Oct 17 2014

Hope’s Relief - WE LOVE YOU

Posted on October 17, 2014 by admin

For a while now I’ve been bragging about how soft my children’s skin is. Unfortunately however, for the last month, Heidi has had issues. I tried to put it down to the face she’s begun weaning, and her teethies are coming through - but I think I now have to accept the fact that my little lady has sensitive skin.

The worse affected areas are under her little chin (on the top of her chest), behind her ears, and on her cheeks. It’s lots of tiny bumps that are dry to touch and very red. I can’t decide if it’s severe enough to be eczema, or just a mini reaction to her (largely) liquid diet.

This past month I’ve really tried to take control and soothe her skin. I’ve stopped the children bathing together (to avoid cross-contamination of hygiene products) and have been very strict about which towels they are using. I’ve also added Hope’s Relief to her skincare regime. And boy am I impressed?!

Okay these aren’t the sexy products I’d hoped to use. They are unscented, pretty ugly to look at and require real commitment to see results, but the results are just too impressive to ignore.

I’ve gone from crying at her skin, to positively loving it

Who are they?

Hope’s Relief eases symptoms of eczema, psoriasis & dermatitis. It’s so mild and gentle, it’s suitable for babies, sensitive, itchy & dry skin. It’s an effective natural alternative to other steroid-based creams that can be safely used on babies, young children and adults for extended periods of time with no side effects. It’s given relief to thousands of youngsters all over the world, and now it is the ONLY thing I’ll be using on Heidi.

Like some of the best natural skincare out there, it was created and developed in Australia by Melbourne naturopath, Jacqueline Hope. Australia just seem to get this right on so many levels. Their children’s skin is certainly exposed to some scary external factors - hot summers, insects, sea water and exposure to chlorine are parts of daily life that can be a real threat to fragile skin.

Hope’s Relief is created from potent natural healing ingredients, free from artificial colours, perfumes and animal products. Typical ingredients include licorice, calendula, Manuka honey, aloe vera, and gotu kola. The key properties of these ingredients are the ability to soothe, nourish and hydrate. The real killer though is the absence of parabens, synthetic fragrances, coal tar and other petro-based additives.

Okay, this isn’t the first product on the market to boast such claims, but this REALLY WORKS.

How did we get on?

I love it. Love, love, love it. We were sent the Hope’s Relief Herbal Shampoo, Conditioner and Moisturising Lotion and each of them are just brilliant.

As I’m now bathing Heidi with no bubble bath or body wash, I’ll jump in with her and apply a generous amount of shampoo to her head. I try to make this a real treat and massage it in for a few minutes. It lathers up incredibly well and is so safe and gentle I can use it on her shoulders and behind her ears too. Once thoroughly rinsed, I apply the conditioning treatment and leave it on for a good five minutes so she can get the benefit of all those natural ingredients.

For the first few days we didn’t notice much difference. But three weeks in I can report her dry patches are completely gone. Her hair is now thicker and fuller too. If your baby has cradle cap, this will sort it in a matter of days.

Many doctors and GPs will advise you to use nothing at all on babies with sensitive skin, just water. In my experience, this really doesn’t work. Plain hard water will dry out babies skin immeasurably. Okay, it’s better than shoving a load of Johnson’s on there and hoping for the best, but you really can’t beat using natural products. If you’re a fan of the old Olive Oil approach you’ll love Hope’s Relief as it’s just as gentle and 10x more effective.

The moisturing lotion is equally fabulous. I use this all over Heidi applying a thick layer on her body, bum and head. As I’ve found it doesn’t rub in easily, I then pop her clothes on quickly to lock in the moisture. The lotion dries to an almost sticky finish, then sinks in delivering much-needed hydration to baby. In around an hour she’s then as soft as ever.

NOTE: I don’t use this on Dexie as he has fabulous skin and doesn’t need any extra help. If he has a sore spot, I’ll use Salcura Bioskin instead as this smells more pleasant and does the trick for one-off treatment. Their shampoo also smells far too good to give up on. See my review here.

My only criticism

I know for a fact my bottles were brand new and untouched as each came with a security seal. Unfortunately however, the cream felt very light when I received it and I’d seriously question whether the 200ml tube was full to the brim. Having used it religiously for three weeks, I’m running low already.

I’m not suggesting for a second that Hope’s Relief are shorting their customers - but I would like to see them available in much bigger sizes to last longer (especially the lotion) given you’ll be applying it so regularly. These will be your go-to products so you need a ready supply to get the most out of them.

Price List

Okay breathe in and prepare to hate me. I’ve given you a glowing appraisal of something that could really help your suffering little one, and now I’m about to deliver the bad news. It’s not cheap. Having said this, I’m always happy to fork out on products for the children as I’m massively into skincare and see their skin as far more important than my own. Investing money in their skin is something I’m happy to do - but I appreciate the cost of this might push some of these products out of reach for many.

Hope’s Relief Conditioner 200mls - £16.20

Hope’s Relief Shampoo 200mls - £16.20

*** SAVE *** Buy both the Shampoo and Conditioner together for £27.00

These will last you a good 5+ months according to my calculations so well worth the money.

Hope’s Relief Moisturing Lotion 200mls - £15.50

I’d guess that 200mls is a 1 month supply

Official UK Stockists Mahi Naturals are also on Facebook and Twitter if you want to read some more testimonials.

Oct 16 2014

Snuggle Sac Review

Posted on October 16, 2014 by admin

Dexter has a big thing for blankets. When he’s catching up on Zingzillas or any other terribly important (and dare-I-say-it irritating) CBeebies programme he’s usually surrounded by cushions, blankets or his duvet. I actually think this is seriously sweet and love snuggling down with him. It’s our special little bonding time and saves me a fortune in heating bills!

Unfortunately the same can’t be said at night and he’ll often wriggle out from under his duvet and kick it to the bottom of his bed. His room does get stuffy but I’m not comfortable with him sleeping without covers as he’s prone to sniffles and coughs so needs to keep his chest warm. Craig and I have often joked about giving him a sleeping bag when we’re on our hundredth trip to his room to tuck him in.

So when I stumbled across the Snuggle Sac I just had to get in touch with Tina the owner. It looked utterly genius; a fleecey sleeping bag with an integrated pillow case. It looked perfect for bedtime and lazy days in front of the telly. As it’s incredibly lightweight, rolls up compactly and comes in a handy flight bag, I also thought it would be fab for taking away or for sleepovers round nanny’s.

I came up with the idea in 1999 to help solve the problem of my young son waking up cold during the night with his covers on the floor and then not wanting to stay in his own bed. I realised if he felt some connection with the sleeping bag, in much the same way as a teddy bear, he’d want to take it to bed and hopefully stay there. It was an instant success Tina (designer and owner)

Dexter’s Snuggle Sac is actually a My First Snuggle Sac meaning it has been designed specifically for little ones. From top to bottom they measure 150cm and are 60cm wide (with a sleeping area of approx 105cm). This means it’s perfectly sized for children aged 12 months to 3 years. He fits perfectly inside and looks pretty adorable when he’s all tucked in. I should think this is also great for kids who are moving from a baby sleeping bag in a cot to a real bed - although Dex has already made this transition.

I opted for the Navy Star design as it fits in best with the colour scheme of Dexter’s bedroom. It would be great to see some designs in pastel colours for boys as this would have fitted in even better. There’s a gorgeous pink polka dot design that would have been spot on in pale blue.

It really is incredibly snuggly and boasts a 3.4 tog rating making it perfect for both wintery nights and summer snoozes. The 100% cotton lining inside is also super soft - I wanted to jump right in there myself but am a little too big for it. I doubt Dex would let me in anyway as he’s quite possessive over his Snuggle Sac. The zips are plastic and all kept away from his skin which is another bonus for me.

The Snuggle Sac fits a full sized pillow was is a welcome feature seeing as it is designed to be used as everyday bedding. Given the pillow part is made from the same fleece as the main part this makes for a super soft spot to lay weary heads. Surprisingly Dexter hasn’t taken to it throughout the day as I thought he might. I’m not sure if that because he associates it with nighttime - let’s face it, no kid likes being put down for an afternoon nap. Dexter does all he can to avoid this and fight sleep throughout the day (sadly…).

Dex obviously can’t yet zip himself in so we do this for him at night. I’m pleased to report it’s done its job too and he isn’t extricating himself throughout the night. In the morning he simply crawls out of it rather than unzipping himself (it’s quite funny to watch).

Snuggle Sacs are machine washable (recommended washing at 60 degrees) and can be tumbled dried too, fabulous for all round cleaning. We’ve already tested this out already as Dexter had a sickness bug a week ago and projectile vomited all over it (too much information?). It washed fabulously and looks as good as new - I did expect some bobbling and fading but this wasn’t the case.

My First Snuggle Sacs are priced at £35.00. This might seem excessive but the quality is just fabulous and you are saving money as this is effectively a sheet, pillowcase and duvet cover all-in-one. There are also other sizes available for older children (these are 5.2 tog so uber cosy) and tons more designs to choose from too. It would make an ideal Christmas gift for that special little someone to cosy up in - perfect for watching Christmas movies when mum and dad are too busy necking sherry to play Wii Bowling for the umpteenth time!

You can get yours from the Snuggle Sac website & also follow them on Twitter and Facebook for news and offers.

Did you know…?

J.K Rowling wrote the Squashy, Purple Sleeping bags into The Prisoner of Azkaban after having a Snuggle Sac for her daughter. The Snuggle Sac Company subsequently manufactured 700 Snuggle Sacs for the film!

Each of the wizard actors kept their own Snuggle Sacs (lovely soft squashy sleeping bags for children) after filming, and the remaining Sacs were kept as props which are now on display at Universal Studios London and Wizarding World Orlando!

You can buy a Harry Potter Snuggle Sac (for older children) on the website at the special price of just £49.99.

Oct 16 2014

REVIEW: Tommee Tippee Sangenic Nappy Bin in PINK!

Posted on October 16, 2014 by admin

Stinking nappies - it’s the least attractive part of parenting. Most of us are able to hold our noses for the split second it takes to change our children, but that lingering scent is sometimes a little overwhelming. Yes you can buy those scented nappy sacks and spend a fortune on a posh Brabantia bin to try and contain the odour - but it still manages to permeate throughout your home.

We used a Tommee Tippee Sangenic Nappy Disposal System with Dexie throughout his early years - it was one of those things every baby list seemed to feature. But over time, laziness crept in and we started to bung them in the kitchen bin again. But add a weaning Heidi to the mix and the smell has taken on an even more deadly twist. There’s simply no denying that the Tommee Tippee Sangenic really works - so back out it is once again with one notable difference… My buddies at Tommee Tippee HQ have given me a pink one!

The Tommee Tippee Sangenic Nappy Disposal System promises to get rid of nasty smells and pesky germs. It offers complete anti-bacterial protection and odour control by individually twisting & wrapping nappies in seconds. You simply bung them in, push the nappy down until the teeth grip it, then twist the top 360 degrees using the little handle. The lid also features a plunger (of sorts) if you can’t bear to push the nappy down yourself which will also create a neat little bed in which to place your next one.

To set it up, you simply plop the cassette into the top of the bin and tie a knot in the bottom of the bag. As the wrap in the cassette is anti-bacterial it’ll kill 99% of germs on contact. The tub holds up to 28 nappies too (obviously this relates to the size 1 kind (2-5kg) - according to my very unscientific test it holds 20 size 5+s - no I didn’t weigh them!) conveniently storing nappies for fewer trips to the bin.

It’s a cinch to empty too. You simply lift off the lid and use a little cutter (included) to detach your dirty nappies from the lid. The end result looks like a long line of sausages. You can then reset the bin for future use by tying another knot in the wrap to create another bag.

Style-wise, it’s small, compact and looks the part. The new pastel shades are designed to complement the typical nursery. As well as my pink one, there’s also a baby blue colour with coordinating grey lid. The idea is that it’ll sit discreetly beside your baby change area and quietly do its job. You don’t want anything too ugly and obvious to visitors that it’s actually full of poop.

QUICK GLANCE

Antibacterial film kills 99% of germs on contact and offers unbeatable odour protection
Much more effective at odour control than nappy sacks
Comes with one pre-loaded film cassette
Holds up to 28 nappies at one time
Easy peasy to set-up, operate and enpty
It’s pink. Automatically that means I’m in love with it!

The pink and blue bins are exclusive to Mothercare and the good news is that it’s currently on offer for just £15.50 (normally £31). This comes with two refill cassettes too. A pack of 3 cassettes will ordinarily set you back £14.99 but these are also on offer at Mothercare at the moment for £10.00. Bargain!

This post in just one of a number of Tommee Tippee reviews – here are some others if you wanted to see what else they have to offer: