PRODUCT REVIEW | MAMAEARTH WIPES

The baby personal care industry is booming in India. Whether it is diapers, toiletries, clothes, or toys, India has become a large battleground for most brands competing for their fair share of voice. However in our growing up years there were no diapers, and barely any toiletries. How did our parents manage us in cloth nappies all through the day, or take us outside home when there were no wipes, or cerelac to fall back on? 

The daily maalish used to be done with Dabur Lal Tel, or just coconut oil. No special bath tub or toiletries. No sippy cups and fancy spoons for the baby to drink and eat from.

So much has changed now. These days we have easy access to diapers, wipes and tons of toiletries for the babies. A separate bath wash for the morning and a different one for the evening bath. Fancy towels and bath toys. It's our generation's way of pampering our little ones before we get back to our corporate lives. 

Things work a little bit different for Baby V and I. Many people give me a look of alarm when they hear that my little one has been on cloth nappies majority of the day since the age of 2 months. He is almost 10 months old now and wearing nappies for part of the night as well. He is learning to use the potty seat. He has never tasted Cerelac, or any other processed food. 

We don't use many creams or lotions. We have a simple bath routine, and no fancy tubs for engagement sake. We sing, dance, talk, play and enjoy each other's company all day. We love reading, jumping around, exploring every object in the house and evening walks with our friends. 

However, travelling outside brings about some changes to the routine. We move to diapers when we are out for long, and use wet wipes in case water isn't handy. Especially during diaper changes and wiping the baby's face after a messy meal. I had tried almost every wet wipe available in the market and was so apprehensive of using something polyester based on my baby's skin. I shudder to imagine people using wipes at home on their baby's delicate skin every time they clean the baby's skin and private areas.  All wipes have polyester as their base, which is not recommended to be used on babies. 

Recently I was introduced to Mamaearth's Wipes and hence I thought of sharing this review with you.   These wipes have been the best find for me in a long long time. 

- Mamaearth's wipes are India's 1st Organic Bamboo based wipes. What does that mean? Bamboo is biodegradable and environment friendly, hence it does not give rashes. 

- Because of their composition they are safe to be used on the baby's private parts as well.

- These wipes are enriched with Vit E, Shea Butter, Almond Oil and Aloe Vera, which means don't cause drying of skin

- They are thicker than the polyester wipes, so a single wipe can clean much more area and mess.

- They have a soothing natural fragrance which does not irritate the baby.

- Mamaearths wipes are Ph balanced and hypoallergenic. 

All in all, a great product at a reasonable price!

Baby V giving his nod of approval on Mamaearth Wipes :D

#saynotopolyester #mamaearth

PRODUCT REVIEW | ANCIENT BEAUTY

I promised a detailed review of the skin care range by Ancient Beauty curated especially for my skin type. Now that I have used all the products for a few weeks I’m extremely thrilled to share the review with the readers. And my reviews are absolutely unbiased and un-influenced J

At the onset, most of you know by now that I’m all for natural products and simple ways of living. I believe in keeping it natural and easy. With the arrival of Baby V, a lot of my skin care routine went for a toss. Not only that I was pressed for time, but some of these de-tanning processes required a step-by-step process, and I could barely commit to any of that.

I have a normal skin type, with a bit of dryness in winters. In addition, my face had faced a sheer bit of distress due to my crazy swimming schedule in the past few weeks. I swim from 11am to 12 noon on most days. Isn’t that the worst time to subject your skin to maximum tan? So I needed something that would be gentle and yet effective, with long lasting benefits.

 

I used the following products from Ancient Beauty

1. The Ancient Japanese Scrub – Ah, the aroma of nature. Beginning the day with this scrub was a sheer delight. Its granular nature gently exfoliates the skin even on simple massage. I used to keep it applied as a face-pack for just 30 seconds daily, or sometimes a quick massage would do. It is a multi-purpose scrub that not just exfoliates but also nourishes skin with its good oils and minerals.

2. The Ancient Face Wash – My post-swim go-to face wash. Its creamy texture leaves the skin soft and supple. It can even be used 2-3 times a day as needed, and yes it even helps remove the stubborn make up at the end of the day. I used it typically on my face and neck as those areas would require the gentle soothing of this product. The only drawback was that it’s a little messy to use, as the mixture would not stay on the face for too long. But even then I would highly recommend it. More for the body coming up next. ;-)

3. The Ancient Fairness – This is not the typical bleachy fairness product that we come across in the market. It can be used in a relaxed state in the evening (I used it before the evening walk). For this product one can actually add milk to the powder and apply it on the face for 10-15 minutes. Since I have lot of freckles it helped me reduce them as well as it contains natural citric elements that help fade away blemishes. I saw the results in just a week.

4. The Ancient Illuminator – This product smells heavenly and brings a glow on the face instantly. I would recommend the powder with milk as it contains certain stimulating herbs and spices that help enhance the blood circulation under skin's surface due to which the radiance appears from within. I have used it before every outing for that fresh-lily look and received compliments starting from the elevator itself :D (not kidding!).

5. The Ancient Massage Powder – The product I so so needed as I have no time to head to the parlour at all. Unless the parlour comes home ;-) And this product is exactly that! It’s ideal for a home facial spa to be used along with other Ancient Beauty products in sequence for home based facial. Give it a try! All you need to for a simple home facial spa is:

Cleanse your face with 'The Ancient Face Wash' -> Scrub gently with 'The Ancient Scrub' -> Massage with 'The Ancient Massage Powder' -> Apply 'The Ancient Fairness' or 'The Ancient Illuminator as a face pack. Voila! Soft and supply skin ready in no time!

6. The Ancient Satin Body Scrub – Who minds a Balinese spa experience at home? Use everyday as a body scrub and don’t use any other soap/body wash. Add a little coconut oil (or if you don’t mind using mustard oil) and you have soft skin from top to bottom. This also helps burn cellulite with regular use. This works wonders for my dry skin.

Verdict:

1.     The products that I used started to show a difference on my skin within a week itself. Woot! Even when I did not use them for 4-5 days in between the effects were still there. Now that’s amazing, because most of the times the chemical-heavy creams/face washes etc that we use stop showing effects immediately when we discontinue them.

2.     The products have a soothing fragrance as they are all natural. Its therapeutic and rejuvenating.

3.     Not only do the products have a visible glow on the skin, but you can actually make out that they are organic and natural. No chemicals.

4.     All the products are for self-care and safe to use.

#ancientbeauty #naturalproducts #organic #natural #ayurveda #selfcare #ancient #natureisbest #mumbaimoms #momsofmumbai #productreview #blogger #momswhoblog #skincare 

PREPARING FOR THE BABY AND LABOUR

It's that time of pregnancy where you are either too anxious about when the baby will finally be here (everyone is asking "is the baby here yet?", "can you feel the labour setting it?" or re-checking with you again and again about your "EDD") or you start feeling so settled in the pregnancy and wish that it would last a little while longer :-) After all, it’s beginning to get a little comfy (you've gotten used to the aches :P) and you can feel the reassurance of the baby moving around certain times of the day, plus daddy-to-be is showering all the love and attention on you.

There are certain tell-tale signs of labour setting in that are hard to ignore. So here is how you can prepare for the baby and notice the signs of labour from 35th week onwards. 

Preparing for the baby

• -    Pack your bags and the baby's bags separately. When the baby is born, its ideal to hand over the bag to the nurse so that they can decide what the baby needs to wear. The hospital maintains a certain level of temperature hence the baby may require sweaters, socks, cap and mittens. Its best to leave it to the NICU staff as they are experienced in getting the baby comfortable. Detailed list of items to carry to the hospital will follow soon. 
• -    You may need to check with your organization on what all documents you need to submit to the hospital for medical claims.  
• -     Prepare a template for announcing if it’s a boy or a girl. All the daddy needs to do then is to put a pic and the date of birth (for if you like mentioning the weight and height as well). 
• -     Organize your home in such a way that when you return from the hospital, you know exactly where your things are. Some of the things that we may forget are:

o  Baby mattress, cover sheets and blanket. If you intend for the baby to co-sleep with you, getting a net bedding is also a good idea as using mosquito repellants around the baby is not good for the baby and sometimes leads to congestion.

o  Always have spare diapers ready. You may be surprised with the number of diapers that you will be pulling out in the first 2-3 weeks. Hence always keep a pack of 48 extra diapers for newborn size handy. If you are planning to keep the baby on cloth nappies through the day, the first month may see you using around 20-30 nappies a day. 

• -    Don’t leave items like towels, toiletries etc for the last minute. Check with your friends what products they used in the first month, and get those. Of course, no need to go overboard and stock up on everything. In the first 10 days, you may need to only sponge bath the baby hence keep soft muslin cloths handy.
• -    It’s best to avoid using wet-wipes on the baby. The extensive use of diapers and then wet wipes is too harsh for the baby’s soft skin. Hence keep a stash of cotton handy, so that everytime you need to clean the private area you dip the cotton in luke warm water and squeeze the excess water from it before applying it on the baby.
• -       Stop listening to unwanted advice from people who are negative. Few people may want to build up the stress and anxiety and comment
•  In case shopping for the baby is not allowed beforehand (according to some traditions) then build an Amazon wish-list which you can order as soon as you come back from the hospital. 

Signs of labour

All that anxiety and no sign of the baby showing up? Well, there are a few signs that indicate the onset of labour:

•     You may feel a cramp type of pain in the abdomen. The kinds you feel at the start of periods. This may be accompanied by back pain as well.

•     You may suddenly feel lighter on the tummy. It’s actually called “lightening”. The heaviness of the baby’s weight goes away and you start feeling more comfortable, or as if the baby has gone higher/or dropped lower. Whichever way it is, it does make the mommy more comfortable to move around.

•     Of course water-breaking is the most obvious sign

•     Bloody vaginal discharge or the mucus plug breaking loose

•     Few days of diarrhea or nausea for no apparent reason

•     Nestling instinct. One may feel like confining themselves indoors all of a sudden, and getting things huddled together for comfort.

All the best!