Category: Reviews
Review: Plum Baby organic finger foods
| June 27, 2010 | Posted by Mabel under Reviews |
Brand | Plum Baby
Origin | UK
Specializes in | Baby and toddler foods (cereals, meals, dairy and snacks)
Where to buy | Supernature (so far)
Link | Plum Baby
Product | Spelt Fingers with Pomegranate (see here)
Weight | 100 gms
Cost | SGD8.50
Why spelt and why pomegranate? Spelt is an ancient grain that is considered healthier than its common wheat cousin. It is an excellent source of vitamin B2, a very good source of manganese, and a good source of niacin, thiamin, and copper. It does contain gluten so it is not suitable for people with celiac disease. Pomegranate is taunted to be a great anti-oxidant – better than blueberries, cranberries, and oranges. They also contain a good dose of vitamin B (riboflavin, thiamin and niacin), vitamin C, calcium and phosphorus.
Plum Baby’s biscuits are made with organic products like spelt and pomegranate as well as apples, these easy-to-handle sized biscuits are great for babies above 7 months olds but do note that they contain gluten (from the spelt). They are, however, dairy-free, have added B1 and are suitable great for vegetarians. Taste-wise? Despite the “word” syrup on the ingredients list, it is not sweet at all and semi-soft to the touch/bite which makes it good for babies to work on gumming as well as to tackle those nasty teething pains.
Each box comes with 10 pieces which are packed in twin-packs which is great because you don’t have to worry about the whole pack going soft (due to our humid weather here in Singapore) when you open it to just take out one biscuit. Usually, I’ll open a pack of two, give one to Eva and keep the other in the airtight container in my handbag (I pack them in my bag in case she gets hungry). Perfect for emergencies!
The only downside is that they are pretty pricey at 85 cents per piece but I don’t give these to Eva daily (for fear of boredom more than anything else) so it’s one way to stretch my budget.
More reviews on other Plum Baby finger food products when we do get around to them!
Service Review: Pink Elephant Labs
| June 27, 2010 | Posted by Mabel under Reviews |
Pink Elephant Labs
Tel (65) 9782 1958
Website | http://www.pinkelephantlabs.com
I had always wanted to get a photoshoot done for Eva after she turned 6 months old but held onto it for a variety of reasons, namely that it didn’t quite fit into our budget. Then I started working so we began to explore a few options. I was about to sign with another photographer when I got win that Eva was one of the three babies with the most votes for the contest organized by Pupsik Studios. One of the prizes was an outdoor photoshoot with Pink Elephant Labs.
After several emails with Indriana which proved to be extremely helpful as she provided examples of colour combinations and such, I was all set for the photoshoot…well, sort of. I packed some toys, books, water bottle and even muffins together with a couple of changes. You could say that I was quite excited about the whole thing – more than her, really.
Based on Indriana’s advice, we settled for pink and brown as our colours and choose to head to the park nearby. Indriana was pleasant and very friendly; I felt that Eva warmed up quite quickly despite the heat. We all had fun even Nil who is usually out of place at photoshoots. Despite the attention we got from passerbys, Indriana and her hubby were very professional and quick on their feet with regards to her poses! Eva is one quick baby who hates to be on her tummy – she stays on it for just a few seconds and then she’s back up on her bum! Awesome stuff, really.
About two weeks later, we got a preview of the shots and about another week later, we got the CD and prints! All this despite juggling a crazy production and post-production schedule (they take on companies/businesses as their clients). Throughout it all, Indriana has been very flexible, friendly and on-the-dot. It was definitely a great thing working with them and I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend them to friends for baby photoshoots.
With regards to pricing, I don’t have the full list but I do know that they have a number of promotions on-going for couples and families. I’m sure those with babies can find something within their budget. Really, if you’re planning on taking some photos with your little one, consider Indriana from Pink Elephant Labs. You won’t regret it!
CD Review: Autumnz
| April 24, 2010 | Posted by Mabel under Cloth diapers, Reviews |
Note: Review made at the time was without the use of diaper creams as it is not recommended.
Autumnz One Size Cloth Diaper is one of the baby-related items made and sold by Karen & Sue from Autumnz, a Malaysian based company. Its company features not just cloth diapers but nursing-related products like outfits, pads and teas. All Autumnz pocket diapers are made with a waterproof outer layer either made from PUL or minky and an inner microfleece layer, and come in a variety of solids and prints.
For more on the design, features and look of the diaper, do refer to Autumnz’s website here.
Style
One size pocket diapers with aplix. Inserts are available separately.
Cost
I bought this directly from Karen at Autumnz during a promotion and it came with a few packs of nursing tea. It sells for RM40-44 and Autumnz has several diaper packages for those interested in buying more.
Accessories & additionals
Their inserts are made from microfibre cloth and two are recommended for heavy wetters.
Care info
All Autumnz diapers at least twice before the first use with 1/2 to 1/4 of the recommended amount of additive free detergent (no enzymes, phosphates, softeners, bleach and optical whitening agents). The amount depends on the load of your wash. After each use, knock off poo solids into the toilet, remove the inserts, fasten the laundry tabs and place in a wet/dry pail (depends on your system) until washing day.
Diapers ought to be washed in a normal wash cycle and on regular water temperature. Hang out in the sun to dry as this is important as the heat from the sun will not only dry your inserts and diapers faster but it will “bleach” away stains too.
Verdict
Rating guide
Ugh! So-so Fair Good Worth stashing!
General
Fair
The Safari prints are my favourite so far even though they have very lovely Minky ones at an equally lovely price. For the price I paid, it is definitely good value for money. The design is comparable to more popular brands like Happy Heinys with one exception – the attaching velcro piece is sewn directly onto both the inner and outer layer, thus affecting how deep you can stuff the diaper. This is perhaps the only thing I’d like to see Autumnz improve on. Also, the attaching aplix I feel needs to be a bit longer but this is not really an issue for me.
The inserts are also quite large – probably because I couldn’t really stuff the diaper (issue above) and I recently upgraded her from one to two inserts because she’s becoming such a heavy wetter (from all the yummy water she’s taking in). (I’ve been upgrading ALL the diapers to two inserts because of this.)
Application (stuffing/removal, use, fit and bulk)
Good
Just put on and velcro on around the waist and thighs! There is nothing to fold down/up and removing it is easy as well.
Washing & drying
Good
I just remove the inserts and do a pre-rinse on the diaper shell and inserts before tossing them in a separate pail. The soaker and shells have always dried overnight but I still sun them anyway to make them extra dry and bleach/kill any stains/germs.
What’s next?
If you’re not fuss, and am on a budget, this is a good brand. Value for money!
Shop Review: Supernature, SG
| April 14, 2010 | Posted by Mabel under Food & Recipes, Little Tastebuds, Reviews |
Note: The review was originally planned for way before Patricia from Supernature store approached me with the idea of writing an advertorial for the store. I told her that I didn’t mind doing one as I was planning on putting up a review anyway! It’s a great store so why not? Anyway, I got some complimentary food to let Eva try so am going to do food reviews on that as well.
Supernature
#01-21/23 & 27 Park House
Singapore 248645
Tel (65) 6304 1338
Fax (65) 6735 0366
Website | http://supernature.com.sg/Opening hours
Monday – Saturday: 10am – 7pm
Sunday: 10am – 6pm
Public Holidays: 10am – 5pm
Before I started Eva on solid food, I had just one basic rule – try to offer organic foods as much as possible and if I could, offer so-called Western ingredients. During my search online then, I came across Supernature’s website but because their online store didn’t have a wide variety of baby foods, I shelved the idea of checking them out. Later on, after doing another search for baby cereals as well reading a post on a Singaporean mummy forum that I regularly visit, I decided to check out the store.
I’m glad I did.
Founded and opened in 2001, Supernature is well-stocked store that is spacious and filled with a variety of goods to cater to a family’s every need, from pet food, household detergent, clothes to fresh foods, condiments, and even alcohol! The company was awarded Best Organic Store by Tattler and it’s no surprise! Each time I go to the store, I find myself being caught up with the varied items on the shelves. The store is divided into two separate sections – baby, household, clothing and beauty-related items in one store (Store A) and food-related items like cereals, fruits, meats and such in the next store (Store B).
Store A has a number of popular brands, some of which are:
- Organix
- Holle’s
- Plum Baby Food
- Earth’s Best
- Ella’s Kitchen
- California Baby
- Ecover
- Planet
- 7th Generation
- Earthwise
- …and many many more.
In the meantime, over in Store B where the yummies are, Supernature has five different types of farm boxes available for purchase to cater to a household’s needs. Deliveries are made four times a week – Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. These farm boxes are basically made up of a variety of vegetables and fruits depending on what you like – Asian, Western, Juice, Baby and good ole’ Original. For example, in the Baby Farm box, you have things that are suitable for babies (to be cooked and made into purees) like pumpkin, zucchini, spinach, avocado, banana and so forth. Special arrangements can be made to accommodate replacement of ingredients because of allergies but otherwise, people usually add other things like milk and such to be delivered together with their farm box.
If farm boxes don’t really interest you, you can settle for buying items loose and/or fresh. Fruits and vegetables are flown in from places like Korea, Thailand, and Australia every week and they offer a good variety. Today, they include leek, savoy cabbage, celery, herbs, carrots, pumpkin and so forth. They also have a rather large frozen section containing meats – processed or otherwise – as well as dairy and tofu such like milk, yoghurt, and cheese. Talk about being spoiled for choice!
On the other side of Store B, we have the dried foods or pantry items such as cereals, package milk made from soy, quinoa, and non-cow sources (great for vegans/vegetarians), juice, wine, oil, vinegar, pasta, tomato sauce, salt, sugar, flours, grains and dried legumes, Japanese items like miso/kelp, noodles, rice (naturally)…I could go on and on!!!
Click on the pic to view the full size!
Why I like this store is because I had been hunting up and down for instant spelt and semolina cereal, and I found it here. Their Holle’s baby food jars are also of a bigger size – 190 to 220 gms instead of the standard 110gm jar – which is great for me at this point because the standard jars can only fit 2 food cubes and Eva is now eating more than that! I found some spelt and barley flakes which I can grind into powder for Eva to add to her porridges and I managed to hunt down an organic version of Cheerios (cereal that are shaped in Os) that are made from oats called Oatios (how apt!) and without any flavouring. Most in the market are usually made with corn and have added flavouring or sugar. Cheerios are great as a finger food for Eva.
On top of that, they have pasta made from non-gluten grains like rice and get this, ANIMAL shaped pasta made from organic durum wheat! Needless to say, I grabbed that at the first opportunity I got. They also have organic juice that is suitable for babies – these are often hard to find in the market. The wide variety of brands for the various grains and dried legumes gives me a better pool of choice in terms of prices and quantity.
Even though it’s a little far from where I am, I don’t mind making the trip down there every two-three weeks or so just to stock up on organic food. People in the city center have it better as it’s just around the corner from Tanglin Mall and located about 10 minutes walk from Orchard MRT (access via Wheelock Place and head out to Orchard Boulevard). Why so far, you might ask. The variety is what I’m after and they have it. This coupled with fantastic service and friendly staff is a plus point. I love how I’m left to shop alone – many Singaporean stores still have this habit of following people around when they shop (annoying sometimes) – and that when I do need help, I get it and I get GOOD help!
So really, if you need to get anything or am just curious, drop by and have a look-see. You may find yourself walking out with a couple of purchases. In fact, I’m thinking of heading back soon to look for some shampoo. 
Review: Bellamy’s Organic – Brown Rice Pasta Stars & Toothiepegs
| April 13, 2010 | Posted by Mabel under Food & Recipes, Little Tastebuds, Reviews |
Brand | Bellamy’s Organic
Origin | Australia
Specializes in | Baby foods (cereals/milk), skincare and feeding accessories
Where to buy | FairPrice and Cold Storage
Link | Bellamy’s Organic
Product | Brown Rice Pasta Stars (see here)
Weight | 200g
Cost | SGD8.25
I had first started exploring the idea of giving Eva soft pasta with her veg puree when she started taking in cheese a while back. At the moment, the only cheese she has tried is cheddar – I try to get those with less salt than usual (below 1.6 g per 100gms) – in small quantities and she just loves it! I suppose it’s mostly due to the fact that it’s has a richer flavour than all her other foods. But a number of baby pastas in the market contained corn – something which I had yet to introduce to Eva as it’s highly allergenic and suitable only from 11-12 months onwards. It was while I was doing some grocery shopping at Cold Storage that I came across this product by Bellamy’s.
Made with just organic whole grain brown rice, these pasta stars are ultra small in size compared to their adult peers and rightly so as Bellamy’s recommends that it be available for babies above 7 months old. It is gluten-free and iron enriched for those who worry about allergies or lack of iron for their young babies. Taste-wise? Just like rice noodles, IMHO, but perhaps with a bit more flavour and bite to it.
Cooking this is easy – I just boil about 400 to 500ml of water, omit the usual salt and oil for adult pastas and once the water is boiling, I’ll toss in a good handful of the stars. About three small mountains is enough for a meal. The recommended serving amount is 25 grams but it’ll fluff up to about 60 gms when cooked. I keep the water boiling as it cooks and usually I’ll start just before I nurse Eva so I don’t have to figure out how to keep her entertained in the meantime. When it’s ready (read: soft enough for Eva to gum), I drain the water and wash it with some running cold water to cool it down. Hot food items for a baby is not a good idea!
At this stage, the pasta is done cooking but pasta just like that isn’t all that fun. So I usually serve this up with some veg puree in replacement of the common tomato base sauce and some grated cheese to top it up. The result is a yummy dinner, as seen above, which she just loves; I get nothing but open mouths and impatient excitement!
Product | Toothiepegs
Weight | 100g
Cost | SGD8.05
I bought these toothie pegs with the intention of letting Eva have an afternoon snack in a seat but later realized that it was made from wheat and she had yet to be introduced to wheat. It was only after I tested the waters, so to speak, with a variety of wheat-related grains and products like spelt, semolina, wheat-based cereal and bread that I added this in as part of a daily snack item.
The toothie pegs are made with organic wheat flour, organic skim milk powder, wheatgerm, yeast plus added salt to harden the rusk (unavoidable as all rusks have this) and added iron. They have no preservatives or additives and is essentially baked & hardened bread. Some people may find it lacking in flavour but Eva loves it! Do bear in mind that a baby’s tastebuds are more sensitive than adults and the flavours of sugar & salt are acquired tastes.
Each box comes with 12 pegs and these are packed in sticks of 2 which is great because you don’t have to worry about the whole pack going soft (due to our humid weather here in Singapore) when you open it to just take out one stick. Usually, I’ll open a pack of two, give one to Eva and keep the other in the airtight container where I store her puffs. The rest of the unopened pegs are still kept in the box and stashed away in her own kitchen drawer. Yes, Eva has her own kitchen drawer, and even a section in the freezer and fridge!
Note that these only come in one flavour; I suppose with good reason as flavours either have to be natural or they would fall under the “additive” category. Still I have no complaints. Since sprouting up two teeth, Eva loves to gnaw on her teething rusks and she loves this because it’s easy to handle – it’s a long stick instead of a large rectangular piece. Only problem is that when she gets to the last few centimeters or so when she can’t hold onto them anymore, she tends to pop the whole thing in her mouth so that’s usually my cue to either soften it or smash it into more manageable pieces. Do take note of this if you plan to give it to a young baby without teeth. These days, she’s okay with sucking and gumming it on the same time in her mouth so I’m not all that worried. Plus I watch her while she’s eating too so it’s no biggie.
CD Review: Bumwear (New Design)
| March 27, 2010 | Posted by Mabel under Cloth diapers, Reviews |
Note: Review made at the time was without the use of diaper creams as it is not recommended.
Bumwear is the design and baby of Rita at Bumwear here in Singapore. A former Bali resident, Bumwear started off as a one-woman show with Rita trying to find a solution (and an end) to her third child’s persistent diaper rash. After trying on a few different brands, she decided to come up with her own design and today, Bumwear has not only pocket diapers as their flagship product but prefolds, training pants as well as diaper covers and even cloth pantyliners.
All Bumwear pocket diapers are made with a waterproof outer layer and an inner soft fleece layer, and come in a variety of solids and prints. The prints are made with handprinted batik designs based on what Rita’s children “doodle” out! Very unique and gorgeous!
For more on the design, features and look of the diaper, do refer to Bumwear’s website here.
Style
One size pocket diapers with snaps. Inserts are available separately.
Cost
I bought this as part of a package so it was cheaper but otherwise, it retails for around SGD27 for the cover and SGD7 for the inserts.
Accessories & additionals
Their inserts are made from microfibre terry cloth and taunted to be super comfortable yet super absorbant! Two are recommended for heavy wetters.
Care info
All Bumwear diapers, which contain some cotton, should be washed at least thrice before the first use with 1/2 to 1/4 of the recommended amount of additive free detergent (no enzymes, phosphates, softeners, bleach and optical whitening agents). The amount depends on the load of your wash. After each use, knock off poo solids into the toilet, remove the inserts, fasten the laundry tabs and place in a wet/dry pail (depends on your system) until washing day.
Diapers ought to be washed in a normal wash cycle and on regular water temperature. Hang out in the sun to dry as this is important as the heat from the sun will not only dry your inserts and diapers faster but it will “bleach” away stains too.
Verdict
Rating guide
Ugh! So-so Fair Good Worth stashing!
General
Fair
I wasn’t exactly sold on this when I first used it – that I must admit – but over time, especially when Eva started on solids and subsequently began teething, I discovered that Bumwear was great with odour – there was hardly any! The prints as well as colour choices are limitless and very pretty. One thing I love is the colour contrast between the outer fabric and the inner one. Makes the diaper not only practical but fashionable. The new batch I bought (seen above) are limited designs that were available at the Babycare Festival here in Singapore. There were a few others that I was sorely tempted to snap up but with Nil watching over me like a hawk, I decided to go with the brightly coloured ones.
The new design is simply great! My first pack of Bumwear diapers were actually the older designs – it lacked the thigh snaps so we had a bit of trouble trying to fit it on Eva when we first used it. The current diaper design as well as fabric choice for the inserts is a vast improvement. With the older diapers, I’d have to use two inserts but the new ones? I just need one insert!
The inner layer of the diaper shell is unlike other diapers that I’ve been using. It’s ultra soft and great with wicking away moisture even after the heaviest of wettings! Definitely a plus factor!
UPDATE: After two years of massive use, this was one of the first diapers to give way. The elastic around the legs were worn out and well, that resulted in leaks. Definitely not able to reuse again for Noah.
Application (stuffing/removal, use, fit and bulk)
Good
Just put on and snap around the waist and thighs! There is nothing to fold down/up and removing it is easy as well.
Washing & drying
Good
I just remove the inserts and do a pre-rinse on the diaper shell and inserts before tossing them in a separate pail. The soaker and shells have always dried overnight but I still sun them anyway to make them extra dry and bleach/kill any stains/germs.
One plus point is that it rinses out rather well (similar with hemp and bamboo inserts) compared to microfiber based inserts which can hold in the ammonia smell (from pee) if you leave it out without washing for too long.
What’s next?
If I need more, this is one brand that I’ll get!
