We give Very Good Service!

Here at Little Sunflowers, we've always been proud of our customer service as well as our great children's clothes, so we're delighted to bring you our latest news.

If you're a Fan of our Facebook Fan Page or you follow us on Twitter, you'll know that we were hoping to be listed on the verygoodservice.com website.

verygoodservice.com is a new website aimed at bringing together companies that have won awards for their products and services to make it easy to find the very best companies.

They usually feature award winning companies, many of which are large businesses that are very well known and enter lots of awards. But then there's a smaller part of the website, a part which we love.

Severine's corner is for companies that haven't necessarily applied for awards, may not spend thousands on advertising, and possibly aren't well known. But they DO give great customer service, and are vouched for by their customers.

In order to be listed on the site, we had to get our customers to vouch for us, and we're thrilled that you came in droves!

"have ordered a couple of things from this site and check it all the time -
service is quick and fast and only have to spend £12 for free delivery "

"Great clothes, great service, great people :)"

"Lovely people with fab service and gorgeous products. What more could you want!"

"Fantastic service - nothing is too much trouble - thank you x"

"super service i love to buy stuff from you "

And because you said such nice things about us, Severine now has us listed in her corner - so a huge thank you to you all! We'll continue to try and provide great customer service, and look forward to dealing with every one of you in the future!

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What is the Oeketex 100 Standard?

Before we opened our doors for the first time in 2004 we aspired to stock only childrenswear made from organic cotton. It became obvious very quickly however that, even such a relatively short time ago, this would be difficult to achieve if we wanted bright, bold colours, fabulous styling and all at the right price. However we have come a long way in 6 years, and so has the market.

Many new clothes appearing in store and online are carrying the Oeko-Tex 100 standard label. But what exactly does this label mean and what are the benefits to you and your child?

What is the Oeko-Tex 100 Standard?

Established in 1992, the Oeko-Tex 100 Standard is a worldwide certification and testing system used for textiles. The system is used to limit the use of certain chemicals in textiles, particularly those used in clothing.

Whilst many of us can wear all kinds of fabrics without any reaction, others find that their skin is irritated by the chemicals which are used when manufacturing and creating the clothes that we wear. So by choosing a brand that supports the Oeko-Tex 100 Standard you can be certain you are buying a garment that has found to be free of all substances which are harmful to humans at each stage of the production process.

Safe for children

Since babies and infants have much more sensitive skin, sometimes they can react more to certain chemicals so the Oeko-Tex label offers additional protection for them.

Ethical

The Oeko-Tex label is also a sign of care in the textile production process, including the raw materials that are used to create clothes. Oeko-Tex standards ensure that materials are responsibly sourced. This means re-planting any trees or plants that are used to ensure there is no significant impact on the environment.

Tests are carried out on all textiles in the production process for components such as pH value, formaldehyde content, pesticides, and allergy related chemicals. This means that textiles used in the production process are free from anything that would harm the environment, with the added bonus that the clothes are also free from these things.

Stylish

Of course, any brand that carries the Oeko-Tex label can be stylish too! The label won't affect the price or the style, it's there to provide quality assurance. Many well-known brands are now supporting Oeko-Tex 100 standard which is fast becoming a selling point for concerned consumers.

In short therefore, the Oeko-Tex standard allows you easily see that the garment you’re buying is free from anything that would harm the environment. Something worth bearing in mind is that this doesn’t mean a non-Oeko-Tex standard range hasn’t been produced ethically, to high standards or without the use of harmful chemicals in its production. However with Oeko-Tex you can be sure.

As our offer to you evolves, so does that of our suppliers. There have been so many changes in our ranges since 2004, either because we have chosen a new range specifically because of how it is produced, or because existing suppliers are changing their production methods. Toby Tiger, for example, have been shifting all their designs across to organic cotton over the past couple of years. And some of our other brands are responding to consumer demand in small steps, introducing a small number of organic or Oeko-Tex standard designs at a time.

Stylish and fun clothing is a good way for your child to look great. We will continue to look for brands which meet the Oeko-Tex or organic standards so that you can feel good about your children wearing them at the same time.

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Children's Shoes Sizes - European, US, UK & Crocs!

When looking to buy children's shoes the sizes can be confusing.

Not only do you need to know the right size but children’s shoes are sold in European, Crocs, US as well as UK sizes. To make things trickier, many Kids’ Crocs are dual size so they are designed to cover two sizes rather than just one. And of course when buying shoes online you can't try them on to make sure they fit!

It's important to get the size right to avoid the hassle of having to send items back and exchange them for the correct size. Getting the right size first time also puts a great smile on your little one’s face.

There's nothing worse than being given a fab new pair of shoes only to have them taken away from you again because they don't fit properly!

This is a table that we’ve been using for years to convert sizes when they arrive in the shop (please bear in mind that, whilst we rarely have problems, 100% accuracy between brands can’t be guaranteed):

(Click on the image for a bigger version)

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Why we're Proud of our 15,000+ Positive Feedback Record on Ebay

A couple of weeks ago we hit 15,000 positive feedbacks on Ebay.co.uk.

It's a strange thing that Ebay sometimes gets a bad press yet it is the biggest online marketplace in the world. So why do we sell on Ebay when we have our own online shop?

We have sold (and bought) on Ebay since we opened our first shop in Wendover (2004) and have seen lots of changes. It has shifted from being a bit of an online boot sale with lots of second hand items to a quality marketplace with many High Street retailers now having their own Ebay shops (Argos, Tesco, Debenhams, Next) in their own name, with the emphasis shifting from auctions to 'buy it now'. We have also noticed that many new items sell for full recommended retail price, suggesting that customers trust Ebay even when they could buy for the same price elsewhere and don't necessarily associate Ebay with 'bargain basement' these days.

Some of our designers don't allow their designs to be sold on Ebay for a variety of reasons, usually because they believe being seen on Ebay will devalue their brand. Ebay attracts massive amounts of traffic and therefore exposure for a small brand and, since many of the brands we sell in our Ebay shop sell for full RRP, we're not sure we would agree with the devaluing argument any more. However we of course respect our brands' wishes and do not sell there if they don't want us to - hence you'll find some brands on our website that are not in our Ebay shop.

On Ebay we also have Top Rated Seller status as well as a 100% positive feedback record as I write this (tempting fate or what!) and we are very proud of both - particularly as feedback is being given by customers who are not obliged to do so.

Ebay sometimes makes mistakes but we are great fans of a company which has been very good to us. And of course we have been known to pick up the odd bargain ourselves there now and again!

Do you sell or buy on Ebay, and have your views on it changed?

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Take the kids to an airshow this summer - but protect their hearing!

Summer is a great time for outings with kids - and what could be more exciting than an airshow?

Seeing planes close up, hearing the roar of the engines, maybe even getting the chance to look inside an aeroplane and meet the pilot? If you're lucky, some airshows allow you to book helicopter and plane rides, and what kid wouldn't love that?

The UK Airshow website has a list of some of the airshows in the UK this year - you're sure to find one close to you.

If it's a military airshow you're interested in, definitely check out the Military Airshow website, which has some great information, history and tips, as well as a 2010 airshow calendar.

And last but not least there's Flightline UK, an independent webzine covering the UK airshow scene.

But don't forget, your kiddies' ears aren't as used to loud noises as yours, and so protecting them is a must.

Which is why we're thrilled to stock a fab collection of Baby Banz Hearing Protection ear muffs.

These funky Earmuffs not only look great, but also protect children's ears from potentially harmful noise.

Weighing only 190 grams, Banz Ear Muffs fit in the palm of your hand making them easy to carry with you or store away.

Banz hearing protectors effectively reduce the intensity of harmful loud noises without shutting out other ambient sounds. They are easy to wear with soft cushion cups to the ears and no protruding parts that can catch on things. They are designed to ensure that there is plenty of space for the ears inside the shells.

Banz earmuffs have a comfy leather cover over the headband and their lightness adds to their comfort when wearing.

They are perfect for all sorts of activities including:

• going to sporting events, car races or air shows
• when Mum and Dad are mowing the lawn, drilling,vacuuming or other noisy activities at home
• music concerts
• calming young children in generally noisy environments
• Mum and Dad's karaoke!

And as well as being practical, they're cool too, as the pictures in this blog post prove!

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April showers - we're ready for them!

It's April already, and with it come the obligatory April showers (although some would say that we've had nothing but April showers since the beginning of the year!)

The great thing about April showers is that the milder weather means they're great fun to take the kids out in. What's more fun than an hour or so splashing in puddles, looking for rainbows and catching raindrops on your tongue?

Keep the kids dry while they're out having fun is.. well... child's play with the fab Kidorable range, available at Little Sunflowers now.

Dinosaurs, fairies, butterfiles, firemen, ladybirds and more - with raincoats, wellington boots and backpacks you could have a different adventure every day!

See below for direct links to the different ranges, available in ages 2-6 (raincoats), and sizes 4-10, there's sure to be a set that your child loves!

• Kidorable Dinosaur
• Kidorable Butterfly
• Kidorable Fairy
• Kidorable Fireman
• Kidorable Frog
• Kidorable Ladybird
• Kidorable Mermaid
• Kidorable Pirate
• Kidorable Woodland Fairy
  

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