reviews Archives - The Newhouse Family Blog

As a new parent or parent-to-be you will probably hear about tummy time, but you may not understand why it is so important. Let me talk to you about some of the huge benefits tummy time has for your baby, and why you should do it. I also have a super cute tummy time toy to show you from the ever popular brand Galt.

What is tummy time?

Tummy time is when you place your infant onto their tummy (with their forearms in front of them, taking their weight) for a period of time during playtime. It can be done from birth and the aim of tummy time is to strengthen the muscles in your baby’s head, neck and back. You should start tummy time from birth for just 1 minute at a time, and gradually extend the period of time spent on their tummy as they get older. Doing this a few times a day will really strengthen their upper body muscles.

You should only ever place your newborn baby on their tummy when they are awake, and on a flat surface on the floor. As your baby gets older, you can place toys in front of them to play with, or use a simple and safe tummy time aid. Why not join your baby on the floor with your baby, to share toys and books and chat to your baby. Tummy time is the perfect way to bond and play during their waking hours.

If your baby really doesn’t like being on the floor, you can have tummy time with your baby laid safely across your lap. Do keep trying them on the floor though, as they will soon start to enjoy playing in this way.

Why should you give your baby tummy time?

There are many benefits to your child spending time playing on their tummy, even from birth. I mentioned above that tummy time strengthens the muscles in your baby’s head, neck and back but there are many other reasons why you should give your baby tummy time each day.

It will help your baby reach their key milestones, such as crawling and walking. This is due to those nice strong muscles developed from playing on their tummy.
Improves head control.
Helps baby learn how to roll.
Prevents flat head syndrome.
Reduces gas and constipation.
Helps to develop hand-eye coordination.
Stretches and develops hip muscles

Toys to help aid tummy time

Your baby may benefit from some toys to play with during tummy time. Toys are brilliant to keep baby happy during tummy time, and as your baby learns how to reach and grasp, toys will help their hand-eye coordination and make tummy time more fun. Tummy time never needs to be boring!

We love the Tummytime Ted by Galt. Jimmy has really taken a shine to this toy and it keeps him happy for ages. I’ll be honest, Jimmy hated tummy time and really panicked when placed onto his tummy. We got our hands on the Tummytime Ted to see if a product such as this would make a difference to Jimmy’s enjoyment of tummy time. It worked!

Tummytime Ted by Galt

Suitable from birth, Tummytime Ted is a support ‘cushion’ that is placed under your baby’s chest. It raises their chest, neck and head off of the floor so baby doesn’t feel so close to the ground- the common cause of tummy time panic!

This tummy time toy is super soft, machine washable (THANK YOU!), Features lots of different materials, textures and even rattles and comes with 3 detachable super-cute picnic themed toys. An all round perfected tummy time toy. Teddy Bears Picnic, anyone?

Jimmy loved the rattle located in the apple. He found Ted’s ears fun to chew too. Tummytime Ted is a perfect size. Jimmy is 5 months old now, and just starting to sit by himself but he loves tummy time now that he has something close to his grasp to play with.

There is no hard set-up for Tummytime Ted. Simply blow up the inflatable cushion (like a beach ball) and slip into the fabric cover. That’s it! Place your baby onto the cushion with their chest on top of Ted’s face, with their arms reaching outwards. I recommend getting down on the floor with your baby, and encourage play with the sensory toys.

Tummytime Ted has beautiful bright and vibrant colours and different textures. Ted himself has a soft furry face and hands, with cute 3D ears! Jimmy loves sucking on Ted’s ears, making a soggy Ted!

Jimmy also loves playing with Tummytime Ted while sat on the sofa. Ted can be placed across your child’s lap for fun play sitting up. We’ve also had Ted placed on the Bumbo tray! A versatile toy, that is perfect for tummy time play, but also great for when baby wants to sit.

The Tummytime Ted can easily be deflated and folded flat. Perfect for storage, or packing into a bag when traveling. With no complicated set up, just a breath of air, Tummytime Ted can be ready for play within moments!

Jimmy has Syndactyly, but that doesn’t stop him from playing with Tummytime Ted!

Where to buy

Tummytime Ted is available from the Galt website and is £15.99

If you grew up in the UK, ever lived in the UK, or have even heard of the UK then there is a good chance that you will have seen the TV show Catch Phrase. If you have been living under a rock and have no idea what I am talking about, Catch Phrase is a TV show where contestants watch short cartoons to guess a well-known catchphrase. Get these right and they win money. A simple concept, which is probably why the TV show has been so massively popular for family TV viewing since 1986… and let’s not forget the Catch Phrase mascot Mr. Chips!

When we were given the chance to play and review the all-new Catch Phrase board game by Drumond Park, we jumped at the chance! Based on the new ITV reboot presented by Stephen Mulhern, this great family board game will have you in fits of laughter and makes you feel like you’re really on set of the famous TV show. The game is easy to set up and has super simple rules to follow. Within no time, you could be playing Catch Phrase… just like you always dreamed of doing.

Whats in the box?

When you open the box for the first time it may be a little daunting to see how many bits there are to set up. But, don’t worry it really isn’t that complicated at all. The set-up instructions are very easy to follow. Inside the box, you will find:

96 Catch Phrase cards
15 Bonus Cards
48 Super Catch Phrase cards
Mr. Chips card holder
Bonus Catch Phrase frame card and window covers
Super Catch Phrase Board
Sand timer
Red Filter
60 banknotes
Instructions

It took me about 5 minutes to read the instructions and set the game up ready for play. The whole game looks magnificent when all laid out ready to play! I played with my husband, and there were instructions specifically for when there are just 2 players. The game is created for 2-4 players, and I do think it would work best with a full team of 4. We were both so excited to play once everything was ready. My husband even put on his best Stephen Mulhurn impression… how embarrassing!

Play time!

Playing the game was just as fun as we hoped. We were in fits of laughter right from the beginning. Each player takes it in turns as the host. There are 3 rounds; Individual, Rapid-Fire and Super Catch Phrase puzzles. Once all 3 rounds have been played, someone else takes over as host. Repeat until all players have hosted the 3 rounds each.

Round 1: Players must try to solve Catch Phrases on their own. The answers are written upside down on the opposite side of the card, out of sight from players but clearly visible to the host. The cards are placed into the arms of a large cardboard Mr. Chips cardholder- which is kind of cute. The correct answer has to be guessed before the time runs out, so be quick! Correct answers win ‘cash’. If the correct answer isn’t guessed then other players get their chance to shout out the correct answer, in order to win the cash prize instead.

For each correct Catch Phrase guessed, a tile from the Bonus Catch Phrase frame is removed. The player gets one chance to guess the Bonus Catch Phrase answer correctly, per tile removed. Round 1 continues with the individual players taking turns until the Bonus Catch Phrase has been guessed or all of the window covers have been removed without anyone getting it right.

Round 2: The host uses the Regular Catch Phrase cards during this Rapid Fire round, but during this round everyone plays at the same time. A card is placed into Mr. Chip’s arms and the players all shout out their guesses until the correct answer is given. Guess correctly first, and you win more cash. If the timer runs out and no one has guessed correctly then host shows another card. Only 5 cards are shown during this round.

Round 3: This is the Super Catch Phrase round. 6 cards are placed on to the Super Catch Phrase board. The cards are played in the same way as the Rapid Fire round. The host starts to turn the cards starting on the bottom row. The players have to get one card right from the row before cards on the next row above are revealed. Each row has a different prize value. The answers to these cards are cleverly hidden on the front of the cards. The host must use the red filter sheet to reveal the answer!

After this final round the host steps down, and the person to their left now becomes the new host. Players keep the money they have won from host to host and the whole game finishes when all players have had a turn at being the host. The winner is the person who has won the most money.

The instructions are easy to understand, with easy to read font and clear diagrams. If there are just 2 of you playing the game, there are a slightly different set of rules (included on the same leaflet). The instructions are kept brief but this works well. The game states that it is suitable for players aged 8+, but I do think children as young as 8 would struggle to play the game. Some of the Catch Phrases are rather hard to guess, even as a 28 year old! The game would be best suited to much older children, teenagers, and adults.

Final thoughts

I am usually not a huge fan of this style board game, but Catch Phrase is one of my favourite Saturday evening chill-out shows so I just had to have a go at the game! The game seems well made and created with good quality materials. Nothing is too fiddly or time-consuming to set up, and once you’ve got into the swing of things you could be playing a side-splitting game for the evening. There was one card that I just could not guess. My husband was in tears of laughter. I think you can guess why…

I am very pleased to give this game its own space on our games shelf, as it could prove some hilarious entertainment when guests are over for an evening. All-in-all, a well-made game that had us all as happy as Mr. Chips looks!

Buy the game!

Catch Phrase the board game is produced by Drumond Park and has an RRP of £22.99 and is available online and in store. Stockists include Amazon, Toys R Us, Tesco, WH Smith, and Smyths. Do shop around for the best price.