The Fabulous Flexibath

Raising a family in London has many challenges - negotiating the tube station stairs with a pram, finding a genuinely kid-friendly cafe, avoiding the bountiful street crazies, and - hardest of all - finding a spacious, affordable family home.

I know all too well about the last one, as the Monkey Family are currently crammed into a two-bedroom second floor flat. So far we've managed, but with baby number two about to arrive (and all the accoutrements that go with them) the seams really are ready to burst. I've had to be extra inventive with space saving. Every cupboard is crammed, and every nook and cranny filled.

With my eldest we would use the full-sized bath, as we simply didn't have space to store a bulky baby version. I always felt nervous bathing her in it, because she was so tiny. Also, I'd had a c-section, and found it really awkward to lean over the edge to lift her in and out.

So when I heard about the Flexibath, I was really intrigued. There's no complicated construction, just a hard plastic frame criss-crossed with flexible rubber joints that allow the bath to collapse quickly and easily when not in use. It folds flat, and clips together, freeing up valuable space. Genius!

It's PVA and phthalate-free, has a non-slip bottom for added safety, and comes in a range of funky colours. Once you're finished, you just remove the rubber plug, and drain it out. It's also perfect for travelling with little ones, as you can literally fold it up and pack it in your suitcase.

Now I'm looking forward to trying it out with the new arrival - if I can get it away from Lucia, that is! She immediately took a shine to it, climbing inside and pretending it was a toy boat. At 66.5 cms long, it's big enough to comfortably fit her sitting up (as she demonstrates above), and would be perfect for camping trips, or visiting friends who only have shower rooms.

The Flexibath is available online and costs £29.95 (delivery in the UK is free).
*The product was supplied free of charge, for the purpose of this review

Parasol Kids One-Application Sun Care

Growing up in 'Noooo Zeelund' under a stonking great hole in the ozone layer, we had the Sun Safety message constantly hammered home. So it's second nature to be uber-careful with my little one. When we recently visited St Lucia I kept her dressed in UV clothing, and was constantly coating her with Green People Organic Children's Sun Lotion. It did a fab job, and she didn't get a single patch of sunburn (unlike Mummy and Daddy, who both got caught out!!!) but it was just a bit awkward reapplying every two hours, or every time Lucia went swimming. As anyone with a toddlers knows, it's not easy getting them to keep still!

So I was really interested to hear from a fellow holiday maker about Parasol Sun Protection Lotion for Kids (aged 2+). I liked that the lotion filtered both UVA and UVB rays, offering 25 times the body's natural protection. I've found that many people don't fully understand what this means, so if you're confused too, here is the simplified version. If the official Burn Time (the length of time you can stay in the sun before you start to burn) is 10 minutes, after an application of SPF 25 sunscreen you can stay out for 250 minutes before burning. The idea is that you can still get a nice tan, but without frying.

But whereas you would have to continually reapply with regular sunscreens to maintain this level of protection, Parasol only needs to be applied once, half an hour before sun exposure. Its special silicone base means it's waterproof, perspiration resistant, and also an insect repellant.
What I immediately liked about Parasol was that it was like a light, smooth oil, rather than a thick, gunky lotion, and was quickly and easily absorbed. A little bit went a long way.

I was still nervous about only applying it only once during the whole day. To be extra safe, I reapplied the Parasol halfway through, which was still a lot easier than continuously having to slather it on. At the end of the day Lucia was completely unscathed by the sun - though it had been a scorcher. It was a real relief to put it on, then just relax, knowing that she was protected.

Based on those results, I'd be really happy to use Parasol on Lucia as added sun protection, in addition to using UV suits, and hats, and keeping her out of direct sunlight during the hottest parts of the day. 

Parasol 25+ Kids 100ml bottle: £14.95, 200ml bottle: £23.95. www.irishbodycare.com

* Product was supplied for the purpose of this review

Foiling Flat Head

When I was pregnant with my first daughter, my partner and I became aware of a growing problem called Plagiocephaly, or Flat Head Syndrome. 

These days we're told we must place babies on their backs to sleep, to greatly lessen the danger of cot death. But because their young bones are still so soft, the skull can flatten due to constant pressure on the same spot, leading to an obvious deformity.

We forked out £75 on a fancy mattress to lessen the effects of Flat Head Syndrome, and it really did work, but this time we just can't afford to buy another one AND a brand new cot mattress as well.

Which is why I was keen to try out the Theraline Baby Pillow, which costs just £19.90, and promises to achieve pretty much the same thing. 

The anatomically designed pillow has a special hollow which supports your baby's head in the right position, and distributes the weight evenly, so there's no excess pressure on just one point of the skull.

The pillow is made from a porous fabric which regulates the temperature around the baby's head. Even if your baby happens to turn in the night - my biggest concern - they'll still be able to breathe freely.

The birth of my little one is still 11 weeks away, so I tried this out with my baby nephew. He seemed really relaxed, and his neck and head were softly cushioned in the hollow, rather than pressed against the flat mattress. I'll definitely be using the Theraline Pillow with confidence once the new bubs arrives.

* The Theraline Pillow was supplied this review. Visit Theraline for more details.

Summer Holiday Essentials

The school holidays are looming, and while all that remains of my Summer holiday is a pile of photos and a fading tan, the rest of you are probably just starting to look forward to your annual beach break. 

So, out of the kindness of my heart, I've decided to pass on a few of my holiday must haves. These are sure to come in handy, whether you're jetting off abroad, or indulging in a UK Staycation.

The Maclaren Volo stroller

The uber-lightweight stroller took us straight to the boarding gate. Weighing a teeny 4kgs, it folds up really small, and the handy shoulder strap that makes it simple to carry around - especially if you have other suitcases to lug around too. In fact I found it so handy I’ve actually been using it since we returned from holiday, instead of our regular pushchair. It only has one seat back position, but that doesn’t seem to bother my little one. It also comes with a hood and rain cover for the inevitable English Summer weather.

The Morrck Splasha Beach Wrap

Lucia absolutely fell in love with this! Made from thick, soft towelling, it’s like a wrap-around robe the fastens on the shoulder. We used the Splasha every day to throw on her after swimming in the pool, or in the ocean. It not only dried her off, but protected her from the intense Caribbean sun as well. Once it was on, it was almost impossible to get it off again - I swear she would have slept in it, if I’d let her!

A Portable DVD player

This was an absolute lifesaver on the plane rides to and from St Lucia. Popping on In The Night Garden, or Roary the Racing Car also gave me and Danny some much needed downtime from a toddler who was bouncing off the walls with excitement from the moment she woke up, until the second she went to bed.

Green People Soothing Baby Salve

Lucia escaped without a square inch of sunburn - her Daddy and I were not so lucky! I’d brought the salve in case her eczema flared up again, but we ended up using it instead on our parched, red skin. Although marketed mainly as a nappy rash salve, I find this stuff works a treat on everything from eczema, to abrasions, to sunburn. I always keep a tube at home.

Baby Gap Jelly Shoes

Lucia just adored these, and they were the first shoes she learned to put on by herself (albeit always on the wrong feet). They only cost me £7 (currently down to £5 in the Gap sale) and she wore them every day on holiday. They were soft, and comfy, and easy to wear both inside, and out on the beach. Because they’re made of soft clear rubber, I only needed to rinse them off at the end of the day, and they were good to go again!

Finally, an obvious one - I couldn’t have done without my digital camera, and camcorder to preserve all those lovely holiday memories.

No More Nasties - Alma Win Organic Products

If you've been reading Mummy's Little Monkey, you'll know that I often get on my soapbox about kids' products that contain harsh sulfates. My little one has incredibly sensitive skin, and these chemicals (which are found in a shockingly wide range of baby products) give her horrific eczema. It took us several months to figure out that it was our washing powder, and a well-known brand of baby soap that was affecting her - by which time she'd literally scratched herself raw, leaving scars that still remain to this day. 

That's why I was interested when Gina from the Writing Boutique contacted me to ask if I'd like to try some of the Alma Win range of organic, eco-friendly house cleaning products.

As she rightly points out, you'd never let your kids play with bottles of chemicals, so why do you wipe down their playing surfaces, and wash their clothes in them?? Gina informed me that the Alma Win range carries the 'ECO Garantie' certificate. They're not tested on animals, and are the only cleaning products which have been dermatologically tested, and scientifically proven not to cause skin irritation.

They use natural ingredients and bleaches, such as sodium percarbonate, rather than optical brighteners, chlorine and petrochemicals.

A few days later a box arrived with a box of the Heavy Duty Washing Powder Concentrate, the Orange Oil Cleaner Concentrate, and the lemon fragranced Natural Laundry Scent.

We've got our flat on the market at the moment, so I'm constantly cleaning up to keep it 'Showroom Tidy'. First I tried the Orange Oil Cleaner Concentrate diluted on the worktops, and our stainless steel sink. Not only did it cut easily through all the grime and lime scale, but it had a lovely citrus orange smell. So I used it to wipe down our kitchen bin, and it quickly got rid of the stinky rubbish smell. Apparently you can use it undiluted to remove stains such as wax, ball-point pen, and grease stains, which will undoubtably come in handy!

I've been using the washing powder for a few weeks now, and Lucia's skin has remained clear. The clothes always come out smelling and looking clean, and the whites have stayed bright. Perhaps my only niggle is that the natural essential oil fragrance of the powder and laundry scent isn't as perfumed as the soap powder I usually buy, but that's a very small price to pay for the dermatological benefits. 

The price is little more expensive than regular supermarket brands (£7.95 for the Heavy Duty Washing Powder, and £8.47 for the Orange Oil Cleaner) but you're using much less because it's so concentrated.

I'll definitely be trying more of the Alma Win range. 

See their website: www.almawin.co.uk for the full product range and prices.

Baby Bath Time Toys, by Brother Max

My little one loves bath time, but had grown bored with all her toys. So it was great timing when Ashley from Brother Max got in touch to see if Lucia would like to try out their new range of interactive bath toys.

I immediately loved the fact that they were all BPA, Phthalate and PVC-free. And I also liked that the orange bumps on each toy turn yellow if the water is too hot. They may look a little different from your average toys, as each has been specially designed to stimulate young minds, and get them used to washing themselves, while encouraging interactive play.

They're probably more ideally suited to a slightly younger age range, but two-year-old Lucia still had great fun playing with them. Her favourites were the sprinkler cup, and the sponge stamper. I found that the fabric on the toys got a bit grubby after a few baths, but the twister flannel can be machine washed, while the stamper and ring rattle can both be hand washed.
Brother Max 5 Bath Toys, RRP: £16.99; www.brothermax.com

Keeping Bubs in the Bed, with Hello Baby

It only seems like weeks ago I was bringing my daughter home from the hospital, and marvelling at how teeny she looked in her cot. Now, with number two arriving in a few months, it's time to think ahead to switching her to the 'big girl' single bed. 

I didn't want to suddenly evict her from her cot when bubs arrived, and risk that dreaded sibling resentment, so I decided to start breaking her in slowly. She spins like a top at night, and I'm always finding various limbs sticking through the cot rails, so my biggest concern was how to stop her tumbling out of bed.

Then, in a stroke of perfect timing, Trevor from Hello Baby got in touch to tell me about their great range of baby and children's products. So with a bit of arm twisting I convinced him to let me review the Summer Infant Safe and Secure Single Bed Rail. 

After figuring out how to put it together (it wasn't nearly as complicated as it looked at first glance and only took 10 minutes) I fitted the rail to the bed. I was immediately impressed by how sturdy it was, especially since my daughter immediately started swinging off it like a monkey. 

My first attempt was afternoon nap time. She got really excited about the idea of sleeping on the big bed, although she insisted that I lie down next to her. I planned to let her drop off, and sneak away, but ended up falling asleep myself!! Which turned out to be an interesting test of the bed rail, since we now had me, my baby bump, and a stretched out toddler all squished on the single bed. Which is where we all stayed, thanks to the Summer Infant bed rail keeping us safely tucked in. 

I also felt reassured by the fact that the fabric is made from a breathable mesh, so there was no danger if my daughter rolled up against the bed rail.

I haven't managed to convince her to spend the whole night in the single bed yet, but I'm sure she'll be ready by the time the baby arrives. And when she does I'll be able to relax, knowing that she's safe and secure.

The Summer Infant Safe & Secure Single Bed Rail is available through the Hello Baby website. RRP: £19.99 for a single rail, and £34.95 for a double set.