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Car Restraint Technician, Amanda, reviews our Bubble Bum
Amanda volunteered to review our popular Bubble Bum Car Booster Seat. Amanda is a local Car Restraint Technician Trainer Assessor so we value her feedback. If you’d like an in-depth review on the Bubble Bum, check out Amanda’s feedback. 1. What is the age of your child using the Bubble Bum? Ava is 5 years 10 months and 29kg. The photos I've taken are in a Suzuki S Cross with a Britax Frontier Click Tight and generic booster. Neither are slim seats. 2. Tell us about the times you used the Bubble Bum We used the Bubble Bum when we had three across the backseat of the car. We also used it as a spare for just 2 children in the back seat. We are a one child family and Dad and Aunty have permanent boosters in their cars. I've been wanting to buy a spare for my car when Ava has a friend over but haven't wanted to buy another bulky high backed seat or a wide half booster. 3. What do you think of the size, comfort, design and quality of the product? The Bubble Bum is a good size. Ava is not small and she finds this seat comfortable. I love how small it can be when not in use. It seems well designed to keep the seat belt low on her thighs and having the height adjuster for the sash portion is essential for all children. Great quality too, the fabrics feel substantial. 4. How easy is the Bubble Bum to inflate, and fit your child into? The booster is very easy to inflate. It’s also easy to use the lower guides and the height adjuster was not fiddly to lengthen or shorten. 5. Tell us what you think about the safety aspect of the car booster. I was skeptical about how safe this seat would be and I still believe that a solid high backed booster is best practice for everyday or a long journey. Bubble Bum is marketed as a travel or spare booster, but if it was used regularly it would need to be checked routinely to ensure inflation was sufficient. Bubble Bum ensures correct belt placement when used, so it offers what most other half boosters provide. Several half boosters don't have a height adjuster for the sash portion of the belt, but Bubble Bum does offer this essential safety feature. 6. Tell us three things you particularly like about the Bubble Bum. I like that the Bubble Bum is small for easy storage in my car when not being used. I can take another child unplanned which is great in emergency or last minute situations that may arise. Bubble Bum sits low and will be great in our '67 LandRover which has a low back rest height. Also in our 2004 Chrysler Voyager which currently Ava sits quite high in. In her current booster her shoulder is coming above the height of the back of these seats and she still by law needs to use a booster another 2 years! Another benefit is that in our Suzuki the buckle is under where the Bubble Bum sits, but because it is not rigid I could push it over to buckle in and it molded around this. If it didn't, then nothing would fit between two seats either side. It was difficult to use in this situation but was literally the only thing that would allow 3 children in that scenario. There was no buckle crunching either due to the flexibility in the seat. 7.What would you like to see improved about the Bubble Bum? I feel 18kg is a better entry weight limit for this seat (rather than 15kgs). Clearly, this product is marketed for short journeys and travel, and absolutely has a place in the market. Ordinarily I wouldn't suggest a half booster until 7 or 8 years of age, but Bubble Bum certainly has its place. 8. Would you recommend the Bubble Bum to others? Yes. I would recommend Bubble Bum to families who wish to use it for short journeys, travel, 3 along the backseat or as a spare booster for friends. Amanda FranklinLocal Car Restraint Technician Trainer Assessor Buy your Bubble Bum now
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Our Warm-Ease Heated Baby Belt is helping Gage
One of our lovely mums, Rochelle volunteered to try out and review our new Warm Ease Heated Baby Belt. Rochelle wanted to try this product to help her son, Gage. From 3 weeks of age, Gage cried consistently for at least an hour each day, usually after feeding. Rochelle sought help from everywhere. She tried everything suggested and some things helped temporarily at certain times but nothing gave him constant relief. Because Gage was growing well and reaching all of his milestones, Rochelle felt the medical professionals were not overly concerned. Rochelle said she must have heard the phrase “Don’t worry, it will get better as he gets older” a million times. Although this may have been truthful it was no comfort to an exhausted parent. Here’s Rochelle’s feedback: Why did you volunteer to try Warm-Ease? I wanted to try this product to help with my son’s colic issues so our whole household could get a better, quality sleep. My son has suffered with colic from 3 weeks old. Gage cried constantly for at least an hour (but generally much longer) at a time daily! This happened usually after feeding but it was not unusual for him to start crying out of nowhere for no specific reason. I tried multiple soothing techniques to help him through this: music, cuddles, talking, reading, rocking, walking, fresh air, holding him upright for 30 minutes after every feed and his pacifier. Though these did help at times, not one thing worked consistently every time. He was extremely restless, grizzly, irritable and generally unhappy which, as a mother breaks your heart. I sought help from my midwife, Plunket nurse and GP. All advised me it was common, and he would grow out of it in time. In their defence they did also teach me alternate breast feeding and bottle-feeding methods. Alternate burping methods and suggested Gripe water to help. What do you think of the design and quality of the product? I love the quality of this product! The Fox character design is gorgeous in its simplicity (large bold shapes and patterns for the eyes, nose and tail). The material is soft, warm and comforting to the touch and I love, love the bright colours. How easy is Warm-Ease to use? The product is very easy to use with simple straight forward instructions. The ease and firmness of the Velcro straps is great! I found this especially helpful as adjusting domes/buttons etc on clothing when you’re trying to soothe a crying baby can be extremely stressful and draining on both the parent and baby. How has the Warm-Ease helped your baby? The warm ease has helped my son immeasurably. I use it every day at various times (directly after feeding, when he wakes up when doing mat play) and have noticed less grizzling, improved bowel functioning, and a much happier mood in general from my baby. The change/ improvement in Gage has been noticed by friends and family members alike who have all commented on his much happier demeanor. He cries less now and we recently had a six-day stint where he slept right through the night. I initially used it just after feeding to help relax his muscles and assist with gas and I noted improvement within half an hour. I had been using it 2-3 times a day for approximately 1 week when he started to sleep through the night. How will you use your Warm-Ease in the future once your baby has grown? I love the idea that the gel pack can also be cooled and I will use this to help soothe/ ease the inevitable minor burns, scrapes, bumps, and headaches for both my baby and his avid hockey-playing older brother! My son is very fond of the Fox design and I anticipate using it as part of his cot bumper or like a blankie that he can sleep with (without the gel pack). Would you recommend Warm-Ease to others? 100% recommend 5 stars
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Hear what Rene thinks about our new Warm Ease
One of our lovely mums, Rene volunteered to try out and review our new Warm Ease Heated Baby Belt. Her newborn baby, Heather-Belle was suffering from wind and colic and like any mum she was looking for a solution to help ease Heather-Belle’s sore tummy. Here’s her feedback: Why did you volunteer to try Warm-Ease? From around 2 weeks old, Heather-Belle would cry, go bright red and draw her knees up in pain for hours. We had tried everything but in the end only a warm bath seemed to comfort her, the problem was we couldn’t constantly keep her in a warm bath! I thought Warm-Ease might be able to comfort her the same way a bath would. What do you think of the design and quality of the product? The Warm-Ease is absolutely gorgeous with its bright colours and cute animal design. The cover is super soft and the velcro is really strong so it doesn’t come loose or weaken after multiple uses. It’s the perfect size for her wee belly and easily adjusts as she grows. How easy is Warm-Ease to use? Super simple instructions and very easy to use. Just pop the gel pad in the microwave! I did find we had to shorten the heat time as it came out too hot when heated to the suggested time. We have a 750W microwave so you need to keep that in mind. How has the Warm-Ease helped your baby? Warm-Ease has been a lifesaver! It’s like a portable bath. The lovely warmth gives her such great relief from the symptoms of colic. I pop it on before her feeds and before I lay her on her back to go to bed, the times when she usually suffers from colic the most. It works well to keep the pain under control every time, I do have to get it on before the pain starts for the best relief. How will you use your Warm-Ease in the future once your baby has grown? I’ll use it as an ice pack once my daughter starts cruising around! It’s the perfect size for little people bumps and bruises. Would you recommend Warm-Ease to others? 100% recommend 5 stars
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Is your toddler ready to toilet train?
Timing is everything when it comes to toilet training success. As any parent who's been through it can tell you, trying to force the toilet on a ‘not-quite-ready’ child only prolongs the process (and makes everyone miserable!). So how can you tell if your little one is ready to make the leap from nappies to the toilet? Check out these 10 signs that she’s ready: Shows an interest in the toilet, potty or underpants. Stays dry for two or more hours. Wants to watch you ‘go’. 'Number two’s’ happening on a predictable schedule. Complains about wet or dirty nappies, and wants to be changed. Can follow basic instructions. Understands basic vocab like "wee" and "poop." Can tell you when he needs to go—or uses body language, like going into a corner or grunting. Can pull her pants up and down with little assistance. Can learn to use a step-on-up toilet trainer seat. Check out Step-on-Up Toilet Trainer Seat2 colour choices$39.99Shipping $7.99
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Solving daytime wetting
Many children who are toilet-trained can still experience wetting accidents during the day. Sometimes these accidents involve wet spots in the underwear, but sometimes kids have full-on accidents that require a change of clothes. This can be a very frustrating problem for kids, parents and their teachers. Nicole Freedman, a Paediatric Urology Nurse works with children of all ages who suffer from daytime wetting, which is also called diurnal enuresis. In her recent blog she provides some helpful suggestions to keep your child dry. Reasons behind Daytime Wetting Diurnal enuresis is when a child who should be toilet-trained has wetting accidents during the day. Statistics say this happens in about 3 to 4 percent of children, particularly school-aged girls. Daytime wetting is generally: Involuntary, meaning your child did not do it on purpose. May be a result of poor toileting habits and behaviours that have been going on since toilet training. May have been developed after toilet training and over time. One common scenario Nicole deals with in the urology clinic is when kids hold their wee for so long that they leak or dribble urine. She often hears from parents that their children don’t want to stop playing (despite crossing their legs, sitting on their heels or doing the ‘peepee dance’) to go use the toilet. Other children refuse to use the toilet at school because perhaps the bathroom is ‘gross’ or the teacher doesn’t allow toilet trips during class time. She also sees kids who start holding their wee after their first urinary tract infection (UTI) because it caused pain and they subsequently hold their urine out of fear that it will hurt to wee. Diurnal enuresis can also be secondary to more complex issues such as an active UTI, a problem with your child’s urinary tract or nervous system. Although they are less common than behavioural issues, it is important to rule out all possibilities first. It’s recommended to consult with your child’s doctor. Overcome Poor Toileting Habits Wetting accidents are usually caused by poor toileting habits. If your child has been wetting their underwear during the day for a while, it will take time to undo these habits. The key is to be patient, encouraging and persistent. These tips will help: Make sure your child stays on a ‘timed toilet schedule’. Encourage your child to wee at least every two to three hours during the day, even if she doesn’t feel the urge to go. Purchase a ‘vibrating reminder watch’ to help remind your child to ‘stop and go wee’. Use a star chart to track trips to the toilet. Your child should wee when they wake up, at morning tea time, at lunchtime, mid-afternoon, around dinner time and again before bed. Children can earn ‘bonus stars’ for staying dry. The Role of ‘Number Two’ Nicole suggests that kids that hold their wee usually hold their poop as well. Constipation can play a significant role in causing wetting accidents. A child could be constipated even if they do have some sort of a bowel movement every day. Sometimes children who don’t seem constipated are actually ‘full of poop’ when an X-ray is performed. When your child’s colon is full, it can prevent your child from sensing signals required to let them know they need to use the toilet. A colon full of poop can put pressure on the bladder, which can lead to accidents. It is important to talk to your child’s doctor if you think your child could be constipated. Wetting accidents can be improved significantly just by fixing constipation. Not Emptying the Entire Bladder If your child is good at holding their wee, it can be difficult for them to relax their external sphincter (bladder muscle that loosens and tightens to control urination) so they don’t empty their bladder completely when they go to the toilet. They also may relax their external sphincter at inappropriate times and leak wee. This common problem is something called ‘voiding dysfunction’. When the bladder doesn’t get emptied completely, it can cause your child to feel like they need to go to the bathroom a few seconds after they just went! Sound familiar? Your child may leak right after they went to the bathroom because they didn’t empty their bladder all the way. Other times when kids rush through voiding, they will just wee ‘enough’ to make that urge to away but their bladder is still full of urine. When kids don’t empty their bladder completely, the stagnant urine increases their risk of developing a urinary tract infection. A good way to help your child is to have them ‘double void’. This means that after they finish weeing, have them try again to see if any more urine will come out. Tell your child to go and wee, then jump up and down a few times or do a little dance, and then try to wee again. Other helpful tips: Encourage your child not to rush through weeing. You may want to use a timer in the bathroom to make sure he is spending enough time to wee and poop effectively. Encourage your child to relax and breathe deep when on the toilet, to help relax her muscles and improve bladder emptying. If your child’s legs are short and don’t reach the floor place a foot stool in front of the toilet. This will allow her to rest her feet and have an easier time relaxing. Thanks to Nicole Freedman for the helpful information she has provided. We hope this article takes some of the stress out of daytime toilet accidents and helps lead to dry undies for your child. While you’re implementing these tips at home, be patient and reward children for their hard work! If you can get children to work for something they want, like a trip to the bike park, a new game or watching ‘Frozen’ for the seventieth time, then they may be more motivated to make changes and stick with them. Good luck and please share this with your friends and family who are parents of young children. Thanks to: https://www.chla.org/blog/rn-remedies/make-daytime-wetting-thing-the-past Which vibrating reminder watch is right for us?
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Super mum Amber reviews our Mini Moose Vibrating Reminder Watch
Why did you want to try this watch? My 6 year old girl with autism needs constant reminding to go to the toilet. She waits until she is busting and sometimes it's too late. I wanted her to use it at school. The teachers are having to remind her daily to go to the toilet. What do you like about the watch? The strap is comfortable. The instructions are easy to follow. The strength of the vibration is good. The length of time the watch stays charged is good. It is easy to set up. How well did the watch cope with everyday use? The watch is brilliant. Our daughter is rough, and she clicks on the time button very often. It is easy to take off and to put back on. She sleeps with it on and the strap is very strong and durable. How has the watch coped with moisture? For everyday use such as washing her hands, there was no worry in this regard. However, she has not seemed to get it too wet as we told her from the start it is not water proof. She takes the watch off for swimming. She has played in the sandpit with it on. The watch has not been affected in any way. Any other comments? I would highly recommend this watch for other children who struggle with toilet stops. My daughter has autism and this has worked really well. The teachers have noticed, and we both agree this watch is a life saver. It has made her more confident and independent. She is becoming more aware of when she needs to go to the toilet with the help of this watch. Thank you so much. This watch has helped her in so many ways. BUY NOW
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Waking and Taking your Child to the Toilet….What are you really achieving?
With most areas of parenting there are plenty of opinions and information regarding almost every topic. Google ‘bedwetting help’ and you’ll find a fair amount of conflicting advice. For those parents trying to help their child become dry at night we’ve taken a good a look at the idea of ‘waking and taking’ your child to the toilet each night in the hope he will learn to stop wetting the bed. But what are you really achieving by doing this? Here’s what we’ve learnt from the experts. With some children, this method does provide dry nights but your child doesn't actually learn anything from this. It is probable that your child is emptying his bladder before it’s full, making it difficult to learn the appropriate response to the full-bladder signal. More often than not, children have no memory of being woken and taken to the toilet, even though they may look awake. Waking and taking your child to the toilet at the same time each night may make his bladder used to being emptied at that specific time, rather than holding it until morning. Because your child learns nothing by this method, he will likely wet on nights you can’t take him or you forget. Just as you may have to get up at different times each night to visit the toilet, or some nights not at all, your child's bladder needs to be emptied at various times too. You have no way of knowing exactly when your child needs to use the toilet because this differs each night. Waking him and taking him may fit in with your schedule but not his. You may consider trying the ‘waking and taking’ strategy for a couple of weeks, or every second night and then see if your child stays dry on the nights you don't walk him to the toilet. If he can stay dry on his own, then that’s great. If, however, you don't see improvement on the nights you don't wake him, this strategy most likely won't work. Waking and taking him for months or years will not allow him to make that important ‘brain-bladder connection’ so he can wake on his own to a full bladder that’s needs emptying. If your child is 5 or 6 and still wetting on the nights you don’t take him to the toilet you may want to consider a different approach based on helping him make the connection between his bladder and brain. A bedwetting alarm is the most commonly used technique to help make that connection. When your child’s bladder is full and he begins to wet, the alarm sounds and wakes him. This consistent approach conditions him to recognise the feeling that comes before he needs to wake up to use the toilet. Then he can stay dry at night without any help from you. Need more information about Bedwetting Alarms?
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20 Top Tips for success using a bedwetting alarm
Before you start using an alarm, remember that a key element in the success of bedwetting alarms is your child's motivation and understanding that waking to the sound of the alarm is the treatment that will help him stop wetting at night. Make sure he fully understands this and is committed to stopping wetting the bed by using the alarm. If he is not fazed by wetting his bed, perhaps discuss some motivating factors or simply wait until he is a little older. Here's our Top Tips leading to success with an alarm: Pick a good time to start using the alarm when there is less stress and no travel commitments. Start the bedwetting alarm treatment with realistic expectations. It can take up to 10-16 weeks for a child to be consistently dry at night. Explain to your child how a bedwetting alarm works (trains the brain to feel the sensation to urinate) and discuss what you expect them to do when the alarm goes off. Read the instructions carefully and make sure you, your child and any other caregivers understand how the alarm works. Roleplay what happens when the alarm goes off and teach your child to turn off the alarm, visit the toilet to completely empty his bladder, change pyjamas and mattress protector and reset the alarm. Use waterproof mattress protectors on the bed and have a couple of spares beside the bed. Ensure spare pyjama bottoms are beside the bed each night. Place an easy-to-activate night-light beside the bed. Understand that initially you will need to wake your child when the alarm sounds and assist him to the toilet. With time he will wake to the alarm and take himself to the toilet. Understand that visiting the toilet after the alarm sounds (even if there is nothing left in the bladder) is an important part of the process. Avoid waking your child to visit the toilet. Let the alarm do the work. If you consistently wake your child to visit the toilet, he will not learn to do this on his own. Ensure the alarm is loud enough for you to hear. Use an alarm with a second receiver unit (which plugs into your room) or use a baby monitor. Praise your child for independently turning off the alarm, visiting the toilet without fuss, changing his own pyjamas and mattress protector, re-setting alarm etc. Do NOT continue to use pull-ups or nappies. Use a reward chart to record progress towards independence (wearing the alarm each night, setting it up by himself, waking by himself, changing his own pyjamas, ) and eventually you’ll be able to start rewarding less frequent wetting and smaller wet patches on the bed. In order for the alarm to work, you and your child will need to commit to using the alarm EVERY night. Avoid skipping nights. Be consistent and persistent. Some children become dry very quickly, in a matter of days, others take much longer, up to 16 weeks. Research suggests that if your child is still not dry at 12 weeks, you should not give up. Most children are dry by 12 weeks but a good percentage of children become dry between 12-16 weeks. If your child is getting tired from waking at night. Try and get him to bed a littler earlier. This will not last forever! The experts suggest you should continue to use the alarm until your child has 14 consecutive dry nights. Specialists agree that having success staying dry at night is often linked to good daytime toilet habits. At the same time as working on night-time habits ensure you are working with your child during the day, to make sure he is drinking plenty of water, taking regular toilet breaks and taking his time and completely emptying his bladder. Avoid caffeinated and fizzy drinks and make sure he takes his time visiting the toilet before bed. Remember, the first couple of weeks are the hardest then it gets easier. Your job is to keep up the praise, encouragement and reassurance. Here’s to happy dry nights.
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Hifold...the future of car seat innovation is about to arrive in NZ!
Why is the new Hifold being called 'the little transformer'? Because it's the world’s most adjustable and portable high back booster. Its unique “Multi-fit” technology, can be adjusted to 243 individual settings ensuring optimal seat belt fit whatever size your child. Hifold is also the world’s most portable booster. Its advanced “Multi-fold” system quickly folds down into a compact and convenient size for storage and travel. Hifold arrives into New Zealand early next month. Pre-order your Hifold now at the introductory sale price of $199.99. Once Hifold arrives the regular retail price will be $239.99. Get yours now https://www.moosebaby.co.nz/collections/mifold
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