Two Innovations To Make Winter Colds Easier For Children

When kids have a cold, life can get pretty miserable. A stuffy nose means breathing is difficult, nothing tastes right, and it can give them a headache too. That's why Naturally Cool Kids have launched the Breathe Easy Vapour Stick. Made with cocoa butter and Cajeput oil and organic tea tree oil, it smells wonderful, and really penetrates little airways to ease breathing. It comes in a chunky, glide-on stick that swipes across the chest and back - kids can even use it themselves, and they don't get messy! It's a welcome, natural alternative to other vapour-based remedies that contain petroleum.

After winning the Barclays Take One Small Step competition in 2010, where mums from all over the UK voted overwhelmingly for Naturally Cool Kids' natural approach to children's skincare, they were able to launch a range of six summer and winter skin protectors and soothers designed specifically for children. Keen to fill a gap in the market, they avoid harmful chemicals, using lovely natural butters and essential oils that also moisturise the skin.

Owner, Fiona Wood, says, "Like many parents, I've always used natural products on my children's skin, but when summer came, there were few alternatives to chemical-laden sunscreens; and in winter I had to compromise my sons' natural skincare for cold protection containing petroleum and other additives which I absolutely wanted to avoid!

As I looked further, I started to think about how I could use my experience to create a children's skincare and skin protection range for parents who are looking for a more natural, greener way to protect their children's skin and health.

The Breathe Easy Vapour Stick was the first product I developed after experiencing, first-hand, the lack of natural cold remedies for children. I'm delighted with it, and with the feedback I'm getting from customers who are using it on themselves as well as their children."

Fiona insists that everything is produced in the UK, using local Yorkshire suppliers where possible, and she has designed the packaging to make life easy for parents - the Hair and Body Wash comes in a pump action bottle that only needs one hand to use, and locks to prevent accidental usage; the Lip and Cheek Protector and Vapour Stick come in chunky one-swipe sticks that mean application is swift and effective and most of all, mess-free!

Our Cheeky Chops Lip and Cheek Protector is also great for winter. A healing and protective balm in a chunky oval stick to soothe children from the effects of colds and dry, chapped skin around the lips, cheeks and nose. It offers healing and protecting in one: moisturising chapped lips and cheeks, whilst providing a runny-nose protection barrier to prevent redness above the lips.

Flavour-free, so it won't be licked off, it also contains totally natural ingredients, Calendula, Beeswax, Shea butter, Jojoba oil and organic sunflower oil.

The giant applicator is extra wide for quick, one-swipe application with no mess, and will last and last, giving great value. Equally effective out in the surf and snow and perfect for kids on the go.

Breathe Easy Vapour Stick and Cheeky Chops Lip and Cheek Protector, both suitable from 3 months old, both retail at £8.45 and are available from naturallycoolkids.com, John Lewis and from various independent children's retailers around the UK.