How Do I Shade My Baby From The Sun?

How do I shade my baby from the sun? How do I offer my baby a safe haven when they're in the buggy or car? How do I prevent the sun from getting in my baby's eyes? or ensure they are protected from harmful UV rays? Last year I wrote a review of some options when it comes to buggy shades. They all had their pros and cons and I'm really pleased to say that over the last 12 months, the clever people at both Snoozeshade and Outlook have been tweaking their designs to make some significant improvements. Here's my take on the latest offerings when it comes to shading a baby from the sun - a buggy shade review and car shade review in one!

Snoozeshade Plus



The Snoozeshade Plus is a multi-purpose buggy shade that offers your baby sun protection and a nice cosy, shaded place to help them drift to sleep. These days the ONLY time that Lara naps for me is when she is in the buggy so when it is bright I need to cover her to help her fall asleep and the Snoozeshade is ideal.

The Snoozeshade Plus has responded to feedback by ensuring that your child can see out of the shade if they want to with a fold-down flap that reduces the thickness of the shade in front of their face. It has longer velcro tabs which now make it the easiest to fit of all the buggy shades I have ever tried and makes a quick removal of the Snoozeshade a realistic prospect.

Last year I complained that the Snoozeshade original didn't allow me quick access to Lara. The plus features a much bigger zip-open slot for me to see Lara as she sleeps. I'm also happy to see that the length has been made greater so that Lara's long legs don't stick out.

The fabric on the Snoozeshade Plus is, as ever, soft, flexible and very lightweight while still offering UPF50+ sun protection throughout the WHOLE product.

SnoozeShade plus retails for around £30 . If you want to find out more about the Snoozeshade then there are some brilliant videos about how to use and fit them on their youtube channel.

Outlook Shade-A-Babe

   

The Outlook Shade-A-Babe has changed a lot since I last tried it. The fabric is now a lot lighter which means I can fold the buggy with it still attached and the fabric is softer against Lara's legs. The Shade-A-Babe has a really nice big zip-open section so that I can lift Lara in and out even with the shade attached to the buggy.

Although the velcro tabs are easier to fit to the buggy than in previous versions, I do still find the tabs too long and you have to make an effort to tuck them away. Also, the length of the Outlook Shade-A-Babe was one of the things I really rated about it in the past and it seems a bit shorter than I remember (Lara's feet poke out).

Despite this, I really rate the Shade-A-Babe as it is made to a very high standard. It is a little disappointing that you only get the maximum sun protection in the area over your baby's face but the ease of use makes up for this. I love the fact that you can roll down the front cover of the buggy shade and tuck it well-away inside its own little pocket, perhaps if your baby is taking a nap under a tree before moving away later.

The Outlook Shade-a-Babe costs around £30 for a single-buggy version and can be bought online from Cheeky Rascals and you can also find out more on their youtube channel.

Outlook Auto-Shade



Me and traditional car window shades do not get on. Since I got pregnant nearly 3 years ago, I have been through 5 different sets of window shades with those annoying stick-on suckers. The suckers either don't stick, or else I forget they are there and attempt to open the electric windows with them still attached (there is a sucker lodged inside the door cavity!).

The clever people at Outlook have invented a car window shade that DOESN'T USE SUCTION CUPS! And, you can open the window with the shade still in place because it fits over the whole car door, not just the window pane.

The Outlook Auto-Shade brings a gentle darkness to the back of the car and helps Lara to nap when she is in her car seat. I've found that they seem to shade Lara a lot more than any other window shade I have tried and because it is made from the same soft fabric as the Shade-a-babe, I know it offers good UV protection too.



The Outlook Auto-Shade comes in two different shapes for rounded or rectangular car windows. I think our car is somewhere inbetween because the fabric doesn't sit well at the corners and ruffles up - this causes it to flap in the wind and make a really annoying noise when we drive. Annoying enough that my husband won't drive when the shades are fitted.

The Outlook Auto-Shade sells for around £30 a pair and can be bought from Cheeky Rascals

Cooking With Children : DIY Curry Powder Recipe

This weekend Lara made her first ever home-made curry powder (we had run out, and now that we have the FunPod, there didn't seem any reason not to let Lara help me out). It was chaotic, but great fun so I thought I would share my DIY Curry Powder Recipe with you all as it is a brilliant idea for cooking with children. A home-made curry powder is unique - your child can choose to add as much or as little as they like of each ingredient to truely make it their own.

I've split the ingredients into the must-haves and the could-haves. The must-haves are the ingredients which I consider to be the base of any good curry powder and without which, the finished article would disappoint. The could-haves are ingredients that you could choose to leave out if you don't like the flavours, or simply if you haven't got any of the ingredients in your store cupboard right now. All of the ingredients should be readily available in your local supermarket in little jars like our Schwartz ones. If you try out this all-round curry powder recipe, I'm sure you'll agree that a freshly blended DIY curry powder beats most ready-mixed alternatives and offers you a great level of flexibility when it comes to chilli heat, something that is very important when cooking for young children.



INGREDIENTS
Must-Haves
1.5 Tablespoons Whole Corriander Seeds
2.5 Tablespoons Whole Cumin Seeds
1 Tablespoon Ground Turmeric Powder
1 Teaspoon Mild Chilli Powder
5cm Whole Cinnamon Stick

Could-Haves

1 Dessert Spoon Whole Fenugreek Seeds

1 Dessert Spoon Whole Fennel Seeds

1 Teaspoon Black Pepper Corns
The Seeds From 2 Green Cardamoms
1 Teaspoon Whole Cloves
1/2 Teaspoon Allspice
3/4 Teaspoon Aesfotida

1 Teaspoon Garlic Powder/Granules

1 Teaspoon Ground Ginger

In a bowl, Lara combined as much of the whole cumin, corriander, fennel, fenugreek and cinnamon stick as she fancied. Then I stepped in to heat the whole spices in a dry frying pan over a medium heat until the second that the corriander seeds first started to pop. It is tempting to heat the spices until they start to brown, but trust me, if you take them off the heat at this point then they continue to cook and brown as they cool. This prevents them from burning and going bitter (and pinging all over the kitchen).



Once the spices had cooled, we mixed in the whole black pepper corns and cardamom seeds and then ground the spices to a fine powder. You can either do this using a pestle and mortar (great fun for older children to bish and bash, but far too much like hard work for me!). We used an old coffee grinder that I reserve these days for spices. Lara placed the whole spices into the blender and then gave it a good zuzz for a about 20-30 seconds.

At this point I let Lara shake out the powder into a big bowl before adding in all of the remaining ingredients. She gave it a really good mix to ensure that the ground spices were evenly mixed with the turmeric (and to ensure that she got bright yellow turmeric all over the floor, her feet and my arms).

We decanted the curry powder into a sealable jar and labelled it "Lara's Curry Powder" so that we don't forget what it is. A jar this size will last us two or three months. I think, by the look on Lara's face, that she felt very proud!



Note:- If you intend to make your own curry powder with a toddler then be prepared to get turmeric yellow stains EVERYWHERE! In retrospect, I probably shouldn't have let Lara wear a brand new T-shirt when making her first curry powder!

Thank you Schwartz for helping me to achieve one of my new year's resolutions - teaching Lara to cook. If she learns nothing else this year, she has one staple recipe under her belt!

Mama Jewels Review : Jewellery Designed For Mum With Baby In Mind

Last week at Cybermummy I wore my Mama Jewels limited edition breastfeeding necklace and it got lots of interest and great compliments. My long-length Indian Summer Grey and Pink nursing necklace has a heart pendant and looks stunning against a plain single-colour top.

The necklace, like most of Mama Jewels' products, is designed specifically for the nursing mother. The beads are chunky and although they look tempting for tiny hands to grab, the beads have been tested to make sure that they can't be ripped off by naughty babies or toddlers. The necklace is made from a subtle silver coloured thread which is resilient to grabbing and chomping (something Lara seems to do more of, the older she gets).

The beads are all washable, non-toxic and sterilisable so that you need not worry if your child does choose to chomp or suck on your necklace.

I really like my Mama Jewels necklace. I so rarely get a new necklace (about one every 10 years at present!) so this has been a really special treat for me and so I can quite honestly say that it would make a wonderful gift for any new mum or mum to be. Its great to have something for you, rather than for your baby and yet not feel like you're taking a risk by using it.

My necklace from Mama Jewels was beautifully presented in a presentation box as smart as any piece of jewellery of any cost that I've ever owned.

If you take a look through the Mama Jewels website you'll see a whole range of gorgeous jewellery in loads of different styles and colours. Mama Jewels also stocks necklaces specifically designed for teething babies, pregnancy bola necklaces, fingerprint jewellery, personalised jewellery and breastfeeding reminder necklaces along with a whole range of other non-jewellery gift ideas for new mums and dads.