My husband is a big NFL fan and during the live games with a million adverts every 2 minutes there are an awful lot of them for beer, trucks and medicine (usually for erectile dysfunction for some reason, maybe something to do with all the beer). At the end of the medicine adverts they proceed to list about 2 million side effects for this medicine. May cause downiness, headaches, high blood pressure, low blood pressure … go and make a cup of tea … come back … skin rash, hypothermia, mood swings, death!

I don’t usually read the side effects of medication, maybe that’s foolish but sometimes it feels a bit like a legal formality. However now I’m pregnant, I do give them a once over.

Recently I wished for there to be an encylopedia of side effects to the Bio Oil I have been slathering over my body. Now this stuff isn’t cheap, around the £8 mark. I originally had it for a scar on my shoulder, the origins of said scar will remain a secret between me and that bottle of Polish vodka I became friends with one New Years Eve in Warsaw. I would apply a tiny dab on the scar on my shoulder in the hope that it would shrink like my bank balance after an afternoon of maternity clothes shopping online. It seemed to work. I’ve heard it’s also good for treating and preventing stretch marks. Since I had the bottle lying around I thought, “why not?”

Well here’s a few words to explain why not. Rash. Itching. Burning. Scratching. Irritation. Hell.

I basically looked like a gorilla with fleas sat at my desk at work. I fully appreciate this may be an allergic reaction but I’m not allergic to anything that I know of so this is something new. However, if you have sensitive skin, I’d do a little skin test first before you do what I did which was pretty much take a bath in it. The bottle has gone back in the cupboard in case I ever go to Warsaw again.

So in light of this I have some new skincare products to try. Most of these are actually for baby but word on the street is, they work a treat in pregnancy too. So I may also treat myself to a pamper session with some of them before I try them on baby!

First up is Naif Care. I received a lovely gift set very similar to the one on their website called ‘Babies for Beginners Pack’, a good starter kit and not sample size products, something of substance for me to get stuck in with. The packaging is lovely, it comes in a brown paper bag with a zip, not sure what clever bod came up with that design but I love it. Earthy yet strong and just plain cool. Ideal for a baby shower gift. The Babies for Beginners packcomes with body lotion, wash gel, diaper cream, nurturing cream, milky bath oil and soothing baby oil. I also got the shampoo and sun cream to try. I admire the optimism of sun cream in England but maybe, just maybe I’ll get to put that on me or my baby some day.

I found this brand just oozes quality from the packaging thorough to the quality of the products. A little goes a long way which I often find is a sign of a well made product, the smell is divine and I need to stop myself using it all so my baby can benefit as well when he/she arrives.

Naturally I haven’t yet tried the diaper cream due to the fact I outgrew them years ago but I will in due course! I never thought I’d look forward to putting cream on a bum.

I would say this brand is definitely a premium brand and my skin is something I’m spending more on as I get older. This really does make a great present and I guarantee the new mum to be will make good use of it.
Another product worth a mention here is Kokoso Baby which is a 100% natural and organic coconut oil for babies. It has a lot of uses for baby skin such as nappy rash, general moisturiser, cradle cap, flakey new born skin and again, there are some uses for mummy too. Best place to read about those is on the blog section of their website:

http://kokoso.co.uk/mummy-blog/#blog
The cream is solid but really does melt in your hands and again I love the smell. Certainly handy to have a pot in the cupboard due to it’s all round flexibility of uses, much like Worcester Sauce in your kitchen cupboard. Again, yet to try on baby but I’ve been applying it to my bump as it stretches like pizza dough and it feels lovely. My baby will be spoilt.

Using the creams on my bump is a great way to bond with my baby and gives me a prefect excuse to sit down and focus on those precious Kicks!

You can find out more about your baby’s movements here

 

Visit Naif Care website

Visit Kokoso Website