Family Gift Guide - Children's Clothing #Win a Frugi Voucher

Welcome to the first of the My Mummy's Pennies Christmas Gift Guides: Children's Clothing!
I've brought together a selection of  my favourite brands to show you that clothing doesn't have to be the 'boring' present under the tree. In fact with some of these ideas it may just be the most exciting! So read on to discover the best alternative Christmas jumpers, beautifully handmade girl's dresses, fabulous organic pyjamas, t-shirts with an educational twist and the cutest sheepskin earmuffs...

Christmas Jumpers from Tipsy Elves

Everyone loves a Christmas Jumper but who wants to blend into the crowds? Tipsy Elves offer a fabulous selection of alternative festive woolies guaranteed to make you smile. This jumper features a festive Christnas Eve scene with the twist that Santa's reindeer have run away and he's hanging from the sleigh! Will he he manage to regain control a deliver all the gifts in time? My seven year old thinks this is the best Christmas jumper ever as he found some of the cutsie ones we'd been looking at a bit 'young' for him.  We've had some lovely comments when out and about too as it really grabs attention! 

Tipsy Elves' festive offerings also include a jumpers, dresses and onesies for grown ups in cheeky designs from geeky rudolf to some rather randy reindeer! Their Children's jumpers come in sizes to fit ages 4 to 12 years. We went for the 8-9 for Ben and found it a good fit but the sleeves were a little long. The jumper is good quality and washes well. Prices usually start from £32 but today they have a promotion offering 40% off jumpers.

Fantastic handmade Dress from Little Dot

Regular readers will know that I value local businesses and love shopping at local markets and seeking out unique items especially when it comes to my children's clothes. Earlier in the year I discovered local dressmaker Little Dot at a charity market in Ramsbottom. I bought Elizabeth a gorgeous summer dress that she has had lots of wear out of and always gets lovely comments where ever she wears it. So when I was searching for the perfect winter dress to pop under the tree I of course went straight to their website to see what they had to tempt me.

Sophie Allen began by designing and making unique one off dresses for her family and friends children and very quickly she established the Little DOT brand. Little dot dresses are one of a kind and have all been carefully designed and handmade to include beautiful finishing touches. Sophie also offers custom dresses that are even more special and ideal if you know just what you want but can't find it!

After chatting with Sophie about Elizabeth's favourite colours and animals I was thrilled to open a beautifully wrapped package a few days later to discover this vibrant purple cord pinafore dress with the cutest applique owl design.

The dress is amazing quality and finished to an excellent standard. The extra little touches such as the contrasting buttons are things that you would wouldn't get from a high street brand. The fit is true to size and paired with a long sleeved to and tights this makes an ideal winter outfit for any little girl.

This dress was custom made for Elizabeth but similar Dresses are available to purchase through the Little Dot website or facebook page starting at just £20. Do pop over and check out their excellent range on twitter and Instagram too,  I'm loving the gingerbread man fabric at the moment!

Solar System T-Shirt from Tiger Shark

My eldest had inherited his Daddy's liking for funky T-Shirts and as soon as I discovered Tiger Shark I knew he would love their fun and educational designs so was delighted to be sent the Solar System T-shirt. 

Tiger Shark give these tips to get the best education value from the the T-shirt:

Use our solar system t-shirt to discuss the movement of the Earth (and other planets) around the Sun with your children. Schools introduce this topic at around age nine to ten but we’re sure your little ones will be fascinated in the night sky and our place in the Universe at younger ages too. The eight planets in order from the Sun are Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune (Pluto was reclassified as a dwarf planet in 2006.) A mnemonic you can use to remember this order is My Very Educated Mother Just Served Us Nachos!

This fabulous quality top is available to fit ages 5 through to 11 and is made from 100% ringspun cotton. It fits true to size, washes well and is a great way to get your children learning about the solar system without them even realising!

Priced at just £15, the Solar System is one of seven stylish designs that also include Minotaur, Centipede and Dinosaur! Tiger Shark have a great offer on white T-shirts at the moment, half price at just £7.50. You can also get £5 off your first order when you sign up to their newsletter. An ideal stocking filler! Check out the full range over on the Tiger Shark website and why not say hello over on Facebook and Twitter too?

Sheepskin Earmuffs from the Natural Baby Shower

It's been a chilly few weeks with snow covering parts of the country and these adorable fluffy sheepskin earmuffs from the Natural Baby Shower are ideal for keeping little ones warm and cozy while out and about. They are made from 100% Sheepskin in the UK by the Eastern Counties Leather who have been producing the best of British leather and sheepskin products since 1879.

They come in an choice of adorable powder pink  or neutral chestnut colours and are designed to fit children aged 2 to 6. My four year old found them really comfortable and was happy to wear them all afternoon when we went out for a winter walk at the weekend. 

When not in use the circular sections fold in to the head band so they can easily be popped in a handbag. 

Retailing at just £15 these would make a cute addition to a little ones stocking and will be sure to keep them both warm and on trend this winter!

Red Robin Pyjamas from Frugi organic children's clothes

I've been a fan of Frugi's funky organic cotton children's clothes since my daughter was in cloth nappies thanks to the extra room in their 'cut for cloth' baby clothes,  now both my children are well past the nappy stage but I still regularly shop at Frugi, I've come to love their unique colourful designs and find that their clothes wash and wear extremely well.

It's become a family tradition that each Christmas Eve the children get a brand new pair of Christmas themed pyjamas so that the man in red gets to see them looking their best when he pops his head in (and I get to take cute pictures for the photo album!)

This year Elizabeth will be sporting these festive Poppy PJ's. The cherry red and white polka dot design is complimented by cute little applique penguin and of course like all frugi products they are made from high quality organic cotton. The bottoms feature a contrasting drawcord and elasticated waist.

These are a really cute addition to Frugi's winter range and would make an ideal gift this Christmas. You can still order from Frugi with Free standard delivery in time for Christmas and make sure you check them out on Facebook and Twitter for the latest offers.

Win a Frugi Christmas Stocking and £20 Voucher

As a special treat for my readers the very lovely folks at Frugi have sent me one of their limited edition Christmas stockings and a £20 voucher to spend at www.welovefrugi.com.

For your chance to win this great prize follow the rafflecopter instructions below. Good Luck!


a Rafflecopter giveaway
The competition will close at 12.00am on 24th December 2014.

I was sent samples of the items featured to include in this gift guide.

The Snowman and the Snowdog Grotto at The Trafford Centre

Last weekend we were invited to visit Father Christmas at the Snowman and the Snowdog Grotto in the Trafford Centre. We'd heard some great things about it and were really looking forward to the experience.

The Grotto is situated in the Barton Square area of the Trafford Centre which has had a fabulous festive make over this winter. The singing bears are back and amoung the sparkling lights is a beautiful Victorian carousel. We arrived a little early for our booking so decided to  have a ride on this first. It was a lovey start to our day and the children didn't want to get off, at just £2 per person i'd recommend it as a fun addition to your Grotto visit.

After watching the singing bears for a few minutes we walked over to the marque that housed the Grotto, the decorations were really sweet so we posed for some pictures with the Snowman and Snowdog outside before being met by some helpful staff dressed in traditional Scandinavian costume.

We had been booked in for a 1pm timeslot and arrived about quarter to, while we waited the children chatted to the helpers who were really friendly and enjoyed telling them all about the animated penguins that decorated the foyer.

When our time came, we were led into a viewing room with a large screen where we were greeted by Billy's mum who led a lovely interactive story session that concluded with a clip of the Snowman and the snowdog annimation Both Children were transfixed and really enjoyed this. As we visited on a Sunday the grotto was fully booked so I did find this room a little crowded but that is to be expected and i'm told it's a lot quieter during the week.

Following on from this we were led out into a corridor of Snowmen dressed in costumes from around the globe, Again we had to queue for a short while but it gave us a chance to talk to the children about the different costumes and take some pictures.

At the end of this corridor we were led into a small room with a big red postbox and the children were provided with paper and pencils and encouraged to write (or draw) their letter to Santa and then post it, both of mine got very excited about posting their letters in Santa's special postbox!

 

Now we were ready to see the big man in red! We were led to one of four sets of curtains which were drawn to reveal a beautifully decorated space and a very Jolly Father Christmas sitting there who greeted the children cheerfully by name, he had a brief chat with them about their Christmas list and then invited them to pose for a photo (a stool was helpfully provided for my youngest). Before we left each child was presented with a gift, Ben was given an alarm clock and Elizabeth an activity book.

At the end we were given the opportunity to view the photographs and a selection of packages were available to purchase at reasonable prices. Overall we were there for just under an hour but were thoroughly entertained throughout.

Admission to the Snowman and Snowdog Grotto is £4.50 per child including a gift and £2.50 for adults.  It's open from 9am to 9pm Monday to Saturday and  9am to 7pm on Sundays. You can book online at www.bookfatherchristmas.co.uk/intutrafford but do be aware there is a £2.50 booking fee. 

Overall I found the experience lovely and great value for the price. I found it to be a bit crowded in places but you do have to expect that in a popular shopping area just before Christmas. The children loved the decoration of the Grotto and I felt the Snowman and Snowdog animation made it so much more than just a visit to Father Christmas! I would recommend it if you are looking for a Grotto visit that the whole family will enjoy.

We completed our day with a visit to Cadwalenders Ice Cream Parlour for some lunch which is a few steps away from the Marque where the grotto is housed.

We were invited to enjoy this experience as guests of the Trafford Centre.

A Visit to Father Christmas in the Snow... Chill Factore Review

It's that time of year where you have to start admitting Christmas is on it's way and when you have young children that means writing Christmas lists, posting letters to Santa and of course visiting a Grotto...

For the past few years there has been one grotto in particular that my two little munchkins have been very excited to visit. A very special place where the 'Real' father Christmas can be found in a magical grotto in the snow, the Chill Factore of course!

A Christmas Tradition

It's become somewhat of a traditional and you can read about our visits over the past few years here:

Visiting Santa in the snow at the Chill Factore 2013

Santa and Sledging at the Chill Factore 2012

This year was even more special as our youngest Elizabeth turned four a few days before our visit so it was the first time that she was able to join her big brother Ben in the Snow Park. Even though she has a great time in the Snow Play she was very excited to join Ben in the more white knuckle section of the centre.

We arrived just on time and were able to get our clothing hire quickly and easily, an extra charge does apply for this but in my opinion it's worth it to keep warm and comfortable on the snow if you don't own your own ski wear. Remember to bring your own gloves and hats though as these are essential! (oh and a pound coin for the locker.)

Snow Park Adventures

After we were all suited up we were taken out on to the snow and a friendly staff member gave us a quick overview of the snow park. The Downhill Donuts and Sledge 'o' Mania were suitable from aged four upwards but the the Luge Slip 'n' Slide was just for ages six and up. As Elizabeth couldn't go on the latter we were invited to use the Mini Moose Land Snow Play area too which had mini downhill donuts, slides and more!

We all thoroughly enjoyed an hour of adventure in the snow and I discovered that my little girl is a bit of an adrenaline fiend! She absolutely loved the tubing and and kept racing back up the hill for another turn. Ben as always favoured the sledging and with his encouragement I bravely tried out the Ice Slide for the first time and thought it was fantastic! Daddy loved it all of course!

After changing out of our snow gear we wandered over to the queue for the grotto. as it was Saturday we expected a fair wait and we did queue for around 40 minutes, however the children barely noticed as there was lots of activities to entertain them, from colouring to building blocks and a Wendy House. The Elves were really friendly, staying in character and chatting to the children about their visit and their Christmas lists.

Check out this video to see just how much fun we had in the Snow Park: 

The Real Father Christmas

Once it was our turn a lovely kind Elf led us out onto the snow and whispered instructions to the children who were positively brimming with excitement, they then led us down the path and knocked three times on the big red door of the magical hut in the snow where the big man in red greeted us enthusiastically. 

I really do think that despite all the glitz of a grotto, for the children the one thing that can make or beak it is father Christmas himself and this one was fantastic, He totally looked the part and chatted to the children with genuine interest for quite some time before routing in his sack for a special gift for them and asking them to leave him out a mince pie and a carrot for Rudolf on Christmas Eve.

There was the opportunity for a photograph which was available to purchase on the way out in a number different packages. A small gift was given to each child, my son was given a small wooden building block set and my daughter a Spongebob stationary set.

We had such a fun time and both children have barely stopped talking about it since. Our visit to the Chill Factore lasted around two and a half hours in total and we could have happily extended it by grabbing lunch in one of the popular eateries at the centre which include a Nandos and a Pizzeria.

So How Much Does it Cost to Visit Santa's Snow Grotto at the Chill Factore?

Mini Moose Land & Santa (under 4s) £15 for a family of 2 (1 adult and 1 child)

Snow Park Pass & Santa (age 4+) £40 for a family of 2 (1 adult and 1 child)

Opening times and booking details can be found on the website.

Special Offers!

If you make your booking before Sunday 30th November, you can save 20% on any Santa visits taken on weekdays before Friday 19th December 2014 or on November weekends.

Use discount codes SANTA20 and SANTA20NOV when booking online.

Opening times and booking details can be found on the website.


We were invited to visit Santa as guests of the Chill Factore all opinions are my own.