This month we have tested - Pelvic Floor Toners and Bath Toys. The M&W Review panel this month is made up of 6 Mums.
Stress Incontinence is often an embarassing reality for many Mums after having children...ever found yourself having to rush to the loo after an 'incident' after sneezing or laughing too much?..so many of us have! 3 brave (and honest) Mums have tried the Pelvic Floor Toners for us and share their opinions and results below:
Pelvic Floor Toners |
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Femetone Femetone does the work for you ! With three built in treatment programmes it treats all types of incontinence. The Femelex electrode stimulator does the squeeze & release exercises for you. The electrode is as easy to insert as a tampon. Being extremely light weight it is easy to keep in place and many women continue to be active in the house while receiving treatment. £99.95 | Available from Femetone | www.femetone.com | T: 01942 238259 |
Elaine Queen Elaine is Mum to Dylan Jake (3) and Laila Riane (1)! They live in Dartford, Kent. |
The Femetone came with easy to understand instructions that were quite in-depth. There were two seperate parts - the probe instrument and the hand-held controller that looked a bit like a mini TV remote control. The only thing that I found a bit confusing was that there were two wires to plug in but only one hole! I tried both wires and then sorted it all out - after that it was fine. It was easy to use and not hard to insert or anything. The sensation is quite odd, but not painful and I could feel my muscles working. The overall design was good and everything came packaged well. The toner was straightforward to use with simple on, off, and plus and minus strength controls. I don't think I've seen immediate results, but it is early days and the more I use it the better I think the results will be. I'd secretly often wondered if everything internal was as toned as it could be after having my kids, but didn't know that such things as pelvic floor toners really existed - or where on earth I would buy one! Doing this review has really opened my eyes and I think loads of Mums would love to try one and I would definitely recommend them to. The only real downside I can see to the Femetone is the price - as it is expensive in my opinion. |
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Femme Elite Femme Elite is designed for all your feminine needs. Using the latest technology, this 3-in-1 pre-set unit can be used for pelvic floor stimulation (PFS), pain relief (TENS) and muscle toning (EMS). The Femme Elite (PFS) works like an internal muscle toner to strengthen the pelvic floor muscles, resulting in greater bladder control. Suitable for all women, and can be used 12 weeks after giving birth. £59.95 | Available from Bodyclock | www.bodyclock.co.uk | T: 0500 220 061 |
![]() Claudia Armstrong Claudia is Mum to Zac (8), Poppy (5), and Luca (1). They live in Scarborough. |
The Femme Elite is packaged really well - the box is small and all the components come in a little zip-up lilac bag. The instructions for fitting everything together were easy and clear to understand, although because the Femme Elite has 3 different elements - its a Pelvic Floor Toner, a TENS machine and a Muscle Toner it can be ever so slightly confusing and I had to make sure I was reading the right bits for the Pelvic Floor Toner. Once I'd fitted the battery part and controller part together it started to make more sense and the probe fitted easily on to this bit. I felt a bit odd really using it for a first time (my partner was convinced it was some sort of sex aid and not a pelvic floor toner!!) I wasn't sure what to expect, and was nervous..but it was actually very easy to insert and use once I'd got over the slight weirdness of it all! There are 3 programmes you can set the Femme Elite to and you control the intensity of the muscle stimulation yourself with the little controller which you hold in your hand. It is an unusual, but not uncomfortable sensation and not really like doing 'manual' pelvic floor exercises yourself at all. After a week of using it I think I could start to see a difference - I felt more in control and think I can feel everything tightening up. I'd recommend this pelvic floor toner - its easy to use, not a bad price and I am looking forward to trying out the muscle toner on my tummy as well! |
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MamaSURE MamaSURE is recommended by incontinence advisors and midwives. It was designed using preset programmes for pelvic floor exercises, targeting Stress, Urge and Mixed incontinence - it has 3 clinically proven programmes, programme pause facility, keypad lock and is compatible with Liberty Vaginal Probe. It is a very sophisticated unit that also includes a manual override, if your practitioner wants to adjust the settings to suit your individual needs. The MamaSURE also has a TENS programme for pain relief, and muscle toning programmes for face and tummy (optional skin pads available). £67.50 including postage | Available from Tens Care Ltd | www.tenscare.co.uk | T: 0137 272 3434 |
Samantha Ashbourn & Quinn Samantha is Mum to Quinn (2) . They live in Bishop's Stortford, Herts. |
The Mamasure came with a comprehensive instruction booklet, diagrams and for those who want more technical details a clinical information booklet. The detailed instructions were clear and simple and very easy to follow. It was straightforward to assemble. The system consists of a vaginal electrode probe, a programming unit and a leadwire to connect the probe to the unit. It did not require much assembly other than to insert batteries into the unit and then to connect the probe to the unit via the leadwire - all plugs and sockets were clearly labelled and the procedure explained. I liked the design as everything is compact and readily portable. The programming unit has a fold-down cover and screen so it can be carried discreetly if required. The probe was nicely contoured and quite comfortable as far as probes can be! It was easy to use. Basically you insert the probe, switch on the unit and select the appropriate programme (as suggested in the instructions). The unit then controls the 20 minute cycle, although you can still manually adjust the intensity and timing to suit. I think it is reasonable value for money for a reputable brand. The unit is durable and so I'm sure it would provide several years of use if required. (The probe is recommended to be replaced every 6 months - presumably for hygiene reasons). I could feel a tightening sensation from the very first use. It's quite hard to describe the sensation but you do definitely feel the internal muscles being worked and at the end of the session you do feel more toned! As I have only used the system for a relatively short time I've not felt any major effects yet. But based on the results so far, I believe the system would produce significant toning and tightening effects with regular use. I was pleasantly surprised as to how easy and effective the toner was. I was a little apprehensive prior to using it but there was no discomfort at all during or after the session. I would definitely recommend this toner to friends. |
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Overall Winner Femme Elite & MamaSure Continence Stimulator
This month we have joint winners with both the Femme Elite and MamaSure scoring 4 stars with our reviewers. Both units are well priced, compact and discreet and easy to use. The Femetone was a very close runner up with price being the defining difference.
3 Mums have tested bath toys with their children. The reviewers have looked at the toy from both a parents experience - (looking at the box and packaging, how easy it is to open, how easy it is to put together and overall value for money) and the experience of their children - initial reaction to toy, sustainable interest in the toy, how much they enjoyed playing with it and if it encourages creativity and interactive play.
Bath Toys |
Zoe Cannon & Beth and Amy
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Donna Leaman & Daisy
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Alison Colton & Joshua and Luke
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| Zoe is Mum to Beth (2) and Amy (5). They live in Essex. | Donna is Mum to Daisy (1). They live in Bristol. | Alison is Mum to Joshua (3) and Luke (1). The family live in Christchurch, Dorset. | |
Do Rae Me Dolphins Do-Rae-Me Dolphins are the best! They can bob about alone or be hooked up in a line or circle. However, the real fun bit is when you tap them on the head they play the note of each octave. Now you can teach the early piano to the kids as well as play. 18 months + £10.99 | Available from Perfectly Happy People | www.thebabycatalogue.com |
The box was bright and appealing, and was very easy to open and each item was individually wrapped in a plastic bag. As a very simple toy, details of how to play with them was briefly explained on the back of the box. The girls did enjoy playing with this toy, my youngest used the rings as bracelets and my eldest made dolphin trains. However the 'musical sounds' that the dolphins were supposed to make when you tap their heads was very disappointing as it was hardly distinguishable. Reasonable value for money as has lots of parts and can be enjoyed by all ages. However the rings were difficult to construct together and kept coming apart, both children struggled with this. I would not recommend this particular toy as quite expensive for a product that I believe 'doesn't do what it says'! |
I really liked the packaging of this toy. It looked, clean, and bright and lots of fun and it was easy to get out of the packaging. The box contained 8 dolphins and 8 rings. The age for this toy says 18 months and as Daisy is only 11 months I think she may be a bit young to appreciate the musical tune part. She does however really enjoy chewing the rings and banging them together and throwing the brightly coloured dolphins around! The musical part of the toy doesn't really work that well as soon as the Dolphins fill up with water their whistles stop and the whistle isn't really loud enough to attract her attention. I think as far as playing with it, as it was intended to be used, she probably won't, but the individual parts, I think she'll play with for a long time. Although it is good value for money, in my opinion it doesn't really do what it says on the box - the musical dolphins are not really that musical!. |
The Dolphins came in an attractive box. Toys came out very easily (in plastic bags). No separate instructions but details on box. My son of 13 months enjoyed playing with this one, but my other son of 3 1/2 was not so interested - didn't do much to sustain his interest. I don't think it is very good value for money as I don't think this bath toy is interesting enough. |
Smoby - Cotoons Aquacentre A bath time activity centre from the Cotoons Range. Featuring the Cotoons character "Wabap" associated with bath time in his frog suit. Wabap squirts water, has his own little boat that can moor on the jetty. Other features include a slide, water wheel and three stacking cups designed for water play. Activity centre has three suckers to attach to the bath tiles. £19.99 | Available from House of Fraser |
The toy looked good in the box with attractive pastel colours. Girls were excited about opening it but took a while to release it from the maze of wires and very resilient cardboard. The toy didn't have any instructions but the back of the box explained the different features of the item. Initially this toy was a real winner both girls enjoyed pouring water with the cups and sliding the little figure down the slide. However with few features and lack of other little figures to play with (they had many arguments over who turn it was to play with the 'elf') they lost interest next time it came out. I believe there are better bath toys with more longevity of play. |
The packaging on this toy is open at the front which meant when it arrived the front of the box was dented - it does allow you to see the toy inside but I think a complete box is more practical. There were no instructions but there is information about the toy on the back of the box - it doesn't really need instructions though. The box and the toys are nicely coloured in turquoise/white/green. There are 6 components, the aqua centre, a little cotoon character, a boat and 3 cups - the nice thing about this toy is that it has suction cups which stick it onto the tiles/or the side of the bath. There is a slide, spring board and paddle wheel and the cups have various amounts of holes in to let the water out - the little cotoon has a hole in his mouth to spit out water. Daisy seems to love it, she spent half an hour in the bath playing with the cups and sliding the little man down the slide. Out of the 3 toys this is the first that she played with as it was intended, it looks good, doesn't take up too much space and I would definitely recommend it to a friend! |
Very attractive in box (my 3 1/2 yr old couldnt wait to get into this one!). Bit more difficult to get out of the box, had some of those lovely wires to untie which us mums hate when the child just wants the toy! My boys loved this toy, especially the 3 1/2 yr old who discovered the cups and enjoyed pouring water,etc. Excellent value for money. I'd definitely recommend to friends for the long term play value. |
Tomy - Teletubby Bath Island Make bath time a magical fun time for toddlers with this floating island! Place each Teletubby in the central tower and watch them pop out of one of the three tunnels. There's also a slide for the Teletubbies to whiz down, while Dipsy's hat makes a fantastic pourer to turn the windmill. Water Po's flower garden and watch the flowers magically open up. The Teletubbies celebrate their 10th birthday this year! £11.99 | Available from www.tomy.co.uk |
The box was bright and appealing and easily recognisable as a Teleubby product. It was clever that you could see the actual figures on the outside of the box. It was easy to get out so excitedly played with straight away. There was a simple instruction leaflet but the back of the box clearly demonstrated how to play with all the features. It is one item that incorporates many elements of teletubbyland, such as the flowers, magic windmill and slide. You also get the four teletubbies, a large Dipsy hat for pouring and swim ring. My girls have loved this toy. Even my 5 year old who said 'I am too old for teletubbies' has enjoyed playing with it in the bath. The figures are well made and lots of interesting parts to the toy that replicate the television programme. Very good value for money as this can be enjoyed both in and out of the bath. For teletubbies fans this is a must buy! I would recommend it to friends, mainly those who have little ones who have watched the programme as they would get most value from it. |
The packaging on this was a bit too busy but it did describe the contents very well. There were instructions written on the box and also inside and it was easy to put together. It has a main island, a hat, a ring, a windmill and 4 teletubbies. The idea is to put the teletubbies in the hole at the top of the island, pour in water with the hat and watch them pop out one of the holes on the side. We first opened this up in the lounge and Daisy spent a good half an hour playing with it. However, the first night in the bath she got bored really quickly and ended up just chewing the teletubbies. By the 2nd night however, she had worked out how to put the teletubbies down the chute and was really enjoying it. I think this is quite a versatile toy as it can be used both in and out of the bath. At £11.99 it wasn't too badly priced but for us, it is too large to keep in our small bathroom and I think in the end Daisy will only continue to play with the teletubbies. |
The box looked very attractive. I liked the fact that you could see the actual size of the teletubbies. Toy came out of the box very easily, sealed in plastic bags. There was a very basic instruction leaflet and info on the box about how to use the toy. My two boys loved playing with it and have played with it several times in and out of the bath. Excellent value for money. I would highly recomend this bath toy! |