Mommies With Style

I recently went on vacation with my husband and two kids and we decided to test out a bunch of fabulous products that I will be reviewing over the next several weeks! I will be sharing my children’s and husband’s opinions as well.

The first product is one that we used over and over again and were thrilled that we had it with us. My husband was a bit skeptical about why we really needed it, but boy was he ever so thankful that we had it with us on the very first day of our 9-day vacation!

Minimus.biz is the leader in all things travel-sized and individual-sized. They stock more than 2,000 products including over 100 pre-packaged kits and gift sets. Products you couldn’t possibly imagine come traveled sized and Minimus.biz carries them all. All of their liquids and gels are TSA compliant (3.4 oz or less), which makes packing that carry-on all the easier.

The Traveling with Toddlers kit holds all of the essentials you could possibly want as a parent. It contains 21 travel-size products in a zippered 10″x8″x2.5″ clear vinyl bag which makes it a breeze to find what you need at any time! The kit came in handy when the following happened on our trip:

- My son fell on pavement and scraped his elbow pretty badly. Never fear – the handy first aid kit came to our rescue. The kit contained not only bandages, but towelettes to wash the area, alcohol prep pads to cleanse the wounds, anti-biotic ointment (bacitracin) to promote healing plus more!

- My son had developed a diaper rash and needed cream. I never carry cream anymore and was thrilled to have Boudreaux’s Butt Paste in the kit which instantly gave him relief and eliminated me from having to take a trip to the store.

- My kids’ hands needed disinfecting and washing a lot as we were very active with activities everyday. Hand sanitizer and the Candy wipes came in handy often.

- My kids’ noses were always running so the pocket tissues were a huge help!

- We forgot shampoo for my kids’ baths and were thrilled to find California Baby Shampoo/Bodywash and Bubble Bath!

- The stall in the airport was out of toilet paper so the Charmin To Go was perfect!

- We had a few spills in the car and the Bounty to go Mini Roll of Paper Towels was the best!

There is so much more inside the kit as well. It even came with a small flashlight with batteries included. We were so impressed with this kit and couldn’t get over how many times it came in handy and made travel easier! We were so thankful to have it with us on our trip. It has found its new home in my car and has been great to have on the go!

We also received some travel games such as Candy Land Travel Fun On the Run and Tangoes which my kids loved playing on the plane and when we had down time. They were both the perfect size to travel with. Also, with airplane food a thing of the past, we were well-prepared on the plane with great travel friendly treats. My kids enjoyed the Squeezers Peanut Butter & Jelly combo and individually wrapped Ritz Cracker packages while my husband and I had the Wild Garden Hummus To Go and Cracked Wheat Wafers which were delicious. We all liked the Kool-Aid 2 Go packets which we just dropped in our water bottles!

With over 2,000 items and 15 categories to choose travel products from, you’ll be sure to find what you are looking for. The next time you travel or just want some simplicity for the travel sized products you tote around town the most, check out Minimus.biz – you’ll be thrilled you did!!!

Save 5% off the Traveling with Toddlers Kit or the Toddler Travel Kit (smaller version of the Traveling with Toddlers Kit) by entering code mommieswithstyle at checkout until March 31, 2010. Free shipping is offered on orders over $20.

As a mom who frequents Disneyland, Legoland, Seaworld and other themeparks where sticky lurks around every corner, I feel it is my duty to share a secret weapon with you. Everywhere we go, along comes Oopsy Daisy No Bath Bubble Bath.

Whether it’s lunch out or snacks on a car trip, or a theme park sugar high, my kids get messy and sticky. I used to schlep pounds of baby wipes but thanks to modern cleanliness technology I can travel lighter with Oopsy Daisy. These products are natural and gentle. They come in a foam dispenser and a little bit of foam goes a long way to clean up a lot of mess. Ice cream drips up to their elbows? Chocolate Chip Cookie face? Fruit leather mask? Seriously, no problem.

If your kid is a clown like mine who likes to wear his bowl of mac and cheese as a chapeau, check out Oopsy Daisy’s other product, High Chair Hair. It is a lifesaver for this sort of situation while dining out.

Everyone loves getting personalized baby gifts: parents give their kids for a reason–they love the name. And absolutely love celebrating a baby by seeing the name again and again. Want to send a bath or baby necessity personalized? Look no further than The Looking Glass. With cloth products for baby and child such as towels, sheets and blankets, its another great gift to give, and receive.

We received a sample towel made by Swaddle Designs, personalized by The Looking Glass. Loved that it wasn’t a plain, old, boring towel. It had a trendy pattern and color scheme, and the personalization looked great. Definitely filing this shop for future personalized purchases and gifts.

Summertime and the buggies are biting — so I was thrilled to test out Insect Armor ($6.76 for 4 oz), an organic bug repellent from Vermont Soap Organics. It does not contain DEET (N,N-diethyl-m-toluamide) or any other chemicals derived from petroleum, pesticides or neurotoxins.

It does contains lemon, eucalyptus and other natural essential oils, castile liquid soap made with organic oils and rosemary extract preservative (approved for use with organic products), which naturally repellent bugs. It smells exactly like a citronella candle – which I happen to love. We found it repelled the mosquitoes and kept us insect- free. With the natural ingredients, I felt better applying it to my children daily.

Get it online at Vermont Soap Organics.

Next week, Nature’s Baby Organics Bath and Body Products will be available in select Target Stores and Target.com. Nature’s Baby Organics products, created by mom of two, Adena Surabian, contain no harsh chemicals and are free of parabens, phlthalates, propylene glycol and synthetic ingredients (including fragrances and colors). 

Target.com is ordering free shipping for Nature’s Baby Organics products if you spend $50 or more. Click here for more retailers who carry Nature’s Baby Organics products.

As a fair-skinned gal with a history of sun cancer in her family on both sides, I try to always wear sunscreen and also make sure my two kids are protected. I was thrilled to test out some products from Smart Girls Who Surf. While you don’t need to surf to use their products, you’ll love their paraben free and chemical free products.

I was sent their Grab-N-Go Kit ($24.99), which contains FAA approved sizes of their Moisturizing Sunblock with 30 SPF, After Sun Soothing Lotion, Care for Hair Sun Protector (SPF 7), their natural glycerin Soap for Surfers, a single serve packet of their sunblock (great for your purse), an SPF 15 all natural lip balm (you’ll get either Vanilla or Cherry) and a black comb. It comes in a small, cute reusable small plastic tote.

My favorite products were their Moisturizing Sunblock and the Care for Hair Sun Protector. The Moisturizing Sunblock, with an SPF 30 for Face and Body is creamy, not greasy, and won’t sting your eyes. The 2 ounce size fit handily in my diaper bag. With UVA and UVB protection and an SPF of 30, it’s water resistant and hypoallergenic. Sunblock should be applied 20 minutes before you go outside, so it can soak into skin and reapplied every two hours that you are in the sun. For more info on preventing skin cancer, go to skincancer.org.

Care for Hair Sun Protector is a leave-in conditioner and detangler that contains 6 conditioning agents (vitamins A, C, B1, B3, Arica Montana Flower extract and soy protein). Spritz this on your ponytail before you head out into the sun to help keep hair healthy.

Smart Girls Who Surf is a natural skin care company in Laguna Beach, California. It was started several years ago as a mother’s quest for a healthy alternative to sunscreens on the market. The company creates earth-friendly products without using toxic chemicals or synthetic preservatives. The company also gives back – they support several non-profit organizations, including Boarding for Breast Cancer (B4BC), Surfrider Foundation, Girls, Inc., and SchoolPower, the Laguna Beach Education Foundation, as well as donating product to shelters. Their two product lines, Smart Girls Who Surf and Surf-Vival are tested on surfers and parents, not animals. A kids line called Smart Kids Who Surf is coming soon.

Shop online or find a retailer here.

Exclusive discount for MWS Readers: Use code MWS709 for a 15% discount on online purchases. Expires on August 20th, 2009.

Ahhh… summer. Sprinklers, swimming pools, sundaes and … sunburn. Okay, I can do without the latter. I’m always willing to try out a new sunscren that the kids won’t mind, and neither will I, to protect their cute little faces and perfect skin.

Substance Baby Natural Sunscreen has an SPF 30 and includes zinc oxide–making for an even stronger sun barrier. We love that, in addition to the zinc and the SPF, its chemical free which offers a lot of reassurance–I know what is going on my kids’ skin.  It also happens to be waterproof, a necessity for my little fishies. With lots of extra herbal oils to moisturize their skin while protecting, it leaves feels good on my hands after apply. And the scent is nothing insulting and chemically–its a mix of citrus and mint. Yum!

Maternitique has Substance Baby Natural Sunscreen on sale through July 31. Additionally, use code MWS for 10% off any purchase of $10 or more.

Why pay more for a brand name when you can get the same stuff for less?  I didn’t have any idea CVS had its own line of sun protection & outdoor skincare products.  I recently sampled a bunch and have to say I was impressed with the quality of everything – which I thought was on par with most of the more expensive sun lotions I usually buy.

Although my husband complains we go through these a lot faster than the lotion, I love the continuous spray baby and kid suntan lotions.  Simply because (and I know I’m not alone on this), putting sunscreen on your kid can be a pain – especially when you have multiple kids to cover up and you’re crunched for time.  So I was excited to see that CVS makes this Baby Sunscreen with 50 SPF for less money than other name brands on the market.

Also nifty is this Travel First Aid Kit, which is a must-have to keep in the car (and only $2).  Or this pocked-sized anti-itch spray which is hydrocortisone 1%, for burns, bug bites and skin flare ups when you’re out and about.

Lastly, my favorite was the Cooling Mist with 45 SPF, which was a double bonus to use for adults:  sun protection and a refreshing mist on a hot day in the sun.

One good thing to note: the spray products can only be shipped via ground so if you’re in a hurry, get over to your nearest CVS if you have one to save on the shipping costs and time.

They’re not babies, but my boys have been trying out Belli Baby’s Calm Me Hair and Body Wash. Why? For one, its tear free. Two, it cleanses lightly, moisturizing without heavy chemicals. Three, it has an amzing lather that surprises me every time. Who would think something so light and thin would have such an amazing lather?

The thin, light liquid soap goes a long way per pump, so I know there is value for the dollar. And its free of Phthalates and other xenoestrogens… in-other-words, its healthy for kid-skin, and, I’ve heard, great on sensitive skin.

Belli Baby Calm Me Hair and Body Bath is currently on sale at 15% off. No coupon necessary. Which is a good thing. Because my baby isn’t even here yet and I’ll be needing more if the boys keep using it. Which they will.

I just cannot get over how things have changed in 6 years. Seriously. “Way back when” there seemed to be only one nipple cream on the market. And everyone pregnant woman I knew used it. It was sticky. I recall thinking to myself “well, as sticky and gross as it feels, at least its healthy, right?” And I do remember nights of relief when I did smear it on my chapped nipples.

And here we are, just 6 years later and I’m finding there are so many choices when it comes to nipple cream (and if you’ve been pregnant before, you know how important nipple cream is.) So I was thrilled to test out Nipple Gel by Beaute de Maman, a natural nipple gel alternative. Its not greasy and sticky, so it doesn’t stick to your bra, and it does allow your skin to breath as it soothes chappy, dry nipples. (Okay, I’m not breastfeeding yet, but I’m certainly doing everything I can to lather my dry skin and keep it healthy this time around.) The main ingredient, Calendula, which I’ve written of before, is a fantastic healer that I’ve been using to on my kids “owies” recently, I’m certain is going to be so helpful when the baby begins breastfeeding and my nipples dry out (its ineveitable… at least this time I’m certain to expect it.)

Also from Beaute de Maman, the Stretchmark Cream is a natural cream that goes on light and smooth. Its said to aid in the prevention of stretchmarks and I’ll do anything to avoid those! This cream contains “all natural botanical and herbal ingredients which help to preserve the skin’s elasticity and suppleness.”

Mommies with Style can use coupon code GIFTBOX for $2.00 off any Beaute de Maman product when you order online. Code can be used one time and expires 5.17.2009.