Your child's shampoo has run out and the next bath is just a few hours away. You get to the usual aisle of your supermarket and grab hold of that familiar bottle of shampoo. But wait.

When was the last time you took a closer look at the list of ingredients stated on the label? How do you decide if that shampoo is most suitable for your kids? Are all kids' personal care products equivalent in terms of quality and function?

As parents, we probably go for hypoallergenic baby care products and avoid ingredients like fragrances, parabens, preservatives and the more well-known Sodium Lauryl Sulfate or its lesser evil cousin - Sodium Laureth Sulfate - which act to create lather that we all love.

But there are others, like dioxane and triclosan, in many of our children's (and adults') personal care products. According to a study done by the California-based Center for Environmental Health in 2013, it states that a cancer-causing chemical has been found in hundreds of popular brand shampoos. That culprit is "Cocamide DEA". In another report recently released (Oct 2016) by the Breast Cancer Fund's Campaign for Safe Cosmetics, it reveals the widespread presence of toxic chemicals in children's hair products, lip balms, makeup kits, face paints and nail products.

Labels revealed chemicals of concern in products marketed to children, including endocrine disrupting compounds, chemicals linked to organ toxicity and neurological damage, and ingredients that can be contaminated with carcinogens. - report by Breast Cancer Fund

Cost aside, is one shampoo or body wash, therefore, as good as another? Of course not!

Why expose your child to more hazardous chemicals if there is an alternative?

The good news is, there are many companies that are making safer personal care products for our children, using ingredients that are natural instead of synthetic ones that might have some harmful effects on our bodies. My kids have been using certified organic products from Mambino Organics and Cottoncubs to protect their dry and slightly sensitive skin. They love it and so do I. Here's why.

* Mambino Organics *

Mambino Organics baby care products - Made in USA

Co-founded in 2006 by Ms Maki Maodus, a passionate and ecological-conscious aesthetician who has worked in the natural skin and body care products for over a decade, Mambino Organics is a brand well-known for eczema, cradle cap, diaper care and scar repair. Every product uses pure and certified organic plant oils, herb and flower extracts in its products, and they disclose all the ingredients they put into each bottle, giving the assurance and relief for green-minded parents. The products are handmade (no mass production) without any severe heating or hydrogenating processes in order to ensure the nutritional content and potency of the natural ingredients used. Mambino Organics is USDA Organics certified.

Mambino Soothe Me Body Wash & Shampoo (170 ml)

The first thing I noticed about Mambino's Soothe Me Baby-Kids Body Wash & Shampoo is its ingenious self-foaming pump. Because there are no foaming agents used, the pump makes the oh-so-lovely foam for easy washing. The gentle head-to-toe baby wash protects even the most delicate skin and washes off so easily. Ch noticed that the body wash stings when it came into contact with her eyes, and that is only because the product doesn't contain numbing agents (additional chemicals). Although not overpowering, the smell needs some time to get used to, especially if you are not used to the smell of coconut oil on your hair/body product - but once dry, it smells good. Hair does not entangle much after wash. The body wash is effective for cradle cap.

How to Use
Massage one or two pumps onto damp face, body and hair, avoiding eye area, then rinse thoroughly.

Ingredients (INCI)
Saponified Cocos nucifera (organic coconut) oil, Saponified Olea europaea (organic olive) oil, Saponified Simmondsia chinensis (organic jojoba) oil, Vegetable Glycerin, Aloe barbadensis (organic aloe) leaf juice, Rosmarinus officinalis (Rosemary) leaf extract, Lavandula angustifolia (organic lavender) oil.

Mambino Baby's Best Daily Essential Lotion (146ml)

The sweet tangy orange smell of the Mambino Baby's Best Daily Essential Lotion reminds me of an orange smoothie drink which I love. It leaves a non-greasy feel and is absorbed into the skin very quickly. We find the lotion very effective at keeping the skin moisturised and soothing to L's dry itchy skin.

How to Use
Apply small amount of lotion and gentle massage over face and body right after bath or shower. For best results, use daily.

Ingredients (INCI) 
Aloe barbadensis (organic aloe) juice, Cocos nucifera (organic coconut) oil, Camellia sinensis (organic green tea) extract, Cetearyl olivate, Sorbitan olivate, Cetyl palmitate, Sorbitan palmitate, Olea europaea (organic olive) oil, Calophyllum inophyllum (organic tamanu) oil, Palm stearic acid, Xanthan gum (polysaccharide gum), Aurantium dulcis (organic sweet orange) essential oil, Anthemis nobilis (organic chamomile) flower oil.

Where to Buy

* Cottoncubs *

Cottoncubs baby care products - Made in Australia

It all started with a mother's love for her son who was suffering from eczema then. Staying in Sydney, Australia, Ms Bilyana Di Costanzo could not find any suitable cool clothing for her son under the extreme Australian summer heat, and decided to make him some apparel using ultra-light cotton voile. And Cottoncubs was born since 2008.

Now, Cottoncubs also has its own organic baby care range of products, specially formulated with the finest natural and certified organic ingredients from plant extracts and pure essential oils, to help babies, toddlers and young kids with sensitive skin. Recognised and certified by Australian Certified Organic (ACO), you can be assured of Cottoncubs' quality. (Do note that Cottoncubs products contain Parfum in their ingredient list.)

Cottoncubs Baby Shampoo (250ml)

Cottoncubs Baby Shampoo is a clear liquid which produces a small amount of lather after it's gently massaged on the scalp. It washes off quite easily and is soap and sulfate-free. We like the clean smell that lingers on the hair after a wash. Ch smeared some of the lather on her eyes and it does not sting.

How to Use
Wet the scalp/hair of your baby/toddler before use. Apply a small amount on the scalp/hair and gently massage into a lather. Rinse off thoroughly and dry with a soft bath towel.

Ingredients
Organic Aloe vera (Aloe barbadensis) juice, Purified water (Aqua), Coco glucoside, Organic Guar Gum (Cyamopsis tetragonoloba), Citric Acid, Organic Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) essential oil, Parfum, Organic glycerine, Organic Lemon Myrtle (Backhousia citriodora) essential oil, Potassium sorbate, Organic Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) extract, Organic Avocado (Pesea gratissima) oil, Organic Jojoba (Simmondsia chinensis) oil, Organic Olive Leaf (Olea europaea) extract, Organic Calendula (Calendula officinalis) extract, Organic Chamomile (Chamomilla recutita) extract, Rosehip (Rosa rubiginosa) extract.

Cottoncubs Baby Body Wash (250ml)

Gentle on the skin, Cottoncubs Baby Body Wash has a lovely lavender fragrance which also provides relief for skin irritations. Evening primrose oil helps to restore dry flaky skin conditions as it has a high amount of essential fatty acids. We find that the gel leaves a smooth film on the skin after rinsing.

How to Use
Dispense a small amount into a running bath for babies or simply apply directly onto your child's wet body and massage the gel into a mild lather. Rinse off thoroughly and dry with a soft bath towel

Ingredients
Organic Aloe vera (Aloe barbadensis) juice, Purified water (Aqua), Coco glucoside, Organic Guar Gum (Cyamopsis tetragonoloba), Citric Acid, Organic Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) essential oil, Potassium sorbate, Parfum, Organic glycerine, Organic Lemon Myrtle (Backhousia citriodora) essential oil, Organic Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) extract, Organic Avocado (Pesea gratissima) oil, Organic Evening Primrose (Oenothera Biennis) oil, Organic Olive Leaf (Olea europaea) extract, Organic Calendula (Calendula officinalis) extract, Organic Chamomile (Chamomilla recutita) extract, Rosehip (Rosa rubiginosa) extract.

Cottoncubs The Skin Soother (60ml)

Where to Buy
My First Shoots website 


As the main person deciding on the types of products we use at home, I am mindful of the family's safety and consciously seek safer food and food packaging, as well as safer cleaning products and toys. Knowing that the kids' personal care products are not laden with harmful chemicals, it gives me a peace of mind when they bathe.

*INCI refers to the International Nomenclature of Cosmetic Ingredients; is a system of names for ingredients of soap, cosmetics etc, and is largely based on scientific names.

Disclaimer: We were given the products mentioned in this post for the purpose of this review. No monetary compensation was given and all opinion are ours.

If the Lord is willing, many years down the road when our hairs grey and our memory fades, I'll read out this post to my grandchildren and great-grandchildren to remind us of the many blessed moments we shared as a family.

Sharing our family votes for the best nine family moments in 2016 - because the best nine is not just about the most-liked photos.

Photos from top row (left to right)

• We spent a whole day at Kidzania! From the time it opened to its closing time. I couldn't believe that all the three kids were still hyped up when we left, whereas I was exhausted just sitting around and taking pictures. It was an incredible experience as there was hardly any crowd and the kids tried out 11 establishments. Precious moments spotted when the siblings helped one another to complete the task, accommodated to K's walking speed by walking slower, brought K along to set up her bank account and collecting the 20 kidZos and many more. 
• We had a thrilling time at the Singapore Wake Park, challenging each other to see who will be the first to successfully wakeboard across the waters. Precious moments included cheering each other on when we couldn't make it to the opposite tower. Even K, who was watching us from the side, encouraged us and gave lots of thumbs-up. 
• We brought K on a bus ride because she started asking. Each time when we are in the car, she would point to the buses that pass by and say, "I want to go on bus." For a girl who has overcome so many challenges in her short life and has improved so much physically, it was indeed difficult for us to reject her request. The look on her face when she finally boarded one was priceless! So, so precious because it was her first. 

• We celebrated L's birthday at Zoom Park because he wanted the same experience that Ch had for her birthday. It was extra memorable because he had the company of 5 other friends and they expended so much energy trampolining for that one hour. 
• We finally saw enough weight gain from K and more progress at eating and drinking by mouth. Hence, we confidently pulled out her feeding tube! The family cheered for her when she took a photo with her tube dangling from her small fingers. And she proudly said "No more tube." Will 2017 be the year she accepts Gerber puffs, biscuits, cubed fruits and everything else?  
• We were pleasantly surprised with our luxurious family suite at the recent staycation at the Civil Service Clubhouse@Changi. A chalet it was, but it was more than the typical chalet we are familiar with. The kids watched tv whenever there was time and we had friends over for a barbeque too. A post about our experience to come soon.

Enjoy the little things in life. For one day you may look back and realise they were the Big things. 

 What about you, dear friend? What were your best nine family moments for this year?

This is the second post of the series featuring our collaboration with Nippon Paint Professional Painting Services. Read about our pre-painting site consultation experience and the surprise we got.

 - The day our room breathed a new look again -

The painting team from Nippon Paint Professional Painting Services reached our house on time with their tools and paints and started work promptly. Quietly, the two painters worked in tandem to shift the furniture to the centre of the room, tape the fixtures etc.

Job to be completed in 5 hours: walls and ceiling of my helper's room and ceilings of my Master Bedroom and two toilets.

Pre-painting preparation

Protecting all fixtures with Nippon Paint-approved masking tapes

Nippon Paint Plastic Drop Cloth to protect all the furniture and floor

Painting work starts

Adding a coat of primer (sealer)

Although the Vinilex 5170 or ExpressKote sealers might be more efflorescence resistant (hence providing more protection to the finishing coats of paint), the Nippon Paint 5101 Odour-less Water-based Wall Sealer was suggested by Alan (project manager of Nippon Paint Professional Painting Services) as we have young children at home. It emits a low level of VOCs (Volatile Organic Compound), hence is safer for them as compared to the other two types of sealers. And... did you notice the name says "odour-less" instead of odourless? Keke... true to its name, the water-based sealer does emit a little odour, but is definitely much less as compared to the normal paints, and it is almost unnoticeable.

The work was divided between the two painters. One painted the top coat of my helper's bedroom while the other worked on the ceilings and the toilets.

Top coats waiting to dry

Blistered paint removed from the toilet ceiling

Areas on the ceilings where the old paint blistered or peeled off were scraped and cleaned before applying the new coat of ceiling paint. The Nippon Paint Anti-Mould Ceiling White paint is formulated to have anti-mould properties against most species of mould - definitely what we need, considering the booklice feast on mould on the walls.

Just when the painters were going to clean up after completing the work, we found bubbles forming under the new coat of ceiling paint in one toilet. Thankfully, the painters rectified the problem immediately. They had to reapply new coats of paint after removing the bubbles and stayed on to check if the problem persisted. I am impressed with their work attitude because not once did they give me any "black face" for delaying the completion of the paintwork.

Cleaning Up

The painters worked fast to clean up the rooms and removed all masking tapes and drop cloths. As part of their professional painting services, they were supposed to reinstall the furniture in my helper's room to the original arrangement, but the painters told me to let the top coat dry completely for a few hours before doing that. I was more than happy to do it myself since they stayed almost the whole day just to make sure the ceiling paint dried up properly.

We love the new colours and a refreshed look for my helper's room. Stay with me for photos of the completed paintwork in my next post!

We have been neglecting the maintenance of the paintwork of our house since we moved in. Other than a new paintwork in 2011 at the foyer leading to our main door and the current bedroom which Ch and L are sharing, the rest of the house still retains the original paintwork that was done in 2003.

Parts of the ceilings in our toilets and Master Bedroom have blistered and cracked. The wall paint in my helper's room and the balcony suffer from the growth of mould and "scars" when stickers or Blue Tack were removed.

Problem areas on interior walls and ceilings

We have been thinking of giving the walls a new paintwork especially since the helper's room looks kind of dull, but ... you know how things are with work and kids around ya? The days turn into months and the months into years, with the problem areas still unattended to until we were invited to try out Nippon Paint's Professional Painting Services.

Helper's room cum play area for the kids

Pre-painting site inspection

What do you see on this bedroom ceiling?

Do you notice the tiny black speck at the joining of the ceiling and wall? That is actually a living thing!

A closer look under my microscope

It was a shock to see these pests which have been breeding on the walls in my helper's bedroom. Alan told me that these tiny insects (length about 1 mm) are booklice and they are commonly found in warm and moist conditions which are conducive for the growth of mould and mildew. The mould and mildew are their sources of food.

Booklice don't bite and they are not like head lice. They are generally harmless but they may cause skin irritation for some and are difficult to remove effectively. There are a couple of ways to eradicate booklice but since we were going to repaint the problematic areas, that would remove the thriving population.

Choosing the type and colour of paint

From macarons to room colour ideas

It's that time of the year where our labelling work gets intensive. There are school books, bags, water bottles, wallets, pens, lunch boxes, uniforms, etc, to label before the new school term starts.  

Very often, name labels either fade easily or peel off with time, with some lasting only a few months. But with Stickerkid stickers, we found that those name labels we received two years ago are still in good condition! 

That is because:

Stickerkid.com uses the highest quality material to provide you with the best possible stickers. We take great care in selecting the materials, papers, inks and machines used in completing your order. We took our time selecting the most malleable and flexible adhesive, allowing you to apply the stickers to any surface. Despite our extensive research, our adhesive does not work on Teflon. Our plastification consists of an extremely thin film, only a few dozen microns so as not to alter the flexibility of our stickers. But we use top-of-the-line material to ensure longevity in our product. Once applied, the sticker will resist the test of time for years. For our textile labels, we guarantee that they will withstand 45 machine washes at a temperatures of 60 degrees Celsius. These labels are washing machine and tumble dryer resistant. - Stickerkid.com

Stickerkid.com

I ordered the stickers from Stickerkid.com's website and within 24 hours, I received an email notification that the stickers were ready and off to the Swiss Post. Shipping to Singapore costs S$3 and is delivered directly to the letter box.

Other than the single items, Stickerkid.com offers personalised value packs that include all the essential stickers you need to label your belongings at the childcare, school or for a school camping trip. I've seen brands that offer cheaper value packs with more stickers included, but the disappointment comes when I realise the font and colour customisation applies to all the stickers in the pack, hence giving the same look. 

Unlike those brands, Stickerkid's value packs allow you to customise each type of sticker in terms of the wording, colours, font and picture logo. Best for kids (or mothers) who want a bit of everything! 

Choosing her own colours and picture logo

At this age, K is able to tell me which colour and picture logo she likes. She couldn't decide between a blue or a red background for her shoe stickers and if she likes ladybug or a princess better. I was amused while I watched how L helped her with the decision-making process.
The value packs also come with at least 30% savings! The extra savings can be channelled to fuel more coffee breaks for moms! Happy!

Various types of value packs from Stickerkid.com

Can I tell you how much I love Stickerkid's shoe stickers? I think this is such a clever idea especially for young kids, and our school-going kids. These stickers come in handy for popular brands/colours of shoes. I've seen two other friends' kids with the exact pair of shoes as K's, so the shoe stickers (and the amount of shoe dirt) help me identify her shoes more easily.

Customised shoe stickers for K

Name labels and Clothing labels from Stickerkid

Elephant Door label

Note: discount is not applicable for promo items.

Have fun customising your own name stickers!

Disclaimer: We were given Stickerkid personalised stickers for the purpose of this review. Names on the stickers were edited for privacy reasons. No monetary compensation was given and all opinion are ours.