Spring is almost here! And when the warm weather comes that means lots more getting out and about to enjoy the sun!  Whether it be riding around the river, walking to school  or riding their scooter around the block make sure your little one is safe with Vissy Vests and Vissy Skins!

Your child’s safety is maximised by a combination of active teaching, close supervision and providing them with personal protective clothing or equipment.

Vissy Vests are fun and bright child safety vests that ensure that your child’s visibility is maximised while out and about.  They include a lost child tag inside which makes the great also for wearing in crowded situations such as train stations or community shows. Available in several fun designs for boys and girls – these retail for $24.95

Vissy Skins provide kids with maximum sun protection head wear without compromising the safety of their helmet!  Helmet manufacturers recommend that nothing be worn underneath the helmet to ensure it works effectively in the event of an accident.  Vissy Skins are high visibility with a reflective strip – which makes them great also for improving visibility when outdoors in the evening also. Available in high visibility pink or yellow – these retail for $19.95

All this week (until Sept 4th, 2011) if you buy a Vissy Vest and a Vissy Skin your receive both for $30 (that’s 35% OFF!) Use code HIVISKIDS to claim your discount (limited stocks so hurry!)

Here are some different, but yummy recipes that baby will love!

Blue Surprise

Suitable for baby 6 months
1 super juicy sweet peach (canned is okay too!) peeled, stoned and diced
1 soft pear, peeled, cored and diced
75gm blueberries, fresh or frozen
2 to 3 tbsp baby rice cereal

1 Qubies for storing left overs

Place all of the fruit into a saucepan with a little water.

Cover with a lid and cook over a low heat for approximately 8 min, stirring occasionally until fruit is soft.
Place in a blender and puree.

Add rice cereal while hot

Potato & Salmon

Suitable from 8 – 12 months

1 cup cooked mash potato – mashed

2 tablespoons cooked fresh salmon – mashed

1 Qubies for storing leftovers

Simply mix the ingredients together

Tuna, banana & avocado – Yep!

Suitable from 8 – 12 months

1/2 cup canned tuna

1/2 cup banana

1/2 avocado

Simply mix all ingredients together

Recipes courtesy of www.qubies.com.au

What’s Qubies? Qubies is an upside down freezer tray for storing baby food, breast milk and more!  It’s unique design means that food is protected while being frozen, and when ready, getting the cubes out is easy!  Can also be used for storing left over stocks, pastes, wine or just use as an ice cube tray.  Its strong design means that you will never need to buy another ice cube tray again.

Qubies are available from Trollipop for $19.95 (+post), and are available in blue or aqua (use code TROLLIPOP10 for a 10% disc)

Here at Crokidiles, we love to bring you the best products that can make parenting that little bit easier.  What we love more are products that not only make life easier but they keep you family safer at the same time.

Check out the products below they get a big safety tick of approval from us!

The Groovy Gripper prevents baby from choking on the last little piece of rusk.  This last piece is the rusk can be the perfect size for baby to swallow and choke on. $14.95

Driver distraction can be a contributing factor in some vehicle accidents.  Travel Trays help organise your little one’s snacks, drinks and toys to keep your child entertained on that long trip or those frequent trips round town, so you can keep your eyes on the road. $19.95

Drop Buddy helps you make sure you little one’s favourite toy or dummy doesn’t fall on the floor while on that long trip or for those frequent trips round town in the car.  Don’t be tempted to turn around to pick up a toy or dummy – let Drop Buddy keep them on hand for your little one to retrieve.  $6.95

It is not recommended that babies be swaddled where a 5 point harness is required to be applied, like in the baby car seat or in a pram.  Sleepy Wings allow you to reduce your baby’s startle reflex while also allowing full safe application of the 5 point harness in a rear facing baby seat or pram.  $29.95

Your child’s safety is maximised by interactive teaching, close supervision and providing them with personal protective equipment.  Vissy Vests are a fun way for your kids to be much more visible when out walking or riding their bikes.  Also good for keeping an eye on them in crowded situations like train stations or community fairs etc – has a lost child tag inside to put your contact information.  $24.95

Manufacturers recommend that hats are not worn underneath bike helmets to ensure they work effectively in the event of an impact.  Vissy Skins allow you to make sure you child has maximum sun protection while not compromising the safety of their helmet.  They are also highly visible and have a reflective strip on them to make them more visible when riding their bikes or scooters. $19.95

Family safety is also about being prepared.  The outcomes of an emergency or urgent situation can greatly depend on how prepared families are.  The Babysitter Checklist Magnet is the perfect way to keep all your emergency information in one, easy to access location. Do carers of your children know where the first aid kit is? The name of the closest cross road? The number for poisons information? $4.95

Use the code SAFEKIDS before August 28th and receive 20% OFF your purchase

Crokidiles Members are winner!

Congratulations to Isabel Tan!  You are our Crok Club Member winner for JULY! You have one your choice of a pair of Sock Ons or a Drop Buddy!

Want to be a in the running next month? All you have to do to be in the running to win is be a part of our Crokidiles Exclusive Members Club & make a purchase – it’s that easy! We draw one lucky winner each month!

To join the Crokidiles Exclusive Members and to find out more information about member benefits CLICK HERE!

The other night my older son hopped out of the bath, and offered to get himself dressed while I finished bathing the baby, he was just about to turn the light on in his room when I realised we hadn’t had the talk about not having wet hands when turning on the light switch.

I asked him to dry his hands first, and explained the he could get an electric shock and could be seriously hurt if he touches the light switch with wet hands.  This opened up a whole lot of questions about electricity, and of course is only one area where children can be at risk – so I thought I would put a little post together on how to explain electricity and electricity safety to kids in a way they understand.

Here are some answers, in kids talk, to some of the questions my little one asked?

What is electricity?  It is an energy source we use to power lights, heaters, toasters, kettles, tv’s and much more.

 How can it give me a shock? Electricity always goes to earth (or the ground) and travels through conductors.  Water is an excellent conductor so if you have wet hands or it comes into direct contact with your body electricity can easily travel through your body – by using your body as a conductor

 How can I make sure I don’t get a shock? Never play with power points, switches, plugs or appliances.  Make sure your hands are dry when you turn light switches on or off, use the on or off button on an appliance like your game console or tv or when you are switching your lamp on and off.

 What will happen if I get a shock?  Electricity is very dangerous, and can seriously hurt you if you come into contact with it – if you get a shock you will need to go to hospital so it’s best to make sure you remember the rules below –

 AT HOME

• Electricity and water do not mix – don’t take an electrical appliances into the bathroom
• Do not poke anything into an electrical appliance or power point
• If you think someone in your house has had an electric shock and they are unconscious ring 000 – do not touch them or you may get an electric shock too!
• Make sure you tell Mum and Dad not to use double adapters with power boards or use double adapters on other double adapters (called piggy backing) this can overload the power point and cause fires & make sure you only use power boards with  a built in safety switch

 OUTSIDE

• Never play around power poles and power lines
• Stay on the ground – don’t try and climb trees or climb power poles
• Stay away from electrical substations (if you see a building with a fence around it don’t go inside the fence – parents ensure you point these out to your children and explain to them what they are)
• Make sure you tell Mum and Dad to Dial before they dig (Dial 1100)

Remember! It’s important to have a functioning RCD (residual current device or safety switch) in your house, that is regularly tested (it is recommended it is tested every 3 months) – but you cannot rely on this you must teach children how to interact safely with electricity so that they apply these lessons in and out of the house wherever they are.

Information courtesy of www.westernpower.com.au/pluginkids/electricalsafety

For some great games to teach kids about electricity safety go to Electrical Safety World http://www.nvenergy.com/kids_safety/

CONGRATULATIONS to Lou Evans on winning our Sock Ons Competition.

Lou has won two pairs of Sock Ons (valued at $9.95ea) – these clever little things go over the top of baby’s socks and LOCK them on, no more searching for lost baby socks!

Thanks for sharing your story about your mischievous little girl – your Sock Ons will be sent shortly

We’ll run another competition soon – so keep an eye out on our on the Trollipop facebook page!

Crokidiles Exclusive Club Members are winners!

Just for being a member and making a purchase you go in the draw for a monthly giveaway.

This months lucky winner is GEMMA ROSSER ! Thanks for your support!

GEMMA has won the choice of a pair of Sock On’s or a Drop Buddy

CONGRATULATIONS – your prize will be mailed shortly

This Friday, May 20th is National Walk Safely to School Day!  This is an annual community event where Primary School children are encouraged to walk and commute safely to school.

The objectives of WSTSD are:

• To encourage parents and carers to walk to school with primary school age children and reinforce safe pedestrian behaviour.
• To promote the health benefits of walking and help create regular walking habits at an early age.
• To ensure that children up to 10 years old hold an adult’s hand when crossing the road.
• To help children develop the vital road-crossing skills they will need as they become mature pedestrians.
• To reduce the car dependency habits that are being created at an early age and which will be difficult to change as children become adults.
• To promote the use of Public Transport.
• To reduce the level of air pollution created by motor vehicles.
• To reduce the level of traffic congestion.

For more information about how you can get involved go to -

http://www.walk.com.au

To support children walking to school safely Trollipop have Vissy Vests reduced to only $19.95  (usually $24.95).  Encourage your children to walk to school safely through close supervision, active teaching and encouraging them to wear high visibility clothing.  Click here for more information on Vissy Vests – fun high visibility vests for kids

Posted by Lauren, 15th May, 2011

This great kids arts & crafts activity starts with a walk around the block and ends with a creating a beautiful collage of the nature in your family’s local area. Great activity for a sunny day, or even a rainy winters day if you have an outdoor undercover area and a raincoat & umbrella. All you need is a small bucket, some paper, a glue stick and some crayons. And for clean up all you need is a dust pan and brush! This is also a great camping art & craft activity!

Step 1 – Grab a bucket and go for a walk around the block

Ask your little one to find little pieces of nature to stick on their collage. It’s amazing how this gets them looking more closely at plants and trees as you walk. Talk about different colours, shapes and smells etc with them.

Step 2 – Tip all the contents of your bucket into a tray

Lay out all the little treasures you have collected ready to be added to the collage

Step 3 – Use a glue stick and crayons to create a beautiful nature collage

Lay out a piece of paper for your little one to make their creation. I used one long piece of brown paper, but you could also use several smaller pieces of paper depending on the ages of the children and whether they will work on the creation together or seperately. Here are some ideas to get them started -

Get them to draw the trunk of a tree and then stick the leaves and flowers on, they can also layer the bottom of the trunk with grass.

Have them draw their names with the glue stick then sprinkle sand and other little pieces over the glue. Then shake the excess off and see their delight as they see their name appear.

Step 4 – Clean up

Use a dust pan and brush or the vac-blower to clean up the left over sticks and leaves and pop it all in the bin (or preferably return in back to nature!) – EASY !

Our sons and their friends thoroughly enjoyed this activity and it was a great way to get out of the house, take in a leisurely walk around the block and keep the kids from destroying the house for a couple of hours on a beautiful Sunday afternoon! I hope you enjoy creating your family’s local nature collage too.

P.S It’s fun for babies too

Well the Crokidiles Exclusive Members Club was born in late March. As part of the membership benefits, any member who makes a purchase within the month goes into the draw to win a giveaway. Because there was only a week or so on March I have combined the purchases for March and April to start with.

So I am happy to announce that our winner of the first monthly giveaway is Megan Swan! Megan you have won a Drop Buddy – the toy and cup saver lanyard! CONGRATULATIONS!! This will be posted out to you shortly!