Zoolu Organics {review & giveaway}
When we come across a local, up and coming Vancouver based business we get excited. Zoolu Organics is our new, must shop at organic baby and toddler clothing store. Want hip clothing for your little one and want to feel good about buying it? Then Zoolu Organics is for you.
Owner and designer Patty Abbott saw plenty of options when buying clothes for her newborn son. The problem was, she still couldn’t find exactly what she was looking for: uniquely designed, ethically made, environmentally friendly, high-quality organic materials that would feel good against her baby’s sensitive skin. A graphic designer who loves a good challenge, Patty decided to create the kind of clothing she’d be proud to dress her son in.
By silk screening the prints by hand with water-based dye, Zoolu Organics can make sure that their clothing line is free of harmful PVC, and keep the colours vibrant. Not only are the prints eco-friendly, but the prints can survive countless washings. Eco- and Mom friendly, doesn’t get better than that!
Body suits, short sleeve or long sleeve shirts and Zoolu Organics has you covered. Their body suits / onesies are available in size 6-12 months and they all have lap shoulders. For those of you looking for a gift or are expecting your first little one, lap shoulders are important. Babies hate having anything pulled over their heads and lap 
shoulders just give you a little more wiggle room so you can get it over their head so much easier. Plus, babies seem to have big heads (or maybe mr. bean’s just seemed big). Not only are the onesies practical, they come in really great designs such as giraffe and shark.
For those of you looking for a different style, check out their long sleeve t-shirts. They are perfect for wearing on their own or layered under another shirt. They have a number of silk screened images to choose from such as turtle and lion.
Prefer a short sleeve style? Seal, rhino, frog and baboon are just a few of the designs you can select in the short sleeve style. Plus, they come in a number of great shirt colours too! If cool designs is not enough of a reason to buy these shirts, here’s some other reasons you’ll want to:
- 100% certified organic cotton
- Screen printed by hand
- Meets the Global Organic Textile Standards
- High quality interlock organic cotton
- Soft to the touch
For those of you that live locally, Zoolu Organics will be at the Bellies to Babies Celebration at the Croatian Cultural Centre on Sunday, October 3rd.
Interested in buying one? Zoolu Organics shirts are only available on the Zoolu Organics website. Check them out and don’t forget to use the code ‘wild15′ to save 15% off your purchase!
The Giveaway
Zoolu Organics is giving one of our lucky readers a Shark Crew Neck shirt!
Winners will be chosen using Random Number Generator. Winners will have 48 hours to confirm your win by email or a new winner will be chosen.
We would like to thank Zoolu Organics for the giveaway!
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Cuda Creations {review & giveaway}
Looking for a custom t-shirt for your little one’s upcoming birthday party? Then you need to check out 
Cuda Creations. Cuda Creations offers a number of great designs for everything from 1st birthday parties to 6th birthday parties, Halloween, Christmas and everything in between. We had an opportunity to try out the t-shirts from Cuda Creations for mr. bean’s First Birthday sock monkey party.
For the custom birthday shirts, you pick the number, the design, the name you want and they put it all together for you and use a professional grade heat press to apply it to a cotton t-shirt. This is no iron on transfer from the local craft store. Professional grade heat press means your design will last and last!
And if you don’t see something you have in mind, send Suzanne a convo and she will design it for you. She starts her designs by hand and then finishes the process digitally. Plus, you get a draft or two along the way to make sure your ideas are translating into what she is drawing.
Not only does Cuda Creations have a ton of great birthday designs, they also design shirts for every day too. Check out their Retro Flowerbee or for those of you with twins or needing a gift for twins, she has a really cool Yin and Yang set available in a mix of different colours.
Oh, and before I forget, you can also get pajamas too! Plus, Cuda Creations is a local BC business and we love to support local here at West Coast Mama.
The Giveaway
Cuda Creations is giving away one item of your choice! And yes, this includes custom design and jammies!
CONTEST CLOSED.
No Throw {review & giveaway}
How many times on a trip out do you stop, bend over and pick up a sippy cup or a toy your baby or toddler has thrown overboard? How many of these things did you not notice and now you’ll never get them back? Never again will you have to do this with the No Throw.
The No Throw is designed for 3 months+. It has a velcro strap on one end that fits 
around bottles and sippy cups and the other end is a leash styled handle than can be slipped over the seat belt that are attached to a car seat, a stroller, bike seat, high chair, baby backpack, you name it, you can probably attach the No Throw to it.
No Throw‘s are available in a bunch of different designs, you’ll find one for the sports fan or the princess in your life.
We had the opportunity to try out a No Throw and we put it to the test! We tried it in a couple strollers (Peg Perego P3, Quinny Freestyle 4) plus a Britax car seat. In all three the No Throw was super easy to attach and to use. Our only frustration was with the type of sippy cup or bottle that needs to be used. When we tried it with our straight-sided Playtex sippy cups, they slipped right out. But, when used with something that has a more hourglass type of shape, such as the Born Free type, the No Throw worked perfectly.
Want to buy one? No Throw are available at a number of retailers (in Canada and the U.S.) as well as online.
The Giveaway
No Throw is giving three of our lucky readers a No Throw!
CONTEST CLOSED.
Winners will be chosen using Random Number Generator. Winners will have 48 hours to confirm your win by email or a new winner will be chosen.
We would like to thank No Throw for sending us the No Throw for review and for the giveaway!
Early Childhood Education: Acquiring Sign Language
Today we have a guest post from by Emily Patterson and Kathleen Thomas, from the Zionsville Child Care Facility in Indiana.
One of the keys to surviving in a tilted economic system in which opportunities to achieve a decent standard of living will be limited is versatility – and the ability to communicate articulately in a variety of ways with the widest possible audience. This includes bilingual ability as well as the ability to communicate in non-verbal ways for the benefit of the disabled – primarily the deaf.
At the same time, a growing shortage of qualified interpreters fluent in American Sign Language has led to more career opportunities – and if current trends continue, it’s likely that skilled ASL interpreters will have little problem securing lucrative employment in a society where such a commodity is destined to be in short supply.
Signing Before They Can Speak
A great deal of research has clearly demonstrated that the early years – ages 2 to five – are the best time to educate children in different modes of communication and language. This goes beyond the spoken word (though it is an optimal time for children to learn a second language); many young children have an aptitude for signing as well.
This is not as odd as you may think. As you know, many indigenous peoples around the world, including American Indian nations, have used sign language for centuries to facilitate communication with other tribes with whom they do not share a language. Some paleontologists and anthropologists theorize that Neanderthals – who apparently lacked the vocal mechanism to produce many spoken words – depended a great deal upon hand gestures to communicate.
In fact, recent research suggests that sign language is innate. An article published in the Boulder Daily Camera in 2003 presented strong evidence that babies as young as six months old communicate with their hands:
“…by 6 to 7 months, babies can remember a sign. At eight months, children can begin to imitate gestures and sign single words. By 24 months, children can sign compound words and full sentences. They say sign language reduces frustration in young children by giving them a means to express themselves before they know how to talk.” (Glarion, 2003)
The author also cites study funded by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development demonstrating that young children who are taught sign language at an early age actually develop better verbal skills as they get older. The ability to sign has also helped parents in communicating with autistic children; one parent reports that “using sign language allowed her to communicate with her [autistic] son and minimized his frustration…[he now] has an advanced vocabulary and excels in math, spelling and music” (Glarion, 2003).
The Best Time To Start
Not only does early childhood education in signing give pre-verbal youngsters a way to communicate, it can also strengthen the parent-child bond – in addition to giving children a solid foundation for learning a skill that will serve them well in the future. The evidence suggests that the best time to start learning ASL is before a child can even walk – and the implications for facilitating the parent-child relationship are amazing.
Co-written by Emily Patterson and Kathleen Thomas
Emily and Kathleen are Communications Coordinators for the Zionsville child care facility, a member of the AdvancED® accredited family of Primrose Schools (located in 16 states throughout the U.S.) and part of the network of Indiana child care preschools delivering progressive, early childhood, Balanced Learning® curriculum.
Boogie Wipes {review & giveaway}
Runny nose season will soon be here and when it’s in full swing, there is nothing worse than a red and chapped nose. Not fun at all. Around our house, thanks to allergies and such, we (me really — I’ll be honest) have a perpetual stuffy or runny nose. At home I use saline spray or a neti pot, but try doing that in a public washroom at work. When I came across Boogie Wipes and Achooz, the adult version, I was happy!
Boogie Wipes are a saline wet wipe for your nose that dissolve boogies (mucus). Extra soft, alcohol, phthalate and paraben free, Boogie Wipes are available in Great Grape, Fresh Scent, Magic Menthol and Simply Unscented. Boogie Wipes are perfect for trying to quickly wipe a little one’s nose without making them feel like they are getting their nose wiped and doesn’t make their noses red.
Normally with a tissue, mr. bean freaks out, screams, and madly turns his head in any direction he can to get away from the tissue. Think toddler non-possessed version of the Exorcist. What ends up happening is that it takes 3 times as long to get his nose wiped and the snot gets smeared across his cheeks. And what do toddlers like even less than getting their nose wiped? Their faces wiped. But with Boogie Wipes, this is all minimized. With one quick swipe, the wipe picks everything up. No exorcist type head turning trying to get away, no smeared boogies.
For me? Boogie Wipes (and Achooz) were perfect for my dry, stuffy nose. When I forgot to use my allergy spray, these wipes helped my nose feel better than if I had just used regular tissue.
In my opinion, Boogie Wipes are a must have for your diaper bag or purse. Don’t forget to stock up because once the other parents see them, they’ll want to steal your pack.
Want to try out Boogie Wipes or Achooz? They are available for purchase on their site or through any one of their retailers. Check out their retailer listing to find the closest store to you. If you want to save money and receive samples periodically? Join the Boogie Bunch!
The Giveaway
Boogie Wipes is giving one of our lucky readers two packs of 30-count wipes!
CONTEST CLOSED.
We would like to thank Boogie Wipes for sending us the Boogie Wipes and Achooz for review and for the giveaway!
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