Review: Mustela Stelatopia Range - Skincare for babies and toddlers with Dry Skin

Where it comes to matters concerning Kaitlin, I'll admit that I can get pretty fastidious about the food she consumes, hygiene matters and especially the products that we use on her.

I'll make it a point to always read up about the products, do the usual Google search and read reviews about the product before actually letting her use it.

Since Kaitlin has slight eczema, I am very careful with the skincare products that we use on her. She'll be scratching during day time and will tell us about how itchy it is. At times, she'll even cry about it and get cranky. The worst is how it disturbs her slumber at night.

Despite using the prescribed steroid creams from our paediatrician, Kaitlin's eczema problem still exists, and when they flare up it can get pretty bad. That's why besides the creams, I have also tried different skin care products on her. In fact we've already tried out four different baby/toddler body soap brands on her. Her condition has improved slightly with the change of soaps and creams, but I'm still on the lookout for any other products that might improve her skin condition and help soothe the itchiness.

When Mustela sent over their Stelatopia range of products, I couldn't wait to let Kaitlin give it a try. Afterall, Mustela has been a trusted brand that moms have been using on their babies and toddlers.

In case you didn't know, Mustela products are hypoallergenic and contain no parabens, phenoxyethanol, phthalates or alcohol, which makes it safe for even newborns with the most delicate skin.

The Mustela Stelatopia range has been specially designed for newborns and toddlers who have atopic dermatitis. The great thing about this range is that sunflower distillate oil which has a rich content of Vitamin E and essential fatty acids with antioxidant, nourishing, firming and regenerating properties is included.

Kaitlin herself was excited to try out the new bodycare products when I showed them to her!

For the past two weeks, we've been using the Mustela Stelatopia Cleansing Cream whenever we give Kaitlin a shower. At the least, that's two times a day. I like how the practical pump dispenser makes it easy for Kaitlin to soap herself. Besides that, I noticed that the cleansing cream has no strong scents which makes me feel at ease that the product does not contain perfumes which might irritate her already dry skin. This product contains sunflower oil distillate which soothes the skin.

Right after Kaitlin's shower I will immediately moisturize her skin with the Stelatopia Emollient Cream. According to dermatologists, the best time to apply moisturizer is right after a bath as the product would be able to trap some of the water still on the body and use it to hydrate the skin. Kaitlin likes doing it herself as well and would remind us to do it when we are changing her.



I like how the texture of the emollient cream is smooth and does not sting Kaitlin's skin unlike some other products we have used. It moisturizes her skin leaving it supple and yet does not have a sticky after-feel which can get pretty uncomfortable especially in our humid weather. This product contains both sunflower oil distillate and plum oil which softens the skin.

Before we started using the Mustela products, Kaitlin had frequent eczema flare ups on parts of her skin, such as the back of her knees. I applied the Stelatria Purifying Recovery Cream on her skin two to three times a day and noticed a reduce in skin irritation and an improvement in her skin appearance.

Overall, I'm pretty impressed with the Mustela Stelatopia range. Within the two weeks that we tried the products, Kaitlin's skin condition has improved. Her eczema problem still exists, but it is definitely more controlled with lesser flare ups and we've also noticed that the itchiness has reduced.

Seeing the results thus far, I do think that using the products over a prolonged period of time would have more effective results on her skin. Moreover, I do like how the products are safe and contain natural ingredients.

Having had pretty bad eczema when I was young and even with occasional flare ups now, I do understand how frustrating eczema can be as there is no real cure. As such, for reduced irritations and itching, and a reduction in skin dryness I do recommend giving the Mustela Stelatopia range a try.

Disclaimer: I received the Mustela Stelatopia range of products for the purpose of this review. All opinions and views are my own and was not influenced by any external factors.

Mid-Week Musings + something special for my readers

Hello! How has your week been? This week has been quite a hectic week for us + Kaitlin was ill, but we finally managed to make a trip to the playground that we frequent!

I thought I would share what Kaitlin usually does at the playground with you guys.

First! Meet this pink ball. I know it looks like a regular ball, and it is just a bouncy ball but Kaitlin loves it to bits! There used to be two..and now that there is only one available in the playground..it means that Kaitlin would really have to share, but of course she doesn't and takes it everywhere with her.

Even when she is standing and observing other people, she would still be holding the ball. When she climbs up the stairs she would bring the ball up with her too! When kids try to take it away from her, she would get really possessive of it. It's quite funny to watch, but a bad habit so we always remind her that she has got to share. Thankfully, Kaitlin has started showing improvement and is starting to share abit more now.

Kaitlin also loves to ride the toy vehicles in the playground. She likes to pull and push them as well. I've a feeling this girl is gonna be one of those girls that like fast cars!
  

These are just a few of the things she does at the playground. She really is getting more mobile and her gross motor skills have definitely been improving with frequent visits to the playground so that's good.    I also like to bring her to playground to burn off extra energy cos this girl is so active and it's a good way to make her feel tired and take her naps/sleep.  

If you were thinking that Kaitlin looks like a sailor girl it's cos she is wearing a Sailor Girl Dress from Precious Junior!I know it looks a little long for her, but I like it that way. I actually chose it despite it's size cos I always feel it's good to buy clothes that are bigger for younger kids cos its more comfortable. Plus, we all know how fasts kids grow, so she can wear this for a longer time. Also, with the weather being so crazy nowadays, and it can get quite chilly in the evenings, I like that the dress was long so it could cover her legs but yet won't be too warm as well.

Kaitlin had no problems moving around in it and she didn't fuss or anything. I know sometimes kids would fuss, and parents don't realise that it could be even tiny factors like the clothes are too tight for them to move in or the material is uncomfortable for them. That's why I make it a point to make sure babygirl's clothes are comfortable and fashionable at the same time and Precious Junior definitely stocks clothes that make the cut.

Precious Junior is an online children's apparel store that provides a variety of fashionable yet affordable clothes for both girls and boys aged from 6 months to 6 years old. Their site is updated monthly with apparel sourced from all over Asia. What makes Precious Junior different from other online stores is that they are committed to giving back to the society. For every item sold, Precious Junior will donate a dollar to the Children Society which reaches out to children, youth and their families in need.

Precious Junior is now offering my readers a storewide 10% discount from now till 31st Dec 2012. The discount code is PJ10. Another great reason to shop for Christmas or even for CNY! It's never to early when it comes to clothes!

Not to forget, Precious Junior is also running a giveaway on their Facebook page where you can win an apparel of your choice. Contest ends on 31st Dec 2012.

So what are you waiting for? Shop away this festive season and do your part for the less fortunate at the same time! Plus I'm sure your kids would love new clothes and would be bugging you to help them open up their parcel like how mine did!

 Disclaimer:  Kaitlin's apparel was sponsored by Precious Junior. All content, comments and reviews are based on my own opinion/view of the product and brand and was not influenced by any external factors.

It's Friday!

Yayy it's Friday! Actually, to be honest, I'm not that excited about the coming weekend, just cos, after this weekend, Lihai will be going to a new camp and gahhh..just me and the baby. Don't know how to get through everyday without him. Sounds so clingy, but hey, that's why I married him right. Cos his the person that makes my day better, and helps me get through anything though. <3

Well I shall not wallow anymore, not like it's gonna change anything! 

Here's what we've been up to the past week:

Kaitlin had some mushrooms growing down there, so I brought her to the clinic! Okay, so it's not that bad, just a case of some fungal rash. Have been doing away with the diaper whenever we can so that there's more air circulation and whatnot so that she gets better faster. Of course, that has left us with quite a number of unwarned pees and cleaning up, but anything just so she will gets better! Though I must say, this girl has quite a big threshold of pain. *THUMBS UP* babygirl!

Been playing with Kaitlin on her new playmat and we all agree it's great! Kaitlin can now crawl, and fall down without us worrying!

Been bringing Kaitlin out in a baby carrier, but it's really rather painful to the shoulders! I much rather prefer carrying her normally. Guess it is a matter of getting used to it. Babygirl likes it when we run while she is in the baby carrier. Filmed it down for you guys to see!

Kaitlin tried Sweet Potato puree for the first time!

There was an Early Learning Centre sales, so the Auntie in me came out and yes, I bought quite a number of educational materials for Kaitlin. I steered away from the toys okay! I was rather pleased with my buys and showed them off to Lihai! Hurhur. There was 50% off everything okay! Plus, I managed to get flashcards at $2! On top of that, there was a 5% off! I truly sound like a cheapo auntie, but hey! When you can save, SAVE! Then use the savings to buy other awesome stuff right! Plus, I was not the only one who was being kiasu! There were so many mommies there too and expat moms too! I even got hit in the head by an expat mom cos she was taking some toy and she did not apologise! Thought that was pretty rude, but it's okay, I was happy with my buys so that kinds makes up for it!

Kaitlin lost her first story book! Gave Kaitlin her story book to entertain her while she was in her pram, cos she simply does not like the pram so it's kinda hard to stop her from crying. Well, of course the babygirl decided to throw her toy somewhere and when I discovered it, it was too late! She probably thinks it is fine to throw her toys on the floor cos we always pick it up for her, but this time we didn't notice it so there goes the book! I walked from Ion to Forum, back to Ion to try and search but I could not find it :( I even when to the numerous helpdesks at Ion to ask if they had found anything. Before I left Ion, I even went to fill up some form for lost and found objects. The guy initially gave me a lost child form to fill which I thought was pretty funny! I think I sound damn lame and ridiculous filling up some form cos she lost a story book! It's not that it was a story book or what, but more because it was HER FIRST STORY BOOK! I'm a very sentimental person okay! So I was pretty upset about it :(

Not forgetting, the Macs Hello Kitty craze going on! Yes, I've joined into that craze as well! The only Hello Kitty I'm missing out on is the Birdie one which well everyone else is trying to get desperately! People online are selling it for $50! Pfft! I would not pay $50 for a kitty cat toy! I can't believe people are so thick-skinned to sell it at such an exorbitant price, when you can just get at below $10! It's really quite disgusting to see how Singaporeans are so greedy! I mean I'm fine if you wanna sell it at like a profit, but like at a profit of 5 times the price is abit too much don't you think! Oh well, guess I will just have to settle for an incomplete collection then! 

Here's why I think Kaitlin has a thing for Hello Kitty as well (hee hee!):

She kept playing with them until I stopped her for fear of her ripping the plastic open! Hurray though cos Kaitlin seems to like Hello Kitty :D Now, it won't be like me forcing Hello Kitty clothes and toys and other objects to her, but more like Kaitlin liking Hello Kitty and me just giving her what she wants so she will be happy! :D Also, I think Kaitlin likes the colour, Purple! It's not the first time she's chosen the purple option when given two similar objects.

Looking forward to the husband's return and it's the weekends! :) TGIF guys!

Kaitlin and her MagMag!

Another rather overdued post!

We introduced the sippy cup to Kaitlin when she turned 6 months..It also comes with a separate straw attachement which we started her on a few weeks back.

She still doesn't really know how to drink on her own from the sippy cup, so I decided to attach the straw part for her and I must say, this girl is pretty smart! I guess it was a natural reflex for her to bite the straw (I  don't think bite is the proper word to use since her teeth have not fully come out..I guess "gum" would be a better word). The water went up! Then she tried again..and I guess she realised what she could do! I don't think she has learnt to "suck", but I guess it won't be long before she does! So brilliant!

Anyway, there are 2 versions of the Pigeon MagMag cup. One's the Jap version and the other, the local version. I don't know if local version means it is made in SG or what, but the sales people call it the local version -.- The one Kaitlin is using is the Jap version! I think it's quite hard to find it in SG already cos like they've stopped producing it but there are other kinds of MagMag. I honestly don't know why there are so many versions of the MagMag cup. Makes it so damn confusing for parents..I think it is a scheme to make parents buy every type available in the market! No la, just kidding..but it really is quite confusing to guess which is the best one!

Update!: Kaitlin can now drink water using the straw attachment! Shall try her back on the sippy cup without the straw attachment soon, and if that does not work, I might consider getting the oxo sippy cup. Very chio looking!:)