June product road test – the Tag*a*long
By · CommentsWell, the jury is in, and I’m pleased to say that we had two very happy product reviewers for the Tag*a*long.
If you have a walkabout toddler as so many of us do, you need the Tag*a*long to help keep your toddler close to you at all times. The wonderfully simple but clever Tag*a*long is a colourful silicone handle which is easily attached to a stroller, shopping trolley or even your handbag or shopping bag to keep your toddler under control.
Our first reviewer Katie actually apologised for writing a long review and sounding so gushy but said she had “tremendous success with the product”.
Katie’s review
Packages are always welcomed at our house, and when the postman delivered a ‘present’ for our son, Oscar (2 yrs 5 months), there was much excitement. When he opened it and ‘discovered’ a special ‘big boy blue hook’ for the pram he couldn’t wait to go for a walk! Up until this point, venturing out with Oscar and Georgette (now 12 weeks) involved Georgette in a carrier and Oscar in the pram, to avoid the little man wandering away. However, as we don’t have a pram with a toddler seat option, I was becoming nervous about eventually having to make the move over to the walking toddler, and the associated jealousy of the baby ‘taking’ his pram.
Much to my surprise and delight (and thanks to the Tag*a*long!), I should never have been concerned. Our first excursion with the Tag*a*long was an immediate success – after only a brief moment of “Why is Georgette in my pram?”, Oscar was more than willing to be a ‘big boy’ and hold onto his special new blue hook. He proclaimed to me a number of times that he was walking ‘all by self’ and seemed very proud to be allowed the privilege.
The Tag*a*long has now become a regular accessory to our outings, with Oscar not even questioning being in the pram anymore, and specifically seeking out the hook to hold. We have been on walks around our neighbourhood, to the local shops, larger shopping centres, the library, various markets, and to other events with big crowds. When he does periodically let go (even the Tag*a*long is no match for a shelf full of Thomas the Tank Engine trains!) a quick reminder “Come on buddy, grab your blue hook” and he is back with me. I have even had strangers compliment me on his willingness to walk beside the pram, and ask for the name of the product that is working the magic! Whilst people have commented with surprise that it is ‘just a plastic handle’ (which I have to admit was my immediate reaction), I think the success of the Tag*a*long is largely due to its dedicated purpose – by introducing it as an exciting ‘present’ for Oscar it gave him the ownership that just ‘holding onto the pram’ does not.
I don’t want to sound extreme, but the Tag*a*long has certainly become a ‘can’t live without’ baby product in our lives, and has enabled us to easily make the transition to being out and about with two kids (I have no hesitation on going out on my own) without having to make the expensive purchase of a new pram.
Caprice’s review
What a great product the Tag*a*long is, the perfect solution to a 2 year old that likes to walk rather than go in the pram.
With 3 children under 4 I like to keep them all in or near the pram when we get out of the car in a carpark or when the shopping centre is busy, the Tag*a*long has been my saviour. My 2 year old has always liked to walk more than sit in the pram, I used to make her hold onto the side of the pram or the handle but the wide back wheels often caught her foot.
I love the bright orange colour, as soon as Miss 2 sees it she holds on. She took to it very well from the first outing as a bit of a novelty but it has now become a habit, as soon as we are out of the car she holds onto it if shes not in the pram. When I have both the younger 2 in the pram my 3 year old holds it when we cross the road or carpark.
Mine hasn’t been taken off the pram since I got it as it folds up fine with it on there. Great price for that extra peace of mind when you are out and about with your little ones.
Want a Tag*a*long???
Thanks to Katie and Caprice for their great reviews.
But they aren’t the only lucky ones. Until Saturday 9 July 2011, the Tag*a*long will be reduced by $5 from $14.95 to a tiny $9.95. Pick yourself up one today, and save yourself a lot of headache when you are out with your baby and toddler.
Wanna road test our products for free?
By · CommentsWe have so many great products that you my not be aware of, so we thought what better way to introduce them to you but have real customers road testing our products.
Every month or so, we will invite our customers to roadtest a particular product. Testers will receive the product for free, and in return we ask for a 200-300 word review of the product plus a few photos to use on our website.
Our first roadtest product is the fantastic Tag*a*long, a very smart invention to help keep your walking toddler close to the pram while you push your baby in the stroller.
The tag*a*long
If you would like to be a tester for the Tag*a*long, please click here for further information and to submit your details. Submissions close Friday 3 June 2011.
Get the kids cooking (and eating too)
By · CommentsWith all this Junior Masterchef hoo-ha which has just finished, I thought it might be timely to do a post about some fabulous resources which are available online for kids. While our kids might not be able to cook like the children on Masterchef (mine certainly don’t, though at only 3 and 5 years of age there is hope for them yet!), we can certainly encourage them to try a wide variety of foods. Life is certainly easier when you have a child that eats everything and their nurtition is one less thing you have to stress about.
Here are some great websites with ideas and recipes on meals to cook for kids, and some with recipes that your budding masterchef can try themselves (or with a little bit of help from you).
Meals for kids
Fresh for kids
Healthy kids (a NSW Goverment website)
Recipes for kids to cook
Go for 2 and 5 (encouraging 2 serves of fruit and 5 serves of veges a day)
Of course, there are also many kids cook books out there and one of these would make a fantastic Christmas present for your child!
Why you should use BPA-free products
By · CommentsWhy use BPA-free products?
There has been a lot of press about this in recent years, and you may have noticed that at Bonito Baby we have a very BPA-free stance for our products. I thought it might be useful for people to know exactly what BPA is and why people should use BPA-free products.
BPA stands for Bisphenol A. Bisphenol A is a chemical which is used to make plastics and has been in use for more than 50 years. In fact, according to studies approximately 4 billion kg of BPA is used each year, most commonly to manufacture polycarbontate plastic. The advantages of polycarbonate it that it is a lovely clear shiny plastic why is virtually shatter-proof. BPA is also used in coatings in almost all food and beverage cans as well as being a commonly used colour developer in carbonless copy paper and thermal paper.
Plastics with BPA in them can break down, especially when washed or heated or otherwise stressed, allowing the chemical to leach into food or drink, entering the body.
What effect does BPA have?
There are concerns that BPA can affect fetal and infant brain development and behaviour. This is of particular concern as infants and children are believed to have the highest daily intake of BPA. Other studies have shown that it make increase the likelihood of obesity and increase the risk of some cancers, including breast cancer.
How can I tell if the plastic has BPA in it?
There are seven classes of plastics, each with its own number. The ones to look out for are 3 and 7. Plastics with BPA in them are typically clear, hard and shiny plastic. Many countries have already banned the use of BPA in baby products and many large chain stores including Walmart and Toys R Us in the US have voluntarily removed products from their shelves containing BPA. In Australia Coles and Woolworths and their respective associated businesses have been phasing out BPA infants products in their stores since July this year. However, many baby bottles in Australia are still made from plastics containing BPA.
How can I avoid it?
BPA is in many products, and realistically there is no way you can avoid it entirely in modern society. However, you can try to limit exposing yourself and your children to it by doing some of the following:
- Avoiding plastic food and drink containers with BPA in them, including baby bottles, drink bottles. Use glass, stainless steel or BPA-free plastic drink bottles and food containers (there is a new plastic now called Triton which is BPA-free)
- Look for plastics marked with a 1,2,4,5 or 6 code.
- Remove food from cans as soon as the can is open and store it in an alternative container.
- Do not heat plastic food or drink containers or tableware in the microwave. Heat using a glass or ceramic container and then transfer if necessary to your child’s plate or bowl.
- If you are using products with BPA in them, throw them out as soon as they become scratched to prevent leaching of BPA. Don’t keep old baby bottles for future siblings.
- Look for BPA-free plastic toys, as babies mouth a lot of their toys.
Holidays with kids – how to do it in style!
By · CommentsReview of the Fiji Beach Resort and Spa managed by Hilton
Well, last month the Bonito Baby family, complete with husband, and two boys aged 5 and 2, finally managed to get away on holidays for a nice relaxing, trip to Fiji.
In our younger pre-children days, hubby and I used to be quite active travellers, having been through most of Europe, going though all the old ruins, cultural sights, catching the public transport (very challenging in Russia and Japan) and of course, sampling the local food and wine.
In our married, post kids life, we have become the laziest travellers. Sometimes we will make an effort, but when it comes down to it, at least once a year you need a hot, sunny, feet up, cocktail by your side holiday. Am i right?? This year we went to Fiji. I know that there are many “family friendly” resorts out there with gigantic kids clubs, loads of children’s activities, water slides etc etc but we opted for the infinitely more low key Fiji Beach Resort and Spa managed by Hilton. I love kids, especially my own, but when I am going on a holiday for relaxation, the last thing I want is to be surrounded by everyone else’s kids. Peace and quiet is what I am after!
The Hilton is on Denarau Island, which I am a bit ashamed to say is not really representative of the real Fiji, being basically made of of around 5 luxury hotels and many many lovely new largely Western designed houses for wealthy Fijian families and expats. However, it was the perfect location for our lazy holiday, being only 20 minutes by taxi from Nadi airport, which itself is only 4 hours from Sydney. A quick journey is a must when travelling with two active boys with tiny attention spans.
The flight there was unremarkable, except that both our boys were fantastically well behaved. Neither boy even asked to take off his seatbelt right from take-off through to landing. L, the 5 year old, sat happily doing activities books and then watching a DVD. C, the 2 year old, obliged by sleeping for 3 hours of the trip, waking only when I had to sit him up for landing.
The Hilton is wonderfully luxurious and stretched out over a long wide beach, with most rooms being beachfront. The beauty of the Hilton is that it has apartments. We had a lovely 2 bedroom apartment with full kitchen, BBQ, 2 bathrooms, 3 plasma tvs and a playstation (if only we actually had any games).
Despite the luxurious appearance, the Hilton is amazingly kid friendly. Children under 12 all stay and eat free, with each of the restaurants having children’s menus with quite healthy choices. You could actually avoid chips if you wanted to and get steamed vegetables or rice. Kids club was also free every day and the staff were lovely. Children under 3 need a parent or nanny to be with them at the kids club, for for around A$3.50 an hour for a nanny, I think you know which option I chose! Kids activities took place either at the kids club or at the beach with fish feeding or crab spotting. For the older kids there were also activities by the family pool, including races, water polo and scavenger hunts. They also had evening movies in the open air pavillion for the children.
Our days passed quickly in a haze of swimming, sunbathing, reading, playing and of course eating! Oh, and I did manage to fit in a bit of Bonito Baby work too with the highspeed internet. The Bula bus is an open air bus which transports hotel guests between the hotels and the marina where you can shop, eat or go on a cruise. The boys absolutely loved the Bula bus.
All in all we had a fantastic time and can’t wait to get back there again!
