Wibble, Wobble, Wibble, Wobble, Gelli in my Baff! (Gellibaff)

Member Name: jo1976

Product:	Gellibaff
Date:	14/09/09 (83 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Great fun for kids!

Disadvantages: Expensive for single use bath product, messy

It was my oldest son's seventh birthday the other day and, having purchased his main present, I set about buying a few little extra treats for him to open on his big day. Thinking back to last Christmas, I remembered that one of his favourites from his stocking was a box of 'Gelli Baff' and discovering that the range now includes a 'Horrid Henry' themed collection, as well as the original selection, the choice was clear!

The Gelli Baff comprises of two single-use sachets - one which is added to 6cm of warm water in the bath to form the goo and one which is stirred in at the end to dissolve the goo into coloured water. It is straightforward to use and the instructions on the packet are very clear and easy to follow, although 6cm of water isn't a particularly large amount of water at all so be careful not to get too carried away when running the bath. On the most recent use, I think we may have added slightly too much water as the gelli baff wasn't quite as thick as it seemed to be on the first occasion. It didn't detract from my son's enjoyment at all as he relished having a flourescent green bath that feels all gooey and mushy!

It's hard to explain the texture of the finished bath once the gelli baff has dissolved and solidified. If you've ever accidentally placed a nappy in the washing machine (or is it just me that does stupid things like that?) it resembles the outcome of that - which is thousands of tiny gel-filled balls. It's not an unpleasant feeling to put your hands into the bath but I wasn't tempted to climb in myself - this is one bath product that is best left to the kids!

The health and safety info on the packet advises caution when using this as it can make the bath extra slippy and also recommends that under fives are supervised (which is pretty much common sense anyway.) The first time we had this stuff, our youngest, who would have been about eighteen months old at the time, took one look at the strange bright green bath and made it quite clear that he had no intention of going in there. This time around, once he saw his big brother surrounded by green goo he was tugging at his vest and trousers and would have jumped in fully clothed given half a chance! Both of the boys had great fun in there with a watering can and stacking cups, filling them up and covering themselves and each other with green goo.

It was up to me to clear up after the pair of them and I kept finding little piles of gel around the bath several days afterwards! Despite adding the dissolving powder, this doesn't dissolve all of the gel and there was still quite a large amount left behind after the bath had been drained. There was also quite a bit stuck to the children so you might want to shower the kids down afterwards too. Nonetheless, it was great fun for all involved and far easier to clean up after than some of the Lush products I've used in the past!

A bath filled with green goo and a random creepy crawly lurking somewhere beneath the depths might not be everybody's idea of a birthday treat but it certainly hit the spot for my seven year old son! The Horrid Henry theme (for which I paid a premium above the standard cost of this range) basically comprised of the baff being coloured 'snot green' and including a small plastic beetle. Apparantly, there are six different creepy crawlies 'to collect' within the series which would be a very costly affair at £5.99 per pack (from Toys R Us.) The original version, which comes in a range of colours, is somewhat less pricey at around £4.99 each but it is still very expensive for what is essentially a single use novelty bath product.

I don't begrudge spending that once in a while for something that is a real treat and brings a huge smile to my little boy's face. After all, judging by the speed at which his birthdays seem to come and go, he won't be a little boy forever!

Summary: Kids will love it!