Review: Finding Dory Bedding from Character World

This summer, one of the big kids movie hits was Finding Dory. We’ve had a lot of chatter and excitement in our house about this forgetful fish since the film was released. Imagine his little face when I handed him some Finding Dory Bedding from Character World!

Back when I was a child there was no such thing as character bedding. My bedding was plain and fairly unexciting. Now I really love character bedding and I really enjoying picking out new sets for my son. I always think that new bedding is a quick and fairly inexpensive way to give a bedroom a fresh look.

This new Finding Dory Bedding really works well with my son’s bedroom. We painted it last year with a dark blue feature wall which we stuck glow in the dark stars on. The blue works with most things and this aquatic themed bedding is no exception.

Finding Dory Bedding

The Finding Dory Bedding is brightly coloured and good quality, the bedding feels soft, not stiff like some bedding can be when you first take it out of the packet and it is made from 100% polycotton. This bedding is also reversible so you are able to choose one of two designs to have as your bedding, which the small boy loves.

One side has got a picture of the Finding Dory characters and is mainly a blue colour. The other side of the cover is a white background with different coloured fish. I’d actually have the shoal of fish side as my bedding. It’s colourful and fun.

The pillowcase has “Making a Splash” written on it and it works with both sides of the bedding.

The boy couldn’t wait for us to make his bed up with the new bedding and got into bed as soon as he could so he could enjoy it. I was delighted with this accidental side-effect – an early night!

In addition to the Finding Dory Duvet Set, we were sent a Finding Dory Hooded Towel (which is perfect for round the swimming pool on holiday) and a lovely Finding Dory cushion to go on his bed with him.

Finding Dory Bedding

The Finding Dory bedding from Character World has been a big hit. I’ll be looking out for other character bedding from them, because the quality and colours are excellent and it washes really well. You can’t really go wrong.

Disclosure: We received the Finding Dory bedding for the purposes of writing this review, all opinions and images are our own. Contains Amazon affiliate links.

Review: The Snug Anti Allergy Duvet from Sleepy People

In the UK Allergy Awareness Week 2016 is on the 25th April – 1st May. It seems a fitting time of the year to focus on allergies, as the hay fever season has begun and is making life a misery for thousands of sufferers. Although I thankfully don’t suffer with hay fever, I do have a few allergies which I need to be careful of, including a dust allergy which can make me especially miserable. Because I’ve extra cautious about dust, I was looking forward to trying out my Snug Cotton Anti Allergy Duvet from Sleepy People and seeing how I got on with it.

Sleepy People are an online bedding retailer based in the UK. They offer a range of products including anti-allergy items. The duvet I chose, the Anti Allergy Duvet from Snug has an anti allergy treatment which is designed to protect you against dust mites, odour causing bacteria & mould residue.

Anti Allergy Duvet

The duvet comes packaged in a thin fabric bag which I guess you could use to pack it away if you were swapping duvets mid year for a warmer or colder tog.

The Snug Anti Allergy Duvet has a 100% pure cotton cover and is filled with anti allergy polyester hollowfibre. It has a tog of 10.5 which is kind of mid range, neither too warm, or too light and ideal for me all year round I suspect. In the summer I tend to sleep on top of the covers anyway and I don’t like to be too warm, even in winter.

Anti Allergy Duvet

The small boy helped me make the bed. He loved how soft it was and said that it felt like a cloud. My old duvet was about 5 years old and had lost its pillowiness so I take his point. Once we’d made my bed up I loved how it looked, my old skinny duvet now looked mean in comparison, now my bed looked like a comfy hotel bed. Anti Allergy Duvet

That night I got into bed and snuggled down, I do believe there are few joys in life greater than clean, fresh bedding. Add a brand new duvet or pillow to that and you’re in the best bed in the world.

I’ve used my new Anti Allergy Duvet for a little under a week. I can’t hand on heart swear that it’s made a difference, but previously I was waking up every morning with a bunged up nose and a sore throat, but so far I’ve woken up feeling fine every morning. I’d not considered that I might be waking up feeling awful because of my dust allergy. Plus it’s super-comfy!

The Snug Anti Allergy Duvet from Sleepy People is currently priced at £29.99 and whilst you can pick up a cheap duvet for around half that, I think that given my dust allergy situation and the fact that I’m waking up feeling normal each morning makes that a good investment. Given the amount of time each year I spend hugging my duvet and snuggling under it, it’s probably worth investing in something a little nicer, like this one.

Note: I was sent the Snug Anti Allergy Duvet from Sleepy People for review purposes. All images and opinions are my own.

Getting a good nights sleep

As Autumn edges towards winter I start to think of my bedroom as a cosy little nest to snuggle up in during the long dark winter evenings. My bed becomes my favourite place to be in the house and it quickly becomes covered with squishy cushions and cosy blankets to keep out the winter chills.

I have a very bad back and as much as I’d love to spend my days and nights snuggled up under a thick duvet, my spine won’t let me, but one of the things I do insist on is a good firm mattress, I need to be well supported in bed and comfortable. nothing too saggy or lumpy. I’ve always seen a good quality double mattress as an investment as I spend maybe 8 or so hours a night lying on it.

The dream has always been to have a nice king size bed, so there’s plenty of room for us all, we three like to get in under the covers and read stories before bedtime. Now the small boy is growing up our old double bed seems very small. When we bought our current house I wanted a bedroom big enough to accommodate a new bed with a king size mattress and I think it’s very nearly time to invest in a new bed, one big enough for story time and sleepy cuddles for us all.

Sleep is a serious issue for me, my pain medication means I’m either incredibly alert or very sleepy and I never feel like I get quite enough kip. I’m not alone in that either, according to Mattress Online just 61% of employed people in the UK feel they are getting enough sleep and 22% of people suffer from sleep disorders such as insomnia, snoring and nightmares.

Having a cosy, restful bedroom with a comfy bed is one of the best ways you can help guarantee a good nights sleep, you can take other steps too, like avoiding caffeine, having a warm relaxing bath, not playing with your smartphone before bed and just taking time to wind down properly before drifting off to sleep.

How do you guarantee a good nights sleep?

get a good nights sleep

~ In collaboration with Mattress Online ~

Big Boy Bed

Over the weekend husband Hodge took down the last cot side on Splodge’s cot bed, thus turning it into a big boy bed. After he did it I stood and looked at the bed and thought about the tiny baby we’d brought home from hospital, now nearly a metre tall and in his grown up bed.

Since my two spinal operations this year I’ve not been able to lift him in and out of his cot. In May we tried and converted the cot bed into a bed but he hated it. Too much too soon. So we turned it back into a cot bed until he settled. Then set about one by one over a period of weeks taking a side or an end down and letting him get used to that.

On Saturday night, freshly bathed, stories read, pyjamaed up, he trotted into his bedroom, saw his new improved bed, smiled, patted it and said “Big boy bed, that’s better”. He loves his grown up bed. I love my grown up bed. The apple hasn’t fallen far from the tree.

My little baby is growing up fast. He’s nearly 3, knows his own mind, and is bright, lively and full of good humour. I’m so proud of him. He is the very best of me and Hodge in one gorgeous, chunky cheeked package. I don’t know where the last three years have gone, but I know that in the blink of an eye he’ll be six foot whatever and buying me a pint.

His big boy bed is just one of a million milestones in his life, and if he responds to them all with a “that’s better” then I’ll be (and am already) a very proud Mummy.

Sleeping Beauty

Being of the bad backed persuasion, I’m very keen on looking after it. I’m also half sloth so I like my sleep. My bed is my favourite place, a place of serenity, relaxation and comfort. I guess a lot of people feel that way.

When young Splodge was on his way, like any parent we wanted the very best for him. I remember spending days traipsing round baby shops and department stores looking for suitable prams and nursery furniture. In the end we gave up and just went to our local John Lewis and set up a baby-list (like a wedding list but full of small adorable things).

The great thing was that the staff in the baby department are like information ninjas. They’ve been on tonnes of special training and know their products inside out and back to front. It was there where we had a lengthy chat about cot mattresses with a delightfully helpful chap.

For a simple, everyday item buying a mattress for your precious baby can be a terrifying prospect. We’ve all been scared to bits, and rightly so about the risks of cot death.

With this in our heads we were so grateful to the nice chap for his advice. We were buying a cot bed and he guided us through all the mattress options – coil, foam, organic and pocket sprung. He talked us through the pros and cons of each one and we eventually plumped for a good quality pocket sprung mattress. The mattress gave good levels of support and comfort, which for me as a bad backed person was very important. I want my son not to suffer as I have.

Annoyingly for everyone but us, Splodge slept through the night at 6 weeks and soundly bar the odd poorly night ever since. Partly that’s down to his temperament and a good routine, but I reckon sleeping in a comfy bed is up there on what makes him a happy sleeper. He loves our bed too, getting in it for a cuddle with Mummy and Daddy, snuggling and reading a book. Cozy, comfy bedrooms are just good for the soul.