Lindam Sure Shut Orto | My Mills Baby

index9 Lindam & Munchkin: Nightlights & Room Blocking

Now Littlest Mills is on the move, we’ve been on a baby-proofing mission. Heidi is now super fast at crawling and will pull herself up in a sort of tripod action to sit upright - sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. It must be incredibly tiring for her as she’s in one of those limbo states where she’s keen to try things, but not yet able to master them.

Dexter is also embarking on mission of epic proportions and the potty has made an appearance. With this comes a whole host of problems; nighttime dashes and an uncomfortable fascination with the toilet.

So who have we turned to? Who else but the masters of baby & toddler safety; Lindam.

Yep, our house is now a Lindam & Munchkin show home. There’s very little on their website that we don’t own! Of course, as a Munchkin & Lindam ambassador, it’s my job to put their smart and fun collection through its paces, and we’ve certainly done that! Here are just a few of my favourite things:

Nightlights

This Automatic Nursery Safety Sensor Light is fabulous for Mini Madam. It plugs into the mains so you’re not faffing around with batteries and has a long lifespan (provides over 10,000 hours of light). Better yet, you don’t need to turn it off, as it has a dusk’til dawn sensor; it detects light levels and will automatically switch on at dusk and off at dawn. Safety-wise, an LED bulb ensures the light remains cool to touch at all times.

It provides a soft blue light which is reassuring for Heidi and handy for us; If we pop our heads around the door we can spot her easily among her teddies and Galt blocks. When she’s more accustomed to her big girl room, this light will live on the landing providing a guiding light for a toilet-savvy Dexter for those nighttime wees.

(£7.98 from the Munchkin / Lindam website)

Dexter Lindam & Munchkin: Nightlights & Room Blocking

Speaking of nighttime wees… Dexter’s Light my Way Portable Nightlight is one of those must-have toddler essentials. It’s easy for chunky fingers to operate, switches itself off after 20 minutes and has a nifty little handle for finding the bathroom (or mum & dad) in the dark.

This is Dexter’s go-to product at bedtimes - he uses it to read or play in bed, and will often fall asleep with it inches from his head. There are no sharp bits to jab him awake and the LED light remains cool to touch at all times. Although it’s 100% battery-operated, it comes with 3AAA batteries and we haven’t had to change them (in nearly 4 months!).

(£9.98 from the Munchkin / Lindam website)

Room-blocking

gate Lindam & Munchkin: Nightlights & Room Blocking

The Sure Shut Orto has been my saviour now Mini Madam is chasing after her brother everywhere. In fact, it’s been with us now for 2 years and has been invaluable throughout. Whether it’s sealing off the stairs, the kitchen or their rooms, it’s strong, robust and has never let us down. It’s a fully adjustable pressure gate that will fit openings between 75cm to 82cm (and can be extended up to 138cm with the use of separate extensions). As we rent our home this means no drilling into door frames and skirting boards. It can also be fitted in seconds (all tools come provided).

The best bit by far is the automatic closure. It features a gravity-fed hinge so the gate can close from any position as soon as the handle is released. You can also open it inwards and outwards depending on which way you’re approaching the gate (so is far less fussy than others we’ve come across). We can open it with one hand whilst our little people stare on in amazement - trust me Dexter’s had a very good go at opening it himself with zero success.

(£27.99 from the Munchkins / Lindam website)

Flexi Lindam & Munchkin: Nightlights & Room Blocking

For Dexter’s room, the Flexiguard works a treat. I hate seeing him upset behind bars so this provides him with a soft surface to rally against at bedtimes. It’s four point pressure corner adjusters ensure a snug fit in openings from 71cm to 92cm and it can be fitted in seconds. I like that I can take it off easily and quickly to whisk him to the loo, then pop it back on at night when I need him to stay put.

The best bit? It’s lightweight and comes with a travel bag for easy transportation. Simply roll it up and sling it over your shoulder to take to grandmas or a friend’s house for coffee - with no tell tale marks that it’s even been there when you leave - Genius, just genius.

(£27.99 from the Munchkin / Lindam website)

Next on my hitlist are these seriously cool bath time toys - I’m sure I’ll be reporting on these soon.

Bathtime Lindam & Munchkin: Nightlights & Room Blocking

Bath Fun Bubble Blower £10.98 / Star Fountain £7.99 / Bath Fun Monster Truck £6.99 / Massaging Teether £6.99 / 36 Bath Letters and Numbers £6.48 / Gone Fishin’ Bath Toy £7.98

If you want to find out more about any of the products mentioned above, head to the website. Both Munchkin & Lindam are also a sociable bunch and have Facebook & Twitter if you have any questions:

FACEBOOK: Lindam

FACKBOOK: Munchkin

TWITTER: Lindam

TWITTER: Munchkin

Poor Dexter. He got an unbelievable shock this morning when I carried him past the white thing at the bottom of the stairs. Naturally I whisked him straight off for a bum change and some porridge before he’d get a proper chance to explore it, but I can testify he spent his entire time in his high chair staring through the wall at it like Superman.

Stair-climbing is a recent hobby for my little guy. It’s actually my fault as one morning I left my make-up bag (a.k.a Dexter’s favourite toy) on a bottom step. Learning that mounting stairs is perfectly achievable, he’s set about trying to get up them ever since. A safety gate was definitely needed. Cue the brilliant guys at Lindam and the Sure Shut Orto!

014 Dexters New Nemesis: Lindam Sure Shut Orto Safety Gate

We have L-shaped stairs which are incredibly common in old terraced houses. This mean the width of our walls on our landing are dramatically different from those at the base. With this being also a rented house, we needed a pressure fit gate that didn’t involve us drilling into (and thereby Craig ruining) the wall. With Lindam having some 20 years experience of providing leading safety equipment for homes of every shape, I sent them all the challenges we faced and they came out trumps.

Of course Craig will want me to tell you that he fitted this gate. But this simply isn’t true as I fitted it myself (I’m expecting some serious back-patting here). I won’t gloat too much though as it was impossibly easy. The gate was already assembled and ready-to-use, I only had to pop the pressure caps on the heavy duty screws, and use a spanner to tighten the bolts. I really liked the fact that the gate had a natural gap that closed only when the gate was secure. This means I knew my gate was fitted safely before letting Dexter pound on it and attempt to fit his limbs through the bars.

index01 Dexters New Nemesis: Lindam Sure Shut Orto Safety Gate There are many benefits to a pressure fit system. They’re fully adjustable (this one currently fits openings from 75cm to 82cm, and can extend to a whopping 138cm with separate extensions) and they don’t require any drilling. Given they are not physically secured to your walls, you can use just the one gate to stop budding acrobats getting up and down the stairs.

As regards opening and closing the gate, the Sure Shut Orto has a pull and lift handle that is easy to manage one-handed. This is great for early mornings when your munchkin decides they’re ready to get up at 5am. You won’t be squeezing through it either as it has an extra wide walkthrough section for us fatties!

02 Dexters New Nemesis: Lindam Sure Shut Orto Safety Gate

What really makes this safety gate rock, is the fact you can open it inwards or outwards so it’s hugely flexible depending upon which ~~cupboard~~ room you’d like to limit baby to. It also shuts automatically and double locks itself so you can’t be outwitted by your child. Genius.

354321bcc35f35883b13622776502589 Dexters New Nemesis: Lindam Sure Shut Orto Safety Gate

All this means I can relegate our old scary-looking gate to the garden. This rickety contraption came to us by way of eBay. Having got Dexie’s cotbed for a bargain £150, the seller threw this in for free. I’m not entirely sure if this was generosity on her part, or her just wanting to see the back of it. Either way, plans for this one involve old baked bean cans and daisies! (like this one >)

Lindam have a great video section that means you can discover exactly which gate is right for your home. You can also like them on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Youtube for latest product news and offers! What a social bunch they are!

DISCLAIMER: I was sent the Sure Shut Orto Safety Gate for the purposes of this review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.