Reviews

Favorite Finds: Giddy for GIGA!

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Hi mommies!

Here I am with another Favorite Finds post, this time for the month of April. There’s not much to talk about because we’ve been saving up for my son’s birthday and I’ve been avoiding extra purchases lately.

I was, however, sent some awesome products by GIGA, a local company that takes pride in creating natural everyday products.

I was so excited when these arrived!

I did a bit of research and found out that GIGA actually stands for “God is Good Always”.. awesome, right? To know more about their story, click here.

The items I received were:

GIGA Spa Aromatics Shower Gel in Peppermint
GIGA Tea Tree Cream (formerly called the No Itch Cream)
GIGA Baby Balm

Let me talk about each real quick for you guys!


 GIGA Spa Aromatics Shower Gel in Peppermint. This product was perfect for the summer heat! I love how the peppermint is not overwhelming, and the scent was mild too! This always left me refreshed after every bath. It was a shame though that I only got an itty bitty bottle because it only lasted a week, probably because I was taking several baths a day! This shower gel comes in other variants such as lavender and grapefruit.

GIGA Tea Tree Cream (formerly called the No Itch Cream). I have raved about this product in one of my previous posts about addressing my son’s mosquito bites and keeping him dengue free. This just works wonders for little itchy spots here and there for both babies and adults. This summer I noticed how frequently my waist would itch especially after a long day of wearing jeans in this humid weather. My skin is sensitive, so it easily reacts to such conditions. In these instances, I’d take a quick shower and apply the Tea Tree Cream around the itchy area and I always feel better in minutes! This product is a must-try especially if you have persistent itchy spots and sensitive skin.


 GIGA Baby Balm. I haven’t tried this product on my son’s diaper rashes yet because his skin is really sensitive and his rashes have been getting worse lately. I decided to stick to the medication his pedia provided and wait until his skin recovers. However, I do use this balm for small scratches and they do go away in a day or two and don’t leave marks. This balm is really mild scented and it easily spreads when applied. I’m pretty sure this small tub will last long. I have yet to discover other effective uses for this balm, but I’ll be sure to update you once I come across any.

Mommies, have you tried any GIGA products? Which of their products do you like best?

PS: Thanks to PJ of GIGA for sending these over!!

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Reviews

Favorite Finds: Happypuffs, Human Nature Baby Oil and the Hot Pocket Baby Pouch

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Hi fellow moms!

Starting today I’ll be posting about my favorite products and purchases from the previous month. For the month of March, I have chosen three products:

Happypuffs in Banana
Human Nature’s Natural Baby Wonder Oil
Indigo Baby’s Hot Pocket Baby Pouch

Happypuffs in Banana
I initially wanted to try Gerber Puffs but most of the online shops I inquired with did not have available stocks at the time. I came across Happypuffs by chance while browsing baby food at Healthy Options. This 2.1oz tube costs P295.

As you can see, the puffs are really small. They’re actually smaller than a one peso coin. When I realized this I was worried that my son might choke on them. However, the back of the tube lists the signs to look out for to determine when your child is ready:

  • Crawl on their hands and knees without their tummies touching the ground
  • Eat thicker solids with larger pieces
  • Use jaws to mash food with their gums
  • Pick up food on their own with their thumb and forefinger

Since my son met all of the criteria, I let him try a few… and he loved it! What’s good about these puffs is how they easily melt in the mouth, which makes it easier for babies to chew. The taste though does not have that strong banana flavor that I would have loved, but then again it’s a snack for babies, so adding such may require artificial flavors.

I find Happypuffs to be an excellent baby snack option given that it is organic and does not contain preservatives.. exactly what I was looking for! Even the tube is BPA free and and it has a snap cap so you can easily take it on the go! This whole grain snack is perfect for when your baby is looking for a quick munch!

Human Nature’s Natural Baby Wonder Oil

This is, hands down, my favorite baby oil for so many reasons. During my son’s first few months, I thought it was just like any other baby oil and I’d normally use it for massaging him before baths or to clean his ears. Eventually, my son showed signs of skin asthma which manifested as dry, itchy patches in folded areas between his leg and foot, his arms and his ears. I hated the sight of these patches, and he hated how they itched! Sometimes I’d wake up to find his patches bleeding from scratching and it made me upset. His pedia told me these patches were normal and that we had to apply creams to manage them. I did not like the idea of having to slather steroids onto my son’s skin, and the worst part was that the creams never worked!
It took me a while before I was able to buy a new bottle of Human Nature’s Wonder Oil and when I did, I decided to try applying it on his dry patches after every bath and before sleeping (not when the patches were bleeding though, we had to apply a specific cream in such cases). Within a week, the dry patches improved dramatically! Amazing! He rarely scratches now but he still tends to have flare ups, however, a few applications of the oil do the trick.
Another thing to love about this product is that it is made of premium-grade sunflower oil – it is all natural and free of harmful chemicals! Some mommies may find the consistency a bit too thick compared to other baby oils, that is why I only use it sparingly as a little goes a long way. My aunt also tried this on my god daughter’s cradle cap, and her scalp improved within days!
Indigo Baby’s Hot Pocket Baby Pouch
My favorite purchase!
I have always wanted to try baby wearing. Recently, I decided to browse baby wearing options and was quite overwhelmed with the available choices! After much research, I narrowed down my list to the Saya Baby Carrier, KTan, Next9 Ring Sling and the Indigo Baby Hot Pocket Baby Pouch.
The KTan is the most expensive one and my son did not like being in the Ring Sling so I had to scratch those from my list. It came down to two contenders – the Saya and the Indigo Baby Pouch. I really really reaaaallly wanted the Saya because the color options were just so lovely and I felt that it was very secure compared to the Indigo Baby Pouch. The problem was.. Saya has limited stocks of their baby carriers both online and in physical stores. But they recently mentioned on their Instagram account that they would be releasing new designs for summer, which is cool!
So I ended up buying the Indigo Baby Hot Pocket Baby Pouch. They also had limited colors and stocks but I fell in love with the Oh-Bergine which happened to be available in my size. Before purchasing though I asked them on Instagram if the pouch was ideal for wriggly babies like mine, and Yummymummy Denise replied that she had a wriggly son too and that the pouch works great for her. So I messaged them on Facebook and placed my order. The pouch cost P985 which was within my budget.
When the pouch arrived I was ecstatic and I immediately tried it on my son and he didn’t even wriggle in protest! He was well-behaved and I even managed to take him on a trip to Tagaytay without a stroller, just the baby pouch!
If you’re planning to buy the Hot Pocket Baby Pouch, keep in mind that it is not adjustable and you need to make sure you measure your size properly. Check out the Indigo Baby Shop’s Facebook page for more information. Yummymummy Denise even posted a video yesterday on how to use it with older babies! You can view it here.
So that wraps up my Favorite Finds for the month of March! Have you come across any amazing products lately?

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Clueless Moments, Reviews

Keeping My Son Dengue-Free with Natural Products

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Mosquitoes are everywhere.

Let’s face it, no matter how diligent you are in cleaning your house and spraying your rooms with some good ol’ Baygon, one or two mosquitoes somehow manage to leave an itchy surprise on your skin. Over the past few weeks I have noticed how much more frequently I’d spot a few mosquitoes, and I was really upset when I saw my son’s legs covered in mosquito bites! Not only are the red marks irritating to look at, but there is always the risk of encountering the dreaded “D” word – Dengue. I simply cannot afford to expose my son to such possibility, so I decided to take action.

I decided to buy two things to keep my son dengue-free: A natural and safe insect repellent and a balm for mosquito bites.

I really wanted to keep my son safe from mosquitoes and at the same time I wanted my son to be free of harmful chemicals. So I headed to Sesou, a store that carries natural products, in Alabang Town Center.

INSECT REPELLANT

There were a lot of good choices for insect repellants, but I narrowed down my choices to Human Nature’s 100% Natural Bug Shield DEET-Free Oil and GIGA’s Baby Insect Repellant Spray.

Photo grabbed from humanheartnature.com

I used to be a dealer of Human Nature products, so I was familiar with their Bug Shield Oil. This product is very effective in warding off mosquitoes, however, I find the scent too overpowering for a baby, and the consistency it quite thick. I’ll probably use this though when my son is a few years older.


I decided to purchase GIGA’s Baby Insect Repellant Spray instead. It has a mild scent and not only can you spray it on your baby’s skin, but you can also spray your room with it, which I find much preferable over Baygon and other chemical sprays. You can spray it on baby’s clothes too if you prefer not to spray it directly onto his/her skin.

This spray is effective. I spray our rooms and bed covers with this before we go to sleep. When my son is on the walker I spray the bottom of the walker with this, too. He still has a mosquito bite or two occasionally, but not like before when you could use a marker to connect all the red dots on his legs.

I got this for P185. It is a versatile product and I will definitely consider buying refills for this.

HEALING BALM

There weren’t many choices for baby healing balms, probably because I was looking for products specifically for mosquito bites. I was eyeing Indigo Baby’s Jar of Hope First Aid Gel instead of a balm as I read a lot of good reviews about it. However, I remember purchasing it before when I was about to have my first baby and I found it too expensive considering that it runs out easily with it’s watery consistency. This was a few years ago, though, so I’m not sure if they’ve made any changes to the product since then. This costs about P425 for 30ml. A lot of mommies swear by this product, so feel free to give it a try!

Photo grabbed from indigobabyshop.com

I could not find any other products similar to the Jar of Hope, but just when I was about to give up on finding a balm for mosquito bites, one of the salesladies recommended GIGA’s Tea Tree Cream.

As you can see on the cover, it is made of VCO, aloe vera and lavender – all known for healing and soothing properties. When I checked the back, though, it lists more ingredients: beeswax, tea tree oil and lemongrass oil. I decided to purchase this instead, I got it for P85.

This product is a godsend! My son’s mosquito bites were gone overnight, two days at the most, and it does not leave any marks or scars behind. Not only is it affordable, but with it’s consistency it can last quite long. Since baby’s mosquito bites are tiny, you will only need to use just a bit at a time. This is definitely a keeper, and I would not hesitate to purchase this again.

I hope you found this somewhat informative.There are many other natural products that offer protection for our babies from mosquitoes, so don’t hesitate to try them. I urge you mommies to use natural and safe products for your babies as it keeps them safe from harmful chemicals. If you cannot convert wholly to natural products that is perfectly fine. You can start gradually, with the little things, like these insect repellents. Eventually, you will grow to prefer natural products over chemical laden ones that lure you with their cheaper prices. If you’re not the type who wants to “go green for the environment”, then at least do it for your child.

Let’s keep our babies dengue free! Til my next post, mommies! My baby is starting to grab the laptop cables.. ack!

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Reviews

Our Son’s Baptism at Santuario de San Antonio

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Now that I’m on holiday break I finally have the time to blog about our son’s baptism at Santuario de San Antonio and our supplier reviews.

I know many mom’s consider other people’s reviews and experiences when choosing suppliers, so I’d be glad to share mine and I hope that this post would prove to be useful to some of you moms out there. I’ll be writing a separate post about the actual event soon.

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