Luvabella Newborn - Review

(AD/Gifted - We received this item for the purpose of this post. All thoughts and opinions are my own. This post also contains affiliate links, meaning I will earn a few pennies if you purchase through my link.)

Ever since E was a baby herself, she has loved dolls and that love has only grown as she's gotten older. She enjoys playing mummy, looking after her babies and even getting "granny" (me - but at 27 years of age, I'm not too impressed with that title!) to babysit when she's off to work.

Luvabella have brought a new doll out - Luvabella Newborn. Although we never owned the original Luvabella, I had read reviews and liked how interactive and realistic it sounded so we were delighted to see what the new Luvabella Newborn was like.

Luvabella requires 4 x AA batteries which aren't included so it's worth having some at home if you are picking this up as a Christmas present. Once you have inserted the batteries, there is a switch above the panel on her back to switch her off or choose between two different volume levels - I love when toys have this!

When switched on, Luvabella will wake up, yawn and make noises. She is very interactive and will react to your touch. If you tickle her, she will giggle and babble, or leave her on her back and she will drift off to sleep.

Like a real baby, she can get fussy and need settled. At this point she will take either her dummy or bottle. Simply bring either of these to her mouth and she will start sucking on it. We did find that we had to wait a few seconds  before the doll registered that the bottle or dummy was there.

If feeding Luvabella, she will probably need winded afterwards so she will need to be held up and have her back tapped a few times.

The way the face moves has really impressed both myself and E. Her eyes open and close, her mouth moves and when you lie her down to sleep, you'll even see her chest rise and fall like she's breathing. For me, this definitely sets Luvabella high above the rest of similar dolls on offer.

Luvabella Newborn is suitable for ages 4+ and she has a lovely soft body to make it suitable for young children. Her arms and legs are not poseable so really she can only lie down but this hasn't been an issue for E. She has enjoyed looking after her "real baby" and swaddling her like a newborn.

You can find out more by watching the below video.

Luvabella Newborn is available with blonde or dark brown hair and is priced at £59.99 from Smyths all good toy retailers.

Pirata & Capitano Plush Toys from Posh Paws

(AD/Gifted - We received these items for the purpose of this post. All thoughts and opinions are my own.)

Milkshake on Channel 5 is a staple in our house and has been ever since the children were babies. I'll even go back further and say that I would watch it religiously as a child 20-odd years ago and my parents even sent a birthday card in for me!

It's part of our morning routine before school and C and E both love that they can watch for a little longer at the weekend too. We all love the diverse range of shows and one of the children's new favourites is Pirata & Capitano.

If you haven't yet watched or heard of Pirata & Capitano, the show follows the adventures of Pirata who helms her own ship, the Pink Skull, looking for adventures whilst travelling the Great Sea. She is also joined by Capitano who flies a red seaplane, and all their friends. It is a lovely show which teaches children values in a fun and humourous way.

Posh Paws International have recently brought out a range of plush toys to coincide with the show and C and E were very excited to finally see some of the new favourite characters available in toy form.

Available in the range are 10" versions of Pirata, Capitano, Roberto and Weboo. You can also get 7" versions of those four characters plus Meowcat and Pineapple Wilson.

C and E received Capitano and Weboo, who is the quick-thinking powerhouse of the Pink Skull. Both my children adore soft toys and have an abundance of them to snuggle up with a night. Capitano and Weboo have slotted right in.

Posh Paws International have done a fantastic job with these when it comes to detail. They are fantastic quality, very well made and they look like they have just stepped right out of the television.

The Pirata & Capitano plush toys from Posh Paws retail at £8.99 for 7" and £14.99 for 10" and you can purchase them from Amazon.

Fingerlings Pixie Belles - Review

(AD/Gifted - We received this item for the purpose of this post. All thoughts and opinions are my own. This post also contains affiliate links meaning that I will earn a few pennies if you purchase through my link.)

I'm sure most, if not all, of you are familiar with the Fingerlings toys from WowWee. Cute little animals that you can wear on your finger and they react to your touch.

Brand new to the Fingerlings range are Pixie Belles! We were very excited to get the chance to have a play with one as soon they were released.

Like regular Fingerlings, they are little pets that interact with you. You'll notice that they don't hang on your finger, but have a magnetic base that can be popped under a layer of clothing before attaching your pet so it is wearable.

There are four to collect and we received Rosie who was E's favourite because she's pink! There are three different ways to play with your Pixie Belles - Nurture Mode, Pixie Power Dance Mode and Spin Mode.

In Nurture Mode, there is a heart-to-heart connection. You can pet them, speak to them,  and they will react with you. Using Kiss Tech, they even give a kiss when you press their mouth to your cheek. The horn of the Pixie Belles light up different colours depending on their mood.

Pixie Power Dance Mode is super fun. There are six different songs that they dance to and E loves joining in with the dance party too.

During Spin Mode, all you need to do is speak loudly or clap your hands and you'll see your new pet spin like there's no tomorrow.

The tail of the Pixie Belles are removable and can be worn as a bracelet, hung on as a keyring or, E's favourite, around the hair bobble of her ponytail.

The Fingerlings Pixie Belles are suitable for children aged 5+ and retail at £16.99. You can find them at Smyths and Amazon.