The review is now live online in our Family Days Out section – you can read The Eden Project review here. We had such a great day with the children at the Eden Project – go read all about it over on LittleStuff. Here’s a few more images from our trip (just in case you were vaguely interested…)

All the boys on the hill in the Mediterranean biome:
Pink enjoying her lunch!
This is a VERY hot No.1 in the ‘jungle’ biome – he’s just found a humidifying spray and is loving it!

And this is what happens to your camera when you enter the jungle biome… tis a little steamy in there!

The WEEE man – one persons lifetime of waste. to give you some perspective, that orange splash in the middle is a large lawnmower…

We’re pleased to announce that Carla Daly has joined the LittleStuff family, bringing her wonderful collection of children’s art.
We’ve housed her in the Gifts > General section, as she has the most gorgeous gift items for new babies (watch the reviews section, we have one coming very soon!), but keep her in mind when you’re decorating your nursery. Personally I simply adore the zebras and the sheep!

We know you’re there. We do. We have the stats to prove it. And yet no one comments. We LOVE to get emails, but comments are very nice too – we can share them with others!
So. If you see us doing something good, bad, dull or fun – PLEASE tell us! We love to get requests for reviews, comments on what we’ve done, questions on what we can do… even if you’re just having trouble finding something for your baby, we can often help with that too! Just ask Paula, the Mum who asked us if we knew of a good pushchair – she is blind and needs one she can pull behind her. She ended up reviewing a Phil & Teds Smart buggy which has worked out brilliantly for her. You’ll never know unless you ask us. Go on, we’re professionals at this y’know…

And all you lurkers. Be brave – say hello! It’s not hard to do… and all it takes is one to get the ball rolling. Come on – who’s first???

We’re happy to say hello to Ethical Babe, an organic and fairtrade site full of yummy stuff – committed to bringing the very best Organic, Eco-Friendly and Fair Trade products for you and your family. They hand pick all their products, use them themselves and recommend them to their friends. We like their delicious things, and we like Claudia and Claire too (once Claire got over her embarrassment at sending me a mail she meant for Claudia – talking about us – she was lovely :D) so we really hope you’ll like them too. Make sure you go have a good long browse around their store, we dare you to leave without saying ‘ooh’ at least twice!

Family travel with a baby or pre-schoolers can be tricky, and its nice to be able to confidently recommend a few hotels/holidays that we are sure will live up to your expectations.
The Sands Resort just outside Newquay in Cornwall were willing to let us loose on them (us being the entire Laura Family, all 6 of us).

The Sands Resort Hotel is a very special place. Sitting on the edge of Porth, just outside Newquay, with views straight out over the Atlantic, it is perfectly situated for a traditional British seaside family holiday.

However that is not to say that it is in any way old fashioned. Oh no no.

As you enter Reception the atmosphere is calm, warm and welcoming. The decor (which feels just like a chic-shack beach house) is contemporary and stylish, but not so much that I was nervous entering with my four small-people-who-break-stuff.

The thing is, the whole hotel is designed around families. There are countless areas to escape to on rainy days, all equipped with various toys and games. The indoor pool (and baby pool) are lovely – and believe it or not, the individual changing rooms will hold a family of 6 on one go. Honest, we tried ‘em (the last one on the right is the biggest).

We weren’t committed enough to try the outdoor pool (it was March!), but it looked as though it would be fab come the warmer weather.

The kids clubs (all run by NNEB/NVQ trained staff and OFSTED inspected) were just great. I have to admit to being a bit reluctant – feeling not just nervous at leaving the small people in a strange place, but also a vague feeling that I was being immoral by dumping my children on a ‘family’ holiday.

However we had a good nosy round, and the rooms were well-equipped and the boys couldn’t wait to go! The itinerary of activities was varied and fun, and the age groups were separated well to allow them to be properly catered for. The atmosphere in the creche was especially relaxed and friendly, and I felt obliged to let the staff know that Ella hadn’t actually slept much the night before, and had never been left in a creche/nursery, so would no doubt screech the minute I left. Instead of handing her straight back, however, they laughingly brushed off my worries and told me to go and enjoy myself.

I made use of the time to visit the Ocean Breeze spa (6 treatment rooms, and a huge choice of beauty and relaxation therapies) and enjoy a massage – the spa is a haven of peace and tranquillity (NB – its in the rules, busy mamas MUST use it while you are staying for an hours heavenly respite. Pure indulgence, and sooo worth it). The therapist was utterly lovely, and best of all was completely silent throughout the massage. Perfect!

I got back to pick Ella up at the allotted time, and there she was, pootling about merrily, and in no rush to leave. Traitor.

In the 6 acres of grounds there are stacks of things to do – we all had fun in the maze, and the new adventure playground was a huge hit with the three boys after the long car journey. The toddler playground is no shoved-in-a-corner after-thought either, oh no, all beautifully designed and laid out. We just didn’t get a chance to do more than peek at the tennis, Junior tennis, Climbing wall, Basketball, Football, Croquet, Golf…

We were staying in the new wing (the very first guests to do so :D), and I have to say that the rooms are lovely (we did however get to look at the other rooms, and all were of a similar standard and clever design). It is not easy finding accommodation for all six of us – we either have to squish up, or have connecting rooms/suite which come at a heavy premium.

However, the Sands Resort has cleverly solved this problem – aided by architectural-magic-ery way back in the design stage when they kept a firm grip on what a family would need.

You enter straight into the children’s room, which though not large holds bunks, plus a single and a solid cot. The walk-through ‘passage’ has shelving along one wall (stacks of storage for cases) and the bathroom and extra sink (handy during the morning rush) on the other. You then step into the light, bright airy main room, which faces over the sea with floor-to-ceiling windows and french doors (no balcony, just railings, but we had those doors open at every opportunity). We opted to have Ella in the travel cot in our room rather than inflict her on the boys, and the cot was all made up and ready when we arrived. Even with it there, we still had plenty of space and never felt cramped.

The restaurant is another area that I must mention (I know, I’m rambling on, but you need to know all this – stick with me…). Dinner times are divided into three, and we tried all the options. On the first night we spent too long in the pool and missed high tea, so we opted for a family dinner at the 7 sitting. It was so nice to enjoy an evening meal in a restaurant as a family without worrying about the children being there – we were surrounded by other families doing exactly the same.

The food was excellent – an adult menu with a couple of child-friendly options – and the menu was varied and interesting.

The second night we were more organised and made it in time for high tea. The children loved choosing their own food from the hot buffet (pasta, grilled chicken, mash, peas, sweetcorn etc). Back in our room we settled them into bed to watch the film which is piped through every night (plus shown on the big screen in one of the lounges).

They settled well (thankfully!), and by 8 we were seated in the restaurant ourselves, secure in the knowledge that any small-person squeaks would be heard instantly by the staff listening to the monitors. This time we sat in the smaller, quieter ‘adults only’ area. Same food, but a far more sophisticated atmosphere, and we sooo enjoyed having a really lovely ‘grown-up’ meal. Mr Laura didn’t spill his drink or ask me to cut up his food or anything :)

With all the great design and practicality and facilities, however, one thing above all else makes the Sands Resort a really special place to stay.

The Staff.

Without exception they were efficient, genuinely warm and so friendly. Unfailingly the children were welcomed and spoken to, and their needs were considered and anticipated (our table was laid with a highchair before we got there, for example). Which all just makes life easier, and a whole heap nicer.

So. If you are looking for a hotel which doesn’t just ‘accept’ children. but positively welcomes them, we don’t think you need to look much further than the Sands Resort. it may not be 5* in hotel rankings, but when it comes to its welcome, care of its guests, and attention to detail, it most certainly is.

(And if you were in the room next door on our first night… Ella’s really really sorry, and totally blames us for messing up her bedtime. Never before has she cried for three hours straight and needed a car drive to get her off to sleep… *blush*)

Anyhoo, go have a look at the LittleStuff site, and see what you think. I know, I know, its a bit long – but it had to be, there was so much to talk about. It’s worth it, honest!

Anyhoo, here’s some extra pics from our short break to Cornwall:

Ellabellalouloubelle in the maze

Big boys on the adventure playground

In our room
Breakfast time!

Ella checking out the boys in the creche…

Toot toot! The clever little Smart Buggy by Phil & Ted has been reviewed for us by Paula. It really is a unique looking thing that has been designed for urban life and is known for being great on beaches, too. Paula, who is Mum to 5 year old Bethany and blind, needed a better buggy solution for when she takes Bethany to school with her 14 month old niece Amelia. Click on the link to read how Paula, Bethany, Amelia and guide dog Jemma got on with the Smart Buggy.

We’re pleased to welcome Stellina Baby to the House of LittleStuff. They are all about cashmere – and have a collection that is special and luxurious yet affordable, contemporary and vibrant but above all practical.
Ella is to be trying out one of their ballet wraps for review purposes… she gets all the tough jobs…

One of our crack team of reviewers, 2 year old Amy, is reviewing the new range of child crockery/cutlery from Steady Co. Fiona, Amy’s Mum, emailed me this morning with the first impressions;

“Amy’s so impressed; “IT’S PINK !!!!!” is all I’ve had for the last five minutes; that and “can I have tea now ???”

A good start so far – the cup has already been christened – without christening the floor.

Better go, she’s found the snack pot and has arrived at my desk with it and the strawberries from the fridge!!!”

I was really pleased to be asked by Pregnancy, Baby & You magazine to contribute to a feature in their Spring issue about setting up a new businesses. Of course, ‘mumpreneurs’ are nothing new these days – it’s seen by many to be a perfect solution to the whole back-to-work dilemma after you’ve had your baby. This feature was my story about the birth of LittleStuff, and some tips about running your own business.

Whilst we were reviewing the Sands Resort Hotel, we were invited to take the children to visit the Eden Project in Cornwall.

Well, what a day!!

The sheer scale of the place took us by surprise, and the strange beauty of the ‘domes’ and the ‘hedgehog building’ (The Core) was stunning from the high view point as you arrive. We had been looking out to see who could spot the domes first as we drove nearer – not realising that they are at the bottom of an old quarry pit, and entirely invisible until you’re right on top of them!

We hopped straight from the car onto the park & ride bus – two bigger boys very excited at trying to stand up without holding on as we drove, smallest boy just soooo excited simply to be on a bendy bus and looking out the window.

Our first step was the Mediterranean (or Warm Temperate as its called now) biome. We were tipped by one-who-knows to go here first – do the biomes the other way round and you may feel that the warm temperate biome has less to offer (which blatantly is not true), as it’s on a different scale. The boys enjoyed the dome more than we expected, and rather than simply charging through, shooting each other through the foliage, they enjoyed looking at the different zones (the ‘cowboy’ area was popular!), reading the short information posts, spotting various items – and they spent ages gazing at the incredible sculptures (they were spellbound by The Rites of Dionysus by Tim Shaw).

From there we made a slow walk back to The Core, which is an amazing building, designed around a tree principle, using a central trunk and canopy roof that shades the ground and harvests the sun. Based on the Fibonacci code, it is worth stopping to look at when you’re not too close, so that you can appreciate it. Of course, if you’re under the age of 10, its similarity to a hedgehog is wonder enough.

We stopped in the activities tent (it was the Easter holidays, and there were STACKS of things organised for the children to do) – the boys had an impromptu lesson in circus skills, decorated a cupcake and created a mini den.

Lunch was in Jo’s café, and was just wonderful. The boys all chose the ‘picnic basket’ option, which contained a sandwich, fruit, a muffin and a smoothie – plus a food related activity sheet, which kept them all busy! The highchairs are lovely – wooden, practical and stylish. And also importantly in plentiful supply. The grown up food was no less delicious – Mr Laura enjoyed a jacket with a spicy bean dish, and I had a great roasted veg tortilla.

The emphasis, as you’d expect, everywhere you go is on the environment. The food is all ‘good’ stuff, screens on the table played an interesting slideshow about food and its sources, which started up a great conversation with the boys. Even the stylish plastic chairs have a small plaque on the back saying that they were made from 300 plastic cups!

We couldn’t quite resist the carrot cake, either, which I have to say you would be VERY foolish to miss, it is just incredible!

After lunch we all went ice skating (the rink was put up for the winter, and by popular demand is still there!). Ella was too young, obviously, so Mr Laura opted to maintain his dignity and baby sit (and wield a camera instead, I discovered later!).

Once we felt we had all fallen over enough, we headed back to the biomes for the ‘Jungle Dome’ (Humid Tropics Biome).

Which is just stupendous.

As you step inside, you are engulfed by the humid warmth that seems to weirdly muffle sounds. The children just stopped still for a minute, and gazed, trying to take in the sheer scale of the real-life jungle in front of them – despite telling them what was inside, I don’t think they were prepared for the enormity of it – any more than we were, to be honest. The scents, the sounds, the heat – the whole atmosphere in the biome is foreign and exciting.

By the time you’re halfway round you have forgotten you’re in Cornwall at all, and you’re immersed in looking at what is around you – glancing upwards a couple of times I was surprised to see the hexagonal roof instead of a deep blue tropical sky.

It does get very hot (there are very welcome drinking fountains as you go round, but I found a bottle of water on the pushchair handy for the boys), and small tempers began to fray by the time we had reached the high point at the back. But then we came across the amazing waterfall, got very damp from the spray, had lots of excited chattery shouting over the noise of it and all was well again! The displays themselves are interesting and very well done, and we all learned a lot about so many different things. The visual nature of them meant the boys grasped ideas and concepts very quickly, far more so than pure written info signs – they were amazed by the Malaysian house, loved understanding where chocolate & chewing gum come from, the rubber story (with giant tyre) fascinated them… oh there was so much they loved and explored. There were constant shouts of ‘Hey! Come and look at this!’

But the Eden Project is not just about the biomes – the grounds are not just beautiful but interesting too. The boys loved exploring the interactive maze and play areas, and the WEEE man made us stop and examine him twice to spot new items – and generated an interesting conversation with the boys about waste and recycling, seeing him visually represent waste on such a graphic scale really helped them grasp what all the fuss is about. We didn’t make it to the land train (much to Toby’s disappointment), and I’m sure there are lots of things we missed. We finished up back in the Core, following the path to the centre to admire the Seed (which was a little lost on the boys, but we were awed by it), and then into the education hall for all the interactive displays which again the boys were enthralled by, particularly as they were able to get hands-on and fiddle and touch and poke and wind and watch and move and create for themselves.

On a dull-but-important note, there are good toilet and baby-changing facilities throughout the site, though not always conveniently close at hand. As we found out when Joe had queued for and then been strapped into his ice skating boots… and then decided he REALLY needed a wee… It’s also worth doing a Mumma-enforced do-you-need-a-wee?-well-lets-just-try trip before entering the domes.

We finally made it back to the car at 5.40 (another exciting bus ride back – and I have to just say that the labeling of the car park is genius – pictures of fruits for each level meant even the boys remembered where the car was!). We had such a fun-packed day – a family vote on the journey home had it noted under the ‘fantastic, MUST come back’ list.

Oh, and the cherry on the (carrot) cake? Gift Aid your entry, and you get to keep going back for a year – for free!!

(Sophie was reviewed by Mel – Mum to Ollie, 6 months old:)

My first impression of Sophie was mixed – she was very sweet in a retro, kitsch 60′s kind of way and looks like nothing else in Ollie’s toybox. It’s obvious that the design hasn’t changed at all in 40-odd years. But that made her likable and trustworthy, not dated – after all, if she’s worked for the last 40 years on French babies, why on earth change her? I also loved the fact that the original materials were still in use, but have suddenly become ‘trendy’ too – Sophie is 100% natural, sustainable and eco-friendly!

When I first gave Sophie The Famous Giraffe to Ollie he didn’t seem terribly impressed. I’m guessing probably because she isn’t a conventional looking baby toy. Even the squeaky noise didn’t seem to interest him.

But! Once he got his gums on to Sophie there was just no stopping him! She really comes in to her own when soothing those horrible teething pains; perfect for Ollie right now!

Sophie’s giraffe shape is so easy for him to hold; either around the neck or by one (or all!) of her legs. Ollie then puts her into his mouth and chews and chews and chews! He’s not fussy – sometimes her feet are being chewed, sometimes it’s her head, and sometimes even her back!

Because she is made of soft natural rubber in a hollow mould she is probably a lot nicer to chew than his other teethers which are considerably harder than Sophie.

As a parent I have to say I loved the fact that Sophie is a completely safe and natural product – I felt very reassured that she is 100% safe for babies to chew. We have taken her with us wherever we have gone and she has been well loved and certainly well chewed!

(*note from Laura – I just love the fact that Sophie is not referred to by Mel as ‘it’ but as ‘she’. I think that says it all!)

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Sophie was also reviewed by Katy, Mum to 16 month old Benjamin…

The day that Sophie the Giraffe arrived, my on-line conversation with Laura included this;

“Sophie’s here!

and she’s gorgeous!

Ben’s face just lit up the minute her head poppped out of the package.”

20 minutes later…

“He’s still smiling at her and squeaking and chewing her feet. He’s also carrying her around, tucked under his arm. Very cute.”

Ben was 16 months old when Sophie arrived and despite the target age for her being 3-6 months, she has been thoroughly enjoyed by him. Ben is the type of toddler who will put anything and everything in his mouth and chew, if he can (crayons and play dough included which make for multi-coloured nappy changes!). The more satisfying the chew, the more favoured the object. Sophie, bless her, has been a regular favourite of Ben’s for many months now. Her size and shape make her perfect for small babies to handle but are also spot on for a teething toddler who has those annoying back teeth coming through and just HAS to chew something to get some relief from those aching gums. I, as Mum, am happy that Sophie is safe to be chewed!

So, as a toy that makes a wonderful gift for a small baby, good value is to be had as a baby becomes a toddler and will still seek Sophie for comfort, a giggle when she squeaks and an aching-gum-relieving chew!

The full review is up online! We’ve had both the Walkabout Classic Advance and the Walkabout Platinum Digital on test for a while now. Katy volunteered herself for the task of writing them up – you can read her full review over in our reviews pages (or click the link of this post if you’re feeling lazy)

We’re just back from Cornwall – what a great few days we’ve had!  We were reviewing the Sands resort hotel near Newquay, and the hotel was great (full review can be seen here). the activities for the kids went down a storm, the food was excellent – we even managed an adults-only dinner thanks to the child listening service. The weather was not so kind – lots and lots of grey damp fog – but on the first evening I was alone in our room with Pink, and the sun ju-u-ust peeked out for me. Got my favourite image of the whole break. Talk about a room with a view!

How great this is! Calendars get ignored in our house, the children can’t see the computer reminders… but every Sunday we have a new routine. We sort out any invites, school, notes, play dates etc. and we write them on the planner for the coming week. Upon request we have started to include things Mummy & Daddy are doing, too, which the boys love.

And now a not-very-small miracle has taken place. No.1 son hasn’t forgotten his cornet for 3 weeks – nor has his football kit been left sad and lonely in a corner of the bedroom to be rescued by Mum on a mercy dash. Three boys can all see when homework has to be handed in – and therefore decide which day they will do it (son no.2 was even spotted voluntarily and unprompted guiltily practicing spellings at 7 a.m. last week because he had seen on the planner when he made his breakfast that they had to be handed in that day) . And of course play dates and parties are anticipated and counted down gleefully.
On top of all that, just like all Jam products, it looks utterly charming on the fridge :)

A SNIP at £4!

Laura and family are heading off to Cornwall for a couple of days to review the family friendly hotel just outside Newquay, the Sands Resort in Porth.
As baby friendly holidays go, its supposed to be a good one, with kids clubs, creche, child listening service, well equipped family rooms, adaptable dining options… I’m looking forward to it :)
While we’re there, we’ve been invited to review Newquay Zoo and the Eden Project too. Keep an eye on the reviews section to see what we think of them as family destinations.