My kids have been greatly enjoying the Yoga Pretzels cards they got from their babysitter for Christmas. It’s so cute to see them bend in all sorts of curves, or trying to keep their balance. There are 50 cards, each of them giving a suggestion for a pose. There are, for instance, balance poses, stretch poses, stand and bend poses, and, most popular with my children, the partner poses (they need each other to perform the pose!). There are also cards that give breathing or relax exercises, or suggestions for games that enhance teamwork and creativity. It’s great fun, and especially 6-year-old Sara has been able to really relax after her yoga. Pim (almost 5) loves it too, his favourite pose, of course, is the ‘Warrior’.
Yoga Pretzels is available through Amazon (UK or US).

xxx Esther

We are enjoying lovely hot sunny days here in New Zealand and as much as I love the sun I am so over applying sunscreen to my children’s pale white skin.  I am paranoid that they are going to get sunburnt and if it wasn’t for me applying copious amounts of sunblock throughout the day they would easily burn in the harsh New Zealand sun.  So I was very relieved to find a new sunblock on the market.  This stuff is amazing — you can spray it on your kids even when they have just stepped out of the swimming pool dripping wet.  I especially like to use it when we are at the beach and I can just spray the kids while they are still playing in the sand without trying to get all the sand off them first. Its making my life so much easier!

Steph xo

If you’re looking for sunglasses for your kids this summer, the ones to opt for are the Zoobug sunglasses. Not only do they have loads of cool styles (I love the Daisy sunglasses for girls and the Wayfarers for boys!), the sunglasses are UV-protective and many of the styles have adjustable rubber tips to ensure the glasses fit your child’s face.  They’re also virtually unbreakable, as they should be if they’re meant for children. Zoobug also now makes optical glasses for kids which have all the same great qualities and cuteness!

-Courtney

And there is more: it’s also good to wash dry skin or skin prone to ecxma, massage, use on sunburns and minor burns and also as a make-up remover. It must be the most multi-functional product in the world! You can buy the ointment ready made at most pharmacies in France or the pharmacist should be able to mix up a bottle for you. Alternatively you can get it online here in France and here in the  UK and the USA.

-Emilie

xxx Esther

I have had one of those months, and the truth be told, I am feeling a little bit run down. The days are getting shorter, the leaves are falling off the trees, my girls and I have all had colds and it has been one of those periods where nothing really goes to plan. I feel like I’ve been running late on everything — do you know that feeling? So I decided it was time to do some damage limitation and spoil myself a little, and this is how:

1) A big, long, hot bath with some good bath salts (my favorites are the Neals Yard Lavander Bath Salts).
2) An episode of Mad Men (it is my absolute favourite show at the moment and there is nothing better than zoning out to a good TV show) and watching it while I am soaking in the hot bath with a face mask on.
3) A hot drink: my favourite is freshly pressed lemon juice, hot water, honey and a splash of whiskey (the whiskey is optional).
4) Going to bed early in a freshly made bed.

What about you? What is your quick fix when you are feeling run down?

Emilie

Rejoice!  Summer is here in full force and with the clunky boots now tossed to the back of the closet it’s time to break out the cute sandals and flats. But oh my… ouch… so uncool… breaking in the new shoes for the new season also means blisters and sore feet!

A very good friend of mine from college has been working on this product for years now and just recently rolled it out. She is a mama herself and one that always looks amazing and stylish. In her pre-mommy days she used to do all sorts of healthy San Francisco-ish things like ironman’s and triathalon’s and as a result was always looking for a lady-like product to ease her sore feet.   Sidewalk Survival Balm was born out of her love for comfort and high fashion and her organic foot-saver is a god-send that smells incredible.  After taking it for a bunch of test runs, I can attest that it really works. Basically, it’s a protective balm for feet, almost like a chapstick,  and I keep one in my bag to offer instant relief from rubbing shoes.   I am even going to use it on my kids as they break in their new summer sandals.  She will ship internationally if you contact her directly and is offering Babyccino readers a discount of 20% off till the end of July. Just use promo code: babyccino.

-Dina

xxx Esther

Bear was started by personal trainer, Hayley, last year in an attempt to find a tasty alternative to chocolate, biscuits and treats — clearly a lady with my needs in mind!  She chose the name ‘Bear’ after she read an article which said that bears who had found their way into cities and therefore foraged for foods in bins behind fast-food joints ended up being 30% fatter and 30% less active then their wild counter-parts.  They also died younger.

So Bear produce all their nibbles as nature intended — no fiddling, no air-freight fruit and fairly-traded.  You can buy Bear goodies through Ocado.

-Mo. x

Anyway, after a visit to the kids’ dentist last week we left with the usual parting bag of goods and waved goodbye with promises to brush and floss daily….but this time I noticed that there was something different about the toothbrush –  there was a suction cup on the bottom of the handle.  Hummmm…I thought…if all goes according to plan, after they bush they can stick it right back on the edge of the sink or on the mirror and not chuck it somewhere and/or force it to live in one of those crusty cups full of who-knows what — this is genius!  The Plak Smacker comes in fun colors with a larger grip handle  (easy to spot if they are hurled under a bed or behind a dresser) and the quality is exactly the same as the other ones you find in the store. In my limited web research I found that it really is primarily sold to dental practices but there are a few places to find them on-line at cheap and cheerful pricing.  I plan to buy 20 immediately as I know I will loose at least some of them regardless.   The also sell these cute little suction cup sand timers.

-Dina

Once you have ‘picked your own’, there is a great farm-shop to stop off at on the way home to top up your supper-menu with a cheeses, meats, fish and bread.

Garsons have plenty of additional activities on throughout the Summer to entertain families — the make-your-own-scarecrow competition (which go on display in July), a chance to watch the heavy horses pulling the fields the old-fashioned way, an exhibition of vintage tractors (we will definitely be going along to this!), a food fair and a birds of prey display.

Esher is just over 20mins from London Waterloo (and the farm is a short taxi ride from the station or a 40min walk).

To find a pick-your-own farm near you in the UK, try this helpful site.

-Mo. x

Luckily for my children, I had heard of Toothbeary, a dedicated children’s only dentist based in Richmond upon Thames.  

As long-term oral health is determined in childhood, the Toothbeary team believe that you have to make these first Dentist trips a positive experience so children learn that taking care of their teeth is a good thing. And it is just that … the staff at the reception counter are fun, friendly and remember you if you have been before.  The waiting room is essentially a well-designed, fun playroom.  The dentists and nurses are trained how to talk to children to put them at ease and they use puppets to explain to the children exactly what will happen to them (Max the Dog had his teeth counted and examined by the Dentist with the help of my 3-year-old holding the mirror for her).  And those weird vinyl dentist chairs have been replaced by bright pink beds with a TV directly above them to keep kids distracted.  At the end of the examination each child gets a gold coin (for being so good), which they can ’spend’ in the reception area, where they have cool bubble-gum machines filled with small toys.

Toothbeary is a concept originally developed in Germany (where they have treated over 30,000 patients) and combines a knowledge of child-psychology with the most modern dentistry practises.  Everything has been thought about from a child’s perspective and has been well considered in order to prevent or address any fears.  Even something like the bright light used above the child’s mouth so the dentist can see properly into the mouth can be intimidating for the patient, so the dentist uses stories and child-friendly references (like the sun) to explain what it is and what it is doing.  The gel used in the mouth before an anaesthesia is fruit-flavoured and referred to as ‘tooth-marmalade’ and the anaesthesia itself is known as ’sleepy-water’.

In order to prevent treatments Toothbeary also offers a Tooth Brushing School (which should be attended at least once a year for kids to understand what they are doing right and wrong) and they have a monthly payment plan scheme for parents to spread the cost of dentistry.

Can you imagine a dentist’s waiting room where you would here this conversation (this is a real conversation I heard as we were leaving):  Dad:  ”Come on Emily, time to go.”  Emily ” Arhhhhhhhhh!  Do we have to?”  Seriously, we were in a dentist’s waiting room!  Toothbeary is really something quite special.

Mo. x

In the past I have opted for the spray-on kind but I have found that they are very drying and don’t protect nearly as well as the thicker lotions.  A friend of mine from home had told me about Coola Sun Care and I decided to pick some up before heading out on vacation this year… and so glad I did! It’s a lotion but it is not greasy and it rubs in very quickly! It’s also made with 100% organic ingredients but it’s not holier-than-thou about it. I really like the simple sleek packaging and they carry a full line for the body, face and lips. So far it’s the best sunscreen that I have come across and I am definitely loading up on it for the summer months!

-Dina

So anyway– Soul Cycle has had a following for quite some time in other areas of the city and I was nervous as hell to go.  I had never done a “spin class” before and I was pretty confident that I was going to die on the bike and make a total scene. As I stood in the lobby waiting for class to start I tried my best to look like a pro but when I saw the sweat drenched people emerge from the prior class I started to panic.

Anyway – long story, longer… I snapped my shoes into the bike, said a prayer, jumped on and just did it.  The teacher was amazing and led the class on what felt like a 45-minute spiritual journey through the mountains.  The music was loud and excellent, the dark room and the vibe made you want to really push yourself.   It was not nearly as bad as I thought it would be and I felt like a new human being when it was over.  I am now hooked and I would highly recommend it to all the sluggish, sleep deprived moms and dads out there.  It’s a boost both physically and mentally.

-Dina

After stockpiling these little tubes to take back to London with me, I discovered you can actually buy it in London (the creator was, in fact, British)! Dr. Lucas formulated the papaw ointment more than 100 years ago in Australia after leaving London for a warmer climate. Its natural antiseptic quality is great for preventing infection in wounds, it’s totally safe to use on babies and children, and it is so natural it can also be taken internally to aid digestion. It also smells nice — an added bonus!

-Courtney

Now I’m not against red cabbage, (we prepare it with a little sugar and apples — truly delicious with good sausage or game), but don’t you think this cute little elephant from Goodies of Desire would do a much better job at soothing a little (or bigger) owie?  I do, and thus, from now on, I keep one in the freezer compartment of my fridge for cases of emergencies.  Good to have around.
The friendly elephant is filled with cherry pits and the label says that in addition to the usual bumps and bruises it can also be useful for ‘Kopfenschmerzen & Kater’ (headache & hang-over) or ‘Milchstau’ (engorgement).  VERY good to have around.

If you find it a pity however to hide the friendly fellow in the freezer, you may also warm it in a medium warm oven to treat colds or to use it for relaxation.  Or, thanks to its cotton elephant skin and natural cherry pit filling, you can safely give it to a baby as a cuddling toy/rattle.
What a multi-purpose little fellow…  And, to make it even better — it’s machine washable.

xxx Esther

The concept behind Invisible Zinc is technology that provides a physical (not chemical) barrier between you and the sun’s UVA and UVB rays. They use a world patented form of Zinc Oxide that has been milled down so that it is no longer visible to the naked eye …fortunately you can banish all images of the white zinc-nosed, speedo-clad Aussie lifeguard, not quite the look I favor either when I head for the beach!  Zinc Oxide is a natural sunscreen agent that sits on the skin reflecting dangerous UVA and UVB rays without unnecessary chemical sun-filters (incidentally, most chemical sunscreens offer little or no protection against UVA rays).

So Courtney, take note!  This Aussie product is a must-have for you and your family over the coming months… and for those of you shivering in the Northern Hemisphere, as strange as it may seem, summer is just around the corner! (-:

-Sara

For my first two babies the test results were excellent.  Of course, we’re still talking percentages, so it doesn’t give any real security, but the chance of something being wrong was so absolutely marginal, there was no need to worry.  For this baby, the results are still very good, but there was a but.  And the but made me worry.

At 15 weeks, I asked for an extensive scan here in Amsterdam, to look for any symptons of a chromosomal disorder, as far as detectable at this stage of the pregnancy.  The doctor found nothing.  She measured the nasal bone, and however on the small side, it was within the normal range.
At 15 weeks you can choose to have amniocentesis.  The chance of miscarrying after an amnio is somewhere between 1 in 100 and 1 in 300.  The chance that my baby has a disorder is 1 in 700, as they told me after the test in the FMC in London.  I’m 36 years old.  I decided not to have an amnio.

Did you have a decision to make?  Did you have an amnio??

xxx Esther

P.S. Picture of my scan in Amsterdam.  Baby is beautiful, isn’t he/she??

School started last week and, as in other countries, measures are being taken on how to prevent the spread of the virus. Children are being asked to sneeze into a tissue, wash their hands and cough into their elbow. If there are more than three cases of the flu at any school, the authorities will decide if they should close down the school. In October, if the media is to be believed, all children will be offered the vaccination at school.

Without wanting to trivialize the subject, the hysteria around swine flu seems a bit overblown! From talking to friends who have been diagnosed with it, it isn’t any worse than the common-all-garden variety. There have been very sad cases of people passing away after having been infected by this flu, but the toll does not seem to be higher than during the normal flu season.

So why all of this excitement?

Is it because the pharmaceutical companies are seeing this as a golden opportunity to sell a huge amount of product? Are governments enjoying looking like the health of the public is their main priority? I might be sounding a tad cynic but it really seems to me that the attention on swine flu is a bit of a storm in a teacup. I completely agree with preventative measures such as washing hands, coughing whilst covering the mouth and so on. What I don’t agree with is the hysteria created by the media and the governments. In times of crisis, especially health crisis, it makes so much more sense for me to stay calm and inform the public in an non emotive way.  I would love to know what you guys think!

- Emilie

xxx Esther