The Meticulous Mom

This is my answer to Teacher Julie’s Weekly Question: Do you think NOW is really the time to patronize our locally-made milk and milk products or would you still trust products manufactured in other countries?

We have always patronized a local milk brand ever since Nico was born.  Since it was not possible for Nico to be breastfed when he was an infant (he had a congenital heart disease back then and sucking was a struggle), milk formula has become his food staple.

Our trusted milk brands were all manufactured by Nestle Philippines.  Being a preemie back then, Nico had Pre-Nan until he reached the average infant weight of 3 kilograms; then Nan1 from 2months to 6months; Nan2 from 7months to 1year; Neslac with Honey from 1year old to 1.6years old; and finally Nido Fortified from 1.7years old up to when he was 3years old.  We then shifted to Magnolia Fresh Milk on advice of the doctor, but only a few months ago, since Nico’s on track of being within the normal weight range, we’re back to Nido Fortified as Nico prefers its taste than Magnolia.

Of course, our patronage of Nestle products were based on the doctor’s advice.  But added to that, I’ve always believed in the quality and safety of Nestle products.  Why?

Here’s a consumer tip: when buying a locally-made product, choose those that are exported abroad.  Because products manufactured locally and are exported to international markets equates to saying that these products passed through very stringent export requirements and standards.   For example, milk products that bear the GMP, HACCP and even the Halal seal only goes to show that they are assured of quality and safety. Read the rest of this entry »

We’ve always use the juice extracts of steamed Oregano leaves whenever Nico has cough.  But since our home is undergoing renovation right now, the Oregano plants which used to be so abundant, withered one by one, as our backyard served as the tambakan of construction slabs and scraps and what-have-yous of those construction activities.  It’s saddening really, but I promised myself that once the renovation is finished, I’ll really make a good clean up of our backyard and start re-planting herbs and veggies again.

Late last month, Nico had one of those bouts of nasty coughs again. Itchy, dry and sticky with all the phlegm trapped in his respiratory system, I rushed to call the pedia for a medicine recommendation.  There’s Ambrolex and Solmux, both mucolytics and Ascof Lagundi, a herbal cough remedy, that the doctor recommended.  Even before we introduced Oregano, Nico had tried Ambrolex and Solmux.  These meds helped but am not too happy with the progress.  So for this recent cough attack, I decided to buy the last one–Ascof Lagundi.  And I’m glad I’ve made the right decision.

The effect of this herbal cough syrup is much like that of Oregano’s.  It didn’t take long and minutes after drinking the first tablespoons full of the green-colored bitter-tasting herbal syrup, the next thing I knew, Nico was gagging the sink, expelling those nasty sticky phlegm.  And what’s good about Ascof is that it’s definitely very cheap.  For only P85 and my kid’s coughing went away after three days.

This amazing herbal medicine is manufactured by Pascual Laboratories.  Its main ingredient is Lagundi. Read the rest of this entry »

When a child is sick and nursing a fever, it is extremely important to monitor his/her body temperature on a regular basis.  And when monitoring, it’s not as simple as placing our hands on their forehead.  Yes, it may give us an idea whether or not fever is present, but taking the child’s temperature using the thermometer is the only way to know for sure.

There are so many thermometers available in the market today. With options just available at hand,  it can be tricky to decide which are the best and which are the most accurate.  When Nico was born in April 2004, I remembered it clearly that a thermometer was included in the Hospital kit given to us.  It was a mercury thermometer though, and while I loved the fact that it’s free, we didn’t take the freebie with us at home.

Read the rest of this entry »