Express Delivery Suspended over the Easter Break

It's almost Easter and we don't want to interrupt all that chocolate eating and egg hunting too much. So here's a very quick update about deliveries over the next 5 days.

The bad news: we suspended the Express Delivery option on our website tonight.

The reason: Friday and Monday are Bank Holidays in the UK, no UK courier company will deliver on Saturday (unless you pay a subsidy of a squillion pounds) and Royal Mail can't guarantee a Saturday delivery.

That takes you to Tuesday which didn't feel very 'Express' to us, hence we've taken that option away so you're not tempted only to be disappointed.

The good news: we'll be working as hard as ever getting your orders out during the break and our usual Express Delivery option will return to the website on Tuesday.

Have a lovely Easter everyone!

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Protecting your children's eyes from the sun

When the sun is shining on a nice warm summer day it's great to wear sunglasses. It looks good and it protects our eyes from harmful UV rays which can cause long term damage. Sometimes it's easy to forget that our children have even more sensitive eyes that need protecting.

Traditionally, to protect your childs eyes you would either use a hat that allows a shadow to form over the eyes or some other way of cover the sun so the eyes are shielded by a shadow. That's all well and good but the eyes aren't actually being covered. If your child looks up there will be no protection.

What are the risks?

The risks associated with prolonged UV exposure on infants' eyes are endless. There are many eye related health problems and even sight loss can become a problem. The young babies eyes aren't able to cope with extreme UV rays and can cause pain to the baby when outside after only a few minutes.

Imagine how it would feel, as a parent, if you child develops problems later on in life; problems that could have been easily prevented by protecting your Childs eyes from the sun.

Baby Banz

Baby Banz are a great solution, allowing your children to wear sunglasses at a very young age. Baby Banz feature a strap which wraps around the back of the head to prevent the sunglasses from falling off or slipping on the face. They also look adorable on any baby!

Baby Banz were first designed in Australia where the suns UV rays are at their highest and toughest. Baby Banz have been clinically tested by one of the world's leading authorities. Baby Banz sunglasses are safe and provide the maximum protection for your child. They've passed very high standards and tests making them perfectly safe.

A stylish solution

You really do have to see the Baby Banz on to see how amazingly adorable they are! They're quite a unique solution since not many other brands offer sunglasses to babies. Your baby can have that cool look and instantly impress anyone they meet!

Whilst some people see dressing your baby up to be stylish as inappropriate, others love it! When it comes down to it, there's nothing wrong with having a fashionable baby! People are likely to compliment you, and your family will have a cool looking younger member.

So, if you're heading out into the sun this summer; remember your children's eyes aren't as strong as yours. If you need to wear sunglasses then your children definitely need to wear sunglasses. It's the responsible thing to do and it will prevent any damage to your child. What's more, you can even get your children looking as stylish as you on the next family outing!

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Protect Your Children's Skin This Summer

Keeping your children safe can be a challenging task in itself! However, when it comes to protecting your child from thesun's damaging and potentially harmful rays there are ways you can keep your child protected. What's even better is that you can keep your children protected whilst also keeping them stylish and looking good!

Children's skin is much more sensitive to UV rays than adults' skin. Because the body is still developing and growing the skin cannot deflect UV rays as well as adults can. If children are exposed to harmful UV rays too often when they're young it can create problems later on in life such as cancer and other skin related health problems.

So it makes sense to keep your child safe and protected this summer. With a range of clothing available your children can look adorable on the beach without worrying about their skin burning. In this article we'll look at just a few of the items of clothing available to protect your children.

Sunglasses

Sunglasses provide valuable protection to the eyes against powerful sun rays. UV rays from the sun can cause long term damage to the retinas in our eyes which can cause sight problems later on in life. It can also be painful to keep your eyes open on a really sunny day and don't forget: your children probably aren't used to such bright sunshine.

Hats

Hats look great and can provide that extra fashion accessory to make your child look cute and adorable. However, hats also provide added protection against the sun. Babies and infants have very little protection on their scalp to protect them against UV rays. Putting a hat on their head will add protection and reduce risks of burning. You can also buy hats with additional UV protection built in.

Bandanas

A bandana is another way to protect the head of your child. Bandanas provide a unique look compared to a hat and can really give your child a nice look on the beach. You'll be surprised at how many passersby compliment you on your child looking adorable!

Swimsuits

Some children love the sea and water, some don't. So if your child can't stay away from the amazing world of water particles they'll need full protection from the sun. A good swimsuit will provide all over protection including arms and legs. Long sleeve swimsuits are better than short sleeved because they cover up more skin. Swimwear with UV protection is also available in a wonderful range of bright colours and styles.

Hoodies

A hoody is a great way to keep your child warm and also cover their head. You might be outside in the sunset when it's getting cold and the built-in hood will provide protection against wind, cold weather and the sun too. They're also a good way to keep your child looking fashionable and cute!

Flap hats

Flap hats have been protecting children's heads for a long time. They're a great solution to harmful UV rays beaming down on your child. Flap hats also provide cover to the back of the neck to protect the skin from burning.

At Little Sunflowers, we stock a wide range of products to protect your children's skin this summer - why not take a look right now?

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We love Jibbitz, and the story behind them!

We love all of our stock, but there are some things that we love for more than the fact that they look great and make your kids look cool. Jibbitz is one line of stock that we also love for the great story behind it.

What are Jibbitz?

Jibbitz are funky little decorative buttons that fit into the holes of Crocs, to make sure that your child has a completely unique pair of Crocs!

Batman, flowers, Dora, Backyardigans and more have been immortalised as fantastic Jibbitz, with more being released all the time.

So what's the story?

Sheri Schmelzer started the Jibbitz brand from her basement, selling each Jibbitz for $2.49, and soon struggled to cope with demand. Who would have thought that such a simple idea could have caught on so quickly?

Her husband Rich soon came on board too, and very shortly after, the Schmelzers had their first distribution deal with the well known 'Clare's' outlet, selling approximately 750 THOUSAND Jibbitz. That's a lot of $2.49s! (Incidentally we sell them for 99p each!)

To cut a long story short, Crocs soon found out how popular these little additions were, and bought the company for a rather nice $10 million, with another £10m in the pipeline if targets are met in the future.

$20 million for something started in a basement - not bad eh?

Where can I buy Jibbitz?

We're thrilled to have a wide range of Jibbitz in stock, see the links below for just a few of our range, or click here to see them all.

• Batman face Jibbitz
• Big orange flower Jibbitz
• Backyardigans Tyrone Jibbitz
• Blues Clues Jibbitz
• Boots The Monkey Jibbitz
• Buzz Lightyear Jibbitz
• English Football Jibbitz
• Diego Jibbitz
• Ladybird / Ladybug Jibbitz

Tell us which Jibbitz you own in the comments below!

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Hats on for summertime!

OK, we're a little early, but we're pretty excited about summer being around the corner.

We're working on a few free downloads for you to help you keep your children safe in the sun, but one of the best things you can do is make sure your little one always wears a hat while out in the sun.

We've got some great hats available in the shop at the moment - why not buy a couple so that if one gets misplaced you have a spare?

Baby Banz Hats

Baby Banz have a great range of hats with adjustable headbands to allow for a comfortable fit. The broad rims keep the sunlight out of baby's eyes, and all Baby Banz hats have a UPF (Ultraviolet Protection Factor) of 50+, meaning they'll block out more than 97.5% of UVA and UVB rays.

Click on each hat to find out more:

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Congratulations to Jamie and Jools Oliver!

He prides himself on being a hard working family man, so it's with delight that we read that Jamie Oliver and his gorgeous wife Jools are expecting for the fourth time!

They already have 3 lovely daughters, Poppy Honey, Daisy Boo and Petal Blossom Rainbow - will it be another girl, or will they have a boy this time?

While it seems that Jamie has mentioned his hope that a boy will help to balance out the 'oestrogen fiulled household', we're sure that both he and his wife, who suffers from polycystic ovaries, will be delighted whatever the result.

Huge congratulations Jamie and Jools, from all of us at Little Sunflowers!

Why not congratulate him on Twitter? Or leave a message below!

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