Review: Educational Insights Geosafari Jr. Kidnoculars - For Kids' Eyes Only!

18 December 2014 - Khye using Kidnoculars

This is a fabulous educational product from Applecrumby & Fish - the Educational Insights Geosafari Jr. Kidnoculars!



WHAT AND WHO IS APPLECRUMBY & FISH

Applecrumby & Fish was conceived in late 2011 and founded 9 mths later representing brands that are recognized for their premium quality. 

Applecrumby & Fish seeks to deliver a wide range of fine baby essentials to families Malaysia-wide, and internationally.

Their goal is simple; they do what they can in alleviating the customers shopping hassles. They constantly search the globe and carefully pick innovative and ingenuous products. 

Today, Applecrumby & Fish has grown at a tremendous pace and is proudly a market leader in the niche and premium baby industry. They strive to improve and grow in order to serve their customers better. 

(Source: http://www.applecrumbyandfish.com/index.php/about-us/)

PACKAGING AND FIRST IMPRESSIONS

And just as I mentioned earlier, the packaging was of top notch quality as usual. It came in a sturdy brown box and when opened, it was filled up of square foams to cushion the product.

WHAT AND WHO IS EDUCATIONAL INSIGHTS

Based in Southern California, Educational Insights, is the maker of playful products packed with serious educational value!

(Source: http://www.educationalinsights.com/)

EDUCATIONAL INSIGHTS JR. KIDNOCULARS

This nifty little product was packaged attractively with just a cardboard surrounded it.

This is the 360 degree view (erm, minus the bottom) of the Kidnoculars packaging, filled with attractive details such as features and facts! 

Front and back views, side views and also top view.

 

 

And the most interesteing of all, is this little fact that says 'For kids' eyes only! Adults, your eyes may be too far apart for these binoculars!'

Once I removed the packaging, this is what we got.

I love that it is just a one-piece thing, which you don't need to assemble. 

And it is made of sturdy yet soft rubber, which means it that it won't matter if your kids drop it on the floor. (or like mine, they do fling it around sometimes!)

This is the front and back, up and down photos of this binoculars without the packaging on.

 

 

And another thing I love is that the enlarged eyepiece is made of soft rubber, and is gentle on the skin and face. 
And it actually fits into the faces of both my toddler and my pre-schooler!
And so the claim is true that these are the only binoculars that is designed especially for little kids!

And I also love the fact that it is focus-free, which means that your kids don't need to focus it manually or anything every time they want to view something. This feature is super kid-friendly, and I should say parent-friendly too, because if it is not, my kids are going to bother me to focus it for them all the time!

And it has 2x magnification, means it enlarges twice the size which is decent amount enough for little eyes. 

And another thing they have is this breakaway neckstrap, which is a good safety feature so that little ones will not get tangled and unable to get off around their necks. It gives me a peace of mind when little Khye or even Shern wears it around their necks.

  

My kids couldn't wait to get their hands on the binoculars.
Shern had a try on it first.
See how it fits his face so well.

 

And Shern had a good time looking at Christmas Tree ornaments using the binoculars. 

Haha, Shern was being cheeky here, but look at how stable these binoculars is. It stays on his face even without holding. 

  

And even though the packaging says it is for kids 3+ and above, Khye being 2 yrs+ had no problem using it too because it is so kid-friendly. 

And also that the eyepiece also fits his face so well, just like perfect little goggles. 

 

 

 

Khye got a kick looking through the binoculars at the television, where his favourite cartoon characters magnify to twice its size! lol!

And then my kids love to take them outdoors too, in our case our backyard.

They look at birds in the sky, little insects and weeds and the grass and don't know what else.
They love exploring nature with them and we learn lots of things together, and best of all it makes learning fun! 

  

  

But I must say that there is a little downside to this great product. 

It is that this pair of binoculars is a little bulky and heavy to be hung around little kids necks for a long period of time. 

So what I do is I carry it for them to the parks when we walk to the park, and pass it to them when they need it, as opposed to them carrying it around their necks the whole time.

And also it doesn't matter if we just bring it to the nearby park. But if you ask me to bring it to everywhere, it may not be so wise because it is heavy and does add a lot of bulk to my luggage. 

But other than that, I would say this is a fabulous product, and is great for little kids!
I would recommend at least one in every home, or maybe even more than one if you can afford it, because seeing things together is twice the fun!

TO PURCHASE 

You can purchase Educational Insights Geosafari Jr. Kidnoculars from Applecrumby & Fish Website. 

Please click to view more products from Educational Insights. 

To purchase other quality and branded toys and goods, please visit Applecrumby & Fish Website. 

You can also visit their Facebook page for more info. 




* Disclosure: I received a Educational Insights Geosafari Jr. Kidnoculars for review purpose, but no monetary incentive was received. All text and opinions are of my own and represents my honest opinion of the product(s).

4 + 1

Yes, you all read it right. Baby #3 is currently in my tummy.
And that is also the reason why I'd been so quiet lately in my blog.

We found out end of Nov, right on the dot on the day I missed my monthly menstrual.

28 November 2014 - Pregnant with Baby#3

I was feeling great then, until morning sickness started kicking in 2 weeks later.

And since then, all I wanted to do was to just lie in bed the whole day. Yes, seriously.

I didn't actually vomit every day. But I feel like vomitting e.v.e.r.y d.a.y.

You know the feeling where your tummy churns and you need to take every effort to keep your food in. It was like as if I was experiencing air sickness/motion sickness every day. And this is not a very nice feeling. 

And because of that I couldn't eat. I had no appetite. I basically could only stomach about one meal a day and that was it. And the rest of the day I felt that my tummy couldn't even digest that one meal. 

And so that was how my weight dwindled down from 51.5kg to 48kg. 

But I knew this is normal for me as I faced the same problem of morning sickness and weight loss for both my earlier pregnancies with Shern and Khye. I know once this morning sickness is over, I would then get my energy back and eat will like a cow. :)

And it was the school holidays then when the kids were home 24/7. And I nearly fainted when the govt announced an extra week of holiday entension due to the flood. 

I am so forever thankful to have my parents and Ah-Yee nearby (as long as they have not fly off to some holiday destination!). They helped me looked after the kids when I felt so tired and overwhelmed. 

And my house was in such a mess these days that I gave warning to the hubby not to allow anyone to our house without giving prior warning. lol.

And so today is already Week 12 of my pregnancy, and I am starting to feel a little better.

Little Bun is about the size of a large plum in my tummy and is growing well, with a reassuring strong heartbeat when I heard it 2 days ago.

I also just did my 1st trimester screening and hopefully everything turns out ok. 

And so this is it, me being pregnant with baby#3.

I've always wanted 3 babies and now that the number is real and growing in my tummy, I am beginning to feel a little nervous. 3 kids, gulp, who am I kidding? 

Ok, take a deep breath and exhale........I can do it. 

And so this is what it means by 4 + 1.
Hubby. Me. Shern. Khye + Little Bun.

Khye says Mummy as 'MONEY' @ 2 Yrs 3 Mths

I'd posted this on my personal fb page and this video has garnered some laughs.

Yes, my little baby is calling me 'money' when I ask him say 'mummy'.
He can say 'mama' and 'papa' and 'daddy', but he just refused to say mummy, only 'money'.

Well, I'm sure this won't last and I will be glad months later that I'd recorded this down.

And so as Chinese New Year is just around the corner, here is some MONEY and prosperous wishes to all of you from Khye and I! :D

Khye On His Name and Age / Khye Knows His Numbers - 2 Yrs 3 Mths

So sorry, for the lack of updates in my blog recently.
In fact, I've many blog posts typed out halfway in drafts and couldn't finish them as you know I am rather long-winded in my writing.
Our recent family trip to Langkawi has been in draft form for weeks and I still haven't finished with it. Blame it on myself as I'd been fallen asleep the same time as Khye lately.

But here I am posting a short little update on Khye's Milestones.
As you know, Khye is a late-talker and finally only opened his mouth after he turned 2.

This short little clip is dedicate to Kong-kong as he was the one who taught Khye on how to say these 2 sentences.

Ok, I think maybe only those in my family can understand Khye. Those of you watching this video might still be wondering what on earth is Khye mumbling about. lol.

Me: What is your name?
Khye: My name is Lim Yiu-Khye!

Me: How Old Are You?
Khye: I am 2 years...old!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

And since we are on the roll on Khye's talking milestone, here is another video of Khye. About a month or two ago, we realized that Khye knows his numbers!

We didn't really drill this into him. I found a box of magnetic numbers and alphabets (given by my SIL) and stuck them on our fridge and briefly just showed Khye number 1 to 10.
And to our surprise, he could recognizes and reads the numbers!

He then started reading the numbers on billboards and lifts and even car number plates!
Wow, my baby is a genius or what! hahahaha.

I'm sure many kids knows this way earlier than Khye, but for someone who doesn't talk until he turned 2, and the fact that we didn't teach this to him directly.....blew me away that my baby is so clever! hahahaha. #Iambiased.

So here is a short video clip of him reading numbers.
But he pronounces '1' and '7' wrongly, saying '1' as 'mam' and '7' as 'bebeh', consistently. Don't ask me why. Just take it as genius baby at work. lol.

And that is all for now.
'Til the next post.

Review: Baby Toys - Natural & Organic Baby Products Store

I was in Hong Kong early this year when I received an email from the kind people at Baby Toys if I were keen to review some natural and organic baby products.


So What and Who is Baby Toys?

Baby Toys is a natural and organic baby products store in Malaysia. Babytoys focus on providing products which are made from organic and biodegradable materials. As they like to say "Healthy Baby, Happy Family".
Their vision is to see babies in the Asia Pacific region excited about growing up healthy with natural and organic products. And their mission is to provide products and toys that are safe for babies from 0+.

(Source: http://www.babytoys.com.my/AboutUs.aspx)

PACKAGING and FIRST IMPRESSIONS

It wasn't long until they sent me a package which revealed these 2 items inside.
Each of these were individually wrapped in a plastic bag to protect them from dust and minor scratches.
These plastic bags also came with suffocation hazard warning in different languages, which asked the adult to throw the plastic bags straight away for fear of child suffocation.

1) BABYBUDS PLUSH BUDDY-MONKEY

First, let me talk about this BabyBuds Plush Buddy-Monkey.

This little buddy came with a kraft tag tied around its neck.
It read 'Made with love, using organic and biodegradable materials'.
There is also the brand cloth tag 'babybuds' at the side of this plush monkey's body.

 

I cut out the tag and this is what I see - a cute little plush monkey.
This is the front, and the back of the plush buddy.
The little jagged sewing on the front of its tummy is actually textured like a real sewing.

 

 And if you look properly, both of its hands and legs were in knots.

 

I like its knotted hands and legs as it gives Khye different textures to feel. 

This plush monkey buddy is suitable for babies from birth, which means basically suitable for anyone of any age.
It is actually made using naturally sustainable eco-friendly fabrics, organic cotton & natural silks. This plush buddy is filled with biodegradable corn fiber.
It is free from harmful materials & chemicals, which can put any parents at ease knowing that their babies are safe.

Khye has taken a liking to it the first time he laid his eyes on this BabyBuds Plush Buddy. We call him the Monkey. 

Look at how he hugged his Monkey, so lovingly.
I also liked that how it is just the correct size for a toddler like Khye.
It looks just so right in Khye's hands!

The actual product dimension though is this if you are interested to know.

Width = 13 cm, Height = 30 cm

 

 

 

Monkey also accompanies Khye at play. He would bring it downstairs and sometimes wheel it in his play stroller toy. 

And certain nights when the mood strikes, he would choose Monkey to sleep with him.

 

2) BABYBUDS BLANKIE BUDDY-OWL

And this is the BabyBuds Blankie Buddy-Owl.

In the middle of it is this cute plush owl head.

And just like the Plush Monkey, this Owl Blankie has a kraft paper label too attached to the owl. And it also has the cloth label which reads babybuds on the side of the blankie. 

 

Upon removing the kraft paper label, the blankie looks like this.

This owl blankie also has knots, with 4 knots at each ends.

 

And it also has this sewn on texture on one side of the blankie. This encourages little ones to explore different texture.

And the best part is that on the other side of the blankie is white in colour and it is of a soft material too, almost mink-like material, and is very gentle on baby's skin.

Even Shern the big brother has taken a liking to this Owl Blankie. 

Look at Shern playing with it, posing with the Owl Blankie on his head and tummy!

 

And little Shern being a copy cat also follows his brother and had fun balancing the Owl Blankie on top of his head while laughing when he sees the owl plushie standing up on his head when standing in front of the mirror.

 

Khye sometimes brings the Owl Blankie with him too during bedtime stories.

  

Shern is like me, like to touch the ends of a pillow or some sort. Well, this Owl Blankie does the trick and he finds comfort in touching the knot.

 

Khye too finds comfort in touching the knot when he sleeps. 

   

  

The one thing I don't quite like is that these two can only be surface wash only for cleaning, and cannot be dumped into the washing machine. 

And lastly a photo of my kids with their daddy, with both of them hugging the Plush Monkey and Owl Blankie! 

 

TO PURCHASE

Please visit their website http://www.babytoys.com.my/ to purchase.

For more info, you can view their Facebook Page. 

* Disclosure: I received a Plush Monkey and Owl Blankie for review purpose, but no monetary incentive was received. All text and opinions are of my own and represents my honest opinion of the product(s).