review

Review: Pigeon Newborn Pure range

11:34 PM
Bath time is Elise's absolute favourite time of the day. She smiles when we brush her gums and tongue and splashes in the water with her chubby arms and legs. She used to kick even more vigorously, but now she just tries to eat her rubber duckie. 
Ever since she started bathing, her morning bath is usually a diluted milk bath (~100ml of breast milk for a tub of water) where I use a pea-sized amount of baby shampoo and no soap at all but recently, I've noticed that some parts of her skin feels dry. The doctor at the polyclinic also commented that her skin was dry and advised me to apply more moisturiser for her. 

Just as I was contemplating on the brand of soap to use on her skin, I received some products from Pigeon's Newborn Pure range - the purifying body wash and moisturising lotion. What's interesting is that it's Natulayer formula claims to offer double layer protection by using ingredients which vernix (protective waxy layer found on newborn babies) and ceramide (moisture-capturing lipids which maintain supple skin. Sounds good. 

Credit: Pigeon Newborn Pure
I have already have lots of Pigeon baby products like their nose cleaners (bulb type for the boogers, tube type for runny noses and a nose tweezer for the dry, flaky type which can't be sucked out), nail clippers and scissors, comb and brush, bottles... but I've never tried any of their toiletries before. 

The lotion and body wash came in pump dispenser bottles, which were a relief. Some baby products still come in flip caps which are really difficult to open. I almost broke my nails trying to open a bottle the other time. This is way easier to use and can be dispensed with one hand.

Ingredients






  • WATER, SODIUM METHYL COCOYL TAURATE, LAURAMIDOPROPYL BETAINE, SODIUM LAUROYL SARCOSINATE, HYDROGENATED LECITHIN, PHYTOSTEROLS, CERAMIDE NP, GLYCERIN, POLYGLYCERYL-10 OLEATE, LECITHIN, ORYZA SATIVA (RICE) BRAN OIL, GLYCOSPHINGOLIPIDS, CHOLESTERYL ISOSTEARATE, OLEA EUROPAEA (OLIVE) LEAF EXTRACT, BUTYLENE GLYCOL, DISODIUM LAURETH SULFOSUCCINATE, PEG-120 METHYL GLUCOSE TRIISOSTEARATE, LAURAMINE OXIDE, COCAMIDE METHYL MEA, TEA-COCOYL GLUTAMATE, SODIUM CHLORIDE, CITRIC ACID, SODIUM CITRATE, PHENOXYETHANOL, SODIUM BENZOATE, ETHYLHEXYLGLYCERIN, TETRASODIUM EDTA, TOCOPHEROL, FRAGRANCE

    • The body wash is a clear watery liquid with a light, pleasant fragrance. It glides well on Elise's skin and doesn't foam up. 

    Most importantly, her skin feels clean but not stripped dry of moisture. Baby approves! I'll use my stash of frozen milk for a full milk bath one day instead of diluting a tiny bottle into the water. Less work for me to do! 



     Before I received the moisturising lotion, I was using a spray lotion from another brand (because I'm lazy and it's easier to spray) but it had a distinct smell which I couldn't quite call fragrant. It smelled earthy and I usually use about 5 sprays to cover her entire body. 

     Pigeon to the rescue! I like the smell of this one and I just need about two pumps to apply on the whole of Elise's body. If I use this on myself, will I get skin as smooth as hers too? Hopefully it'll help to keep her skin baby smooth for as long as possible! 


    Ingredients





  • WATER, GLYCERIN, CETYL ETHYLHEXANOATE, STEARYL ALCOHOL, GLYCERYL STEARATE, PEG-100 STEARATE, ETHYLHEXYLGLYCERIN, STEARIC ACID, SORBITAN STEARATE, BEHENYL ALCOHOL, CHOLESTERYL ISOSTEARATE, HYDROGENATED LECITHIN, PHYTOSTEROLS, CERAMIDE NP, POLYGLYCERYL-10 OLEATE, LECITHIN, ORYZA SATIVA(RICE)BRAN OIL, GLYCOSPHINGOLIPIDS, OLEA EUROPAEA (OLIVE) LEAF EXTRACT, BUTYLENE GLYCOL, DIPOTASSIUM　GLYCYRRHIZATE, SODIUM CITRATE, CARBOMER, TOCOPHEROL, DIMETHICONE, POTASSIUM HYDROXIDE, PHENOXYETHANOL, FRAGRANCE

    •  



    It must be really comfortable, because she dozed off after her bath. 

     Pigeon Newborn Pure is available at Guardian, motherswork and Takashimaya. Check here for the full listing.

    *I received the above products for review purposes. No monetary compensation was received. All opinions are my own. 


    Things I never realised until Elise was born

    8:21 PM
    My father often repeats these two phrases "we should all live life backwards" and "if you knew then what you know now" whenever I lament about something I should have done.
    If only I could write this note to myself when I was pregnant.

    1. Newborns and rompers do not go well together.
    Very cute, but not always practical.
    Have you tried to put a bodysuit on a tiny, wriggly newborn with a flimsy and fragile neck? Rompers look cute, but unless they have side buttons, ribbons or zips, don't bother. 

     My favourites are Uniqlo and H&M's bodysuits which have side buttons and are very easy to wear for just borns. 

    2. The sizes of baby clothes don't always correspond with the size tags
    Petit Bateau clothes are extremely teeny tiny and cutting runs very small.
    The one of the left (Petit Bateau) is tagged 3 months and the H&M one on the right is tagged 0 to 1 month, but the one on the left is smaller. 

     When organising clothes, try to separate them according to size rather than tags. It takes some experience, but just throw all the smallest clothes into the 0 to 3 month pile. 

     Elise's clothes are grouped in bundles of 0 to 3 months, 3 to 6 months, 6 to 9 months, 9 to 12 months and 12 to 18 months. She just turned 3 months old, but has to upgrade to the 6 month bundle soon because she's in the 90th percentile for weight in her age group. 


    3. A baby cot is the most under-utilised nursery item
    A baby cot was one of the first items I purchased. It was one of the more expensive IKEA cot models, had two storage drawers underneath and could be converted into a toddler bed. It's also currently in the nursery room collecting dust because it doesn't have wheels. 

    She first slept in a Moses basket which was easy for us to carry around the house, then she upgraded to a co-sleeper cot which could be placed on our bed. 

    She's now co-sleeping with us on the bed since it's a lot more convenient to just roll her over to nurse at night instead of having to sit up and carry her out of the co-sleeper. Yes, I am that lazy. 

    I have a playpen with wheels and intend to place it right next to our bed once she learns how to climb. 

    Aforementioned co-sleeper cot & Daiso LED lamp in the background - cheap nightlight!

    4. Cutting your baby's nails is an acquired skill
    Using nail clippers on an infant's fingernails is like using a pair of garden shears to cut your nails. One wrong clip and baby will start bleeding. I didn't listen to my relatives who advised that cutting with scissors were better until I just decided to use it one day. 

    One snip and you're done. Easy. Except you still have to file the edges and sides of their nails down so they can't claw themselves, but somehow, mysterious scratch marks still manage to appear on their faces.

    5. Only buy what your baby really needs
    Maybe it's the First Child Syndrome, where I bought everything and even some duplicates.

     Exersaucer? Checked. Play yard? Checked. Play mat? Checked. Make that an educational playmat with 6 languages. 

     Even though it's my first child, 90% are preloved. I can't afford to buy all brand new, and there are really cheap and unbelievable deals out there - like branded clothing bundles for the cost of one brand new piece of clothing.

     I probably went overboard on this one, because I now have a motorised scooter, bicycle, books and kitchen play sets - and my baby hasn't even learnt how to sit up yet.

     Anything your baby doesn't need YET just becomes clutter. If you don't have enough space at home, try to get items which have multiple functions. 

     The Combi Rashule chair is a daybed, rocker and high chair which can be reclined and lowered. Fisher Price's Newborn to Toddler Rocker is suitable for newborns and can support children up to 5 or 6 years of age. 

     All your baby really needs is a full tummy, a dry butt and you. 
    Combi Rashule Chair