Halloween safety tips 2015

This week I am going to be showing you some of the best of this year Halloween ideas from the shops some top tips recipes and game ideas so stay with with me for some great ideas!




Trick and treating is great fun and over recent years has become more and more popular in the UK but it can also be dangerous like anything safety is key, but you can still have lots of fun whilst doing it, here are my top tips for Trick and treating safety.

Halloween safety tips 

• Trick or treat at familiar houses or houses that are decorated and there are lots 
• Carry a flashlight with fresh batteries after dark.
• make sure you carry a mobile phone or some who is in the group is carrying one
• Always trick or treat in groups, accompanied by an adult.
• Stay on the pavements and in well lit streets and only cross where it is safe to do so make sure you walk not run.
• Don't trample through flower beds and gardens.
• Watch out for open flames in pumpkins.
• be aware of your surroundings.
• Only visit well lit houses. Don't stop at dark houses.
• Don't enter any houses unless you know the people.
• Carry a spare Halloween bag/carrier bag, in case yours breaks or you fill your original one.
• Don't approach unfamiliar pets and animals.
• Always watch for cars reversing or turning.
• Never accept lifts from strangers.
• Respect other people and their property.
• Be polite and say "thank you".
• Don't eat any sweets or treats until it's inspected for tampering under bright lights.
• Avoid treats that is homemade unless you know the person that has made it.
• Small children should not be allowed hard candy they may choke on.
• Report any suspicious or criminal activity to the police.
• Consider having a party instead of Trick or Treating.

Costume Safety 

• Wear flame retardant costumes. In light of the accidents that happened last year all costumes have been made fire retardant and will all have the safety labels displayed make sure the costume has this before purchase avoid buying them from unknown, online retailers and if you must check that there costumes are safe. 
• Make sure your Halloween costume is colourfast so the colour doesn't run onto your other clothes if it rains.
• Apply reflective tape to Halloween costumes or make sure you are bright enough to be seen.
• Avoid big masks. Use make-up instead.
• Use only hypoallergenic and non-toxic makeup.
• Wear comfortable, practical shoes.
• Double tie your shoelaces so you don't trip.
• Keep your costume and wig away from candles.
• Don't carry fake swords, guns, knives or similar accessories that look authentic. Make sure they're flexible and cannot harm anyone.

Remember this Halloween stay safe and have lots of fun!

End of Summer Party with Sway Pr

As summer is drawing to a close and autumn is well on its way I was invited to attend one last party held by Sway Pr. The party was in London at the very grand theatre royal with its high ceilings and lots of character it was the perfect place for an end of season event. The event was a chance to get to meet some other bloggers and and some of the clients/brands Sway Pr are are working with and what a lovely, friendly bunch of people they were too.

I had a lovely time getting to talk to some brands about there products the first brand I met were the fabulous Mia Tui, they had brought along some lovely samples of there changing bags there were all different sizes and types for different occasions - if you haven't heard of Mia Tui let me tell you a bit more about them they were designed by a mum for mums. The bags itself was designed out of necessity as there wasn't a bag on the market at that time which had in mind a busy mums lifestyle. In 2010 the first Amelie bag was born and now there is quite a few bags in the Mia Tui range, with an eye for fashion the Mia Tui team keep the range on trend they release seasonal colour ranges and new styles for women and men. They really take pride in there products they are high quality functional bags - with something for all occasions.

In the goody bag from the sway pr event we were all lucky enough to receive the Mia Tui Lottie cross body bag, this is the smallest bag in the range, its the perfect size for essentials like your purse, mobile phone and keys - its one of those grab and go sort of bags that is ideal for school runs or popping to the shops. The bag features an adjustable shoulder strap, on the inside there is a key clip to stop you from loosing them, there is a pocket especially designed to pop your mobile phone in and also some pen pockets so that everything is well organised the interior is bright pink so everything in the bag can be seen and your not rummaging around for anything - its a really lovely high quality designed bag I would definitely recommend having a look at the Mia Tui range they are fantastic bags with mums in mind.

Alongside the Mia Tui range there was also Bohn swimwear showcasing there fab range of swimwear available for women sizes 6 to 18 these were all lovely quality, there was also the WishaGift team this is a new website aimed at saving gifts for birthdays and Christmas to reduce getting numerous or identical gifts from people that you don't actually want. There was also skin care products from Love Boo - which is a purely natural product we were very lucky to get a small sample of the super stretchy miracle oil that Say's so long to stretch marks - it smells Divine.





Another product that was show cased was the Mutimac car seat, I have never actually seen anything like this before it really is a fantastic idea it immediately caught my eye. The Mutltimac was voted best child seat with money being no object by what car magazine - The Multi -Mac is a new concept in child car seat safety, allowing up to four children age 0-12 to travel comfortably in the back of a five seater vehicle, it means no more having all different seats in the back of the car or struggling over seats to get children in the car, the seat is all attached together so it makes travelling so much easier and it is one of the safest ways for children and infants to travel today.



Last but not least, probably the product that stood out the most for me. Which was from the Dinky Dragon team with their product the i-Angel - never heard of the I-angel, let me tell you about it it is a baby carrier - but not just any baby carrier it comes with a bun bag type seat attached to it, called the hip seat, the hip seat element means that the i-angel offers users comfortable weight distribution meaning babies and children can be carried for a longer period of time, resulting in happier children it also helps with that bonding in the early days.

The I-angel can be used with children aged from 0 - 3 years and is a 3 in 1 carrier, the i-angel hip seat Carrier is a baby carrier, hip seat and toddler back pack all in one. it can be worn in a number of different positions, including baby facing in and out, front and back. the i-angel's very lovely and unique design allows for the carrier to be adapted from a hip seat baby carrier to hip seat which can carry a toddler up to the age of three.

I tried the I-angel on at the sway pr event with a baby dummy that was quite heavy and stood with the i-angel on for a good 20 minutes and didn't feel any sort of strain at all on my back or pelvis, the shoulder straps are well padded for extra support and comfort, it is made from 100% cotton with detachable organic cotton teething pads, I loved the design and colours it also had a cute little hood with ears to protect baby from the sun or rain.


you can purchase the i-angel at John Lewis, JoJo Maman Bebe and online at dinkydragon.co.uk

There was one other special guest at the event, Imogen Thomas but unfortunately I missed the opportunity to meet her and ask her some question. but we had a great time and met some lovely people so thanks for a lovely afternoon Sway Pr it was great and fantastic to meet you all!

What do you think of the products mentioned? do have a favorite I would love to hear you thoughts.

        
  

#Weaning week, Baby Safe feeder #Review

With Jack being my third son you would think I would have tried most things already to do with weaning, but I have never actually tried one of these before, I have heard of the baby safe feeder but I somehow must have missed them when my other two were going through the weaning stages.

What Is the Baby Safe Feeder?

The Baby Safe Feeder takes the scariness out of weaning your baby only ever been used to milk and suddenly there’s a whole new world of flavours and textures to try. The Baby Safe Feeder allows your baby to chew on and become accustomed to different foods without the risk of biting off and swallowing or inhaling a chunk! It can also be an ideal soother when baby is teething – simply fill the net with ice or frozen fruit and it provides instant relief.

This baby product was developed by a Dad after a scare involving his son choking on a piece of teething biscuit, the Baby Safe Feeder is a simple mesh net attached to a plastic holder. An unlimited variety of foods can be used in the Baby Safe Feeder. Baby can chew and suck on the food, deriving all the flavour and goodness from it, without actually biting pieces off.

The bag can be washed in hot soapy water or the whole thing can be put in the dishwasher. Replacement nets can also be easily and cheaply purchased separately. All materials in the Baby Safe Feeder are fully lab-tested (FDA approved) and contain no latex, PVC, phthalates or BPA. Suitable for babies aged 5 months plus.

What We thought, 

The Baby safe feeder, does claim to help keep your child clean, however this definitely didn't happen I gave Jack several food in the net and the fruit and other food with juices leaked through the holes, however when weaning you cant expect your baby to stay clean! The baby safe feeder has a good sturdy handle although to start with Jack did struggle a little to hold it but once I had put both hands on the handle he was fine holding it by himself in fact he really loved it and so did I as while he is sitting in the high chair at the side of me eating his fruit or biscuits himself I can be eating my dinner or cutting up food for the other boys. 

Its great knowing that you can let them have a little independence with fresh food and not have the worry that they are going to choke. I really like this product. The net bag can be a bit difficult to clean, but if you soak it in hot, soapy water for a while it's fine. If you use it for things like biscuits and fruit it doesn't stain the bag.

Myself and Jack really loved the baby safe feeder what a fantastic idea I cant believe I never spotted these before with my two older boys. The baby safe feeder is available to buy from www.maguari.com and are priced at £8 for the feeder and £8 for the replacement bags and I think its well worth the investment! 

Little Tikes Booster seat and seat Pal #Review

I was sent the Little Tikes Seat Pal and booster car seat to review both of these products come from a range of products produced as part of a collaboration between Little Tikes and Diono.


Whilst families start to prepare for the festive season, it’s important to keep the little ones organised so that traveling to friends and family this year is as stress free as possible. Little Tikes and Diono, the leading makers of travel solutions, have created a range of thoughtfully designed travel accessories that are tailored to almost every need when hitting the road this Christmas time.




The Little Tikes Seat Pal is easily attached inside the car to create a handy storage pouch that’s easily accessible. It has two velcro straps that can fit around any arm rest or the handles inside the car doors. The contents can then be easily accessed by the child and you can keep all there favorite items in it or whatever they need or want to take for the trip/journey. For extra safety the seat pal is water resistant and won’t sag or droop when full.

I really liked this product In the car, its the perfect organiser for Liam, it sits happily next to him, keeping all his bits and bobs to hand and tidy. No more twisting my back round trying to reach things for him , no more moaning for snacks or a drink, and most importantly, no distractions whilst on the move.





We were also sent the little tikes booster car seat, This backless booster is both comfortable and extremely light weight and is very simple to move between cars. The booster is a fully covered seat with a machine-washable premium seat cover and has even been crash tested. The seat is from 15-36kg and is up to 135cm tall, It really is ideal if you have little ones that are going to be staying with relatives over the festive period or anytime for that matter as you can just pop the booster seat in the car and your ready to go its really simple.

I would recommend both of these products they just make life and traveling that little bit easier the seat pal is priced at a very reasonable £5 and the booster seat comes in at, £14.99 which I think is also very reasonable as it is going to last a long time.


I was sent both of these products for the purpose of this review all opinions remain honest and my own.

Keeping Children Safe Online

The Internet is growing bigger as time moves forward. There are new apps, websites and shops and in fact, you can do virtually anything online these days.
In my naivety, I thought that Liam was too young to be playing on computers, phones or even game consoles. From my standpoint, I want to do my best to keep him away from computing at this stage - after all he is only three years old.
A harsh realisation dawned on me when I visited his school a few weeks ago. The staff told me that the children have lessons learning about computers, laptops, remote controls, how to work a phone and they even get to learn how to use an iPod, so keeping children away from technology, especially online technology is simply just not an option.

Does it worry me that my child is using computers from such an early age? Of course it does! It is a sign he is growing into a little boy and he is not a baby anymore. Not only that, there are very real dangers inherent to being online; one wrong word, key, or click and it could take him somewhere completely inappropriate.
To be quite honest, I have full trust whilst Liam is at school considering the online safety measures they have in place and knowing that they’re monitoring everything the children are accessing - It’s at home that worries me the most.

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He has started asking to watch CBeebies and he likes to watch storybook apps. I quite like that they enjoy them and I also like that it helps them to learn the alphabet when they're looking on the keyboard for the letters.
Of course, using any technology device is supervised; neither Liam nor Adam are ever going to be left to use the laptop or any other piece of technology unattended. Even at their tender age, they know they are not to touch any computing devices without mummy mummy’s supervision.

I know I won’t always be able to look over Liam's shoulder to see what he is viewing. He’ll also want me to be more trusting of him when gets older, alongside the request for more privacy which I suppose I’ll fully understand by then. That being said, I’ll have to find other ways and means to keep him safe online that’ll allow him these freedoms.

The social media question

I think the worst part of the Internet from a parents perspective is social media; Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and the list goes on…
I expect by the time my boys ask that dreaded question...."Can I join Facebook", there will be lots of other networking sites.
I know that a lot of the social media sites are age restrictive, however I also know of some children that are under that age restriction. The sites just cannot monitor every single account they have or more to the point what content users share on the site. There just seems to be no restrictions and a lot of the content is uncensored, perhaps even unmonitored.
This in mind, when my boys get to the point where they ask to join any of the social media sites…which I know they will…probably before they're even of an age to understand what social media is or how to use it in the correct manner, I will be saying “NO”.
I will explain my reasons to them, and they’ll likely thinking I am being mean, but it’s our jobs as parents to not only keep them safe in the real world, but to keep them safe online as well.

So what else can we do as parents to keep them safe?
Putting parental controls in place and monitoring will do its part to help, however software alone can’t be the end-all as online security is not 100% fool proof and you’ll find some flaw in even some of the best software as indicated in this article in the Daily Mail. Rather, I think the starting point rests in educating our kids and teaching them good “netiquette”.

This is to put you off software, as there are top performers out there that might be right for you – you just have to do a little digging.
If you clicked through to the Daily Mail article above, you’ll see that there were in fact some top performers worth looking into, such as Blue Coat K9 and Norton Family.  The latter of these two actually came out as the best web filter suited for blocking out unsuitable content, thus winning the PC Pro test.
Among its many features, it comes with a nifty little social media-monitoring tool, which enables us to see how our children represent themselves on different social media sites; including details such as their chosen username, age and profile picture. I know this would be extremely helpful for a lot of parents with teens who are already using social media.
Other features included are a search supervision, personal information protection and time monitoring which shows how long your child has spent on each individual site and online on whole. There is also the option available to monitor your kid’s online activity from your iPhone, iPad or Android mobile if they are out of sight or if you’re out of town.

This tool is free and unlimited for one home network with up to 10 computers, but there is also a premium version with similar specifications, only difference being that it offers more frequent and detailed reports, as well as allowing you to monitor their texts and how they use the internet from their mobile phones.

This is a collaborative article written on behalf of Norton