Review: Travelling with toTs by smarTrike

The more that we travel with our baby, the more I realise that comfort and practicality have to take precedence above everything else. We've tried lumbering fancy travel cases and complex games to keep her entertained around the world, but when it comes down to it, all Sophia really needs on a flight and in a hotel room are some books, an iPad and a few home comforts. For us, the toTs by smarTrike accessory range ticks that last box perfectly.

Most people know smarTrike for the world's best selling and most awarded baby tricycle (which also happens to be Sophia's favourite Christmas present and a much-loved toy...more on that in another post), but very few realise that the brand have recently branched out to include toTs: a range of stylish but practical solutions for the fashion-conscious parent. Two of these items have become absolutely vital to our travels and I have vowed to never leave Doha without packing them again.

When we have to take a long haul flight, we try to opt for an overnight option so that Sophia sleeps (marginally) better, and we can manage to squeeze in a movie, a cheeky glass of red and some shut eye in relative peace. The drone of the engines and vibration of the aircraft used to really help in this respect when she was a newborn (the one and only time that she ever 'slept through the night' was on a flight from Doha to Norwich via Amsterdam) but these days a little more is required to lull her into a snoozy state. That's why we always travel with her toTs Joy The Bunny Comforter (or 'Pinky' as she is more affectionately known to us).

I love that this comforter is so much bigger than your standard size, meaning that even now that Sophia's pushing on 11 months it's still large enough for her to tuck under her arm and wrap around her body. It's double-sided, with a super soft jersey material on one side, and a pretty polka dot pattern on the other, and comes in bright blue and lime green as well as our fuschia.

Sophia is a little smitten, and these days when napping, both at nursery and at home, Pinky rarely leaves her side.

A product that I really struggle with when travelling with Sophia is a towel. Hotel offerings are usually either far too big or too scratchy for her delicate skin. Her toTs Joy Bunny Hooded Towel is therefore another vital addition to our suitcase. The 100% cotton velour-style towel is large and soft, and kept her snuggly and warm in the freezing temperatures we returned to on our recent trip home to the UK.

Her favourite bedtime ritual these days is snuggling up against me after a warm bath, wrapped in her Joy Bunny Towel and reading some books (we're talking at least three or four here spread over half an hour...and often the same one twice!).

I'd love to say that this helps her to settle in for a nice, long night's sleep, but if I said that I would be lying (have a read of this post if you'd like to find out what sleep is like for us these days!). However, it relaxes her enough to go down for the first couple of hours at least. And when we're travelling and she's in a strange bed a long way from home, this is all I can ask for.

Products were provided for review purposes.

For my Qatar readers, the toTs by smarTrike range is currently not available in the country, however if you have if you have an Aramex account then you can still order them from smythstoys.com in the UK and have them delivered to your door. Hoorah!