Be #SkinSmart With Coolibar Protective Outdoor Clothing (Stronger thsn SPF 100!)

***We received product samples to help facilitate this feature. Regardless all photos and thoughts contained below are original and property of Momma Told Me Blog 2015.

Momma Told Me: Watch out for the sun!

In Texas and SoCal, where the majority of our family's located over the Summer, escaping the Summertime heat means seeking shelter in an air conditioned building or finding a body of water to float in. In the past hosting fort building competitions in the living room, or a double feature at the local cinema would suffice to keep the young ones cool and unruly. This year there's a baby at home, and as Nathan's (now 11 months) first Summer wraps we've learned a lot about balancing a family that ranges in age from infant and grade school to nearly teen. You see, they don't warn you but everybody gets a little extra on edge when there's an infant involved, especially when that infant is teething and beginning to walk.

To escape the endless chants of 'Mom, I'm bored,' and the inevitable tension of being confined with one's naked, teething, brother, the family has been packing up a lot and heading to the local public pools. That, combined with an unusual amount of traveling and hotel pools, this Summer means extra consideration is needed for sun safety. You may not have noticed, after all it is quite subtle, but my adorable Nephew is just about one of the most adorable, fair skinned, redheaded babies I've seen this decade. And, while proper suncare is and should be a priority for everyone, little Nathan requires extra monitoring and protection when exposed to the sun for any amount of time.

Not to alarm you but statistics don't lie- The impact a serious sunburn has on one's life is an astounding doubled chance of developing melanoma later in life. Even more frightening is the fact that 22% of humans receive their first serious sunburn within their first year of life, and a whopping 54%, in their second. Worst of all, there is no reason for an infant, or anyone, really, to ever have to suffer the discomfort or risks associated with excessive UV exposure. In fact, Coolibar offers a wide range of stylish UPF protective clothing for children as young as infants, on up. Think you're protecting your child by throwing a t-shirt on them with a splash of sunscreen? All suncare products require reapplication at a suggested rate of every 90 minutes, an the UV filtering capabilities of that tshirt? Less than an SPF 10 sunblock, filtering just 7% of UV exposure to your child's skin.

Coolibar has several full body outfits, sun hats, accessories, and single pieces for toddlers and infants offering UPF 50+ protection that filters as much as 98% of the UV exposure to your child's skin. To give you an idea just how revolutionary that is, a sunscreen with SPF 100 (yes, 100) would be equivalent to the protection of a UPF 9 clothing- and Coolibar materials carry UPF 50+! Even better, you don't have to pull your children away from the water or fun to reapply every few hours- so long as the fabric is covering the skin, the skin is protected!

Nathan is modeling the Coolibar One-Piece Turtle Baby Boy Swimsuit (psst, on sale now!) and matching Beach Bucket hat. The material breathes well and is very soft on baby's skin while the suit's design is intuitive for mom with easy off 'onesie' style snaps. The bucket hat took a little getting used to at first, with the strap under the chin being a bit bothersome, but he's since worn the hat more than anything as he's slowly outgrown the suit (from the beginning of Summer.) We couldn't be more thrilled with the vibrant colors and graphic designs that make it easy to spot Nathan floating in the pool with his big sister, or the amount of coverage the outfit offers from head to toe!

Okay, so you don't have an infant or child at home and you're wondering what this amazing UPV 50+ clothing brand has to offer you. Coolibar makes a complete line of swim and outerwear clothing for men and women, and you'd never know it was so skin friendly! Currently on my personal wish list is the Coastal Mosaic Swim Jacket (2nd from left, above) with it's lovely side gather tassels and plunging neckline. I have been working on a tattoo sleeve on my right arm for a few years and sun protection to my arms is crucial to maintain vibrancy and clarity of the work. I'd love to take a few Coolibar pieces with me on our cruise next month!

I'm sure you've heard about UV protective clothing before- it's not a new concept, but Coolibar IS my favorite brand for stylish and innovative designs and pieces. The colors and prints are constantly evolving and each season brings something new and exciting. We've also found that this revolutionary material also holds up incredibly well though activity and wear with no fading or fraying, making these pieces of clothing worth their weight in gold. Ditch the t-shirt and get real UV protection, with #SkinSmart style, for the entire family! Now, tell the truth, are you guilty of throwing a shirt or other coverup on in hopes it would protect you from the sun? What do you spend the most time doing outdoors?

What Daughter Says: Protect every inch of your skin, not just the parts with sunscreen on. Use UPF clothing with protection that exceeds SPF 100 lotion and won't wash off!

Stimulate And Grow With The Little Tikes Activity Garden

***Thanks to Little Tikes for providing the Activity Garden for feature here on Momma Told Me. All photos are copyright Momma Told Me Blog 2015.

Momma Told Me: You have to learn to walk before you run.

It's hard to believe Nathan is already 8 months old- during my visit over the holidays the most trouble he could manage to get himself into was rolling himself up in his blanket- now he's just about mastered the art of crawling. It's adorable to watch him scoot along with mini hops, yet hard to watch the frustration as he works out the finer mechanics of the task on his own. He knows what he wants, but he hasn't quite figured out how to instruct his body to get him there fastest. For a toddler every experience is a chance to learn and grow; and stimulating fine motor skills through solo play and cooperative interaction help build valuable pathways for cognitive functions from those first words to those first steps.

While every child moves at their own path, speeding through some skills, while taking time to work on developing others, the Little Tikes Activity Garden offers a plethora of skill building opportunities for toddlers as young as 6 months, through 3 years. This 2-Stage play set offers interactive play from every angle and converts from a confined play station (great for kids just learning to crawl and sit on their own) to a stretched out interactive play-scape that encourages climbing, standing, and elementary role-playing. While Nathan is just learning to use many of the elements of the Activity Garden we especially love that there are several new things for him to discover as he continues to build those motor skills, and many of them can be removed and taken on the go!

Your child's first activity center should foster a sense of security and confidence while engaging the senses with bright colors, new shapes and sights, and interactive sound makers. The Activity Garden first converts to an enclosed play structure toddlers 6-18 months will enjoy sitting in and playing with. The colorful walls of varying heights help provide stability and security young toddlers need to establish comfort in solo play. This is especially great for dependent toddlers who have anxiety about separating  their toys from the people behind them, and also particularly useful when your baby is still mastering the finer skills of balance and self support.

Toddlers are very sensual, as they learn through exploration of their senses- touching, poking, pinching, and smacking are the first skills your baby will master before moving on to stacking and shape recognition. The Activity Garden's dual sided toy tray is perfect for transitioning to basic motor skill development (textures, mirrors, spinners, and buttons) to more complex language development and sound recognition. The flip side of the tray above has a 3 language interactive phone to help build preschool skills as your baby moves from age 2 to 3. We especially love how this play tray is entirely removable from the play center, itself, for road trips and travel play.

Remember how we said Nathan was beginning to crawl? He is equally excited to stand on his own, and the many heights of the Activity Garden's walls allow for him to practice pulling himself up and supporting his own weight. From this vantage point he can discover the shape sorter mailbox, moving telescope, and mini slide. There's even a working door with a Tap-A-Tune piano his mother's relieved he hasn't quite discovered on his own yet.

While you may not realize it, moving, or placing, objects at a point of desire, no matter how unintentional it may seem to you, is a big milestone on the road to building important motor skills. Your baby will love the many shape blocks and colorful balls that come with the Little Tikes Activity Center. Picking these up and placing these somewhere else is the first step to the intentional habit of stacking and sorting. It also helps build pathways to recollection and memory, as your infant grows and learns to retrieve the discarded object later. Expect these skills to develop somewhere between 9-12 months, with the skill culminating in shape stacking. At this point you'll start to see your baby enjoy the art of scribbling- so keep those crayons up and away from the walls, Mom!

While every day is a new milestone in your toddler's growth, having an all-in-one play station like the Little Tikes Activity Garden will help expand the importance of small tasks and basic learning to bigger triumphs and achievements. You'd be surprised what you baby can teach themselves with a little time given to discover on their own. Of course, you're certainly allowed to play and discover with them, just be sure to ring the doorbell first!

What Daughter Says: Celebrate small milestone on the road to great developments.

Blog POP! School Rules: @LittleTikes EasyStore Picnic Table Giveaway 8/20

The EasyStore Little Tikes furniture seen in this post was provide by the brand for Blog POP! Events. All photos and opinions below are original and copyright Momma Told Me Blog 2014.

Momma Told Me: Being a little kid can be cool too!

When I was a little girl I was the oldest of my cousins. Before they came along I had the pleasure of sitting with the adults at each family meal however, as our family grew, I soon found myself at the dreaded kids table. We didn't have an awesome miniature card table, or even our own chairs. We sat, on our knees, at grandma's monstrosity of  coffee table, shoveling food into our mouths as fast as we could to get back to play time. And, because grandma's table was actually more of an expensive wooden antique than a practical piece of furniture, the cousin caught at the table last was often blamed for any stains or 'markings' left on it's surface.

Hoping to avoid the trauma of my childhood for my nieces and nephews, we recently decided it was time that the children have their own defined furniture. This not only creates a sense of belonging and community, being able to sit in a chair or at a table the right size for you, but fosters a sense of responsibility in ownership. During our recent Red, White, and Brew 'getting out' (of the military) party for my brother-in-law, we tossed our Little Tikes EasyStore Picnic Table in the back of the truck. Truth be told the table folds flat and is light enough for even myself to stash in the PT Cruiser- but why let the men go without work?

We had children from 14 months to 14 attending, and every age was fascinated by the colorful, indestructible, table set up in the shady corner near the lounge area. While the easy to clean plastic surface is quickly wipe-able, I heard 4 year-old Noah telling his friends not to 'make it messy' as he proudly showed it off. There was even an orange Little Tikes garden chair, just for the toddlers to lounge in beneath the pop up umbrella, at the side. As it turns out our mini furniture stole the show, our fellow parents couldn't believe the garden chairs were just $7, and the picnic table was entirely fold-able.

I was even more pleased to note the younger kids didn't have to be told where to eat, when lunch time came- as six of our youngest sat beneath the awning with plenty of elbow room. Even our nine-year-old felt like she fit right in as she gave some table manner tips to her table-mates. Chewing with one's mouth closed, asking for the ketchup to be passed, and taking smaller bites were all brought up and it was charming to see the toddlers take cute and direction from her leadership. Not a single fight broke out, and the table was returned to for drinks and refreshments throughout the afternoon!

Our furniture was so popular, however, that 2 year-old Jake attempted to walk off with his favorite chair a few times- party foul! I suppose he felt a little like Goliath walking around with an entire chair and showing it off! And, while the table was a hit at our social event, we plan on using it for craft time and family picnics straight on through to the holiday season. There have been some hiccups in the past with markers winding up on the dining room table, but I'm happy to report neither table has been harmed since our EasyStore Picnic Table came around!

What Daughter Says: Help young kids define their space with unique furniture they can call their own.

One Momma Told Me reader will win a Little Tikes EasyStore Picnic Table with Umbrella!