Nov 14 2013

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Posted on November 14, 2013 by admin

The 16 week midwife appointment is one of those landmark antenatal appointments where most of us get to hear the galloping heartbeat of our unborn baby for the first time. It’s when most of is feel reassured that there is actually a baby in our ever-expanding tummy’s, and not just a curious case of wind that’s stopped our menstrual cycle. The fact that you’re piling on the pounds and now in over-the-bump maternity leggings and ill-fitting tunics is forgiven, and you’ll often see us emerge from the medical room stroking our bumps grinning like lotto winners.

With Dexter, Craig came to this appointment. In fact, during my first pregnancy, Craig came to every appointment. This time around though he’s overwhelmed with work and it just isn’t feasible. He’ll still come to scans and consultant appointments, but he’s having to miss many of the minor check-ups. He’s pretending this isn’t a big deal but I can tell he’s slightly upset.

When I heard about BabyWatch and was given the opportunity to give it go, I was really excited. It’s a highly sensitive pocket doppler device that resembles the ones in hospitals - albeit much sleeker and less messy. More than this, there’s a free smartphone app that allows you to record, visualise and share your experience with friends and family through your social networks. Sounds complicated? Nope, it’s actually really simple.

You simply connect up the doppler to the headphones provided, then hook it up to your iPhone using a cable (also provided). Use it as normal to locate baby’s heartbeat and select either listen (to visualise) or record to save the sound on your phone.

At BabyWatch, our mission is simple. We make tracking pregnancy easy, relaxing and interactive. BabyWatch allows active, working and modern mothers-to-be to hear their baby’s heartbeats from the comfort of their homes and to share these moments with friends and family. The future of prenatal care lies in making medical technology easily accessible and understandable. Our product is opening a new niche in the quantified self movement and encouraging moms-to-be to be more active and engaged in prenatal care.

To say I was excited was an understatement. I’ve used cheap dopplers before and been hugely disappointed. It’s impossible to hear the heartbeat and you end up incredibly worried rather than reassured. This one sounded really promising and might just mean that Craig will get to hear baby.

Here’s how we got on…

First up, the BabyWatch looks far more professional that high street versions we’ve all grown to hate. You pop some of the lubricating gel (provided) onto the conductor plate on the doppler, take a rough guess where baby is chilling out in your tummy, and lightly press down on your tummy with the device to listen in. Moving the doppler gently from side to side will eventually locate baby (it took us less than 30 seconds but I’m well aware it could take much longer - I guess we got lucky).

Battle scars on display - but don’t I look exotic draped in a silk scarf?

The sound of a baby’s heartbeat is pretty distinctive. It’s much faster than our own and sounds like galloping hooves. If it sounds pretty much like your own, the chances are it is (blood flow through the placenta or your own pulse). There are plenty of other sounds you might hear too - if you’ve just eaten a big meal you’ll hear some eerie sounds going on that might just make you jump if the volume is up too high! When we first heard Dexter I remember it sounded like a dog barking when the midwife was trying to find him - we ended up referring to him as ‘puppy’ after that until he was born.

When you’ve located it and had a listen, you can begin using the app. Not only will this give you a graphical visualisation of the heartbeat, the app also offers much more. You can use the calender function to track all your important dates, set reminders for upcoming appointments, get weekly medical fetal illustrations and more. Here’s the app in action.

It’s worth pointing out that the weekly fetal updates and illustrations are second to none in my opinion. I’ve hundreds of pregnancy apps on my iPhone but this is by far my favourite. The language is easy to understand but it’s also very detailed. As I follow my pregnancy using books too, I was suprised to discover that BabyWatch’s app contained much more information than my bedside reading material.

As always, I like to try and offer a balanced review. Obviously, there are minor improvements I would make, but these really are minor. Firstly, I’d love to see BabyWatch available in black - if you’re using it regularly and not cleaning properly, or your hands are a little grubby, the device does mark up a little.

Secondly, BabyWatch only comes with one set of headphones and one cable to connect to your iPhone. Naturally there are two jacks for this purpose. I’d much rather have seen three so both parents can listen in via the headphones and a phone can also be connected. I appreciate some women might not be in a relationship, but for those of use who are, it makes the experience a little less inclusive.

That’s it, otherwise the device is simply excellent. The fact you can share the recording on Facebook or send as an audio file via email is groundbreaking in my opinion. For peace of mind it’s also amazing. Hearing your baby is one of the most soothing, relaxing and also exhilarating experiences in the world. I’d go so far as to say it’s priceless. For just $99.99 BabyWatch is well worth its weight in gold.

Twitter: @BabyWatchTweet

Facebook: BabyWatch

Pinterest: BabyWatch

FANCY WINNING ONE?

I’ve been given a second doppler to send to one of my readers. Whether you’re pregnant, considering extending your family, or are entering on behalf of a friend or relative, you could bag your very own BabyWatch doppler. Entry is via rafflecopter so good luck. Remember, only one option on the Rafflecopter is mandatory (leave me a comment), the rest only improve your chances of winning.
a Rafflecopter giveaway

T&C’s – a.k.a – the boring bit!

Only 1 option is mandatory (leave me a comment) – the rest only improve your chances of winning so just complete as many as you feel like
UK entrants only – you must be over 18 too (sorry)
The winner will be contacted by email and must respond within 1 week of having been emailed (I’ll try all known avenues to contact them) or a new winner will be drawn
When the giveaway is closed, Rafflecopter will select the winner completely at random
The winners name will be published on this site

Disclaimer: I was sent a BabyWatch device in return for this review however all opinions are my own.
Win competitions at ThePrizeFinder.com

Nov 3 2013

GIVEAWAY & REVIEW: Win a Planner from Personal-Planner.co.uk - (CD: 03/12/2013)

Posted on November 3, 2013 by admin

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Working from home on this blog is notoriously hard work. Not only do I have an incredibly cute (but needy) 18 month old under my feet, I also have a home to run, a bigger home to find, and a baby bump that is sapping all my energy. When I do get five minutes on the laptop, Dexter likes nothing more than to pull out the plug or help me type. Gone are the days when he rolled around on his play mat and grabbed at hanging toys, he’s now beginning to sense that his mummy is growing a brother or sister, and is hell-bent on spending every last second of one-on-one time with me.

This means I have to be INCREDIBLY organised. Every item we are generously provided with for review purposes has to be logged, all my guest post work has to be booked in, and any ideas I have for personal posts need to be quickly jotted down else they’re lost forever. Far from being the narcissistic and lazy bunch we’re often portrayed to be, us mummy bloggers are actually working more efficiently than an IBM computer.

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When I was first introduced to Personal Planner many months ago, I created the ultimate blog planner. Not only does it have a very lovely reminder on the front page of why being an unpaid SAHM is so important to me, it is also my blog bible. In it, is every single post I’ve agreed to do, every contact I’ve made over the last three years, and every email I have to follow-up on. What might just look like a bunch of scribblings to everyone else, is gold dust to me.

What sets these planners apart is the fact you can customise pretty much everything about it to suit you. From the size, to the front cover, to the heading colour and design for the pages, right down to the colour of the elastic strap which keeps it nice & tidy. It offers you so much more flexibility than a traditional planner will.

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** Personal details blurred

To create your planner, you use bespoke software on their website - so there’s no dodgy downloads to worry about. Once you’ve created a profile, you can also dip in and out of it if you don’t have the time to design you planner in one go - great if you have a demanding pre-schooler! The website is easy to use and the checkout system is straightforward. You don’t have to rush to the website in December either as you can start your yearly planner on any month you like.

I selected a large planner which fits comfortably in my handbag and means I can fit everything I need to do each week across one double spread. These are also available in small, medium, or A5 sizes depending on your needs. Front cover and back cover designs can be pretty much anything - You can pick from one of the many templates, or upload a photo of your own and / or add a text overlay.

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Inside the planner there’s a handy information page which (again) is completely customisable. Here I choose to include all my contact details in case the planner is lost but I’ve seen people use special quotes too. Inside the planner itself, each page has a week-to-view and you can amend the colours and header pattern to your liking. You can also add some small squares at the bottom of each page for footer notes of your choice - I chose, To Do This Week & Idea of the Week. A tiny calendar of the month is also there on each page.

Last up, in the back section of your planner, you can opt to show an overview of the year, a bunch of lined pages for notes, colouring pages… even maps of the world or Sudoku!

The quality is also superb. Every page is very clearly printed, the picture of Dexter on the front is glossy and bright, and the pages are surprisingly thick. There’s also a plastic sleeve to the front and back to protect the pages, a plastic ruler that doubles as a page marker, and an elastic closure to keep everything secure. There’s even a plastic wallet to keep business cards and other loose bits in. The whole planner is spiral bound and has withstood a real battering from Dexter over the months - my personal planner has also been dragged around the country in my handbag and is still in one piece.

Prices start from just £14.95 for a planner, but there are also a whole host of other accessories including leather covers and pens available from the website. There’s simply no arguing with the value for money and I’m honestly at a loss to suggest anything that could make them any better. Massive thumbs from me. If you needed any more convincing, check them out on Facebook for tons more reviews from happy customers.

So what do you think? Fancy one? Well Personal Planner are offering one of you lucky people the chance to create your very own planner in whatever size you want. Get entering and good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

T&C’s – a.k.a – the boring bit!

Only 1 option is mandatory (leave me a comment) – the rest only improve your chances of winning so just complete as many as you feel like
UK entrants only – you must be over 18 too (sorry)
The winner will be contacted by email and must respond within 1 week of having been emailed (I’ll try all known avenues to contact them) or a new winner will be drawn
When the giveaway is closed, Rafflecopter will select the winner completely at random
The winners name will be published on this site

Disclaimer: I was sent a gift voucher to redeem for a Personal Planner in return for this review however all opinions are my own.

Win competitions at ThePrizeFinder.com

Oct 21 2013

Christmas Ideas… Alphabet Soft Play Mat Review (From Soft Floor Kids UK)

Posted on October 21, 2013 by admin

Dexter’s at that difficult-to-buy-for stage at the moment. At 17 months, he’s very easily distracted and would rather pull out cables from the back of the telly than sit down with a toy. We’ve therefore really struggled to come up with practical Christmas gift ideas this year.

When the guys at Soft Floor Kids UK got in touch to ask if Dexter might like to try a soft foam play mat, I simply had to say yes. Not only could this make an ideal Chrimbo pressie for little man (obviously we’ll have to wrap it back up after this review - didn’t think that one through did I?!), our entire downstairs is hardwood flooring and Dex is constantly tripping over his feet. Luckily, he hasn’t had any significant bumps and grazes yet but it’s only a matter of time and I’d like to keep him looking gorgeous for as long as possible. Foam tiling is the perfect solution as it’s easy to keep clean and soft enough to roll around on.

We choose a 30 Piece Alphabet Soft Play Mat as we had a very specific area in mind for our mat to live in our lounge. The pack features the full alphabet and 4 additional shapes (a triangle, square, star and circle). All the letters and shapes pop-out from the interlocking tiles making it great for improving little finger dexterity, and a fun puzzle for children who are beginning to learn the alphabet. We also managed to make some cubes out of the tiles (although it was fiddly as the letters kept falling into the centre of the cube!).

Dexter was hugely excited to help mummy and daddy lay the mat down. They lock together easily and you need only gently pat down the finished article to ensure you’re not left with lumps and bumps. The surface is lightly textured which feels great under your feet and is incredibly soft to touch.

It’s worth noting that these mats come out BIG. As each tile measures 30cm by 30cm, you’ll definitely want to measure up your free space before selecting your play mat. Our covers a 5ft by 6ft area but we tend to shrink it by using less of the tiles so it fits comfortably in our living room - you’re supplied with plenty of edging strips in all the different colours so you have this flexibility. It also comes in a nice zip lock bag for storing individual tiles away (or indeed the full set, when you fancy turning your lounge back into a grown up zone).

They’re bright and attractive, and would be suitable for both sexes. I’m also incredibly impressed with the thickness of the tiles, I’m no longer wincing when I’m on my hands and knees with Dexter, or sat for long periods on my bum. Dexter also managed to nap on them the other day which should be regarded as the ultimate testament to how comfy this mat is!

In terms of practicality, the tiles are made from high-quality, closed-cell (non asorbing), EVA (Ethylene-vinyl acetate) foam and are 100% non-toxic and formamide free - try saying that after a few glasses of wine! In short, it means they’re easy-peasy to wipe clean, non slip, and incredibly durable. They’re also tough enough to use outside on decking for summer play.

At £34.95 for the set shown above, I’m aware there are slightly cheaper versions available in supermarkets. However, the quality is far superior and these tiles are lovely and thick and look fabulous. The removable letters and fact you can build cubes from the tiles also means they’ll grow with your family when your little ones are less likely to take a tumble. I’m delighted with our set so would happily recommend to anyone struggling for Christmas gifts for pre-schoolers.

You can find Soft Floor Kids UK on Twitter (@SoftFloorKIDS) or G+ (Soft Floor Kids UK) for more reviews and information.

DISCLOSURE: We were sent this gorgeous mat to review in return for our honest feedback. All thoughts, opinions and pictures are my own - and that’s my gorgeous little man in the piccies too!