Sunshine and Skincare

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

Boys

I have 3 boys and people often comment telling me what a ‘shame’ it is that I don’t get to dress up a girl in dresses and the like. I have to say, this has never been a problem for me. I really love dressing my little boys and have tried really hard to find clothes that are comfortable and stylish for them without them looking like mini-men or being covered in too many cartoon characters. Obviously, being kids, they do like the odd Muppets/Peppa Pig t-shirt, but for the most part, they take their appearance very seriously and are very style conscious considering that they are 8, 6 & 4!

Due to Thurston’s sensitive skin and hypersensitivities, i do try where possible to dress him in organic clothing to avoid any flare-ups. I’ve found a fantastic website for really wearable organic kidswear www.boysandgirlsshop.com. The people at Boys & Girls are incredibly helpful and generous and offered my boys the chance to choose an outfit each from their website. It was quite challenging as they found it hard to narrow it down to 2 items each, Louis and Zeke wanted to order the whole range. They were also keen to choose individual outfits and not have anything matching!

My boys all have very different personalities and styles and so they ended up with 3 very different outfits which suited their needs. The package arrived quickly and came in lovely brown paper packaging which I love. It feels so much more special than that horrible plastic packing stuff. The kids are so thrilled with their new outifts.

First up Zeke went with a really comfortable sporty joggers (boys grey marl sporty track pant) and a gorgeous classic stripy top (aqua stripe skinny grandad top). The joggers are a great quality thick 100% organic cotton. Zeke has been fairly inseperable from them ever since they arrived. He is a very active kid who is always busy so these were a great choice for him. He has worn them to a theme park, the beach, the park and even on a school coach trip. They wash brilliantly and still look brand new. The little aqua skinny top is so gorgeous. The colour is bright and vibrant and looks fantastic on Zeke. Even though it is a long sleeve t-shirt, it looks really smart on Zeke and is really perfect for going out for dinner or to a party, as well as all the usual kid activities. Zeke is a poser and loves to put on a fashion show, he was thrilled with his package from Boys & Girls Shop and had a fabulous time road-testing his outfit!

When Louis was choosing his outift, I was pretty jealous. He went with a Bright As Day Swaeat Top which is so cool that I wanted it for myself! It’s a super-comfy gorgeous sweatshirt made of 100% organic loopback sweat. Louis chose some Green Skate Shorts to go with it which are really lovely too. They are quite long shorts which look great on Louis as he has supper-skinny legs! Louis’s outift looks amazing on him and he is in love with both items!

Thurston didn’t really want to look at the website with us because he was too busy building a Megabloks tower, so I took the liberty of choosing his for him! I went with another pair of shorts, the Aqua Scooting Shorts. The t-shirt I chose for him was my favourite item from the website, the Multi 70′s Badge Print Tee. As well as being 100% organic like all the other items, this tee is also Fairtrade which is really important to our family. I always like it when t-shirts are skinny fit instead of baggy as Thurston is so tiny that he is often swamped by baggy t shirts. He looks so cool in his Boys & Girls outfit and wore his t shirt on his birthday. It suits him perfectly and fits him perfectly, I couldn’t be more pleased with it. As he is another skinny boy, I love the length of the Scooting shorts which look awesome on him. The waistband is also really soft and stretchy so he is happy to wear them all day.

Me and the boys are so happy with their lovely outfits from Boys & Girls Shop and we’ll definitely be buying more from them in the future. The staff are really friendly and helpful, and the quality of the clothes is amazing. I think everyone should go and have a look on the website, you’re going to love it!

Thanks for reading

Hanj x

www.boysandgirlsshop.com

@boysgirlsshop (Twitter)

Sparkly & Fruity Teeth

When Thurston was a baby, he had a lot of difficulty learning to swallow and had to see specialists who taught him how to swallow solid food. It used to be an absolute nightmare for me, always worrying that he would never be able to swallow properly. However, when it comes to teeth brushing, I have the opposite problem with Thurston! He has absolutely no concept of spitting out on demand. Like any toddler, he quite often loves to dribble his water down his top, but ask him to spit out the toothpaste and all you get all return is a blank expression as he swallows the lot. Recently this has been really bothering me and I started to worry about the effects on his health from swallowing 2 lots of toothpaste every day.

A lovely company called Jack n’ Jill sent Thurston some natural organic fruity toothpastes to try. We have been using the Blueberry flavour for a few weeks now and I can honestly say I won’t use anything else on Thurston’s teeth now, it’s such lovely stuff. At first I was slightly dubious about the fruity flavours because I am so used to using minty toothpaste, but the Blueberry smell is actually really refreshing and smells gorgeous. It’s less harsh than the mint toothpaste too, and Thurston seems to much prefer it to his old stuff. I also love that it is a really clear formulation instead of the thick white chalky stuff you usually get. It doesn’t leave any marks on his face.

The best thing of all about Jack n’ Jill toothpastes is that because they are made using all-natural ingredients, it is completely safe for Thurston to swallow it. This has been so reassuring for me, and now Thurston can learn to spit his toothpaste out in his own time.

Jack n’ Jill also sent me one of their lovely little toothbrushes to try. They are made of 100% cornstarch which is brilliant, but Thurston is allergic to cornstarch so I gave it to Zeke instead. It’s a really easy to hold toothbrush and Zeke was very pleased with it. It’s also compostable and bio-degradable which is fantastic. I think it’s important to regularly change your child’s toothbrush and it’s so much better for the environment to use these compostable products.

I know when we did our Earlybird course, most of the other parents there were having trouble teaching their Autistic children to spit out toothpaste. The Jack n’ Jill products are such a simple, natural solution that is stress-free for mums. What could be easier than simply switching to a different kind of toothpaste?!

Thanks for reading

Hanj x

www.jackandjillkids.com

Robust Stuff for Slow Growers

I am in the unusual position of having children who take forever to grow out of anything. Most people will buy clothes in the next size up for their kids in the hope that they will last that little bit longer. Well, my 8 year old wore size 3-4 shorts to school last week as he is so skinny. My 5 year old wears size 4-5 currently but it’s all a bit on the big size, and Thurston’s clothes that fit him are generally size 18-24 months even though he turns 4 next week!!

Since they all take so long to outgrow anything, if I want their clothes to last, I have to choose really good quality items and I found some amazing stuff on www.welovefrugi.com. Their clothes are made of organic cotton which makes them really soft and thick, and you can tell immediately that they will last for ages and become treasured hand-me-downs. Frugi very kindly sent me one of their Croc and Roll Raglan Tops for Thurston and loved it as soon as it arrived. The shape of the t-shirt is brilliant as I was initially concerned that a size 2-3 years might have swamped him, but it actually looked lovely and he looked adorable wearing it.

He wore his t-shirt to a family lunch at Grandma’s house and looked really smart and comfortable. Despite playing in the garden and eating outside, it stayed looking clean all day which was really surprising.

I was so happy with Thurston’s t-shirt that I decided to order a couple of other bits. I chose the Skate-Oise T-Shirt for Louis and ordered Thurston a Reversible Stripy Sunhat as I often struggle to get hats to fit his head. I received a dispatch notice within 2 hours and the goodies arrived the next morning which is amazing service. I am not a fan of traipsing kids around the shops, and with this kind of delivery service, there is no need to. In our parcel, we also received a free Frugi canvas bag and there was a catalogue and an offer for 15% off the next order and free delivery. I might have to take them up on that offer, and order a little treat for Zeke!

Thanks for reading

Hanj x

www.welovefrugi.com

@Frugi (twitter)