Chic Shopper Chick Giveaway: Protect-A-Bub Swimwear and Swimhat

When I was growing up here in South Louisiana, we always had a swimming pool. Typically, in my house, our swimming pool was officially open as of May 1st and it lasted sometimes through October, though sometimes I was allowed to swim, teeth chattering, as early as mid-April. Both of my parents have fabulous complexions, and they tan easily (my mom can manage to get one of her arms tan by propping it up in the window on a 20 minute car-ride). So, for all of my life, until recently, my goal was to be in the sun and to be tan.

Then, about two years ago, I read an article in a magazine about a girl who was the exact same age as I was who had survived a very scary case of skin cancer. I don't know why I had never heeded the other numerous warnings, but for some reason, this time it stuck. I stopped going to tanning beds, stopped worshiping the sun, and started wearing a sunscreen on my face as a part of my makeup routine.

Then I had Little AG, and the sun became my enemy. Until she was 6 months old she couldn't even wear sunscreen, and we took our first family vacation to Miami when she was 5 months old, and took her to Disney World for the first time when she was 6 months old. I was worried for her -- I didn't want her to burn, and I had read that most irreparable sun damage is done before one even becomes an adult. It's actually kind of a scary thought.

Two moms who feel the same decided to take action, one who lives in Australia (where the incidence of Skin Cancer is the highest in the world) and one who was planning a trip to Florida with her daughter. They eventually formed together to sell products under the name "Protect A Bub" -- all UPF 50+ Protective Sun gear!

I was able to review a swimset and sunhat, both of which provide UPF 50+ protection for your little ones. They are soft, comfy and made of your typical "bathing suit" material, but they offer much better protection than any bathing suit on the market. Also, be careful not to be fooled by other "long-sleeved" bathing suits -- long sleeves don't necessarily mean protection from the sun. These awesome swim suits protect your child against a whopping 98% of the sun's UVA and UVB rays!

The other item I reviewed was a Classic Sunshade for our stroller. This thing is awesome, and extends the coverage of our stroller canopy significantly. Plus, it also keeps out 98% of the UVA and UVB rays. It easily attaches to any stroller canopy (we tried it on both our Peg Perego and our smaller umbrella stroller), as long as you are using a canopied stroller -- they don't fit strollers that don't have them. It will also stay put when you fold up the stroller, so that you don't have to remove it every time you need to store the stroller somewhere. I kept thinking on how great this will be for walks around our neighborhood (2.5 miles takes us about an hour -- and that's a long time to be in the sun -- even with sunscreen) as well as our trip to Europe in the summer and to see Mickey Mouse in Disney in the fall. Also, since Little AG refuses to wear sunglasses, this makes that much less of an issue.

You can purchase the Classic Sunshade or the Swimsets, plus other great sun-protective products on the Protect-A-Bub website.

Win it! Chic Shopper Chick is giving away a turquoise/aqua swim set and a turquoise/aqua swim hat in size 2T only, a $40 value! To win, follow the rules below!

• Leave a comment telling me why you'd like to win it, and who you'd give it to.
  
• You must leave a valid email address to enter. I will not sell or use your email for anything other than contacting the winner. If your profile does not link to an email address where I can contact you, be sure to leave it in your comment (spam free versions are encouraged -- like hiitsme (at) wherever (dot) com.)
• The winner will be posted here as well as on Prizey Fetch! If the winner does not respond within 72 hours I will choose a different winner. I will also contact the winner by email.
  
• US entries only.
• Earn extra credit! Choose one of the following for ONE extra credit entry. Any further attempts to woo me will be disqualified!
  
• Write about me and send me the link in a separate post.
• Subscribe to my feed and let me know about it in a separate post.

This contest will end at midnight CST, May 23rd, 2008. The winner will be notified on the 24th, as well as posted here and on Prizey Fetch. I will choose the winner at random using http://www.random.org.