After Ilakkiya, my shopping experiences have changed a lot. I usually buy only most familiar products for me. I use the same when it comes to skin care products because of my sensitive skin. While for Ilakkiya I was open to thousands of choices online, though I was initially confused on what to buy for her. I am glad I purchased all these things online because I am not interested in buying the costliest products as the best products pushed by the sales people in baby shops. After all, I know they are doing their job, still I am the one spending money and I don’t like being pushed too much.

So, let’s come to the products I purchased this year for the baby girl. My little one was 8 months and 5 days old in January 2018 and by the end of December 2018 she will be 19 months and a week old. I am listing the top 10 purchases I made between this period and those that helped me run my daily life this whole year.

1. Potty Seat Stool with Safety Belt

One of the toughest training for any child is potty training. That’s what I have heard from many other friends and in most articles I read online. Luckily, I was advised by my mother to start it as early as possible. So, this was one of Ilakkiya’s birthday gifts from me. I struggled for two weeks, because she did not like something about it. I have no idea what it is, but gradually she got comfortable using it. She was this sweet little darling when it came to potty training. Simple reason, we hardly used diapers on her. I realized she never liked wet pants. She always signals me to change her pants immediately. So, this made it easy for me to train her. I can happily say that I trained her only by showing her where to sit and what to do. She did the rest. Kids know things, they just need that guidance. Undoubtedly,this is my first product because it was the only one I wanted to buy before she turned 1.

2. Cloth Diapers

The Mother of All Cloth Diapers!

I have so much to share about my Cloth Diapering experience that I will dedicate many posts in the coming year for this. I initially bought a local brand from a baby shop and liked it. Then my go to product was Superbottoms All in One. Their soakers are the best I have bought till date. Their organic cotton soakers have absorbed better without much leakage. I love their trim cut. It looks adorable on the little one. I really love Mother Earth and I loved the design of these lovely diapers. Try these for your little ones, I am sure you will be glad you tried. They are the best below Rs. 1000.

3. Some More Cloth Diapering

LUZKER

There were so many other brands I tried. Yes, Super bottoms is costlier in comparison to these, but it was worth it. There are many other brands which come in the economical category due to microfiber inserts. I tried LUZKER and Babyhug(available on first cry). I am planning to stock a couple more diapers and I think I will choose Bumberry for it. If you are looking for diapers just for a walking session or short outings, I would suggest these brands. Fig-o-honey is also an excellent option. Motherly has wonderful prints that you will fall in love with.

4. Charcoal, Bamboo and Hemp Inserts

Charcoal that lasts long!

I felt microfiber wasn’t absorbing a lot as I expected, still it held up to an hour or two sometimes. I also found the material was getting rough after a period of usage. Microfibers mustn’t really touch the baby’s skin. It would create rashes due to its rough nature and it is best when used only in the pocket available in the cloth diapers. When I looked for other options, I found so many. Bamboo, hemp, charcoal to name a few. I loved the options offered. I also liked the fact that they get softer after usage and can be placed on the baby’s skin directly. Their absorbency was great and they don’t stink like microfiber. 

5. Mama earth Berry Blast Toothpaste

When baby girl turned 15 months old, we started a brushing routine. It is almost three months now. Initially, I was apprehensive about using a toothpaste for her. I never felt the need for it, but I see that she has a sweet tooth just like her father. I am left with no choice, but to follow a stringent brushing routine and that’s when I found Mama earth’s Berry Blast toothpaste. She swallows it and that’s the whole point of using a toothpaste for someone so small. Safe to swallow. Kindly squeeze out tiny amounts only. Since there are no fluorides, I feel it is not harsh on her and she likes to eat it! I am not a fan actually of swallowing the toothpaste, but a fan of building a routine.

6. Mama earth Moisturizing Lotion

Since I was almost fixed with Mama earth, I must agree I am a fan of their range. I love the Daily Moisturizing lotion because I am glad that both of us could use the same. I purchase it with Amazon Subscribe and Save and it helps! I like the mild fragrance and it gets quickly absorbed into the baby’s skin. It is a travel-friendly bottle too.

7. Mama earth Mosquito Repellent

I use it. I use it for my little one. The citronella keeps away the mosquitoes. It is quickly absorbed and prevents any harm especially if your little one keeps her fingers in her mouth even while they sleep. It must be applied often during the day and a couple of times during the night in case you live in an hyper-active mosquito zone. I usually apply it only after my little one sleeps.

8. Classic Mosquito Net

One among the best buys this year is the Classic Mosquito Net. The best part of this net is I don’t have to go searching for four corners of my room to hang the mosquito net. This is the new age mosquito net ideal for anybody who uses a bed. I love it and baby girl and I enjoy the tent like creation. It is cozy and cute and protects us from mosquitoes. Aren’t our age old methods always the best? I fold it every morning and place it safely inside the cover provided.

9. Mamy Poko Pants

Truth be told, we all know, diapers cannot be avoided. Instead it can be used minimally. Undoubtedly, it is the best for heavy nights, sick days and long travel. So these are the times I use Mamy Poko Pants. One good thing is it holds up for 6 to 8 hours only. That is the best part about it. I don’t want to keep my girl in diapers for more than 4 to 8 hours too. So, subscribe and save in Amazon for best offers. My girl is on Medium size now and 74 pieces last for a full 3 months, at times it goes to 4 months too.

10. Johnson’s New Range of Products

After I attended the Johnson’s cafe meet, somehow I wanted to try their products. Leaving my fears behind, I am using some of their new ranges on me first. I love their Milk+Rice lotion. I am yet to use Top to toe baby wash on Ilakkiya. However, we like the Baby lotion already. Let’s see how well this works in the long run. If you are a fan of Johnson’s, then enjoy the new range. If you are one among the apprehensive lot, give it a try I say! I have heard raving reviews of their night range of  products. Chamomile based body wash and lotion, worth the try, no?

Which products did you buy for your little one this year? Share here with me!

This is not a sponsored post. I have shared my honest opinions about the product. However, this post may contain affiliate links which means I make a small commission if you make a purchase at no additional cost to you. See the disclosure policy for more information.

The post Top 10 Essentials I Bought for my Baby Girl from Amazon in 2018 appeared first on JAYANTHY'S FREE SPACE.

I started my search when Ilakkiya was 3 months old. By then she already had a severe rash due to over-wiping with wet wipes, she used to cry when we used a mild soap(Pigeon) as it hurt her eye, she also got a diaper rash. Well, I was totally crushed to know that I was nowhere close to handling a baby in a soft and gentle manner. I have never held any other baby in my arms, no, not even my sister. Somehow I found them to be cute and adorable and too fragile for me. So, personally and officially, Ilakkiya was the first baby I had to experiment as well as experience everything with. Well, there she was lying on the bed, drooling happily and laughingly trusting her mother completely. Blind Love that was!

As a responsible mother, I really had this job to find something safe, free from most harmful chemicals and definitely not tested on animals. No synthetic fragrances, obviously free from parabens and definitely no added preservatives. This list eliminated many products that was gifted for the little one. I had to even keep away those given by close family. They felt bad, but I knew they would understand. I was looking for simple products that understood babies and their world that resolved parents concerns.

I really didn’t know where to look. I googled a lot and tried to find about the ingredients. I was tired by the end of it all. I was relatively new on Instagram then. I scrolled through posts by friends and friends of friends. The continuous scrolling lead me to mama earth from one random Instagram post. Many participated in some giveaway and I was luckily tagged since I was a new mother then. Anyway, I took that opportunity to run a quick check about them.

Image Courtesy: Google

I browsed Amazon for the list of mama earth products available with them. I found 200 ml of every product and honestly, I wasn’t ready to buy such big bottles of baby things. I scrolled to find this amazing mama earth Travel Essentials Kit for Babies with exactly what I needed at that moment. I was overjoyed. It was like a hit with me to find the right package.

The kit contained the following 40 ml vol.(each) products:

• Moisturizing Daily Lotion for Babies
• Deeply Nourishing Body Wash for Babies
• Gentle Cleansing Shampoo for Babies
• Soothing massage oil for Babies

On it’s very first use, the Body Wash didn’t irritate her eyes and that relieved me. It was a squeaky clean product which wasn’t really needed for a 5 month old. However, very small quantities were enough for her. The 40 ml lasted for for a month and a half(we bathed her thrice a week).

She loved the massages we gave her with the Massage Oil. The aroma was fantastic, it filled me with joy and it instantly relaxed me. I bet it was the right concoction for relaxing a tired mother.

The Cleansing Shampoo didn’t irritate her eyes, but she didn’t need much of it, so I used the remaining tube for my hair. It came by for two washes, but I felt it left my hair too dry.

The Moisturizing lotion helped her a lot during the rainy season. I went ahead and bought the bigger version of the same. More on that in another post soon.

Overall, I was impressed with the kit for the products it offered my little girl and me. The best part about these range of products was how it offered to help the baby as well as the mother. It can be used by both of us! That made me feel more safe and friendly towards their products.

In the coming posts, I will explain in detail what are the mama earth products I regularly buy for my little one and how it makes things easier for both of us.

This is not a sponsored post. I have shared my honest opinions about the product. However, this post may contain affiliate links which means I make a small commission if you make a purchase at no additional cost to you. See the disclosure policy for more information.

The post Here’s Why I Chose Mamaearth for My 5 Month Old appeared first on JAYANTHY'S FREE SPACE.

Dear Ilakkiya,

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By the end of 1 month, my little girl slowly started observing her surroundings. I was surprised to see her staring at family, the only blurred images visible in front of her. 

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