GIVE ME A (PUMPING) BREAK!

Lactation Periods. Have you ever heard of it?

On 16 March 2010, GMA signed into law Republic Act No. 10028, otherwise known as the Expanded Breastfeeding Promotion Act of 2009 (EBPA). The EBPA introduced a number of significant changes to Republic Act No. 7600, more popularly known as the Rooming-In and Breastfeeding Act of 1992.  

One of these changes is the right of nursing employees to lactation periods. I am quoting the pertinent provision of the EBPA for easier reference: 

 "Sec. 12. Lactation Periods. - Nursing employees shall be granted break intervals in addition to the regular time-off for meals to breastfeed or express milk. These intervals, which shall include the time it takes an employee to get to and from the workplace lactation station, shall be counted as compensable hours worked. The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) may adjust the same: Provided, That such intervals shall not be less than a total of forty (40) minutes for every eight (8)-hour working period."

In short, lactation periods are breaks given to a nursing employee in order for her to breastfeed or express milk.

What does the EBPA say about Lactation Periods?

1. All establishments are required to grant nursing employees lactation periods. Unlike the establishment of a lactation station where an employer, upon application, may be exempted from complying under certain circumst ances, there is no similar provision on lactation breaks. (Sec. 4, EBPA)
2. Nursing employees are entitled to lactation periods. Under the law, a nursing employee is any female worker, regardless of employment status, who is breastfeeding her infant and/or young child. (Sec. 3(r), EBPA) Employment status is immaterial. 
3. Just to be clear, the definition states “any female worker”. It does not say married. Thus, civil status is immaterial.
4. The 4th child limit does not apply here. So yes, you are entitled to lactation periods even if the baby/young child you're breastfeeding is your 5th child. (Under the SSS Law, maternity benefits shall be paid only for the first 4 delivers or miscarriages.)
5. The inclusion of “young child” in the definition of nursing employee expands the coverage to moms who are breastfeeding older children up to 36 months of age. [Sec. 3(r) in relation to Sec. 3(z), EBPA] This is actually better than the US Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act which grants reasonable break time for mothers who are pumping for babies under one year of age only.
6. The break is in addition to the regular time-off for meals and is counted as compensable hours worked. (Sec. 7, EBPA; Sec. 12 of RA 7600, as amended by the EBPA) That means that there should not be any deduction from your salary for taking lactation breaks.  
7. The break is given to nursing employees for them “to breastfeed or express milk”. Again, this is better than the US PPACA which covers only milk expression and not direct breastfeeding.
8. The time it takes an employee to get to and from the workplace lactation station is included in the break. This is why it’s important that the lactation station is strategically located in your workplace. You don’t want to waste 30 minutes of your 40-minute break just walking to and from the lactation station.
9. The break shall not be less than a total of forty (40) minutes for every eight (8)-hour working period. It could be more! (So contrary to the pic above, you do have to return to work and it's not whenever you want!)
10. For failure to comply, the following are the penalties:

·         First Offense – Fine of not less than PhP50 Thousand but not more than PhP200 Thousand

·         Second Offense – Fine of not less than PhP200 Thousand but not more than PhP1 Million

·         Third Offense – Fine of not less than PhP500 Thousand but not more than PhP1 Million AND the cancellation or revocation of the business permits or licenses to operate. (Sec. 21, EBPA)

                 

Ok, so why did I not mention anything about the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of the Expanded Breastfeeding Promotion Act?

Because this one deserves another story.  It’s the story of the now-it’s-signed-now-it’s-not IRR.

Source: Reasonable Break Time for Nursing Mothers by Kori Martin

IT'S NOT ABOUT PRODUCT DIFFERENTIATION

I've been writing furiously these past few days. Furiously. I like the sound of that.

And I realize that it's because writing "mommy posts" de-stresses me. It's like a breath of fresh air from the usual contracts and pleadings. Not to mention the corporate disclosures. My 2-hour lunch break and the other 2-hour travel on my way home had been put to good use. And so I came up with 5 posts in a week's time. Unbelievable.

But as I was going over my posts last night, I noticed that there was nothing "legal" about them. My blog's title is "Legally Mom". Well, there's a lot of mommy stuff alright. But there's nothing that would justify the legal part.

I remember my marketing professor in the Ateneo Graduate School of Business telling the class that it's all about product differentiation. Applying it here, what would make by blog, the product, different from all the other mommy blogs out there? Nothing.

And so I thought that I should start posting legal-related articles that are of interest to moms (and dads). As a solo parent, are you entitled to additional work leaves under the law? Am I entitled to additional breaks from work as a breastfeeding mom?  Mothers are entitled to maternity leaves; what about the Dads? The possible topics are endless.

I would not give advice on specific cases, at least not in this blog. But I do hope that writing informative legal articles at least once a month will be of help to parents who want to know more about the laws, rules and regulations that may affect them or their children. Knowledge empowers.

In the end, it's not about product differentiation.  It's about who I am.

I am a mom.

I am also a lawyer.

A WORKING MOM'S BREASTFEEDING STORY (PART 1)

B at 9 months

I'm a breastfeeding mom who has not bought a can of formula since the birth of my now 9-month old baby.

I also happen to be a full-time working mom. I usually leave the house at 6 am to bring my older daughters to school and I normally arrive back home at 8 pm, what with the traffic and all. 

There are a number of  sites that offer useful tips on breastfeeding and expressing milk. Three that I found really helpful are kellymom, breastfeeding.com and workandpump.com. I'm not going to repeat what has been exhaustively discussed in these sites. Instead, I'll share the things that I did (and am still doing) to make exclusive breastfeeding while working full-time possible.

1) I bought a hospital-grade dual, electric breastpump that is really effective in expressing milk. I know that I'll be away from my baby most of the time. Thus, a manual or a single breastpump will not do. You may read my previous post on Unimom Forte dual, electric breastpump here.

Of course, there's the option of hand expressing, which works well for some women. I tried it several times but this one is not for me.

2) I started pumping and building my stash when my baby was 4 weeks old. The first 4 weeks were spent on establishing my breastfeeding relationship with my baby. By the time he was 4 weeks old, we had already perfected his latch and had nailed down our "routine" (although it's not exactly a routine because I breastfed him on demand).

So I moved on to pumping.

Just like most things in life, practice makes perfect. To make expressing milk more time-efficient and effective (meaning more milk), I did the "pump and feed" routine. While my baby was feeding from one breast, the pump was attached to the other breast. With the "pump and feed", which I usually did early in the morning, I was able to familiarize myself with my pump and got to build my stash of breastmilk. By the time I got back to work, I wasn't worried at all that my baby back home didn't have enough milk.

3) I started introducing the bottle to my baby when he was around 1 1/2 months. My office is about a 2-hour drive from my home. Can you imagine what will happen if my baby refuse to drink breastmilk from the bottle? Even if I were to take the supposedly faster MRT, it would still take me almost an hour to reach my place. That's assuming that none of the MRT trains breaks down.

By the time my baby was 1 1/2 months,  the yaya started giving him a bottle of milk a day. Basti would refuse to take the bottle if it was me feeding him. I used Avent nipples for newborn until he was 6 months old and so far, I haven't had any problem with nipple confusion. But just in case you'd have problems with the bottle, here's a useful article on cupfeeding written by Mi'Ann of Babymama.

4) A week before going back to work, I was ready with my pumping kit and storage bottles. My pumping kit consists of:

• Unimom Forte dual electric breastpump
• 1 White plastic box where I put my pump
• 1 Coleman soft-sided cooler
• 1 plastic container where I put my 2 assembled breastshields 
• 4 storage bottles
• 7 anti-bacterial icepacks   

With all these stuff, my laptop, my bag and my lunchbox, I haven't been wearing any of my 3-inch heels for my own safety! But seriously, since my husband's office is very near mine, he's the one in charge of carrying my pumping kit.

For storing the expressed milk, I have 13 Avent bottles, 10 Avent cups and 10 Unimom storage bottles. I use the disposable breastmilk bags only as a back-up (if you've read my previous posts, I try to stay away from disposables).

(You may read Part 2 here.)

*I paid for all the products mentioned here. I do not know any of the sellers personally.

RAISING A READER

"Read! Read! Read!" Dr. Seuss, the author of numerous children's books, gave this simple advice to the children of Troy, Michigan way back in 1971. 

I've always been an avid (and indiscriminate) reader. One of my earliest and fondest childhood memories is waiting for my Nanay to arrive home from the market knowing that she bought Pilipino Funny Komiks for me. 

When I was about 8, I remember spending my summer vacation in my aunt's house here in Manila. And what a wonderful vacation it was! I had all the time in the world to read some of the finest children's literary classics like Heidi, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Black Beauty, Robinson Crusoe and a lot, lot more.

It's no wonder that I ended up taking law, a course that requires a lot of reading. Of course, law books are a lot thicker (and less interesting!) than my usual fare of Funny Komiks.

I spent good times reading Funny Komiks!

As parents, my husband and I are doing our best to instill in our children the love for reading. Here are some of the things that we've been doing to encourage our children to read.

1. We read, read, read where the children can see us. Remember what the child experts are saying? Children will follow what you, the parent, do and not what you say. We try to set aside some time doing nothing but read. There were times when my 6-year old daughter would come inside our room while I was nursing my baby saying that she would just do some silent reading.  

2. We make the technology work for us. One of my high school friends laments that children nowadays seldom read. With all the high-tech gadgets vying for the children's attention, reading books is not on the top of their to do list. But we made the technology work FOR us. I've discovered that there are a number of free applications that can be downloaded on the iPhone/iPad that make reading interesting and fun. One of them is Story Time, a free application that contains several children's fairy tales that are beautifully illustrated. And it even has "Read it Myself" or "Read to Me" options. 

I also noticed that some textbooks have an accompanying CD. My 8-year old daughter's textbook in Sibika has a CD. It contains some videos that emphasize certain topics discussed in the book.

And I remember reading these wonderful books providing knowledge on 4 key areas--life, nature, science and our world--when I was 8.

Picture taken from the internet site

I compared the old set which came out in the early 80's with the new set that my husband bought last year. While there was no noticeable difference on the given information, the new set took advantage of technology and made reading fun and interactive. I cannot describe it in words but here's a video of how "Walter" works.

Oh, and this is Walter.

3.  When in the mall, go to the bookstore. Ok, I guess my kids don't have much choice because their mom will definitely go to the bookstore. Going to the bookstore has become a "tradition" on our part. I let them choose the books that they want, within a reasonable budget, of course. I believe that one can never have enough books. And I'm happy to say that their excitement in going to the bookstore is as much as if we are going to the toy store.

It's good that some major bookstores now have reading areas. Oh, how I miss the Books for Less in Mindanao Avenue, which had reading areas for old and young alike. 

4.  We encourage them to borrow books from the school library. This does not only foster reading. Borrowing books from the library is a good way for the children to learn the concept of responsibility. They learn that they have to take good care of the books and that they have to return them on a specific date. Or else, as my daughter puts, "I'll be fined!"

5.  We ask our daughters to read to their baby brother. The girls get to read, the baby enjoys being read to, and it is a great opportunity to strengthen love among the siblings.

Happy reading!

(Looks like we have another reader in the family.
B at 11 months.)

GOODBYE TO DISPOSABLE BABY WIPES

I have another confession to make. I haven't been using disposable baby wipes for 7 months now.

The cost of disposable baby wipes is unbelievable. And if you're a working mom who has a trigger-happy yaya, one who thinks that the answer to every dirt is the baby wipes, then your budget is in even bigger trouble.

And I'm not even talking about the environmental impact of all those disposed wipes!

So instead of wasting money on disposable baby wipes (this is literally "sunk cost"), I decided giving cloth wipes a try. Since I'm already using cloth diapers for my baby, washing another dozen or so of small cloth wipes is not a problem.

Cloth Wipes

I initially bought a dozen cloth wipes made of flannel solid and measuring 8" x 8" from a local online store. Unfortunately, a dozen cloth wipes are not sufficient for everyday use. To further save on cost, I had a cousin buy pranela from Divisoria and had them cut and sewn by a mananahi in our village. For a minimal amount, I now have about 4 dozens of washable, reusable cloth wipes. (And the good thing about this is when these cloth wipes become worn out, they can be used as basahan.)

Wipe Solution

  

Making a wipe solution is very easy and inexpensive! For the common wipe solution recipes, I found this site really helpful.  

I did my own mix and match. Here's the wipe solution that I'm using on Basti:

3 ml of Human Heart Nature Chamomile Baby Wash

3 ml of all-natural, no mineral oil Giga Baby Oil 

3 drops of Giga Tea Tree Oil - this has antibacterial properties

2 drops of lavender oil

2 drops of  lemon oil - I really find this refreshing!

After putting all of these in a 500 ml spray bottle, I slowly pour filtered water and shake the bottle gently. I now have my own chemical-free wipe solution! I make sure not to put too much oil in order to avoid affecting the cloth diapers' absorbency. So far, I haven't had any problem using this solution on my baby.

Whenever I need a baby wipe, I just spray the solution on the cloth diaper. 

Now I'm ready to face my baby's bottom. :)

BEING GREEN: 7 MONTHS (AND GOING) OF EXCLUSIVE CLOTH DIAPERING

My journey to cloth diapering began when Basti was barely 2 months old. I decided to use cloth diapers because they are, compared to disposables, safer for my baby, cheaper (in the long run) for me and better for mother earth.

But I was so confused with the different options. Other moms took the time to post their reviews of the different kinds of cloth diapers and those helped me a lot. I remember going over a number of parents' sites, blogs and what-have-you to check the reviews.

And now, it is payback time. Here is MY review of one size pocket diapers that Basti has been using for the past 7 months. Hopefully, this will help the moms out there who are considering using cloth diapers.

Pocket diapers consist of 2 parts -- the cover and the absorbent insert. The cover, in turn, consists of the waterproof outer layer and the inner layer (the one that touches your baby's skin) which is usually made of either fleece or suede. The inner layer wicks moisture away from baby's skin, which differentiates this type of cloth diaper from the usual lampin. These two layers are sewn together leaving a small opening, or a pocket, where one inserts the absorbent stuffing. While I have around two dozen pre-folds and 6 diaper covers, most of Basti's cloth diapers are pocket diapers.

I chose one size pocket diapers because I did not want to keep on buying diapers as Basti grows. By adjusting the buttons on the front (as in the case of Bumgenius, Happy Heinys, Next 9 and Wahmies) or the elastics on the side (FuzziBunz and Rocky Mountain), these one size pocket diapers can fit babies from 8 pounds to 35 pounds.

BumGenius 

• Available in snaps and velcro
• Soft suede inner fabric
• Adjustable by snapping on/off the outer front buttons
• Local price: PhP1,100

With 2 liners

How does it look inside?

Pros

• Very effective - baby stays dry, no leaks
• Good for overnight use (with 2 liners)
• Good fit 
• Velcro type is easy to put on, definitely daddy-friendly 

Cons

• Limited colors to choose from
• No printed designs
• The "adjustment buttons" tend to unsnap when I put the diaper on a wriggling Basti
• A little bulky

FUZZIBUNZ

• Available only in snaps 
• Inner fabric is made of soft fleece
• Adjustable elastic on the side leg casings
• Local price: PhP1,100

Fuzzibunz is adjusted by pulling/releasing the elastics on the sides.

With 2 liners and an extra elastic

Pros

• Effective - baby stays dry, no leaks
• Good for overnight use (with 2 liners)
• No adjustment buttons that tend to unsnap when you're putting it on a wriggling baby
• 14 available colors to choose from; limited printed designs
• Dark colored outer cover does not run
• Sleek; good fit

Cons

• May take some practice to master the snaps (Putting it on is a little difficult when you're in a hurry or when the baby is fussy or at nighttime when you are barely awake. But snaps mean that the diaper cannot be easily removed by your baby/toddler's little hands!)
• May take you several adjustments of the elastic leg casings before you get a perfect fit. Too tight means red marks for your poor baby's legs!

Basti at 2 months

Wearing the same FB at 7 months

Happy Heinys

• Available in snaps and velcro
• Inner fabric is made of soft fleece
• Adjustable by snapping on/off the outer front buttons
• Local price: PhP950 (plain) to PhP1,100 (special prints like the Glow in the Dark and Ooga Booga)
• With 2 liners

Ok, I am not very happy with the fit of the old Happy Heinys one size diaper. :( 

Not so good fit

But the poor fit has been addressed by the new and improved HH, the ones that came out in 2011. This is the one that is the subject of my review.

2011 HH (Ooga Booga design, velcro)

Pros

• Effective - baby stays dry, no leaks
• Good for overnight use (with 2 liners)
• Good fit 
• Velcro type is easy to put on, definitely daddy-friendly  
• Lots of colors and cute, cute printed designs to choose from

Cons

• The "adjustment buttons" tend to unsnap when I put the diaper on a wriggling Basti
• Velcro type is easy to remove even by your baby. Imagine what he can do when he's already a toddler!

Basti at 9 months wearing the new HH

NEXT 9

• Made  in the Philippines
• Available in snaps 
• Inner fabric is made of soft fleece
• Adjustable by snapping on/off the outer front buttons
• Price: PhP350 per piece; 3 diapers for PhP1,000
• With 1 liner only

Blue retro design

Soft fleece inner layer

Pros

• The most affordable one size pocket diaper in the market
• Sleek, good fit
• The inner layer made of fleece is really, really soft
• Good enough-- baby stays semi-dry, no leaks, definitely better than the ordinary lampin
• Good for daytime use 
• Several colors  and two printed designs (pink and blue) to choose from 

Cons

• Soft fleece is noticeably mas manipis and less absorbent than the fleece used by the other imported brands. (But please note that this is not an apples to apples comparison because I'm comparing a PhP350 diaper with a PhP1,000++ one.)

ROCKY MOUNTAIN

• Available in snaps 
• Soft suede inner fabric
• Internal adjustment system--just pull and snap the garter around the thigh holes
• Local price: PhP1,100
• With 1 liner only

Simple - 1 row of snaps/buttons

2-toned diaper (brown / yellow

 Pros

• Effective - baby stays dry, no leaks
• Good for overnight use (with 2 liners)
• No adjustment buttons that tend to unsnap when you're putting it on a wriggling baby
• Sleek; good fit 
• Not as easy to put on as the velcro but less complicated than the two-row snaps of FuzziBunz and Happy Heinys. 
• Your baby/toddler cannot easily remove the diaper unlike the velcro type.

Cons

• Dark colored outer covers may run in the first few washes
• Limited colors and designs

WAHMIES

• Available in hooks and snaps
• Soft suede inner fabric
• Adjustable by snapping on/off the outer front buttons
• Local price: PhP1,100

The insert is like a face towel.

 

 Pros

• Of all the one size pocket diapers Basti has tried, this one has the best fit
• Very effective -- baby stays dry, no leaks
• Good for overnight use (with 2 liners)

Basti at 2 months

Cons

• The hooks--which make Wahmies the best fitting diaper--make putting on/removing the diaper really difficult. This one requires lots and lots of practice. (Up to now, my husband stays away from this diaper.)
• The insert (a facial wash :) face towel look-alike to me) makes stuffing time more tedious. You have to fold it and make sure that it does not bunch when you insert it. My solution--I don't use it! I took it out of the baby's cabinet. Why? Because all inserts/stuffings of one size pocket diapers SHOULD NEVER touch your baby's skin. A good insert is super absorbent. Now imagine what will happen if that piece of cloth, which absorbs away moisture, touches your baby's skin!

Overall, I'm quite happy with my one size pocket diapers. And I cannot explain how I feel whenever I pass by rows and rows of disposable diapers in the grocery knowing that I need not buy one.

Happy CLOTH diaper-hunting!

NOTE: I paid for all the products mentioned in this post. I do not know any of the sellers personally. It's cheaper to buy the imported cloth diapers abroad. For example, my Bumgenius diapers that were bought in the US cost only around US$18 each or less than PhP800. :)

*The two really nice-looking photos are courtesy of The Stork Studio.

 

NO TO DENGUE THE DEET-FREE WAY

I take dengue seriously.

Two years ago, we had to cut our Boracay trip short because both of my daughters were suffering from high grade fever. After getting a flight back to Manila on a 19-seater plane (an experience that I would not want to repeat), we went straight to the ER. My firstborn had to stay at the hospital for 10 days, 5 of which were spent in the ICU. The younger one, thank God, had a milder strain and was sent home after 3 days.  

So yes, I take dengue seriously.

For this rainy season, I've discovered the following all-natural citronella-based, DEET-free insect repellent products that really work! My children are using them when going outdoors and even inside the house.

Human Nature Citronella Bug Spray

Ingredients: virgin coconut oil, organic citronella oil, organic lemongrass, essential oil together with rosemary and lavender essential oils

Pros: 

• effective (I tried using it in a place where there were lots of mosquitoes and it really worked!)
• cheap (PhP84.75 for a 50 ml bottle)
• leaves the skin really soft and glowing
• a small amount goes a long, long way
• 100% of the profit from this product will fund the development of sustainable livelihood of poor Filipino farmers!

Cons: 

• it is oil-based so it is a little messy to apply 
• my 8 and 6 year old daughters find it hard to press the pump
• strong citronella smell (but you get used to it!)

Human Nature Bug Shield Lotion

Ingredients: citronella oil, sunflower oil, coconut oil, lemongrass oil, lavender oil (and alcohol that is plant-derived)

Pros:

• effective
• cheap (PhP79.75 for a 50 ml bottle)
• leaves the skin really soft
• milder and fresher scent compared to the Bug Spray
• easy to apply, non-sticky
• 100% of the profit from this product will fund the development of sustainable livelihood of poor Filipino farmers! 

Cons:

• unlike the oil-based Bug Spray, the 50-ml bottle of Bug Shield lotion does not go a long, long way (or it may be because I'm using it too often, what with its clean, fresh scent!)

Since the oil-based Bug Spray is cheaper to use in the long run, my children use it more often than the Bug Shield. The latter is used as a back-up. I make sure that my children always bring a bottle of Bug Shield with them for purposes of re-application whenever needed.  

Indigo Baby Shoo Fly Don't Bother Me Lotion 

For my baby, I use this Indigo Baby Shoo Fly Don't Bother Me lotion.

Ingredients: Aloe Vera Gel, Witch Hazel, Triple Distilled Water, Therapeutic Grade Essential Oils (Rose, Lavender, Geranium, Citronella & Eucalyptus)

Pros:

• effective
• smells wonderful
• non-sticky
• leaves baby's skin soft
• I just love it! :)

Cons:

• a little expensive at PhP180 for a 60 ml bottle (but it's worth it!)

This rainy season, we will keep the mosquitoes away the natural way!


Note: I paid for all the products that I mentioned here. I do not know any of the sellers personally.

 

MAKING THE SWITCH

I admit. My family has made the big switch.

For almost a year now, we have been using locally-produced, affordable and 100% harmful chemical-free products that are from "renewable resource with no petroleum compounds" and "processed in a way which is not damaging to the environment". These products are produced by Gandang Kalikasan, Inc., a company that employs Gawad Kalinga residents, pays its employees more than the legally-mandated minimum wage, and trades fairly with the local farmers.

How can you beat that?

Our family's "love affair" with Human Heart Nature started with my search for a chemical-free baby wash that is gentle on my then 1-month old baby's skin. I stumbled upon HHN's Aloe Vera & Chamomile Baby Shampoo & Baby Wash in one of the online stores and decided to give it a try.

True to its promise, it is non-drying and gentle on my baby's skin, unlike the commercially available baby wash produced by multinational companies. I was so satisfied with it that I decided to buy more HHN products.

Almost a year after that initial purchase, everyone in our household is using HHN products!

Me:

Pearl Powder and Aloe Vera Strengthening Shampoo (I finally found the perfect shampoo for my limp and falling hair!)
Nourishing Mango Butter Conditioner (This conditions my hair without making it limp.)
Lemongrass Body Scrub (the scent reminds me of the citrus verbena line of L'occitane)
Goat's Milk and Cocoa Butter (unscented)
Balancing Facial Wash (Great for oily skin!)
Balancing Toner
Sunflower Seed Beauty Oil (Great for the undereye!)
Royal Jelly & Aloe Vera Night Moisturizer (Goodbye to expensive moisturizers!)
Love Minerals Pressed Powder
Love Minerals Blush Shade (Love the barely there look of Pink Quartz!)
Peppermint Lip Balm
Love Minerals Passion Fruit Lipstick (Love the sweet nectar shade!)
Anti-bacterial Hand Soap
Sugarcane and Aloe Vera Gel Hand Sanitizer (A must-have for a breastfeeding and pumping Mom!)
Eucalyptus Hand & Foot Salve (This one deserves a separate write-up.)
Citrus Burst Spray Sanitizer (Which I use to sanitize my office conference table, also known these days as my official pumping station.)

The Hubby:

Pearl Powder and Aloe Vera Strengthening Shampoo (Peppermint)
Eucalyptus Shaving Oil (He's really satisfied with this!)
Balancing Facial Wash
Balancing Toner (He says that this is as good as if not better than Burt Bee's tomato toner.)
Eucalyptus Hand & Foot Salve (This one deserves a separate write-up. Oh, did I say that already?)

The Two Girls:

Aloe Vera Kid's Shampoo and Body Wash in Watermelon (Goodbye to the fashion-something chemical-laden shampoo!)
Nourishing Mango Butter Conditioner in peppermint scent (Heaven-sent for girls with long hair.)
Citronella Bug Spray (A must-have especially during this dengue season.)
All Natural Hand Sanitizer for Kids in strawberry
Strawberry Lotion (Unfortunately, this is being phased out.)

The Baby:

Chamomile Baby Wash (The product that started our continuing love affair with HHN.)

And yes, we are happy that we made the switch!