Review: City Tour buggy for travel (and the space-squeezed)

It's taken two years but we've now become that family with the buggy assault-course to get in/out of the house. First up there's the Cosatto, our first and main buggy that's comfy for tiny man and great for long walks, but heavy for schlepping up and down stairs / the Tube / town etc. There's the Mothercare XSS, which I initially raved about but doesn't lie flat, doesn't have a sun shield and is a bit tinny when pushing around... And now, a newcomer amongst the midst. One that threatens the other two's existence.. Step (wheel?) forward the City Tour.

Its older sibling the City Mini is one of the most popular buggies around: it's the one that in-the-know parents usually opt for, for it's one-handed easy fold action and nice steering. In fact, as I wrote in a piece featured in the Daily Mail, it's even the buggy with best eBay value (vital if you're Definitely Not Having Any More). 

Legoland for toddlers: a review

Theme parks are generally aimed at big kids - kids bigger than this 30-year-old blogger, actually, since scary rides terrify me.. Some are aimed at tots but not so great for older kids, but a couple stand out for being great for little 'uns and having plenty for siblings (and parents) too - and Legoland is one of them. I love seeing the amazing Lego builds, especially Miniland, so couldn't wait to take tiny man - now approaching two, and decidedly less tiny - and his nine-year-old cousin to the Windsor world of bricks and rides. And it's free for under 3s, yet there's loads for them to do. 

Here's our lowdown on what Legoland is like for toddlers - plus lots of practical top tips.

11 hilarious tweets that reveal what it's REALLY like to parent a toddler

Screw those perfect Insta-shots. This is reality, toddler parents-to-be. Get ready.... 

1) When you lick just to check and...  

(via @squamishbaby)

2) When your phone's memory is suddenly full and you're sure you didn't take 34,000 photos overnight, and then you check your camera roll....

(via @lacey_caseyy)

3) When blindly inserting a hand into any cavity in your home is actually kinda dangerous...

 (via @marketingelise)

Review: baby-friendly stay in London - the Sofitel St James

"Bonjour" is the greeting from all the smiling staff as you arrive at Sofitel St James. So however far you've travelled - and for us, it was just across London via the Tube - you immediately feel like you're on holiday. In a glistening, deluxe hotel in the middle of France. 

And when you also turn up with an overloaded-buggy containing a bewildered tiny man, that 'bonjour' is followed up with, 'un bébé! Fantastique! How can we help you to check in?' 

The staff at the French group Sofitel's Piccadilly hotel almost all hail from across the Channel. And whilst the old stereotype might be that the French like their children to be seen but not heard, our weekend at this grand Gallic hotel - a former bank and grade II listed building slap back in the middle of anywhere you'd want to be in central London - couldn't have been more baby-friendly..