Practising Smiling With Tiny Love!

I love Tiny Love products. All you have to do is take a look back on my blog to see it was the make of choice for me when my two were tiny; the way they make things is just a little bit different and just a little bit special you see. When Florence was a few weeks old she had a modelling job and in the green room that day was a Tiny Love play gym. She had one at home but hadn’t seemed that fussed about it whereas with the Tiny Love gym she was wriggling, smiling, playing and enjoying as soon as she lay on it. The very next day I went out and bought one the same to have at home. She loved it! She never fell asleep on it as some of my friend’s babies seemed to do when they played on the gym but she never got bored enough to do so I guess!

I was sent some goreous new products from the Tiny Love range to test out. Obviously Florence and Jimmy are a bit old for play gyms this week but my good friend and her new baby Faren stepped up to give them all a whirl and let us know how they got on. It’s good to see from Carly’s report that I’m definitely not the only one who has found a firm favourite in Tiny Love! Enjoy Carly’s brilliant post about them:

From Carly…

My kids are smilers.

When my daughter, Eowyn, was two weeks old she had an appointment for an injection. As the nurse prepared the needle my little monkey was cooing and smiling away at me. I said ‘aww she’s smiling again’. Without turning, the nurse replied ‘I think you’ll find it’s just wind dear. They don’t smile this early…’ but as she turned she saw my beaming baby. ‘Oh my!’ I can safely say she was born smiling and I hope she never stops.

My second baby, my son, Faren, was born ten weeks early so was born without the ability to do a lot of the new born natural responses, like sucking and gripping. It was weird, over time, watching these skills appear. They mostly occurred around his due date. Because of this his smile was later to appear. It didn’t stop his sister though. Her smiles got bigger when he arrived!

Eowyn and Faren!

When he did start smiling though, it just came and stayed.

Smiler!

We have found some things that encourage his smiling too. Making funny noises, tickling his cheek and recently the play gym.

He has been using the Tiny Love Gymini Super Deluxe Play Gym and is smitten.

The pictures speak for themselves!

He will spend ages babbling and shouting at the characters and then staring at his face in the mirror. I am loving the musical accompaniment too. Mozart or nursery rhymes, played when he kicks his feet on the adorable flower patch. I’ve had folding play gyms before but none that fold this easily or fold away as compact. It folds in half and is held in place by two poppers, one on each side of the mat. Easy! The fact that it folds away so completely does not impact on the quality of the toys and interactive nature of the play and each of the toys that hang from the bars are well thought out. Each makes a different movement (spinning, shaking, curling) and are various bright colours. The actual mat is great too with more adorable characters and varying touch and feel points, as well as a squeaky bird patch (that is entertaining his sister no end), which he can investigate when on his tummy.

And when Faren is tuckered out from all his gym play he can rest easy in his Take Along Tiny Love Bouncer. I love compact fold. Even if you lived in the biggest house it’s always great to have objects that can be easily stored or transported. Other chairs we have are bulky and are inevitably left to get in the way or be tripped over when not in use. But the take along bouncer folds easily using a twist motion and by pushing a button at the front. It then all folds in on itself and can be placed in a handy pull string bag. I have been hanging it on the back of the door in the living room which puts it completely out of the way and it’s not even visible. Plus Faren is totally relaxed when sleeping or sitting in the chair as you can see…

Pretty happy in his chair!

For chill out or bedtime we have been using the Tiny Love Soothe ‘n’ Groove Mobile. It’s epic. So much to look at and the music selection is fab. It varies from Jazz, World, Nature, Classic, Lullaby or White Noise. The songs can be changed on each via a large button that can be easily pushed by the baby even as young as Faren (5 months – but really 3 months as his corrected age) He absolutely adores the three jungle animals that spin around. As they are on an arch they come towards and then move away from the baby but also spin on a disk. This action is a source of great amusement for him and his face lights up each time the animals spin past. The beauty of the music box is that it will grow with the child and moves from a mobile then on to music for the cot and lastly onto a carry around music box for a toddler. Faren will love it for a long time to come. Also a plus for me it is, again, easily taken apart to store.