Teething taggy!

Sent us their Teething Taggy from their Basic Beings collection! Now starts my pathetic excuses for why my photo's look so bad on this blog like:

1. I don't have an awesome camera
2. Sweetpea wasn't co-operating
3. She was so excited with it she wouldn't keep still

BLAH, BLAH, BLAH BLAH BLAH! But it's all TRUE!! Sweetpea loves her taggy and it arrived at just the right time as the last 3 weeks or so she clamps down with those little jaws of hers on anything willing (or not willing) to participate! This taggy was up to her mouth countless times and she did it all on her own. The excitement was actually priceless, the arms kept flying up with it in her hand!

What I love about it:

• The raw ring has no chemicals on it
• It is really easy for Sweetpea to grasp either the ring or fabric
• The ribbons in black and white really do keep her attention
• The obvious relief she gets from chewing on it
• The ring doesn't get soft or squishy at all from countless minutes of sucking on it
• The fabric taggy comes off easily from the ring to wash
• The taggy can also be attached to a pacifier which is a great soother for baba but makes it easier to find if the paci falls on the floor! BONUS!

Cute right?! And oh so useful!

Right no excuses could justify this pic but really she was moving so I just couldn't get a good one, you get the picture though?!

Sally, founder of be.play.learn has a really great site on encouraging your children to play and hosts workshops on "nurturing a child's natural sense of learning" and she offers one on one consultations on "creating an empowering learning environment"

 Check out the Basic Beings range! Really gorgeous and there isn't anything like it at the moment! Loooove the colours and fabrics used for this collection.

This vest with a pink headband on would make a great photo prop! Gorgeous!

  You can find them at:

http://beplaylearn.co.za/

Another wordless wednesday!

 Miss Sunshine enjoying the rays!!!

     

Wordless wednesday!

Princess at 3 years old! Going to be 7 soon!

Wishy Washy Wednesday! OH LIEF!

Sweetpea was sent two products from OH-LIEF! And OH-MY-WORD! These products are really high up on my "most wanted" list!

Every mamma just has to try their bum balm! We have pretty sensitive skin in this house and Sweetpea is no exception. She has a lovely smooth finish (sounds like a car,right?!) but her little bits are a tad sensitive. This balm has been awesome not only as a every day barrier but for any skin rashes, dry winter cheeks (on all the munchkins!), infant massage and Princess has even used it for her lips that normally dry out in the winter!

It works great with our cloth diapers and you will find a tub of this in our nappy bag, girl's room and Sweetpea's stash basket! The scent of lavender is heavenly and the pure goodness of this waxy balm is exactly that PURE!

No harsh chemicals in the Oh-lief range! Their range is 100% natural and organic raw ingredients sourced locally! It's an amazing company started by 2 sisters with a love for genuinely real natural products!

As I mentioned before, there are sensitive skins in this house and Miss Sunshine (and her daddy) are our biggest product testers, if it works on their skins it's a big PASS! Enter their aqueous cream.

This is what they had to say about it:  

The first product of its kind in South Africa, this aqueous cream contains no petroleum jellies, paraffin or mineral oils and is perfect for newborn babies.
Use as a wash-off cream or a lotion.

This is my first choice for cream on all the kiddo's in this house. It's super moisturizing but doesn't leave our skin clammy and sticky. It absorbs right in and leaves your skin silky soft, really it does! I love that it has Bentonite Clay in as it's known for it's awesome properties. It's just about cleared the tiny little bumps Miss Sunshine had on her upper arms!

OH-LIEFS bonus points is that it's free from:

• Paraffin
• Mineral oils
• Petroleum
• SLS's and SLES
• Perfume
• Fragrances
• Parabens
• Phenaxyethanol

Told you it's awesome! Want to check them out:

http://www.ohlief.com/

You can find them on  Facebook and Twitter too!

FAYE & LOU Muslins and Cozio!

Just too cute, I had to share it! Since we've received them, we use them all the time! A must have in our home!

You can purchase them at:

http://www.angellove.co.za/

Wishy washy wednesday! Victorian Garden Baby Collection

Sorry for being MIA but it's been a busy week and have had issues with our internet! Let's get straight to it though!

VICTORIAN GARDEN BABY COLLECTION

We were sent a few products from the lovely people at Victorian Garden but will reveal them all in weeks to come but today I'll be introducing you to their Purple Coneflower and Aloe Face Moisturizer. I'm actually sorry I didn't take pics of it before I applied it but Sweetpea had this really dry patch on her neck and even though I was applying cream to it after every bath it was just never going away.

So when we received the Baby Purple Coneflower and Aloe Face Moisturizer I put it on after her nappy change and no kidding it was gone after 2 applications and it hasn't come back! This is how they describe their product:

"Babies often have little dry patches of skin on the face and during winter the skin can become dry, red and itchy. This gentle non aromatic cream with Shea Butter is ideal for use on the face and neck or wherever the skin is dry. With baby-safe Purple Coneflower (Echinacea) and Aloe Gel, both offering wonderful soothing and healing properties on baby skin. Ultra Sensitive Skin – 50ml Cosmetic Jar"

Miss Sunshine looooooves cream so when she noticed that for the last few days I've been applying face cream to Sweetpea she decided she'll take over that responsibility!

This company really believes in your baby's safety and health and this is what they stand for:

At The Victorian Garden we believe that Babies deserve safe, healthy
and gentle skincare products which are free from harsh unnatural ingredients
and are a delight to use. Products which nurture and soothe. Products which
comply with our strict “green” policy on ingredients , packaging and meet
international Health and Safety requirements. We believe that Baby Care
products marketed as “natural and organic” ought to comprise ingredients
which are genuinely natural and organic to as near 100% as possible.
Unusually for the 21st century, our products are handcrafted in our own lab
using the best quality organic and natural ingredients – not mass produced,
bottled and labelled in a factory. We personally source all our own containers,
design and print our own labels and recycle where possible. That way we can
offer you world class products at an affordable price. Great care, love and
attention goes into the making of every batch of our products. We support Fair
Trade suppliers where possible and use 99% Certified Organic, non Certified
Organic and Natural ingredients. For safety reasons, the amount of essential
oils used in our Baby Products equals about one tenth of that used in our adult
formulations. All products are mild and gentle – they are petrochemical,
paraben, SLES and animal ingredient free and are not tested on animals. You
can now include your baby in your choice of “go green / go organic” lifestyle.
Within The Victorian Garden Baby Collection you will find a choice of 18
unique and unusual, safe and non toxic baby products, many of which are
based on traditional Victorian baby care recipes combining different plant
extracts popular with Victorian mothers during the 19th century. The formulas
cater for babies from the moments straight after birth, through infancy and into
the toddler stage and have been formulated by an experienced cosmetic
chemist, aromatherapist and herbalist registered with the Allied Health
Professions Council and the Cosmetic, Toiletry and Fragrance ManufacturersAssociation (CTFA).

So great to see a company that is truly ALL NATURAL AND ORGANIC and their products are really of a high standard. We love them in our home and will be revealing many more of their gorgeous collections to you over the next few weeks!  

Do yourself a favour and check them out at:

www.thevictoriangarden.co.za

FLUFFY FRIDAY!!!! Snugglybum

We received a gorgeous CAMO print Snugglybum nappy to review! Now before I could even wash it to prep it for use Little Man noticed it! It's already become his favourite and he asks me to put it on which he doesn't do with any others! Wanna see?

Yip it was nap time so he had his dummy...  Little Man has it on the middle setting. It has two rows of snaps on the rise so therefore 3 sizes. So Little Man will still be able to wear this for a while.

This nappy is super trim so I was concerned if it would hold through nap time (always a test in this house!). Well it did! Really well actually! He had it on for 3 hours without a leak and then gave it the best he had in the poop explosion department! Yeah I know, it's always the new nappies that get it!

I'm used to double gussets as a big part of our stash has them so I thought this wouldn't contain a toddler on solids and a baby exclusively breastfed as it doesn't have them. Well I was wrong! It held up both times! WOOOOHOO! 

Great features on the Snugglybum:

• They are really easy to use, just stuff the pocket with the insert and you're set to go!
• Easy and quick to dry
• One size, birth to potty
• They come in GORGEOUS prints
• Are trim
• Really soft inner fabric that really keeps your baba dry
• Really a good price
• Can buy extra inserts for night time or long trips.
• Snap placement is really great. Sometimes they are placed to close to the inside of the leg so when baby sits they are against baba's legs and can leave marks. 
• Has a double layer of snaps at the top which really prevents "wing droop".
• Some snaps are easy to take off when your toddler gets to that experimental stage but these are really difficult to pull open.

What I noticed with this nappy is that it's more absorbent than my other nappies that have microfibre inserts. It was also a rather large insert so I thought it would be bulky especially on the smallest setting that I used for Sweetpea but it wasn't.

This is Sweetpea wearing it on the smallest setting. It also has overlapping wings for smaller, trimmer babies to give a tighter fit around the waist.

Did I mention they have gorgeous prints....

You can order these at their site:

http://www.snugglybum.co.za/ 

I'm in loooove with the ORGANIC BAMBOO Snugglybums. I really like these as it's only natural fibres against baba's skin! Hope to get one of these in the future!!!!

You can also find them on Facebook:

http://www.facebook.com/snugglybumnappies

ENJOY looking around their site, really good quality and great prices and service!

FAYE & LOU muslins and cozios!

How beautiful is the presentation!

We were sent these lovelies from AngelLove to welcome in the SPRING! Gorgeous don't you think?!
But these babies aren't only stunning to the eye ( there's only so much white muslins a mamma can take!) but they are also incredibly practical!

They come in two sizes:

• Rainbow muslins 60 x 60
• Cozios 90 x 90

They are 100% cotton and are great to keep your baba cool in the summer but are really warm in the winter too (which actually surprised me!)

Although they are really vibrant colours they haven't bled at all when I wash them and the quality is outstanding! Sweetpea is a real cuddle baby and uses her muslin squares as "dudu blankets" so I was really excited to swop her white ones (now burp cloths) for these gorgeous ones!

They can be used for:

• Burp cloths 
• Comfort blankets
• Breast feeding shawl
• Pram cover
• Sheets
• Swaddle blankets
• Light shawl
• Tummy time blanket
• Changing mat

The stitching is solid on these FAYE & LOU muslins and if you are interested in them, check out:

http://www.angellove.co.za/

Really lovely sized Cozio! Hot pink, my favourite!
See her little friend popping out next to her? That's Dandelion
and we will be reviewing her soon!

See how lovely and large the COZIO is? Isn't this hot pink something else?! 

AngelLove is a great company with an excellent service! I was in direct contact with Lelia who was very helpful. 

They also stock Baltic Amber beads for children as well as adults so please go stop by, you won't be sorry!

Wordless wednesday!

Bring on the SUMMER!

Last summer when Princess learnt to swim!

WISHY WASHY WEDNESDAY- be Beautiful Earth

So which munchkin doesn't like to bath? My 3 loooove it and it's made that time of the day extra special for them if there is bubbles and smells yummy and for me knowing there is only safe ingredients  being absorbed into their skin! That's were Beautiful Earth steps in! We were sent:

• The toddler Sweet Orange Bubble Fun
• Their toddler Breathe Easy Chest Rub
• Their Baby Calendula and Benzoin Barrier Cream

We will be reviewing the Toddler Sweet Orange Bubble Fun today and their other 2 products at a later date. So what we like about this product:

• Free of parabens
• SLS free
• No synthetic fragrances 
• No harsh bubbling agents that dry out the skin

It really smells good in the bathroom when we pour it in and lingers on their little bodies quite a while after their bath. A little goes a long way to which this mamma of 4 really appreciates!

Check them out at:

http://www.beautiful-earth.co.za

Their range includes products for:

• Body care
• Skin care
• Toddler
• Baby
• Pregnancy
• Hospitality

It's was a wonderful experience being in contact with Beautiful Earth. They really take pride in their products and so they should! 

You can find them on Facebook too!

Mother Nature FITTED nappy review!

Ok so we taking a break today from body care products to add some fluff again! This week we are spotlighting MOTHER NATURE FITTED/SHAPED nappies! 

These are some of the most absorbent nappies you will find! This is what they say about their nappy:

"Description:  This is our original 100% natural bamboo-cotton towelling one size cloth nappy design that adjusts to fit from birth to potty training and any size in-between!  Elasticized waist & legs gives this nappy a snug & leak-proof fit.  Shaped to create an un-bulky nappy which keeps the “messy bits” where they belong. Plastic poppers are used to fasten the nappy. These snap on easily and are very strong and durable."

It has a double layered soaker attached to the nappy which means not having to find the soakers and matching them with each nappy after washing day! Its all done!

These were the first nappies we bought with Miss Sunshine when we started her on cloth at 3 months ( after figuring out she was allergic to every make of disposable!)

This was our first purchase! We actually had 5 (1 white one that was on the baby at the time of this pic!) The 4 whitte discs are their reusable breast pads. They no longer make the fleece covers with snaps but as a pull up. We looove fleece and Mother Natures is one of my favourite fleece covers as they don't pill. The oval white and beige pads are extra boosters to add for night time. We still use these and most night times I don't even add the booster.

What's also great is that Bamboo is naturally anti-bacterial which is what I think made a difference for us with Miss Sunshines sensitive skin. She hardly ever got a rash in these!

If you would like to check them out:

http://www.mothernatureproducts.co.za/

They have other awesome products (like their bum cream, hint, hint!) All-in-one nappies and potty trainers which we will review within the next couple of months!

  

Come share the LOVE!

If you enjoy Mamma Going Green come join us on FACEBOOK!

You can link to our page from right here on our blog! We want to up our likes so we can start holding some competitions!

See you there!!!

 Check us out just above my profile! Hope to see you there soon!

Enchantrix review!

So we started the "WISHY WASHY WEEK" off with hair care that is safe for your children but what about body care?

Well here's a review on a brand that many of you might have seen in stores (most Dischems hold Enchantrix) but have never tried. I'm here to tell you that you're missing out!

There baby wash is super gentle even for the most sensitive skins! Contains ORGANIC geranium, lemongrass and lavender oil!

Baby lotion smells lovely and is all natural so use it up soon as it can start to smell funky!

Their bum cream is one of their best products in my opinion (for what it counts!) It has an olive oil base which really heals and moisturizes! Great for mommy too if she has dry heels and works beautifully for a baby massage session! It also goes very far, we use 1 tub on 2 children in 4 months. Its also in glass which is great as most of these natural bum balms are made warm to blend in ingredients and then poured into their jars. At least it's not plastic that is getting hot and then releasing chemicals into the balm which you then are applying onto your baby.

You can order and look at their extensive range here:

http://enchantrix.co.za

They cover:

• Baby care
• Body care
• Household cleaning
• Facial 
• Toothpastes
• Pets

Most Dischems also stock their products.

Welcome to WISHY WASHY WEEK!

Ok so a couple of weeks ago Johnson and Johnson revealed they have formaldehyde in their baby washes! I know, what the heck? In baby products!!!

We have been using natural bath and body care products for 4 years now and I will never look back! This week I'll be sharing some we've used before and new ones that we were given to review!


So this is my Little Miss Sunshine....

Just before she turned 3.

See the curls? As gorgeous as they are (and they are gorgeous!) they are a lot of hard work and can be quite painful to comb through. So we have tried heaps of shampoo's and conditioners with not much luck, until now!!!!!

Introducing......

This stuff is AMAZING!!!!! We were sent the ECO.KID Hydrate Intense Conditioner, Prevent Sensitive Shampoo and the Daily Tonic Leave in conditioner.

Man this is it! Eureka we found the products to save our gorgeous girls curly locks! Eco.kid has thought of everything including brail on the back of the bottles. The ingredients are all natural so you can rest assured that these products won't harm your precious munchkins or the earth. We used it once on 2 curly tops (Little Man has beach boy curls too) and I couldn't believe how easy it was to comb through their hair. We did a shampoo and then conditioner wash, towel dried and then sprayed with the Daily Tonic Leave in Conditioner and that was that. The smell of the leave in conditioner has this slight minty freshness to it and I LOOOOOVE IT!

• No synthetics
• No sulphates
• No artificial preservatives
• No artificial fragrances
• No silicone

They have an extended hair and body range! Check them out at:

http://www.ecobuddies.co.za/

http://www.ecokid.co.za/


I'm really looking forward to purchasing more ECO.KID products!

Baby wearing benefits for parents!

The Benefits of Babywearing - for Parents and Caregivers

• Babywearing is Healthy for You! -A good carrier offers parents hands-free freedom, allowing them to enjoy an active lifestyle indoors or outdoors. Parents' muscular strength also develops in relation to the baby's growing weight.
• Babywearing Reduces Risk of Post-Natal Depression -Babywearing helps parents balance their needs with those of their baby. Baby carriers help prevent life becoming completely dictated by baby. This sense of personal freedom and flexibility may well reduce the potential risk of post-natal depression which is often associated with being housebound and missing out on much-needed social interactions.

With Sweetpea when she was over a year old with a Rhubarb and Custard sling.
Will be reviewing it during the month.

Safety when baby wearing!

Ok so anyone who knows me knows that one of my favourite things in this world is to wear my babies! The advantages to baby wearing are endless:

The Benefits of Babywearing - for Babies

• Emotional Benefits
• Less Crying means a Healthier Baby - Babywearing tells children that they are loved, safe, secured and cared for. Studies have shown that the more babies are held, the less they cry.¹ One study found that allowing babies to cry unnecessarily alters the nervous system by flooding the developing brain with stress hormones and adrenalin.²
• Happy, Calm and Content - After birth, a baby held in a sling will feel reassured by the presence of their mother's body rhythms. The familiarity of her heartbeat, body temperature, body smell and breathing patterns will create a smooth transition from womb to world. A randomised controlled test reported in Pediatrics showed that carrying babies reduces crying and fussiness 43% during the day and 51% at night.
• Cognitive Benefits
• Babies in a Sling Learn Better - A happy baby is quiet and alert. In this state of mind, he is ready to interact with people and his environment. Babywearing offers babies the optimum position to experience the richness of the new world around them within the safety of a parent's arms.
• Baby is on Your Level - A carried baby shares equality with its caregiver as it is physically on the same level. A baby in a pram has less equality and experiences the parent looking down on it.
• Physiological Benefits
• Babywearing Stimulates a Baby's Physical Development - The act of touching a baby actually stimulates growth hormones.³ Babywearing also stimulates a baby's vestibular system, the parts of the inner ear that work like levels or sensors to control the body's sense of balance. The stimulation regulates a baby's physiology, increasing their cardiac output and circulation and promotes respiration.⁴
• Sling Babies are Stronger Babies - Developmental neurologists have discovered that the child of a mother who moves every day while pregnant shows clear developmental advantages. This is the same with a carried child who also develops greater physical and nerve strength.⁵
• Sling Babies Sleep Better - Holding a baby in a sling for the majority of the day encourages the development of a baby's sleep/wake cycles. Babies begin to distinguish external cues which help to develop a baby's circadian rhythms. Babywearing promotes deeper, longer and more peaceful sleep cycles, vital for brain maturation.
• Babywearing Makes Breastfeeding Easier - Babywearing offers constant and easy access to the infant's food source, the mother's breast. Such ease of access allows a mother to feed her baby on demand, thereby reducing the potential of breast infection.⁶ The increased skin to skin contact enjoyed by babywearers also stimulates breast milk supply.
• Babywearing Helps Digestion and Eases Colic - Baby slings offer a more upright position which promotes digestion. A baby's tummy is massaged through the act of babywearing which also promotes bowel elimination. The acupressure points against problems of digestion or sleep, which are located on the belly and on the lower insides of the thighs, are automatically massaged through babywearing.⁷