This post is an extremely belated one. Beastie has been four almost a month and I am only just catching up. March was a very busy month indeed as it will be for many many years to come. Both of my boys celebrate their birthdays during this month, allowing 10 days grace in between! It’s hard to believe that my little boy is now four years old (going on 14) and is starting big school soon.

Beastie had been so excited on the run up to his birthday and had requested from early on that he wanted a ball pit party just like his friends. Who were we to not oblige? Seeing as it was his first proper party we had organised, it was a relief to hold his party at a venue where all the fun and games was catered for. All I had to arrange was the cake.

At the moment Beastie is loving his superheroes so it seemed apt to work the cakes around that theme. He started off the day dressed as Spider-Man and all the kids were invited to dress up if they so wished. So Spider-Man was featured along with Batman and Superman.

I wanted to get the cake right for his big day and out of character for me, I started to plan it weeks in advance. I didn’t want anything to stress me out, so I meticulously planned it to a tee. After much deliberation, I decided that cupcakes would be favourable for the theme I had in mind. I then ordered a large cupcake box to transport the cakes and to display them with the candles. I also know how pieces of birthday cake often get chucked into the party bags and more than likely put straight in the bin when taken home so once they were ready to be handed out I asked the little ones which superhero character they liked and then popped them into individual cases to protect them in the party bags.

My clever husband made the toppers and cases for each cake and we went about making the toppers with a pair of scissors, glue and cocktail sticks. I spent probably a good couple of weeks practising batches of cupcakes so that I was happy with how they were going to turn out and the boys were more than happy to test them, as you’d imagine…

My sister came up for the day, which was lovely and also great to have her help with adding the final touches to the cakes. It took us a while to get the icing to the colours that we wanted. We knew red would be difficult but hadn’t realised just how tricky it is to get a vibrant red. We ended up with a dark pink in the end but I think we pulled it off!

Beastie was extremely helpful as the birthday boy and even mucked in with mixing the icing. He did manage to cover us all in icing sugar though when he lost his footing, good job I bought plenty…

He got the perfect day he had been dreaming about for a while and all of his friends seemed to enjoy the day too. I wonder what fun next year will hold?

While one was stuffing his face…

It all got a little too much for one little boy.

The beginning of March saw us take our much anticipated trip to stay at Butlins under my role as Ambassador! Having already stayed there the previous year for the Tots100 Christmas Party, we were eager to check out the brand spanking new hotel on the resort.

The Ocean Hotel exceeded all expectations during the December visit and we were delighted with our luxurious room and the standard of accommodation that was on offer. So when we heard about the Wave Hotel we knew it was somewhere that we just had to try out and there was never any choice to be made on our part.

As my parents live in Spain and we don’t get the chance to see them as much as we would like, we thought it would be a nice opportunity to bring them along so that we could all spend time together and importantly that my parents could spend some quality time with the boys. We opted for a Reef Apartment in the Wave Hotel, so that we would have a lounge and a kitchen and amenities to share.

The apartment was simply amazing. This was like a penthouse apartment with all the mod cons you would expect and plenty of room. The apartment was bigger than our own flat and I would happily have lived in this. The hallway in itself was big enough be another room. It comprised of one double ensuite, twin beds and bunk beds, a separate bathroom and lounge/kitchen. Each room featured a television, including one for each bunk bed, so no one could complain. Everything you could think of was catered for, except there were no bins in the bathrooms or bedrooms. Our apartment didn’t get a visit from housekeeping until midday on every day but the service was very good with personal touchs such as elephants made out of towels to await us and loading up the dishwasher for us. We were very comfortable in the apartment, had lots of room and was the highlight of our stay.

During our stay we had the premium dining package which enabled us to eat in The Deck restaurant, situated opposite the hotel which included breakfast and dinner. They served a variety of dishes from the buffet, so there was lots to suit everyone in the family. You could choose different times to eat, varying from busy to quiet times. The busiest time was from 4.30 and there were people queuing outside the restaurant at this time and we commented that this was early, even with young children. On the last night we fancied a bit of change and were given a voucher at reception to enable us to eat elsewhere. For this we were given an allowance of £12.50 per adult and £6.50 per child to put towards our meal. It was nice to have a change before we headed home and we decided to dine at Papa John’s. It was a lovely meal and for our last night together it was more relaxing to be waited on.

As soon as we had booked our trip we were very much looking forward to visiting Splash Waterworld. Beastie loves swimming and now he is older he is becoming a real dare devil and lots of fun. We all went in as a family and I was looking forward to enjoying the slides knowing that I had my Mum around to care for Baby Beastie. As expected it was extremely busy but we didn’t let this faze us. From looking at the video clips on the Butlins website, we definitely wanted to try out the overhead slide and dinghies, especially for Beastie. Unfortunately this ride was closed during our stay so we were extremely disappointed that the star attraction wasn’t usable. There was also a section for rapids where you could float along in a ring, again we were keen to try that out only to be told it was being used for a private session, for over 3 hours! We felt this was a little unfair and didn’t leave much else for us to do. I did enjoy the Space Bowl Flume which was rather amusing to ride on, it dunks you out head first and is not for the faint hearted! I do genuinely think that the Waterworld is in need of a revamp and was rather delapidated in parts. The hotels are fantastic but I was sorry to see that the pool facilities did not match. The upstairs viewing terrace for the pool was extremely hot with a drinks machine that didn’t take pound coins and an out of order lift. This was a crucial part of the holiday for us and we visited a second time, only for the sake of Beastie. It is a little nippy for little ones in the there too, so worth bearing in mind that you might not be able to stay in there very long before they start shivering.

As a treat my Mum and I decided to book a spa treatment at The Ocean Hotel and enjoy the facilities. I don’t often get much time on my own, let alone to be pampered, so I was thoroughly looking forward to some time out with my Mum. We both decided on reflexology and because we wanted to spend time together, we booked our treatments to be carried out at the same time with two therapists. We were really impressed with the spa when we arrived and were shown around. There were a couple of people inside at the time but it was really tranquil and inviting. We managed to get into the pool and use the hot tub and sauna whilst we waited for our treatments. The snow room was an extremely bizarre concept as there was even snow on the floor. The idea is to go from hot to cold in there but I would imagine you would have to be at the stage that you are about to pass out in the sauna to warrant going into the snow room! We weren’t there long before we were called in for our treatments but we knew what to expect once we were able to return to the facilities. Sadly when we arrived back into the pool area, a hen party started to stream in and our session was quite frankly ruined. Had we been warned that a hen party was booked for the afternoon, we would have never paid the extra amount to enjoy two hours. When I have previously been to spa’s they have been quiet, serene places and any loud talking or laughing was frowned upon. To have a gaggle of girls singing and dancing around was not fair on the rest of the guests. There needed to be a designated ‘quiet’ room for relaxation but there wasn’t one. Very disappointing to say the least.

The great part about the resort is the fairground rides. A nice old fashioned funfair that doesn’t cost you extra and despite the arctic winds we enjoyed trying out the Helter Skelter and Merry Go Round to name a few. During the summer time when the fair runs later, I expect it’s really pretty to see, especially the Helter Skelter. Of course for when you want to be indoors for some warmth there is The Pavilion with all the attractions in there that includes a soft play area, amusement arcades, pool tables, bowling, live shows, shops and places to eat and drink.

Whilst we were there it was a Circus themed weekend so there were clowns to be seen around the resort. We didn’t see as many as I thought we would but it all added to the atmosphere. I can imagine there would have been a few people that disliked them as clown phobia’s seem to be fairly common. As I’ve mentioned before my husband has character phobia, anyone dressed up in a costume sends him flying the opposite way. Hard to avoid at Butlins *sniggers*.

So all in all we enjoyed our stay in our fabulous apartment and the variety of food on offer but overall the Butlins experience was a little lost on us…

We all know how important car safety is but it can be hard to keep up with the current recommendations. I remember when it was advised that children should remain rear facing when going up from group 0 to 1 and I wondered whether we needed to replace our existing seat. Sometimes you just don’t know what is the most suitable option but when tests show an existing form may not keep your child as safe as possible, then it’s something we all need to look at.

There are lots of choices on the market and currently there are three main types of restraints for children. These are the five point safety harness, a shield or safety cushion and an adult seat belt (used with a booster seat for older children). In Group 1 car seats (9 months – 4 years / 9-18kgs) there are currently two legally approved systems, the five-point safety harness and the shield/safety cushion.

Britax are the leader of in-car safety and are constantly researching and testing their products. Recent tests have shown the shield/cushion restraints are not as safe as they once thought. The products Britax create are not just made to pass the standard approval tests but to reflect real life accidents.

I am not familiar with the shield systems myself but I know they are sold in well established retail outlets and have become popular lately with parents. I even had to google them to know exactly what they are! I can’t say I even noticed these when I was looking for car seats, I had assumed they all included harnesses as standard.

I didn’t want to waffle on in my own words, so I have included all of the information Britax sent me about their findings and it’s something that you should definitely read…

• Shield systems have seen a rise in popularity over the last four to five years.  They claim to work in a similar way to an airbag, be less restrictive for a child, are easier and faster to fit, and that the child is protected from severe spinal injuries by distributing the energy across the whole of the upper body with less forces being applied to the neck.

• Shield systems are also sold in well-established retail outlets (who have seen a recent increase in demand for shield seats) which can also lead parents to believe they are safe.

• Another important factor that will sway a purchase is price.  Shield systems are substantially cheaper than car seats with a five-point safety harness as they do not include the same levels of safety technology. 

• Shields are simpler to design and offer an opportunity for companies that do not have the technical resource to develop and manufacture a five-point safety harness, to create a seat that passes the current legal requirements to comply with European standards.

• Harnesses are complex to design and more technically advanced, which therefore means the end product is more expensive. 

• The visible part of a harness is only a small fraction of the total harnessing system. Technology is needed to allow easy tightening and release of the harness, and the harness needs to be routed around the shell of the seat to allow connection at the right points for the load to be placed whilst providing easy access for parents to place their child in the seat.

What is the real danger of shield systems?

1.  Since there is no fixed point restraining upward movement of a child’s body, the child can partly or fully eject from the seat.

2.  Shield systems transfer most of the forces generated from a crash to the chest and soft abdominal area in order to take the strain away from the upper part of the neck.  Because the upper body moves in the event of a crash, there is a great deal more force on the lower spine which increases the risk of serious life changing injuries.

3.  Shield systems do not fasten snugly across a child’s pelvis as a five-point harness does and they do not adjust to the contours of the child’s body.  This allows more forward and side to side movement compared to a five-point harness.

4.  Shields are not covered with energy absorbing padding to protect the head if it hits the shield.  The child’s face is often the stop point in the head movement.

5.  Parents can install the child in the seat with the seatbelt without the shield being in place.  Busy parents may give in to toddlers not wanting such a large restraining system.  This coupled with shields making children warmer on hot days (due to the larger area covered by the shield) can result in higher abdominal heat levels.  Child discomfort is a big driver for parents to transition their child to an adult seat belt too early.

Why is a five point safety harnesses the safest option?

1.  Five point harness car seats offer a much snugger fit than a shielded seat.  The harness sits closely to the bony parts of the pelvis (crotch and hip straps) and across the shoulders and rib cage (the shoulder straps).  When a child moves forward in the seat, as they would in a crash, the tightened harness is already holding the child and immediately restrains them, spreading the crash force out across the strong bones of the body.  There is nothing to impact, nothing to suddenly hit.  Any space between the child’s body and a shield allows the child to gain huge momentum before they are restrained.

2.  A harness significantly decreases the forces a child experiences during a crash as forces are diverted from the child along the harnessing to the five points of contact with the seat. 

3.  There is less stress to the spine as forces are being moved away from the parts of the body containing vital organs. The shoulder contact points stop the risk of ejection, whilst the crotch strap stops the risk of submarining.

4.  The child is at much less risk of an improper installation.

5.  A five-point safety harness has the same restraint system used in racing cars

Parents will soon also have the possibility to use a five-point harness even beyond group 1 with seats such as the group 123 Britax Römer XTENSAFIX which will be launched in the summer.  This seat will offers harnessing up to group 2 (up to 25 kg). However, once the child reaches 15 kg, the adult seat belt offers a very good combination of protection, ease of use and comfort. A group 2/3 (15–36 kg) seat with a high backrest and adequate side impact protection will be enough to transition the child to sitting on the adult seat, using the adult seat belt.

Manufacturers of Shield systems such as Kiddy and Cybex will claim that the pressure on the neck of the child is heavily reduced when using a shield compared to using a harness.  Whilst marginally higher forces are felt in the neck with a harness, the forces on the whole spine need to be considered and the type of accident that is likely to occur.

In a shield system the force on the whole spine is significantly stronger than in a harness system as there is more forward movement of the child’s body.  Should the accident be one of side impact – which accounts for 1 in 4 accidents (and 20% of child car seat crash fatalities), the child has limited upper body restraint causing greater risk of serious injury.

Side impact collisions are also yet to be recognised by EU regulations as a standard safety measure for car seats.

* NB. An adult seat belt can only be used when the child is older and stronger.  This is usually at the age of 4/5 when the child’s skeleton has increased in strength and the muscles in the back and the neck are stronger.  The child also needs to be big enough to ensure there is a proper belt path along the body, in particular across the pelvis and shoulder.  The child should also be protected from side impact with deep wings and a deep head support.

Here is a little animation which shows what happens with the Shield in a car crash.