summer

Beyond Coastal Sunscreen Review & Sweepstakes

 

It's impossible to keep my kids out of the sun. It's baseball season, which means we spend a lot of time outside together throwing the ball back and forth and practicing their swings. We've been lucky to have some fantastic weather while we juggle so many outdoor activities. Soon, it will be beach and pool season which means we will be lathering on the sunblock non-stop. I think my kids would be outside from sunrise until sunset if they had the chance. That means I need to have plenty of suncreen with ingredients I trust.

Last year, my husband and I started taking notice of the ingredients in our sunscreen, and this year we're even more serious about the sunscreen that we're putting on ourselves and our children's skin. I'm not a doctor or scientist - just mom trying to protect my children.

Right now, Oxybenzone is the #1 ingredient that we avoid in sunscreen so I when I received some Beyond Coastal sunscreen to try out, I was thrilled to see they were all Oxybenzone FREE.  If you're not familiar with this common sunscreen ingredient, you might want to read The Seattle Times article Do Your Part: Pick a safer sunscreen and this article from the Environmental Working Group. Ultimately, we've decided to try and steer clear of oxybenzone. I don't know if it will really make a difference in my children's health, but at least I'll feel like I'm doing my best to keep their skin safe.

We tried the Kids SPF 30+ Natural Sunscreen by Beyond Coastal and it worked great.  I've found that many sunscreens with Titanium Dioxide and Zinc Oxide tend to leave a slight white residue on the skin at first.  This one did as well, however, it didn't bother me at all. At least I feel safe with what's on my kid's skin.

The Active Face stick has become a favorite in our house. I'm embarrassed to admit that there have been many times where my husband and I have had to chase our boys around the house in order to get sunscreen on them.  I don't know what it is, but no matter how many times we've put sunscreen on them, they can still give us a hard time about it.  They much prefer to do it themselves and they really like the stick applicators. (Now if only they would actually apply the sunscreen to more than half their body, we'd be good!) Unlike the Titanium Dioxide and Zinc Oxide cream, the stick glides on very smooth and is perfectly clear. I have a feeling we'll be buying another face stick soon.

Beyond Coastal Products:

  • Provide true UVA/UVB sun protection
  • Are clean and natural as possible
  • Anti-oxidant rich to rejuvenate and heal the skin
  • Transparent, non-greasy and easy to apply
  • Water and sweat resistant so they won't sting your eyes
  • Fragrance Free, Oil Free and Paraben Free

Their Natural formulas are top rated by the Environmental Working Group and they're packed with natural anti-oxidants and contain no harsh chemicals.

So, do you want to try Beyond Coastal Sunscreen for yourself?

Enter with the Rafflecopter widget below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Real Kids Shades - Sunglasses Review & Giveaway ***CLOSED***

 

When you become a Mom, instinct kicks in.  You want to protect your child from head to toe.  But, for some reason, many parents overlook protecting their child's eyes from sun damage. Honestly, it would probably be something I might have overlooked too.  But, my little guy has been wearing glasses for farsightedness since he's been 6 months old, so this is a topic near to my heart.  Whether your child has perfect vision, or not, protecting their vision for the future is essential.

The fact is: kids need eye protection just as much or more than an adult.  Children are more vulnerable to sun-related eye damage because they typically spend more time outside compared to adults.  That is why your kids need a quality pair of sunglasses like Real Kids Shades. 

I was lucky to review several pairs of sunglasses from Real Kids Shades with my sons' help. I really admire this company because they're completely dedicated to raising awareness about the need to protect children's eyes from sun damage and have even partnered with Prevent Blindness America.

When I saw Real Kids Shades website, I was immediately drawn to the Flex Sunglasses (above).  These are amazing!  They are rubberized, bendable frames which means they are uber-durable.  And, if you're kids are as rough as mine are, this is a priceless feature. When I first saw the frames in-person, I actually thought they may be too narrow for my 5 year olds face.  But, I was wrong.  He absolutely adores these sunglasses.  I think one of the main reasons he loves these is because they are extremely lightweight which makes them very comfortable to wear.  My son has the vibrant Royal Blue Flex shades and he gives them two thumbs up!  Plus, the flex also comes in bigger Jackie-O style for girls which are really cute.

We also received the Extreme Sport style (above) that my 5 year old thinks are so cool.  I asked him why he likes them and he said "because they're colorful and rubbery."  Let me translate this... They are ideal for sports because they have a soft band that secures them on your child's head.  And, they are just really cool looking. They look like a scaled down adult version with fun kid colors, which really appeals to my son.  He's so excited to these sunglasses out on the soccer field this weekend.

My little guy, age 3, is in prescription sunglasses at the moment, and Real Kids Shades can accomodate that too!  They have a great little pair of sunglasses called My First Shades that are made for kids ages 2-5.  These frames only cost $14.99 are are ideal for parents who need might want to get custom prescription tinted lenses put into these frames (although they come with regular non-prescription lenses for kids who don't need a prescription).  These sunglasses are great for active kids who will wear the wrap around style.  These are going to be our go-to sunglasses for my 3 year old, as soon as I swap out the regular lenses with his prescription.  They will be perfect for the pool.

You have a chance to win a pair of Real Kids Shades for your child!

BUY IT

Buy Real Kids Shades on their website. 

I mentioned three of their styles above, but, they also have 5 other innovative styles.

  WIN IT

The generous folks at Real Kids Shades have offered the winner of this contest

any pair of sunglasses from their website - Winner's choice!

   How to Enter:

 Just follow Local Fun for Kids on Facebook and leave a comment here letting me know.

Bonus Entries :

Once you Enter, you may enter additional times with the following bonus entries. Just leave an extra comment here (below) for each individual entry method that you complete.

1 Bonus Entry - Follow Real Kids Shades on Facebook 

1 Bonus Entry - Follow Local Fun for Kids  on Twitter and Tweet about this giveaway:
#Win a pair of @RealKidsShades with @LocalFunforKids http://www.localfunforkids.com/giv-rev/

1 Bonus Entry - Follow Real Kids Shades on Twitter - @RealKidsShades
Each person can leave a total of 4 comments (1 Required Entry + 3 Bonus Entries)
This giveaway will be open until May 7th 2011 at midnight (EST). This contest is open to U.S. Residents Only. Must be 18 years or older to Win.  The winner will be chosen by random.org. The winner will be notified by email and must respond within 3 days with your choice sunglasees and shipping address. Real Kids Shades will be responsible for sending this prize to the winner. I am not responsible for lost prizes, but I will do my best to follow up with the sponsoring company.  This is not a paid post & all opinions are my own.  I was given free samples of the products in exchange for my review.  All opinions about these sunglasses are my own.