When Jo from Toddle Bike contacted me about her new concept first balance bike range I knew instantly this was one for Coombe Mill. I had seen bikes without pedals before, but never one so perfectly targeted at the 18 month to 3 year old age group. 

What makes Toddle Bike special?

I have 6 toddle bikes around Coombe Mill and have been watching our guests using them over the past month. I can now say from firsthand experience that these are the main benefits:

Durable.

Bright fun colours.

Lightweight and portable even for a toddler to carry around!

Work equally indoors and outside.

Easy to wipe down and clean.

Easy to ride from the very first go.

Inexpensive at just £23.95 including UK delivery currently from the Toddlebike Shop 

Loved by toddlers who can feel like big kids learning to balance and cycle.

Seeing is Believing

Clearly I am a fan having seen the bikes and the wonderful times children here at Coombe Mill have been having. The bikes are located in our toddler play ground and inside our larger properties. As they are so portable they regularly migrate around the farm and further afield too, which is fine with us so long as they come back home at the end of a busy day in use. 

In the Toddler Play Area where the bikes live and round the Coombe Car park the tarmac surface is perfect for a beginner:

The More adventurous take their Toddle bike out on the farm. Spot the older children joining in, just to prove how durable they are:

Our lovely sandy beaches are perfect for a Toddle bike, though you have to watch out for the tide when they are abandoned to play in the sand:

The happy smiling faces on our little video here are sure to have you reading on and entering our fabulous competition to win a bike for your toddler too:

Win Your Toddle Bike with Coombe Mill

To be in with a chance of winning take a good look around the Toddle Bike Web Site and let me know in the comments below why you would like to win one.

To increase your chance of winning:

'Like' Toddle Bike and Coombemill on Facebook and leave ONE separate comment here to say you have done so with your Facebook name.

For an additional entry, follow Jo Hockley and Coombemill on Twitter and leave ONE extra comment here with your Twitter name.

For one final entry, please tweet the following sentence and leave another comment to say you have done so:

I've entered to win a Toddlebike for my toddler with @toddlebiker & @coombemill http://bit.ly/18rkaY1 Why don't you? Pls RT

The competition is open to UK residents and will close on Wednesday 22nd May 3013 at midnight with the winner chosen by RandomOrg.com and announced the following morning. Good luck to all taking part.  

Min 1                  Max 300                        Generate      Result  : 80

The Winner is Hayley Smith. Congrations Hayley, one Toddle Bike on it's Way!

Disclosure: I was given our Toddlebikes to trial at Coombe Mill for the benefit of our holiday guests and for this review, all thoughts are my own and those of our guests whose children trialled the bikes. 

Crack open the fizz!

Whoop Whoop, I have made the shortlist thanks to you lovely people. This is the first year I will be going to Brit Mums Live, how exciting to be in with a chance of a BiBs Award too! When I put a little badge on my side bar I thought it would just be wishful thinking. Thank you for keeping my dream alive and short listing me for Lifestyle.

To find I am also in Social Media is the most wonderful surprise. I have just read the qualifications again and am thrilled to think that people have actually heard about me around the net. Not because I am big headed, but because I am passionate about our lifestyle at Coombe Mill, the outdoor family fun we have and wanting to share this and inspire others into fun loving time out of the house and away from computers and TV. On the back of this I hope to quietly raise awareness of our farm holidays at Coombe Mill. That you feel I am achieving this is as much as I could ever hope for. 

Thank you so much for all the kind words on Twitter and Facebook and best of luck to all the other brilliant blogs in my categories, I know everyone and they are all amazing! Of course I would dearly love to be a finalist, if you feel I warrant your vote this is the form. Support and friendship here is what inspires me on with my blog, after all when I told my husband of my shortlist the reply was an off hand:

"Very good, now what about 'The Award for Holiday Bookings?'" 

Actually there are now a significant number I connect with via my blog and social platforms who are also Coombe Mill guests, so there Farmer Nick, does that make Brit Mums Live a Business Expense?

Hooray for Spring Sunshine

Finally we are seeing some warmer temperatures across the country and the sun is tempting us back outdoors. My children are loving the longer days and playing out happily on the farm from dawn to dusk.

It may only be April but the sun is already strong and for our fair skin which has been covered up for the long winter months it is time to think about some quality sun protection. 

Introducing Sun Sense 

I have been sent the sun protection range from Sun Sense to try out on my family. Given I only have the remains of last year's bottle sitting in the car this is perfectly timed. The range originated in Australia where it is a best seller and is now building a presence in the UK market.

 

To be in with a chance of winning take a good look around the Sun Sense Range and let me know in the comments below why this is the range for you.

To increase your chance of winning:

'Like' Sun Sense UK and Coombemill on Facebook and leave ONE separate comment here to say you have done so with your facebook name.

For an additional entry, follow SunSense UK and Coombemill on Twitter and leave ONE extra comment here with your twitter name.

For one final entry, please tweet the following sentence and leave another comment to say you have done so:

I've entered to win £65 of Sun Sense protection for my family with @SunSenseUK & @coombemill http://bit.ly/YZxoHM Why don't you? Pls RT

The competition is open to UK residents and will close on Tuesday 30th April 3013 at midnight with the winner chosen by RandomOrg.com and announced the following morning. Good luck to all taking part.

True Random Number Generator Min:  1   Max  72   Generate  17 

The winner is Nichola @Fabfortymum. Congratulations and Thank you to all taking part. 

Disclosure: I was given the Sun Sensitive products and activity pack for the purpose of this review, all thoughts are my own and those of my children. 

Travelling with young children

The clocks have changed; summer is officially with us and getting out and about with the children on the increase over the summer months. When you have very young children in tow then you want them to fit in with your activities and be as happy and safe as possible too.  From an afternoon nap in the pram to an overnight in a hotel room, having a way to recreate the darkened room they enjoy in their own home can be the difference between a happy child and a grumpy sleep deprived child, not to mention the knock on effect for you as a parent. 

Snooze Shade has the complete solution

I have had the pleasure of receiving the quality darkened cot cover and pram shade from the lovely Cara Sayer who owns Snooze Shade. Cara is a Mum who created Snooze Shade out of her own frustrations of travelling with her little girl. From a trip to the shops to a holiday this is a product range that can make a difference. These products are made to a high standard from fully soft and breathable fabric, they are light weight, easy to pack and adjust to fit all travel cots and prams. We have a full range of cot sizes here at Coombe Mill and I tried the cot cover on each style finding it could be adapted easily with the elastic edging and Velcro tabs to fit all of ours including some of the larger wooden cots.

Over on the www.snoozeshade.com/ website there are some excellent videos demonstrating how to put up the snooze shade range and all the versatility of use. Do take a look, but be warned, you will want one after watching! Cara has deservedly won many awards for the range. 

Tried and Tested

With no children of pram age myself I have been offering our holiday guests a try over the past season. I can vouch to the quality as they come back each time looking as good as new with no wear and tear. The pram cover was a universal success doubling up as a darkened napping place and a sun shade in one. The Cot cover was favoured by most, though some with older toddlers who had never tried anything like it before said their child didn't like the enclosed sensation on full sleep mode.  Snooze shade have thought of this and there is a zip which goes across the whole of the top and the sides to allow you to make it as enclosed and darkened or as light as you choose. If I had the chance to use one I think I would use it from the start with a new baby and take advantage of the zip according to the time of year, age of child and natural light in the room. I could have saved myself endless stubbed toes on the end of beds in unfamiliar rooms being able to turn on the light and find my way to bed safely without worrying I may disturb the baby I finally got to sleep!

Win your choice of Snooze Shade with Coombe Mill

Cara has kindly offered you the chance to win any product from her lovely Snooze Shade range. The products range from £19.99 to £69.99 so a very generous offer. Take a good look around the helpful Snooze Shade website at the full range and let me know in the comments below which product you would like to win. Remember to also leave a way for me to contact you.

To increase your chance of winning:

'Like' Snoozeshade and Coombemill on Facebook and leave ONE separate comment here to say you have done so with your facebook name.

For an additional entry, follow Cara Sayer and Coombemill on Twitter and leave ONE extra comment here with your twitter name.

For one final entry, please tweet the following sentence and leave another comment to say you have done so:

I've entered to win my choice of Snooze Shade for baby with @SnoozeShade & @coombemill http://bit.ly/11nMebu Why don't you? Pls RT

The competition is open to UK residents and will close on Thursday 24th April 3013 at midnight with the winner chosen by RandomOrg.com and announced the following morning. Good luck to all taking part.

This Competition is now closed.

True Random Number Generator Min: 1 Max: 185 Generate  Result: 14 Powered by RandomOrg

The Winner is Otilia aka @romanianmum. Many Congratulations and thank you to all who took part.  

Disclosure: I was given a pram cover and cot shade for the purpose of this review, all thoughts are my own or those of our holiday guests who tested them for me.  My cot and pushchair shades are available at Coombe Mill for our holiday guests to use. Please just ask when booking.

Outdoor Fun for All the Family

We all know how being outdoors in the fresh air is good for us, but sometimes thinking where to go for the children can run free, you feel safe and that won't cost the earth is not so easy. Did you know that the Forestry Commission have some well kept woods with nature trails, things to do, play areas and beautiful cafes with log fires and plenty of car parking? It doesn't take much for children to make the most of the outdoors and a walk along one of these trails can be quite an adventure when little minds get to work. Our local forest is Cardinham Woods and when we went to check it out back in the autumn we had a wonderful afternoon of fun parking for free with our discovery pass and looking out for wildlife along the way in our specially provided collecting bags.

The Forestry Commission have teamed up with Coombe Mill to offer you a chance to win your own discovery pass for a specified forest of your choice. You can find your local one here http://www.forestry.gov.uk/pass

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Even if you don't win a discovery pass, car parking is very reasonable for an afternoon of healthy outdoor fun, hope you can grab your coat and wellies and get on out to enjoy your local forest.  21st March each year is officially World Forestry Day so why not check out what's going on in your local woods?