The Ultimate Guide to Choosing the Perfect Travel Pushchair for Your Next Holiday

Traveling with young children is a rewarding experience, allowing families to create lasting memories, explore new places, and make new memories together. However, the logistics can be challenging, especially when it comes to traveling with young children such as babies and toddlers. You not only need to consider getting around with them but that they are comfortable and safe during your trip too. A lightweight, functional pushchair is an essential companion for parents on the move, ensuring that your journeys are as smooth and enjoyable as possible.

Quinny Zapp Xtra 2 **REVIEW**

A few weeks before we were due to go on holiday this summer, I came to the sudden realisation that, whilst I love our big pushchair it takes up our whole boot meaning there was going to be absolutely no room for luggage! Now like most families with young children, we are not a family that travels light so boot space was essential and we had to look at getting a more compact pushchair. Luckily the lovely people over at Quinny came to our rescue, offering us a Quinny Zapp Xtra 2 for review and so I thought I would share how we got on with it for those in a similar situation to us. 

The Quinny Zapp Xtra 2 is designed with one thing in mind - to make life easier and it certainly did for us. Our first impressions of the Quinny Zapp Xtra 2 were really good. It looks sleek and elegant, and it has a really good size seat unit. Evelyn is 2 but still uses a pushchair for long walks and near roads etc but we do find some pushchairs have quite a small seat area. However, the Quinny Zapp Xtra 2 offers a really generous size seat which is padded and looks super comfy and was more than roomy enough for our average sized 2-year-old. 

The next thing we did with the Quinny Zapp Xtra 2 was test it out in the car, after all this was our main concern with the previous pushchair. I was amazed at just how small the Zapp Xtra 2 folds down! It easily fit in the boot of our Ford Focus alongside 2 of our huge suitcases as well as all our holiday items for 7 nights. 

Putting the pushchair together was really easy to do which was a big releif. It was simply a case of clicking in the wheels (make sure you hear 2 clicks) and attaching the basket and we were ready to go! Putting the pushchair down however was a little more complicated to begin with. To collapse the pushchair, you first fold the seat unit down then simultaneously press the numbered 1 and 2 buttons either side of the seat unit, this folds down the handlebars. This is where it got tricky as you then have a section at the back on the bottom labelled 3 and 4, you have to push 3 down and push 4 in. 

I found this a bit tricky to begin with but after a few attempts (and a few watches of the You Tube video) I had it worked out and its actually really simple to do but definitely a job that requires a little practice first

The basket on the Quinny Zapp Xtra 2 isn't huge, but this seems to be standard on most lightweight stroller style pushchairs. But don't be deceived by looks as its actually quite deceptive. We managed to fit 2 water bottles, sun cream, 2 nappies a pack of wipes, a change of clothes for Evelyn and a few snacks all underneath in the basket so I was pretty impressed! 

Another thing I love on the Quinny Zapp Xtra 2 is the extendable sun canopy on the hood, this really came in handy whilst we were on holiday. When not needed the hood is a standard size but when needed you can unzip the middle section of the hood, allowing you to extend the hood further and providing lots more sun coverage. Evelyn can sometimes get frustrated when the sun gets in her eyes but still wants to see out and Quinny have this covered.

The Quinny Zapp Xtra 2 is suitable from birth right up until you choose not to use a pushchair, it's that versatile. It can rear and forward face and can even be converted into a travel system using the Maxi-Cosi Pebble or CabrioFix car seat. I love the adaptability of the Zapp Xtra 2 and that you could just buy this one pushchair to last throughout. 

Our overall verdict of the Quinny Zapp Xtra 2 is a big thumbs up! It is lightweight, easy to use and push and is small enough to fit in any boot. It comes with the extendable hood as well as an easy-to-use rain cover meaning you are covered for all weather. The most important thing for us, Evelyn seems to be happy and comfy so we would definitely recommend it. 

Have you tried out the Quinny Zapp Xtra 2 yet? 

xXx

** I was not paid for this post. I was sent the pushchair from Quinny for the purpose of this review however all thoughts, opinions and photos are my own. **

Weaning Memories with HiPP #MilkMoments

Both Evelyn and James are little food monsters now but I still remember the weaning stage with the both, so when I was recently asked by HiPP to share my weaning memories I was excited to recall my memories.

Weaning with both James and Evelyn could be described in one word and that is "Messy" but it was also an enjoyable time. We went with the motto of "Food is fun until their 1" and tried to approach weaning in a fun and relaxed manor which seemed to work for us all.

 ( Lunch time! James and Evelyn enjoying lunch, James is 5 now but still enjoys all kinds of foods and eating lunch with his sister! )

With James we used more purees and blended foods which went well but it did take a little longer for us to then transition on to more solid foods. When Evelyn came along I opted to do the baby led weaning route and we started on solid foods such as scrambled egg and soft bits of carrot, banana and she loved toast fingers. Weaning was one of this big milestones that makes lots of mums nervous as before this baby has been getting all of their nourishment for milk be that breast or formula. Now suddenly it is down to us to provide some of that nourishment through food.

A lot of the purees you can purchase come with added vitamins and minerals which did put my mind at ease a little with James. With Evelyn we were doing BLW which often left me worried that she wasn't getting all the vitamins, minerals and nutrients her body perhaps required as she would often leave food or only try little bits of what I gave her. That was when I discovered follow on milk!

Follow on milks are designed to complement the weaning diet while your baby is getting used to a variety of different tastes and textures.  They are higher in iron and vitamin D than standard infant formulas which can really be a help if baby is not eating many iron-containing foods and is therefore at greater risk of iron deficiency, and to help protect baby against becoming vitamin D deficient.

If you have been or are breast feeding but are considering using a follow on milk to replace or compliment food and breastfeeding HiPP organic have been researching breastmilk for over 50 years so you can rely on them to include the ingredients your baby needs to grow strong and healthy. HiPP Organic Follow-on-Milk includes the essential ingredients your baby needs including iron for cognitive development, vitamins A, C and D for the immune system and  PRÆBIOTIK® a source of allgosaccharldes

As a mum myself I often look for the advice and guidance of other mums and 10/10 mums who tried HiPP organic follow on milk with their babies said they seemed happier which is extremely encouraging. 

If you are about to start weaning or want to give HiPP organic follow on milk a try for yourself why not enter our giveaway below to win a HiPP organic follow on milk hamper!
The hamper will include a tin of HiPP follow on milk, a storage tin with handy scoop and scoop leveler to ensure you are getting the correct measurements, a selection of weaning food goodies 6m+ and a cuddly toy for baby!

Enter here -

a Rafflecopter giveaway


This giveaway is open to UK residents only. All entries will be verified and any entries seen to be false or incomplete will be disqualified. Prize will be sent from company/pr directly and I cannot take responsibility for the arrival of this prize.  

The Department of Health recommends that you breastfeed your baby exclusively for the first six months of their life; at around six months you can start to wean them on to solids and start to combine breastfeeding with bottle feeding. HiPP Organic understands that all babies are different and some mums might want to transfer to bottle feeding earlier than others. HiPP Organic would always advise that you speak to your midwife or health visitor before changing your feeding method. For more information on milks, please visit the HiPP Organic Website http://www.hipp.co.uk/milks-important-notice.

** this post was written in collaboration with HiPP organic. 

My reality of being a stay at home parent.

Before I start I would just like to say this isn't a post about bashing a person about the way they parent. It isn't a post about which way is best it is just my thoughts as a stay at home mum! As mums we all make decisions that are best for our families at the time whether it be staying at home or going to work.

From the outside it may look like I have it pretty good. My husband goes off to work whilst I get to stay home and look after the kids.

I have all that precious time with my babies and don't get my wrong I feel so truly blessed to be able to have that time and that connection with them. However its not all days at the park and sunshine, sometimes I feel totally lost in my world of being "mum". My days are often ruled my meal times, nap times, tantrums and school runs and whilst it is extremely rewarding it can be lonely sometimes too.

I miss the conversation with actual adults, now don't get me wrong I do see other adults, I have conversations with other adults. However these are usual "play dates" with our children and our conversations are more rants about how little sleep we have had as we try and dislodge our child from the ball pit they have become stuck in at the soft play, or a half-hearted conversation which can barely be heard over the screams of your over tired, possibly hungry child.

I am also always wondering whether I am doing a good enough job! This may sound silly but at work if your doing well or not so well you get told and you know about it, you can put it right and get back on track. However being a stay at home mum means I don't really have that reassurance which certainly makes way for the insecurity and doubt in my parenting abilities. Sometimes I just want someone to tell me im doing OK or my children are right on track.

Being a stay at home mum can be lonely! Whilst I am sure people have visions of us stay at home mums visiting parks and soft plays in large groups all having a coffee and a get together that's really not very realistic, well for me anyway. In the early days I spent most of my days in the house, alone and counting down the hours til my husband got home from work just for a bit of company.

Of course don't get me wrong I adore being able to be at home with my children, watching them hit their milestones and being able to watch them grow and I am extremely grateful for that, it can be and really is so rewarding. I have met some fantastic other mummy friends and if I could give anyone one bit of advice it would be to push yourself to get out to baby groups/ parenting meet ups etc, you will be surprised at how much better you can feel talking to other mums and realising you are not alone in how you feel.

I just want people to realise its not always as good as what it may seem. Being a stay at home mum can be a lonely, daunting and stressful job too!.

Are you a stay at home mum? Do you have any tips for other mums?

xXx

OXO tot feeding utensils **REVIEW**

As soon as babies start eating you hit a whole new mind field of the baby shop, the feeding isle! It contains a huge range of plates and bowls in different shapes, sizes and proportions as well as cutlery in a huge range of sizes and shapes and then there is the beakers!

So when the lovely people at OXO tot offered us some of their range to try with Evelyn we were really intrigued to see how these would fare.

The plate which is priced at around -- the plate divided in to portions which I have found really helpful in giving me a rough guide in how much of each food to dish up for Evelyn. It also features a detachable ring which we LOVE! It can be put it place to stop food from falling off the edge of the plate when baby is trying to use a spoon but it can also be removed as they get older and gain a little more control. The rim edge leans in slightly so it means as they scoop food against it the rim almost pushes the food back on to the spoon.

The plate also features a non slip base which was great to keep the plate from sliding around especially on the high chair tray. It didn't however of course stop Evelyn just picking it up and chucking it on the floor. However I don't think any amount of non slip or suckers would stop Evelyn doing this as she would just pick it up off the plate and chuck if she couldn't move the plate! The base also has small symbols on the bottom to show you what should go in to each section to really help you work out portion control for proteins, carbs and fruit/veg.

The other item we were sent from the OXO tot range was the beaker.

We have tried several beakers from different brands with varying levels of success. This beakers features wide, long and easy to grip handles which seem to be just in the right place and at the right angle to encourage baby to tip the beaker up slightly (something which Evelyn has struggle with other beakers to do). The main body of the beaker is clear and features a measure on the side so you can always see how much water baby has drank which is really handy too especially in the summer or if they are poorly.

Over all we loved these products from the OXO tot range. We loved the vibrant bright colours and that they seem to be good, sturdy and quality pieces of feeding equipment for baby. The only small issue we found was that the hard plastic to the spout area of the beaker was easily scratched by Evelyn's teeth whenever she drank from it. This didn't effect the use at all it just made it look a little worn after a little use.

The OXO tot feeding range is available is 3 colours hot pink and white, Aqua and white and Green and white. All are bright vibrant and eye catching.

Why not check out the other fantastic baby and toddler feeding items OXO tots have to offer via their website.

Do you own any products from the OXO tot range?

xXx

 * I was not paid for this review. All opinions given are my own.

* If you would like me to review your product or service, please email me on xJessLegresleyx@hotmail.com.