Bizziebaby isn’t just some tin pot online review site that gives awards out to any old tom, dick or harry. Oh no, they are “one of the most unique product review sites on line. A website designed intentionally for all you mums and dads out there looking for the best, in-depth product reviews online”. This is an award from a well recognised and respected business.

They sourced 3 testers with children of just the right age, from 18 months onwards and in cot beds, toddler beds and Standard 3ft singles and we duly dispatched an Original 100cm Bed Bumper to each. The testers then got to ‘test’ the bed guard over a 3 month period and complete a questionnaire as they went along asking about everything from packaging and simplicity of use, to effectiveness and affordability and then these answers were translated into a score out of 5. To receive a Silver award THE average score across the 3 testers had to be more than 4.6 out of 5 and we averaged 4.7 so a ‘good’ silver I think.

Comments that were made included “the size of the Bumper is great and very easy to use and put on the bed”, “my daughter was kept very safe and comfortable throughout the night and she has not fallen out”, “the bed guard offers great value for money” and “I would consider buying this and have already recommended to family and friends”. For the full product reviews click on this link http://www.bizziebaby.co.uk/bizziebabies_products_more-search.asp?ProdID=3159
We are under no illusions here at purple daisies about the simplicity of our foam bed guard. The Bed Bumper delivers an effective product, innovative in a market that is crowded with bulky mesh, plastic and wooden bed guards, and at a very affordable price. Over that last 3 years we have built our business by word-of-mouth, not expensive advertising or stands at trade shows, just good honest recommendation, one Mum to another, and this award reflects just how great The Bed Bumper is.

P.S. Whilst this award was based on the review of our Original 100cm Bed Bumper please don’t forget that we also sell a Mega 150 cm Bed Bumper for the taller, wrigglier kids along with a selection of great value Bed Bumper multipacks and a range of waterproof and non waterproof bedding perfect to use with your Bed Bumpers. For the full range please click on this link http://www.bed-guards.co.uk/shop/

There is so much written about the benefits of reading with children of all ages. However, when you dig into it, and boy have I done some digging, there are some really important nuances to how and what we read that I’d like to share with you. I’m a mother of 4 young children and a big ‘reader’ but some of these findings surprised me.

READING TO TODDLERS

For toddlers it’s all about expanding their vocabulary. They learn through repetition and associating words with objects. It’s not about getting through the whole book so let your toddler dawdle through a few pages, let them set the pace.

If they want to go over and over the same page then, as dull as it may be for you, you should let them. They all have favourite books and favourite pages and some of the challenge for you is being able to endure the repetition!

Pop-ups, books with textures, sparkles and bright colours are all perfect for your toddler (but don’t expect the ‘flaps’ to last forever, some toddlers seem hell bent on ripping them off). When your toddler is ‘pretend reading’ i.e. paging through a book with squeals and jabbers of delight, you know that they are enjoying reading. This is an important pre-literacy activity.

Another important point for toddlers is that by witnessing the interaction between characters in a book you read, as well as the contact with the storyteller, your child is gaining valuable communication skills. He or she is much more likely to be able to express themselves and relate to others in a healthy constructive way.

You also get to share some snugly time together which is very nurturing for both toddler and parent/carer – let’s face it we can’t get enough snuggles so grab the opportunity whilst you can.

READING TO PRE-SCHOOLERS

With pre-school children (ages 3-5 yrs) the style of reading has more impact on children’s early language and literacy (reading and writing) development than the frequency of reading aloud. In other words it’s about quality rather than quantity.

The ‘best’ reading is interactive. This means making connections to the child’s own experience or their real word rather than just describing the pictures that are on the page. Explaining the words that you read and why the characters are doing and saying things brings the book alive and helps your child to relate to and understand the characters as individuals.

So, for example, when you see a lion in a book you can remind your child of the lion they saw on a visit to a zoo, or even the one they saw on TV. Things like ‘doesn’t the lady in the book look like Grandma, they have the same coloured hair’ or ‘the boy in the book has a little brother like you do but they have different names’ and so on …

Make sure you ask your pre-schooler lots of open-ended questions e.g. “why do you think the lion is going into the woods?” This encourages your child to stop and think about the story, to practice their speaking skills and to ask questions. You in turn can then praise the child for their answers and offer them up a different perspective which in turn gives them more to think about and discuss.

You may find you never get to the end of the book but isn’t it better to let your child lead the discussion and so, for a change, you respond to them rather than the other way around?

READING FOR LOVE

Children feel very loved and secure when they feel that their parents have time for just them and are enjoying time with just them.

Children ultimately get to love books because they start out sharing them with someone they love.

Reading time with your little one is a very precious time and having spent all day rushing about those few minutes at the end of the day, snuggled up together, your little one all cosy and calm, are so magical. Please take the time to share a book with your child.

Last week we embarked on our first ‘proper’ photo shoot for the website. The Bed Bumper is a very simple product so we tried to keep it very uncomplicated, just a series of photos telling ‘the story’ of how to use the Bumper from a simple product shot through the making of the bed with the Bumper in situ to the final shot of a child in the bed (pretending to be) asleep, all snug and safe. We had given ourselves a massive 2 hrs to complete the shoot and were using two 3 year olds as our models – Hmmm!

To protect the little darlings privacy we shall call them Boy Trouble (BT) and Girl Trouble (GT). Clad in the very best PJ’s, hair suitably ‘bed heady’, GT climbed in first. We had gone to the lengths of making sure the teddies were girly, the duvet/pillowcase were girly and the reading material was girlish and all she had to do was sit in bed and read the book. First the book was over the face, then the toes kept wiggling, then she kept biting her bottom lip. The photographer was oh so patient and after a little coaxing we got the shots we needed. Then it was ‘let’s lie down and pretend to be asleep’. Absolutely NOT going to do that, no way, never … more patient coaxing, kind words, gentle tones .. still NO.

OK, let’s move on (face starting to look a little less relaxed, slight clenching ….) so up jumps BT looking very cute and full of mischief (why is it the cheeky ones are always the most photogenic ?) He bounds into the bed cuddling his boyish teddy and loving the pirates duvet cover. He read the book as requested, tucked his legs up beautifully and we all relaxed as the comforting click of the camera lulled us into a state of false security … Time to lie back, snuggle under the duvet and pretend to be sleeping. He lay back, snuggled and screwed his eyes up tightly, tongue sticking out …Hmmm, not quite what we were after. More gently coaxing, long and detailed stories of tractors were told to calm BT down and give him something to imagine as he drifted into a comatose state. By now we mums were starting to get a little tense, the laughter was a little forced, the murmurs of ‘never mind’ were tinged with strain.

And then it all went horribly wrong … BT jumped up, threw his arms in the air and declared himself ‘all finished’

Enter the lovely GT (fresh from a quiet, soothing chat with Mummy) who, having watched her modelling partner throw a Naomi Campbell-esque tantrum, decided it was time to help out her, by now, very uptight Mummy and be a good girl. In the bed she got, snuggled under the duvet and closed her eyes … the camera started clicking again and Mummy’s shoulders dropped several inches. The photographer started to smile and we all smiled – at last it was ‘in the bag’

On the way home GT and her Mummy were spotted at the local newsagents purchasing a large bag of Chocolate Buttons (but I’m sure this had nothing to do with the photoshoot)

For the majority of our lovely customers, who use a Bumper on just one side of the bed, the sheet will be of no interest but, to those customers who are using a Bumper on either side of the bed, it can make the difference between a ‘tent’ between the bumpers and an overstretched fitted sheet which creeps up at the edges, and a tidy bed with the fitted sheet securely in place and plenty of soft polycotton to lie down on between the bumpers without your child thinking they are on a trampoline (not conducive to a calm, sleepy bed time story).

It’s a whopping 40cm (16”)  deep on either side, which is around 15cm deeper than a standard fitted sheet, giving ample room to fit 2 Bed Bumpers under it and not a ‘tent’ in sight.

Its vital statistics look like this:

• Standard single (3ft) fitted sheet, but with extra deep sides
• White
• £11.99 (including VAT)
• Made from superior, long lasting 68 pick poly cotton (50% Cotton/50% Polyester)
• Minimum thread count of 150 threads per sq inch (compared to 130 for standard polycotton) giving a smoother, soft finish
• Anti pilling so will not leave those little bits which appear with poorer quality polycotton due to washing and drying over time.
• Machine Washable at 40C, Tumble dry, Minimum Iron

Currently we have it  in just White for a Standard Single bed but are considering adding other colours/sizes in the future. Watch this Space !

I was browsing through the Mumsnet site the other day to keep up to date with all things baby related and I happened across their views/advice on co-sleeping. It is an interesting piece with some good links to other specialist organisations who are recognised for their advice regarding the pros and, more importantly,cons of co-sleeping. Here’s the link so you can read it in full for yourself http://www.mumsnet.com/babies/cosleeping

In summary, Mumsnet says “The case against co-sleeping…..
In your bed as opposed to a cot or crib, your baby could…
A) Get trapped between the bed and the headboard
B) Fall out
C) Get dangerously overheated under a duvet next to two hot adult bodies
D) Get accidentally suffocated if you’re so tired or drunk or high that you unknowingly roll on him

As I was reading through this it struck me that The Bed Bumper is the only bed guard on the market that would prevent points 1) and 2) occurring. It is the only bed guard that comes in a range of sizes including a 50cm piece which is perfect for preventing A) Get trapped between the bed and the headboard and by using either the 100cm or the 150cm Bumpers you will also prevent B) Falling out

So, if you want to feel safe whilst your precious one is in bed with you, either on-going or just occasionally (haven’t we all wanted  not to have to get out of our nice warm bed in the middle of the night, after feeding our little one, and put them back into their cot, especially when they are all settled? ) then choose The Bed Bumper. It’s not expensive, you can take it anywhere with you, use on any bed, it can be fitted in a few seconds and IT WORKS.

Here are some recent pieces of feedback I have received …

Tracey from Kent said

Excellent transaction, bed guard arrived very quickly. So pleased with the bed guard; it’s such a simple idea (basically just a piece of foam), but it works a treat! My daughter hasn’t fallen out of bed, it didn’t require any complicated fixtures or fittings, works on any bed and we can even sit on it when reading her a bedtime story. Very happy customer.”

Valerie from Surrey said:

This product is wonderful. much better than the dream tubes which have a habit of puncturing!!!!!! very cosy and NO way can a child fall out. So easy to use just put inside fitted single sheet EXCELLENT!!”

Julia from Staffs said:

I was very impressed by these bed guards. Very easy to fit and take away with you. My toddler also loves playing with them and there is no chance he could hurt himself when in his bed.”

A BIG purple daisies thank you to Tracy, Valerie and Julia for their amazing comments.

When we sat down to consider what excellent online customer service really meant we found that listing out all our own petty service dislikes, bug bears and gross annoyances was a fanastic start point. Here’s the very worst ….

Send an email and end up waiting days for a reply (or worse getting no reply at all). When the reply comes it’s terse, spelling and grammar isn’t great and it really doesn’t answer my questions. If I’m feeling communicative I might send another one off asking  the relevant questions again but generally, at that point, the sale is off, the heckles are up and at best I silently seethe and at worse  I tell all my friends how dreadful blah, blah are. And that’s it, a customer is lost forever and they have told all there friends too. So, logically the opposite must be true too and that is how we see customer service at purple daisies – every communication with the customer is an opportunity and more often than not, if you do it right, you can turn a potential issue into a positive experience . We all know that things go wrong from time to time but what we want, as a customer, is to have it sorted out quickly and efficiently.

So what are we trying to do at purple daisies to deliver the very best customer service possible ?

It’s not just that we answer all our customer emails it’s that we answer then quickly, sometimes within the hour. We are polite and helpful and make sure we answer any and all questions however small or extraordinary they are, and it doesn’t just stop at answering emails. All our products are hand cleaned and packed, we process and despatch the order within 48 hrs and we genuinely try to help our customers with whatever requests they have. Our customers are very generous with their feedback and are telling us we are doing a good job . Here are a few genuine quotes -

I contacted purple daisies to ask a couple of questions about this product, and recieved an email back within the hour, then decided to order and recieved the product with 3 days and delivered on a sunday, got my daughters cot all changed to a cotbed and have not looked back.”

Estimated delivery date was 7 – 11 January but item was delivered on the 5th which totally exceeded my expectations”

I would like to say that you have handled this matter with extreme professionalism.”

Technorati Tags: baby bed guard, bed bumper, Bed Guard, Bed Guards, bed side guard, Foam Bed Guard

http://cgi.ebay.fr/BARRIERE-DE-LIT-ENFANT-PORTABLE-100CM-Voyages-Mousse-/180617450665?pt=Literie_B%C3%A9b%C3%A9s&hash=item2a0da394a9

Sales have started slowly with a few brave parents prepared to try out this strange new foam bed guard from ‘Royame Uni’ and a few more tenatively adding it to their watch list. We have had one piece of feedback so far which was ‘tres bien’ !! Our expectation is that it will be a slow build as it is something completely new but once the mums network gets going and the word spreads then we are hopefully of sales increasing and the french taking purple daisies to their hearts.

Please feel free to spread the word (and send the link) to any french friends or relatives you  have who you think might be interested. As they say at Tesco’s ‘Every little helps’.

Merci beaucoup x

I can picture teams of tired Mums muttering to themselves “must get the little one into a big bed, must get the sides off the cot bed” and then it’s “right,OK let’s do it” and off they go … onto the Internet (who goes to an actual shop anymore, that’s so 2010). Tap, Tap … “shall we go Amazon or do a general search“…Tap, Tap…. “OK a few to choose from, what do I need it to do, and what is my little one going to be happy with?”

“Well, keeping the little one from falling out is obviously essential, a no brainer, but what else ???? Do I want it to look like a cot side ? Not really as I’ve just taken those off and my little one will freak out if they feel like they are being treated like a baby, so what about these foam ones that go under the bed sheets ? Does it look safe and will it really work ? Let’s look at what other people have said about them … WOW, people really like them, there is no assembly, no special sheets and they are relatively inexpensive … GREAT“, Tap, Tap … Job done.

Then, just 2 Days later TheBed Bumper arrives.  “The instruction leaflet is very clear and seems easy to follow so let’s give it a go (I don’t need to wait for hubbie to come home for this one). There’s  no fiddling around, no assembly, it goes straight onto the mattress, I pull the bed sheets over ,tuck them back in and voila …I  musn’t forget to keep the outer packaging tube as it will be handy to put the bumper into when we take it to Grandma’s house (or should I just order another for Grandma’s ?)”

And it is simple as that. At purple daisies we work very hard at giving every oneof our customers the best possible shopping experience. We select the best products, take time to ensure they are clean and well presented, package the up by hand in reusable packaging and send them on their way usually within 24hrs of the order being placed. We also appreciate the importance of after sales service and if a customer has any queries or concerns then these are answered within 24 hrs too.

Here’s a quote from one of our happy customers who had reason to contact our after sales team:

Many thanks for your reply and the service you have given me, I shall certainly use your company again.”

Technorati Tags: baby bed guard, Baby Bed Rails, bed bumper, bed side guard, Foam Bed Guard

Lots of visitors have come to look at the latest family member and some have even asked it they could take him home. The most common question has been ‘what’s his role in the family? ‘ And the answer is simple …

1) he is perfect for babies, either for co-sleeping to create a protective barrier (or should I say bumper) around all sides of baby, or away from home, when a travel cot is not an option (caravans are a good example of this predicament), and baby can be confidently put into any ordinary sized bed with The Bed Bumpers in place to cocoon and protect baby whilst he/she sleeps. NB Once baby starts to roll then purple daisies would recommend the 100cm bed guard for added security.

2) he satisfies the demand from our foreign customers, including those in the Republic of Ireland, where restrictions on lengths of parcels delivered by Royal Mail (our current carrier) means that anything over 60cm cannot be shipped. All customers have to do is to line 2x50cm bed guards end to end and they will act as if one continuous piece. What is particularly reassuring is that the foam ends of the bed guards will ‘grip’ each other adding stability to The Bed Bumper and ensuring it stays in place all night long.

3) There are some toddler beds that are too short for our best selling 100cm bumper and so the half sized 50cm foam bed guard offers a solution for these beds

Please take a look at our new edition and do not hesitate to make contact via www.bed-guards.co.uk if you have any questions or queries