Nappy wipes review

On Tokyo Mothers group (facebook group) there are often people wondering which brand of nappy wipes are bigger. As Pichan was born in Japan, I have been going through most of the Japanese brands, and not really noticing a difference. That was, until I went to Australia over Christmas and used the large, thick ones. Gosh! I now know what I have been missing. It was so nice to use just a few, intead of half a pack, and NOT end up with poop on my hands like I do in Japan because of the size. So, here is a bit of a review.

In Japanese, nappy wipes are called "oshirifuki"- (おしりふき)

Unfortunately, it has been so long since I have used each brand that I can't offer a detailed review. But what I will do it sort from best to worst, 

I have tried:

 The Pigeon wipes, while a little bigger, smelled horrible! I really didn't like using these. And still have one, half used packet from over a year ago. The label claims is it full of water, but I didn't think they were particularly soft or anything. The smell they leave on the hands and bum is just yuk!
 These were fine. Standard by Japanese size (so small). I bought a small case of these for my nappy bag. The didn't give any rashes or anything. They were soft though. I would actually like to try these again so that I can scrutinize more closely.

















I was given a HUGE box of these for free when I bought our expensive car seat. They are 99% water, and alcohol free. Small in size and not very thick. Bought from Akachan Honpo. No bad smells or anything, but tiny so I had to use a lot.










These are just like the above but with no alcohol and no paraben wipes (from Akachan Honpo). They rank so highly on here due to being paraben and alcohol free, but really they were so small and thin that the 'paraben free' factor is the only reason I would buy them again. I would use about 6-10 wipes to clean my LO's bottom (he has messy mess), so I went through these so quickly.


 This is Akachan Honpo's big and thick type. I really like the fact that it is 99% water, but now that I have gotten used to using a lotion type wipe (see Pampers below) I really felt like I had to use a few of these to clean Pi's bottom. They are kind of gauzy too- not sure if that is a good thing, or a bad thing, but I didn't notice any advantage.


















This is the water brand sold in Babies R Us in Japan. It is 99.9% water, and is soft on the bottom. There is no alcohol or parabens in these which is a very good thing. While most of the wipes in Japan are alcohol free, paraben free is a rarity. I want to try these again, but probably only will if I see them while I am out and about



But the winner is:  PAMPERS~!!!



Pampers wipes were the first ones that I tried when Pi was born, as the clinic gave a few packets in their 'gift' bag. At the time I didn't think anything of it, thinking 'wipes were wipes'. Then, when I went home to Oz I realised that you DO want large, thick wipes. After searching the internet I found these, which have the kanji 厚手 (atsude) and large 大きい (ookii). They are really great. They are as large as my hand (the Japanese wipes are about half a hand wide), and get the poop off nicely. No heavy rubbing needed. They are soft too (advertised as "fluffy sheet". I am a little concerned about nappy rash, as he is getting a little red, but I will keep my eye on it (edit* no problems with rash*). They have a lotion/moisturiser in them, which is nice and helps to get the poop off really easily and then leave Pi's bottom really soft. They are alcohol and fragrance free, but not listed as Paraben free.


So, if you are looking for a wipe that is just like home, try the Pampers.

Wonder week 7

Here is another leap. Argh! Though, in a way I feel like I am finally doing better than the other ones (maybe because it had only just started). The stormy week isn't suppose to hit until week 44 and a half, so it's probably too early to judge. Maybe because the last leap was when we were home in Oz- and his was taken out of his routine- that he got quite cranky.

In saying that; Pi is pretty cranky, but if you sit on the floor with him or hold him, he is actually pretty good. 

He is going through so many milestones. While some of them are quite small, they are big to me. His new thing is being able to wave goodbybe, being able to clap, being able to 'lift the flaps' in books, and being able to turn the page. He gets so excited turning pages, it's gorgeous. He is standing like a champ (and able to sit/fall back down again), and cruises a little too.

His sleep has taken a bit of a turn. Up usually 4 times a night (so not that much worse, actually), but his afternoon nap has been suffering and he is back to having only 30mins, and waking up really cranky. 

Here is a little about wonder week 7:

During a leap it is possible your baby:

• Eats less- sometimes. But I think he eats a lot more these days.
• Cries more then usual
• Sleeps less or wakes up a lot of the times- Yep! He wakes pretty early too.
• Cranky- check!
• Super clingy- Yep
• Is never satisfied- yep "Pick me up. No, put me down!"

Helping your baby through this leap

• Help you baby explore and experiment: Allow him to do things on his own. Don’t be quick to jump in and give him the solution. Then after some time, step in and show him how to do it correctly.

• Properly discipline/ correct and praise your child: Clearly let them know when they are going something dangerous or wrong. You should also spend time praising your child for doing something correct or following your directions.

• Use more Language: Always use correct pronunciation around your child. Don’t correct their incorrect pronunciation, instead repeat what they said in a correct pronunciation. For example if your child says, “dag” for dog, you should respond by saying, “Yes, that is a dog.” Also make sure you talk to you child telling them what you are doing and going to do.

Moving house

We have moved house! Into the big smoke we go, so that we can be closer to Husband's work and that way he can be a full time parent. Moving with a baby wasn't fun, but it wasn't impossible either. Pichan is just learning to stand and LOVES getting into boxes. So packing was a bit of a trial as it was a case of two items into a box, one item out by Pi. He also, likes to eat cardboard- hence his more recent nickname- Yagichan (Little Goat). Most of our boxes have been nibbled...

We hired professional movers, and while they have a full service move- which includes packing and cleaning- we went with the cheap "pack it yourself". They were very fast loading everything into a truck, and clearly they had played Tetris before. They also disassembled the furniture that needed it, but thankfully we didn't have to take our book shelves apart or most other things. Anything the disassembled, they reassembled. I did the crib myself though- thought I would help them out. They also brought "hanger" boxes, so the clothes went from our cupboard, into a box with a rail and then into our new house cupboard (they did that). They also set up the furniture at the other end, and removed and installed our aircon (for a charge, though).

The key to doing it with a baby was just to be organised. Pichans room was the first one we set up, and made sure we put all his decorations up so his room looked practically the same. It was all ready for his afternoon nap and thankfully he transitioned really well. We were dreading terrible nights sleep, but it was no worse than normal We were in no hurry to unpack, so the last of the boxes has only just been unpacked today.

Cleaning the old house though was another matter. I should have taken some of my friends up on the offer to babysit. Pi got so bored and we spent half our time stopping him from drinking bleach, or putting his finger in power sockets, or getting his fingers jammed in the doors. While the basic clean doesn't take too long, we took 5 hours doing the worlds most thorough clean. Washing windows, washing the groves in the doors, all the skirting boards, cleaning fly screens, above the stove etc. I don't know if Japanese people leave houses that clean normally- as you are charged a 'cleaning fee' out of your deposit no matter how clean you leave it (I believe)- but we figured that being foreigners we should do an extra thorough job. In Australia the real estate agents can be so picky about the smallest things so we wanted to make sure we didn't need to go back.



(The last sunrise from Ninomiya)

Now that it is all finished we are so happy to be in our new house. Only 20min walk to Husbands school, 4LDK so lots of room for Pichans things, and while it is on the hill of doom, aka Mt Everest, we have a sense of community up here as well with lots of small children on our street. All in all, a success, but I won't want to do it again any time soon.




Finally learning 'how to adult' in our new house...

Pulling himself up

Little Pichan is pulling himself up like a champ these days, which is very exciting. He is just starting on cruising but is only in the super beginner stages at the moment, and most of the time is just happy to crawl (I use the word loosely as he has been crawling on his belly for months now) to where he needs to be and then pull himself up- rather than just pulling himself along.

The bigger problem that comes with pulling himself up, is that he can fall down (and often does due to reaching and twisting into bad positions). He also has a few bumps and a small bruise to show for his efforts. I wonder how long it will take until he walks properly. Most likely it will be just before his first birthday- my, time is flying.