Super smooth kids’ porridge Ready Brek and Walker Books’ popular children’s brand We’re Going on a Bear Hunt are embarking on a joint adventure. The two bear-loving brands come together to serve up a nutritious helping of outdoor fun in a bid to help parents and kids adopt a healthy, balanced lifestyle. Ready Brek will be inviting kids and families to create their very own bear hunt featuring fun activity ideas to try at home on their packs.
The free We’re Going on a Bear Hunt guide, inspired by the hit Channel 4 animated film, will feature beautiful artwork from the film, each guide suggests games and activities showing kids how to go on their very own bear hunt swishy-swashing through grass and splash-sploshing through puddles. Packs also include three delicious recipes to collect; Bear Hunt Banana Muffins, Protein-packed Bear Hunt Bites and Bear Hunt Blueberry and Apple Flapjacks which are all nutritionally balanced, energy boosting snacks that will keep little adventurers going.
The on-pack promotion is on sale now (in the UK) and will feature on packs including Ready Brek Original 450g (RRP £1.99) and 750g (RRP £2.99) and Ready Brek 450g Chocolate (RRP £1.99). Packs will be available in Tesco, Asda, Sainsbury’s, Morrisons, Waitrose and Coop.
1st August 2017 – 7th August 2017 is World Breastfeeding Week. Cake Maternity are giving their full support and so is Frost Magazine. Cake Maternity’s ranges include maternity and nursing day bras, sleep bras, sports bras, yoga bras, plus size bras, wire free bras and an array of breast feeding accessories including organic breast feeding pads. With 35 styles, 30-42 bands, S-XL, A-M Cups, they have got you covered.
We reviewed two of their maternity bras.
First up was the Maple Mousse Bra. A lot of maternity bras are not sexy or beautiful. But every now and then a woman wants to feel sexy and beautiful. The Maple Mousse Bra is just that. It looks beautiful but the fabric also feels luxurious. You can tell it is good quality. It has great detail- the pom poms and the polka dots- and the back has three clasps which makes it more supportive and secure. The clips to give access to the breast are secure and you don’t feel they will accidentally pop open. Something that has happened to me with other maternity bras. I was hugely impressed with this bra. It ticks all of the right boxes for comfort, functionality and beauty. I am very impressed indeed.
Next up was the Blue Lotus Bra. Sports bras are generally not recommended when breastfeeding, but this is a maternity sports bra. It is for low impact exercise and does not compress the breast tissue. It looks great and I love the style. I worried initially that it would be complicated getting it on as it has double the straps, but it was easy. Phew! The bra looks great on and is very comfy. It has two, very discreet, holes to either breastfeed or pump milk. It has good support and is high quality. I am definitely a Cake Maternity fan now. Their products are well made and beautiful.
Hape make the most adorable trains and this trio of insect trains are no exception. This is a three piece set lead by an adorable ladybird train. The other two are a caterpillar and a bee. Children love them because they not only look fun, but are exciting. The ladybird has some fun little balls inside and the other two have fabulous wings. Fun and sensory: we can highly recommend this train set. It is just too cute for words.
The Lucky Ladybug and Friends Train from Hape makes a lovely first train. The adorable ladybug theme, complete with magnetic pieces to connect together, is guaranteed to delight your toddler. A brilliant set that works with other Hape wooden train sets.
Over half of parents vote for Corbyn as political baby names become hot new trend
53% of parents find it ‘very hard’ to choose the right name for their baby – and a third disagree with their partner over what to pick
70% believe children are judged by their name
23% say political names are on the rise with Corbyn and Cameron the top picks
Surge in popularity of Muslim names used by non-Muslim families
Wacky new naming trends include ‘unicorn names’, ‘tough names’ and even ‘text message names’
7% of families regret their child’s name
New parents are electing to name their children after politicians – with Corbyn the hottest new baby-naming trend, a new poll by video parenting website www.channelmum.com reveals.
After the Labour leader’s post-General Election popularity surge, over half of parents (52%) would consider using the name Corbyn for their child. The name has already soared 50 percent in popularity between 2014 and 2015, but is now expected to see an even sharper rise.
Overall, political names are one of the fastest-growing new UK baby naming trends with 23 percent of mums and dads seeing more politically-inspired names in their area.
Interestingly, while 38 percent of parents would consider the name May, only four percent would use Theresa for a newborn. Cameron was the next most popular, liked by a third of parents, followed by Jeremy, enjoying fresh popularity with 15 percent of families.
However, only five percent would name their baby Boris or Diane, six percent Donald and just one percent believe Nigel will become a fashionable name again. But Nicola was especially popular in Scotland, where 13 percent of mums and dads report its popularity is increasing, and 12 percent of Welsh parents are seeing more Leannes locally.
Across Britain, 1,305 parents were asked which names were increasing in popularity in their local area. The poll revealed a huge 70 percent of parents believe people judge a child by their name – and as a result, seven percent ‘regret’ their choice of baby name. However, three quarters of parents (75%) would be upset if their child wanted to change their name.
A third of couples quizzed admitted they disagreed and even rowed over naming their baby, with 53 percent admitting choosing a name is ‘very hard’. And while two thirds (65%) eventually settled on a name while still pregnant, 19 percent wait until they see the baby’s face when born – and an indecisive four percent wait six weeks until the legal limit for registering the baby’s birth and name.
The study also found that while over a third (35%) of parents use family names to honour relatives, one in five (20%) opt for unique spellings no-one else has to ensure their child stands out.
And with over 62,000 different baby names used annually in the UK, there are a number of wacky new baby-naming trends starting to break through.
The fastest-growing up-and-coming trends revealed by the poll include traditional Muslim names going mainstream, with six percent of the parents quizzed seeing more non-Muslim families using Muslim names. The most commonly-used Muslim monikers include Zane, Zahra, Ayesha, Farah, Anila, Omar and Jana.
One in ten has seen an increase in babies with ‘tough names’ including Axl, Maverick and Diesel, and by contrast, Unicorn names including Rainbow, Twinkle, Sassy, Sparkle and Princess are also beginning to gain popularity (4%).
Football ace Paul Pogba and Towie star Sam Faiers have helped to repopularise the name Paul, with one in 25 parents seeing it used again. There is also renewed interest in 1970s names including Michelle, Susan and even Gary is making a comeback.
And Viking and Scandi names are on the march, with Magnus, Agnes, Linnea, Freya, Annika, Astrid and Britta more popular, according to 13 percent of parents.
Meanwhile, the more bizarre name phenomenons include text message abbreviation names like Ily – meaning I Love You – spotted by one percent of parents – and three percent who have seen US place names including Texas, Miami, Arizona and Tennessee used as baby names.
However, the most common current trend is surnames as first names. Two thirds of parents report this is on the rise in their area, with top names including Cooper, Grayson, Parker, Quinn, Jones, Carter, Mason, Jackson, Hunter and Riley.
Traditional but not twee English names are undergoing a revival, with 61 percent of parents embracing monikers includingSarah, Penelope, Emma and Lucy.
The rise of gender-fluid culture means Gender Neutral names are becoming more popular. Alex, Charlie, Elliott, Ellis, Max and Sydney are among the names spotted more often by 41 percent of parents.
And while it may be the least-used letter of the alphabet, X names are in-vogue, with Jaxxon, Xanthe, Xander and Jaxton the most picked for new babies, and voted more popular by 35 percent of parents.
Meanwhile, 16 percent of mums and dads have seen a flood of babies with water names including River, Lake, Delta and Coast, while 13 percent report meeting tots named after the cast of the film Frozen, such as Elsa, Kai, Anna and Olaf.
However, the study also showed the most disliked baby name trend is text-message names, shunned by 71 percent of parents, followed by double-barrelled names such as Lily-Mae, which half of parents refuse to use.
A further 44 percent wouldn’t name their child after a sports team while 38 percent loathe unusual or unique spellings. And the Kardashian trend of using the same first letter for each child was turned down by 27 percent of families.
Siobhan Freegard, founder of ChannelMum.com said:“What’s in a name? Well rather a lot. Names reflect both changing fashions and our changing society, such as the rise in use of many beautiful Muslim names. With 70 percent of families believing their child is judged on their name, a vast amount of love, care and attention is poured into picking the right moniker.
“Corbyn is the stand-out naming trend this year, and we expect to see lots of babies conceived at Glastonbury or over the election period named after the Labour leader.
“But remember a week is a long time in politics and your child will have that name for a lifetime, so do consider the effects of naming a child after any politician.”
HOTTEST UP AND COMING TRENDS
Political names (23%)
Viking / Scandi names (11%)
Tough names (10% are seeing an increase in this)
Non-Muslim families using Muslim names (6%)
Unicorn names (4%)
70s names (4%)
US place names (3%)
Text abbreviation names (e.g. ILY for I Love You) – 1%
MOST POPULAR CURRENT NAMING TRENDS
Surnames as first names (66% have seen an increase in this)
Excilor 3-in-1 Protector Spray – The ideal product for all the family who want to protect their tootsies from any infections
Hands up – how many of you – or your children – are running around barefoot? How many have sweaty feet? How many will admit to a verrucae?
Save yourself the trouble and drop Excilor 3-in-1 Protector Spray into your gym bag before you leave the house.
The spray dries instantly to create an non-greasy invisible barrier to protect against nasty foot infections including, verruacas, warts, athlete’s foot and nail fungus – it even helps fight odour too!
Easy to use: spray over the soles of the feet, on and in-between the toes to form a protective barrier that lasts eight hours. It’s resistant to moisture and forms an ‘invisible sock’ over the foot that protects your feet against contamination from floors and other surfaces – and from dirty socks and shoes. It washes off quite easily with warm soapy water and does not stain skin or clothes.
It has a soothing, cooling sensation as it hits your feet and smells lovely and fresh. An added bonus is that it dries in seconds, is non-greasy and non-sticky and you can really feel the difference. I tested by spraying on one foot and leaving for a few hours. The protected foot felt cleaner and cooler. It also felt less sweaty so I could definitely experience the benefit.
The 100ml spray is not at all bulky and is easy to drop into your bag before you head for the gym or spa. A must for mums before they set off for the pool with their little ones.
So much nicer than having to cope with irritations of Athlete’s foot, nail fungus or dreaded verrucas.
This train track with popping monkeys was a huge hit with the Frost toddler. The cute banana train makes the monkeys pop out in a very satisfying way. Smart and fun, it has fast become a favourite toy. You can also buy additional track. Very much recommended: another great hit from brilliant toy brand Hape who focus on high-quality wooden and education focused toys.
Three monkeys hide in the jungle just waiting for their chance at snatching a banana treat. Watch as they hop out just as the banana car passes!
Suitable for age 18 months +
Dimensions (LWH) 23.4×12.3×11.4cm
Includes: 7 Pieces
Encourages imaginative play, creativity and helps to develop planning and logic skills.
Warning: Not suitable for children under 18 months
After a fraught Christmas and numerous birthdays we now approach new toys with some trepidation. What will we need to get the toy out of the box while the impatient child stands at our side, desperate to play with their new gift? We arm ourselves with screwdrivers, scissors and knives to tackle the job. Will we need one or the other – or all of them?
No need for that with Hape Bug About. I opened the box quite easily, and took out the toy. I had expected to need at least a screwdriver and Allen key or two but what joy to be able to take it straight from the box and have it ready for play.
The Hape Bug About is mostly made from wood with a bright red removable fabric seat.
Little ones hold on to the antennae and push along with steady feet. Great fun for budding adventurers and there is space in the buggy belly for a child’s precious treasures, those teddies and books that must be taken everywhere.
The Bug About is easy to wipe down and clean, easy to store.
As will all Hape products it is made with a commitment to sustainability and compliant with international safety and quality standards.
Are you looking for the perfect gift for a young child? Then look no further. The classics are still the best and Hape is the master, providing traditional and innovative toys that are perfect for learning and stretching the imagination.
Is there anyone who didn’t have a set of bricks when they were kids? What’s the first toy you go looking for when you have a child of your own, or your first grandchild? A bag of bricks.
Hape’s Maple Building Blocks are painted bright primary colours and are perfect for building towers, garages, palaces and kingdoms. My four grandchildren had great fun building their empires and the littlest member of the tribe (6 months) loved sucking and biting on them – and there was no need to panic because all Hape’s products are designed and made with quality and safety in mind.
It really is a must for every grandparent’s toy box and the set of 50 bricks comes in a neat drawstring bag, so they are easy to tidy away until the next time they come to play.
Hape Toys is one of the world’s largest producers of toys made from sustainable materials. Thier range is creatively designed and eco-friendly.
All of the products meet, and often exceed, the strictest international standards for quality and safety.
The Hape Maple Blocks are available to buy online from John Lewis for £14.40
Super smooth kids’ porridge Ready Brek and Walker Books’ popular children’s brand We’re Going on a Bear Hunt are embarking on a joint adventure. The two bear-loving brands come together to serve up a nutritious helping of outdoor fun in a bid to help parents and kids adopt a healthy, balanced lifestyle. Ready Brek will be inviting kids and families to create their very own bear hunt featuring fun activity ideas to try at home on their packs.
