Mommy Plannerista

Planning. Passions. Parenthood.

Toy Review: Mighty Mini Band by Hape

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Our baby Zander will be turning 2 in less than a month and it has been a joy watching him develop into such a sweet, bubbly, and talented little boy. One of the things he loves is music. He loves listening to it, dancing to it, and singing along with it as well. That is why when I was exploring what toy to get him from TOYTAG I chose this Mighty Mini Band by Hape.

What is TOYTAG?

TOYTAG is a homegrown educational toy store in Singapore. They actually have both online and physical stores. They believe that learning can be fun and so they carry a huge selection of quality and fun educational toys and games from all over the world. They have toys for all ages, for one-year-olds up to adults.

At TOYTAG, you can shop by age or via type of toy, such as tabletop games, tech and gizmo, play, and brain. Another great thing about them is that they ship worldwide (hooray for us in the Philippines!) and fast too! I remember placing my orders on a Friday and receiving the toys the Monday after.

MIGHTY MINI BAND by Hape

Hape is a well-known brand of safe and educational toys. In fact, it is one of the world’s largest producers of toys made from sustainable materials. All their toys are creatively designed, eco-friendly, and adhere to exceed the strictest international standards of quality of safety.

One of their musical toys for toddlers is the Mighty Mini Band, which is designed for kids aged 24 months and above.

The box contains only four pieces and features a collection of rhythm instruments. This toy is made of wood, PA, PVA, string, metal and waterbased paint.

Our Review:

No assembly required.

I love that setting up this toy is such a no-brainer. You just place the big piece on top of a table or a solid surface then place the drum sticks and the clapper on the hole pegs at the top left part of it.

The stands can also be set two ways. You can place in in such a way that the back part will be higher, but you can also bring it down so that the whole mini band will lay flat.

Easy to store.

After playing, you don’t need to disassemble anything. Just place the clapper and sticks in their hole pegs and store the mini band on a shelf.

Made of safe materials.

When it comes to toys for my kids, especially Zander who’s barely two years old, safe materials are a must. I especially love that this toy is a wooden toy and painted with waterbased paint. There’s nothing toxic on it.

Plus, I researched about how Hape ensures the safety of their toys. I’m happy to learn that they do conduct several safety and quality control measures such as sharp point tests, bite force tests, tensile tests, small parts tests, color tests, and drop tests. This is especially important to me because at Zander’s stage right now, he loves to bite on things and throw things as well. So far, this toy has withstood his biting and throwing well. Haha! None of the parts have broken off.

It’s educational.

I believe that kids’ toys need to teach them vital skills and I’m happy to say that this Mighty Mini Band does exactly that. It helps improve fine motor skills and other physical skills. It teaches problem solving and self discovery and enhances social skills, imagination, and creativity.

At first, Zander didn’t know how to hold the drum sticks properly but he got the hang of it pretty quickly. I also showed him how to place them back in the proper holes and now he knows how to do it too, even without prompting. The whole mini band is also light enough for him to carry. He carries it on his own from the shelf to a table or to the bed whenever he wants to use it.

It’s fun.

As I expected, Zander loves playing with this toy. Although this is not the first musical toy he’s had, this is the first one that resembles an instrument. His other musical toys are battery operated and do not teach him how to actually make music. Now he loves playing music either on his own or sometimes with me, his dad or siblings.

Overall, we really love this toy and there really isn’t anything negative I can say about it. In fact, I’m hoping to have more Hape toys for Zander.

Extra thanks go to TOYTAG for sending us this toy for our review. I really love their toy selections and feel that there’s still so much there that I have yet to explore. I’m happy though that we have another one of their toys for review. So, stay tuned for that!

For more information on TOYTAG, visit www.toytag.com.

5 Things I Love About BioCair Disinfectant Pocket Spray (and a giveaway!)

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Several months ago, I blogged our review of the BioCair BioActive Anti-HFMD Disinfectant Pocket Spray. While we are thankfully over the kids’ bout of hand-foot-and-mouth disease, we are still very vigilant about keeping bacteria and viruses at bay. So, it’s good that we were able to try the regular version, which is the BioCair Disinfectant Pocket Spray.

Just like the Anti-HFMD version, we love this product. Let me tell you the five reasons why.

1. It’s non-toxic.

A lot of healthcare products in the market these days are effective but use harmful ingredients. BioCair Disinfectant Pocket Spray is not like that at all. In fact, it is a non-toxic, non-alcohol, and non-corrosive disinfectant made with only pure water and BC-65. BC-65 is a non-alcohol, non-toxic formulation that works by destroying the cell wall of the pathogen. Because it’s non-toxic, it’s also eco-friendly!

2. It kills bacteria and viruses.

There’s danger lurking around our kids and we can’t even see them. I’m talking about harmful bacteria and viruses that can make them sick. That thought is enough to make me paranoid. But using this product kills 99.999% bacteria and viruses under 60s, including yeast, fungus, bacteria, and viruses. Now, we moms can rest easy knowing that we’re doing our part in banishing these things from harming our kids.

3. It’s child-friendly.

If you’re a mom, especially to a toddler like my youngest, you’d know that they like to get their hands on anything and everything, including cleaning tools. That can be very dangerous. So, it’s good to know that BioCair Disinfectant Pocket Spray has a child-friendly formula, is pH Neutral and suitable for sensitive skin too.

4. It’s handy.

The spray bottle is smaller than my hand. That said, I have no problems holding it. Plus, it fits nicely in the toiletry bag that I always have in my handbag whenever I go out. You can bring this everywhere with you. This is great because I already have so many other things in my Mommy bag and don’t want to add any more bulky things in it.

5. It’s easy to use.

To use, simply hold the bottle 4 – 6 inches away from the surface, then spray. No need to rinse after spraying. That’s it! You’re done! You can use it to disinfect just about anything too, from toilet seat covers, door knobs, mobile phones, keyboards, kitchen surfaces, and even chopping boards. Personally, since I bring it with me in my bag, I use it to disinfect high chairs whenever we eat at restaurants and on the handles of grocery shopping carts too (because you never know who used those before you, right?).

The BioCair Disinfectant Pocket Spray retails for Php 600 only. You can buy them from Mothercare branches or from MilkandHoney.Ph. To learn more, visit the BioCair website. You can also follow the distributor, Koofty Enterprise, on Facebook and Instagram.

The Giveaway!!!

Now on to the exciting part. BioCair Philippines is generously sponsoring two (2) bottles of the BioCair Disinfectant Pocket Spray for this giveaway. Yay!

Read the full mechanics below.

1) There will be two giveaways – 1 on the Mommy Plannerista Facebook page and 1 on the Mommy Plannerista Instagram account. Participants can join once on each of the giveaways, giving them a maximum of two entries.
2) To join on Facebook:
– Must like Mommy Plannerista on Facebook.
-Like the giveaway post.
– Comment below the giveaway post and tell me how you keep bacteria and viruses away from your family.
– With your comment, tag three (3) of your friends.
To join the Instagram post:
– Must follow MommyPlannerista.blog and Koofty Enterprise on Instagram.
– Like the giveaway post.
– Comment below the giveaway post and tell me how you keep bacteria and viruses away from your family.
– With your comment, tag three (3) of your friends.
3) One winner will be drawn on Facebook and one on Instagram. Participants can only win once. If a person’s name is drawn twice, I will draw another one. Winners must be willing to provide their full names, email, mailing address, and contact numbers to facilitate delivery of the prizes.
4) Winner will be drawn via Random.org.
5) Participants must use their personal Facebook and/or Instagram accounts only.
6) This giveaway is open to Philippine residents only with valid Philippine address.
7) BioCair Philippines / Koofty Enterprises will be in charge of delivering the prizes to the winners.
8) This giveaway will be open from June 12 – 18, 2018. Winners will be drawn no later than a week after. Winners will be announced (and will be tagged) on both Facebook and/or Instagram.
9) This giveaway is in no way affiliated with Facebook or Instagram.

Go ahead and join now! Good luck!

Review: Nature Earth’s M2 Tea Drink, Shing-a-Ling and Kamote Chips

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Several weeks ago, I was presented with an opportunity to try some Nature Earth products so that I can review them on this blog. When I learned that one of their products is the M2 Tea Drink I got really excited because I have read good reviews about it as a breast milk booster.

So, the first time Nature Earth sent me a package they sent me a few 300 ml bottles of M2 as well as a pack each of their Kamote chips in Plain and in BBQ flavor.

The second time they sent me a package, I got a 1 Liter bottle of the M2 Tea Drink Concentrate as well as a pack each of their Shing-a-ling in Cheese, Sour cream, and BBQ flavors.

Let me tell you about each of these products.

M2 Tea Drink

M2 is actually a Malunggay, Okra, and Luya tea drink that’s available either as ready-to-drink or as a concentrate. The ready-to-drink bottles are 300 ml while the concentrate is available in 1L bottles.

It’s interesting to note that while malunggay, okra, and luya are the main ingredients, there is a difference between the ready-to-drink and the concentrate in terms of the sugar used. The ready-to-drink is composed of water, moringa, okra, ginger, citric acid, sodium benzoate (used as a preservative) and brown sugar. The concentrate is composed of the same ingredients except that it uses muscovado sugar. I’m not really sure why this is so though.

Below you can see the Nutrition Facts printed on the label. I like how healthy this drink is. It’s like eating veggies but made easier because all you have to do is drink it.

One of the things I really like about both types though is that they are really properly sealed, which means contamination will be avoided and I guess this also keeps the product fresh. As you can see below, aside from the outer cap, there’s a seal that you have to remove before you can drink or pour the tea.

Taste-wise, I was expecting it to taste like vegetables which I wasn’t really looking forward to. Surprisingly though, it has a light tea taste that does not taste like vegetables at all. I could taste a slight tinge of ginger but I was not at all put off by it. I also like that it’s not too sweet unlike the commercial iced tea drinks that you can find in the supermarkets, which are not even healthy either.

Another plus is that, with the concentrate at least, you can choose to prepare it hot or cold. I prefer to take it cold though especially during these hot summer months.

So, you breastfeeding mamas might ask if it actually helps with breastmilk production. Well, I drank M2 for several days and I feel like it really did help boost my milk supply. I direct feed my toddler so I wasn’t able to measure how much of an increase there was. But I say it helped because I felt my breast become fuller. Also, I experienced milk letdown on the unused boob whenever my toddler is nursing. I normally don’t experience letdown anymore since my toddler started eating solid food regularly. I don’t even wear breast pads anymore but since drinking M2, I had to wear them again. I can definitely say that this is a must-try product for nursing moms.

Nature Earth Kamote Chips

We were able to try the Kamote Chips in both plain and BBQ flavors. They’re made with just sweet potato. They only added BBQ flavor to the other one.

The plain one tasted a bit bland while the BBQ flavor only had a hint of spice on it, which is exactly what I like. Even my toddler liked it!

I definitely love this as a healthy snack that I wouldn’t feel guilty about giving to my kids.

Nature Earth Shing-a-ling

We were able to try the three Shing-a-ling flavors – cheese, sour cream, and BBQ. They’re made with wheat flour, salt, pepper, lye, food color and flavoring. Compared to the Kamote Chips though, the Shing-a-ling is fortified with moringa.

Prior to this, I’ve only ever tasted the plain Shing-a-ling. The flavors definitely make them more interesting to eat. I like all three flavors. But I gotta say that my favorite is definitely the cheese one. The Shing-a-ling is really crunchy. My toddler loves it too. I find it so hard to stop munching on them.

Overall, we are really pleased with all these Nature Earth products. They are products that we’d always love to have at home, especially the M2 Tea Drink. I don’t really have vices but I do like drinking iced tea. At least with M2, I’ll be drinking a healthier version that will also help with my breast milk production.

If there’s something I would suggest for improvement, it would be the packaging of the Kamote Chips and the Shing-a-ling. It would be nice to have a packaging that is resealable. That would be it.

For more information on Nature Earth products, visit www.naturearthphilippines.com or follow them on Facebook.

 

Bambini Baby Cologne Review

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I recently blogged about our family’s experience in attending the Bambini Baby Cologne relaunch last Saturday, March 10, 2018 at Glorietta. If you haven’t read it yet, do click the link to learn how much fun we had that time.

About Bambini Baby Cologne

In case you’re not yet familiar about the brand and its products, you should know that it has been around for many years already. However, the makers of Bambini Baby Cologne, Cosmetique Asia, decided on doing a relaunch of the brand because they wanted to focus on the playful bond that kids share with their parents. With Bambini, they wanted to make these precious random moments more enjoyable while maintaining high quality standards and other requirements most parents are looking for — hypoallergenic and dermatologist tested.

The new and improved Bambini Baby Cologne features five new scents that are inspired by mom-and-child bonding activities and fun elements of nature. There’s the floral and sweet “Morning Tickles,” the calming “Starry Lullaby,” the clean and breezy “Ocean Kisses,” the cottony fresh “Cotton Cuddles,” and the citrusy and fun “Sunny Playtime.”

These colognes are available in three sizes — 25ml, 50ml and 125ml — and packaged in an easy-to-go grip curvy bottle.

Our Review

Today, I’m here to share with you guys our thoughts on Bambini Baby Cologne after using it for about a week. I received several bottles of the various variants in the three different sizes a few days before the relaunch. I tried it on myself and my two little boys, Ziggy and Zander.

 

Here’s what we think about:

The Packaging

The five variants come in their own color: pink for Morning Tickles, purple for Starry Lullaby, blue for Ocean Kisses, green for Cotton Cuddles, and orange for Sunny Playtime. The colors make the scents easy to identify, which makes it easy for you to see which one to grab, depending on which one you want to use.

The plastic bottle packaging also feature cute animal images in front: elephant for Morning Tickles, owl for Starry Lullaby, dolphin for Ocean Kisses, sheep for Cotton Cuddles, and Lion for Sunny Playtime. I like that each one had an adult and baby animal, which I think represents parents and their kids, in general. The images makes the packaging very fun to look at and very attractive especially for kids.

We love that there are three different sizes. The 25 ml and 50 ml are ideal for putting in your bag while the biggest one for use at home. This is super convenient for moms because we already put so many stuff in our mommy bags. The last thing we need is to lug around a heavy bottle of cologne. Plus, it’s easy for the kids to bring in their school bags too. Ziggy had no problem holding the bottle too because of its shape.

The Scents

I know that as an adult I should probably be using perfume. However, I find most perfumes too strong for me and so I usually opt to use cologne instead and the ones by Bambini are definitely ones I would continue to use. All the scents are very light. They won’t bother those with high sensitivity to scents, especially the kids.

All the five variants definitely leave the kids smelling fresh and sweet. I know babies already smell good on their own. However, the older kids start smelling yucky when they start becoming more active. So, having Bambini Baby Cologne definitely helps keep them smelling good.

I asked Ziggy what his favorite scent was and he said it was Sunny Playtime. Zander, because he’s only 18 months old, can’t choose yet. But, my favorite to use on him is the Cotton Cuddles, because it’s also what I use most on myself. Haha! I just really find it the mildest among all the scents. When choosing scents, I don’t really go for floral or citrusy ones and gravitate towards the more clean and fresh smelling options. The Cotton Cuddles makes one smell like they just got out of the shower, which is exactly the scent that I like. To each their own but I’m sure you’d find one that you’ll really like out of the five options.

Plus, since the kids smell good (and the mommy smells good too!) it’s more enjoyable to cuddle up to each other and have memorable bonding moments together.

The Quality

As a mom, I’m very careful of products that we use on our kids especially on their skin because they’re very sensitive. So, it was great to know that Bambini Baby Colognes are made using a mild and non-irritating formula, which makes them safe for kids. They’re also hypoallergenic and dermatologist-tested.

I actually used very little on Zander at first because he has very sensitive skin. He’s actually prone to eczema. I’m happy to report though that he didn’t have any allergic reaction to the products. So, yay!

The Price

Bambini Baby Cologne is very affordable. The SRPs are as follows:

Php 17.00 – 25 ml
Php 32.00 – 50 ml
Php 61.00 – 125 ml

Smelling good doesn’t have to be expensive!

The Availability

Bambini Baby Cologne is also easily accessible because they’re available nationwide in SM Supermarket, Puregold, Super 8 Grocery Warehouse, Metro, Landmark, Savemore, NCCC Supermarket, SM Hypermarket, Gaisano Capital, Gaisano Grand, Isetann, Ever Supermarket, and City Supermarket branches.

For those of you who don’t want to leave the house to buy though, you can try shopping for it on Shopee as well. Super convenient!

Overall, we’re really happy with Bambini Baby Cologne. I just wish my two teen daughters were here this past week though so they could have tried the colognes as well. But, they’ll be here soon so I can’t wait for them to try Bambini then.

I can see us using Bambini Baby Cologne for many years. I definitely recommend them to you guys.

For more information about Bambini Baby Cologne, visit the Cosmetique Asia website or follow them on Facebook and Instagram.

 

Why We Love Jolly Cow Chocolate Milk

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Do you know what’s written about me in our high school yearbook? Well, among other things, I was described as a “chocolate princess” and that’s because I was such a chocoholic. Haha! That was many years ago but that part of me still hasn’t changed. That’s why I was so excited when I was asked to try Jolly Cow Chocolate Milk.

I’ve known about Jolly Cow Milk for some time now but only discovered the chocolate version recently when we were given a big box to try. My son, Ziggy, was really excited about it too because the only way we could get him to drink milk is if it’s chocolate-flavored.

My teen daughters, Zoe and Ziya, as well as hubby and I, tried it too and the verdict is in. We all love it!

Let me share with you the 5 reasons why we love Jolly Cow Chocolate Milk.

1. It’s made of 100% Pure Cow’s Milk.

Jolly Cow Chocolate Milk comes from cows that were raised and bred in cow farms in Europe where some of the best milk comes from. This means the milk is healthier, creamier, and tastier.

2. It’s yummy!

Jolly Cow Chocolate Milk is undoubtedly yummy and that’s because of the perfect combination of 100% Pure Cow’s Milk and real cocoa with less sugar. This combo gives it it’s creamylicious and chocolicious goodness. It’s so yummy that our family was able to finish the entire box in just a week! We want more!

3. It’s healthy.

We all know what benefits milk can provide but most especially as a great source of calcium and essential vitamins. If you and your kids also have a sweet tooth, you can veer away from candy (which is so unhealthy!) and drink Jolly Cow Chocolate Milk instead when you’re craving for something sweet.

Aside from that, it has been subjected to UHT, a process that heats milk to at least 135ºC to kill off any harmful micro-organisms. So, it doesn’t contain anything that can potentially harm you and your family.

4. It’s versatile.

Jolly Cow Chocolate Milk is best enjoyed chilled. But it doesn’t stop there. You can use it as an ingredient for other drinks such as milkshakes and smoothies too. And while you’re at it, try pouring it into ice pop molds and freeze it. Instant frozen chocolate ice pop perfect for the upcoming summer!

5. It has different sizes.

Jolly Cow Chocolate Milk is conveniently available nationwide in 1 liter and 200 ml tetra pack sizes. The 1 liter pack is best for families to consume at home. We received a box full of 200ml size ones though, which I think was just perfect because each one of us were able to just go get and consume one without having to pour it in a glass. Plus, the kids can also bring one to school.

I can honestly say that this Chocolate Princess and her family are all happy about Jolly Cow Chocolate Milk. This new discovery is definitely going to be a staple in our house. Try it too!

Learn more about Jolly Cow Chocolate Milk by following them on Facebook.

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