All about Cloth Diapers: Part 1

Hurray, our little one has reached his 2 months milestone. I have to admit that our little cooing infant is growing a lot cuter than the weepy newborn. He is now able to express himself better and react to the surrounding. With his tears and angry grunts, we now better know his wants, desires and needs. 

For his 2 month DIY shoot, I decided to dress him up in diaper. If you are wondering, how come our diaper is so cute and colourful. This is actually a cloth diaper from Shears. Unlike disposable diapers, the designs of cloth diapers are usually lot prettier and are a good replacement for pants/ shorts.  (Psss...money saving tip hehe).  

Now that baby is a little older and has a firmer schedule, we decided to rock the boat a little. Initially, we have always been using disposable diapers because with breastfeeding, confinement etc. OMG, time is very precious. I really didn't have the time and mood for more laundry. By now, baby doesn't poop as much as when he was a newborn. So I thought, let's go a little greener.

Many mothers move into cloth diapering because of the long-term affordability. FYI, to get a full set of cloth diapers to start the journey will usually set you back by S$100++. Some babies also have very sensitive buttocks when using disposables and hence mummies of such babies would also opt for cloth diapers. For us, we really wanted to try cloth diapering because we felt baby was using way too much resources at such a young age. We really want to play our tiny part for sustainable living.

Generally, you would need at least 3 cloth diapers to start the journey. Before baby arrive, I was hesitant to invest in cloth diapers because I wasn't sure whether I would take the plunge. A fellow mummy gave me a brand new brandless purple cloth diaper to start off my journey. Now, let me tell you what other cloth diaper Mummies never share: The brand/ design matters! 

 

At first glance, the design of my brandless cloth diaper seems to work like the Shears cloth diapers. It even had velcro. But you know what, the brandless cloth diaper was so super difficult to wear. And the cloth material wasn't very good as well. It was so frustrating, I was so close to giving up. Fortunaely, I tried out the Shears cloth diaper and regained some confidence in cloth diapering. The quality was superub in comparison and it was so easy to slip in the padding. It was also quite easy to use the buttons to adjust the waist size so that it is fitting for your child. FYI, the cloth diaper can be used till baby is 24 months. 

It also helps that the design was really adorable. In terms of laundry, we have a helper who help us to handwash everything. But when we move into our own home, I will be doing everything myself. The solution: Just rinse out the poop and throw this into the washing machine. It is really a balancing act, and for me time saved > money saved. 

Here's an update, our little one is Shears first ever little ambassador. Shears is a local baby toy and gift set maker. If you are a parent, you are bound to have received their bay gift sets or see them in major retail stores. Moving forward, we will be featuring quite a bit of Shears products because pssst...many of you may not know but they hold more than just clothes and toys! Also, their products are very affordable so we thought that more parents should know that you don't have to break an arm or a leg just to give your child the best. 

A collage of our little one growing up in Shears! We received this set as a gift from a relative and I would like to give special mention to their top. Personally, as a first time mum, I initally hated letting baby wear anything that goes over his head cos a newborn seems so fragile. I now realise that the trick is to find clothes with big head opening! Shears shirt is one of baby's favourite or maybe more accurately our favourite because the opening is big enough for us to slip his head through. Will be sharing more in future posts so save "Shears Baby" tag to follow us through the journey! <3

Battle of the Organic Baby Wet Wipes

During baby's first few months, we tried out different wet wipes samples. I thought there might be some merit in doing this post to share with fellow mummies and daddies my favourites. My baby doesn't really have a "golden bum" so we have the luxury of choice. (Note: If your baby has sensitive skin, you may not be able to pick and choose from the variety of brands.)

The few criteria we look at includes (i) pricing, (ii) ease of pulling out each piece, (iii) moisture and (iv) as chemical free as possible. I am quite a hoarder so my price may be based on cartons...hehe.

1. Huggies Pure Clean Baby Wipes (S$31 for 768 pieces)

I was exposeed to this wet wipes after joining Huggies Club. It is made of 100% pure water and works out to be S$0.04 a piece (might be cheaper after stacking even more discounts). Hands-down, this wet wipes won the hearts of both the Hubs and I. It is the thickest and the most moist among all the wet wipes we have tried. Also, it used the least number of wipes to clean up a poonami. 

Useless fact alert, the wet wipe even got pattern on it, haha! As we didn't try out the value packets, I am not sure whether the wipes will clump together and if the stick-on seal will work as effectively for a bigger packet. But for now, the small packets are our must-haves in our diaper bags. Ranked #1!

2. WaterWipes ($79.90 for 720 pieces)

WaterWipes is  the agreed #2 because of the price. It is at S$0.11 a piece. WaterWipes contains only 2 ingredients 99.9% distilled water and 0.1% grapefruit seed extract, and thus I would deem it to be chemical-free. It is also sufficiently moist for even the worst poonami and you won't use more than 5 pieces for it.

As mentioned, I don't really like clasp so this stick-on packaging works really well for me. It is easy to open and locks the moisture within the wipes well. The only problem was only at the end of the use when it starts clumping. I am actually quite baffled as to why this isn't as wildly raved by mothers (maybe because of the price), so here's a big shout-out to them!

3. Cloversoft Unbleached Bamboo Organic Pure Water Baby Wipes ($81 for 1200 pieces)

I got the Cloversoft at $0.02 instead of the $0.06 a piece direct from their website making it the cheapest among all the organic wet wipes. (Note: They did some adjustment to their pricing so now the wet wipe is like more expensive than before.) Cloversoft doesn't clump even till the end and the stick-on seal even though isn't as robust as WaterWipes does as needed, keeping the very last wet wipe moist till the end.

But the biggest problem with Cloversoft was that it just wasn't moist enough. We ended up using 11 pieces during a poonami, which might make it even more expensive than the rest during one diaper change. (P.S: We can't just look at cost per piece but must look at cost per diaper change). I got it during the sale so it wasn't that bad and this also explains why it was ranked within the top 3. 

*

*

*

For info: Personally, I am not a fan of wet wipes with fragrance, so any wet wipes that has a fragrance is automatically ruled out and will not be even considered in my comparison battle. :D

Support Local: Pee-Ka-Poo

When I first came across this brand, I have to admit I was quite tickled by their name incorporating pee and poo, which is what a diaper contains. Honestly, I have heard more about their diapers than their products so I was quite excited when I received their soap and wet wipes as well for review.

Pee-Ka-Poo diapers ($173.40 for 6*80 pieces)

I can totally understand why this is their most known product. We have tried a few samples and this one definitely ranks within our top 3. The diaper managed to hold baby's pee and poo well and felt premium. Also, it had a pee indicator which let us have a sense of when to change the diaper. For parents who are after diapers with designs, Pee-ka-poo comes in one classic pattern. 

Value-conscious parents would be happy to note that the price per packet of 80 pieces remains constant for different size (note: this is not the case for many brands). Also, Pee-Ka-Poo has a return and exchange policy which allows swapping to bigger diapers. This is particularly useful because it is so hard to gauge how fast the baby grows.

Happy Sparkle Head-To-Toe Shampoo (S$29 for 280ml)

Personally, I feel that this product is under-rated and deserve a way bigger shout-out. Although this product is called a shampoo, it can also be used as a body soap. Baby uses it for both his head and body. The soap has a nice peach scent which I love. I will always smell my baby after he has a nice, long bath. 

For older kids, the soap can produce quite a nice foaming effect with a few drops. I know it cos the silly Hubs made a bubble bath for baby when he was only 4 days old. The little one cried buckets as he still hated bath time. The only grouse I have with this product is that they only have it in one scent. I would definitely love some variety because this product is dope!

Bamboo Wet Wipes with Honeysuckle Extract (24 * 80 pieces for S$72)

The wet wipes failed to make the cut for me. The mositure and thickness of the wipes were acceptable and they wipe away the poop pretty efficiently (within 5 pieces a poonami butt can be cleaned). It was also very gentle on baby's little bum bum. However, the clasp was a huge issue for me and the Hubs. It was very secure such that when the baby was screaming and we were panicking, we just couldn't open the clasp quickly. 

Perhaps, it is a personal thing but I prefer wet wipes designs without the clasp so that you can easily stick it on and off. Plus, with the clasp, it is extremely tough for me to be independent. I would always need to wake my Hubs up for the night changing. Overall, I am still quite a fan of Pee-Ka-Poo and 2 out of 3 of their products ranks highly. Given that it is a local brand, I think we should really give them our full support :D

Baby visits family home Feat. Koala Musical Newborn Cosy Gym

Finally, after a month or more of confinement, I finally pluck up the courage to bring my baby out. Okay, he isn't exactly going out. He is just going to my family home. Honestly, I am quite excited because it is like showing a part of my past to my child (he probably can't see that well yet LOL!) This was also when I realise "Oh my, a baby needs so many stuff!"

As my child isn't staying with my parents, we don't really have a nest etc. there. Fortunately, we decided to bring the Koala Musical Newborn Cosy Gym along. Our intent was to provide baby with something to do, but when we arrived at my parent's house, we realise there was no mattress for baby. Oops. And hence, we used the thickly padded gym as a nest too, which was pretty effective because baby was so comfortable, he fell asleep. 

The Koala Musical Newborn Cosy Gym comes with 4 multi-sensory toys. It includes a mirror, crinkling toys, rattles and also a teether. There is a music & lights toy that play an extremely catchy tune :) As of this time, my baby is only about 1.5 months old. He doesn't interact much with the toys if you hang it on the arches. However, if you put infront of his face, he might stare at it for a while or 2 depending on his mood. 

On the arches, there is a lower position for you to hang the toys. Being rather kiasu, we actually got more toys for him (not in the photo). For those who are keen, you just have to get toys with hooks and you can also incorporate them into the Cosy Gym . Similarly, the toys that come with the Cosy Gym can also be removed and fixed onto your strollers/ cars. 

Here's some behind the scene photos of my parents being really entertained by their grandchild. Oh, did I tell you how good this Cosy Gym looks in photos? The vibrant colours of Cosy Gym makes it a superub photo backdrop. I love how pretty every photo of it and the baby is. The Cosy Gym grows with the baby and can support tummy time in his early stage and transits to a playmat for him to improve his motor skills as he grows older, letting us milk every dollar worth of S$139.90. Hehe. 

So far, the baby's favourite toy is the music & lights toy. And it is no wonder because the music is so catchy. I am quite embarrassed to say but sometimes I do hum along and boogie with the music. Here's a video which we captured of the baby looking extremely adorable <3 Will definitely be sharing more of his playtime. This is not the last you see of our Cosy Gym.

Gaston Luga: Mummy's Day Out Bag

If you have been a long time reader, you would know I am a bagaholic. I LOVE BAGS! After becoming a mother, I have to be honest, I no longer have the time to change bags as frequently. A lot of mothers would suggest having functional big diaper bag to stuff everything (mother and child) in. But, I beg to differ. For me, we keep our things separate and I feel it is better that way. 

One thing for sure, I don't want to be overly attached to my baby. Having a separate bag means I have my own life too. When I go out with my friends (2 hours quick meet-up outside), I don't have to tug a huge diaper bag along. And...I feel liberated. Hehe. Using one bag now is also easy because time is so precious, I don't have to repack my essentials to a separate bag. 

During my third trimester, I had started using the Gaston Luga Classy in Black-Pink. At that point, the Hubs encouraged me to get something for myself because I have been shopping too much for the baby. And I am glad that I listened because this is now a bag which I use everywhere. The bag is stylish and versatile. It matches well with all my casual wear and it is in the same shade of pink as my phone cover ...Hehe. Both of them looks like a set. 

The bag is relatively spacious. I could put a laptop in it. However, it is not very stretchable and I love the bag too much to abuse it. So I can't/ don't put bulky shopping items in it in the main compartment. It has a small slip at the back which I find it extremely useful. I can slip my ez-link card and IC in it, which is really useful when I am out shopping. :D

And tada...the great pospartum reveal. This is particularly meaningful for me because for the longest time I don't have the confidence to do any LOTD stuff. Well, the flabby bod is still there. I am starting to exercise again but god knows if I will ever regain my figure. But you know what, it is really a mindset change. Confidence is truly key because I think I still look quite awesome in my shoots even when I am covered with saggy fats. 

For any of you who share my love for bags, here's a deal you can't miss. Gaston Luga is having a Black Friday Sale. Quote "FFSale15" and you get to enjoy 30% off and receive a cardholder too. If you are in need of a bag or just a bagaholic, now is a good time to buy. Either that, stock up early for Christmas. I find the bag designs at Gaston Luga very classy and they have designs suitable for males too, so I am sure all of you will be able to find something there.

Breastfeeding Journey: Why am I still pumping?

I wish more people had share their breastfeeding reflection. No, I am not talking about influencers who paint a rosy picture, but true, real stories on how difficult it is. I am a Mummy that can't fully supply my baby with breastmilk. And after going through the process, let me tell you why I think this is so.

• My little one is huge. He was such a good size that the nurses told me in the hospital, don't sweat it feed him formula milk if you have to. 
• I did not know latching was the key to increasing milk supply. After I left the hospital. I immediately went on exclusive pumping cos it felt so much more comfortable on the nipples. 
• My pump was not hospital-grade. For a good long time, I was just pumping for an hour and still not clearing my boobs. Sigh. I wish I had listen to the other mothers earlier.
• I didn't have much support from the extended family. Our parent's generation didn't really have the concept of breastfeeding so their first instinct was always to get the baby formula when he cries. I barely had any opportunity to latch him during the first month. :'(

What people never told us was how difficult latching actually was. When I tried to re-latch the baby back at home, my mother had to help me position my child. My boobs were also perpectually sore. My body was literally aching everywhere. I barely had strength to carry my little one and my body had problems recovering because of the lack of rest (I had to wake up every 3 hours to pump). In the end, I fell sick with fever for 5 days and my supply dipped. 

At that point, I really truly wanted to give up on breastfeeding. I miss the taste of alcohol even though I am not a hardcore drinker and I wanted my freedom back. I no longer wanted to be restricted by the 3 hours. But then, my baby was very constipated with formula milk and I have to admit that breastmilk did provide him with very good antibodies from me to counter the flu bug spreading around the house and the germs from his sick mama. 

Coincidentally, at that period I received some Boobkies and Boob Juice from Gooberr for review. And so I thought let's give it one last shot. If my milk supply still continued to drop, then it is a sign to stop breastfeeding. As you you may know, lactation cookies don't work for everybody. My body was growing immune to rolled oats, so I was praying that the brewer's yeast (halal compliant by the way) would do some magic.

At the same time, I was also drinking the ginger fennel lactation tea and fenugreek bergamot lactation tea (S$18 each). I tried to squeeze every value out of it, so I would use each sachet for 1 day worth of refill. There were 12 sachets in each packet, so with this I could last 24 days :D And fortunately for me, my milk supply went back to its original amount. Although my supply didn't increase anymore from there, I was happy that the amount was no longer as little as when I was sick.

For tea time, I would always have 8 boobkies. By right, it was recommended to eat 8 eof them before very pump, but I just recovered from my fever so I was abit cautious about over-doing it. Between the white chocolate matcha and white chocolate earl grey, my favourite was the latter. I love that you could actually taste the strong earl grey flavour, I guess I am a true tea lover. :P Each packet retails at S$19.90 which I thought was pretty reasonably priced. 

Overall, I would think that the boobkies and boob juice was quite a hit for me. I am just thankful my breastfeeding journey wasn't forced to end early because of my fever. To all other Mummies out there, I just want to say don't give up, try all boosters if you really want to continue breastfeeding. Some will be hits, and others will be misses. But if you never try, you would never know! :D

*

*

*

Follow "Breastfeeding Journey" tags for tips to make the breastfeeding experience bearable!

Thumb for Lego

If you have been following my blog for a while, you would know that I am quite a fan of Lego. I also have a soft spot of local crafters. When I came across the work done by Thumb for Lego, I felt obliged to do a post on it. If you look through the videos on how he makes each piece, you would feel the pain and hard work that goes into each thumbdrive. 

The Lego thumbdrive I have to say makes a very good gift for Lego fans. It is both practical and adorable. It is also very unique, I don't think you will ever pick up the wrong thumbdrive but I have to be honest...don't save too much important documents in it. Because I am sure there many thieves out there who is eyeing on your thumbdrive (less so your important documents).

When I show the Hubs and Lego fan friends the behind the scene video, the first thing they commented was "woa...so much work, sure not cheap" Crafting it sure isn't easy and I am sure given the tools used, there must have been quite a bit of injury while honing the skill. And for all this, Thumb for Lego could have charged a lot more. 

You will be happy to know that you can get a piece at S$36. For the rarer piece, of course, you may have to pay a little more. Still, it doesn't cost an arm and a leg. A Lego keychain typically cost around S$10, this means you are pretty much paying only S$26 for the crafter's effort!! Here are some videos of the exclusive behind the scene. Be prepared to be in awe. My advice: Quickly stock up for Christmas and anniversaries before Thumb for Lego inflates the price!!!

Sofzsleep: So comfy, he peed

My baby is still a few months old so he is currently still sleeping in his nest. As you all may observe by now, I am a 100% kiasu Mummy. Being ahead of my time (as usual), I decided to get a playpen mattress first so that I won't panic when he grow out of his nest. When it comes to mattress, the most important criteria I look at is comfort. 

I came across Sofzsleep playpen mattress and was impressed by its thickness. There are definitely cheaper mattresses out there online, but I just can't imagine how comfortable a thin mattress can be. Even my marital bed was a thick mattress, I didn't want to shortchange my baby in any way. Apart from being thick, the mattress also provided good support. It is made with 100% pure natural latex without any foam and metal springs. 

The Sofzsleep playpen mattress came rolled up and well compact. It was great because we had moved over to our in-laws and we had barely any space. Any thing that took out less space was very welcome. I am quite a bit of a germophobic so I was very pleased to note that the mattress has been sanitised using the Swiss antimicrobial treatment, ensuring that our little does not breathe in any toxic chemicals or dust mites. 

The Sofzsleep playpen mattress also promised to be naturally breatheable because of its open cell structure which ensure air circulation and ventiliation. Initially, I couldn't verify the comfort level because baby hasn't used the mattress. I was only convinced that it was truly comfortable when we used it during baby's home photoshoot.

I am so embarrassed to admit that our little one didn't just doze off lying on it. He was so comfortable he peed on it. Thank god, I place an underpad on top of the mattress. For parents who are keen on getting a Sofzsleep playpen mattress for your little one too, you might want to note that they come in 2 sizes (96 * 66 cm and 104 * 70 cm). You can also customise your own if you need a different size. 

There is no better time than 13 November till 31 December to get your mattress because there is going to be a year-end sale. If you would like to feel the mattress before purchasing, you can head on down to their showroom. Sofzsleep don't just hold baby mattresses, there are also adult and children mattress which you can purchase for yourself and older kids. Will update this post again when baby starts lying in his playpen. Remember to bookmark this post if you are keen to follow up on this!

Yum in the Tum: Amelia Carrot Cake

If there is one good thing that came out of the circuit breaker, it would be the realisation you no longer have to go to good food, you can actually bring good food to you. With the rise of many home cooks and bakers, there is now better variation and rendition of food that we can get to try...Yum!

We came across Amelia Carrot Cake and decided to review some of their menu. 

1. Carrot Cake ($10)

Perhaps it is because the store name has "carrot cake" so we naturally expected this to be the best product. My Dad found the texture for this on the softer side and preferred a stronger "egg" taste. Nonetheless, it was very tasty, rich with the flavour of dried prawn and the white carrot was well infused. It is definitely better than the carrot cake you can get outside and you can just eat it plain. If you purchase their special shredded scallops, the taste would be even more intense. It is definitely more expensive compared to the normal hawker fare but for a once a while treat, sedap!

2. Pumpkin Cake ($13)

One thing you have to admit, Amelia Carrot Cake doesn't hold back when it comes to spamming the ingredients. Personally, this was our favourite, maybe because there isn't as many cheaper variations available out there in the market. I like how every bite is packed with bits of pumpkins and chunks of mushroom, it makes me feel like I am not being cheated of my money because I can actually feel the ingredients. This is possibly the best in the menu and is something not to be missed! Highly recommended!

3. Hokkien Dumpling and Nonya Dumpling ($5.50 each)

As many of you know, my family loves our dumplings. And this one actually meets the mark. Most dumplings (probably because they are not freshly made) are always rock tough. However, Amelia Carrot Cake's are chewy and soft. Unlike those you find outside, for once, there is actually less rice than fillings! One dumpling is definitely more than enough to fill a lady's tummy (erms and I am not that small an eater). For $5.50, I think it is quite a steal. If you want a bigger bang for your bucks, go for the Hokkien Dumpling cos they are packed with more goodies. Now, I don't have to wait till the Dragon Boat Festival to enjoy good dumplings. 

Overall, I would say the menu at Amelia Carrot Cake is very decent. To make your delivery fees ($5) worthwhile, order a meal worth of food to share with the family. Order 5 boxes and above, delivery is free! If you have any homemade food you want us to try, drop us an email, and we will be more than happy to sacrifice our round little bellies. Hehe.