Certified organic cotton is cotton grown without the use of harmful pesticides, herbicides or artificial fertilizers. Organic cotton is extremely breathable, very soft, friendly to the skin to the point that it can be worn by people with chemical sensitivities and relieve some of the symptoms of eczema.

It is always tempting to go for the bargain clothes and ignore pricier organic cotton clothing. But do remember, the other stuff is cheaper because many costs have been externalized. Organic cotton growers and clothing manufacturers take responsibility for all costs: financial, environmental and human…

All right, enough said, as parents, you obviously want to limit your baby’s exposure to residue from chemicals involved with the production of non organic cotton, making fabric very hazardous for a baby’s skin.

At Motherslove, we are fully aware that babies and kids’ skin are very sensitive and more susceptible to allergies. That is why we are stocking the New Winter Collection from Purebaby and Purekids for you.

They offer beautiful and simple products using only organically grown and harvested cotton for babies and kids from 3 months to 8 years of age.

Stay Safe,

Sylvanian Families Kids Collectibles

The cute fluffy mice, bears, kangaroos and a lot more animal characters which form inevitable attractions in any kid’s life. Since launch back in the 90s, Sylvanian Families are always in great demand. Nowadays the market is inundated with tons of toys with all kinds of shapes and colors. However, this does not make choosing a safe piece of toy that motivates and guides children any easier. Toys play a pivotal role in fine honing kid’s logical thinking and aptitude. It is parent’s duty to buy your kids safe and useful children toys to make this world a better place for them.

Each character has a role of mother, father, sister, brother or baby. Children just love to mix and match their favorite figures and throw a big party for them.  It could be considered as a trial run for every child and see where their imagination lead them in these affable family settings. By familiarizing themselves with these figures, children can easily relate to these animals that can talk and move because they resemble their human counterparts on so many levels!  Aren’t these thoughtfully made lovely toys educational?

Family Setting

One obvious reason behind the popularity of the Sylvanian Family children toys is certainly their look. The chracters have been true to their name, and they show human qualities at the same time. Another reason is the extremely delicate detailing with which these toys are manufactured. If you look closely, you will be surprised at the number of accessories available to the Sylvanian Families. They cover everything you can imagine that the humans need for daily life. For example, each of the households has kitchens, toilets, beds, sofa sets, dining tables, tea tables and every other thing that they want. who can resist the chance to have a pretend play?

Family Animal Figures

the Sylvania Families concept is unique and endearing to the kids, which kindles warmth and familiy ties in the young minds of children.

Melissa and Doug Classic Wooden Toy

When it comes to children toys, safety is our biggest concern, well thanks to Melissa & Doug, this reliable company has done all the audit, inspect and test for us, not only once but at various stages of production. So you can definitely trust the products you bring into your home and enjoy them with confidence.

Our Melissa and Doug range covers classic wooden toys which you grandpa used to play, games, pretend plays, puzzles and so much more.  Some toys have brought us so much fun for generations. Just like the wooden stacking train in the picture, it has always been the top seller and of incredible collectible value. Their durable material allow children to enjoy the

Melissa and Doug Nina Ballerina Dress-Up Doll

creative fun for years to come. Our dress-up figures offer you imaginative fun for the whole family to play at home or on the go. Also, you do not want to miss our puzzles as you are never too young or too old to play one of our puzzles.  Everybody is tempted to get  their hands on these educational yet interesting toys, the problem is , can you put them down?

Let us know what was your favorite toy when you were a kid and what would you like your kid to have down below in the comment.

Melissa and Doug Stacking Train

There will be more toys coming up on our Motherslove website, so stay tuned. Don’t forget to sign up for our website newsletter for monthly updates, new releases as well as great sales!

Until next time, have fun and be good!

Penny Scallan Raincoat with Lining

For raincoats there are quality features to consider, and the thickness. When I say ‘quality features’ I think a raincoat needs to be lined to stop sweat condensing on the inside, and it’s great if the lining continues a bit beyond the coat outer sleeve as it’s a bit yucky having that wet feeling on your wrist after running around a bit in the playground. It’s also preferable for the coat to have a hood for those times when you’re caught without an umbrella, a common occurance in Melbourne, and for the coat to have a flap that sits over the coat zip to stop chilling wind forcing its way in the front of the jacket.

When looking at thickness, or padding, I’ve become a fan of jackets that are lined but not padded, except perhaps for days bordering on snow. Padded jackets are so stiff that they really reduce mobility for toddlers and young children, especially since the padding is a lot thicker relative to their body proportions than for an adult. A lined raincoat without padding is ideally fitted with a bit of slack extra room inside, and that way you can use layering of clothes underneath to better suite the temperature. This gives you the most use out of your child’s jacket as they can be used with just a T-shirt on humid rainy days, and with a long sleeve top and jumper on cold days. Using multiple layers also gives more flexibility as each layer can slide past each other, reducing the overall stiffness compared to a padded jacket. We’ve found Penny Scallan jackets to be great for our kids, and they also meet the stylin’ requirements.

Penny Scallan Gumboot with Chunky Grip

Kids Gumboots are simpler but again it really is a necessity to have lining. For gumboots lining not only reduces sweet inside the boot, but it also provides a softer surface for feet to rub against. Gumboots don’t exactly flex like sneakers, so they tend to rub more on little feet. Lining is the best option to reduce the chance of blisters and general anguish for your child. The other key requirement is chunky grip since gumboots are more likely to be used on muddy surfaces and shallow grips will be filled up in no time. The final nice to have I can think of is just a cloth tab at the back of the gumboot which makes it easier to pull the gumboot on.

Penny Scallan Umbrella with Push Open Toggle

Umbrellas are heaps of fun for kids, although never around when you need one. My memories of umbrellas are constantly hurting my finger trying to push the small, stiff metal tab in to open the umbrella. A really simple yet clever idea I noticed on the Penny Scallan umbrellas is the push up, pull down knob that doesn’t have a latch to hold it closed. The push, pull design simply relies on the spring in the umbrella rods to hold the umbrella in the open or closed position, there’s no latch, push button or other hard to use open mechanism. Kids love independence, so simple and easy is the way to go to keep them in control.

I hope these ideas help your family have a happy and healthy Winter, let us know of any other products or suggestions you might have in the comments.

I would not have imagined that we can put so much innovation into a so small shoe. However you may know that our little precious’ feet deserve to get the right shoe for their developing feet. And I am not talking about the style or the right fit but about what shoes your baby and toddler need in order to learn and develop walking. This is why Pediped offers 3 products lines to fit each walking stage:

• First Steps – Pediped Originals: ideal shoe for babies learning to walk with a soft, flexible sole that mimics barefoot walking.

• Next Steps, from 9 months to 3 years – Pediped Grip n Go: perfect shoe for an active toddler gaining a confident walk with heel stability and soft toe box that allows their toes to grip the floor. Perfect combination of flexibility and protection.

• Big Steps, from age 1 to 7 – Pediped Flex: dedicated to confident walkers, theses shoes have an arch support and flexible rubber sole along with their Flex Fit System that allows you to adjust the fit and prolong the wear and use of the shoes.

And in each style the shoes may have various features from Machine Washable, waterproof fabric, leather lining or even a Memory foam insole.

My 4 years old daughter is currently wearing a new Pediped style – Pediped Flex Violet Bronze and she just loves them! Not only because they are comfy with a Memory foam insole or because they are just gorgeous but simply because she can actually put them on and off so easily… not to mention how proud she feels when she can actually do something by herself!

On the Mum plus side, I would say that I am really impressed by the quality of the shoe outer, how many previous pairs of shoes she wore, came back after a first day out with scratches on the shoes! Well after a month of use my daughter Pediped Shoes are still shiny as new…

So now, the information you are all dying for is what is the price for a so luxurious shoe? Well that is the other plus side of the shoe, it is affordable and so you do not have to limit your choice to the shoe that will go with everything.

STOP, you do not need to run to your nearest shop to get one pair of these! Just relax and browse our Pediped wide range at Motherslove to select the pair that will suit your little one step! And do keep in mind, if you shop by 2pm, your parcel is shipped out the same day.

Snugtime Blanket Sleepers have an inner cotton lining so they are comfy to wear, and they have an outer polyester fleece in a selection of bright colours which is light but also traps in air making it a great insulator to hold warmth like a woollen blanket. Typically people equate padding with warmth, but a fleece fabric is just as effective and offers more flexibility, so it’s better to be guided by the Tog Rating rather than ‘it feels thicker’. A higher Tog Rating means the fabric of the sleeping bag holds in more heat, with Tog 2.0 to 2.5 being good for cold Winter nights (don’t forget to consider a lower Tog Rating if you use heating at home!). If the blanket sleepers used padding like that used in the Cosibag, they would be stiff and cumbersome to wear, turning toddlers into walking starfish

Snugtime also offers the CosiBag as a baby sleeping bag in sizes from 000 up to 2 years. CosiBags are available in a range of Tog ratings depending on the season, with thermal ratings to suit Summer nights at Tog 0.2 up to a maximum Winter rating of Tog 2.5. Many designs also offer the ‘Gap Strap’ with an overlapped opening at the back and double zip at the front so you can feed a car or pram harness buckle and strap through. The Cosibag also comes in a range of bright colours and striped patterns plus has cute motifs for extra fun mirror gazing at toothy brush time.

New Cosibag Design with Zip Running Front to Back

A new Cosibag design Snugtime has introduced really caught my attention with some clever ideas. The Steel Blue, Red and Grey Hoodie Fleece Cosibags have a great nappy change concept with the zip running down the middle, going all the way around the bottom, and then up the back to babies waist. So you can get easy access for nappy changes as the Cosibag can be opened out sideways. This is potentially even better than the zip around the  side and fold open bags as there is less chance of making a mess on the inside of babies sleeping bag. The second clever innovation is the underarm elastic that runs from under each arm and all the way across the back for a snug fit that is more adjustable than just have an extra snap under each arm. All up a clever Cosibag with designer style fabrics and graphics.

You can see the range at our Snugtime section or view our whole baby sleeping bags range. If you want more information on what to wear with different Togs, have a look at our Grobag Winter 2012 New Release article. Visit www.motherslove.com.au for our whole range.

You can’t go past bedding as a key Winter necessity for baby and children. We prefer sleeping bags, especially for newborns as they reduce the risk of baby getting caught up in sheets and blankets, which can restrict breathing. Also, as baby and toddler our children tend to move around a lot when sleeping and frequently kick off their blankets, so sleeping bags ensure a better night sleep, especially in Winter when little ones can’t pull their own sheets and blankets back up. Around the age of 3 to 4 years our daughter didn’t move around as much and could pull up her own blankets, but we found she still has a better sleep with blanket sleepers.

When you first get your sleeping bag, it’s important to check that baby’s head can’t slip through the neck opening. Other sleeping bag features that can be helpful are an opening at the back and double zip at the front so you can feed a pram or car harness through, and a cover at the top of the zip so it doesn’t scratch you child’s neck, plus the new ZipClick™ system from Grobag helps stop little fingers from opening the zip. Tog rating can also be a great guide for the thermal rating of the sleeping bag, you can refer to our article Grobag New 2012 Styles for their guide on what to wear with each tog rating.

Blanket Sleepers are great for independent toddlers and children

When baby starts to transition to toddler and begins standing up, they can also develop a dislike for standard sleeping bags. Each child has their own preferences, but in our case once standing and jumping became a popular activity in the cot, standard sleeping bags were too restrictive and no longer welcomed by either of our children. Blanket kick offs were still a regular nightly activity, so we luckily found the third option of blanket sleepers. Blanket sleepers from Snugtime have been a great Winter sleeping bag alternative, as they are basically a full outfit with arms and legs so our children actually like to wear them, and they also have a tog rating of 2.0 which is good for cold nights, and can be mixed with light undergarments for different temperatures.

So from our experience, traditional sleeping bags are good for newborns up to around 18 months to 3 years in Summer and Winter depending on whether your child finds them restrictive, Blanket sleepers are good from 1 year up to 7 years during Winter, and sheets with blankets are good from around 3-4 years. Hope this helps with you bedtime accessories this Winter! Visit www.motherslove.com.au for our whole range.

A clever inclusion with the new range is the bonus room thermometer to help parents decide the best bag and clothing combination for different room temperatures. I’ve also included below the Grobag table which is a guide for what to wear depending on the temperature. Since cooler weather leading to Winter is only a couple of months away, we have mainly stocked the Tog 1.0 and Tog 2.5 range. Grobag also has a Tog 0.5 bag which we just stocked in one style, but can get in more if you let us know in the comments!

So have a look at the table below to decide what sleeping bag and clothing suites your baby best, and then have a look at our Grobag Baby Sleep Bag range. Just remember to also think about how much heating you use in Winter, not just the outside temperature. A hot baby is not a comfy or safe baby! Visit www.motherslove.com.au for our whole range.

Grobag ‘What to wear’ Guide:

What your baby wears will depend on the tog of Grobag baby sleep bag and the temperature of the baby’s bedroom. (In the same way as you would adjust nightclothes and number of blankets). As a guide, please refer to the table below. Please remember, though, that babies are all different and, just as with blankets and sheets, you will soon discover what your baby is most comfortable wearing – placing your fingers on your baby’s chest is the best indicator of whether they are too hot/too cold/just right as babies’ hands often feel cool.

Well, the good news is that not all PVCs are made equal, there are a large variety of softening chemicals, or Phthalates in use. Many of these have been classified as stable and safe for general use, such as those used in cars and wiring. They typically use higher performing grades of PVC, with high molecular weight Phthalates that have been rated as safe for use by the European Union.

However, PVC using low molecular weight Phthalates such as DEHP have been identified as posing a risk to vulnerable groups such as children, frequently exposed workers, and some medical devices. As such “Under regulations introduced in January 2007 DEHP is no longer permitted in toys and childcare articles in the EU” (ref). Unfortunately DEHP is known as “one of the most cost effective and widely available general purpose plasticisers” (ref). So when you buy a product in Australia that uses PVC, there is a very good chance DEHP has been used as the softener.

So why hasn’t PVC been banned in Australia? Well, turns out is has! Maybe you knew this, but I hadn’t heard of this ban previously, so I’m especially pleased I decided to write this post. Plastic products intended for children up to 36 months that they would chew or suck, and which contain more than 1% DEHP, have been banned in Australia (visit the Product Safety Australia website for more details). I’m now trying to figure out how to subscribe to the Product Safety Australia website to keep up with the latest safety notices!

Ok, so good news on the ban for toys, but what about all the kids backpacks I’ve seen out there using PVC? Who is actually regulating the use of DEHP in these backpacks which are typically for children over 3 years? Since a lot of children’s backpacks and soft lunchboxes are using PVC (it was the question I most frequently asked at the last Melbourne trade show), and children typically handle these on a daily basis, I would personally feel a lot happier if PVC was no longer used in these products either. It seems that youth and frequent exposure are 2 key risk items identified in the EU studies.

Luckily for my sanity and a restful sleep we found that Penny Scallan moved away from PVC over a year ago, and in addition to really great designs this is a key reason we decided to stock their products at Motherslove. I just wish other Australia based brands would follow suite and avoid exposing their little customers to these chemicals. Perhaps the next time you shop this should be a question you ask to get the message across that PVC just isn’t the right way to go. Let us know your thoughts in the comments!

Pediped Flex shoes have been officially recognised by the American Podiatric Medical Association as contributing to better foot health.  The prestigious APMA Seal of Acceptance was awarded for the many beneficial attributes of Pediped kids shoes that promote quality foot health, including soft and flexible rubber soles, a wide toe box and soft leather uppers.

Features, Benefits and Products of Pediped Flex

Posted by Scott on 5th May 2011 (www.motherslove.com.au)