What is actually in your favorite sunscreen?

A hot topic these days is nano-particles. What is a nano particle?  Nano particles can be found in the “active ingredients” of a mineral sunscreen, that protect us from burning; some examples are zinc oxide and/or titanium oxide to be specific.

But why should you care?

For the past few years there has been a huge controversy over the safety of these zinc and titanium nano-particles in sunscreens and the possible damaging effects that they may cause to the skin of young kids and adults alike.

What are Nano-particles?

Nano-particles are extremely small and can be found in some brands of mineral sunscreens (a natural sunscreen is typically made with zinc oxide and/or titanium oxide). Nanometers are one billionth of a meter. In order to be qualified as a nano, each particle must be less than 100 nanometers (that’s hundreds of times smaller than the human skin cell!).

What’s the deal with nano?

The controversy around nano-particles is that, with their extremely small size, there is nothing to prevent these potentially damaging particles in your favorite sunscreen, from passing through your children’s skin and their bloodstream.

Some studies indicate that the small size could allow these nano-particles to enter places in the body not accessible by bigger molecules and may damage cells in the process. Other scientists have studied the risks and have denied these claims, stating that the levels of nano-materials detected in the bloodstream are too low to cause any harm (californiawatch.org).

While nano particles may pass through your skin and into your bloodstream, the zinc and titanium micron sized particles in TruKid sunscreen, due to their larger size, sit on top of your skin, are less likely to cause skin irritation, and they act as a physical barrier to reflect off the harmful UV rays the minute that it is applied. Meaning, you can apply our sunscreen and immediately go into the sun. With chemical sunscreens, you must wait 15 minutes after application for them to be effective.

TruKid provides safe, nano-free sunscreen

In order to completely avoid this nano controversy, TruKid has created a safe, family-friendly, award-winning, non-nano sunscreen. Instead of nano-sized particles, we use micron-sized particles (specifically 200 nanometer sized particles) which are one millionth of a meter and are 1000 times bigger than nano-particles. To understand this size difference, picture that a nano-particle is the size of a grain of sand while a micron sized particle is as large as a boulder.

Enjoy the sun safely

So, as you go to your favorite spot this summer, whether it be the beach, the park, the pool, or even just in your backyard, make sure that you’re protected from the sun’s UV rays with a sunscreen that protects your skin safely.

Enjoy the time with your family outside and let us know below in a comment what you plan to do with your family this summer!

NOTE: If you’re not sure whether or not your trusted sunscreen contains these nano-particles, we encourage you to contact the manufacturer directly to understand the ingredients and formula of the sunscreen brand and the health risks that these may cause.

(http://californiawatch.org/dailyreport/nanoparticles-sunscreen-may-be-unsafe-scientists-say-11962)

http://learn.genetics.utah.edu/content/begin/cells/scale/

The post What are Nano-Particles and What do They do in Sunscreen? appeared first on TruKid.

My father gave me the greatest gift anyone could give another person, he believed in me. -Jim Valvano
Fathers offer a special kind of love—a love that is firm, complex and unyielding, but undoubtedly unconditional. They are as much the pushers as they are the safety net; capturing you in their arms when you take a fall, but also the first to throw you back in the air so that you may learn to fly on your own.

As our strength, we turn to them for reinforcement, confirmation and drive. We expect them to be our rock. As such, it is not often enough that we consider the feelings of our fathers, the sensitive, emotional side that we know they have.

This Father’s Day, pamper and indulge dad with things he will not expect, but certainly deserves:

1. Cook him breakfast in bed. Remember when you were sick and he made you dinner in bed? Remember the special dinner celebrations? It’s been said time and time again that food is the way to a man’s heart. Wake him up on his special day with something healthy and delicious!
2. Take him out on a scenic adventure. With hectic schedules, especially as a dad, it’s hard to get out and enjoy the moment. Bask in the sun and take a breath of fresh air in the outdoors. Head to the beach for a soothing walk, or trek around in the woods for more active daddies to unwind and catch up.
3. Massage. Take dad out for a professional massage or give him one yourself. Touch is the ultimate healing. Offer dad relaxation and the ability to let go for the day.
4. Do something different. As he’s been your guide growing up, give him a chance to learn something from you. It will be a fun way to connect on a different plane. Or do something neither of you have done before. The experience will allow you to bond.
5. Ask him what he wants to do. Make his day his. How often is it that we aren’t thinking of ourselves? Consider what your father wants and ask him to choose everything to do and eat for the day. You may be amazed with what he comes up with.

The post Treat dad this Father’s Day. appeared first on TruKid.

Jennifer with her surf instructor holding TruKid sunscreen in Panama.

Coral is a living organism and also home to marine life. It is a system that allows all of these entities to exist and grow. Human interference with the coral reef impacts this underwater habitat and can lead to its destruction.

Included in this impact are the chemicals that come into contact with the reef and fish, chemicals that can be found in everyday sunscreens. Research has shown that chemicals found in store-bought, common sunscreens are dangerous to coral and can damage the algae the reef depends on by activating harmful viruses.

In a study, the ingredients below have been found to “cause the rapid and complete bleaching of hard corals, even at extremely low concentrations” (Donner et al):

▪ Oxybenzone (benzophenone-3)
▪ Octyl methoxycinnamate (octinoxate)
▪ Propylene glycol and Butylparaben
▪ Camphor
▪ Cinnamate

This same study showed that bleaching over time can affect reproduction capability, slow or stop its growth and ability to fight off disease, and even threaten the coral’s life.

Combined with global warming, all coral reefs could crumble and half of all existing sea life could disappear by 2050, in a worst-case scenario (Ove Hoegh-Guldberg, University of Queensland/AP).

Fish swim amongst bleached coral in the Great Barrier Reef, Australia, in 2006.

Sunscreen has a direct correlation as ultraviolet filters can cause dormant infections within the coral. Even small amounts can be deadly to reef ecosystems. The reef maintains a delicate balance, and simply touching a coral can kill it. Thus, it is crucial to be respectful and gentle as we are only visitors in this biosphere.

Approximately 4,000 and 6,000 tons of sunscreen are washed off in reefs every year. Coral reefs are a life source, acting as hatcheries and nurseries for open ocean fish, and protecting coastal storms. Safeguard them and sea life and decrease impact by using all natural sunscreen.

TruKid sunscreens are all natural and Reef Friendly. Protect your skin and our oceans with TruKid’s biodegradable, safe formula that is as good for the earth as it is for your skin.

The post Protect Our Oceans with Reef-Friendly Sunscreen appeared first on TruKid.

TruKid Super Cream drenches thirsty skin with all-natural, good-for-you essentials like sunflower oil and shea butter. Give little faces and bodies a break from battling environmental elements like sun and wind, and nurture skin with our ultra hydrating, pure, restorative Super Cream.

Enter here: 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Calling all mom-kid testers! TruKid is looking for a team of moms with kids to test new products and provide feedback.

Panel members will:

- Have firsthand knowledge of brand new TruKid products.
- Receive exclusive samples to test and review.
- Interact with CEO of TruKid, Jennifer.
- Have potential involvement in developing new products.

To participate, members must:
- Have children between the ages of 3-10.
- Be an existing TruKid customer, and familiar with TruKid products.
- Reads emails daily.
- Be available for a fun, interactive one hour call once a quarter.
- Provide truly honest feedback.

Please send your participation requests to jwoo@trukid.com. We look forward to hearing from you!

The post TruKid Seeking Champion Mom Tester Panel appeared first on TruKid.

I can’t get over it. I was in bed watching TV with my 8 year old daughter, which is a rare moment. She looked over at me and I just touched her little face and said to her, “I like you.”

She paused, looked at me, and said,” I like you too.”

It almost burst my heart with love for her because I didn’t think she actually liked me. She’s the one I yell at the most because she’s so sneaky! She disappears and is naughty on purpose. Maybe it’s because she is our #5 kid out of 6. I don’t know for sure, but she does seem to thrive on bugging her siblings.

For instance, when you even think you’re going to mention work, she just vanishes and hides in places. And, she’s always the one bugging her little brother, pestering him. As soon as she discovered that she could scare him, she did it four times in four minutes! She lives to get a reaction out of people. I have to say she very much resembles her daddy, my husband.

But, I find myself so touched by the fact that she said she likes me because it seems as if kids are trained to say, “I love you” in response, but I’m not at all sure that they actually like me. I am sure some of them do more than others though.

And when she, “I like you,”—I felt as if there was hope that we could be friends and that she actually likes hanging out with me.

It’s really interesting because, since she’s fessed up to liking me, I’ve actually been more patient with her. We all want to be liked, but I never considered before whether she liked me.

In that sense, liking is almost more important. Love seems to be a duty-bound thing.

So, I’ve decided I’m going to ask my other children if they like me. However, I have yet to find the right moment.

I wonder why I never considered this before. This is so important as it reminded me that I should take the time to consider what things mean to us. The fact that she paused to consider first was impressive as a child. I wonder if parents should also consider the relationships we have with our children. They are little people, and by giving them more respect, they will act accordingly. They really are quite insightful.

What do you think? Leave your comments below!

The post My kid likes me. appeared first on TruKid.

As an Easter tradition for many families, egg decorating offers creative fun for the whole family! The key is to start with planning an approach: will you blow out the egg or hard boil it? Here is a step-by-step guide on how to decorate eggs mess free. And for the those that want to be truly green, create your own all natural dyes at home with  fruits and vegetables. Think outside the box and create egg animals like an Egg Bunny or Egg Chick.

2. Make pom-pom chicks!

As cute as they are easy to make, pom pom chicks are a completely safe and gratifying project for the kiddies that will leave them with a new toy!

3. Easter Bling

Create wearable surprises with Easter Egg rings! Affordable and undoubtedly fun, kids will enjoy being able to store things in their crafty egg ring, as well as show off their fancy new piece of jewelry.

4. Easter Egg Hunt

Transform the customary egg hunts by changing up the elements. Glow-in-the-dark egg hunt at dusk? Just fill eggs with glow sticks and candy, or use glow-in-the-dark paint. Teams? Assign colors to partners and have a grand prize for the winner. Turn the tables? Let the kids hide the eggs this year and the child with the hardest egg to find will receive a prize!

5. Make some Easter Treats!

Fuel little bodies after a day of crafting with homemade Easter goodness in the kitchen. After that egg hunt, gather up the eggs to make these adorable Easter Egg Popsicles! Or for some fudgy decadence, bake up some colorful Spring Celebration Brownies.  Don’t have a sweet tooth? Create a fun Flower Pot Hummus Dip!

The post 5 things to do for Easter! appeared first on TruKid.

 1. Attend a St. Patrick’s Day Parade

Dress up with the kids in green—pants, shoes, hair, paint faces with shamrocks and pot-o-gold rainbows, and take to the streets in your town’s local St. Paddy’s celebration. Hint: use washable markers instead of face paint for more the artists in the family to perfect their drawings.

Don’t forget it’s still pretty chilly out in some parts of the country, so dress in layers and bring blankets to sit on. Maybe even a thermos of hot cocoa with peppermint?

2. Build a Leprechaun Trap 

The story goes that if you catch a leprechaun, he automatically must take you to his pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. Learn to build with the kids and create a trap to catch the little man! Lure him in with gold (fool’s gold?) and maybe some sparkly shamrock cookies, and then leave a trail of glitter or shamrocks left behind to show that he came by.

3. Be in the Green

Get outdoors and go for a hike and healthful picnic: fruit, nuts, granola, sandwiches, and lots of water. A truly green, activity, the kids will be able to explore and learn about the environment. 

4. Plant Shamrocks

Teach kids to be responsible with a sense of purpose by planting shamrocks and then caring for them. Start with mini pots and then move to a larger pot as the lucky clovers flourish. Get shamrocks seeds.

5. Tie Dye Shirts in Green

Get out the rubber gloves and pull out the inks! A fun and gratifying project, kids can be creative coloring tees with their own individual designs. Try different shades of green for extra inspired kiddos. Make your own non-toxic dyes with fruits and vegetables.

6. Bake Green Treats

Shamrock cookies? Leprechaun cake pop faces? Rainbow cake? Green popcorn or cupcakes? The options are endless. One of our favorites is Chocolate Mint Brownies. End the day by cooking up some fun in the kitchen. It will be a fun project for the kids, but also a yummy snack after!

The post 6 Things To Do With The Kiddos on St. Paddy’s Day appeared first on TruKid.

Sometimes you just can’t get it all done.

These past two weeks have been particularly hectic due to a trade show that we are prepping for this week; where we are launching two brand new lines and a ton of new products (FYI: It’s Natural Products Expo West in Anaheim. Come check us out if you’ll be in the area!).

So, the other day, I was talking to my marketing team about traveling to Asia and how I would leave manifestos for my family—extensive lists on what needs to be done and how to do it. I just wanted to make sure that everyone and everyone was taken care of as if I were there!

This is the reason why all my kids have emails, aside from my five year old. My eight year old doesn’t respond to my emails, or husband for that matter, so I’m not sure if that counts.

Anyways, this manifesto of everyone’s schedules, what needs to be done around the house, etc. was sent out to each of them, and some of the time, the email is never even opened, let alone read and followed through with…which used to freak me out!

With time, I have come to realize that if none of it happens, I can’t sweat it. It is unnecessary stress as things will happen as they do, and everything will get taken care of in one way or another.

So many parents deal with guilt and worry…mainly guilt for not doing things well enough or not doing enough even. Sometimes we need to just do nothing and take care of ourselves. Sometimes we’ll realize we can do things better, and that’s ok too…good even. In order to be connected with your children and family, you need to free your mind of that guilt and worry and stay in the present.

It’s a matter of letting go…if something doesn’t get done, is it really the end of the world? It took me a long time to get to this place. It is not that I don’t care (because I do). Just deal with it as it comes. You can’t control everything. Don’t let that fact control you.

Do you have any parenting dilemmas? How do you handle keeping balance in your life? Share it with the TruKid community by leaving a comment below!

Sincerely,

Jennifer Adams Bunkers

The post Control Issues… appeared first on TruKid.

Dear 5-year-old and 12-year-old girls:

When you are of proper dating age (which is about 25, in my opinion), my sons are going to know how to behave when they take you on a date.

You can go ahead and thank good ol’ moi when that happens.

Love,

Mrs. Adams Bunkers

Okay, here’s the story …

Completely by accident, because my other kids were at a play date, I got to enjoy dinner out with my 12-year-old s and 5-year-old sons, Freddy and Rowan.

This happy accident was undoubtedly a gift for my sons’ future girlfriends.

My 12-year-old was giddy with excitement. He picked the restaurant and set-up a reservation through “Open Table” (an online reservation system).

He also decided that we should get dressed up for our special evening. He broke out the Sunday clothes: a nice shirt, tie, shiny shoes, and even socks that match. And my 5 year old found his clip on tie, which by the way goes with any t-shirt. HA!

That’s when I had an epiphany: I can use this time to teach my boys how to treat a lady.

What better time to learn than now? And who is a better guinea pig for my kids than their own mother?

When we got to the restaurant, I let Freddy take the lead:  He opened the door for me (which is one of my manner “musts”) and then approached the hostess, ask for the table… (I told him beforehand I wanted to sit by the window to look at the water), he remembered and asked her. (so cute!)

Once we sat down I offered him a little friendly advice on his approach. He was pleased to get the feedback. After all, kids want to be treated like adults.

He immediately followed through with my feedback when it came time to order drinks: water for Freddy, lemonade for Rowan and straight vodka for me. (You know I’m joking, right?)

Can you believe that? I can’t get my kids to put their dirty clothes in the hamper, but when it came to manners at a restaurant, my son’s were shining stars.

The drinks came and the conversation flowed. My 12-year-old son was on fire with questions: He is a chatty sort anyway;  “How was your week? What’s going on at work? How are your new products coming along?”

He was amazing, and here’s the kicker …

I felt heard!  He even asked what I wanted for dinner and ordered for me.

Then, the icing on the cake (that we ordered for dessert):  Rowan, being his normal observant self, began taking cues from his big brother and participating in the conversation.

I felt heard again!

Plus, I felt like he was on my side. At one point, he said to the server: “How spicy are the enchiladas? My mom doesn’t like them too spicy.”

He thought of me!

Spending time with 1 or 2 of my children is a rare treat. In a family our size, individuals can get lost when the entire clan is together. I really loved our “date.” I got to learn a little about the boys that the chaos of everyday life doesn’t permit, and they got to learn a little about the first woman in their life

Next up:  teaching them how to shop for a birthday gift, in advance of the actual birthday. Maybe they can teach dad something. HA!

Now, my girls can’t wait for their turn: A dinner date with dad.

The opportunity that opened up this possibility has become a family tradition.

Do you have any family traditions that keep your family strong? Be sure to share it with the TruKid community by leaving a comment.

Sincerely,

Jennifer Adams Bunkers

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