I think when it comes to having new babies and the gear we need for them we automatically think of Mothercare as being the high street retailer we will buy all our bits from. Even if it’s a first baby and never before have we had the need to shop in such a place we still know that Mothercare is the place to be. They have such a good brand and are so well thought of, being Mummy’s staple shop for generations is just the way it is and will continue to be. From the night wear we choose for the hospital to the buggy we decide upon, I think the majority of us shop there. I remember my sister-in-law and I shopping for her buggy at the baby show, she was looking at all the different retailers and quickly chose her buggy as a Bugaboo Cameleon but instead of buying it at the stand where we’d first seen it we moved over to Mothercare and made the actual purchase there. It’s just that you have that guarantee in your mind that you are buying from somewhere trustworthy and somewhere you can go back for future advice I guess.
My Mum says that when she shopped there it was quite literally the ONLY place you could buy children’s clothes so it’s certainly testament that now, when there are hundreds of other options, we still choose to be shopping at Mothercare. I’ve written before about why I think they keep going from strength to strength, being an old favourite in a new market rather than a sinking fading star amongst newer brighter and shinier ones. Mothercare simply just have the knack of adapting and moving with the times; they are the Grandparent who learnt to text as soon as SMS came about, the Great Aunt who has the latest iPad because she won’t be left behind and the pensioner who instead of moaning about the digital switch over, was out choosing her new television months in advance and preparing for a better viewing experience!
Mothercare have over time updated their feeding rooms, I know if I’m out that it’s Mothercare I will go to, (even if I’m not in there shopping) to feed Jimmy; their rooms are streets ahead of anywhere else on the high street – just as you would imagine and just as you would hope. When getting measured for a bra or needing advice for car seat purchase it is again Mothercare that make the best promises, there is always someone on every shop floor at any given time who can advise for these two things. They have listened to us, the customer, on many levels and it shows in lots of areas. Children’s wear for one, there are now differently scaled tiers in prices of their clothes, never scrimping on quality whatever the level! They have adapted, adjusted and moved, not just because they need to but because they want to. And they haven’t stopped there…
For many years we have been going to Mothercare because we can trust their brand but I don’t think we have always thought of Mothercare’s own brand for things like feeding equipment? We go there to buy other brands but have we bought their own range when it comes to bottles, sterilisers, bottle warmers etc? I don’t think so you know and Mothercare obviously didn’t think so either because they started looking at their range and realised it was in need of a make-over. Yet again they have found something they can improve and done it because after 3 years in the making things have changed! Now when you go into Mothercare you WILL be considering buying their own brand bottles and feeding equipment because their new designs and new Innosense range is now on sale! And what a range it is!
Last week I was invited to meet the new range of products, to feel them, hold them, inspect them and I’m here to tell you what I found! As I enjoyed afternoon tea (never done that before) in a lovely restaurant in Soho, it was explained to me why the new range for Mothercare is not only going to rival leading competitors but in fact is completely different to anything else on the market anyway! There are lots of special details within the range that no one has ever thought of before, things which are (sometimes) super simple even but have somehow been over-looked… Daniel Weil, architect and industrial designer was the man tasked with the job of designing the range. 3 years ago when he began he started by researching and looking at the evolution of feeding. He noted over time how bottles and the like have changed with fashion and where it is they have drawn their inspiration in the past. He noticed a trend in the way a bottle is shaped to other hand-held products we have used at similar times. When bottle feeding began with a tall glass bottle and a thin neck he realised at the same time we were drinking, as adults, cola from bottles with a very similar design. As baby bottles moved on and became shorter and fatter, with wider necks to accommodate milk powder he noticed they became the same size as a cola can… He says he couldn’t go back, that we couldn’t go back in time and move to a smaller neck and a taller bottle even though this style would mean less air in the teat and less colic. He said he had to go forward taking on board what had changed before, so in the end, his design which is the same size as a take-away coffee cup, is something which we have never seen before! Taking into consideration what worked well at the start he has adapted the new wide neck style to mimic the old small neck and because the teat is off-centre it means milk stays in it right until the last drip – this reduces air and in turn wind and colic! With all the benefits of a wide neck, to be able to pour milk powder in without losing any and yet with the anti colic solution of a small neck, this new bottle is a completely updated version of everything we have seen before in one.
There were simple yet brilliant explanations for the design of all the products and I have to say I found myself being very impressed! I was asked if I am still feeding Jimmy, if the range is relevant to me personally? Of course regular readers of my blog will know that I’m not only still feeding Jimmy but I’m STILL feeding Florence every so often so the range is very relevant to me. Jimmy used to be wonderful at taking a bottle but now isn’t quite so keen so we have to make sure it’s a teat he will like. I think these bottles, as well as having their exciting off-centre design which combats colic, will appeal to him because the actual teat is small and fat, a bit like a nipple really! I haven’t tried one yet but when I do I’ll let you know, they certainly look and feel as if they would mimic breast-feeding quite well though. I am also still expressing milk for whenever I need to, when I go out I much prefer him to have breast milk than formula (although he does have both) so I find myself expressing every now and then. I’ve used quite a few breast pumps really and I have to say so far that I prefer manual ones in general. Innosense haven’t brought out their manual design yet but their electric, to me, looks like it might be really quite good. One of the reasons I’ve not enjoyed electric pumps as much as manuals is because they seem to be bigger and have more wires – obviously! I like to feed and pump at the same time so a manual one has always been the easiest option for me. This one though looks like it might just combine the ease of an electric with the simplicity of manual ones because it can be charged up and used via battery power alone meaning no wires. On top of that, the handle can be popped off and replaced in three different positions meaning you can hold it in either hand and feed and pump at the same time – I’d love to actually try it out to see what the suction power is like and how it adjusts with the rolling button. To hold it feels comfortable and light and it has a great little stand which can either come away or stay attached whilst expressing… Looks like a great pump for travelling and like it might just be the answer if you can’t decide if it’s electric or manual you would prefer. To me, all the benefits of a manual pump seem to be incorporated here…
Other things in the range which caught my eye:
The Silicon Tongs! We traditionally use thick plastic tweezers when removing bottles and dummies from the steriliser! How often do they end up just being a hindrance and you forget it and just use your fingers which entirely negates the purpose of sterilising in the first place? These are SO simple but SO obviously good! The designer says he calls them the finger slipper and that’s exactly what they do, slip over your finger and thumb then you are free to pick up sterilised bottles and put them together with your finger and thumb being the tweezers!
The Cold Water Steriliser! I still use my steriliser, if for nothing else as somewhere to keep all the bits in one place. It is however a bit of a lucky dip as to what you get when you’re scrabbling around trying to put a bottle together quickly! Now Jimmy’s over 6 months old so sterile bottles are not nearly as important as they used to be but he has had a bottle most days since he was born so it did used to be. When the bottle being sterile was of utmost importance it was a nightmare getting all the right bits out with the thick plastic tweezers and putting a complete bottle together without it becoming un sterile! The thing I like about this particular steriliser is that it comes with bottle nets which you fill individually, pre sterilisation, with all the bits you need for one bottle so that everything is where you need it to be when putting the bottle together! Another really simple yet handy idea!
The Bottle Warming Flask and the Bottle and Food Warmer! I’ve never used a bottle warmer before and have always flitted between heating in the microwave and never really being entirely confident it’s not too hot so leaving it to go cold again to using boiled water in a bowl which is just a bit too much faff really isn’t it! Sometimes we, my husband especially, find that we need a bottle heated up like NOW and a bottle warmer is something I’m thinking of investing in. The food and bottle warmer plugs into the wall as it is for bottles and jars and obviously Jimmy is on solids now so I think this is perfect but I really like the look and sound of the flask too so might have to get both. I think Jimmy will still be having bottles (and breast milk) for quite some time to come so it would be worth it I think and when Jonny is out and about with Jimmy the flask will be a good option to take with him. You fill it with hot water then it remains warm, as a flask does, for you to heat milk when you need it.
There are lots of other interesting things in the range too. Mothercare have really put their heart and soul into the designs and just as with their ‘Cars and bras’ philosophy that there will always be a trained member of staff on the floor who can help, there will also be someone who knows the Innosense range inside out too. That isn’t to say they will sell their own product above and beyond! If you ask them for advice they are committed to showing you the product they best think fits your requirements and if that is something from a different feeding range then so be it. But, take a look at the products, I think like me you will see their work has been worthwhile and their new collection of feeding products is very interesting indeed. I like the way the collection marries with all the items matching and I like their prices. Of course the little touches they offer are well thought out as well and it seems that yet again, Mothercare have listened to their audience, us the parents! The new range, as the name suggests, is innovative and makes sense – Innosense!
I have not been paid in any way to write this article. I was invited to afternoon tea to be introduced to the range with no obligation to write a post and all opinions expressed by me are entirely my own.
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