If you are anything like me, you will have lost count how many times have you ended up with a wet patch on your sofa, on the carpet or in the car due to a “none spill cup” slowly spilling its contents all over the place. Having a cup that the little one will drink out of and doesn’t spill everywhere has genuinely become a quest of mine! (I am a bit sad, I will admit that). So when I was asked to test the new Click Lock™ Cup from Munchkin, I jumped at the chance.

The sales blurb tells me  “Sometimes things in life just click and this is never truer than with the brand new Click Lock™ Cup range from Munchkin”. So realistically what can the Click Lock™ Cup offer me and the little one, that other cups can’t?

I am told that the Click Lock™ range features ‘ click’ to lock  technology providing a 100% leak proof guarantee, , so drop, throw or tip upside down, no liquid will come outand this is 100% guaranteed. The cups could not be simpler to use, simply turn the lid until it ‘clicks’ in to place providing parents with an auditory reassurance that the cup is completely sealed. 

That sounded like a challenge if ever I had heard one and I think by now, we all know that the little one is a boisterous and energetic soul, so I knew that the cup was about to be put through its paces! We had already tried a number of cups that she either didn’t like the teat, or it had no handles or she simply refused to try, so I simply put the Click Lock™ Cup on the side and waited to see what she would do. I don’t know if it was the bright colours of the design or the easy grip handles but she grabbed it straight away and started drinking. Now for a child who has always favoured milk over anything else this was a massive milestone for us!

She loves to babble and wave her cup around and the sturdy handles mean that she is always in control, which she loves (I wonder where she gets that from). The 100% leak proof guarantee also means that I don’t have water sprayed all around my lounge or kitchen!

We have tried her with other cups since having the Click Lock™ Cup and she always goes back to it, so it is a firm favourite in our house.  Since her arrival, we have spent a fortune on unnecessary baby products but with the Click Lock™ cup range starting at only £3.99, this certainly wouldn’t be one of them.

Munchkin have a range of great products, go and have a look on their website if you don’t believe me! www.munchkin.eu.com. 

Tweet  

As a parent, keeping your child safe is your highest priority and with the media filled with news of child abduction and abuse, how safe are our children?

According to Home Office figures there were 532 child abductions in England and Wales between 2011 and 2012. With about 500 children under 16 abducted each year - but the majority of these are parental abductions, according to the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre (Ceop). Has  the world become a darker and more dangerous place or do we simply hear about it more through the media we now have at our fingertips.

There are always those people that will try and lay blame, whether it be at the parents, with the school or with anyone close enough to be considered but ultimately the people that are to blame are those that abduct or abuse these children. The very thought of someone taking my babies makes me feel physically sick and if I could, I would wrap them in cotton wool so nothing or no-one could ever hurt them but I can't do that if I want them to have adventures, to explore, to learn.

Growing up, I was never allowed to "play out", my parents just simply wouldn't allow it and I sulked a lot because of it. I now find it very difficult to let my own daughter do the same. I want her close, where I can see her, where I can hear her chatting, laughing and even crying when she falls over. 

Children will always be children, trusting, innocent and naive if we shield them from life. I was still trusting, innocent and naive well into my teens and sometimes I wonder if that was a good thing or not. I believed that there was good in everyone, you just had to find it. Years later (ahem) I find myself still believing and searching for the good in people but I am no longer naive enough to believe that it lives in everyone.

So tonight, with my thoughts and prayers going out to the family of missing April Jones, I will hold my children a little tighter and kiss them goodnight more times than necessary because they are home with me, safe and for that I am beyond thankful.

Tweet  

We are too excited that we need to share with you about our exciting NEW competition launching tomorrow!!

Do you need some extra help this Christmas time, need some gorgeous clothes for the children? Then let us help you! We have teamed up with Sweetpea to give you the chance to WIN £50.00 to spend at their online boutique!

Entries open tomorrow on our competition page!

Good luck x

Sometimes when saving for the big stuff, you need to remember that the little things are important too.

Sometimes the smile on your child's face at the end of the day is enough.

And sometimes, just sometimes, every girl needs to remember that ..... life is too short, buy the shoes!

And if you really do want to buy the shoes,  Kidsen sell a range of toddler shoes and other such baby related products, visit them online at kidsen.co.uk for more details