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| The TIPS Awards scheme is evolving. As well as standard trials, we carry out retrospective and one-off trials.
Although I try to source the best products available within a category at the start of a test, some may inevitably slip through the net. If one such product is brought to my attention within 18 months of the standard trial, I will consider including it in a retrospective trial. An award will be allocated to any product that scores high enough to be featured alongside the initial winners. This means parents will not have to wait two years to hear about any worthy new product. The same criteria will be used as for standard trial. Results of such tests will be posted on this page.
More recently we have introduced commissioned one-off trials for products that we believe are unique and more difficult to test within a standard trial. A summary of the outcome of one-off trials will be published on this page as soon as the results have been collated. Detailed information about the trial and the product are also published on individual web pages. |
Aquasolari washable absorbent bed pad -
May 2009 |
Aquasolari washable absorbent bed pad
RRP £29.99 plus postage
Available from www.aquasolari.com
(go to the website to find out about becoming an agent)
When they saw the Aquasolari bed pad, Testers’ first impression was overwhelmingly that this was a quality product.
Instructions on the product and on the packaging were clear and easy to follow. The bed pad fitted perfectly to a single bed (its primary use) but Testers who tried it on a double or king-size bed were just as pleased with the area protected. They also found the pad stayed in place, was comfortable to lie on even without a top sheet – this could be used but was not necessary. However what Testers loved the most was the fact that the bed pad was discreet and completely silent, unlike more conventional plastic bed coverings which tend to rustle. They found the pad large enough to protect a bed under any conditions and commented that the material reduced the risk of overheating - this was an added benefit.
When put to the test, the pad worked so well that Testers found it hard to tell if it needed to be laundered. There was no smell from the pad and Testers agreed this is another great plus. Washing and drying the bed pad was child’s play, even when line dried.
In fact, so positive was the feedback that all Testers agreed the Aquasolari bed pad had exceeded expectations and they would be happy to recommend it others. All Testers said they would buy the pad and an amazing fifty per cent of Testers added they would consider becoming an Aquasolari agent!
Here are some of the Testers’ comments:
- The design is excellent, very easy to use and fits both a cot bed and single bed
- Better than the terry mattress protectors and more comfortable
- I would be more willing to pay spend money on this than any other similar product I have tried
- The size fits well even on my king-size bed and stayed in place throughout testing
- Website looks fabulous and easy to use, love the bit for customer reviews
- The fact that its upper side was so soft and that very absorbent
- I can imagine the pad would be effective if your waters broke while in bed and can then be used if your toddler wets the bed
- It is certainly a fantastic product and one that gives me peace of mind while pregnant
- As a breastfeeding mother I am looking forward to using it in the early days postnatally too [back to top]
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Ella's Kitchen Stage 1 and Stage 2 baby food
May 2009 |
Ella’s Kitchen Organic baby food stage 1
120g pouch RRP £0.89 each (8 kinds)
Ella’s Kitchen Organic baby food stage 2
140g pouch RRP £1.29 each (5 kinds)
Manufactured by Ella’s Kitchen (Brands) Ltd
Website: www.ellaskitchen.co.uk
With growing concerns about additives and preservatives in baby food, parents have become understandably keen to find the healthiest food for their baby.
Ella’s Kitchen baby foods contain only organic ingredients, complete with Soil Association accreditation. They offer an excellent choice of tasty flavours and make eating a fun experience for babies and toddlers.
Testers particularly like the fact that Ella’s Kitchen products are minimally processed, provide excellent nutritional value and are very safe. The design of the foil resealable pouches was overwhelmingly praised making the food easy to transport, heat (if needed), dispense and store. Some Testers were concerned that the packaging is not currently recyclable, but Ella’s Kitchen are looking into this issue.
We only tested on Stage 1 and 2 baby foods for this trial, but Ella’s Kitchen also provide Stage 3, Baby Brekkie (suitable for Stage 1, 2 and 3 weaning) and Smoothie Fruits. Testers found the Smoothie Fruits useful as a healthy snack for older children while out and about. [back to top]
Stage 1
This range is suitable for babies when they start to wean from six months old. Stage 1 is very smooth in texture and comes in a wide selection of exciting flavour combinations (eight in all) helping your baby to discover new tastes from the start. One parent even found this baby food worked well as a dipping sauce and sandwich filler. Though aimed at very young babies, Stage 1 foods can also be useful for older infants who may need to continue eating purees or find it difficult to eat lumpy food.
Stage 2
Aimed at babies from seven months of age, Stage 2 varieties are still fairly smooth in texture. Each variety has been carefully designed, in association with a dietician and nutritionist, to provide a perfectly balanced meal. Beef stew was a clear favourite with Testers - the feedback we received clearly indicates that there was no need to reseal this as the whole meal was usually eaten in one sitting! At the time of going to press we believe that a Stage 3 variety will be hitting the shelves so keep an eye out for some more interesting meal combinations to tempt your toddler’s taste buds! [back to top]
Here are some of the Testers’ comments:
- I really liked the visual ingredient list on the packaging
- Portable and convenient plus resealable if only part used
- The website in particular is very informative
- I want to give my children the best food without any additives, it also tastes better
- Great for travelling due to non-breakable packaging
- He finished the pouches every time and at no stage refused to eat/open his mouth!
- Much easier than food from a jar and no need for a bowl
- She loved it; I have never seen her so excited or eat so much food! [back to top]
Read detailed information about this trial here
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Miracle Scarf™ and Miracle Band™ - February 2009 |
Miracle Scarf™
RRP: £18.99
Manufactured by Yes! SuperBaby
Supplied by www.yessuperbaby.com
The Miracle Scarf™ is a tactile toy designed to be worn by adults. It is suitable from birth but children should not play with this toy unattended. This is explained on the packaging and online at www.yessuperbaby.com.
The Miracle Scarf™ comes with: a squeaky toy to help develop fine motor skills; a musical toy for auditory development; crinkle pads, rattles, satin ribbons and knots for sensory development. Testers found the internal peek-a-boo pocket ideal for storing a spare soother, mobile phone, car keys or a bib.
Made from gorgeously soft velour fabric in a range of colours, the scarf is comfortable to wear and positively encourages close bonding on the move.
The Miracle Scarf™ is the perfect length to provide baby with many stimulating activities, even while breastfeeding. It is machine washable and dries quickly – this is always a bonus.
Testers particularly liked the way it can be folded up to fit in baby’s travel bag so you can take it with you wherever you go.
You can also attach your own toys to the scarf using the two Velcro clips.
Here are some of the Testers’ comments:
- Really liked it, great idea!
- Pocket came in really handy
- Easy to carry in bag
- The detachable toys can be attached to other things
Read detailed information about this trial here
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Miracle Band ™
RRP: £9.99
Manufactured by Yes! SuperBaby
Supplied by www.yessuperbaby.com
The Miracle Band™ is a tactile toy designed to be worn by adults. It is suitable from birth but children should not play with this toy unattended. This is explained on the packaging and online at www.yessuperbaby.com.
The Miracle Band™ comes with: a squeaky toy to help develop fine motor skills; a musical toy for auditory development; an internal rattle and a selection of satin tabs for sensory development. You can also attach more toys to the band using its Velcro tab.
Made from luxuriously soft velour fabric in a range of eye-catching colours, the band is comfortable to wear around the wrist. It provides stimulating activities for baby to explore while you hold them safely and securely in your arms.
The Miracle Band™ is machine washable and dries extremely quickly. It is small enough to fit in a handbag so you can easily take it with you everywhere you go.
Like other products in the Miracle™ range, the band is ideal to promote close bonding with your baby. It would be equally useful for carers in the nursery setting.
Here are some of the Testers’ comments:
- Size of band fits well
- We like the band because we can play together
- Can be kept in handbag for emergency playtime
- Kept baby entertained for quite a while
- He liked the rattle in the wristband
Read detailed information about this trial here
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Dribblebuster® - February 2009 |
Dribblebuster® bib
RRP: £6.50 for one or £16.99 for pack of three PicknMix designs
Manufactured by Almarie Designs
Supplied by www.dribblebuster.co.uk
Award: Clever design
Dribblebuster® does exactly what its name suggests. A traditional bib might help to keep your baby dry, but it can also spoil the look of their lovely outfits - particularly on special occasions. Ideally, we would buy a matching bib for every outfit, but this is just not practical.
With over 25 fabrics to choose from, the Dribblebuster® will complement any outfit, keeping your baby dry in the most stylish way possible.
Testers liked the size of the Dribblebuster®. It is small enough to look neat and big enough to catch the dribbles, keeping the clothing (and of course the baby’s delicate skin) beneath the bib dry. The Dribblebuster® is easy to fit: it sits snugly around the neck. The Velcro fastening is easy to adjust, but some Testers commented that they would like the bib to be available with poppers too.
Testers found that as well as being very easy to wash and dry, the Dribblebuster® became more absorbent with each wash. They also liked the fact that this bib could be used back to front to match a particular outfit.
Here are some of the Testers’ comments:
- It kept her clothes dry and free from dribble
- The size is ideal as it does not cover too much of my daughter’s clothing
- The fabric is lovely and soft, especially the backing
- Easy to wash and air-dried quickly
- The bib soaked up the dribble but the bib itself did not look wet
- Helps to prevent rash especially in the neck creases
- It did save on outfit changes after a few washes
- People have asked me what my baby was wearing because they liked it so much
Read detailed information about this trial here
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Shampoo Rinse Cup - November 2008 |
Shampoo Rinse Cup
RRP: £6.99
Supplied by www.trendykid.co.uk
Award: Clever design
This innovative product allows you to rinse your child’s hair with the minimum of fuss, making the experience much less stressful. More importantly it reduces the risk of getting potentially irritating shampoo residue near to delicate eyes or ears.
Testers loved the simple design which includes a stable base, ergonomic easigrip handle and bright primary colours (a pink Shampoo Rinse Cup for girls would be welcome). Testers especially liked the double chamber which not only holds plenty of water for rinsing, but also promotes an even flow from the jug. This prevents any sudden deluge.
After a few attempts, Testers mastered the art of drip-free rinsing. Parents and children were soon rewarded with stress-free hair washing. This was particularly beneficial for children whose ears need to be kept dry because of recurrent ear infections. Using the Shampoo Rinse Cup made life easier for all concerned and increased the confidence of children who had previously dreaded hair washing.
It is easy to clean the Shampoo Rinse Cup and when bath time is over it can be used to store small bath toys or sponges. Testers complimented its ability to fit neatly in the corner of the bath when not in use.
Here are some of the Testers’ comments:
- It was flexible, easy to clean and I really liked the two compartments
- It’s big enough to fit a considerable amount of water in without being too heavy to hold with one hand
- The soft rubber section fits perfectly around the front of a child’s head and stops water going into their eyes
- My son has not objected to having his hair washed since we started to use the cup!
- Fun to use and can be incorporated in many bath time games
- It stopped water going anywhere near his eyes and he also liked playing with it as a toy
- He thinks it’s his ‘magic jug’
- She calls it her ‘special jug’
- All in all an excellent product for parent and child
Read detailed information about this trial here
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| Decongestants - October to December 2008 |
Rhinodoron nasal spray (suitable from three months)
Retrospective Tested: October – December 2008
RRP: £4.95 for 20mls
Distilled water plus sodium and potassium chloride and organic aloe vera in an isotonic solution.
www.weleda.co.uk
Award: Editor's choice
If you are looking for a totally natural decongestant that is not just safe for pregnant mums but babies too, then look no further than Rhinodoron. This nasal spray proved to be extremely simple to use. Despite initial worries about how to administer this product to a wriggly baby, Rhinodoron proved to be a one-handed wonder which youngsters actually enjoyed!
Most Testers were unaware that such a product existed. They commented that the natural credentials of the product should be more prominent on the box.
The dispenser was easy to use. It was small enough for even tiny noses and delivered a fine spray which really did relieve symptoms in minutes.
For this retrospective trial ten samples were tested by pregnant mums and ten samples tested on babies.
This is what some of the Testers said:
Mums -
• It’s the first decongestant I have used without a strong perfume. Also it can be used during pregnancy
• It helped with nasal congestion associated with sinus problems which are worse during my pregnancy
• Being pregnant there was no medicinal decongestant I could use
• It proved more effective than conventional decongestants but was less abrasive to my nasal passages
• Excellent, I can carry it in my handbag!
Babies -
• It was so easy to use and gave almost instant results – it is excellent!
• No need to count drops, just squeeze once or twice
• I anticipated a struggle but didn’t get one!
• It helps to moisten nasal discharge which can be crusty and allows for easier removal
• A lot easier to administer than drops and my toddler looks forward to it!
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