baby products – Mamma wears Prada

Elisa July 5, 2016

My Britmums live 2016

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Only few weeks ago I had no plan to attend Britmums live 2016. I did attend for the last 3 years but knowing that this time it would have been a one day only conference, I thought it was not worth it travelling all the way from Edinburgh to London. But then, I was approached by the lovely folks from Johnson’s and Johnson’s and I was asked to be their ambassador during the conference, I was THRILLED! And of course I accepted!

I’ve always been a huge supporter of their products and the smell of their shampoo still reminds me of the time when I was little and my mum used to wash my hair and for fun she used to make wet shampooed horns, awww the laughs! And yeah its was looong time ago..

Anyway!

Like I feared, the journey down to London was endless. The flight was massively delayed and my hopes to have some time by myself the night before the conference quickly disappeared. I arrived at the gorgeous hotel – that Johnson’s kindly booked for me – very late at night. I was shattered but pleased to be welcomed by a beautiful, quirky interiors (and I obviously took pictures to show my interior designer husband).

I wish I could have spent the whole day there just relaxing but I had a mission for the next day so I went for a quick meal at Wagamama ( I adooore Wagamama) and then back to the hotel room for a loong warm shower and my beauty sleep.

The next morning early and bright I met up at the hotel reception with other lovely bloggers and all together we headed to the conference where the Johnson’s experts were waiting to brief us about their new products, show us around the stand and answer any questions we might have.

After registration time I went inside the room where all the sponsors had their stands. I was quickly approached by the “Play tennis for free” team and asked to play some tennis. Not too bad as a start of the day, at least I can say I did my morning exercise ( it was probably 5 minutes no more, I could have not cope doing it for longer so early and without any breakfast!!)

Throughout the day I had the opportunity to meet new bloggers, attend the various sessions organised by Jen and Susanna and I had the pleasure to taste the most amazing food and that’s something I look forward every year.

The food at Britmums live is spectacular, I love the way they present it, the taste, the packaging. Everything about it is fab.

This was the Costa Brava stand. YUM!

Plenty of fresh food, healthy ingredients full of flavour!

The Gazpacho was to die for, refreshing and tasty!

The sessions were interesting, the best one for me was listening to Vicky from Honest mum. She’s so funny and every time we meet we have a laugh together. I love the fact that she’s passionate about what she does and she definitely shows it! ( I mean look at her hands moving, she MUST have some Italian ancestors, lol)

These lights definitely didn’t give any justice to our pretty faces 🙂

Throughout the conference I met many new friends. Some were big and cuddly..

Others were, well very fit and handsome 😉

I had the pleasure to talk quite a bit to the Johnson’s experts who were happy to tell us about the launch of their new products which included the Top to Toe baby washcloths. These wipes are double the size of a normal wipe so that can be used to clean bigger areas or multiples part of the body. Perfect especially when you are on the go and cannot really access any water to clean your baby.

What I was interested to hear as well was that their normal size wipe packet now comes with a new dispensing system which ensures you to pick one wipe and one wipe only (I always make a mess with other wipes brand as I go with the intent of pulling only one and I get at least 5 all stuck together argh!). Plus the package features a rigid lid which allows easy opening, making it easier for those on-the-go moments when your hands are full and all you need is one wipe. Simple but genius!

The other products of the range featured at the stand included the Johnson’s baby bath, the very famous no more tears Johnson’s shampoo ( I use it on my hair too!- love the smell!), their so popular Johnson’s baby oil, the baby powder and the baby lotion.

I can honestly say that you could find most of these product in my bathroom as these are the ones I’ve used for both Beatrice and Leo since their early stages. These products are like a tradition in our family which has been passed on from generation to generation. Their indisputable gorgeous smell reminds me of my childhood and I feel that if my mom who was very picky choosing products to use on her children, used this brand then I know I can still trust this company (thank you mamma!)

It was good to chat with the Johnson’s expert and to know that they work along with dermatologists, ophthalmologists, pediatricians and midwives to ensure that their products are safe, mild and gentle on the delicate baby skin. That makes total sense to me!

Over all the conference was a good experience although I felt I was a bit rushed throughout the day by the tight schedule of the sessions.

This year, for the first time, I was able to attend the keynotes at the end of the conference (my flight was late in the evening) and I have to say that was the highlight of the conference: real people sharing their real, touching, funny stories about their life as parents. And this is exactly the reason why I might go back next year, again…(and hopefully I’ll get to spend more time in another gorgeous hotel room by-my-self! :)).

* Blog post sponsored by the JOHNSON’S® brand. The JOHNSON’S® brand kindly paid for me to be able to attend Britmums and also provided samples but all opinions are my own.

Mamma Wears Prada March 2, 2015

My essentials for breastfeeding

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If you read my previous post, you would know that I am such a huge breastfeeding advocate for many reasons. And because of this, although I’m no expert, throughout the years I had many friends asking me what I thought a mom would need if she decides to breastfeed. Well to be honest the main thing is your boobs and a baby but I guess there are a few essential items which personally helped my breastfeeding journey and they kind of made the whole experience of breastfeeding more enjoable.

Breast pads: with my second baby somehow I forgot how much your boobs actually leak when you breastfeed and at the beginning I convinced myself I could do without them. WRONG! Unless you like walking in public with two big stains on your top (which happened to me more than once!) then you definitely need them. And please don’t go for the cheapest ones as you really would like something soft on your delicate skin

A comfortable nursing bra: this is a must! Not only choosing the right nursing bra makes breastfeeding easier but when your breasts all of the sudden become ginourmous, it’s essential that you choose a bra that offers great support. One of my favourite (cause you need at least 3 in my opinion) is Anita Maternity one which has a flexible underwire and it’s very soft to the touch. The bra allows you to unclip just one side so your baby has an easy access to your boob, plus it has a wide band which ensure a good support which it’s great news for your back. When you choose a bra make sure you get ther correct size so opt for a professional fitting service where they can advice you how to pick the correct cup size which is essential to avoid blocked ducts.

A breastfeeding pillow: when I was breastfeeding, I found having a pillow to support my baby just fab. The first few days I didn’t have one and my back hurt like crazy even my arms which were holding the baby were sore. My mum went to buy a round nursing pillow and what a difference it made! Breastfeeding all of the sudden was very comfortable either if I was sitting on a normal chair or on the sofa, feeding was definitely much more relaxing.

Nipple cream: especially in the first few months of his life, your baby will be attached to your breast most of the time, therefore it can happen that your breast will feel sore and show cracked nipples (ouch!). Although I didn’t have major problems, I found Lansinoh cream worked very quickly to relieve the odd pain and I could carry on breastfeeding without feeling sore and knowing that the cream was fine for the baby too.

Breast pump and a bottle: after giving birth, if you are lucky, you will have tons of milk and sometimes it’ll perhaps be too much so if you want to avoid the feeling that your boobs are about to pop, then it’s better getting a breast pump to release a bit of tension in your breasts. Whenever you need, using a breastpump will up the supply of more milk too.

Muslin squares: I used a lot of these, like a lot! For burping, to catch a bit of spit-up which with my daughter was never ” a little”, to wipe your baby’s mouth after a feed. They are great and trust me you will still use them when you start weaning your baby, to dry dribble when baby is teething, to soak any kind of spill, just get them.

Nursing shirt/dresses: the beauty of breastfeeding is that you can feed your baby whenever and wherever you are so to make it more practical, having a top which opens pretty easily is a must. I especially love the tops which like the nursing bras, have clips which allow you to drop down just one side. I’d include night gowns with buttons as well for all the late/night feeds.

One thing I bought but hardly used was a rocking chair. I really, really wanted a rocking chair and I bought a lovely wooden one with white cotton covers, it came with a little stool to rest the feet . Unfortunately it did not make the breastfeeding experience more comfortable, I found the arms where just too low so I literally had to lift the baby up to nurse him. The actual seat was pretty small and if I wanted to stretch my legs a bit more, I’d have fallen off the chair. My rocking chair just looked good in my bedroom and that’s as far as it went because it really didn’t do the job to me and I sold it after only one month.

I hope you will find my suggestions quite useful. I’d like to add that you really should use whatever item you feel is right for YOU and just breastfeed the way you find it more comfortable for you and for your baby.

–

Mamma Wears Prada December 10, 2014

The secret to a good night sleep

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Creating the perfect environment in your child’s room is fundamental to have a good night sleep which is essential for you child’s health, development and growth.

Unless you have been very lucky, I guess that evey single parent has experience some sorts of sleep deprivations during the first few months (years!!) of their children’s life. Despite having read many posts about creating the perfect routine for a guaranteed (?!?!) night sleep, I personally had both children calling for attention at night.

Bee started to sleep through the night at around 2, Leonardo started… last week!

Yes, last week, at 19 months! I can say I was lucky to find the secret to have him sleeping through the night.

I always knew about the importance to have the right temperature in my child’s room but I never thought that this would affect drastically my baby awakes during the night. And changing from duvet to sleeping bag just did the trick!

I was pretty excited to receive a Grobag sleeping bag. Leo hadn’t used one since he was around 12 months and I wanted to give it another go and see if he was comfortable in it. Somehow, before, I had the feeling that he didn’t like sleeping in a sleeping bag so we started using a duvet “cot size” because I thought he’d have had more freedoom to move his legs during the night and have a better sleep. I quite liked the idea of having my baby sleeping under a duvet as I always thought it’d have kept him warmer plus I don’t particulary like to see my baby’s arms not covered.

I couldn’t be more wrong.

Until last week Leonardo used to wake up once or twice per night. The first night we put him in his new cozy Grobag sleeping bag it was more an experiment to see if that would have made any difference and I have to be honest I didn’t have much hope. I just thought that was the way he was and I’d just have to wait for him to grow out of his habit of waking up at night: wrong!

That night he slept through.

Leonardo slept from 7.30pm to 6.30 am… wow, I couldn’t believe it. I thought it was just one off and that the night after he’d have woken up his usual for a night feed.

The next night he slept through.. AGAIN! I could not believe it!

The next few nights he slept through and in 2 weeks he only woke up one night at about 4am because he had a “nappy explosion” and one night at 11pm because he was in real pain due to teething: that is it!!

What a difference this sleeping bag made for all our family. Even Bee pointed out that her baby brother does not wake her up anymore!

Sleepy Leo

I feel like I have reached an important milestone in my son’s life and in our life too. Sleeping longer has made such a huge impact on our mood, on our energy and on my face lol. I look more relaxed and a part from the first few days when I had ” I for once, slept too much” kind of eye bags, I can totally see in the mirror that my skin is more radiant!

The Grobag sleeping bag is made of 100% soft cotton and I find it quite practical as there are two different zips which allow you to snug your baby in the sleeping bag in a safe and practical way. There is a chin guard at the top of the zip so you don’t have to worry about the zip rubbing against your child’s skin and there is a zip-click cover that stops your little one from opening his zips.

When I put Leo in the sleeping bag I noticed there was a velcro sealed hole in the back and (ready to laugh?) I thought it was to open and smell if your baby had a smelly nappy haha not at all (although I still think you could use it for this pourpose too lol) These Grobags were designed for traveling so the double zipper and the hole in the back enables you to put the baby in a car seat or pushchair being in their sleeping bag. Clever! I can say they thought about everything!

Super sleepy Leo

I still cannot believe that such a small change made such a big different in Leo’s sleeping habits. It’s now obvious that my child prefers being cool rather than warm (very different from mama!). This morning he woke up and his little hands were chilly so I thought he probably hasn’t learned yet to hide them under his tummy (like his sister used to do) but still, he looked happy and again he slept through the night.

Last week-end he woke up at 7am, drunk a bottle of milk and back to sleep till 10am!! After months we all finally slept in! Pure bliss!

Happy Nights, Happy Days!

Mamma Wears Prada November 17, 2014

Nurturing our children’s skin

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I have to admit, I’m not the best person when it comes to be consistent and look after my skin. I never remember to mosturise it, I hate the feeling of a greasy cream on my skin and I just don’t have the patience to wait for the cream to be absorbed.

BUT when it comes to my children then it’s a totally different story.

I remember since Leonardo was born I’ve always had to use a moisturising cream on his skin, especially on his legs which showed many dry patches. The doctor adviced us to try Aveeno and we have used it ever since because it made the difference.

It’s really heartbreaking when you see your little one bothered by dry or itchy skin so I think it’s quite important to find the right product that actually works in relieving the symptoms of a sensitive skin.

We were very excited to receive a parcel with many Aveeno products and the new AVEENO^® children’s book! The book which shows the dry-venture of Ellie and Eddie, a girl and her bestfriend geko, was created to help parents and children address and manage the difficulties of having dry eczema prone skin in a fun and easy way .

Beatrice loves it and we often read it together and talk about the importance of keeping our skin mosturised especially after a bath and during these cold months. In the last few weeks Bee has been spending so much time outside and as temperatures drop, the tendency to develop a dry skin is higher.

This book has helped us making moisturising time a fun moment. It has become a daily routine and while we apply our moisturiser, we usually talk about the little girl in the book and how she enjoys, like we do, the feeling of a smooth and soft skin.

The Aveeno dry skin range includes the Aveeno cream, the Aveeno bath and shower oil and the Aveeno lotion. They all include naturally active ingredients that help to effectively soothe and comfort a sensitive skin. If you or your children have a dry eczema-prone skin I’d definitely recommend these products.