Have you ever woken up in the morning with red blotchy rash like bites on your body?

Bed Bugs are back on the increase here in the UK as well as abroad. Bed Bugs are a pretty unpleasant insect, but even if you don’t want to even think about them, you need to read this. You need to understand what they are, what they do and how to deal with them.

First off bed bugs are a crawling parasitic insect that feeds on blood, and human blood is it’s preference. They are not a tropical insect that occasionally gets blown into the UK, they have lived here and in other countries for hundreds, if not thousands of years. They were very prevalent in victorian times with many ‘snake oil’ salesmen peddling cures and poisons to kill these irritating creatures.

In the 1950′s and 1960′s along came DDT a very effective poison that succesfully treated bed bug infestations and virtually wiped them out in the westerm world. Eventually, however, DDT was pretty much withdawn from circulation and over a period of time the bed bugs started a slow but determined comeback. By the 1990′s we were seeing more and more cases of it. It has since become worse with whole apartment blocks and hotels being treated for infestations.

Part of the reason is that the world is a much smaller place, more people travel more frequently to more places and this combined with the number of migrant workers relocating to the UK has distributed the bed bug throughout the country. You see the bed bug is a seasoned traveller too, it might very easily be carried inadvertantly from one country to another inside your suitcase. It hops in at one end and hops out at the other. They have even been known to travel on clothing and to transfer from person to person on public transport. Having bed bugs is not a sign of a dirty home, it just means that you have been unfortunate to pick them up from somewhere on your travels.

Bed bugs hide in tiny cracks and crevices in our homes, they stay close to their source of food which is a human asleep at night in bed. They home in on our body heat in the early hours and clim aboard to feed. They bite into our skin and suck out enough blood to fill them up and then let go and return to their hiding place. They breed in huge numbers and without treatment you soon have a massive infestation.

Their bites are itchy and painful the next day and look like a reddish raised rash as they bite in multiple places. The problem is that you hardly ever see them, they only operate at night in the dark, you can’t really feel them bite and by morning, when you wake up they are long gone back to their secret hiding places.

Now there is an inexpensive way of finding out if those bites are from a bed bug. There is an amazing Active Bed Bug Monitor that provides real proof of the problem. It comes as a small package that you set up in the room where you think the bed bugs are, you then sleep in another room whilst the monitor does its work.

It mimics our body heat. The bed bug comes out to feed and homes in on the monitor. It enters, looking for its meal but is then trapped inside on a sticky trap. The next morning you can inspect the monitor and if you have bed bugs, there they are to see.

You can see this and other bed bug protection items here at Bed Bug Bites

To start with we need to consider what a memory foam mattress is and what it does. I am sure there are many people out there who view a memory foam mattress with a certain amount of scepticism, a bit like ‘get rich quick schemes’ and ‘ copper bracelets for rheumatism’. This view probably stems from the perception that a foam mattress must be inferior to a traditional sprung mattress because it’s just a lump of foam rather than a carefully constructed complex arrangement of springs and padding with a cover.

In reality a memory foam mattress is just as complex as a traditional mattress and offers many advantages. Lets look at some of these advantages individually.

Movement - On a traditional sprung mattress all the springs are connected to each other and as one moves its neighbour does and so on. This means that as you move around that movement is transferred from one spring to another. If you roll over in bed, your partner is also moved and jostled. This means that you are actually interupting and disturbing each others sleep. A memory foam mattress does not do this. Your movement is absorbed by the foam not transferred so that your movements will not disturb your partner during the night.

Comfort - When you sleep on a traditional sprung mattress pressure points are created at the points where your body is in most contact with the mattress. These can include heels, bottom and shoulders, these points effectively take your body weight which is then transferred to the spring closest to this point. This can result in sores and aches which again disturb your sleep. A memory foam mattress does not create pressure points as your entire body weight is evenly spread over the mattress.

Dust Mites – Dust mites live inside a traditional mattress in the top couple of centimetres of padding above the springs. Dust Mites feed on the tiny particles of skin that pass through the fibres of the mattress cover and padding. Dust Mites are known to be responsible for allergic reactions  and the onset of asthma in some people. In a foam mattress there are no fibres for these particles to pass through to, and again because of the structure of the foam dust mites cannot penetrate into the foam.

In conclusion a memory foam mattress is superior to a traditional sprung mattress as it provides much better comfort and support. But which is the best memory foam mattress to buy?

The price of memory foam mattresses can range from less than £200 right up to almost £4000 but which is the best memory foam mattress to buy, is it simply a case of the more you spend the better it is? Well actually no. There is no doubt that the very cheapest memory foam mattresses are not going to be as good as one that costs a little more, but do you really need to spend thousands to get the best memory foam mattress? Again the answer is no.

Lets look at what makes a good memory foam mattress.

Overall depth – A cheap memory foam mattress is able to be cheap because it uses less foam. The easiest way to use less foam is to make it thinner, they tend to start at around 16cm deep, or less in some instances. That’s OK, it is still a memory foam mattress but 16cm looks a bit…well..thin and from a performance and comfort point of view thicker memory foam is better than thin memory foam. A 16cm deep mattress, however, is still going to be better than a 16cm spring mattress but at not more than 6 inches deep you should, if your finances can manage it, try for something a little deeper. It will look better but more importantly it will perform better and be even more comfortable to sleep on. So 16cm of overall depth is OK, 20cm of overall depth is very good, but 25cm of depth is even better.

Depth of Memory Foam – All memory foam mattresses consist of 2 or more layers. The bottom layer is not memory foam, it is a support foam. If the mattress was made up of just memory foam it would not be stable enough to support your weight by itself so it needs this support layer to enable it to function. The memory foam part of the mattress sits above the support foam layer. The deeper this level of memory foam the more comfort you will experience and the more you will experience the benefits of memory foam. A standard entry level memory foam mattress will have 25mm of memory foam on top of the support layer, this is OK, you will still experience the pleasure of sleeping on memory foam but if you can double that layer to 50mm you will experience even more benefits. The very best memory foam mattresses have 70mm of memory foam, so if possible this is the figure you are aiming for.

Country of Origin – Memory Foam is manufactured in many countries around the world but many imported memory foam mattresses are produced without any controls or standards in place. UK manufactured memory foam has to meet stringent quality controls and safety standards so if possible buy a UK manufactured memory foam mattress then you will know that it is of the highest standards.

Is it really memory foam? – There are plenty of mattresses for sale in the UK that are made of foam but are not memory foam. Standard foam does not have any of the advantages or benefits of memory foam other than its cheaper. If its not called memory foam or visco elastic foam then it isn’t memory foam. It might be called reflex foam, posture foam or orthopaedic foam but it’s not memory foam so don’t be fooled or mistaken, make sure you are buying real memory foam.

So back to the original question what is the best memory foam mattress? Well if we look at the points we have raised above we are looking for a mattress that is genuine memory foam and UK manufactured so that we know that we are getting the best standard of memory foam. Ideally we would like it to be 25cm deep with 7cm of memory foam but we don’t want it to be costing thousands of pounds to buy.

The link below will take you to a mattress that meets all of these requirements…and the price…an absolute snip at £390-£675 depending on size. They have other memory foam mattresses from £120.00

The best memory foam mattress

Now the world of Moshi Monsters has left the virtual cyberspace as official merchandise to be collected by Moshi Monsters members and envied by their friends.

There is now a Moshi Monsters Single Duvet Cover Set featuring these cute little monsters. You can see it and buy it here. Moshi Monsters Single Duvet Cover Set

First off all, remember, Do Not Use a Second Hand Cot Mattress. I am sure most of our readers will know that already but if you don’t know, you do now. Never, ever use a mattress that has been previously been used before, even if you know who used it before, even if your own child used it before. There is no way of knowing how safe and clean a previously used mattress is, it is a fact that a used mattress can contain toxic bacteria that has been linked to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome.

A new mattress need not be expensive. Of course you can spend hundreds of pounds on a baby mattress online, but it’s not necessary, there are excellent cot mattreses available online that just cost a fraction of that.

Don’t buy ‘too cheap’ though. If a cot mattress costs less than £20 then I would be asking the question ‘Why’.  At this price level there are baby mattresses online that are simply a block of cheap cut foam with a cover on. These, quite simply are not enough and are unsuitable.  Dont get me wrong, foam is perfectly acceptable to use in a baby mattress, but just make sure that the quality is up to the job. If you are looking for inexpensive baby mattresses online then there are some points that you need to consider.

Foam – Cheap cut block foam is not good enough and if the mattress is cheap then it probably uses cheap foam. You need a foam that is designed for use in a baby’s cot, not foam that is intended for use in a chair cushion. Preferably it should have orthopaedic properties and be dent resistant.

Cover – It should never be plastic or pvc. It needs to be breathable to allow air to circulate and to stop baby from overheating. It should also be water resistant to stop the foam inside from getting wet, which can lead to mould and bacteria.

Hypoallergenic – If a baby’s cot mattress is described as hypoallergenic then it has been made using materials that have been chosen because they minimise the risk of allergic reactions in babies. If it is not described as hypoallergenic then you are better leaving that one and choosing one that is.

Reversible – A reversible cot mattress means that both sides of the mattress can be used. This means that the mattress could in theory last twice as long, but more importantly it can be easily flipped over during the night to provide a clean dry side if there was a nightime accident. If the mattress was only single sided then you might have to dry that side before baby can sleep on it again.

These are the 4 most important factors to consider when choosing a foam cot mattress. The two links below will take you to baby mattresses online that meet these requirements.

Cot Mattress 120 x 60

Foam Cot Mattress

Annabelle Antique Gold Duvet Cover Set

This is the beautiful Annabelle Antique Gold Duvet Cover Set.  Antique Gold has made a bit of a comeback recently with everyone going for naturals like beiges and browns, antique fits right in and compliments those shades perfectly but with a lot moreglamour and Olde World Charm.

The detailing is superb with a jacquard almost tapestry like effect, this is then set off by the rope edge finish.

The Annabelle Antique Gold Cover Set is available in Single, Double King and Superking sizes. There is even a matching ‘neck roll’ pillow and breakfast cushion to finish off the look. You can really go to town with this by getting the matching comforter set to go with it. A comforter is like a thinner, lighter duvet, but is finished in the same luxurious fabric. When its warm you can just use the comforter by itself and when it cools off switch back to your duvet, then in the depths of winter when it’s really cold you can be really cosy and use them both together.

Another great feature of the Annabelle Antique Gold Duvet Cover is the discrete hand holes in the top corners that allow you to position your duvet inside the duvet cover without the usual struggle.

Despite it’s appearance this luxury Antique Gold Duvet Cover Set doesn’t have to cost a fortune either. The Recommended Selling prices range from £75-190 per item, but here we have a couple of suppliers who have The Annabella Antique Gold Bedding Sets on sale at prices from £36.99 – £89.99 so grab a bargain whilsst you can.

Annabella Antique Gold Jacquard Bedding

Annabella Antique Gold Duvet Cover Set

Without a baby sleep positioner a small baby can wriggle and shuffle about in their cot, now this might not seem to be much of an issue but there is a very good reason to use one.

Of course a new born baby is very small typically somewhere between 6 and 9 pounds in weight. Medical practioners advise that when a baby weighs less than 10 pounds they should sleep under traditional sheets and blankets rather than using a sleeping bag style garment.

The problem with this is that once the cot is made up, baby is very small and almost lost in there. They may well start out in the perfect position with the covers neatly placed around them but during the night they can move about and wriggle down under the covers. They can become too hot and there is even a risk of suffocation. For this reason medical health practioners recommend the ‘feet to foot’ sleeping position. This means that you make up only the bottom half of the cot, place baby there, and they can’t wriggle down any further. The problem here is that they can, of course, wriggle up the cot as well as down and wriggle from under the covers, only to become cold during the night.

The solution is a ‘Baby Sleep Positioner’. This is effectively a false footboard that you can position at any point across the mattress. You make the cot up as usual and then place the ‘baby sleep positioner’ at the best position. It is held in place by a strap that passes underneath the mattress along with retaining handles on either side.

Baby’s feet are now in the correct ‘feet to foot’ position, yet they can’t wriggle any further up the mattress either. As baby grows it is an easy process the move the ‘baby sleep positioner’ further down the mattress, until it is no longer needed.

The baby sleep positioner is also great for use with twins as they can both sleep in the same cot or cotbed without encroaching on each other’s side.

A baby sleep positioner is essential if babies from birth to 7 months are going to be sleeping in a full size cot. The following links will show you where you can order yours today.

Please note that these baby sleep positioners are designed to keep baby in the recommended ‘feet to foot’ sleeping position. They do not keep a baby lying on their backs, and we do not recommend the use of products that are designed to do this.

Baby Sleep Positioner
Baby’s Cot Divider

Baby Sleep Positioner & Cot Divider

There are several reasons why a baby mattress protector makes a great gift for a new mum or mum to be. As we know the excitement, not to mention trepidation of being a new mum means that there is lots to do and make ready in time for the new arrival. There is great list of things to do and get, and a baby mattress protector is one of those things that can be so easily forgotten about, but is very important to the new baby’s health a safety.

A baby Mattress Protector makes a great gift because :

• It is relatively inexpensive to buy.
• It comes in a fairly compact pack which is easy to wrap and to send
• It is unlikely to be duplicated by anyone else.
• It’s benefits are easily appreciated by the recipient

But why does a new mum need a Baby Mattress Protector?

Well it’s all about keeping a new born baby healthy, safe and comfortable. When new parents put together their list of items to buy for baby’s new nursery, of course one of the main items is a cot or cot bed. Sometimes these come with a mattress included and with some you need to buy a new mattress to go with it. We all know as well that you should never make do with a second hand used mattress, no matter where it has come from, you just don’t know how clean it really is, even if it was used by your own child ‘always buy a new mattress.

The new mattress can be made of a wide variety of materials. Lower priced ones tend to be just a covered block of foam whereas more expensive ones can be filled with natural coir fibres or have springs just like a full size mattress. The outer cover can also be made from a variety of fabrics, some are waterproof and some are not. Regardless of the type of mattress or what covering it has over it you still need a Baby Mattress Protector.

The baby will spend quite a long time in this cot. When its warm baby will perspire. Baby can also be sick and have nappy accidents. The fluids produced will pass through to the mattress if there is not a baby mattress protector in place. A foam mattress is just like a big sponge, as is a coir filled mattress. Mattresses with springs have a padded area above the springs that these fluids soak into. Once they have become wet they can’t be washed and they take some time to dry out. They will start to smell and mould, fungus and bacteria can and will develop inside the mattress. This can the leak out as baby moves around only to be inhaled and cause potential health issues.

But what about a waterproof, wipedown mattress you may ask, surely that will solve this problem? Well actually, no, it doesn’t. Yes this type of mattress will stop fluids and liquids from soaking into the depths of the mattress. So what will you do when this upper surface becomes wet and soiled. Will you wipe it down? how will you be sure that you have eradicated all mould and bacteria. Maybe you will use a chemical cleaner of some sort, but would you really want to do that on a mattress that a young baby sleeps on. Not really, the only safe and sure way to keep a babies mattress clean and dry is to use a removable, washable, waterproof baby mattress protector.

We haven’t even mentioned dust mites yet. These tiny microscopic creatures live in all of our homes regardless of cleanliness. They congregate wherever dust is found. A large percentage of household dust is made up of the tiny particles of skin that we shed, as we move about. Dust Mites are known to be responsible for the onset of asthma, allergies and eczema in some children. In an unprotected cot mattress, these tiny particles of skin are rubbed off baby’s body. They pass through to the mattress where they lie undisturbed, here they are broken down by bacteria. They are then consumed by the dust mites who breed and colonise the mattress with even more dust mites. If you can stop moisture and skin particles from passing through to the mattress then dust mites will not be a problem.

So what makes a good baby mattress protector:

• It needs to be waterproof
• It needs to be comfortable in use (Not noisy, crinkly or hot and sweaty)
• It needs to be soft and absorbent
• It needs to be breathable
• It needs to be machine washable at high temperatures and able to be tumble dried.
• It needs to be able to be removed and replaced easily with the minimum of fuss and disturbance to baby.
• It should not use PVC in it’s construction

The following baby mattress protector meets all of these requirements. It has:

• A soft absorbent, cotton rich terry upper to absorb and wick liquids away from the baby
• A breathable polyurethane membrane on the underside that is both waterproof and dust mite proof.
• It is virtually undetectable in use with no noise and does not make baby hot and sweaty.
• It can be machine washed at temperatures up to 90c if required.
• It can be tumble dried.
• It’s fitted sheet styling means that it can be quickly fitted and removed from the mattress.

This is the Allergon Baby Mattress Protector and you can buy yours online at these online shops

Allergon Baby Mattress Protector at Which Mattress Protector
Allergon Baby Mattress Protector at Snugnights
Allergon Baby Mattress Protector at Baby & Nursery

We all know that children love to splash around in water, and bathtime should be no different, but when it comes to hairwashing time it can be a different matter. How many times have you seen your child pleading not to have their hair washed or desperately reaching for the towel to wipe their eyes? Young children just don’t like shampoo and water to get into their eyes. This is where this great Shampoo Shield comes into its own.

The problem is that shampoo can create a stinging sensation in children’s eyes, even water in their eyes can be uncomfortable and disorienting. Then if water goes up their nose can cause them to sneeze and create nasal discomfort. Then we come to their ears, water in our ears can create temorary discomfort and reduced hearing. All of this can lead to a bathtime nightmare for everyone concerned.

Bathtime can be a real problem with some children, we certainly don’t want our children growing up with a fear of water or a preference not to be clean yet something as simple as hairwashing can cause exactly this.

It need not be this way however as there is a simple yet ingenious device called the Lil Rinser Shampoo Shield for Children. This simple yet incredibly effective device can completely transform the bathtime experience for a child. Simply shampoo the hair as usual but when it’s time to rinse just hold the soft rubber like forehead visor in place and pour clean warm water onto the head. The water tight shaped shampoo shield stops any water from running down the childs face and into their eyes and nose. It even protects their ears at the same time. The rinsing water just runs off the back of their heads taking the shampoo with it.

You will be amazed at the transformation to the usual bathtime experience. Children will have no issue or problem with having their hair washed and you really will wonder how you coped with out one before. They also make a great gift for the child of a friend or relative. To order your Lil Rinser Shampoo Shield for children simply follow the link below.

Lil Rinser Shampoo Shield for Children

Snugnights are long established retailers of bedding essentials and are well known for their extensive range of mattress protectors and other bedding essentials. Now everyone has the opportunity of earning something from sales of their product range. If you are not familiar with the Affiliate concept it’s incredibly simple.

You register on the Snugnights website to be an affiliate partner. Once registered you will have a unique affiliate ID. You can then login to your affiliate area and copy links that include your unique ID. It is then just about promoting these links to the Snugnights website in as many places as you can and as often as you can. The possibilities are virtually endless.

• You could for example simply email everyone you know with a recommendation or suggestion about a particular product or the website generally. In your email you include the link to the website or product.
• You might include a link in your email signature that is then automatically included in every email you send out.
• You might have a facebook page where you can post a comment that includes the link.
• You could place the link on any social network site that you are a member of.
• You could tweet the link using your Twitter account
• You could use the link in topics or replies that you post on forums that you are a member of.
• You could place a link in comments you leave on blogs and websites that you visit.
• You might have your own website or blog. You could add links here or write reviews or recommendations for products.
• You might decide to set up a blog about you, your life, job, hobby whatever to specifically promote your links.

These are just some ideas, but the more links, that contain your unique ID that you can promote and circulate the more chances there are to earn commission.

Snugnights pay commission at a generous 7% of the sale price and with typical order values being anywhere from £5 – £1000 you could very soon be building a useful second income just from promoting links to their website. You don’t have to handle shipping or customer service. Snugnights look after everything else once the customer arrives at their website.

If you would like to read more then visit the Snugnights Affiliate page below.

Join the Snugnights Affiliate Programme here

You might not think it but summer is actually a really good time to treat yourself or a loved one to a new electric blanket. There are a few very good reasons for this.

Availability

Most people quite naturally only start to think about an electric blanket when it starts to get cold at night, this then almost always leads to stock shortage issues in the winter. It would be very disappointing to find out that the electric blanket that you really wanted was unavailable due to demand, so why not buy yours when demand is at its lowest.

Deliverability

When the weather is bad and we have our roads blocked by treacherous snow and ice we often find that delivery drivers and postmen sometimes struggle to make deliveries. It’s not their fault it’s the fault of the bad weather, and it’s because of the bad weather that you want a new electric blanket. The same bad weather can stop you from getting into town to buy one there as well and can also mean that deliveries of new stock struggle to get to the shops. The peace of mind solution is to order your new electric blanket in the summer knowing that you will have it ready for the winter.

Pricing

Summer is a great time to get a better deal on your new electric blanket. Dreamland Electric Blankets are offering the best discount prices on electric blankets right now so grab an electric blanket bargain today at Dreamland Electric Blankets