All Natural Kids Bugs Spray Review and Giveaway!

We were graciously sent Absolute Green's 100% Natural DEET Free Bug Spray a few months ago to try out.  It came just at the right time, when the bugs here in North Florida were starting to peak.

Ya'll know what freaks Tara and I are about buying everything organic and chemical free and bug spray is no exception.

I really liked this spray.  When I sprayed it on Penelope it smelled nice and did not leave a heavy residue.  And it seemed to work just fine.  Now, were not in the middle of a swamp, but for normal outdoor activities it has been really great for us.  I like, Tara, found I had to really put a lot on, but its so light and smells good that it isn't really a problem.

Here is what Tara said:

"I liked the bug spray for Arabella and I.  It didn't have as strong of a smell as my other all-natural spray.  It was nice to come in from being outside and not have a cloud of citronella around us.  I did have to use a little more than I normally do, to keep those pesky mosquitoes away though (we really put it to the test by going out at dusk).  I didn't mind having to do that because of the all-natural ingredients.  Great product!"

More about this awesome product from Absolute Green:

This bug spray repels mosquitoes, including the west nile virus producing mosquito's, biting flies, gnats, no see-ums and other annoying insects! Our spray of essential oils keeps the bugs away while your children enjoy nature, look for seashells, find frogs or just play outside without getting bug bites!

Absolute Green Kids Natural Bug Repellent is a non-toxic bug spray that works great, dries non-oily and has a pleasant aroma. Convenient 4oz size allows for an easy travel companion. Lasting 4-6 hours between applications. Recommended for the whole family.

Contains: Witch Hazel Distillate, Ethyl Alcohol (from corn), Lemon grass Eucalyptus Essential Oil, Neem Seed Oil, Cedar wood Essential Oil, and other essential oils.


So would you like to try this awesome bug spray?  Well today's your lucky day!  Absolute Green is giving away 3 BOTTLES to HMHB readers!!!

Here is what you have to do to enter:

MANDATORY ENTRY
Check out Absolute Green on Facebook and "like" them.

You must be a Healthy Mama, Healthy Baby Google Follower to participate.

EXTRA ENTRIES
Must include email address if not listed in profile. Each entry must be a separate comment.

* Follow Healthy Mama, Healthy Baby on Facebook.  We have a blast over there!

* Blog about this Giveaway on your blog and provide post URL.

* Post about this Giveaway on Facebook and tag Healthy Mama, Healthy Baby AND Absolute Green.

Good luck everyone! Giveaway will run until 7.30.11! I will use random generator to pick a winner and will email the winner and announce it here on the blog. The winner will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be announced.

DISCLAIMER: We were not paid for this post.  Thank you, Absolute Green for allowing us to review your products and for the awesome giveaway. If you are interested in having me do a review and giveaway for your business or product, or about our advertising pricing, send us an email at healthymamahealthybaby at gmail dot com.

Current Giveaway: Green Toys Feeding Set!

Green Toys sent me a set of their BPA Free Feeding Bowls, Feeding Utensils and Plates.  They came just in the nick of time.  Penelope has been doing really great with Baby Led Weaning.  She pretty much eats whatever we are eating for dinner now.  She is not eating a ton in general, and sometimes she just chews the food and spits it out.  Some nights she eats a bunch, it just depends on her mood.  Every night, she eats one egg yolk.   I use the bowl to pour the egg yolk in after I boil the egg and break it open.  And I use the plate to put a few bite sized pieces of food on it and let her go to town eating whatever she chooses.  I spoon fed her the egg yolk and use the spoon that came in the utensil package.  It's so tiny and cute!  Penelope loves to grab it and take it from me to try and feed herself.

I am thrilled with all three products!  And I love having several of each to use.  The look so freaking cute stacked in my cabinets. 

The company is oh so crunchy and green, um hello they named it Green Toys for a reason!  They use recycled milk jugs to make everything.  They are made in the USA, California to be exact.  All Green Toys products are packaged in recycled corrugated boxes with no plastics, cellophane or twist-ties, and are 100% recyclable.   And most importantly, the products contain no traceable amounts of Phthalates or BPA. They are also designed without any external coatings, eliminating the fear of lead paint.

Since I love the bowls, plates and utensils so much I am being a little stingy with my giveaway this time around.  Green Toys sent me one package of each and each package has four items in it.  I am keeping three and giving away one.  The giveaway will be a little starter set of one plate, one bowl, one spoon and one fork! 


You can enter to win by leaving a comment below!  You can gain SIX additional entries in the following ways, but remember to leave an ADDITIONAL COMMENT FOR EACH ENTRY.  1) add MBL to your blog roll (1st timers only) 2) become a fan on facebook (1st timers only)  3) mention the giveaway on your blog, or 5) on facebook, or 6) on twitter.  A winner will be randomly selected on August 28th 12p EST.  Good luck!

And p.s. the company makes the most adorable tea set out of the same material.  I actually purchased a set last December when I found it on sale.  It's been in our closet ever since, waiting to be wrapped for Christmas.

Mimi the Sardine Spill Mat Review

Mimi the Sardine sent me their Spill Mat to review about a month ago, when they sent the Messy Baby Bib to giveaway.  I have been using it this whole time under her high chair when Penelope eats dinner with us.  It has really worked great.  Its a large enough of a square of fabric (42"x42"), that it pretty much catches everything that falls.  I lazily, wipe it down, after dinner or pick up the big pieces (ok, Peter does this) and then I fold it up and put in the little bin that is on the bottom area of her high chair till next time.   Once a week I wash in the machine for a good cleaning.  The Spill Mat can double as a art mat for letting the tots go crazy with creative time, but I found and even better use...

Just last week we starting doing Elimination Communication with Penelope. Half of our house is tiled and wood floors but the other half is carpet, and she spends a good amount of time playing on the carpeted areas.  We have our house on the market and just got our carpets cleaned, so I was not about to let her go diaper free over the carpets.  As I brain stormed about what I could do to contain any messes, I gazed at her Spill Mat folded up underneath her high chair.  And I thought, "BINGO!!"  I can spread her Spill Mat over the carpet and let her play with her toys on that.  And it worked perfectly! If I don't catch a pee-pee, I just wipe it and spray it down with my homemade all purpose spray and keep on using it.  Once, I missed part of a poo-poo, and I wiped it down and then through it in the wash with the cloth diapers.   I let it air dry in the laundry room and it was dry within a half hour and ready for use again.

The mat is made of organic cotton with a water based acrylic coating on it.  So no nasty chemicals!  And they have the CUTEST patterns and designs to choose from.

I really, really like this product and recommend it for feeding/art time OR if you are practicing Elimination Communication!

{Full disclosure: Mimi the Sardine sent me the Spill Mat to review and in return I keep the mat.}

Petunia Pickle Bottom TourGuide Baby Carrier Review

Petunia Pickle Bottom sent me their TourGuide Baby Carrier a few weeks ago, to try out and see how I liked it and then relay my findings to you, my wonderful readers. Let me tell you, I was so excited to get my first product to review!  I felt like a real Blogger!

I was a bit worried at first that I wouldn't like it at all, because I am so used to my wraps and slings and because I had heard that these types of carrier can be hard on a babies hips, because of how the weight is distributed.  However, I was pleasantly surprised, Penelope did not seem like she was uncomfortable at all.  I am not sure if it is because she is an older baby, with bigger more established pelvic bones, or because she wears a cloth diaper and it gave her extra padding on her bum.  She liked it just as much as any of my other carriers.  She is not a very cuddly baby, even in a carrier.  She wants to be held, but she wants a full view of her surroundings.  This carrier gave her that.

Even though, I felt it was safe and comfortable for her, it was not as comfortable for me as my wraps and slings are.  Penelope is about 21 pounds.  The directions say that it can hold a baby up to 22 pounds, so it may be that she is just on the heavy side, as far as comfort goes, for me, anyway.  In this type of carrier, all the weight of the baby is distributed on the shoulders and upper back of the person wearing it.  I do not have much upper body strength, so she got heavy pretty quickly.  While we are talking about how chubby my baby is, her fat thighs were too big to fasten the button on the side.  It didn't matter though, I think its meant for extra support for newborns anyway.  But it was pretty funny, seeing her big ole thighs in it and not being able to fasten it!  When I talked to Petunia Pickle Bottom about it, they let me know that  the side buttons are only for babies that are between 8 and 11 pounds.

But, Peter, LOVED it.  He thought it was awesome.  He has pretty much taken it over as his carrier.  He loved that is was a strap and click system; he could throw it on, pick her up and get her into place, click it and be off.  I think he liked that is was a bit more plain and simple looking.  Not manly, but simple.  He liked that he could do it himself too.  With the wraps or slings, he needs my help.  He figured out how to get her in there, while sitting down (his logic: in case he drops her, he is closer to the ground) and then he stands up and goes on about his business washing dishes or taking Sky for a walk.   He says it is super comfortable for him, maybe because he has more muscles in his shoulders? 

So for Dads, or new moms with smaller babies that don't want to mess with wraps and slings, I highly recommend this carrier!

Oh, and I forgot mention....its a green product!  It's made out of post consumer recycled materials. How great is that?

{Full disclosure:  In return for doing the review on my blog, I get to keep the carrier.}