Bumper-Bump and Baby Blog!

To celebrate the impending arrival of a certain little niece/nephew, I thought it appropriate to use this Bumper to talk about some of the lovely niche mum and baby products on the market. I hope you enjoy and find some inspiration for gifts for someone else or yourself.

 Angelique, a beautiful brand endorsed by mother of two Louise Redknapp, offers perfectly luxurious holistic gifts for mother and baby. Their candles and soaps, blended specifically for calming and purifying purposes, are wonderfully packaged and naturally scented. They also provide beautiful presents for the new baby, including the 100% cotton My Blanket, coming in Duckling, Kitten and Bunnie. These beauties are well-priced and perfect if you're looking for a neutral gift www.angelique.co.uk

Pregnancy, at times, can be uncomfortable and sometimes anxieties arise over the changing body. There are lots of good quality products for stretch marks, but one that has achieved cult status for it's performance is the all-purpose Egyptian Magic Cream. This great big pot of beeswax, royal jelly, bee pollen and 'divine love' has apparently earned a famous following including Kate Hudson and Madonna. The miracle balm contains no preservatives or fragrance and can be used for baby and mum to alleviate skin-problems and a host of other issues, check the list out out at www.lovelula.com

'Beautiful' and 'practical' are two words that rarely appear together, but when a brand achieves this it deserves recognition. That's just what The Flower Stork, an innovative and well-designed company have gained. As an alternative gift for new mums and babies, their Baby Clothes Bouquets are beautifully handmade and have a practical purpose- the buds are made of 100% natural cotton baby garments. A bouquet can be chosen from many different options, including ones complemented with delicious bath products for the new mum, or that donate a portion of the money to charity www.theflowerstork.com

Regular readers will already be aware that I am a tea-aholic, passionate about real tea and brands that are dedicated to tea innovation. A lovely and simple gift for pregnancy can be sought in a nice hot mug of the good stuff. Some teas are not recommended for pregnant ladies (another one of those glorious restrictions), but Mama Tea are a company who has thought it all out. Founded by a mum who wants to spread her love of herbal tea to others, Mama Tea have developed a large range of options for pregnant and new-mum tea-drinkers. The blends are designed to taste beautiful while alleviating early symptoms from morning sickness and tiredness, to stress for when the baby is born or when it just won't come out.  Lovely packaging, expertly blended and great concept www.mamatea.com

Natalia, an all-natural pregnancy brand developed by an experienced therapist, caters for specific ailments that crop up during pregnancy and post-labour. The products are designed to help ease a wide-range of complaints from a holistic perspective. They also make gift boxes with useful products to use through labour and at later stages. For aching legs and tired feet, try the PreNatal Leg Refresher, a soothing aloe-vera massage gel with geranium and lemon www.soorganic.com

 

Special Baby Gift

So many babies, so few decent products. Research shows that often the toxicology levels of some baby products from big brands are off the chart. Infact, scientists now believe that our children are exposed to over 80, 000 toxic chemicals a day. On the positive side, this means that many companies are seeking natural alternatives to cleaning products and skin-products. One well-priced range, Green Baby, is doing just that and expanding their range to the supermarkets. For a special treat though, Pitta-Patta's luxurious organic products, packaged in a lovely box with a blue ribbon, offer a beautiful alternative to today's chemical nasties. Formulated originally in Australia and brought over to the UK, Pitta-Patta's focus is to make gorgeous and naturally scented, precious creams and massage oils for children and the whole family. And they've done it. I have never smelled anything as scrumptious. The creams can be used for the face or on skin-problems, while the oils can be used in the bath, for shaving and massaging. The niche thing about this range, though, is that they contain gem essences (like Bach's remedy) to work on the emotional level too. Well, the smell of my 'Freedom to Express' cream makes me very happy. The gorgeous website tells and sells www.pittapatta.com.au/