Fiona, as many of you are aware, is one of our rather talented guest-bloggers. Not only can she write really well, she can review in a very unbiased manner!oh and she has a newborn baby which I do not! I recently reviewed the Bundl from my point of view- almost as someone who was wondering whether or not to buy!.it got the thumbs up from me! However, we also sent out a Bundl for Fiona and her newborn, Oscar to try!..and here is the verdict!
I've had the Bundl a little while now and I am very excited to share my thoughts on it with you. Firstly I have to tell you one of the things I really like about it that isn't actually to do with its design (which by the way is fab) but is actually one which makes a big difference to my first impression of a product. When I first unwrapped the Bundl and put Oscar (2 weeks old) in it, he took approximately 5 minutes to puke up all over it. You may wonder where I'm going with this tale but as far as the Bundl is concerned I almost leapt with joy at the sight of that vomit! Why? because finally we have a lovely baby product that you can put in both the washing machine AND! wait for it! the tumble dryer! So, five minutes after unwrapping the super softy Bundl it was taking its first turn in the wash. So, although I have lots of other things to say about the design and practicality of the Bundl and I guess you may have been expecting to read about how lovely and pretty the Bundl is, as an exhausted mom of two little boys who are forever getting filthy I was most excited to share this aspect with you before I got carried away with how pretty and useful it is!
Jo has already outlined the concept of the Snugglebundl(Bundl for short)but basically ' you can wrap your baby up snug and move them about from place to place when needed without disturbing them. Now, I learnt the hard way first time round, it is sometimes better to disturb a sleeping baby when you have to move them so they can learn to settle themselves back to sleep ' tough love I know, but I found it worked out a lot better in the long run as far as sleeping through the night was concerned. With this in mind I guess a Bundl would not normally be something I'd buy myself. But, having actually used it I can safely say it's a very useful product, and although it would be perfect for someone recovering from a c-section, or with a bad back for example, it would actually make a really handy addition to any new mum's layette. It's a lovely quality item, made from super-softy fleece material, and whats more is comes in a nice variety of colours (including some funky unisex options for those not knowing what they're having ' these make a nice change from the standard yellow or white choice). Oscar seems to like it, he snuggled up in it and went to sleep easily, and we transferred him straight into his cot with it and left the sides flopped over him during his nap, he's fairly wriggly so its handy being able to use the tie to hold the side over him, although his feet had popped out by the time he awoke. One thing that really impressed the 'geek' side of me was how well-balanced it is, the first time I laid Oscar in it and then went to pick him up by the handles I had the feeling he would tip out head first, being just two weeks old, I was worried he would be 'top heavy' by not filling the full length of the Bundl. There was in actual fact no chance of this though, the balance is perfect and Oscar automatically lies in a similar position to that which I would naturally hold him in on the crook of my arm.
There's only one thing I'm not personally too sure on with the Bundl; it's quite thick, with a fleece layer and a cotton inner, folded over twice on top like a swaddle and coupled with the clothes baby is wearing I found it a little too warm for Oscar. This isn't too much of an issue for me as I live in a draughty old cottage, but I'm not sure I would really use it too much in the summer or if I lived somewhere warmer. I guess it should be easy enough to keep on top of this and just open the 'wings' to allow some air in if need be. It might be nice to see maybe some different weights of Bundl to ensure I'd get my monies worth out of this if I used it during the summer!.perhaps a development for Bundl in 2012! The only other thing was I didn't really like to use it in the car seat as it swamped Oscar a bit and I found it a little tricky to get the straps to stay over his shoulders, but I think if he were a little bigger and more robust it would be just fine.
Up-date!.up-date!up-date!
After using the Bundl extensively this weekend during my house move in blizzard conditions i am pleased to say I am actually completely besotted with it! it has such an amazing snuggle factor I love it to bits! Little Oscar was dragged from pillar to post in freezing conditions and didn't bat an eyelid thanks to his cosy Bundl. Not sure how I survived without one now and can thoroughly recommend that all mums-to-be, new mums and new baby gift buyers invest in one of these pronto!
So, all in all I like the Bundl, and it's definitely not another expensive baby gimmick, serving a purpose and fitting a niche that I haven't seen another product for. The only other thing I can think of to say is if you do get one! keep a beady eye on your partner as mine tended to get a little over enthusiastic with the whole 'gentle swinging' technique, in fact I'm sure he's building up to whirling Oscar around his head like a helicopter at times.
Fiona
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