it was going to be really difficult to master. I studied the little instruction booklet and decided to try the basic tying method - there are several different ways to tie the wrap depending on baby's age and how you want to position him/her. Following the instructions, I found the logo that marks the centre of the material, placed it at belly-button position, took it around my back, crossed over on my back and over each shoulder, both ends back down throgh the front part, wrapped around my tummy, and tied in a simple knot. Depending on the length of the ends, you can take it back around your back and tie it there, or come back round the front again and tie it at the front. My mum laughed and said I looked like a mummy but I was impressed at how easy it was. I also love the way that it really is one-size-fits-all and can be used by anyone, whatever shape or size - mum and dad can use the same one, you won't have to change sizes as your post-pregnancy shape changes or as baby gets bigger so it's great value.

The instructions with photos are really easy to follow but once the wrap was tied, I couldn't work out where to slot baby in ! It would be really useful to have one extra photo to show how to position baby. But youtube to the rescue - there are hundreds of videos on there showing you exactly how to tie it and use it so if you need extra guidance or reassurance, that's the place to go. Once you know how, it's also really easy. I grab both sides at boob level, pull them to the sides to the "wrong" sides of my boobs and the leg holes magically appear !

The first few times you use the wrap, you'll probably tie it either slightly too loose or slightly too tight but after a few tries, you'll get a feel for exactly how tight you want it. What amazed me is that, once baby is in the wrap, you can't feel it at all. With my old baby carrier, even if it wasn't painful, I could feel the weight tugging on my shoulders and I eventually always ended up with slight backache. Well, it's really weird but with the wrap, you can't feel any pressure points anywhere so it's so much more comfortable.

The disadvantage is that you need a little help to get it on. After just a few tries, I can now tie it myself in seconds, without even looking at the instructions, but I do need a little help to pass it over my shoulders (being careful not to trip over the ends that are pooling around my feet !) and above all, to safely slot baby inside. I know the people on youtube manage to do it all by themselves with one hand tied behind their back but I don't feel confident enough to do that yet. The other problem is, the ends drag on the floor when you're tying it so if it's rainy or muddy, it would be almost impossible to put on outside. If we're heading out in the car, I tie the wrap on without baby so that it's ready when we arrive and it stays on all day until we get back home, even when I'm not carrying baby, so that I don't have to keep retying it. Make sure you don't have a thick sweatshirt or coat on underneath or you'll be stuck wearing it for ages !

The advantages far outweigh these problems though. I absolutely love the fact that baby's feet and legs are up and covered by the wrap. With my old style baby carrier, baby's legs hang down and dangle around the fronts of your thighs. As baby gets bigger, this poses a problem when you're trying to climb upstairs or sit down - you have to open your legs wide (very unladylike !!) and lean forward so baby's legs are dangling between yours, back ache guaranteed. With the sleepywrap, I could sit down totally normally and his legs weren't in the way at all - we ate at McDonalds with him still in the wrap and - sorry if this is too much information ! - I could even go to the toilet without taking him out of the wrap. So more spending hours walking around the shops with my legs crossed like before !

Pierre (like the girls before him) always managed to nod off in the baby carrier but he'd be micro-napping, constantly waking up every few minutes and falling back to sleep. With the wrap, because he's all snuggled up, nice and warm and slightly in the dark if you pull the front bit up over his head (really handy if it's raining, windy or particularly cold - I never liked the fact that baby's arms and legs are exposed with the old baby carrier), Pierre will sleep for ages in a deep sleep then pop his head up, looking all sleepy and refreshed and crack a huge grin. So he definitely loves it ! And happy baby = happy mum !

star rating : 4.5/5 (5/5 once on !)

RRP : $39.95 for a classic sleepy wrap, $59.95 for an organic wrap (which I tested)

for more information : http://www.sleepywrap.com/

They ship worldwide and, despite coming from America, it arrived really quickly. You also have the option of paying by paypal which is great.

Thomas & Friends new series on Milkshake

The lovely Sara from the Thomas & Friends Press Office (which sounds like a brilliant place to work !) kindly sent us through a DVD so we could watch a sneak peek of the first three episodes of the new Thomas and Friends series, which is due to air on Milkshake from 25th January 2010 (in other words this Monday).

I must be well old because I still say "Thomas the Tank Engine" and the girls both go "that's not right, it's Thomas and friends" ! That's not the only change either, since the early days. I was amazed to see Thomas is celebrating his 65th birthday this year so it must have been time for him to be a bit modernised ! Thomas and Friends has gone high tech and this series is the first one to have been made totally with computer-generated imagery and a voice cast, rather than the live-action models and single narrator of the "olden days" ! It's brought it right up to date and made it much more appealing to the new generation of viewers who are used to all sorts of technological wizardry being the norm ... although, having said that, the girls also discovered Bod recently and were transfixed by that too, so the oldies are goodies too ! It's great for all the different trains to talk with different voices now, although I do miss Ringo Starr's Scouse accent doing all the narrating !

Each episode lasts for fifteen minutes, which I initially thought would be a bit long, but the girls both sat down and watched through all three episodes without getting bored. They started off saying it would be good for little brother Pierre when he's older, because it's a programme for boys, but they still found the stories interesting and they deal with universal issues like teasing so it's girl-friendly too ! I smiled to myself at the story of James and his pink undercoat, wondering if that was a reaction to the whole "pink stinks!" debate that kicked off a while ago !

It's great to see characters talking with real language, not the made-up baby-words that seem to be a compulsory part of many modern kids' TV shows, and the values and morals are as positive and wholesome as you would expect from a classic kids' show.

If you've got a mini trainspotter-in-the-making, or if you're just intrigued to see how they've given Thomas a computer-aided makeover, tune in to Milkshake at 8.25am on Monday for the start of series 13.