How we find out which pregnancy, baby and toddler products we need to test, who reviews for MadeForMums, plus how we get items to review.
How we find out which products we need to review
The MFM team is in constant communication with manufacturing companies, PRs, retailers and mums – in the UK and internationally - finding out what’s new or yet-to-be released, and discovering what’s special about each product.
Each year we head to the world’s leading baby and child trade fair, Kind+Jugend, in Cologne, Germany. Here we get to see everything from sneak previews of prototype products, to new brands eager to take the parenting world by storm. Kind+Jugend is also where the big baby and child brands reveal which products will be released in which nations.
We attend numerous UK-based trade fairs, hunting down what British families will be seeing on shelves in the coming 12 to 24 months and pinpointing emerging trends.
We also listen to what you want to know more about – if there’s a product we haven’t tested that you think we should, let us know. We’ll try our hardest to have it put through its paces and included on MadeForMums.
Who reviews? How does MFM get products to test?
When it comes to putting those products through their paces, we have a great team of qualified and experienced journalists who are mums, dads and mums-to-be as our reviewers. Between them they have decades of writing and researching experience, and know exactly what questions to be asking as they test a product, where to uncover more info, plus what’s important from a parent’s point of view. This means they can write the most honest, helpful reviews possible. We also have one or two new writers, who have caught our eye with their standout reviewing skills and writing talents.
We make sure the right products go to the right reviewer, so products are tested by parents or parents-to-be with a child of the right age who share the same worries and needs as those who’ll be reading the review. But they’re not the only reviewers – their babies, toddlers, pre-schoolers and even bumps are putting the products through their paces, too.
As well as giving every product a grilling over what it claims it can do and how easy it is to use, every reviewer has a very detailed series of questions they need to answer. Whether it’s the folded dimensions and weight of a buggy or the different ways a car seat can be installed in a vehicle, we cover it all.
So we can provide you with reviews that are free to view anywhere in the world, we head direct to companies to get products for testing.
If, for any reason, a company won’t put an item up for review, we call-out to our testers, MFM members and colleagues, and try our best to locate an owner of the product for us to interview.
We undertake hundreds of review each year, and we ensure every single one is impartial. We pay our reviewer for their efforts so they’re free to be critical and not swayed by freebies.
But MadeForMums’ reviews rely on you too – we want you to have the most useful, insightful product tests at your fingertips, which is why you can add your own reader review to all MadeForMums’ professional reviews. We know the more info you have, the better the choice you can make when it comes to buying for yourself or your family.
