I love all Tommee Tippee’s limited edition boxsets - I make a beeline for Mothercare whenever I hear about them as they are just too adorable not to snatch up.
Their latest collection is inspired by the fairy tale magic of the Christmas season and therefore decorated with festive images. This is a great way to have baby share in the festive spirit - it can be difficult for preschoolers to get excited about Christmas as they just don’t understand what it’s all about. I think my children think it’s Christmas every day of the week anyway where they’re sent so much to review!
The Gingerbread collection consists of 2 gift sets containing 2 bottles and 2 soothers in pink or blue and 2 single 260ml bottles. Each bottle has a unique Gingerbread or Christmas design and comes in a gorgeous presentation box. I’m being sent one next week and can’t wait to snap Heidi guzzling from her special bottle.
As we all know, Tommee Tippee (BPA-free) bottles are suitable to use from birth and are designed to mimic the natural flex, stretch and movement of mum’s breast. Together with the super-sensitive valve the bottle encourages baby’s intuitive feeding action for a comfortable and relaxed feed. The specially designed compact shape allows the bottle to be held in the most natural position during feeding, allowing baby to be closer to you. Heidi has used these from 6 weeks old and I can’t fault them.
To celebrate the launch of the Gingerbread range Tommee Tippee have published a free interactive fairy tale telling the story of Mr Gingerbread and his Christmas journey. Mr Gingerbread forgets to buy the all-important Christmas tree and rushes out to buy one. But all the tree shops are shut and he prepares to go home and break the news to Baby Gingerbread and Mummy Gingerbread. Fortunately when they wake up on Christmas day Santa has been and left them presents and a beautiful tree. It’s a feel-good tale and one that perfectly captures the magic of Christmas - easy to read too with rhyming couplets. Head here to take a look > www.tommeetippee.co.uk/gingerbread
We wanted to sprinkle a little fairy dust on our customers and their babies this year. The exclusive design and gorgeous packaging make the Gingerbread Collection an ideal Christmas gift for babies everywhere! Tommee Tippee Global Category Manager, Katy Pigg
The Gingerbread Collection is available now in Mothercare (single 260 ml bottle RRP £5.99 / gift set RRP £14.99). For more information on the entire range, please visit www.tommeetippee.co.uk
I’ll admit that we didn’t bother with a baby monitor for Dexter. As per the usual advice, he stayed in our bedroom with us for the first few months, then graduated to his own room when we felt confident he’d sleep through the night. We lived in a two bedroom flat with his nursery located neatly between our lounge and our master bedroom so we were always able to hear him cry (and trust me, he cried a lot).
We did have a Angelcare system, but the sleep pad bugged the hell out of me, and I was constantly unplugging the device as the lights kept waking me up. In any case, due to the layout of our home, it felt like overkill.
With Heidi however we’ve found a baby monitor invaluable. Now we’ve moved into a large three bedroom house, there’s more distance between us and her when she sleeps so we’re not always able to hear her easily. Add into the mix an over-excited toddler who seems a little confused as to whether he loves or hates his baby sister, I also can’t have the two children in the same room as one another or he’ll be apt to smother her in kisses… or her blanket.
The Tommee Tippee Digital Video Baby Monitor with Sensor Pad has therefore been a godsend.
This monitor is literally rammed with features:
Infrared night vision camera
Movement sensor pad
Adjustable sensitivity settings
3” colour screen
Baby’s room temperature display
Up to 300m range with out-of-range indicator
Two-way talk back
Pager to find missing parent unit
Baby night light controllable from parent unit
Channel auto-select
The camera on this monitor is among the best I’ve used. The images on the screen are so clear, even in the pitch black (in daylight, the video is colour, switching to infrared when it gets dark). It’s also much simpler to position the camera unit to get a good angle of Heidi as you can tilt the camera up and down freely (with other systems, I’ve either had to pop the camera within the cot itself, on a bedside unit, or lower than the cot mattress). Given Heidi’s nursery is weeny with little furniture, Tommee Tippee’s camera is therefore ideal as it can live atop her windowsill.
Once the camera is aligned, and you’ve set the monitor up (see the above video) you simply press the ‘on’ switch on both units.
TIP: don’t turn the camera on with the parent unit in the same room, the feedback will wake baby.
You’ll be able to view baby as she peacefully sleeps from any other room in your home. There’s also an option to zoom in a little if you’re not 100% certain she’s awake and needs her mummy. If baby makes a noise (you control the sensitivity) the unit immediately springs to life and you’ll be able to hear her through the parent unit. If she’s having a right paddy and needs a little reassurance, there’s a two way talk-back option on the parent monitor that allows you to whisper that you’re on your way.
I’m also a big fan of the temperature indicator (there’s a display on both units). We previously used a Gro-egg for this but I’m not convinced on its accuracy. I’m terrible at gauging temperatures so find it reassuring to know that her room is comfortably ventilated.
Additionally there’s a nightlight function (low, medium and high settings) on the camera that negates any need for additional lighting in the nursery. This is ideal for Heidi who has only just moved into her big girl room away from mummy and daddy.
To be honest, we rarely bother with the sensor pad. Heidi is a real wriggler and does 360 rotations and covers every inch of her cotbed with baby drool every night. The detachable sensor pad has 3 settings (low, medium and high) and slots comfortably under baby’s mattress. You can opt to monitor baby soundlessly (a little light will flicker to reassure you baby is breathing) or choose to hear her. It will sound an alarm on the parents unit if no movement is detected from baby after 20 seconds. Although there’s little danger of this with my little gymnast, I can be a little forgetful at 2am, 3am and 4am (thanks Heidi) and have forgotten to turn the feature off a few times. This has woken up Craigy who was none too pleased.
I can see the benefit of the feature though. For anxious parents it adds another dimension of reassurance. Baby monitors have certainly come a long way since the days of old, and sensor pads are generally regarded as the ultimate in baby safety. Reading around the web to check out other parent’s opinions, they get 5 stars from parents whose children are asthmatic or have breathing difficulties. There are inevitably a few reported instances of it going off for no reason (or indeed, baby rolling off the pad), but I’m sure any parent would agree this is preferable to sleeping through when your baby is in trouble.
Finally, there’s rechargable batteries in both units. Whilst running on the mains, you’re also charging up the units, ready to be used mains-free later on. This makes it the perfect option for taking on trips and holidays where your plug sockets might be poorly located.
The Tommee Tippee Digital Video Monitor is available to buy from most major UK retailers at an RRP of £199.99. I appreciate this is a fairly significant investment for any cash-strapped parent, but it is competitively priced if you compare it with other brand’s best-in-range monitors (Angelcare’s AC1100 Video, Movement & Sound Monitor is £249.99). It’s certainly given me peace of mind, and you cannot put a price on that.
To find out more, or buy directly from Tommee Tippee, head over to TT’s website. Tommee Tippee will also be more than happy to answer any questions you might have over Twitter or Facebook. Of course, I’m also more than happy to discuss any aspect of the monitor with you if you leave a comment on this post.
Okay, I’ll admit I haven’t quite got to grips with Instagram. I have an account but I’m too embarrassed about how bare it is to share it here. If you’re a fan however, I have a competition that might be right up your street…
tommee tippee Best of British baby essentials are up for grabs on Instagram
A few weeks back, I brought you the news of the Best of British launch, and reviewed a bottle from the collection. They’re the same award-winning bottles we all know and love, but decorated with iconic British imagery to celebrate this awesome summer of sport we’re having. Okay, England might have crashed out of the World Cup but we still have Andy Murray going strong at Wimbledon and the Commonwealth Games to look forward to in July.
The Best of BritishLimited Edition collection from tommee tippee closer to nature® consists of 3 gift sets containing 2 bottles and 2 soothers in pink, blue or traditional London bus red and 3 single 260ml bottles. Each bottle has a unique iconic London Bus design, and comes in a presentation / gift box.
…And now they’re giving you the opportunity to get creative and win one of your very own!
All you need to do to be in with a chance of winning your own Best of British gift set, is take a picnic photo (in the garden, the park, or even in the house!), follow @tommeetippeeuk on Instagram and share your photo using the hashtag #tommeetippeepicnic. You have until the 9th of July to get your snaps in!
It’s that simple! Good luck guys!
The competition will close at 23:59 on Wednesday 9th July and 10 winners will be chosen from all valid entries. For full terms and conditions, please visit http://www.tommeetippee.co.uk/terms/instagram. Please note this promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with Instagram.
