I’ve been sent a couple of products by some kind PRs to try out, so I thought it was about time I did a products post.
The first is this Trunki travel toy box. I have to admit, when the PR told me she was sending it I was a bit sceptical – thinking – “It’s going to be a plastic box – so what?” But I’m a real fan of Trunki products so I thought I’d take a look and, of course, it is much more than a plastic box. It is designed to fit in the footwell of a car – which in itself is a brilliant idea – if you can say to your kids “you can take whatever toys to like, as long as they fit in this box” then you are already saving space. And once you are at your destination, you can empty out the box, turn it upside down and you have a ride-on toy. If you have more than one, you can join them together, as in the pic. And at the end of the day, the kids have somewhere to tidy their toys away. Brilliant. It cost £19.99, which is much more than a toy box from, say, Ikea, but then it’s much more than a toybox.
Another thing I have been sent recently is this back-pack from YUU. I quite liked the sound of it as kids do tend to carry a lot of stuff round, which can get quite heavy – especially here in France where they have to carry all their books to and from school every day and school bags are so heavy that most primary-aged kids have ones with wheels. YUU’s main USP is that is ergomically shpaed so that your child is more likely to carry it in a way which is good for his or her back – it has a kind of solid back so your child can’t slouch. It also has some other great features, you can hang it over the back of a car or airline seat (although the latter might be a bit annoying for the person in front) and it comes with some games, a whistle and a few other bits and pieces – you get to choose exactly what when you order. The idea is also that your child can use the roll-out bit as a desk, there’s a pouch on the outside for a drinks bottle and various compartments inside for them to keep all their bits and even a zip-lock bag to encourage recycling. For each bag bought, a donation is made to charity BackCare UK. At £43 though, I do think it is pretty pricey (although I’ve just realised I paid nearly that for the kids’ school bags this year which are pretty rubbish in comparison.)
And while I am writing a post about products I thought I’d include a couple of other great-looking travel products for those with younger children:
The FlexiBath. When mine were little I would only book holiday accommodation which had a bath – with this, it doesn’t matter if it only has a shower. £29.95.
The Yoomi – With some airlines now refusing to heat baby milk (apparently – I hadn’t heard about this and need to check it out – so far I haven’t found any evidence of it so please let me know if you have) – this device heats milk to breastmilk temperature in just 60 seconds. Isn’t that brilliant? When I last asked for milk to be heating on planes – the stewardess was very happy to do it but it came back far too hot – not ideal to have to wait for it to cool when you have a screaming hungry baby. Ideal not just for flying but for when you are generally out and about too. Or even at home, for that matter. I would have loved one of these when I was still using bottles. £22.50.
The Tot Seat – a go-anywhere highchair which is fully washable and small and light enough to pack away easily where every you are going. Apparently it is now owned by one in twenty babies in the UK (or their mums at least, I guess. Do babies actually own things?) £24.00
Travelling with Children 
how much are they by the way