Everything for Baby at My Baby Planet

Tucked on one side of the Puregold complex on Araneta Ave. cor E. Rodriguez Ave. in Quezon City is My Baby Planet, a one-stop baby shop that pretty much carries everything a mom and even mom-to-be would possibly need.

They have everything from diapers, toiletries, baby bottles and breastfeeding supplies to safety equipment, toys and even pediatric vitamins.

But I'm not just talking about basics, they carry hard to find items that are most often just available in high end grocery stores, the brand's kiosks, or have to be purchased by relatives and friends traveling abroad if not shipped from Amazon.

From Aveeno to VTech, they've got most brands covered.

I just have to say, having Aveeno Baby widely available here now in the country is such a big deal. This is one of those products you just hoard, and I mean hoard, when traveling abroad. Now we can free up our luggage space for other stuff, like stuff from Trader Joe’s haha!

Aveeno and Aveeno Baby products which are a staple for every mom who has a kid with eczema. Of course they've got the Johnson's Baby range products as well like the Milk Bath, powder and lotion as well

What sets apart Aveeno Baby from other baby brands is that fact that it’s natural - made from oat extracts, and is hypoallergenic and really gentle on infants and babies with sensitive skin. The Wash & Shampoo is tear-free, the Daily Moisture Lotion and Soothing Relief Moisture Cream moisturize for a full 24 hours. Not a surprise given that Aveeno Baby’s active ingredient is Oat, which is known to help restore skin's normal pH and aid in the maintenance of skin's moisture barrier to help prevent and protect dry skin.

Sun Protection products by Mustela which are usually available only in their kiosks and not in most baby stores

 This hard to find zartcreme by bebe Zartplege had to be sourced from Germany

Apart from Pampers premium care, they also carry the full range of diaper brands. If it's not in the store, they can have someone get it inside Puregold so you don't have to step out anymore

A softcup for premature babies and Special Needs feeder for babies who have a hard time latching by Medela, which I doubt you'd find easily in any of the baby stores in town

There's a baby wipes extravaganza happening here: they've got Nivea, Enfant, Pigeon, Mother K, Seventh Generation, MD Moms and Organic Baby Wipes

I was pretty impressed with the look of the store too. It has a homey, hipster feel that Millenial Moms would feel right at home at. Lots of natural wood, bright lighting, lots of space to manuever a stroller in, plus seating for Dads!

 

Organic, natural and baby safe seems to be the order of the day at My Baby Planet. From organic baby foods to baby monitors, this place is a haven for discriminating parents.

Eating organic is easy with HiPP baby food to NurturMe toddler snacks

Natural household brands like Seventh Generation and MessyBessy sit side by side at My Baby Planet

There's also a wide array of baby safe laundry products from Cycles, Downy, Dreft and D-nee

Apart from this Baby Monitor by Motorola, they also carry bump guards, locks, baby gates and other baby-proofing items

They even have Ecomom, an ultraviolet sterilizer and dryer from Korea that's safe to use on baby bottles and breastfeeding parts as well as toys

Speaking of toys, My Baby Planet also carries toys as well as strollers, bouncers, baby bath tubs, baby carriers and so much more. If they don't carry it right now, then they pretty much can and will, because they're always on the lookout for products us moms need and want.

The best part of all? We don't have to go all the way to QC to shop at My Baby Planet. They have an online store, and they'll be launching it soon, with free shipping to boot for the first 100 customers!

Visit www.mybabyplanetph.com to see the full list of brands and products they carry. There's an entire planet to discover!

Johnson's Baby Giving Bath Time at Virlanie

Did you know that more than just starting the day fresh, and then washing off the day's dirt and grime,  your kids' bath time can be so much more? 

Studies have shown that sensorial stimulation is critical to a child's happy, healthy development. Of course, bath time is one ritual where all sensory activities come into play. 

They hear us as we talk and sing to them, and as gushing water from the tap collects around them.

They take in the scent of their shampoo and body wash, as they gleefully splash around in the tub.

They try to catch and pop bubbles as you shampoo their hair to a lather. Getting moisturized after, and being buffed and puffed with powder before getting dressed, it's the stuff childhood memories are made of. 

But more than fun stuff, what we do during bath time also happen to impact many aspects of our children's lives - from their mood and alertness to body weight and bone mass, and even how they will learn and fare in school as well as socialize with others.

Given this, imagine how much more kids who grow up in orphanages need all the hugs, massages, and multi-sensorial bathing experiences they can get.

So when Johnson's Baby invited my mommy friends and I to join them in a Virlanie home in Makati, for a bath time tutorial with the caregivers, of course I said yes!

Virlanie Foundation which runs the home we went to, was established in 1992 by Dominique Lemay, a French social worker, with the help of his Filipino friends.  

Virlanie cares for children in need of special protection - those who are among the poorest of the poor, the abandoned, abused, exploited, neglected, and orphaned.  

Through its various programs and services such as housing, education, health and family reunification/adoption/independent living among many, the children are given a chance for a better future, by "giving back their smiles". 

I would like to think that in our own little ways, the moms and the good folks from Johnson's Baby brought smiles to the kids, and their caregivers that day.

Ate Myrna and company taught the caregivers of Virlanie how to bathe their alagas

We were joined by three midwives from the Integrated Midwives Association of the Philippines (IMAP), headed by Ate Myrna, to teach the caregivers how to bathe their newborn, baby and a toddler wards. Watch these newborn, infant and toddler bathing videos, so you can learn too!

To recap, here are some highlights I've learned from watching the midwives demonstrate how to bathe a newborn, infant and toddler:

Newborn:

- Bath time helps calm baby and give him a sense of security, thanks to swaddle bathing! I didn't know that newborns can be swaddled while bathing too.  Apparently, swaddle bathing helps the baby feel more secure in the water. They stay warmer, with less risk of sudden drops in temperature, and promotes a calm and stress-free experience for them. Kind of like still being in a uterine environment.

- Before immersing baby, make sure to swirl the water so there are no hotspots.

- Gently cleanse around your baby's eyes with a cotton pad dampened with clean, warm water. Use a new cotton pad for each eye and always wipe from the inside corner of the eye outward. Then, using a soft washcloth, wipe around your baby's mouth, nose and whole face, working from the middle outward. Wipe the creases in her neck and don't forget behind her ears! 

- For younger babies, wet a baby washcloth with warm water and use a gentle cleanser formulated for babies, like JOHNSON'S® baby HEAD-TO-TOE® wash. If your baby has more hair, you might try a gentle shampoo, like JOHNSON'S® baby shampoo. 

- Wash the diaper area last and always wash from front to back. 

- Let your baby take a few moments in the bath to enjoy the warm water. Pour cupfuls of water over her body to keep her warm.

- After drying baby, seal moisture with lotion and then pat with powder.

Infant:

- Bath time is more than just cleaning, it's also a way to excite his senses. 

- Baby graduates from using cotton pads on the face, to washing face using cloth. 

Toddler:

- They can finally use Johnson's Baby Cologne after patting on powder!

Meanwhile, us moms did our bit, by sharing our ideas on how the caregivers can connect with kids. Conci Navarro demonstrated a Hi-5 dance, Michelle Aventajado taught them some yoga moves that they can do with the bigger kids, Jen Chua Caedo Tan taught them how to use a baby sling and highlighted how it can help them care for multiple kids at once, while I shared with them the benefits of reading to children, and finished off by reading an excerpt from one of my all time favorite books, Aesop's Fables.

We spent our entire morning and lunch time at Virlanie, talking to the caregivers, listening to their stories, playing with the kids, and just giving them little ones as many hugs and attention as they wanted. 

While our hearts were bleeding for these tiny beings who have already gone through difficulties early in life, and deserve so much more, we left their home secure in the knowledge that they are cared for and loved by their caregivers as if they were their own. They have found a safe place in Virlanie, and that in itself is something to celebrate and not be sad about.

I would say, we went to Virlanie thinking we were going to teach and share something of ourselves, but instead, we left learning so much from them. Two lessons stood out for me:

1)  Happiness in simple things. Their home was devoid of the comforts we are all accustomed to, their meals and snacks are basic at best, we did not come bearing lavish gifts, but the children and their caregivers were happy to see us, greeted us with curiosity, if not shy smiles, or beaming faces. One does not need a lot to be happy. To live in a home where one is cared for and treated with kindness is in itself a blessing.

2) The power of touch. The children of Virlanie are lucky to be raised in an environment where they are looked after by women who are caring and good natured. It was obvious to us that they were truly concerned about the children and did not hold back in showering them with hugs and affection. They didn't mind having the kids climbing all over them, two or three at a time.

And maybe this is why most of the children at Virlanie are outgoing, sociable and yes, happy and healthy. 

Touch is #SoMuchMore
For the most touch-deprived Filipino babies, every touch means #SoMuchMore. Watch the story of how the caregivers in Virlanie Foundation become mothers with every touch.

For more about Virlanie Foundation, visit www.virlanie.org and Like the Virlanie Facebook page.

For more on Johnson's Baby visit www.johnsonsbaby.com.ph and Like the Johnson's Baby Philippines Facebook page.

Play for Real with Johnson's Baby

With my friends Cai, Jackie, Didi and Pam at the Johnson's Play for Real event

Can you tell which of the moms above are guilty of iPad parenting? Ok fine, it may just be me. Ahihihi. 

But sometimes, it's just too easy. I make them sit down, tinker about with an educational app, watch a toy review on YouTube, or play a game, and they're so quiet right away. How can I not? Especially when there's a ton of things I have to do, handing over my phone or iPad always seems like a good idea. Yes, even if I know it's not the best thing keep them preoccupied. Woe is me.

I do let them play for real of course. I have noticed in fact that they don't need expensive toys and gadgets to keep them happy. Hand over some empty bottles and boxes, and they'll figure out creative ways to play with them. Xavi gets a box and turns it into a house. Berry converts my discarded eye serum bottle with a dropper into a doll's feeding bottle.

Berry and Xavi found this box at S&R and pretended it was their house 

And this is the sort of "playing" that Johnson's Baby advocates. 

My UP Econ schoolmate Trina Tanlapco, who is now the Associate Marketing Director for Johnson's Baby, spearheaded the Play for Real campaign, because they want to remind parents that playtime is a time for learning, and that what seems like an ordinary activity, can actually mean so much more for our kids.

discarded bottles can turn into squirt guns, rocket ships, a coin bank, and more, with just a little bit of imagination

And when Johnson's Baby says, "Play!", we're talking the full sensory experience - because children learn more when their sense of sight, touch, smell, hearing and taste are activated and enhanced. 

Apparently, when the different senses get stimulated in activities during play, the neurons and brain connections are formed better, making kids more receptive to learning. They develop their fine motor, language, cognitive and social skills. It fosters creativity, while learning different concepts and preparing them for bigger challenges. There's a lot going on, in what may seem like regular playing.

Sight: When was the last time your kid played with leaves and twigs? I remember playing with leaves and twigs as a kid, mixing it with water in an toy clay pot my Lola bought for me.

Taste: How do unpopped corn kernels taste like? I wouldn't be surprised if at least one curious kid popped a kernel in his mouth, heehee

Smell: Coffee grounds! Like soil, but smells so much better!

Feel: slipper, bubbly, soapy ducks!

Hearing: Can you hear the sound of dripping water? Gushing water? Water coming from 6 different faucets?

Just take a look at the pleased look on Xavi's face when he managed to unearth a coin using a magnet...

Priceless! I've never seen him do that while playing on the iPad!

In fact, the entire time our kids were immersed in sensory play, I've never had them come up to me asking for my phone, or complaining that they were bored!

They had a grand time scooping corn kernels.

Getting wet with a garden hose.

Filling up empty plastic bottles of Johnson's Baby top to toe wash and gleefully splashing it onto their friends.

Making colorful artwork using not just paint brushes, but also sponges, and even their bare hands and feet.

In fact, just as we were about to leave, Berry made one last request to go inside a giant bubble.

I've forgotten how playing the old-fashioned way can be so much fun! It was amazing how my kids and their friends spent a good 3 hours outdoors, tirelessly playing under the sun, without any complaints. I really should give them more time outside, getting sweaty and dirty, playing with sticks, stones, leaves and mud, running through the garden hose, and scribbling with chalk on the driveway, like the kids of my generation used to.  

For more on Johnson's Baby and the Play for Real campaign,  visit the Johnson's Baby Facebook page. Now watch what real play can do for our kids:

Johnson’s Baby Signatures of Love MTV

Remember the Dychiao Signature of Love  that I shared with you not too long ago?

I still enjoy watching our Signature of Love video to this day, and I know that even if Berry can’t express her emotions eloquently yet, and Xavi can only grunt, shout, smile, babble and say 2 syllable words, we know that our silly and sweet little ways of expressing "I love you" is just as heartfelt as any grand gesture. 

Xavi and I actually have a new thing now, doing “beautiful eyes” at each other. Like, we’re looking at each other from across the room, and he’d look at me and close his eyes and I’d do the same thing, and then he’d copy me back, with a naughty glint in his eye. I love how we can communicate quietly, playfully understanding and picking up on each other, just like that. 

Berry, Xavi and Dada have their own thing too, where Dada throws Berry up in the air and catches her, resulting in peals of giggles. Then Xavi joins in on the fun, asking to take his turn. When Xavi gets his turn, Berry begs for another round! Dada feels like a rockstar being chased by die-hard fans, hahaha. 

Which reminds me! Have you seen the entries for the Johnson’s Signature of Love Campaign? Better yet, did you join? About 200 moms from all over the Philippines shared their Signature of Love videos, and Johnson’s Baby put together a compilation of the cutest, most heartwarming Signatures of Love from the entries. And guess what, we’re part of it pala. Eeeep. 

I was super kilig when my friend Jana told me she saw me, Berry and Xavi in the compilation video. Na-extra kami! I was all the more shocked when I saw the same video on TV. OMG. I should have put on make up and blow-dried my hair for our video. Hahaha. 

Watch us here, along with the other moms & their adorable babies who just know how to tug at a mom’s heartstrings. We will copy all of your Signature of Love too! Heeheehee. 

Cute no?

What's Your Signature of Love?

Whenever my mom would put us to sleep, she would sing this two-line lullaby, over and over until we’d fall asleep:

Sleep my darling baby, mommy’s not so far away. 

Sleep my darling baby, I am always here to stay. 

I am pretty sure she just made it up. I have never heard it anywhere else. It was her special song for us, and hearing her sing it was always so calming. Listening to it in my head transports me back to our childhood room, lights dimmed, my mom cradling our youngest. We had her to ourselves, all of us winding down to sleep, no chore or homework to concern us, and it was always a great way to end our day. 

Now I am in my mom’s shoes. I sing her song for us, to my kids. It is a part of my repertoire of lullabies and I get a bit of a thrill when Berry says, “Again! Sing again please, Mom”. 

This is just one of the many ways we bond, simple things that don’t really take up too much time or effort, but are reassuring and comforting in so many ways. 

Johnson’s Baby calls it a Signature of Love, the unique ritual between mom and baby. Quick, daily activities that define special bonding moments, like a secret message in a wink or a jubilant high five exchanged to celebrate small victories that feel like triumphs of the human spirit. 

As you will see in this video, it is also in that soft, gentle way that I remember seeing my mom use Johnson’s baby shampoo No More Tears to wash a newborn sibling’s hair, and the tender way she’d put baby powder on our armpits and back before getting dressed. It also happens each time I’d do a heart shaped massage on Berry and Xavi’s chests as I put lotion on their arms and legs after a bath.

Which made me think, apart from lullabies at night and heart shaped massages, what are the other bonding moments in our family? Inspired by the Johnson’s TVC, I made this video to share with you the Dychiao Signature of Love:

*please set the gear icon to HD for a clearer view ;)

I had a lot of fun doing this, and you will too. Just going through old photographs will make you eager to create more bonding experiences the kids can always look back to with fondness when they’re all grown up. How much more a video?

That said, Moms, go and make a short 30-second video of your family’s Signature of Love, all the better with a Johnson’s Baby product! It is a fun exercise and a great way to document both everyday and extra-special memories. It could also bring you fame!

Upload your video to the Johnson’s Baby Signature of Love Facebook app, here: https://www.facebook.com/JohnsonsBabyPhilippines/app_269939559814035 and get a chance to see yourselves in a Johnson's Baby's TV commercial and on billboards too!

Now wouldn’t that be a great story to pass on to your kids and their grandkids?

Johnson's Baby, one of the most trusted names in baby care, understands and shares our need to provide only the best care for our babies. Backed by over 100 years of scientific research and close partnerships with expert doctors, nurses and mothers from all over the world, Johnson's Baby has committed itself to meeting the very highest standards of mildness and safety. We should know. After all, aren’t most of us Johnson’s babies too? 

Moms for Moms: Our Fabella Hospital Visit

I have heard of Fabella Hospital and have only seen it in pictures, so when Kris of OC Mom in Manila invited me to join the Johnson's Baby team and our mommy friends for a visit to the OB ward, I said yes right away.  

Having heard so much about the conditions at Fabella, we were prepared for the worst. After all, this is the hospital known as the "baby factory", and on the day we visited, there were a total of 744 patients in the hospital and 47 moms who had just delivered a baby. Imagine that.

But you know what, despite the cramped atmosphere, the strength and resilience of spirit was evident in each of the moms faces. It was not depressing at all. The rooms were bright and airy. The moms, although reserved (I mean, who wouldn't be, I've given birth too and I didn't exactly like receiving strangers in my room soon after heehee) most of them had a ready smile and didn't mind us coming up to them to talk about breastfeeding, touch therapy/baby massage and how to give their babies a bath.

Yes, Touch Therapy. Johnson & Johnson sponsors a Touch Therapy room in Fabella hospital, to teach the moms the importance of touching their baby for bonding via baby massage, skin-to-skin contact and kangaroo care among others.

While we were inside the Touch Therapy room, neonatologist Dr. Imperial shared with us the practice of kangaroo care for pre-term babies. It was wonderful seeing it put to practice in Fabella, and heartening to see daddies cradling their babies in their own blue "pouches".

After meeting the key doctors in Fabella, we all set out to talk to the mommy patients by twos. My partner for the day, Jenny Reyes of My Mommyology and I went from bed to bed talking to the moms and handing out baby care products from J&J. Some moms were quiet and probably did not want to be disturbed, but there were a few who were genuinely interested in baby massage and bathing tips for their newborns. It was fun learning from each other.

We were there for just an hour, but seeing all the cute babies made me miss Xavi and Berry. As soon as we were done making chika with the moms, I just had to check on my little ones. Ayan tuloy, caught texting on camera haha!

Thanks so much to Johnson's Baby Philippines and Kris for inviting us. It was a great way to spend a morning. And good to know that Fabella while old and shabby is a clean, happy place. They are doing such a great job with Unang Yakap, breastfeeding, and taking care of their patients with the limited resources they have. Although of course, every help from corporations and private citizens would do so much in making Fabella a truly world-class hospital. 

It would be nice to see every Filipino mom give birth to her baby in a most ideal atmosphere conducive to labor, rest and rooming in. Every drop in the proverbial bucket counts. When you can, maybe you and your friends can organize activities or raise funds to purchase equipment and supplies that could help Fabella's patients too.

Photography by Lawrence del Mundo

No to Diaper Rash with Johson's Baby Complete Care System

To my mommy readers, how do you clean your baby's diaper area and have you ever had problems with diaper rash?

I have friends whose babies have super sensitive skin and get easily irritated (both the mommy and the baby, heehee). That is why I thought I'd share with you *drum roll here* Johnson's Baby Complete Care Diaper System.

First off, it's important to remember that baby skin is different from ours, that is why we have to take extra care of it. According to pediatric dermatologist Dr. Ma. Victoria C. Dizon, baby skin is nothing like ours:

And that is why, diaper rash happens.

Diaper rash can be such a problem, because babies get really irritable when they have them. To understand diaper rash better, here are the irritants which you should avoid:

I am lucky in the sense that my kids have never had diaper rash. Maybe it was from the horror of seeing one of my siblings (who shall not be named here, haha) suffer from it that I had made a conscious effort to prevent that from happening to my babies.

I am admittedly quite OC about changing diapers. I make sure to clean every crevice with a cotton ball dipped in water and diaper wipes, then wipe the diaper area with tissue paper to make sure it's dry. I then apply a vitamin barrier cream, just to make sure the skin is protected from urine and poop. I probably change Xavi's diaper at least once every hour when he wears a cloth diaper, while he uses about 3 diapers a night when he's using disposables.

But Johnson's Baby has a complete care system that takes care of diaper rash prevention in three easy steps - 1) Wipe, 2) Powder and 3) Change:

They've whittled the diaper changing steps down to 3 because unlike regular diaper wipes, Johnson's Baby Skincare Wipes doesn't just clean, it also helps prevent diaper rash like a diaper cream because it has oily lotion in it.

Johnson's Baby Complete Care Powder meanwhile, repels wetness, soothes rashes and helps reduce friction. This is because it contains Zinc Oxide which has anti-bacterial properties, and Magnesium Steareate, which is effective in repelling wetness.

To minimize rashes and irritation, regular diaper changing should be done every 3-4 hours to ensure that baby's bottom is clean and dry.

I have to admit, I hardly used baby powder on Berry when she was a baby, because we were told in the US that it was an allergen. But now, we have different variants of it. For one, my husband still puts on Johnson's Baby powder after each bath, he has never outgrown it. Today, Berry likes getting puffed with powder after her bath too. Second, studies have shown that baby powder/talc is not an enemy.

Here are the stats on Talc Risk according to the presentation shown to us during the launch of J&J's Complete Care System a few months back:

1. In over 100 years of use, no case of lung damage to consumers from normal use.

2. The US National Toxicology Program, the US Occupational Safety & Hygiene Administration (OSHA) do not list or classify talc as known or suspected human carcinogen.

3. US American Congress of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH) recently classified talc as “not classifiable as a human carcinogen”.

4. Studies have been done with talc miners and millers in Italy and France where they have been exposed to several hundred times normal cosmetic body-powder use. No effects have been seen.

5. Conclusions in an FDA symposium in 1994 and 2000:

• Reviewed lifetime exposure to rats & mice concluded that at doses 300 x human exposure no adverse effect

• At 1200 x human exposure effects seen in female rats

• Summary: no likely adverse effect to humans consumers in normal case.

• Talc in normal use does not adversely affect the lungs 

So yeah, that really convinced me that talc wasn't so bad after all, haha!

Learn more about Johnson's 3-Step Complete Care System, HERE. 

For updates on the latest from Johnson's Baby, visit Johnson's Baby Philippines on Facebook.

Your Baby is a Star!

There's a fun app on Johnson's Baby Philippines Facebook page where we can have our babies star in his/her own video!

I had fun choosing photos and seeing Xavi on screen! Moms, you'll get a kick out of this!

HOW TO:

- Visit and like the JOHNSON’s BABY Philippine’s Facebook fan page and click on the JOHNSON’S BABY Complete Care Diaper System tab. 

- Click on ALLOW in the Request for Permission window

- Click on the CREATE YOUR OWN VIDEO button in the homepage

Step 1: Register with your name, your baby’s name, your baby’s gender and birthday, as well as your email address and click YES, PROCEED TO STEP 2.

Step 2: Upload your baby’s photos Upload your baby’s photos by clicking on the “+” button in the box located at the left side of the sample photo. Adjust your baby’s photo to fit the outline by dragging on the photo. Click on the SUBMIT button to proceed to the next step. This step will be repeated until all 4 photos have been uploaded.