MARCH ~ A newborn cuddle in a box.

Early lambs are already gambolling around in the fields this year, there are signs of spring here and there and March in general tends to feel a little bit more like we are finally able to come out of hibernation doesn't it? The first couple of months of the year I think always tend to be reflective ones.

A bit of time to think about what the year ahead might hold and laying a few plans. A couple of conversations we have had recently made us realise that we probably don’t make mention enough about our brilliant guest brands. So, here is a little introduction to a few of the businesses making products we are proud to include in our gift boxes.

Let’s start with Prai and her wonderful team of women in Patpong, Thailand. Prai started working alongside us back in 2018 when Sarah approached her about making our hand-made crotchet rattles. She loved what this incredible social enterprise stood for. Empowering local women, teaching them new skills and allowing many of them, through the programme they run at Rahab, to learn how to read and write, something that had been taken away from them because of leaving a school setting far too young. We have plans to develop our range of handmade rattles with these lovely women as we grow. Our relationship with them was cemented when Sarah went over to Thailand for a couple of years with her family and we hope for a long time to come Blossom and Bear can continue to collaborate with others like Rahab who are making such a difference in their communities.

Bea Bunny, Fern Fawn and Rowan Bear don’t hang around long on our shelves as they are super popular both in and out of our baby gift boxes. We love the unique, lovingly hand-made element they bring to our Gifting collection. 

Next on our list was that oh-so-British of Ultradian rhythms, the cuppa.

Tea has that hug-in-a-mug capability to it and we wanted our MAMA boxes to include a tea that obviously tasted good but that was also an option for those who maybe wanted to ease off the caffeine if they were breast feeding. When we discovered mother of two, Marina's company, Nipper & Co we were thrilled as they not only ethically source their teas, using exclusively organic ingredients, Marina's MSc in Medicinal plants & her extensive knowledge of natural remedies means the recipe for her Mum's milk tea combines herbs used to boost milk supply and supports immune defences. Winner! 

Our new mum hampers now include Nipper & Co's sweet Reusable Organic Bamboo Pads, breast-feeding pads. Made in the UK using GOTS certified bamboo and soft muslin, they can also be used as reusable make-up wipes or for cleaning up messy toddlers once your nursing days are over. Excellent Multifunctionality!

Both Sarah and I are firm believers that the invention of the chocolate bar was a very, very good one. Worldwide we seem to eat it on every occasion, when happy or sad, in celebration or consolation. There was no way we were going sell a gift box for a new mum that didn't contain one! 

It certainly needed to be a bar of chocolate that befitted the occasion though. Luxuriously packaged, with particularly great flavours. Chocolate to make the recipient feel properly treated.

Our MAMA (and DADA) boxes deserved one and so our search began. It didn't take long!  Arthouse Unlimited's eye-catching designs with gorgeous gold detailing stood out immediately. This surrey based Charity works with a fantastic collective of Artists, who also happen to be living with complex neuro-diverse and physical support needs. 100% of the sales revenue sustains the charity, enabling it to grow and evolve. We love that... and we love their chocolate. The chocolate is made in the UK by a specialist chocolatier that combines dreamy concoctions resulting in a bar that probably won't last longer than an evening!

But back to all those wonderful newborns, those tiny fingers and toes, those chubby thighs and rose bud lips, those huge eyes and perfect skin.  As mum’s ourselves we know how important gentle and kind-to-sensitive-skin products are.

Organic skincare brand Kokoso baby tick all the boxes when it comes to what to include and what not to. Lauren and Mark, the mum and dad team behind the brand started the business looking for a natural solution to their little one’s sensitive skin. The multi award-winning duo have gone from strength to strength from their beginnings in 2014, developing new products along the way, but always with the same raw virgin organic coconut oil at the core and they really know their coconuts. The brand is committed to packaging that’s recyclable,  post-consumer recycled and FSC approved. It uses zero waste Coconuts from an ethically-run, certified organic coconut farm in Thailand. It’s Vegan friendly, cruelty free, safe for sensitive skin, and free from all the chemical nasties. In short, passionate parents are about as tried and tested as you can get as far as we were concerned. We welcomed them into our boxes with open arms.

 Our boxes are filled with lots of other goodies too, more on that later, but why not take the opportunity to treat someone special by having a look through our giftbox range here.