Kirkland brand wipes review

So I finally did it... I went to Costco.

I went to the Costco in Kawasaki and was actually impressed. Husband, who hates shopping, was also impressed. They have a fair range of all sorts of products, including kids toys, clothes and seasonal items (including Xmas things).

One of the big reasons that I wanted to go was to get a box of the coveted "Kirklands Signature Baby Wipes"



They come in a huge box of 900 wipes- which are 9 packets of 100 wipes in each.
They are very thick compared to most Japanese wipes. You may have read here that Pampers are my favourite wipes in Japan; so how do they compare:

Well, the size is about the same.

Kirklands  wipes seem thicker, but I am not sure if wipes this thick are actually necessary. It feel like wiping with a square of cotton, which seems a little wasteful. But, at the end of the day it is all about how it biodegrades and I am not sure if it is better/worse than Pampers. Kirklands does say on their website that they do biodegrade so good for them.

Pampers wipes have a lotion on them which is really nice. Silky smooth. It kind of works like a barrier that makes the next 'mess' a bit easier to clean. But providing I get to the 'mess' before my little one sits down, then it usually isn't a problem anyway.

They are both alcohol free, but it looks like Kirlands are paraben free. The old formula used to have formaldehyde in it but not any more. These are the ingredients: WATER, ALOE BARBADENSIS, LEAF JUICE, TOCOPHERYL ACETATE, DISODIUM COCOAMPHODIACETATE, POLYSORBATE 20, CITRIC ACID, DISODIUM PHOSPHATE, DISODIUM EDTA, ETHYLENE BRASSYLATE, PHENOXYETHANOL, SODIUM BENZOATE

Pampers on the other hand have parabens and other not nice sounding things: Water, dimethicone, PG, (acrylates / isodecanoic acid vinyl) crosspolymer, phosphoric acid Na, sorbitan oleate, benzoic acid Na, methylparaben, EDTA-2Na, hydroxide Na, ethyl paraben, propyl paraben, Bizabororu, tri (caprylic / capric acid) glyceryl, aloe vera juice, chamomile extract.

Kirklands come with a hard flip lid/seal on each pack of their wipes (to keep the freshness in). Pampers use a re-stickable seal. But this isn't a feature I care too much about, as I have the refillable container for the Pampers wipes, so they were always fresh.

As for price: 

On Amazon Kirklands are 3980yen for 900. Which is 4.4yen a wipe. (I will update after my next Costco visit with the Costco price, but I forgot the correct price...) 

 *** Update- Costco price is 2738yen-  so that is 3.04 per wipe, being much cheaper. At the moment they are on sale at Costco for 2188yen (2.43 per wipe)***

On Amazon Pampers wipes are 2590yen for 756wipes. Which is 3.4yen per wipe. 


~In Summary~

When I first bought the Kirklands box I regretted it. I really liked the lotion of the Pampers, and thought wipes as thick as Kirklands were a bit of an overkill. However, after learning they they are paraben free I am quite happy with Kirklands, and would probably choose them over Pampers for that reason. 

Pampers are cheaper, and can be obtained easily from drug stores and baby stores in Japan. But I think that Kirklands wipes are probably the more baby friendly and environmentally friendly, so because of that they have my vote (but only just...). 

Cow's milk.

Pichan really doesn't care for cow's milk. And really, I can't blame him. He is used to sweet breast milk, at a certain temperature and with a cuddle, so it is no surprise that cow juice doesn't do much for him. But now he is a year and five months, which means that in another six months or so I hope to wean him, and then where will he get his dairy from...

Apparently, he should be having two cups of dairy a day- or about 700 milligrams. So what can I do?

He eats yogurt- though the tubs here are small. And will have some cheese most days. Sometimes he will have a few sips of milk, but if I make him banana milk (Banana, flax seeds, oats and a teaspoon of honey) he gulps it down- I actually mix it with even more milk so it is only lightly flavoured. While I don't want him only drinking milk if it is sweetened, I figure that he has been raised on sweetened milk, and he is better off drinking sweetened (not too much) milk, than none at all.

The good news is, I have found other sources that he can get his calcium from (for more info- see http://www.babycenter.com/0_calcium-in-your-childs-diet_10324689.bc):

• 1/4 cup raw tofu prepared with calcium sulfate: 217 mg (The calcium content of tofu varies, depending on how it's processed. Check the label.)
• 1/2 cup plain yogurt: 207 mg
• 1 tablespoon blackstrap molasses: 172 mg
• 1/2 cup fruit yogurt: 122 to 192 mg
• 1/2 cup calcium-fortified orange juice: 133 to 250 mg
• 1/4 cup ricotta cheese: 167 mg
• 1/2 cup milk: 150 mg
• 1/2 cup chocolate milk: 144 mg
• 1/2 ounce Swiss cheese: 112 mg
• 1/2 cup vanilla frozen yogurt, soft-serve: 102 mg
• 1/2 ounce cheddar cheese: 102 mg
• 1 slice whole grain bread: 24 mg
• 1/2 ounce mozzarella cheese: 103 mg
• 1/4 cup collard greens: 66 mg
• 1/4 cup homemade pudding (from mix or scratch): 76 mg
• 1 tablespoon tahini (sesame seed butter): 64 mg
• 1/4 cup turnip greens: 50 mg
• 1/4 cup cooked spinach: 60 mg
• 1/2 cup calcium-fortified cereal (ready to eat): 51 mg
• 1/2 cup calcium-fortified soy beverage: 40 to 250 mg

I really want him to have strong bones and teeth. I suppose I will just have to be extra good about giving him a varied diet. Maybe I need a meal plan...

The final 'wonder week'- Huzzah!

The final 'wonder week' (which is always at least a month long) runs from week 70 and a half, to week 75 and a half. This developmental leap was all about the world of systems. Meaning now not only can he see a pattern of things that need to be done in order to complete a task, but it means he realises that they can be done in a different order to complete the same end.

For example- it was "Let's go to the shops".Which meant- clean nappy, socks and pants, get mummy's bag, get our water bottle, close the windows, put on our shoes, lock the door.

Now he realises that we can get the bag ready before we put our socks on, and we can close the windows first.

The 'Stormy period'- aka, cranksville, was at the start of the leap this time which was kind of nice. And it was pretty bad for a while, but passed after a week or so.

His naps are hit and miss. The same with his sleeping; some nights he sleeps until 5am (then he has a quick feed before going back down again) and some nights he wakes a few times. I am hoping it sorts itself soon enough.

From my other friends, I have heard that the terrible twos also have a few month long periods of crankiness, but thankfully I feel like it is getting a little easier to deal with now that he is older.