Tuesday 8 November 2016

Pampers the Premium Nappy that never fails.


As a mum, many people ask which brand of nappies are best and as you can expect there are always lots of opinions. I used Pampers Baby Dry for my son almost 6 years ago and was keen to use them again with my daughter this year.

I initially started using Pampers New Baby and I have to say I was disappointed, when the nappies were wet there was a strong odour although I did like the wetness indicator whilst having a newborn. I switched over to leading supermarket brands and found I did start to prefer them but I had one issue, they were fairly bulky.
When my daughter became more mobile I wanted a thinner nappy and decided to give the Pampers Baby Dry a go and see if they suited her. They did and I have not bought another brand since.

I was excited when I was asked to join the Pampers Project over on Super Savvy Me as there was a new design for the Baby Dry Nappies and I was looking forward to seeing how they could perform even better.

The new and improved Pampers Baby Dry did not disappoint, there are now 3 absorbing channels in the nappy which is really noticeable compared to the older design. The wetness is evenly distributed rather than all pooling together and dragging the nappy down.


The wetness is locked away from the skin which means I don't have to worry if my daughter sleeps for longer than 8 hours as I know she will still be fairly dry.

When it comes to putting my daughter to bed for the night I do not trust any other brand than Pampers Baby Dry. There is no strong odour given off by the nappies and they suit my mobile 9 month old very well.

The nappies are thin but perform as well, if not better than before. When the nappy is full it's easy to see the three channels and how well they work at distributing the wetness away from baby's skin.

I received a pack of Pampers Baby Dry to try for myself in exchange for my opinion on the brand.









Monday 10 October 2016

Following on with the milk....

As part of The Insiders Team I was selected to participate in the SMA® PRO campaign. As my daughter was still on first milk at the age of 8 months, I wasn't too sure if I had wanted to move her over to follow on milk and wasn't sure of the advantages in doing so.

When I had my son over 5 years ago I followed the advice set out by midwives and brands, and as my son hit 6 months moved him onto follow on milk without actually knowing the reason or difference as to why I should. As my daughter had been exclusively breastfed up to the age of 6 months, I had intended to just go straight onto follow on milk but by speaking to other mum's had made the decision to go onto First Milk.

I started on Cow & Gate as that was the brand I ended up sticking with last time and decided there was no reason to switch so when this campaign appeared I thought I would look a bit more into it.

Within my pack I received the following to sample and offer feedback
  • 1x 800g tin of SMA® PRO Follow-on Milk with NUTRI-STEPS®
  • 1x 1l carton of SMA® PRO Follow-on Milk with NUTRI-STEPS®
  • 1x campaign guide
  • 1x market research booklet
  • 4x 200ml cartons of SMA® PRO Follow-on Milk with NUTRI-STEPS®. 

To share with other interested parents:
  • 10x Baby Food Diaries with £2 money off their next purchase of 1x 800g tins of SMA® PRO Follow-on Milk with NUTRI-STEPS®.

So what is SMA PRO?
The PRO in SMA® PRO range symbolises a progression in their formulations carrying a sense of Progress, Professional and a change in process. It represents some of their most advanced formulas yet.


SMA claimed to have something different, they claim to have an exclusive Protein Process BUT what does this actually mean?

After scrolling through all the FAQs I am still not completely clear. SMA are not giving anything away, they simply claim it is an innovative protein technology that is not found in any other UK Formula. They stated that the exclusive process modifies the whey fraction of the protein found in cows' milk and creates a better amino acid profile.

Now one of the reasons I was keen to stick with First Milk was because I had heard that Follow on Milk contained more sugar, after comparing like for like with SMA First Milk and the Follow on Milk this is simply not true. There is less sugar in follow on milk.

Overall the nutritional information appears to be pretty similar so for me that theory was thrown out, it was almost identical to first milk.

We have now been using the Follow On Milk for over 2 weeks now and my daughter seems pretty happy with it, she drinks it with no bother and seems to not have as much wind.

As for her stools we have not recognised many changes since switching as we were suffering with stubborn stools on the previous formula and since switching we have noticed a difference. 

So are there benefits from switching from First Milk to follow on milk?
I have to be honest and say that I haven't really noticed that much of a difference with my daughter. She is taking less milk now and is eating more solid foods and as the follow on milk has been formulated to complement the weaning diet. As a baby still relies on milk, SMA aims to help leave room for solids so that the milk doesn't fill baby's tummy up restricting the amount of solids that the baby takes in. Based on this theory this is probably why we are seeing a drop in the level of milk she is now consuming and her interest in more solid foods.

Now we are on Follow on milk, I think we will stick with it now as it does seem to work well with my daughter. 

Sunday 2 October 2016

Boost your skin for hydration.

Do you have a skincare routine? No me neither, quite frankly with two young children looking after myself normally comes a little lower in the pecking list so I am often lucky if I can manage to get out of the house in the mornings with a brush put through my hair!

As a Bzz member, I often get the chance to try products for free or for less so when the Neutrogena HydroBoost Campaign Invite arrived I snapped it up!

Lack of sleep goes without saying when you have a baby and well, for the past 5 years I haven't always had the best sleep routine and as we all know that can leave the skin to become imbalanced and causes it to become dehydrated and along then come the redness and spot breakouts, something that for me had started to return a few months after baby no.2 had arrived.
We all know that drinking water is great as it keeps you hydrated and is good for the skin so discovering the HydroBoost range has been great as it promises to lock in hydration.

I was fortunate enough to receive the Hydroboost Gel Cleanser to sample, a full size bottle that I started to use when I was brushing my teeth, two birds with one stone.
The gel comes in a pump dispenser to it was quickly dispensed, mix with a small amount of water and lather onto the face before rinsing off. Job Done. A quick but simple change to my morning routine that was easy to manage and what was more it really helped my skin.

The gel is non sticky and lightweight so there was no residue left on your hands after lathering and rinsing off and your skin doesn't feel tight and greasy, my face just felt, well hydrated!

After using the gel for over a week, I did become aware that so many people commented how well I looked and one person even said how fresh faced I looked!

I have managed to more or less stick to this routine and on occasion would use the gel in the shower in addition to the morning routine after a work out.
Since using the water gel, I have not suffered from any breakouts or dry patches and feel confident to go out without any make up on, even if it is just on the school run.

As mentioned I received this product free of charge as a Bzz Campaigner.

RRP £7.99


Friday 30 September 2016

A new love for fitbit

As a long term user of a fitbit, I have had both the flex and the charge, so when my charge became defective recently I was offered the Alta as a replacement.

Admittedly I wasn't too happy as I enjoyed the charge and how it functioned but was promised by fitbit that this would soon fit in with me and when I received it I have to admit that they quite possibly were right!



WOW! Fitbit have seriously upped their game, the Alta arrived and the first thing I noticed was how much more luxurious the packaging looked compared to when I had received the Flex and Charge previously in simple packaging.

The Alta already looked much more stylish with the magnetic clasp on the box and the little booklets and tabs to remove them from the box, it appears a lot of thought had gone into the design and all the little touches had not gone unnoticed. It felt like Christmas.

What's Included?

  • Removable Fitbit Alta Tracker
  • Classic Wristband
  • Charging Cable
  • Wireless Sync Dongle






    I was surprised to lift out the fitbit and discover how much heavier it felt compared with the charge, although the narrower band appealed to me once more.

    The Alta looks a lot more like a premium product and finally looks like a product to warrant the expensive price tags that fitbits have always carried.

    A sleek design, I loved the charger how it acted as a bulldog clip to clip onto the Alta and charge via the USB cable.
    Adding the device to the app was simple enough as it is located via Bluetooth.

    It took just over an hour to charge via the USB and then it was ready to go.

    So what's different? 
    If you are reading this then you know what they are and are looking at deciding which one to opt for. Alta never figured as a choice for me as if I was to change from the Charge I was looking to opt for the Blaze however with the launch of the new Charge 2 that was now on the list to opt for.

    The Alta has a clear OLED Tap display, now this is the one thing I am not keen on, the tap display, call me old school I prefer to have a button to press or a touch screen, I always find the tap hit and miss.

    Fitbit appear to have listed to their customers with many wanting interchangeable straps, something only the flex really offered up until recently but now the blaze and the alta and the charge 2 offer interchangeable bands making it easier to use more often and to fit in with any occasion.

    The Alta looks stylish on and is a lot less bulky, and I just wished it did the heart rate as well and I would be truly happy.

    One of the key features that I like is the vibration to encourage you to get moving, something I think is an added bonus compared to the earlier versions, a slight vibration and you know you have been sedentary for too long and to get up and go for a walk.

    It is sweat proof, which is excellent for me as I sweat plenty when I work out and although it states you can wear the Alta in the shower, I don't think I will be trying this.
    The Alta is a stainless steel tracker and it does contain nickel so if you are allergic to this it is something to bear in mind if you are looking to choose this fitbit.

    As well as measuring steps, distance, active minutes, calories burned and sleep, it also will record workouts automatically. It also will display the time and your smartphone notifications.

    Overall I think fitbit are doing well, continuing to be innovative and offering what the customer wants and of course excellent customer service.

    Is this the one for me?
    If you want a fitbit to track steps and track sleep then the Alta ticks all the boxes, but there are alternatives such as the Flex 2 but bear in mind that this does not display the time, for me I find it much more motivation to have on screen display as there are times when it's not convenient to have your mobile on hand and I also like that you can receive your notifications via the Alta.

    The Flex 2 however is swim proof so if your main form of exercise is swimming you may want to look at this option.

    The fitbit Alta was provided to me as a replacement for the defective Charge which is now discontinued.
    RRP £99.99

    Listen to the Echo

    When it comes to gadgets, my husband is addicted and with us renovating downstairs into an open living space we wanted a speaker of some sort to play music in the kitchen and when my husband said he thought he had found something better, I wanted to know more....

    So what is Amazon Echo?

    If you have used Siri or Google's voice assist then the Amazon Echo is similar to this and more. A speaker that is voice activated and can play music, provide information and even order products if you are a prime customer.


    The speaker itself is a cylinder which is compact in size but it does offer great sound quality. It operates over a wireless connection and is easy to set up as it simply plugs into the mains and via the app, Alexa.

    Amazon Echo provides hands-free voice control for Amazon Music, Prime Music, Spotify and TuneIn and you can also connect via Bluetooth so you can stream from your tablet, iTunes, google play and more.

    It has seven microphones so it can hear even in noisy environments, which as a mum of a 5 year old and an 8 month old baby is a must!

    Using Amazon Echo

    To communicate you simple use the word 'Alexa' to wake the speaker and it will respond with a light around the top of the speaker to let you know it is ready for your next command.
    As a Prime Customer we have access to Prime Music which has a set number of stations, if you are unsure what you want to listen to you can select a genre and 'Alexa' will choose this for you.

    As well as playing music you can set timers, find out the time, what the weather forecast is, catch up on the latest news and much more.

    Currently our speaker sits in the Living Room but it will be moved over to the Kitchen when completed and I think it will prove to be invaluable, being able to create shopping lists, set timers, connect with calendars and set reminders, you can even order from Just Eat.

    As a busy family home we think that Alexa will fit in well and our 5 year old son already enjoys asking various questions and finding out facts as well as asking for jokes!

    You can also connect with other wi-fi devices and we soon hope to connect to the Philips Hue system to control lighting and eventually upgrade to a Hive heating system and control the heating.

    So is it actually all that??

    Well yes, actually!
    Admittedly somethings I find can take a little time to get used to but with the Amazon Echo it was a simple as plugging in and running the app. We have only had it 48 hours but already we have enjoyed the freedom of voice activated music as well as the ability to port it to other areas in the house without the hassle of numerous cables and wires.

    I love how it can give you information without you having to pick up your phone or laptop or without turning on the tv.
    We do make use of Just Eat so am sure Alexa will soon be placing an order for us sooner rather than later.

    We also took advantage of pre-ordering this speaker and gained a £50 discount paying just £99.99 for this speaker, in terms of sound quality it is just as good as a blue tooth speaker we had been looking to purchase so all the added extras that Alexa offers we think it was a good investment and with the promise that this will continue to evolve we look forward to seeing what else the device will offer.

    RRP £149.99
    Available in Black or White.









    Tuesday 7 June 2016

    Graze Shop

    Being on a healthy eating plan, chocolate often goes out of the window but I am a snacker and one of my all time favourite snacks are those that come from Graze, so imagine how excited I was to receive an email from Graze announcing that they had opened a shop!

    I regularly have the snack boxes but often wish that I could have larger share bags. I have previously ordered some of the sharing bags so with the email offering a £5.00 discount I took full advantage and stocked up.

    You can find the link to the shop from the Graze Website.

    Within the shop you will find multipacks, sharing bags, ingredients, kids and breakfast.

    Within the multipacks section you will find the familiar punnets from the graze boxes in packs of 6. Ideal if you have a favourite and want to take them into work in your lunch box or want that guaranteed snack that you cannot have guaranteed in the subscription boxes.

    Sharing Bags are my favourite choices, larger bags that you can portion out, take away as a snack or just enjoy as a healthier treat.

    The ingredients section are just one item in a larger bag, such as the peanuts or seeds. Great if you want to make up your own mix from several items.

    Breakfast offers multipacks of the portions ideal for taking into work or if you are away on holiday and want something compact to take with you.

    Free delivery is offered if you spend over £10 and with my code for £5 off I was able to stock up with 6 sharing bags for £11.94.

     Triple Berry Smoothie
    One of my absolute favourites, strawberries, blueberries, cranberries and banana, absolutely delicious combination.



    Salted Fudge and Peanut Cookie
    Admittedly I ordered this flavour thinking it was something else, but as I am not a huge fan of peanuts my husband will enjoy this one! Small pieces of salted fudge, mini cocoa cookies and peanuts.


    Dried Apple Pieces
    One of my favourite from the punnets which usually come with caramel dipping sauce. I love munching on these moist pieces although it does suggest you can bake with them and use them in cooking, I may try this shortly.

     
    Jam Doughnut
    This is extremely yummy! Sponge pieces, raspberry strips and almonds, its a really delicious snack.

    Banoffee Pie 
    Another delicious favourite, pecan, banana coins, vanilla marshmallows and fudge pieces.
    This one is hard to stop eating once you start.

    Jaffa Cake was my all time favourite which as been eaten so no pics!
    Orange flavoured raisins, roasted hazelnuts and Belgian dark chocolate buttons.


    The only downside in my opinion is that there is no limit on portion control which with some of the yummier flavours means you can quite easily eat too much. As a weightwatcher, I found that some of the punnets were 6sp which was quite high so if you manged to eat a whole sharing bag in one day it could be around 35sp!

    However, eating Graze has opened me up to many more snacks that I can enjoy eating and I will continue to enjoy every now and then.
     

    Sunday 3 January 2016

    Party Food to impress.

    With friends coming over we wanted something quick and tasty to pop into the oven so we opted for the 3 for 2 on the Tesco Finest Party Food.

    - 8 Bourbon BBQ Beef Waffles
    - 12 Hand Finished Duck Selection
    -  9 Posh Pigs in Blanket

    Having already sampled the Tesco Finest Dim Sum from the Party Food Range we had been a little disappointed, although it offered flavour it was a faff to cook and left us unimpressed.

    This time my husband picked the items to offered our guests and decided upon the above items. All 3 items cooked at the same temperature which meant it was a lot easier to control the preparation of food for the buffet.

    One downside was that they did all cook for different durations so we kept having to open the oven every 2 minutes to add the next lot of party food!

    Contained within the 12 Hand Finished Duck Selection was;
    - 4 Spring Rolls with a duck and honey filling
    - 4 Crispy Rice Cones with duck and potato in a massaman curry sauce
    - 4 Mini Tortilla wraps with aromatic duck in a hoisin sauce.

    The flavour in the selection was not overpowering and was a perfect taste sample. I enjoyed the different take on the Spring Rolls and was one of my favourites. The items are 2 bites which is enough to give you a taster. These were the longer cooking for all the party food taking 10-12 minutes.

    The Bourbon BBQ Beef Waffles were my personal favourite, they were small enough to handle and around 2 bitefuls. I loved the cheese that had melted on top and the flavour was not too overpowering considering they contained Cherrybell pepper. Combined with the sweetness of the waffle I thought these were really tasty and different to normal party/buffet food, one to get again.

    My least favourite was the Posh Pigs in Blanket, I found these disappointing. A pork meatball with a cranberry glaze which in my opinion was completely lost in the overpowering seasoning of the pork and bacon crumb.

    Overall the food was nicer than standard buffet food and offered something with little more taste compared to the normal party range but I did have higher expectations for the Posh Pigs in Blankets which to me were a little disappointing.

    Our guests appeared to really enjoy the Chinese Selection and the Bourbon BBQ Beef Waffles but we did have the Posh Pigs in Blankets left over so it wasn't just me that had the opinion that it was a little disappointing.

    I was provided with vouchers to try these products for free or for less via the Orchard Programme for Tesco.