Category Archives: Toys

Argos Tester Review of the Chad Valley Bright Stars Pop Up Play Tunnel

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I am fortunate to be an Argos Tester, this means that I often get items sent to me for the purpose of an online review. I test products and take photographs of them before submitting my findings and thoughts to Argos. For February I was offered Children’s Toys. I was excited at the thought of testing something that my young son would be a huge part of, and his opinions would matter during the reviewing process.

#ArgosTester #ArgosTesters #ArgosTestersCommunity

I have written this article about a product that I have been supplied for free, in order to test and then review it. This is my experience with said product and my honest review about the product which is listed below. I have already submitted my product review to the Argos Website when this post has been published.

My Honest Opinion on the Product

I have been rather happy with the overall look and quality of this product. The Pop Up Tunnel is something that doesn’t only entertain my toddler, but we can add learning into play and he also gets exercise indoors on poor weather days. It is bright and inviting and my son wanted to play with it immediately after I had set it up for him. I look forward to setting it up outside in the summer too on some outdoor play mats. I think it’s an excellent product for the price it is available at, and most children would have the imagination to be able to use it effectively. Because it folds away neatly it even fits into our large toy chest so it takes up no additional room. This product is ideal for any parents who may have a toddler or young child with lots of energy like mine. The best features are the ideal length (it is not too long to overtake your floor but long enough for a toddler to crawl through and have lots of fun), its bright colours and fun stars pattern, the genius tabs at either end so it can be securely fastened and put away for another day, and finally the imagination factor of it!

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Sabrina’s Top Tips for Using this Tunnel for Learning during Play

Once your child is used to the tunnel and is having fun with it, then there are several ways you can use it to increase learning while your child is playing. Words such as “Through” for them crawling through the tunnel is a good one, as well as “In”, “Out” and “Under”. You can also name the various Colours such as “Red”, “Yellow” and “Blue” and the “Stars” on the pattern too. See if your toddler can indicate which is which and say them back.

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Usage of the Product

The tunnel is made from material that is not waterproof, and is only wipe clean, so it is best used indoors and on a soft surface such as carpet, a rug or play mats. Keep food and drink away from it in my opinion. It will move around and slip easily on a wooden floor so perhaps look at where is safest in your home to set it up. Always supervise your child or children when using toys. The tunnel can be used outdoors in dry weather but I would suggest it was still set up on play mats still to avoid the material getting torn by anything sharp or pointed.

Product Name: Chad Valley Bright Stars Pop Up Play Tunnel

Product Details: A Red, Yellow and Blue Tunnel with White Stars. Ideal for children aged 2 years and over. Pop Up means it has minimal assembly required and also folds away neatly using the tabs at either end to secure and store reasonably flat. It is advisable to supervise children at all times while using this toy tunnel and to keep any sharp toys or furniture away from the material to prolong use. It can be used indoors or outdoors, but should only really be used on a flat and soft surface indoors, ideally set up on play mats or carpet. Due to the nature of the material it should be stored appropriately. Play Mats that can be set up outdoors is also a good idea when planning to use this outside because this tunnel is not waterproof.

Product Dimensions: H42cm W80cm D42cm

Product Description: Ideal for bringing children into a world of imagination. This tunnel can be anything they want it to be, and you can also use it with other items such as when children want to build a den for example. A tunnel to a secret dinosaur world, a secret passageway out into the world of spies… this can be whatever your child can dream up.

Argos Website Link: Chad Valley Bright Stars Pop Up Play Tunnel

Argos Website Price: £8.00 (Correct as of 14th February 2021)

My Argos Tester Review Submission

My son was over the moon with this bright & fun tunnel he loves anything with stars on. It took no time to set up & easily packed away again, tabs either end secure it together almost flat so storage is no issue when not in use. A lovely item filled with possibilities with a bit of imagination, good for learning, teaching & great exercise on days we can’t get out of the house.

If you are interested in finding out more about this product then please click the link above in my Product Details section to go to the Argos website.

Thank you for reading this review, have a lovely day.

✩ Sabrina ✩

At Home Storage Hacks for Parents, How To Keep All The Kids Toys Stored Tidy and Neatly

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Featuring…
Aldi Stars Boxes
Argos Silver Grey Boxes
B & M Dark Grey Fabric Boxes

I think every parent will agree with me when I say “mess is a fact of having children” but that doesn’t mean you can’t have a tidy home when the children are asleep, or for when relatives come around! And can I just say, Square Furniture really excites me, its versatility knows no bounds!

But first, Tidy Hacks! When my son was only twelve months old I began a routine with him which involved us tidying up once we have finished with certain things. It started with me showing him then handing him the item and encouraging him to copy me. So… Books went back in his Book Tub and toys went back in the Toy Box. He soon realised that it was important to tidy up. My son took to it really well, he even puts balls back in his ball pit now, and has done since he was eighteen months of age. Instilling this notion early enough has paved a way for a toddler who understands how important it is to put something back when you have finished with it. My first TIP is to allocate boxes for different items, such as, the Grey box is for books, the Red box is for Cars, the Blue box is for trains and the Green box is for animals.

There is no right or wrong way to have your home, however one thing is for sure, cleaning it is far easier when everything has its own place. Boxes are filled and put back on to shelves. I love furniture and I love how it brings a room together too. I have a large wooden chest in my lounge along with several small lidded boxes to store my sons toys in. I always like to have that option to tidy things away completely, in case I have family over for example, or I may need the space to do messy play.

In my son’s bedroom I have several pieces of furniture that are square and contain various storage tubs and boxes. They look neat and tidy and are easy enough to maintain. The boxes are made of fabric and are often purchasable in many styles and colours to maintain the theme for your chosen bedroom. Great for anywhere in the house, such as hallway or living room too. Do you have any Square Furniture? I think they’re just great!

I have always been a fan of the clean lines that square furniture gives you. And with so many places now creating the relevant boxes to go into these holes, you have a wide range of choice to make your home how you want it.

B & M Boxes


Excellent Value for Money Square Storage Boxes

Argos – Great Quality and in a Variety of Colours and Patterns. Boxes are in packs of 4 with 2 Sizes Available. And prices start from £14.00 for 4 boxes. Argos also do lidded Square Storage Cubes in fabric and a leather look, which can double as seating for children in a bedroom too.

B & M – Fabric Boxes and Velvet Boxes, Good Quality but Less Choice Available (I only found Bright Pink, Blush Pink, Dark Grey and Silver). The Velvet ones were £7 for a pack of two and are very soft and of good quality. The fabric boxes are not as nice but definitely do the job well enough though and are ideal for toys, they were £5 for a pack of two.

Aldi – Special Buys Baby Event – Stars Boxes – Multiple Colours Available and were £3.99 each box. They were only available for a limited time.

Ikea – Several styles of boxes and tubs available from Ikea and many colours and patterns as well. They range from £3.00 upwards for a single box and the range is called Drona.

The furniture I purchased for my sons room is from Argos. But Ikea do a similar range as well named Kallax. Due to the Pandemic it has been far easier for me to get a delivery or click and collect option from my local Argos stores, mainly because its almost a two hour drive for me to get to an Ikea store, so I would rely on an online order and delivery.


My final TIP for keeping a house tidy is this, get one box out at a time, and teach your child/ren that once they are finished with that box, it gets packed up and placed back on to the unit or into the bedroom it came from. Then they can get another box of toys out to play with. In-still this idea at a young age and they should keep respecting their play space long enough to keep wanting to tidy up after themselves. These types of storage are so easy too, there isn’t anything complicated about it. You just need a system of what goes into what box, but you could always get labels for them too!

Great Value Square Furniture

Argos Home Squares range from £24 to £120.
Colours Available are Putty (Light Grey), Oak Effect, Black and White.

Ikea Kallax Square furniture range is from £19 to £129.
Colours Available are Black/Brown, White, High-Gloss White, Oak Effect, White Stained Oak Effect and Grey-Wood Effect.


Thank you for reading this blog post today, I hope I have given you some inspiration on how to make your own homes more tidy by using square storage to its full potential.

Check out my Instagram for more inspirational images on storage and tidiness.

✩ Sabrina ✩

Reviewing the Fisher-Price Laugh and Learn Silly Sounds Light-up Piano

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As part of being an Argos Tester I often get sent items for reviewing purposes. This recent campaign has been surrounding Fisher-Price toys and items relevant to development and learning. It has been a great opportunity for me to introduce my son to various new things and to build that level of curiosity within play time and learning.

An Eye Catching Colourful Design on this Fun Toy

Today I’m bringing a new Argos Tester Review to my blog with the help of another fabulous Fisher-Price toy. This is the Laugh and Learn Silly Sounds Light-up Piano, and it is classed as a teaching toy.

This mini piano is great for any child who has shown an interest in liking music and sounds. It’s especially brilliant because of how easy it is to use, any infant will love to press the buttons and make the sounds and songs appear.

Learning and Fun with the Light-Up Piano

Who doesn’t like a mixture of learning and fun?

The Piano has 4 Settings with fun and learning incorporating sounds and words. Numbers, Colours, Shapes and Sound including songs that encourage children to listen and learn. Each key when pressed will be spoken by the Fisher-Price voice in either the Number, Colour or Shape. For example, “8!” “Teal” & “Diamond!” And it also sounds a little jingle afterwards representing the shape.

The 8 main keys are smooth to the touch and are brightly coloured. Each of them have a colour, a shape and a number. They are the perfect octave! Although I almost wish the black keys were also press-able so it was like a real piano.

There are also 2 fun modes of Duck and Cow which have various sounds from both of the animals which is so funny that even 30 somethings laughed when it was pressed in our house! The novelty aspect of these modes makes it quite unique.

The flashing light on the top part of the toy is a great way to get little ones attention to the beats of the songs and along with the sounds it encourages movement. The light colour also corresponds to whichever key has just been pressed too.
The green handle on the top right of the you piano is excellent for ease of carrying and moving the item around the home.

This Fisher-Price toy is excellent for allowing children to explore all sorts of sounds, while encouraging their learning of shapes and numbers too. As well as recognising a range of colours and animal sounds. The great thing about toys like this is that a child will be counting and not even realise because they’re just playing, but it’s a wonderful way to introduce both musical aspects of playtime and also early academics with each mode available.

✩ Product Information ✩

Ages 6 months to 36 months.
Dimensions 19cm Width 25cm Length 5cm Depth

Retailing for around £20.00 this toy has been made to an excellent standard and comes ready to use. When the batteries do run out all that you’ll require is a small screwdriver and 3 new AA batteries to replace them with.

Argos Website Link

✩ Overall Scores ✩

Manufacturing Quality 5/5
Overall Design 5/5
Toy Features 5/5
Entertainment Value 5/5
Development Value 5/5

Perfect for little fingers…

✩ Argos Tester Review ✩

This toy is excellent for allowing children to explore sounds while encouraging their learning of shapes, colours & numbers too. As well as recognising a range of animal noises. The great thing about this is that a child will be learning & not even realise because they’re just playing with the instrument. It’s a wonderful way to introduce musical aspects to playtime & also incorporate the essential early academics with each of the learning modes available. Just wish the black keys worked too!

“8 keys to count with me” sings the piano…

Thank you for reading this review today, for more of my opinions on some of the latest children’s toys then please click the appropriate categories on my main page.

See you on Severn Wishes again soon I hope!

✩ Sabrina ✩

Reviewing the Fisher-Price Laugh and Learn Smart Stages Puppy

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As part of being an Argos Tester I often get sent items for reviewing purposes. This recent campaign has been surrounding Fisher-Price toys and learning. It has been a great opportunity for me to introduce my son to various new things and build that level of curiosity within play time and learning.

The Fisher-Price Laugh and Learn Smart Stages Puppy can be a cuddly soft friend for your child that can help them to learn and allow them to have fun doing it too.

The puppy has multiple buttons that when pushed cause a response of talking, singing, noises or well-known phrases. The cute Puppy is a friendly character that will grow with your child, simply hold down his foot to change up to the next stage. The clever aspect of this toy is the repetition and the use of sounds to keep baby’s attention. Any child should find the soft to touch puppy fun to play with. Your child can copy and interact with certain parts too with both the actions and sounds.

I really like how colourful the puppy is with its ABC T-shirt and the light up heart is a fun addition too. Our son has quickly learnt how to press the buttons in order to make the puppy interactive. He enjoys figuring out the sensory aspects and likes to play along. I’m sure this toy will be used for many months to come because he is currently still young enough for Level 1 and 2.

Product Information

Level 1 – Time To Explore – Your Baby can press on the Puppy’s hands, feet, heart, nose or ear in order to hear the words, colours, alphabet and so much more!
Level 2 – Let’s Encourage – Fun phrases reward your little one as they’re encouraged by the Puppy to count, find colors, and find and name body parts! The Puppy will say things like, “Where is my Red Hand?” and will reward baby with phrases like “You did it” when they get it correct.
Level 3 – Let’s Pretend – With sing-along songs like Pat-A-Cake and phrases that engage in a toddlers exciting and imaginative time of play, this setting is the most interactive of the three.

The puppy introduces infants to one hundred words that include shapes and the alphabet as well as numbers and parts of the body.

This toy develops a child’s fine motor and sensory skills.

Size H30.5, W28, D20.3cm.
Requires 3 x AA Batteries (Included).
Age Range 6-36 months.

Here is the link to the Puppy on the Argos website if you wish to see more about it or purchase one, here

Would I recommend this product?

Yes I would. I give it 5 ✩‘s

Manufacturing Quality 5/5
Overall Design 5/5
Toy Features 5/5
Entertainment Value 5/5
Development Value 5/5

Not only is the Puppy made well with a large expanse of settings it also has many features, the choice is astounding. So many levels with Songs and Fun for many months of play and learning. I think it has great entertainment value for infants as well as good development aids too.

Thank you for reading this review today, for more of my opinions on some of the latest children’s toys then please click the appropriate categories on my main page.

See you on Severn Wishes again soon I hope!

✩ Sabrina ✩

Reviewing the Fisher-Price Game & Learn Controller

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A wonderful sensory related toy that will be fun for your little one for years to come.

As part of being an Argos Tester I often get sent items for reviewing purposes. This recent campaign has been surrounding Fisher-Price toys and learning. It has been a great opportunity for me to introduce my son to various new things and build that level of curiosity within play time and learning.

Learning about Shapes, Numbers, Letters, Words, Songs, Music all by encouraging the ability to push and press buttons to gain a response.

The Fisher-Price Game and Learn Controller is one of the items that can easily grab a child’s attention. With a variety of buttons to press, a toy that is ergonomically designed and easy for small hands to hold too. Paired with its bright colours, lights and sounds, it was already a winner and we had only pressed three things when it came out of its box.

You can see the various buttons in shape, size and colour, all attracting the child to the toy.

This game pad has a range of sensory aspects such as letters, shapes, lights, sounds, music, numbers, words and songs, plus various things to push and pull on its surface.

The centre of the pad lights up and has different coloured lights that shine out from where the happy and smiling face is. All of the buttons are brightly coloured & inviting.


At the top there is a clicker disc and a switch to toggle for more fine-motor playing.

It has two settings, one that focuses more on numbers and the other on sounds and music. It has so many novelty noises too that you would find within actual games such as “dun dun dun” and “splash”. Other noises include an Engine from a Racing Car, a few Sci-Fi sounds and fun game jingles.

The controller also has positive reinforcements such as “Well Done” and “Brilliant” as well as Game sentences like “Power Up” and “You Win”.

This toy is one that will grow with my child because it has two different levels for them to go through. It is designed for children ages 6 months to 36 months.

The buttons are perfect for small hands and the bright colours, shapes and letters encourage learning.

It certainly has reference to real life items too, such as gaming controllers for consoles and remote controls. Our son has recently become very intrigued by our phones, remotes and other devices that require you to press buttons on their surface.

We are very happy with how entertaining the game controller is & our son presses it with ease all on his own. The sounds and music are all very catchy, and the toy has been used daily since I received it to review. Our son picks it up out of a bunch of toys available, so it’s been a real hit in our house.

Toy Details
Ages 6 months +
Requires 3 x AAA Batteries (Included)
Toy Size Height 20.3cm Width 16.5cm Depth 6.9cm

Would I recommend this product?

Yes I would. I give it 5 ✩‘s

Manufacturing Quality 5/5
Overall Design 5/5
Toy Features 5/5
Entertainment Value 5/5
Development Value 5/5

Overall the Fisher-Price Controller has great entertainment value while getting your child to learn at the same time. Our son really enjoys every aspect of it, be it the pressing or clicking of buttons, listening to the sounds or jingles, and even just holding the toy by himself. It allows independent play by encouraging the child to do things for themselves, both in imagination and physical

This is a great new price currently at just £7.98 at Argos.
(Price correct as of publish date for this post).

If you want to learn more about this toy you can visit the link to it for the Argos website here

Thank you for reading this review today, for more of my opinions on some of the latest children’s toys then click the appropriate categories on my main page. Please come back again soon.

✩ Sabrina ✩

Reviewing the Fisher-Price Soothe & Glow Seahorse

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I have been testing some Fisher-Price toys for Argos Testers. This one is called the Soothe and Glow Seahorse, and is available in Light Blue or Pink. It is suitable from Birth and it is designed to develop Sensory awareness. Baby will work out that pressing or hugging the hard tummy button of the toy will provide the interactive stimulation.

Our son was instantly attracted to the glow & sounds of the Seahorse. He enjoyed giving it a hug to activate it. We tried it several times in the early hours after baby woke due to sleep regression & teething. Within a few minutes the soothing sounds sent baby back to sleep. I believe the toy has great potential to become more effective as baby will learn to recognise it as a soother & used at a time for going back to sleep. We liked the two sound levels, ocean sounds & how soft the toy was too.

We have now been using Mr Seahorse (as we call him) for 3 weeks at night and in the early hours of the morning. I would say it soothes more so than sends baby physically off to sleep. However if our son is already very tired it definitely helps. It’s the combination of the sea and water sounds along with soft lullaby that seems to work. I often stroke his chest or head in rhythm with the toy and this has a positive effect.

Product Information

Soothe and Glow Seahorse has Two Sound Level Settings.
It is a Soft Plush that’s wipe clean only.
It has a Lovely Gentle Face for baby to look at with Large Eyes.
The Seahorse has Sensory Fins that are in a different texture.
The toy has a Tummy that is hard to press and glows orange.
The Sounds that feature are 8 Lullaby’s and Ocean Noises​.
The Toy is interactive for approximately 5 minutes when pressed.
The Seahorse is Suitable from Birth.
Batteries Required are 2 x AA (included).
Size H 28cm, W 13cm & D 12cm.

Would I recommend this product?

Yes I would. I give it 5 ✩‘s

Manufacturing Quality 5/5
Overall Design 5/5
Toy Features 5/5
Entertainment Value 5/5
Development Value 5/5

Overall the Fisher-Price Soothe and Glow Seahorse is an excellent quality product that definitely helps with getting baby to sleep.

This is a good price currently at £11.99 at Argos.

If anyone would like the direct link to the item here it is LINK

Thank you for visiting Severn Wishes, I hope to enjoyed this Review and that I see you here again very soon. 

✩ Sabrina ✩

Our Experience of Baby Sensory Class and How I Teach My Baby At Home

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Our Experience of a Baby Sensory Class

Beach Theme – Under The Sea.

Using textures, sounds, bubbles, bright colours, animals, music, voices, singing, shiny surfaces, sign language and toys… Baby Sensory has something for babies of all ages. This class that I attended was for babies of only a few weeks old right up to 13 months.

Our son Baby A has just turned 6 months old, so he was able to appreciate a great deal of what was going on. There were various mats on the floor for parents to sit upon and soft mats to lay babies upon in front. The class interacted with the children on many levels, be it laying on their back, sitting up, laying on their fronts, and sat upon their parents laps even!

There is always a hello and a goodbye section of the class, then in between is a theme plus a short break midway through for feeding and changing, or just more playing.

Sand was substituted for oats so that babies weren’t in any danger if they happened to eat any. I thought this was a great idea! A variety of textures were used doing the hour, silk, organza, bubbles and soft mats. Sign language is used during songs to make the babies think about the words being sung and said. This is also a really nice part of the group activities.

Baby A enjoyed some aspects of the class more than others, such as the objects and instruments that he could personally interact with, especially when he could hold and feel them. He very much liked the shells and wooden objects that were in the bucket I was given in this class.​

I have paid for a course of classes for my son and I to attend. I feel it’s a good idea to introduce him to other babies, various sounds and activities that I cannot do very easily at home. Plus it’s a good reason to get out of the house and for my son and I to have some fun learning things together.

If there are classes in your town I recommend that you give this type of learning class a go! If you find a good one the activities can be essential to your baby learning things and experiencing things in a safe environment.

Baby Sensory Class
Bucket and Mat for the Under The Sea Theme

How and What I Teach My Baby At Home

There are many things that I teach Baby A at home, and also when we are out and about. Such as pointing out colours, numbers, weather and words as well as the basics like animals and objects. You don’t need to spend a lot of money on things, and you can use items at home to create sensory things.

I really enjoy showing my son real objects. Ones that make noises and have great textures are the best types. We often use toys and explain what in reality they are based upon. We try and expose him to educational television programs and we try and use books daily too. Ones with pictures are best at the moment but we always interact with the books with words and noises to help him understand further.

Young babies can only see Black, White and Red colours, so it’s a good idea to begin showing them shapes and every day objects and short words that are designed in this colour pattern. As baby gets older you can show them more colours and build upon it week after week.

Repetition is the best way of learning, and a baby will begin to recognise objects from an early age when shown them on a regular basis. Our son liked particular animals that were on flash cards, so we aimed to buy him other things that had these things as the theme. Such as he liked the image of a snail in one of the books and so we attached a snail hanging toy for the arch on his play mat.

My Top Tips for teaching your child things at home, are to incorporate a section of learning time into your routine so that once a day your baby is learning. Use repetition and do any teaching when your baby is most awake and alert. Making the learning fun means your little one is more likely to enjoy it and recall aspects of it.

Learning with your child should be an activity that you can both enjoy, you can always get other people involved too such as grand parents and friends. If there are babies of different ages in the room you can get everyone to do things in a way that they would all benefit. Such as explain colours and objects to the younger baby while getting an older child to spell the word for example.

Baby Sensory Light Display


If anyone found this post useful then please leave me a comment. I may elaborate on ways that I teach if people would find it beneficial. And also explain about the items that I have made and created for our at home sensory experience.

Thank you for reading my blog today and for visiting Severn Wishes, I hope you’ll stop by again soon. Have a great day!

♡✩ Sabrina ✩♡

Our Baby Items Wish List and Changes We Are Making At Home

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Baby Items Wish List and Changes We Are Making At Home

When you get to the shopping stage of having a baby it can be quite overwhelming. I have read so many reviews I am not sure what to go for in some aspects. However there are some items that I most definitely want to buy, products that I feel will help my husband and I overall when our baby does arrive.

This blog post is quite a short one, I’m outlining a few things that are still on our wish list to buy and why we would like to get them…

Wish List for our Baby

Considering I’m such an organised person there are still a few things that we don’t have for baby as yet. The reason being is that we were researching and comparing brands in some product cases, and some things we just couldn’t make up our mind on.

You often get told to buy things that are actually quite unnecessary, however there are also things that both fellow parents and bloggers have recommended to me. I’ve then done my own research and also attended demonstrations at baby shows in order to help make my decisions.

My plan is to review each of the main items that we do purchase, I can only do that once baby is here though and we are actually using them. So today, I want to outline my current wish list and the items I’ve considered getting. Some things that we have in fact bought, will be reviewed in time.

In the next few paragraphs I’m going to be explaining why I want these particular products for baby and the reasons that others have given me for buying the item which has sparked my interest in the first place.

Belo Teething Mitt £12.99

Website Here

I have been introduced to Belo Teething Mitts recently via Facebook when a friend shared their recent competition. I liked the style of them, although they aren’t as popular as some brands they seemed quite affordable and peoples reviews reflected a good quality.

Once baby is born I would consider ordering a pair of these mittens especially if our baby begins to chew their hand or digits for example.

These Belo Mittens are available for babies aged 3-12 months. They are BPA Free and Safety Tested, they can also be washed in the washing machine.

Here is an image of their mittens, they are only available in blue or pink at the moment.


Bean Bag Planet £39.99

Website Here

One thing I have been looking at for months has been the baby bean bags available on the market. My husband and I bought a Poddle Pod already from a baby show. But I like the look of the bean bag because baby will grow with it.

Here are the main reasons why I would love to buy our baby one of these. The product has two covers, one for newborns with a harness and the other one is suitable from toddler to ten years old. The bean bag base is waterproof and wipe clean. Not only is the inner product fire retardant but the bean bag also features a removable and adjustable filling.

Here are some photographic examples of the sorts of styles that Bean Bag Planet currently do. It also costs an additional £3.99 to have the bean bag filled.

 

 

Gummee Glove Teething Mitten £10.99

Website Here

Another Mitten that I have seen and like the look of is the Gummee Glove. This baby mitten has teething sections attached and they make several sizes for different babies stages. I would love to invest in the first one which is for 3-6 months, and if baby gets on with it I can get the next size up.

The reason I like the look of this teething mitten is because they are made with 100% cotton. It is BPA, Latex and Phthalate Free, Safety Tested and Machine Washable. Gummee Glove currently comes in three colours, Yellow, Turquoise or Pink.
Here are some images of the Gloves currently available and I have included a link to the website too for anyone who wants to see it.

 


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Changes We Are Making at Home in Preparation For Baby

 

It’s taken a while but we’ve finally began to order things for our baby. We’ve decided to make some changes at home, getting rid of things to make room for new items such as furniture. We have removed a wardrobe so that we can have a baby changing table with storage shelving that will be ideal for us to store nappies and things in.

Something else that we have done is rearranged our bedroom so that when baby is here the Moses basket won’t be against any external walls. It’s important to read up about the safety aspects of your home, and make sure you have taken any precautions or rearranged furniture so the room is well ventilated for example.

Other preparations that we still have to make are more tidying and putting away of items that may create allergen risks. It also means I will have less to do when baby is here, such as making hoovering easier and dusting time less – neither of which are bad things!

We hope that in these final few weeks we will still have the time to complete the rooms exactly how we want them, before baby makes its appearance. I will be reviewing items we have been particularly impressed with individually on the blog, as and when I have time to. So stay tuned to Severn Wishes in the coming months if you’re interested in any of that!

Thanks for reading everyone! Do you own any of these products? Please let me know what they’re like in the comments section if you do!

✩ Sabrina ✩

Great Cat Toys and Furniture For Indoor Cats

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Great Cat Toys and Furniture for Indoor Cats

We have always had rescue cats in my family and they are part of the family! We have had three in total during the past ten years. Sadly one of them passed away two years ago due to a heart condition, he is sorely missed, and he loved to play with everything. We called him our “Dog-Cat” because he used to play fetch with some of his toys! I am glad that I took so many photo’s of him, inside boxes, in cat beds, on top of units… he had such a wonderful life with us, and for that we are so grateful…

Since we lost our boy his sister got quite lonely, and eight months after he passed away we got the opportunity to adopt a stray kitten who was in need of a home.

We know we are incredibly lucky with our cats, not just that they are affectionate to us, but also because they get on really well together considering they aren’t related.

Here are all three of our fur babies. Our angel in the stars ✩♡✩ on the left, his sister is in the middle, and she turned 8 this week! And finally our youngest is on the right, she will be 2 this June!

They may not be sisters by blood, but they are sisters by love for sure ♡

I’m writing this blog post to show people how happy my indoor cats are, providing they have the necessary toys, water and food, and of course their own space, there is nothing wrong with keeping your cats indoors.

Furniture was hugely important when we made the decision to keep our original two as indoor cats. There were several reasons, one was due to living metres away from a main road, another was due to neighbours keeping dogs in their back gardens, and finally because of our boys health problems. We purchased three main pieces, one was from Argos and two were from Pets at Home.

When choosing cat furniture and scratching posts always introduce them together, and encourage the cats to use them. If you make it fun as kittens they are more likely to continue with it on to adulthood. Choose items that won’t become a nuisance in your rooms and that blend in with the shapes you already have. There are some awesome trees out now, that are even designed to fit into corners of the room. You can pay around £100 for these sorts, but if you maintain them with regular trimming and hoovering they should last several years.

We had a cream cat stand from Argos back in 2010 when we first got our kittens from the rescue cattery. It was around £30 at the time, and it lasted us for the next seven years! Here is a shot of our original two rescue cats when they were tiny kittens using the stand all those years ago! It gave them so many hours of fun and also was somewhere soft to sleep until they got bigger.


We replaced it in 2017 with the new version, one in grey, an almost identical shape, they just changed the colour and made the base piece more sturdy. Perfect! The colour goes well in most rooms and it stands at 85cm tall. The material is soft fleece and easy to hoover with our pet attachment. It has scratch posts attached and a hiding hole for cats to go into, however we use that to store all their toys when not in use – super handy either way!

Available At: Argos
Design: Grey and Cream – Soft Grey Fleece with Scratching Post Parts
Information: Self Assembly Required
Dimensions: H85cm x W50cm x D42cm
Price: £35.00
My Rating: 5✩’s 

Here is our youngest, she loves to sit up as high as possible and watch what everyone is doing. As you can see, she is a fully grown adult cat and still fits nicely across the top of this particular cat stand. We use the section inside the drum to store some toys.

Our other main cat unit is this one, it is brown and cream and has a lovely large section for the cats to lay across. It’s situated upstairs so it gets the light in the afternoons.

Available At: Pets At Home
Name: Pets at Home Tudor Tunnel and Scratch Cat Post
Design: Brown and Cream – Soft Fleece with Scratching Posts and Tunnel
Information: Self Assembly Required
Dimensions: 44cm x 40cm x 34cm
Price: £37.00
My Rating: 5✩’s 

As our youngest demonstrates there is more than enough room for an adult cat.

Cat beds have been one of those items that are used periodically in our house. If it’s during the cooler months of the year you will often find the cats curled up inside the pyramid bed or on a cushion bed near a radiator. But in the summer these don’t get much use. I often decide to wash them in the summer, dry them outside and then set them to one side, this totally refreshes them ready for the autumn.

I would recommend getting the ones with removable covers or cushions that can go in the washing machine, Argos, Pets at Home and various large independent Pet Stores should do ones of this kind. They range from £12 to £40 depending upon size and quality of material, but we have never paid more than £20-£25 for one of ours, and most of them are several years old now, still going strong.

Available At: Pets At Home
Name: Paw Fleece Igloo Cat Bed
Design: Black Fleece Material with Cat Paws Print
Information: Machine Washable
Dimensions: 35cm x 35cm x 38cm
Price: £12.00
My Rating: 5✩’s 

Here is our eldest in her Igloo Pyramid Bed, they changed the design recently to incorporate the paw prints on the outside as well as the inside. Ours is all black but otherwise identical to the one I have mentioned above. Bought from Pets at Home back in 2010 however! We bought the matching round donut bed at the same time too!

Available At: Pets At Home
Name: Paw Fleece Cat Donut Bed
Design: Black Fleece Material with Cat Paws Print
Information: Machine Washable
Dimensions: 46cm x 46cm x 10cm
Price: £9.00
My Rating: 5✩’s 

The girls are ready to play!

As for cat toys ours do like a real mixture and it can depend what mood they are in as well. They adore Ping Pong balls, Rattling Mice and the range from Kong which contain catnip. I bought coloured Ping Pong balls from Amazon and white ones from the local Pound Shop – these get an awful lot of use in our house and they often go missing for days and then turn up (usually under a unit or chair), so it’s good to get a few in!

You could also consider making your own toys such as Pom Poms! But you need to supervise play with these items for sure as cats usually pull them a part!

Resting after some pom pom play time!

Other toys like Mice we have bought from Pet Stores such as Pets at Home. Here are a few items that are still available to buy out of what we have recently gotten for our cats.

Some of our toys are looking old but they are well loved and well used.

Available At: Amazon by Pet Love
Name: Pet Love Playtime Ping Pong Balls for Cats
Design: Coloured Ping Pong Balls
Information: Wipe Clean Coloured Air Filled Plastic Balls
Dimensions: 4cm x 4cm x 4cm
Price: £3.49
My Rating: 5✩’s 

Amazon Cat Toys Choice and Quality Available 4✩’s

Available At: Pets At Home
Name: Catnip Might Mouse by Petstages
Design: Bright Green Mouse with 100% Premium Catnip inside
Information: A crunchy sounding Mouse that offers hours of fun (Pets should be supervised when using this type of toy)
Dimensions: 15cm x 4.5cm x 5.7cm
Price: £4.50
My Rating: 5✩’s 

Pets At Home Toys In General Choice and Quality 4✩’s

Available At: Pet Shops / Pets at Home / Amazon / Garden Centres
Name: Catit Senses Play Circuit
Design: A Plastic Circuit That Fits Together In An Array Of Shapes
Information: Contains A Ball That Goes Inside The Plastic Track, Ideal For Increasing Motor Skills In Kittens And Keeping Indoor Cats Senses Active. Multiple Layout Choices
Dimensions: 24cm x 24cm x 8cm (Approximately and Range of Sizes)
Price: £7.49 – £20.00 (Range of Sizes and Colours Available)
My Rating: Catit Senses Circuits 4✩’s

 

Here are our two on Christmas morning playing with their new layout (green), this was the second Catit Senses Track we had gotten them. The image above shows their first one, a blue one we left in a circle. They love it!

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Something else that may encourage your cat to scratch “it” rather than your furniture is a Kong Kickaroo! These can be bought from Vets that stock them such as Vets 4 Pets or from some larger Pets at Home stores. Made in the USA they come in several sizes for both kittens and cats. They are like giant sausages that contain catnip, they have a pattern of fleece and are finished with a soft feather-like end. Ours take a real hammering of back feet and claws on a daily basis, and the cats have yet to ruin one! We have three of them and they are dotted around the house so the cats get the most out of them. It’s pretty hilarious sometimes when they “have a go at one”! Each cat was bought one after their first ever annual injections and the tradition just stuck!

These Kickaroo Toys are awesome! Good quality material, even though they are well used in our house our cats have yet to rip one open!

He loved to hug it, attack it, sleep on it and carry it around… ♡

My Rating: Kong Kickaroo 5✩’s

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When we move house I would like to purchase a large cat tree from a company whose page I found on Facebook. They are UK based and do them in a range of colours and sizes to suit all homes. I want my cats to have somewhere high up to escape to, once my baby begins moving around independently too. The page is called Cat Tree UK and I like the look of their items and prices, though I will continue to read reviews in the mean time.

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Thank you for reading this blog post today, I hope that you have enjoyed looking at my life with my cats and seeing them having fun with an array of awesome items! Any questions about products just send me a comment, I’m happy to answer any that I can!

✩ Sabrina ✩

Product Review of Wooden Farm House Shape Sorter from The Laser Boutique

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When searching for an educational toy for my Godson for Christmas 2016, I stumbled across a page on Facebook that I had been following for quite some time.The Laser Boutique specialises in a variety of wooden toys and gifts, a lot of which can be personalised too.

I read some review comments of their products before I ordered and decided that they were the UK business I wanted to support this year. I believe that when you find a decent product and great service, it’s good to tell others about it. I will put all their links at the end of my review for their Facebook, Website and toy I bought.

So let me explain what item I ordered. The gift I was after needed to be an educational toy and wooden, I believe in the joy that comes with these sorts of things, and wooden is far better than any sorts of plastics. When I spotted the Farm House Shape Sorter I knew that this was the one. It was colourful and highly detailed, perfect for learning children.

The building comes with two roof sections that can be personalised, and there are holes in the sides for the eight animals to be posted through, this will help a child with their dexterity skills. The building also has a handle so it can be easily transported and lifted. The whole toy is painted beautifully with nice details, and the animals are all smooth and anatomically correct. The nature of learning with shapes allows a child to distinguish the differences, and eventually they will learn the language skills with their parents aid, to know the names of the animals they are playing with. Wooden toys such as this encourage imagination and learning.

Overall this toy makes a wonderful gift, and hopefully one that will supply the child with years of fun and learning. Even my Godson’s older brother has been playing with it! This item has been a hit with the family right from the start, and we all agree that you cannot beat great quality wooden toys. Especially educational ones and from companies that put such a lot of effort into the personal touch too.

Final Review

Appearance
5/5
A bright and colourful appearance with this toy can be excellent for a child with their mental development of shapes and colours. it encourages imagination and is ideal for educational play from 12 months of age. Because it is has the many colours and shapes, it is appealing to young children when all the while stimulating learning.

Quality
5/5
The entire toy and its contents are well built, beautifully painted and the pieces fit together perfectly. It’s also got the safety tested sticker on the box to ensure you know the quality has been thoroughly tested before sale.

Value for Money
5/5
Personally I think it’s an excellent price for what you get, you cannot put a price on a child’s education, and when a toy is this well made, it should last a long time. Toys such as these can be used for years after the preferred age required, and are strong enough to be played with and passed down to other children. I was happy with the amount I paid and the postage for it to arrive safely.

Thank you very much for reading this review, I hope you have enjoyed it, and you will take a moment to check out The Laser Boutique website too.

✩ Sabrina ✩

The Laser Boutique Website
http://the-laser-boutique.com/
The Laser Boutique – Farm House Shape Sorter
http://the-laser-boutique.com/product/farm-house-play-set-shape-sorter/
The Laser Boutique Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/TheLaserBoutique/