I get send thousands of press releases every year. Most are from start-ups businesses who believe they’ve come up with the Next Big Thing. In fact, as a blogger you begin to feel a little like a sixth dragon; evaluating a product’s commercial viability, or at least the usefulness of what people are proposing to bring to market. Bloggers are influencers. I don’t have the ability to make or break a product alone, but collectively, our recommendations can see ideas explode into social consciousness - think Tidy Books, Trunki or Ewan the Dream Sheep.

Yet a press release needs to really stand out for me to take notice. It needs to be wholly relevant to me and solve an issue that is either frustrating, unpleasant or time-consuming - let’s face it, parenting is a dirty, often thankless and stressful enough job as it is! Throw in additional challenges like potty training or mealtimes and you can feel like locking yourself in the shed and refusing to come out.

So I’ve decided to make a regular feature out of some of these yet-to-come-to-market products. From now on, every time an email lands in my inbox that makes me turn around to my other half and say “we so need one of these”, I’ll share it with you too.

So here are my January 2016 hotpicks - 2 must-have baby and toddler products you’ve probably never heard of…

The TIDY TOT tray with integrated bib

Okay this one is already on the market, but it’s yet to get the recognition it truly deserves.

Brainchld of mum-of-two Jennifer Unsworth, this is a wipe-clean bib and tray kit that eliminates the gap between your baby and the front of your highchair for mess-free mealtimes. The foldaway over-sized tray fits over most booster seats and highchairs, and has an integrated bib that protects your baby from accidents from the neck down. Perfect for babyled weaning, your child is free to explore her food without risk of staining her clothes, or dropping hard-to-grip foods like pasta onto your floor or down the sides of her highchair.

And she’s not kidding! The Tidy Tot has swiped some of the biggest baby & toddler awards here in the UK including Mumii Best Baby and Toddler Gear Awards 2015 (GOLD), Jacqueline Gold’s Women on Wednesday Award as well as getting 5* reviews for quality, value for money and ease of use by mums on the Babyworld Parent Panel. In fact 98% of parents who have given it a spin would recommend it to others.

Price: RRP £24.99

Where: tidytot.co.uk

Find out more: Twitter @tidy_tot / Facebook @TidyTot

KIDS FLUSH flush mechanism for kids

I love this simple idea from dad-of-three Jamie Lawlor. As if toilet training isn’t enough of a challenge, bum-wiping and unflushed toilets usually continue way past the bum-meets-seat moment. Sick of dashing to his loo and finding it unflushed, he set about inventing the ultimate toilet accessory for small kids - the Kids Flush.

Far from being a gimmick, this simple device makes flushing the toilet and easy & fun. The tune might sound like overkill, but for me it serves as an additional reminder to press the button. If this works as well it sounds, it’ll give your child greater independence, encourage early personal hygiene and help parents everywhere fight germs and lingering odours in their bathrooms - it’s a winner for me.

Now in production, the first stock will be ready for retailer distribution in April 2016.

Price: RRP £10.00

Where: Find out where to buy on the Kidsflush Facebook or Twitter pages

PREORDER VIA KICKSTARTER* & Buy One Get One Free

*Crowd-funding platform Kickstarter lets you grab a bargain by pledging to buy when the stock is available. You are not charged anything until after the promotion closing date.

So there you go - would you use one of these products in your home?