#silentsunday

Review – Butlins Bognor Regis – Wave Hotel

This is one of two reviews I’m writing. This review will focus on the Wave Hotel and Premium dinning plan. The second, which will shortly follow, will feature the rest of the resort and its facilities.

So, last year I was selected to be one of 40 Butlins Ambassadors and at the end of the year I decided I’d book our family break for this April Easter half term.

I booked the break for a family of 6. The party consisted of myself and 3 children (Alice 10, Harley 3 and Little man who is 12 and has a diagnosis of Aspergers Syndrome). Also coming along was my mother and a good family friend.

The Accommodation…

We decided we wanted to try the newest of the resorts 3 hotels the ‘Wave’ and due to the number of guest in our party, we were offered interconnecting rooms.

We have been to Butlins a few times before with our last trip being a weekend break staying at the Ocean Hotel (which we were very impressed by). This time we would be staying midweek for a total of 4 nights (Mon-Fri).

As my eldest child has Aspergers Syndrome his very routine reliant, likes to know what is happening when and where and can become upset or somewhat challenging when faced with change. For this reason I made it my mission to fully look into all the accommodation and dinning plans available to us before booking. I also sourced images from the Internet and brochures as well as Videos on youtube to share with the little man so that the facilities were not considered too “New” for him.

My reasons for opting for the Wave Hotel was its focus on families with older children (Ok, Harley is 3 but both little man and Alice are older). The games room (Little man is PS3 nuts) and the positive reviews I had read.

We arrived at the Hotel reasonably late (9.30pm) which meant we were the last to check in. Despite this there was still a few parking spaces left in the hotels private car park. The hotel has its own entrance separate from the main resort entrance. We did enter the wrong way despite the wave being clearly signposted (I blame the kids backseat arguments) but the guys on the gate were most helpful and understanding. The hotel car park also has allocated disabled parking available.

From the outside the hotel is most attractive, very modern and quite obviously newly built.

The reception area is smart and sleek with great lighting. It has beautiful water features to tie in with the whole wave theme as well as a large seating area, bar and coffee shop, cash machine and large checkin and reception desk. Its here you will also find the entrance to the state of the art games port that gives families access to PS3s, Wiis, 3DS consoles and even Mac desktop computers. There are a number of leaflets detailing local attractions on display as well as a good selection of family DVDs that are free to borrow (with a refundable £10 deposit).

We were situated on the hotels 5th floor and there were 4 lifts in operation. Lifts are not overly huge but we were easily able to load the luggage trolley and all six of us in the one lift. Given we arrived later than most the lifts were empty at this hour. The ocean themed imaging and jaws theme tune music, does really add to the whole “Lift” experience. 🙂

Our doors were opened electronically with cards for which we were given two cards for each room.

As mentioned we had 2 rooms with an interconnecting door. In one room we had a huge bed, kids room, bathroom and nice size balcony with great sea views. In the next room we had the exact same again, only with twin beds. Each had huge wardrobe fitments with electronic safes. There was a nice size fridge and full sized ironing board with iron. There was a hairdryer that was connected to a nice vanity unit with large mirrors. Lights were operated by an electronic card and lighting options were good. This is particularly important as Little man has many sensory sensitivities and the right lighting is essential to his mood. There was both low lighting and bright lighting in the main room.

The main room has a large TV with lots of channels and it is fitted to the centre of the wall in line with the bed. In the kids room you have bunk beds with a TV at the end of both beds. This is great only we didn’t find any headphones meaning watching both at the same time wouldn’t be an option. However, the reception may have provided these if asked, only we were to busy having fun that we forgot to even ask in the end.

As we had the interconnecting rooms, little man was able to have his own space which is important to a child on the spectrum. Only without sounding too negative, little man didn’t feel that relaxed in the room. The children’s rooms are very small and have been designed to resemble cabins. This didn’t sit well with little man. The low lighting was a little to blue and he commented that he felt like he couldn’t breath because of its size and lack of windows. Then again my daughter of 10 absolutely loved her room. She couldn’t wait to get in bed and relax at the end of each night so it all depends on ones own needs and taste.

The children’s rooms have these really funky images of Octopuses and seahorse’s that are meant to come “Alive” with the use of a free iPhone app. Sadly my app wouldn’t work so the kids missed out. I have seen this work when used on a Butlins writing pad and when it works its fantastic. The app may have required me to have more space on my device. The iPhone is admittedly very full at present.

The bathroom is of a great size and has a good size bath with shower fitment. The water was always hot and the bath filled up quickly. The power shower was fast and powerful. Little man hates baths but loves showers (this again is a sensory thing)! He spent lots of time in the shower and noted how much he loved the lighting feature on the shower head (it changes colour).

We were provided with lots of soft clean white towels and a small selection of toiletries (note, we were provided with these whenever we ran out when staying at the Ocean, though this doesn’t seem to be the case for the wave) luckily we had brought our own.

We found our rooms to be of a good warm temperature on arrival and the heating was easily operated by a digital box on the wall. The decor was nice and modern with a yellow and blue theme throughout.

Tea and coffee facilities were provided, though it was felt that there just wasn’t enough milk for 3 adults. Nonetheless these were topped up daily which was appreciated.

We were pleased with the presentation of both rooms with all areas being very clean and tidy. Daily house keeping was of an excellent standard over the first few days and a good standard for the remaining day.

There was also some nice little touches, such as the addition of a card left on the table which wished us all a Happy Easter.

Free Wifi was provided in and around the hotel. This was easy to log into with no sign up required. Download and streaming speeds were great in the hotel and Ok around the resort. This was a bonus as I was keeping up with my emails via my iPhone and the kids had brought there tablets with them.

I did notice that when any of us including the children walked across the floor, this was rather loud, despite the addition of carpets. I’ve been informed that this seems to be common in newly built buildings. As I have a child with Autism who at times requires medication to sleep I did worry about the night times.

My worries were warranted as on our final night at 12.50am I heard a knock on the door. Little man had been having a minor meltdown some 20 minutes before and the Butlins rep informed us that someone had complained about banging on the floor. When your child has just finished a meltdown it can feel a little upsetting that others have phoned down to the reception to complain. However the rep was most understanding and very polite. Nonetheless it is felt that this is worth mentioning as if your child is very active especially of an evening you may want to ask for a ground floor apartment or go at a quieter time of year when the hotel is less full (term time if you have little one’s would be best). Its not very nice having someone knock to tell you that they’ve received complaints while your 12 year old is just calming down but doing so with listening ears.

Rooms also have a telephone so you can easily call downstairs to reception with any questions. I was told I could use the hotel phone to call an 0845 national number for free but having followed the instructions more than once I couldn’t connect. Thankfully the reception staff were very accommodating letting me use the reception phone.

Pros…

Great sea views
Nice clean rooms
Good house keeping
Free Wifi facilities
Great shower and bath
Good wardrobe and storage space
Very comfortable beds
Self controlled heating
Room under all beds for suitcases
Option of easily interconnecting rooms
Free cash machine withdrawals
4 lifts (especially of importance for wheelchair users and those with small children/pushchairs)
Games room
Kindle library (with options to borrow both kindles and iPods)

Those little things that may make it that little bit more perfect than it is already…

Room Service option

Drinks vending machine (nearest vending machine is at end of car park when bar/coffee bar closed)

More detailed room guide specifically for the hotel room (just to advise on how to work TVs, heating and phones).

More mood lighting for children’s rooms (like those provide in the main rooms at the ocean. Also some under bed trays like those in the Ocean would be good.

Some door stops or heavier doors that naturally close much slower so that these don’t accidentally keep slamming shut.

Dinning…

As mentioned we opted for premium dinning plan and would be receiving both breakfast and dinner (half board).
On arrival we were allocated a dinning pass for the deck restaurant.

Firstly if your child on the autism spectrum has a very over sensitive sense of smell and is upset by this then I’d highly recommend self catering because as you probably know, the different smells of various foods can be upsetting to a child on the autism spectrum.

This is sometimes the case with little man but this has been steadily improving and we decided that if the noise and smells became to much for little man then one of us adults would leave with him.

Thankfully we experienced little problems on this front with only minor unavoidable upsets experienced.

There was a very good selection of foods on offer both during breakfast and dinner. This is great for those fussy eaters like little man. This is also a self service option so little man didn’t need to worry about different foods coming into contact with one another and was able to put different foods onto different plates with no questions asked.

At breakfast there was everything from fresh juices, cereals, toast with various spreads, fresh fruits and yogurts, freshly made omelettes and pancakes to full English fry ups.

Dinner time was just as good when it came to variety. A good selection of meat and fish with various sides of potatoes, veg and more. There was vegetarian options and menus designed specifically for the children. You were tempted by the salad bar, different soups and fresh breads, cheese and biscuits as well as a vast selection of both hot and cold puddings. I think the self service Ice cream machine was an instant hit with all three of my children with little man wanting to serve it up for all of us as he had developed a love for operating the machine.

As a premium diner you also have a Carvery and Someone cooking hot pastas which I must say were absolutely delicious.

We didn’t eat on the Friday but on the following three evenings we ate dinner I was very impressed with what I’d chosen and left feeling happy and content.

I’ve never been great with breakfast as don’t seem to eat as well at an earlier time. However, it was nice and the kids received a good start to their day.

We dined at various times of the morning and evening and never waited to long for a table. Though on the first morning we were allocated 2 tables next to one another which did mean I found it hard to keep the toddler seated (he kept wanting to go from table to table). Once we had explained that we’d like to remain dinning together on the one table, no further issues were experienced.

There were plenty of high chairs for little ones as well as smaller cutlery and even Billy Bear plates.

Pros…

Huge selection of food on offer
Self Service
Quality of food
Helpfulness of staff
Non rushed environment
Baby foods and bottle heating

Those little things to make it even better would be…

Clearer menus of whats on offer (many people need to grab there glasses or lean over others trays to read small cards.

A little more info when you arrive at the Deck restaurant for the first time (how it all works… I wasn’t sure if it was the one queue formed or a queue for each counter etc…)

On the whole the Wave offers a very present stay with friendly staff, nice rooms and good facilities.

The dinning plan also makes a great addition to your accommodation and is located right outside the hotel for convenience.

Did we love our Butlins Experience? You bet we did!

Here’s a video below giving you a sneak peak of our up coming review of the Bultins Bognor Regis Resort and its facilities.

Checkout the Butlins official site for all current prices and special offers

Disclaimer: As a Butlins ambassador I was provided the accommodation and dinning plan free of charge in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are solely my own and have not been influenced by my position.

#silentsunday – Butlins Style

A Quick Hello From Sunny Bognor

As a Butlins Ambassador I’m currently enjoying an Easter Half Term mid-week break at their Bognor Regis Resort. Myself, the three children, my mum and a friend are staying in the lovely new hotel the “Wave” and are really enjoying our experience so far.

When I come back I’m planning to write up a review in which I will share our thoughts on all aspects of our break. I will also be sure to share my thoughts on the services offered for those families off a child with a disability such as autism or Aspergers.

What I will say now is that Little Man is coping with the changes reasonably well and we are managing to have a good time despite the odd mini meltdown.

I’ll leave you with a few pictures for now… Enjoy!

The Year That Was… 2012

The year of 2012 will soon be over, we will wave it farewell as we enter a new chapter.

Is it because I’m getting older or do the years really fly by so quickly? It seems not so long ago I was sat here writing a post summing up 2011 yet here we are again fast approaching the year 2013… I can hardly keep up!

So, how was 2012 for us? Well, amazingly it was pretty drama free (just the way we like it)! With little man now really settled at his new school things have been… Well… “Normal” I mean I no longer get daily phone calls from head teachers demanding I collect little man! I’m actually able to go shopping without that niggling fear that my mobiles about to ring as soon as I start loading the supermarket trolley.

We have had some wonderful highlights to this year one being our second Mad blog awards win where the blog was crown most inspiring for the second consecutive year in a row. It was a truly wonderful surprise and one we didn’t expect. Lets just say I woke up with a somewhat sore head the following morning.

I was also a runner up for most inspirational blog in the BIBs (brilliance in blogging wards) run by Britmums.

At the beginning of the year I got to attend Little mans first ever sports day. Ok, his 12 years old so that may seem strange for some. But those who like me have a child on the autism spectrum will likely have experienced the same… Their child being excluded from everyday activities as they are branded something of a health and safety risk.

Little mans attendance at his new special school has brought with it a lot of “firsts” this year, including his most recent Christmas performance that almost had me in floods of happy tears. I also attended the school Christmas lunch which is such a big deal when you have got to the stage of thinking “You’re child will never be given such opportunities” such negative thoughts are all based purely on the bad experiences of the past.

Other wonderful things that have happened this year include, being chosen as Toy R Us Toyologist. Alice and little man were blue group reviewers and lots of fun was had reviewing all the great toys in the run up to Christmas. Little man discovered his love of making review videos and mini tutorials, his confidence grew and as a result his only gone and started his very own youtube channel.

We were also invited to be LEGO Family bloggers this year and as you can guess, that news had the little man excited beyond belief.

Another really big surprise was being chosen to be one of Butlins Ambassadors. Next year we will be visiting Bognor Regis resort and I’ll be able to share with readers our experiences including how the park caters for children with additional needs and sen. We start our holiday on the 1st April and I for one really can’t wait.

October see me as one of ten bloggers and writers who were chosen as finalist in the Savoo smartest shopper competition. I was in with the chance of winning a prize of £10,000 plus the chance to write my own money saving blog. No I didn’t win! But looking back I do realise what a wonderful achievement it was to be in the final amongst the red hot competition.

This year seemed to be the year for competitions. What with Alice being a runner up in the Ice Age Jr reviewer competition winning a fab trip to Bristol, Little man bagging himself an iPad Mini on an online raffle that was organised by his school reward system Vivo, and that of Alice finding out on Christmas Eve that she had won £750! This was for her amazing entry into the post card from Santa competition run by Travel Supermarket (the entry & video can be seen on my sister blog mummy of many talents).

Above… A beautiful trip to bristol

On the whole the year has been a kind one. Sadly we do still have the worrying situation involving my sister and the SS (see the blog post peek a boo) following us into this coming new year. As a family we are continuing to support her the best we can while fighting the system that is destroying her.

So… What will next year bring? New opportunities, more school plays and sports days. I don’t hope its a good one I’ll be sure to make it a great one.

We’ve Booked Our Holiday

Do, I feel organised? Hell yes.

It’s very rare that I’m able to be so prepared. Although booking holidays in advance when your child is on the autism spectrum is really an absolute must, things almost certainly never work out as planned for me.

Some may remember a few months back when I excitedly announced that we were chosen as one of 40 family’s to become a Butlins Ambassador. Well, I’ve been thinking about booking our break for a while but wanted to ensure I made the right resort, accommodation, and catering choices before doing so.

I’ve been given the opportunity to really plan this holiday around the whole families needs and this has allowed me to really step back and think things through when deciding on the best options for little man in particular.

Although we experienced quite a few hiccups during the Tots 100 Christmas party break at Butlins. I do put the majority of this down to the fact we got tickets so late on in the day. This combined with the fact that we wasn’t able to take the children to the actual bloggers meal and party was a bit stressful for little man and me having to dash away caused him some anxiety.

This break is a true family occasion and I won’t be doing any dashing of any sort whatsoever.

The fact that Butlins have a really scheduled time table that little man can follow is absolutely perfect. We found that just having the iPhone App that displayed the daily listings of what was happening at what times made organising what to do really easy. We actually got the app at least a week before leaving so had plenty of time to create little man his very own schedule.

I’m pleased that this year my mum and good family friend Donna will be joining us. This means that all the children can enjoy all aspects of the holiday and I won’t feel like I need to rip myself in half to please them all.

So, our break is booked for the Easter Holidays (1st-5th April 2013). We will be staying 4 nights and coming back home the day before my birthday. This should give me plenty of time to fully organise the trip and prepare the little man.

We are staying in the new Wave hotel at Bognor which is recommend more towards older children of both Alice’s and little man’s age. I’m hoping this will really suit him (they have ps3 in the games room so that should be a winner). Another great aspect is that they both each get their own TV at the end of their bunk (not that we are planning on watching a lot of tv) but what a way to avoid arguments.

I do feel really excited about our next break and have made it my mission to be as prepared as possible.

Here’s a couple of tips if your planning on taking a child away with autism or Aspergers during any of the pending half terms.

1) Book in advance to enable yourself time to plan efficiently.

2) Make sure the child on the spectrum knows when and where you are going.

3) Make an events board. I have done this simply by making a timeline that shows where we are going and in how many days. I do this with all events and occasions that little man needs to prepare for, not just holidays.

4) Try to use real life visuals for your events board. Take these from pictures or Brochures.

5) Let your child explore the designation online. Little man will be checking out the new Butlins website this evening.

6) if you have any worries or concerns make sure these have been discussed with the booking team or those taking care of your accommodation. This could be anything from the request of a room with a shower ( little man prefers to shower and its less of a battle for me to get him to use it) it may be something as simple as avoiding a certain room number (little for us massive to the child with autism).

7) Make sure you have brought and packed everything you need and well within time.

8) Importantly don’t forget any medications. Little man’s melatonin was something we took up again just before going away last time then we forgot to take it. Not great as it can’t be brought over the counter.

9) Pack essentials for travel. We normally go by car and a good supply of snacks and drink is a must.

10) Don’t just leave everything to the last minute! The child on the spectrum can become very anxious when this happens. Believe me… I know.

Heres a few images from our last trip away.

Little man Butlins

Alice and little man

Alice and the toddler

Meme – My 2011 Highs and Lows

I was recently Tagged to complete this Meme, ‘My 2011 Highs & Lows by Kate on thin ice‘ by the lovely Romanian Mum, who is a lovely blogger that write a fantastic blog.

 Not wanting to bail out and be a Meme bore, here’s my contribution that I hope you’ll all enjoy. 

(1) What was your happiest event?

 Watching my son in his school harvest festival assembly. He attends a special school and it’s been such a long time since his done anything of this kind as his mainstream school would never involve him in any plays or presentations. He did a reading but froze up, so all the other children came up and stood beside him and they all read the piece together, of course this made me cry proud and happy tears. Moments like these are totally priceless.

(2) What was the saddest thing that happened?

 We lost my dad’s brother to cancer. 

(3) What was the most unlikely thing to happen that actually went ahead and did?

 I won most inspiring blogger at the Mad Blog Awards

(4) Who let you down?

 I let myself down a number of times (we learn from our mistakes). 

(5) Who supported you?

 My friend Donna always supports me, also my mum.

(6) Tell us one thing you learned

 Not to be so hard on myself and sometimes I’m my own worse enemy.  

(7) Tell us one thing that made you laugh

 Taking the P&O ferry with Romanian Mum and both trying to walk to the other side of the ship while feeling a tad sea sick, we looked like two drunk women, falling all over the place.

(8) Tell us one thing that made you cry

 I cry a lot, I’m quite an emotional wreak at times. One occasion that comes to mind would be the time I lost my cool with Little man while at Butlins and I went running out the restaurant, where I then sat in the rain on a bench and uncontrollably sobbed.  

(9) Tell us three things your child or children did to make you feel proud

 I have three children so I’ll give you one for each!

 Little man (aka A boy with Asperger’s) giving his last 50p from his pocket-money to a homeless person sat outside London Bridge Tube station.

 Alice-Sara saving for charity (she has £12 so far) and started saving in December.

 Harley my now 2-year-old, saying “I love you mummy”

(10) Tell us one thing that made you proud of yourself

 Winning my Mad blog award.

(11) Tell us one challenge you overcame

 I over come a host of challenges every day, such as getting my son and myself through his public meltdowns in the middle of the supermarket. 

(12) Tell us three things you would like to change about your life from 2011

 Get fit, healthy and back in my size 8 jeans (I wasn’t that fit in 2011)!

Sleep better (which means trying to get Little man to do the same)!

To get stronger within myself, a lot stronger than I was in 2011! 

Now… to tag some other fabulous bloggers to complete the Meme! Let’s just hope that somehow they haven’t been tagged already.

Tags

1. Innocent charms chats
2. mumofthreeboys
3. Bloggomy 
4. Little Momma Said
5. Mummy Lion

A meltdown free Christmas (well almost)!

We are a family that all too often experiences a set of problems when it comes to holidays, special events and more. Christmas isn’t usually exempt from the list.

Over the year I’ve demonstrated a number of occasions that provoke change, excitement & anxiety for little man, the latest being our trip to Butlin’s.

However, I’m pleased to inform the world that despite one or two minor problems, a few tears and a little swearing, Christmas was a joyful occasion in the household of ‘A boy with Asperger’s’

We remained home the entire day, one very close understanding friend joined us and family dropped gifts off, the day before, or popped in for a brief moment. Christmas was a blissful occasion!

There was one meltdown, however this was not displayed by the Little man! Was it his 8-year-old sister or maybe his brother (at 2 this would sound likely)! No it was neither, it was actually me that had the meltdown! In true Christmas fashion, I had a mummy paddy when I misplaced a gift I had wrapped for a family member!

You see, I did make that classic stupid mistake of staying up the entire night to wrap every single gift I had brought. The sad thing was, I had only had around 2 hours sleep the previous night meaning that come christmas morning, I sobbed and moaned about everything and anything!

Yes, I found the gift, of course this was typically in the first place that I had looked, but throughout Christmas day, I lost everything I touched and considered myself on the blink of madness!

Despite my own temper tantrum’s Christmas was a blast there was family games, a lavish dinner and pudding and plenty of smiling faces on Christmas morning (though I really did feel like someone had kicked me in the stomach as I watched my children rip of the wrapping paper, I’d spent my entire sleepless night wrapping)!

One of the loveliest things about Christmas, was my youngest and his reaction to his presents. On opening all his gifts, his eyes were wide and his smile light the room as he shouted “Wow, Mum… Wow” Which did make me chuckle as one of his gifts was “Motorbike Max” from WOW Toys (which I must add his crazy about).

Alice-Sara was of course pleased with all her Monsters high dolls and accessories that I had trolled the shops in search off, and the Little man was relieved to get all that he expected with no sudden surprise (just the way he likes it). The Little man’s gifts were mainly made up of Transport Memorabilia, LEGO and of course a string of different Nerf products.

There was one gift I continually asked myself “Was, this a good idea” The huge Nerf-N-Strick blaster that I continually found myself the target off! Umm, next year… maybe not!

There was even a little baking, not bad for a non domestic goddess wouldn’t you say!

What a beautiful way to end the year!

Related articles

• Christmas Meltdowns, Supermarket Style (aspergersinfo.wordpress.com)
• A Christmas party- Mummy blogger style (aspergersinfo.wordpress.com)
• The night before Christmas (aspergersinfo.wordpress.com)
• “Mum, your christmas presents belong in the trash!” (aspergersinfo.wordpress.com)
• What every parent hates about Christmas day. (confessionsofamediocremom.wordpress.com)

Little one’s can take great pictures with the V-Tech Kidizoom Twist this Christmas

1

DAY TILL CHRISTMAS

The children have been extremely lucky to road test some of the newest toys on the market, and as the Santa’s Little helpers comes to an end we still have a few more to come.

When we were asked to review the V-Tech Kidizoom Twist, I have to admit that I myself became a tad over excited! Harley is forever putting his little chocolate fingers all over my camera so the prospect of him having his own couldn’t have come soon enough.

The Kidizoom Twist is in fact aimed at pre-schoolers aged from 3 years, Harley may actually only be 2, nonetheless he loved it all the same! It really is felt that my youngest little helper may in fact grow up with an interest in photography, and his not half bad at it either.

V-tech have been extremely clever when creating the Kidizoom twist, the must have Christmas Gift which is featured in the ‘Argos, fab fifteen’ (Top fifteen christmas toys for 2011).

The 2 megapixel camera camera with 5 digital zoom and coloured screen has a number of clever features designed to bring ease of use, entertainment and learning to it’s tiny users. The Kidizoom twist really is more than just your average kid’s camera. It’s really funky design makes it super cool and appealing to children while it’s designed to restrain bumps and falls avoiding them horrid costly replacements.

The Kidizoom Twist features not one but two lenses window’s so your tot doesn’t come across the problem of having to angle the camera in-order to see their target image and position the camera accordingly to take a picture. The child can instead hold the camera at eye level and take a picture with ease.

That’s not all, this camera has a number of special editing features allowing your child to create some great features to their pictures such as frames, wacky stamps and the ability to distort the picture in-order to create some really funky funny faces, which I feel is very appealing for children on the autism spectrum (Harley’s elder brother, Little man loves this feature on his younger brother’s latest gadget). Another fabulous feature to this camera is the voice recording mode that allows you to edit & change the tone of your voice to five effects (pitch up, pitch down, slow, robot and echo)  you can then add the edited voice to your images.

The Camera also has a number of built-in games, five in total, you can even use your own pictures within the games to play games such as spot the difference amongst a whole host of others.

If all that doesn’t sound great enough Kidizoom also has the capability to video, giving it that extra edge.

Oh… and in case you were wondering about the name and the reference it makes to the word twist? This camera does actually have a revolving lenses, meaning it spins round to face the photographer in-order for them to create the perfect self-portrait or video of themselves.

Harley loved the Kidizoom twist and to be honest so do his older siblings who actually ran-out two different sets of batteries. Little Harley is just mastering them all important motor skills so yes, he did drop the camera once or twice, but the protective rubber casing around the camera ensured its safety and saved it from breakage.

We, actually received the camera on the morning of the day we set of to Butlin’s so Harley got to bring his lovely new Kidizoom twist along for the ride, which provided lots of photo taking opportunities.

Kidizoom Twist Specifications:

2 Mega Pixel

4x digital zoom

Built in flash

Twisting/rotating lenses

Colour screen

256 MB built in memory (Holds over 500 images & has a SD card slot)

Voice recording & editing mode

Video recording

Image editing (funky effects)

5 built in games

Connect to TV & PC

Dual viewfinder

Durable (funky rubber protective casing)

Accessories can be brought separately such as SD card and protective case

Parental perspective.

I loved this eye-catching camera from v-tech, the only disadvantage I have, is the fact the screen is a tad small (I did expect a slightly bigger screen) though this is meant for younger children and despite the screen being a little small its more than enough for a pre-schooler. I did love the amount of features V-Tech have packed into this kids camera, it really is so much more than a camera, with games and video recording, it’s my opinion that the camera is great value for money.

The camera helps the development of hand eye coordination, gross and fine motor skills while allowing their growing imaginative and creative sides to shine through. It’s great, not only is this super fun but it’s actually quite educational too!

****
We easily award this one with a 4 out of 5 stars.

Available in a choice of pink or blue

Sold at around £49.99 (price may vary depending on retailer).

This is currently on Sale with a £10 reduction (£39.99) at Argos

Click HERE for more details

Disclaimer

V-Tech sent us the Kidizoom Twist in blue, for the purpose of this review! All opinions that are given by myself & the children are our own, are honest and haven’t been influenced in any way.

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• Best Toys for Christmas Vtech Kidizoom Spin & Smile Digital Camera Part 5 (lindaboyd.typepad.com)
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• Top 10 Christmas toys tested by the experts – children (mirror.co.uk)
• Last Minute Christmas toys (aspergersinfo.wordpress.com)

Silent Sunday