reviews Archives - The Newhouse Family Blog

Jimmy has just started to crawl. He figured out his cool new trick around 2 weeks ago but was a little on the slow side. Why rush, when his big sisters would bring him all the toys that he could ever want?! But the last 2 days have been fun… he has suddenly found speed! His little arms and legs move at an astonishing rate as he makes his way from one room to the next. I forgot what it was like to have a child in the ‘muddy knees’ club, now that he wants to explore the garden too.

Our good friends at Galt have an amazing toy designed specifically for crawling babies, to help them gain confidence in crawling and having lots of fun at the same time! The Galt Follow Me Ball is a colour changing motorised ball that lights up as it rolls, stops and then changes direction. Jimmy was in fits of laughter as he chased the ball across our kitchen… it even caught the attention of our cat, much to Jimmy’s amusement!

The Follow Me Ball encourages young children to track the ball with their eyes and then perfect those crawling skills as they soon discover that they can chase the ball too. Even if your baby isn’t quite crawling, sitting with your baby and watch the ball magically move across the floor is great for your baby’s development. With its bright colours ranging from red to blue, green, yellow and purple the ball is very eye-catching. Perfect for babies who are still learning to focus.

Your baby will soon learn that they can make their own fun, by following the ball as it rolls away. The Follow Me Ball does roll rather fast, and changes directions randomly too… keeping baby’s attention easily. Jimmy is now 8 months old and now that he has found his super-speedy crawling skill, he has actually managed to catch the ball a few times!

The ball isn’t too large, so it won’t take up much space in your child’s forever-growing toy box, as it measures just 4 inches in diameter. The ball comes with batteries (a parenting win in my opinion!) and to turn the ball on and off, you simply unscrew the ball and flick a switch, then screw the ball back together again. It literally takes 2 seconds! The ball takes 3 AAA batteries. Our ball has been in regular use for 3 months, and we haven’t had to change the batteries yet.

You can buy the Galt Follow Me Ball directly from the Galt website here and is just £15.99

* A Follow Me Ball was gifted to us in exchange for this post.

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!