If you’re looking for a playroom sofa for your little ones, I think I may have just found the one. The Tutti Bambini Playrama kids play modular sofa, available at Amazon, is loved by children and parents alike – and it’s easy to see why.

Google Trends reports that searches for ‘kids sofa’ increased by 20% in the last month which shows that there’s a clear demand for a playroom sofa like this one. Suitable for children from 12 months and up, this is a modular sofa specially designed for kids’ play which is why it makes for such an excellent playroom idea. The individual pieces can be endlessly rearranged to form anything from a car to a house-like structure and anything else that your child can come up with.

One parent and existing customer wrote, ‘Cannot recommend this enough! We were a little sceptical that our children might be too old for this (age 7 and 9), but it has been one of our best ever purchases. This is used daily as a sofa in various configurations, but it has also been crash mats, a balloon keepy uppy net, a tank, horse stables, a rocket, a house, a car and many more that I can’t remember.’

The imaginative, playful design of the sofa is based on the Montessori teaching and learning method which emphasises creativity, adaptability and confidence, even when it comes to play. As the product description states, ‘the sofa encourages imaginative play and hands-on exploration, supporting cognitive and motor skill growth as children design and build their own setups.’

When I showed the playroom sofa to my sister Laura Vlkova, a teacher at a Montessori preschool and a mother of two, she was thoroughly impressed and said that if you have enough space for it, she’d highly recommend a sofa like this for a kids’ room or a playroom for seating, building play and general jumping around.

On top of all of that, the sofa is equipped with removable covers with a jumbo corduroy finish, available in three different colours to choose from depending on your child’s room colour scheme, and they’re machine washable which makes cleaning up so much easier. That’s another feature that persuaded my sister to give this sofa design a thumbs up.

Another reviewer at Argos wrote, ‘I’m really happy with the sofa I bought for my daughter’s bedroom, it’s a beautiful colour, the fabric is good quality and we love how modular it is.’

The only downside that customers have noted is that after delivery, it takes about a week for the foam modules to fully puff up – since they arrive flattened – rather than the 48 hours that the brand estimates.

A previous customer writes, ‘It took a little longer than 48 hours to fully unsquish, but 9 months on of constant use, I don’t even remember that! It was maybe a week to fully puff up??’

Are you considering getting a playroom sofa like this one for your little one?

While summer is often the perfect time to work on your garden, there are some jobs you should always avoid when the mercury soars. Garden experts have revealed five garden jobs you should never do during a heatwave, or risk damage to your garden.

While it’s true there are a few July lawn care jobs you’ll need to do this month, as well as garden jobs to do in a heatwave. But this doesn’t mean every task is suited to hot weather.

If you want your garden ideas to thrive all summer, these are the jobs you’ll need to avoid doing during the latest heatwave. Here’s what you need to know.

1. Feeding

If you want a lush lawn or flowering beds, one thing you need to avoid doing during a heatwave is feeding it. It may sound counterintuitive, but encouraging new growth can put extra stress on plants during periods of extreme heat.

‘Whilst the summer months are the peak time to be feeding your plants as they are actively growing, when temperatures start to exceed 29 to 32 degrees Celsius, then you need to temporarily stop using fertilisers,’ says Lucie Bradley, gardens and greenhouse expert at Easy Gardens Irrigation.

‘At these temperatures, many plants are suffering from heat stress, and they are being forced into ‘survival mode’ so what they don’t need is to reach extra nutrients, which triggers them to put on new growth. Once the heatwave passes and you see your plants starting to recover, it’s time to start reintroducing feed to replenish their nutrients.

2. Aerating

While your lawn may feel hard and compacted right now, you should never aerate a lawn during a heatwave. It can mean your lawn loses water, becoming brown and patchy in the process. Instead, focus on deep watering it once a week; a sprinkler such as the Kärcher OS 5.320 S Oscillating Sprinkler (£39.99) can help you do this.

‘The aerating process consists of making thousands of small holes throughout a lawn to improve airflow. However, grass is already under significant stress during a heatwave due to a lack of moisture, and when the ground is hot and dry, these well-intentioned holes can, in fact, accelerate moisture loss and leave grass struggling. One consequence of aerating in a heatwave is that patches of your lawn that would otherwise have recovered naturally may take much longer to green up again,’ says James Higgins, a spokesperson for Grass247.

3. Pruning

While there are some pruning jobs to do in July, during a heatwave, it’s worth putting them on hold or risk damaging your plant.

‘Throughout July you would normally be doing summer pruning on Wisteria, as well as Weigela and Philadelphus, which will have finished blooming and Lavender to keep it compact and prevent it becoming woody, as well as many other perennials and shrubs. However, these pruning tasks should be put on hold during a heatwave as it will simply cause problems for your plants,’ says Lucie.

‘When you prune plants, you trigger them to produce new growth, which relies on both water and energy from your plants, which they simply can’t supply during a heatwave when they are simply trying to survive. By removing foliage, stems and branches, you are also exposing previously shaded areas of your plants to direct sunlight, leaving these areas vulnerable to sunburn, scorching and sunscald.’

4. Cutting your grass too short

It’s also a good idea to leave your grass a little longer during heatwave periods. This can put unnecessary stress on your grass during hot weather.

‘One of the biggest mistakes homeowners make during hot weather is cutting the lawn too short. It might seem like a sensible way to reduce how often you need to mow, but removing too much of the grass blade leaves the lawn more exposed to the sun and can put unnecessary stress on it during periods of high temperatures,’ says Alexandra Alguel, Smart Home Living and Gardening Expert at ECOVACS.

‘Another common mistake is leaving the lawn for weeks because it’s hot, then giving it one dramatic cut once it starts looking untidy. Grass copes much better with regular, lighter trims than with having a large amount removed all at once, particularly during the summer months.

‘I also see people sticking with the same mowing routine regardless of the weather. The needs of your lawn change throughout the season, so continuing to mow at the same height during a heatwave isn’t always the best approach. Raising the cutting height slightly can make a big difference to how well the grass copes with prolonged periods of hot weather.’

5. Use weedkillers

Lastly, you should avoid using weedkillers during a heatwave simply because it’s too hot for these products to work effectively.

‘This ideal temperature for applying weedkillers is between 10 and 18 degrees Celsius, so during a heatwave you should stop using weedkillers as they will be both less effective and also potentially dangerous,’ says Lucie.

‘During a heatwave, your plants – and this includes weeds too – are simply trying to survive the intense heat and dry conditions, so don’t want to be putting energy into growing. This means that they often close the pores on their leaves to conserve moisture, so even if you spray them with weedkiller, it will not be absorbed and carried down to their roots.

‘In addition, weedkillers that contain ingredients like 2, 4-D and dicamba, when temperatures exceed 29 to 32 degrees Celsius, these chemicals can turn into vapour and damage plants which you didn’t want to spray.’

Help your garden in a heatwave

That’s five jobs you can take off your to-do list!

While mainly associated with the winter months, robins can easily be forgotten about in summer, but there are a number of things you can be doing in June to help support them, according to wildlife experts.

I’ll bet anyone who has attracted robins to their garden is a staunch admirer of them. These cheerful, red-breasted birds are known for their bold personalities, making them a delight for any birdwatcher and a welcome addition to many wildlife gardens.

But in the hot summer months, birds can benefit from an extra helping hand. So, I asked wildlife experts for the best ways to support robins (and other birds) in July, and this is what they said.

1. Replenish water daily

One of the most important things you can do to support robins and other wildlife this month is to provide a fresh water source. Ideally, you’d do this with a bird bath (£30, B&Q) so birds can drink, bathe and cool off, but leaving out a dish of water is a good alternative if you don’t have one.

‘Robins need water to hydrate and bathe, making their feathers more pliable, and the water supply can be scarce in hot weather. Keep a shallow bird bath topped up and replenished, or position a small dish near shrubbery. Clean and refill it daily, particularly during hot spells, to prevent the build-up of bacteria. It’s crucial to give your bird bath a good scrub (without chemicals) to ensure it’s clean and algae-free,’ says James Ewens, wildlife expert at Green Feathers.

2. Stop using pesticides in your garden

Another consideration to make is to stop the use of pesticides in your garden. Instead of opting for chemicals, try companion planting and other natural methods such as nematodes (£9.40, Amazon) to get rid of pests, whilst making your garden more environmentally friendly.

‘Although you may consider certain insects pests, they can be a crucial food source for robins visiting your garden, as they need large amounts of protein to sustain themselves and their chicks. Avoid using any chemical pesticides so that insects remain in your garden, and birds will keep their population under control,’ says Lucy Taylor, a wildlife expert from Vine House Farm.

3. Let your garden grow wilder

While you may love the look of a beautifully manicured garden, robins are less than impressed (cue Shania Twain). Instead, embrace naturalistic planting and let your garden grow a little wilder – it reminds robins of their natural habitat.

‘Robins rely heavily on insects in summer, particularly while feeding hungry fledglings. That’s why it’s a great idea to let your garden grow a little wilder. Leave a patch of longer grass and allow borders to become slightly less neat and tidy, and keep a small pile of leaves or logs to create habitats for the insects robins love to hunt,’ says James.

4. Offer shelter

You’ll also want to offer shelter to your garden birds. Robins can be fussy about their bird box’s placement, so you’ll want to ensure it is 1.5 meters off the ground and tucked away near shrubs or vegetation. Robins also prefer open-fronted boxes (such as this £12.79 C.J Wildlife Birch Box from B&Q) and won’t go near a standard round-holed bird box.

‘Robins prefer to roost in dense vegetation, such as hedges or brambles, and they can also use these areas to stay cool in a heatwave. Avoid cutting back hedges where possible until at least late August, when nesting season has ended. Adult robins will also undergo moulting and shed their feathers in late summer and are less capable of flying quickly at this time, so they need a safe place to hide from predators,’ says Lucy.

5. Offer food

The RSPB is warning against leaving out peanuts and seeds during summer due to the risk of the spread of disease. Instead, they’re asking gardeners to leave out small amounts of mealworms (£4.99, Amazon) and fat balls (£15, Amazon). Luckily, robins love eating mealworms.

‘It can be controversial whether to feed robins in summer, but they actually need food more than ever as daylight hours are longer and they’re feeding recently fledged young in July. The feeding just needs to be done responsibly. Robins love live food; if you provide mealworms and earthworms, robins will love you forever,’ says James.

‘Apples, pears, and dried fruit can be a great source of fibre and vitamins A, E and C for robins – supporting digestion, healthy feathers and eyes, and immunity. Robins prefer to forage closer to the ground, so scatter some food on a low table or directly onto soil to mimic their natural feeding habits.’

If you love robins, ensure your garden offers these five things this month.