BAMBINI CAT STEP

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!

THOSE DARN MOZZIES!

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. :)

WAKODO vs PIGEON - INSTANT BABY FOOD

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.