Goodness gracious me! It has been too too long since my last post. I have been busy moving country - and am now in Shanghai!! I've only been here a month but this has not stopped me buying stuff for my kids :)
My daughter's new school now has a rest time, and every kid is required to bring a pillow and blanket. I had seen some nap rolls online before but extensive searching proved fruitless in China!
FYI - a nap roll or nap mat is an all-in-one pillow and blanket that rolls up into a convenient bundle. Something like a sleeping bag - but for toddlers.
Anyway, I went online and ordered a couple of 'Wildkins' napmats from an online store that also embroiders your child's name on the pocket of the mat. I was careful to choose a napmat that had a removable pillow so that it could be machine-washed. I thought that the WIldkins mats were the most value for money as they had lots of nice designs and a good price.
So I kept my fingers crossed that the Chinese postal system was reliable... and it was! In less than two weeks, they arrived at my door :)
My only complaint so far is that the whole napmat could be a little longer. My daughter is tall for her age and I'll be lucky to get another year of use before her feet stick out!
Great find at a little toy shop in Coronation Shopping Centre. These baby 'stilts' - as my daughter calls them - are great for honing those coordination skills. Also good for making cat footprints in the sand!
The first time your precious baby gets attacked by mosquitoes, every mother goes to the pharmacy and discovers the world of anti-mozzie solutions. I have never been so familiar with the smell of citronella since becoming a mum! And if your kids are as attractive to mosquitoes as mine are, you will probably have tried all the products too.
Anyway, this post is dedicated to the various products that help keep those annoying pests away from our precious little ones. This is my experience of what works, what doesn't, and what to do when bitten!
Of course, the first product anyone tries is the Johnsons Deet Free Anti-Mosquito lotion. I must say I still quite like this one. It smells fantastic - no citronella pong - and is so mild and easy to apply. However, the mozzies have been known to bite even when you have this on.
TIM Rating: ****
I have to admit that before having kids, I did not even know these patches existed. These are adhesive patches that you stick onto your clothes. They give off a strong citronella scent that is supposed to repel mosquitoes. To be honest, I still buy these and stick them on my kids backs but I think it's a more "cover-all-bases", "kiasu" thing on my part. I can never rely on them alone to keep my kids bite free.
TIM Rating: **
Now here is another product that is similar in theory to the mosquito patches. Only the Parakito bands are all natural, and each insert lasts 14 days. I was a total sucker for packaging on this one. The bands come in funky colours, the refills seemed cheaper than the one-time-use mosquito patches etc.. Anyway, they work as well as, if not worse than the mosquito patches. Towards the end of your 14 day period, the mosquitoes are not repelled at all!
TIM Rating: **
Now we come to my all time favourite - Bugger Off. This is an organic repellent that I was coerced into buying by a pushy promoter at Guardian. I'm glad I did because of all the spray-on repellents I have tried (and I have tried A LOT), this one has the most agreeable Citronella smell. I think the spray on repellents give the best protection for your kids. The only real difference between all the brands of spray are a) smell , and b) feeling on skin. Some sprays leave an oily film, or sticky residue. Bugger Off rubs in quite clean, and has the right balance of citronella aroma. When sprays have too much citronella, it can really hit you in the nose and be quite unpleasant.
TIM Rating: ***** 
And if all else fails and those darn mozzies bite, my best remedy for the itch is trusty ol' Zam-Buk. :)
I recently found a stash of Pigeon and Wakodo instant rice porridge boxes in my kitchen. My son has 'outgrown' them, and they haven't expired so I need to give them away! Anyway, here's a quick review on these fabulous take'n'toss baby food.
With my first baby, feeding her solids when we were out was a real hassle. We either had to cook and take along, or it was a hit and miss with the Heinz-type jar food. I didn't have any clever mummies tell me about Japanese instant rice porridge until I came across them by chance at Takashimaya.
The food comes ready-to-eat in either metallic containers or sachets. All you have to do is immerse them in a bowl of boiling water and in 2 to 3 minutes, you have a nice hot meal for your baby! It sure beat trying to heat up a glass jar of baby food that never got anywhere near warm. "Oooh!" I thought. "How clever! And perfect for our Asian babies palate!" So I bought a few packets of the Pigeon brand ones, and my baby HATED them.
Then one day, whilst shopping at Isetan, I came across the Wakodo brand of instant baby rice porridge. So I bought a few to try and... she loved them!
When my son came along and started on solids, I tried out both brands on him as well. He was ok with the Pigeon brand, but seemed to prefer Wakodo too. Perhaps it was the more appealing flavours that Wakodo carries. The one pictured above is Rice Porridge with Anchovy. But they have Rice Porridge with Sweet Potato and Pumpkin, as well as a really yummy Chawan-Mushi (japanese steamed egg) one too.
The Pigeon brand ones are easier to find - at Takashimaya, Robinsons, Japanese supermarkets, KK Hospital Pharmacy - just to name a few places, and cost about $8.50* for a box.
The Wakodo brand ones I have only seen at the Isetan supermarket (Lido Building). They are a little cheaper - $7.50* a box.
*prices may not be accurate. please check updated pricing at the stores.
A few months ago, I ordered a few 'wet bags' from a local online shop. When I travel with the kids, my suitcase is filled with ziplock bags that I use to compartmentalise and organise all their stuff. I thought these wet bags would be a more eco-friendly option.
They weren't exactly cheap. Prices ranged from $18.90 for a small one to $33.90 for an X-large one. But I thought, why not? They purportedly could even transport wet swimwear, so what a great investment. Right?
Ordering/ payment was simple and efficient. Then the bags were delivered promptly within two weeks (as they are supposed to be handmade). I was a little surprised that they were quite heavy - although this is probably due to the waterproof material sewn into the lining of the bag.
Anyway, I brought it along on my trip to the US, and used one to put my baby's milk bottles on the airplane. Halfway through our very long flight, my husband felt a few drops of liquid on his head - it turns out that a half empty bottle of milk and leaked and the 'wet bag' did NOTHING to contain the spilled milk!
At first I thought it was because of the amount of liquid that had come out, so I started using the wet bag for toiletries instead. Can you believe that a damp toothbrush soaked through?
So much for it keeping things from getting wet! I was so disappointed but it was mildly ironic that these bags lived up to their name.
Wow I have been neglecting to blog! I haven't stopped buying and trying, so I will try to update as best I can.
Last you heard, I had bought a Phil & Ted's double stroller for an overseas holiday. I was very excited about the purchase until a week before we flew off, and my mother pointed out a very basic flaw in my pram plan - what if we need to split up (during shopping or what not), who is going to handle both kids? And what if one child is asleep and one child is awake? Wouldn't it be more convenient to have two light prams?
My wise wise mother. How come mothers are always right?
So I shelved the P&T pram and went on a quest (no pun intended) for a second light pram. I already had an old and trusty, ultra-light Aprica pram (pictured below) - which I am told has been discontinued, but they have newer and similar models available now.
My first instinct was to buy another Aprica - since I love mine so much, but I had forgotten how expensive they were! And that kind of investment was not an option.
Then we thought, "Combi?" and very nearly settled on one, but the Combi and Aprica prams tend to be on the small side, and I really needed one to fit my three and a half year old, 15kg daughter. Most of the Combis and Apricas can only take weight of up to 15kg.
So we checked out the Maclaren prams. A little heavier than I wanted (5.5kg minus hood), but the designs were nice, it could take up to 18kg of weight (said the shopgirl), and it was very very affordable (under S$300).
This is the model we bought. I just loved the splash of acid green on the visor! Anyway, here is my comparison between the Aprica and the Maclaren Quest. (Click on the image to enlarge)
Verdict? If you can only afford one pram, I would highly recommend the Maclaren Quest. It's got everything you want and will last you a long time. If you can afford to indulge a little and want a very light pram, nothing beats the Aprica. It's really the most convenient pram I own.
Anyway, I went online and ordered a couple of 'Wildkins' napmats from an online store that also embroiders your child's name on the pocket of the mat. I was careful to choose a napmat that had a removable pillow so that it could be machine-washed. I thought that the WIldkins mats were the most value for money as they had lots of nice designs and a good price.
