babyurbeautiful

As a busy Mum, I don't have the time that I used to invest in skincare. Therefore, an effective yet natural face cream which can be shared between myself and baby is a great time saver and shelf space limiter.

I have recently been slapping on Weleda Baby Face Cream with Calendula, both on myself and my baby, and actually really like it. It is quite rich yet easily absorbed and leaves skin feeling quenched yet non - greasy. It contains soothing Calendula which is great at the end of a hot busy day. Also a little goes a surprisingly long way! It contains almond oil and beeswax as well as lanolin (this is an animal product so non vegan though which is a shame).

Grab it at a great price from www.feelunique.com

£7.95 for 50ml

I've got a 6-month old teething baby, yet no sign of teeth.

This amazing balm from Shea Mooti is being marketed as a nipple balm, but works brilliantly all over the body: for example, as an intensive hand cream for chapped mummy hands, a foot moisturiser and even to soothe baby's bottom!

Made from a blend of Organic Coconut, Pomegranate, Calenula Oils and Shea Butter to soothe and protect sore nipples, this balm is fairly thick and you can feel the moisurising effect, but it is absorbed just enough so it isn't greasy.

Coconut is known to have anti-fungal properties, great for nipple thrush, a common result of sore nipples from breastfeeding. Calenula is soothing. Shea butter is a fabulous moisturiser. It also smells delicious.

Safe to use while breastfeeding, it is also recommended for use as a lip balm.

Unlike most other nipple balms it doesn't contain sheep lanolin, and is made from purely vegan friendly ingredients. Yay!

The company is called ‘Shea Mooti’ because every product contains the purest, natural form of ‘Shea’ Butter, ethically sourced from AfriKids’ Daughters, a multi-cooperative in northern Ghana. ‘Mooti’ comes from ‘Muti’ meaning ‘tree’ in Shona – the language of the founder's native Zimbabwe. The range contains all pure, completely natural products for mothers and babies made with the highest quality ingredients. 

Nipple Balm

£9.99 for 50ml
Available from
www.sheamooti.co.uk/

CB

A few years back, there was a huge stampede for Waitrose baby bottom butter. Not for babies, no. But mums recognising the multi-tasking benefits of the cream, hence slathering on their faces!

I don't know about any of you mums out there but the Bumbo seat never really worked for my little one.

Our water is normally fluoridated and fluoride is contained within many toothpastes.

There has been much discussion recently about the dangers of fluoride.

However, the NHS says that fluoride actually protects teeth in the following way: "Fluoride disrupts the process of tooth decay by: changing the structure of developing enamel, making it more resistant to acid attack - these structural changes occur if a child consumes fluoride during the period when enamel develops (mainly up to seven years of age) encouraging better quality enamel to form that is more resistant to acid attack reducing plaque bacteria’s ability to produce acid, which is the cause of tooth decay". (See www.nhs.uk/conditions/Fluoride/Pages/Introduction.aspx) They provide a link to the benefits of fluoridation on the British Flouridation Society website here: http://www.bfsweb.org/facts/dental_benefits/facts_.htm

In contrast the website http://fluoridealert.org/articles/50-reasons/ quotes research papers that show that
"fluoride is not an essential nutrient. No disease, not even tooth decay, is caused by a 'fluoride deficiency.'(NRC 1993; Institute of Medicine 1997, NRC 2006). Not a single biological process has been shown to require fluoride. On the contrary there is extensive evidence that fluoride can interfere with many important biological processes. Fluoride interferes with numerous enzymes (Waldbott 1978). In combination with aluminum, fluoride interferes with G-proteins (Bigay 1985, 1987). Such interactions give aluminum-fluoride complexes the potential to interfere with signals from growth factors, hormones and neurotransmitters (Strunecka & Patocka 1999; Li 2003). More and more studies indicate that fluoride can interfere with biochemistry in fundamental ways (Barbier 2010)."

So, are you willing to take the risk? I have decided no, with my children and myself, and have therefore been looking for fluoride free alternatives. Here are the ones I tried:
 
Green People Toothpaste
from www.greenpeople.co.uk

 

Adult Toothpaste:
£3.50 for 50ml
Comes in fennel, mint, minty cool, or citrus and aloe vera flavours and is fluoride and SLS-free, and free from artificial sweeteners.  Formulated with organic essential oils, Vitamin C and Myrrh, they offer natural protection against bacterial growth, one of the main causes of gum disease. Green People's natural toothpastes contain soothing ingredients that are gentle on sensitive gums.


Children's Toothpaste 
£3.50 for 50ml
Come in two flavours: mandarin and aloe vera or mint and aloe vera. These certified organic toothpaste for children are gentle enough to be used on babies' gums even before their first tooth emerges to reduce the discomfort of teething.

My comments:
When you are used to using a foaming toothpaste which leaves your teeth feeling tinglingly clean, this toothpaste is quite hard to get used to because it is very sticky and doesn't lather up in your mouth like regular toothpaste. I used mint flavour but also couldn't really taste the mint. My 22 month old loves the fruity kids paste though, and it has really helped to get her to brush her teeth which she didn't before, and with no worries about her swallowing something poisonous. It seems to work well too. After a week my teeth still felt clean. 

Greenpeople products are also 100% cruelty free and not tested on animals, and most pastes are fully vegan like me.


Aloedent Toothpaste
£3.95 for 100ml
available from www.beautynaturals.com or selected supermarkets


 
AloeDent's range is fluoride and SLS free dental care. Aloe Vera alongside Tea Tree Oil  helps in the fight against bacteria. The triple action formula toothpaste contains:

• Aloe Vera - helps soothe gums
• Tea Tree Oil - natural antiseptic
• Silica - for natural whitening
• Co Q10 - helps keep gums healthy
• Peppermint & Menthol - natural flavour.

My comments: 
This paste lathers up like a normal toothpaste, and has a pleasant taste. It is a clear gel and I tend to use quite a lot to clean my whole mouth. I notice that sometimes my teeth don't feel as 'clean' as they used to with regular toothpaste, maybe a little furry?

Forever Bright® Toothgel
£5.75 for 130g 
from www.foreverliving.com


This is a non-fluoride formula, that contains aloe vera and bee propolis. It is designed to nourish, strengthen and protect teeth and gums whilst fighting plaque and whitening without bleaching agents. It has a mint flavour.

My comments:  
This is nice to use as it lathers up and makes teeth feel very clean and breath feel fresh and minty, with the reassurance that it is fluoride free. However, it does contain SLS (Sodium Lauryl Sulfate) which is a negative point (for more info on possible effects of SLS see this informative article: (www.greenpeople.co.uk/info_features_sls.aspx )

DrOrganic Mouthwash
£5.69 for 500ml
from Holland and Barrett www.hollandandbarrett.com


This mouthwash combines the soothing properties of Organic Aloe Vera with Icelandic moss, Tea tree and Grapefruit and Gotu Kola with a mint flavour for fresh breath.

My comments:  
This mouthwash has a very strong taste but it does the job without fluoride, alcohol and other nasty chemicals.


CB

I've tried a fair few baby products recently for this blog and the one thing that stands out for me is that the guilt-free ones - i.e. which have no parabens or similar nasties - never smell that good. Admittedly this is because they are usually fragrance free but I'll be honest, I want my baby to smell nice! I do, after all, spend a good deal of my time hugging and kissing her.

I'm sure many of you will read this and think that I'm being silly and should be celebrating my baby's natural scent. But the truth is, at 10 months, she doesn't have that nice baby smell any more. She either smells of the people who've been holding her that day or of the random dirt she's picked up by crawling around on the floor all day. Sometimes she smells of the food she's rubbed in her hair during meal times!  So yes, I at least want her to start the day smelling clean and yummy.

Anyway, I've discovered a brand called Halos n Horns, which has won loads of parenting awards. At the moment I've only used two of the products - the baby bath and the moisturiser - but I'm already hooked. So is Lucy as you can see from this pic!




















The baby bath doesn't create many bubbles, though that could be to do with our hard water situation, but it smells good and works nicely as a hair and body wash too.

Lucy loves the moisturiser, or at least having it massaged on her legs. It feels a little thin and takes a while to sink in, but once it does her skin feels lovely and soft. I just have to let her wave her legs around a bit to help it along.

Other products in the range include Gentle Bubble Bath & Body Wash for baby, Zingy Orange Hair & Body Wash for kids, Mango & Melon Mayhem Shampoo & Conditioner for kids, Berry Burst Shampoo & Detangler for kids and Toothy Fruity toothpaste.

All are free from SLS/SLES, parabens, phthalates, MIT, triclosan & propylene glycol.

You can buy the gentle version of the body wash from Boots.com for £2.99 and the moisturiser for £3.99.

I'm off on holiday to Cyprus in a few weeks, and am thinking about ways to fit everything into our 40kg Easyjet weight allowance. Normally this would be enough for two of us, but babies don't tend to travel light!

As far as beauty products go, I'll obviously be stocking up on minis (bizarrely one of my favourite things about travelling is buying minis), but I've also been thinking about which of Lucy's baby products I can use.

We all know that baby wipes are invaluable for all sorts of uses. I honestly don't know how I coped without them in those heady babyless days of yore. But one thing I've never tried using them for is a face wipe.

In theory, these wipes are super gentle as they are made for cleaning babies bums, so a face should pose no issues.  However, I've seen Huggies wipes get paint out of a carpet with relative ease, which doesn't entirely inspire confidence in those 'sensitive' claims!

Anyway there's only one way to know and that's to try them out. So I spent the better part of Lucy's afternoon nap yesterday putting on makeup and taking it off again with some of the more popular wipe brands.  I haven't done them all by any means so if any of you lovely readers want to give the ones you use a try and post your review in the comments, please do!

I really need to iron my sheets!!

Sainsburys 'Little Ones' baby wipes

On baby: These are ok once you get used to them but they were quite dry wipes and didn't feel that soft on baby's bottom.
On me: These felt a little rough on my face, however I removed my foundation and mascara easily with one sheet. The skin around my eyes felt a bit prickly afterwards.

Tesco Loves Baby wipes

On baby: These are quite wet and feel more like you're washing baby's bum, which means you need a towel or tissue to dry it but at the same time you feel like the end result is much cleaner.
On me: These felt quite soft on my skin and I removed my foundation and mascara with ease using one sheet. I think maybe because the wipes are wetter and possibly more astringent, once my skin started to dry it felt really prickly on my cheeks and eye area.

Superdrug 'My Little Star' baby wipes

On baby: These are fine for baby though they felt rough in my hand so not sure how it felt on baby's bum!
On me: Again, these easily removed the foundation and mascara. After use my skin felt fresh rather than prickly but the wipe did feel rough against my skin.

Pampers sensitive baby wipes

On baby: These felt better quality than the previous three and had medium wetness. Fine for use on baby's bum.
On me: They removed my foundation and mascara well and felt soft on my skin but again I felt a lot of prickly tingling on my skin afterwards.

Huggies baby wipes

On baby: These wipes feel the nicest, they are extremely soft in the hand although not very wet. Unfortunately this can make it difficult to get them out of the packet in one piece! Ok for wiping up poo but I needed to use quite a few to ensure a clean bum.
On me: These did remove the foundation and mascara well but this was the only brand where I needed more than one wipe to get my face clean, particularly the eye-makeup. There was no prickly feeling though and my skin felt less tight and dry afterwards.

Simple baby moisturising wipes

On baby: These did the job well, felt quite soft and are medium wetness.
On me: These were the best on make-up removal, perhaps unsurprisingly. The wipe felt reasonably soft on my skin and though my skin did feel really clean afterwards, it was still a bit prickly on my cheeks and eye area.

Johnsons sensitive baby wipes

On baby: These feel really soft in my hand and they have slight ridges which I suppose serve to capture the poo more effectively!
On me: They felt quite rough on my face and though my skin did feel really clean afterwards it also felt probably the most prickly. It did take of the make-up easily though, so maybe this one is good for a light exfoliation as well as cleansing!

The verdict

If I can find a good deal I think I'll take some Simple wipes on holiday with me. Probably not as a replacement for cleanser, but they'll be good in a bind and also on those nights when I'm too tired/drunk to do the full cleaning routine on my face.

RL xx

I have always found that a gentle and pleasant mix of aromatherapy oils in a product can instantly change your mood, and give a sense of well-being, so I thought I would try out a couple of Amphora Aromatics products on myself (14 weeks pregnant) and bubs (18 months old). However, there are certain oils that are deemed to be safe when pregnant and some that aren't (babycentre.co.uk lists them here), so I chose to test milder ones on us both, which limited the products I could use. The Amphora website does actually have a brilliant 'safety' section next to each product, and will tell you whether to avoid during pregnancy.

My faves:

 Lavender and Chamomile Barrier Cream £4.74 for 60ml
This is one of my faves from the range- a great all purpose cream. It is very thick but rubs in easily as a barrier cream should. Helps protect bubba's litle botty from nappy rash in the current hot wether. Also a great hand cream for my dry chapped Mother's hands! (The website also says it is good for 'gardening hands', but I don't have time for gardening at the moment so can't back up that claim!) It is only very lightly scented. Obviously it is nice and mild too as it can be used for baby, which makes me feel safer using it on myself.

Peppermint Foot Gel £4.03 for 60ml

For tired, swollen pregnant feet, this Peppermint Foot Gel feels amazingly tingly and refreshing and smells nice but not too strong. Amphora suggest keeping it in the fridge during the summer months, and the cold gel does feel more refreshing than warm. It is nice and natural compared to some other foot gels, being paraben free.

Amphora Aromatics are a wholesaler and retailer of many Pure Essential Oils and related Aromatherapy products. They produce their own large range of  creams, gels, massage oils, bath oils, aromatherapy roll ons and perfume sprays.Check out the full range on their website www.amphora-aromatics.com/.

Thea Skincare won a 'Green Parent Natural Beauty Award' in 2013, as well as a Gold Award for a face care product in the 2013 'Freefrom Skincare Awards': so I thought I would give it a try, since I am currently vegan and pregnant/breastfeeding, thus avoiding (where I can) products containing chemicals. They also support the Cruelty Free Campaign against animal testing, a big bonus point.

There is a range of natural products for both Mum and Baby, see here for details. I decided to try the following all-purpose cream (a useful feature for saving the pennies):


Organic Coconut and Lavender Top to Toe Baby Soothing Lotion (£7.95 for 200ml)


This lotion is so natural you can use it all over a newborn, as well as yourself. It is sulphate and paraben free, vegan and is 78% Organic. Ingredients include Aloe Juice, Lavender, Chamomile, Orange Blossom, Shea Butter and Sweet Almond Oil, all extremely nourishing. It claims to be perfect for healing nappy rash.

I found it more like a light cream than a lotion due to it's viscosity, but it wasn't heavy despite the oil content. It absorbed easily with no residue. Also it didn't have a strong scent just a light pleasant one. I would definitely use this on myself and bubba as a body lotion. However, I think that nappy rash requires something a bit more medicated personally, because it didn't help with my bubba's botty, which happens to be sore at the moment due to this sweaty hot weather! I also feel that my face needs something a bit more targeted than an all-purpose, due to my combination ageing skin (I'm 37 now!).

It is nice though to use something on the body that really works, but truly has no nasties in it. It is also reasonably priced, because a little goes quite a long way.

See Theaskincare.com for more details.

CB

Waitrose Baby solid coconut massage oil 

Superdrug's new My Little Star range claims to offer babies and new parents 'top quality everyday essentials at a price parents will love'. 

I often tend to opt for the more pricey option if it means that it is better quality, but there is always room for a few bargains that really work! Also, with the prospect of going on maternity leave again soon the pennies will be much tighter than usual, so I put a few of them to the test on myself (vegan Mum, 12 weeks pregnant and still breastfeeding) and my 17 month old daughter, who has very sensitive skin.

So the friendly folks at Superdrug sent over a few baby bits from their new 'My Little Stars' range, and I gave them a try with my 8 month old daughter.

Gripper Bottle (Blue) 250ml - 99p
I really like the design of this bottle and have been using it for water mostly. It's nice and easy for my baby to grip, although she is still learning to feed herself and the bottle may be a little long for her at the moment. Still, it's good practice! The only slight problem is that it seems to leak a bit when you don't keep it upright, so I'll keep this one to use at home rather than taking it out and about.



Maxi Nappies 7-18kgs/15-40lbs - £3.99 for 26
These are good basic nappies. They seem to draw out the poo from my baby though as she's done one in every single nappy change so far! They handled it pretty well, although there was no explosion to test, just regular poo. I feel like I would need to change these nappies more often than the brand I currently use, but they are good value.



Baby Bath 300ml - 99p
This smells very much like traditional Johnsons baby lotion, so a bit like soap. It worked up some nice light bubbles in the bath and I successfully washed my baby from head to toe without any tears, so it does what it says on the tin. It also didn't dry out her skin. Definitely a great value product and they also do a bedtime version to help babies drop off to sleep.



New Mum Nipple Cream 75ml - 99p
Since I don't need nipple cream now that I'm no longer breastfeeding, I figured I could use it for something. And it turns out that it makes a great hand cream. It's just thick enough to tackle dryness while absorbing nicely and not leaving hands greasy. My fingers have been really dry since having my baby what with all the extra hand wetting and washing that I'm doing, so this could be a great solution.  The only downside is that it smells a bit odd, but I'll take that at 99p a go. And it's the perfect handbag size too!



For a budget range, these are overall pretty good products and definitely worth a try if you're trying to save. Visit Superdrug.com

RL

We've all used baby products on ourselves before we had kids. I always had a bottle of baby lotion tucked away somewhere and in my youth, to my shame, I may have used baby oil instead of, ahem, sun screen.

But now I do have a baby and am currently on a beauty budget I'm wondering, does it really make sense to buy separate products for each of us? Baby beauty products are, after all, made for super sensitive baby skin, so I thought why not give them a try on baby and on me and see how we get on.

The lovely people at Marks and Spencer have sent over a few products from their Pure Baby range, so last week I gave these the Baby vs Mumma test.

Over a period of 3 days I used the following products on my baby and on myself, although the uses of each product varied in some cases!


Pure baby hair and body wash
On Baby: A delicate formula with a subtle almost smoky scent, my daughter was fine with me washing her hair and body with this. Inevitably the soapy water went in her eyes and she didn't cry so I guess it didn't sting them. I haven't used proper baby shampoo on her before this, only generic baby wash, and actually her hair does seem a bit softer and it is sticking up in a fan again which is nice.
On Me: I had to use quite a bit of this in my hair to get a good lather and the smoky smell was stronger. The result was fine on my hair but since I had to use conditioner anyway I think for me at least, this one should stay just for the baby.


Pure baby body lotion
On Baby: A very light non-greasy lotion which is easy to apply. I'm not sure that my baby's skin was softer afterwards but that's because her skin is already lovely and soft!
On Me: I liked this lotion, my skin felt soft for quite a while after I had applied it. Not sure about the smell though. It's subtle but smells a little like cloves which for me brings back bad memories from childhood!

Pure baby bottom butter
On Baby: This has a really nice feel to it and it definitely made the baby's bum lovely and soft. I'm not sure if I'd use it all the time though as sometimes I think less it more when it comes to baby products!
On Me: I on the other hand need plenty of product and it's kind of nice to treat your bum with the same respect you give to your face. So, I might just steal this one for myself!

Pure baby wonder balm
On Baby: I tried this on her bum when it got a bit red and it seemed to do the trick. The redness was gone by the next nappy change. In some ways it's easier to apply than Sudocrem because it's more like a lip balm texture. However, it is a small pot so you'd run out pretty quickly if you used it regularly.
On Me: I tried this on dry patches on my hands which was quite effective temporarily. It wouldn't be very practical to use it for this purpose all the time though. I also tried it on my 'bumcne' (a hangover symptom from pregnancy) and it did actually help so I'm impressed.

M&S baby products are free from parabens, artificial colours and fragrances and mineral oils.

Visit the website to order your baby products and to see what they have for mums-to-be.

RL xx

My poor baby has been teething the last few days and I think it's her top teeth because they apparently cause more pain than bottom ones. I've done Calpol and teething gel but neither of those was that effective. As much as I feel bad for the poor thing, her constant wailing is driving me up the wall!

Luckily I met up with a friend from NCT last week whose baby was going through the same thing and she recommended a totally different solution. Being an ex-nanny she knows a lot of effective remedies. She suggested I try Anbesol Liquid.

Anbesol is rubbed on the gums like gel but unlike gel it doesn't instantly slip off your finger or get sucked up by greedy little tongues.  Needless to say I tried it this afternoon and it was an almost instant relief. In fact she was playing so quietly all afternoon I got a bit worried - I was used to all the constant whining! But now I have my happy baby back :-)

Now, before you run out and buy this, remember I'm not a doctor, midwife or pharmacist so please do check with yours before using a new medication, especially as this is an over-the-counter one. Also please read the label yourself to make sure it's safe for your little one in case they are allergic to any of the ingredients.

Since this medicine is also for adults it might be a handy one for pregnant ladies who are suffering from sore gums. But, as above, do check with your GP or pharmacist first!

And while we're on the subject of teething, I also have a top tip from my mum! She told me that when a baby is teething their poo is more acidic and so if they do a poo and you don't change the nappy for a while it burns their bum. And I have noticed that my daughter's bum has been a bit red and sore looking the last couple of days so for now I'm using good old Sudacrem during every nappy change to help protect her precious little derriere!

Higgidy (those of pie fame) are running a competition on their website for parents-to-be, who are expecting at the same time as Kate & Wills.

Not sure what the link between pies, and royals expecting is - but there we go... (pie/bun in the oven?)

New parents can win the chance to get their fridge filled with lovingly homemade pies and quiches from Higgidy in preparation for after the birth when cooking home cooked meals is low down on the priority list low as parents navigate the sleepless nights and joyful time with their new arrival.

Lucky winners will also receive an extra special pie, which will be personalised to the name of the new born.



BABY PIE.

The competition can be entered via Higgidy’s website and will be running until a week after the birth.

x

With the huge array of beauty products now claiming to be 'safe' and good for pregnant and breastfeeding mothers, it's hard to know where to start. I decided to test out an easy option. A one week trial of the same fragrance-free and nasties-free baby products I use on my 17 month old bubba.

Greenpeople produces a range of products free from parabens, SLS and artificial fragrances. I recently tried their Aloe Vera body wash which was nice but still had a lingering scent of lavender which I find they put in most 'mother's' products! However, the Organic babies range and Organic children's range are even more pure than the adult versions.


I decided to try the Scent Free Baby Wash and Shampoo which I found lathered up really nicely, with soft silky bubbles, and truly has practically no scent at all (comparing this to Sanex zero or Simple bath products which smell a bit chemical, especially with my heightened pregnancy nose!). This really does work as both a body wash and shampoo saving time and space in the bathroom too, especially when sharing with bubs and even the hubby! It leaves hair quite squeaky clean so a bit of conditioner may be required if you are used to a softer feel.


For face and body after the bath, I tried out the Organic babies Scent-free Baby Oil which is a totally natural blend of evening primrose, roship, elderflower and pomegranite seed oils. It doesn't leave a scent and is easily absorbed and makes my eye wrinkles disappear by morning! However, you do need quite a large amount to cover body surface (of course for bubs that isn't the case), and it's not cheap at nearly £10, but i think definitely worth it. Really softened my dry feet too!


For lips the Baby Rescue Balm is a natural alternative to Vaseline or lip balm, and can double as nappy cream in the changing bag, although I find it a bit too greasy for bubba's botty!


Finally, the Scent Free Sun Lotion is perfect for minimising holiday packing as it doubles for both you and bubs. It is quite thick, so do make sure you rub it in before you leave the house or you will end up looking very white and pasty! It seems to work well though and once rubbed in, doesn't leave a residue and protects well.

So- if you are looking for space-saving options and guaranteed minimal nasties I would definitely recommend sharing Organic babies products with your family. Not the cheapest option out there though, and to be honest I can't resist a gorgeous feel-good new product made espcially for me, so I don't think I will be sticking with this permanently!!

Every summer I go to buy sunscreen and am always shocked by the cost. And the higher the spf the costlier it becomes.

I'm at the age where I need to wear a high factor cream on my face so I don't end up looking like an old leather handbag, but I also need to buy protection for my baby to shield her lovely soft virgin skin.

On a trip to the beach recently I popped into Superdrug to pick up some baby sunscreen and found this Solait 50spf version at just £2.48 for 100ml. Confused about the price I thought it must be crap, but actually it was really good. It went on evenly, didn't make my baby's skin too sticky and also didn't make her skin look purple either like some high factor creams do.

So now we're both using it and happily not sunburnt. Now all we need is plenty more days of sun!

R xx