It’s taken me a long time to find a sunscreen that suits Thurston. For a long time I used a ‘sensitive skin’ version of a well known brand simply because it brought him out in the least amount of rash. He was still very bumpy, red and itchy but I couldn’t take him out in the sun with no protection so I had to accept that he would have this reaction during the summer months.
The lovely people over at Green People sent me a bottle of their Organic Children sun lotion to see if it would be the one to finally protect Thurston without making him bumpy and angry! To my complete surprise, it has actually been amazing! It has all the SPF UVA/UVB protection that we are told to look for, and is also made of 81% organic ingredients. This means that there is a lot less nasty chemicals for young skin to react to. The sun lotion contains aloe Vera, avocado and chamomile, all of which have soothing properties which calm sensitive skin.
The Organic Children sun lotion is much thicker than the lotions I had previously been using which I found really reassuring. It really feels like they are getting a good coverage and that they are fully protected from the sunshine.
I think the Organic Children sunscreen has been fantastic. My kids have been spending long days at the beach and there is not a hint of redness or tan-lines, and definitely no rashes!!
Thanks for reading!
Hanj xp
Tag Archives: kids
Creative Ideas
Back in April I wrote about how pleased I was that Thurston had graduated on to a toddler cup (http://wp.me/p2fxub-1b) which was the Brother Max 4-in-1 Trainer Cup. This cup is amazing. The handles are designed completely differently to all the other toddler cups on the market and the angle of them made it effortless for Thurston to master drinking from it. There are 4 ways to use this cup so I hope we will get a lot more use out of ours.
Since I bought the cup for Thurston, Brother Max has been my first port of call for anything new that the kids might need. Any parenting gripe I have had has been solved by one of Brother Max’s creative, clever products.
The next thing I needed was a deep bowl for Thurston to try and eat more ‘saucy’ foods from. Brother Max suggested the Easy-Hold Weaning Bowl Set. The bowl is a lovely deep round bowl with a handle to make it easy for kids to hold it steady while they scoop. It has a divider to keep dry foods seperate from wet food which is really useful if your child has sensory issues like Thurston does. It also has a suction grip to keep it on the table, and a lid and 2 spoons for travelling. Thurston was much more able to scoop his food onto a spoon using this bowl as he could use the deep sides to load the food on.

Problem number two was a messy one. While I get on with the usual household tasks in the morning, I quite often treat Thurston to some Organix crisps as a snack. However, he likes to take advantage of me being distracted and lob the whole lot on the floor, then smash them into the carpet which is delightful. I decided to give the Brother Max Easy-Hold 2-in-1 Snack Pot Bowl a try to see if the mess could be prevented. The bowl is fairly similar to the weaning bowl. It has the same deep sides and easy-grip handle, but it has a flexible soft lid. The lid keeps the food in the bowl but is soft enough for little hands to reach in and out for their snacks. Thurston really loved the little ladybird pot and seemed to think it was a lucky dip. He was genuinely surprised that it was a crisp each time he grabbed for a bite to eat! The great thing about the snack pot is that you can use it out and about too, so there will be less mushed-up food in the buggy and car seat.

The latest problem I’ve encountered is actually with my older children. Now that the weather is hotting up (on&0ff!), the boys need to keep their drinks cool for school, school trips, beach outings, BBQs and sports days. I bought them each a 2-Drinks Cooler Sports Bottle and they are thrilled with them. These sports bottles look really futuristic and unique. There is an inner bottle which is seperate from the outer bottle. This means you can choose to have 2 different drinks in 1 bottle. Alternatively, like I did, you can freeze the inner so that it keeps the outer drink cool, and can then be drunk once they have thawed. These bottles are such a fantastic idea, they will be constantly in use through the summer months.

Brother Max is a really innovative, creative, unusual and friendly kids’ company. They have genuinely new ideas and each idea seems to really solve a common parenting issue. They keep coming up with more fabulous products and so my shopping list is ever growing. I currently am saving up for some of their lovely bath toys and I am really keen to get the Bear Carry and Hang Nightlight to help the children feel comforted at night.
Please check out their website and chat to them on Facebook or Twitter (@brothermax_)
Zeke’s favourite backpack
I have a confession to make. A few weeks ago we were very lucky to be sent a LittleLife Doodle Daysack for Thurston to test out. As soon as it was unwrapped however, my 5 year old, Zeke, fell head over heels in love with it. Zeke and the Doodle daysack have been inseparable ever since. The LittleLife Doodle Daysack is a fantastic idea for little travellers. It’s a lovely, sturdy backpack with tonnes of space inside for all the favourite toys or pyjamas & slippers! It has a pocket on the side for bits and bobs and some little pen & pencil pockets on the other side.

Zeke takes his favourite toys wherever he goes and lately he is very attached to the guys from Sesame Street. So, every time we left the house, Zeke has packed up Cookie Monster and Big Bird in his Doodle Daysack and thrown it on his back. His toys are really safe and protected in the roomy backpack and Zeke is happy that his little friends are not left behind.

The thing that separates the Doodle Daysack from other kids’ backpacks is that it has an extra see through pocket on the front containing a doodle pad. Wherever you go, your little one can work on their artwork and then it can be proudly displayed for all to see in the front of the bag. This was a real hit with Zeke and his kept him busy and entertained on many trips recently. It’s also kept Thurston entertained while Zeke has drawn any Muppet character that Thurston has asked him for.

The straps on the bag are really padded and comfortable and there is an extra clip on the front to join the straps together. This means that the straps stay on Zeke’s shoulders and don’t need to be constantly adjusting.
I really love the LittleLife Doodle Daysack and Zeke could not be without it now. The only issue is that now I need to buy 2 more for Louis and Thurston!!
@LittleLifeUK (Twitter)

