London with a baby – the Huggies Wipes adventure

It’s been nearly two years since we relocated from Berkshire to Devon and I can count on one hand the number of times I’ve been back to London since then. I love London, but it’s a fair old trek from where we live in the South West. Plus, being massively pregnant and then having a tiny human can put one off venturing too far from home.

This week we righted that wrong with a mum and baby road trip to the capital for the launch of Huggies’ reformulated Pure baby wipes. It was a trip of firsts: Baby Girl’s first trip on a train, first visit to London, first time on the Underground and first visit to a baby spa.

Yep, you heard right – a baby spa. A spa for babies. This is actually a thing in London (London – I love you).

Our day began with a fairly leisurely train ride from the village where we used to live in Berkshire into London Paddington, before we joined the commuter rush of the tube. It was wonderful and weird to be back in our old village. Wonderful, because I got to spend time with some of the lovely people I used to see every day and introduce them to my (now not so new) baby. But weird because it made me realise how far we’ve come since moving to Devon – we now have a new little member of the family for starters.

I felt nervous as I started my trip into London. It was like I was a “London noob” all over again, as I consulted and re-consulted the (very easy) tube journey I’d need to make to get from Paddington to the Baby Spa by Laura Sevenus in Notting Hill. I like to think it was because I had the added responsibility of being with a baby, but more likely I’ve just turned into a country bumpkin since moving back west.

Once we arrived, all nerves lifted. It was a beautiful morning and bright sunshine lit up the reception area of the luxurious white spa. This place is special and has more than a whiff of celebrity about it. I met with the Huggies Wipes team (Baby Girl took a shine to Jacqui who she’s pictured with above) and baby experts they’d invited along for the day to chat to us.

Run by infant swimming expert Laura Sevenus, the spa offers babies a postnatal water flotation experience. The spa’s aimed at babies from newborn up to six months, but at nearly nine months old Baby Girl enjoyed the session just as much as any tiny baby. She was born in the water and has had weekly swimming lessons since she was six weeks old, but this was the first time she’d experienced the technique of infant water flotation followed by baby massage. She was pampered beyond belief. Turns out she rather likes the A-list baby lifestyle…

This proved a brilliant backdrop for the launch of Huggies’ reformulated Pure wipes. I’ve become far more educated about baby wipes since joining the Huggies Mumbassador team, so I now know it’s a pretty big deal that this range is free from all the nasties of parabens, alcohol and phenoxyethanol.

They’re made from natural absorbent fibres which means they don’t fall apart in your hands (no poo-on-the-finger situations since we’ve been using Huggies wipes) and are completely kind to a baby’s sensitive skin.

When Frog was tiny I only used cotton wool and water when changing her nappy, a faff I simply didn’t have time for second time around. Dermatologist Emma and Midwife Natalie both explained that the Pure range is so gentle and natural they would be fine to have as a hospital bag staple and use straight from birth.

In a test of gentleness I used the wipes to take off my eye make-up the other night (all mums steal their baby’s wipes, right?) and it felt just like using cotton wool and water. No stinging and no dryness occurred, making me even more convinced they’re the best thing for Baby Girl’s bum.

We’ve been using the Pure wipes for a few weeks now and have probably got through around half as many wipes as usual. This isn’t because Baby Girl is any less messy (I wish), but because the wipes are thick enough to use both sides (unless it’s a particularly gross nappy situation). Anyone who gets through baby wipes like we do will tell you this is a WIN.

Back to the spa then, and after her massage Her Majesty  Baby Girl was obviously worn out from all the pampering…

Of course as soon as we boarded the tube and then the train back to Reading she found her second wind and decided to entertain the businessman sitting next to us with bubble-blowing, screeching and attempts to wallop him with a rattle. I’m sure he was disappointed when we got off.

By the 6th train ride of the day I’ll admit I was ready for a bit of spa treatment myself, as tired baby plus heat equalled a near miss of a meltdown. I’m thankful of my second daughter’s love of the selfie distraction technique in this situation…

We eventually fell through the door at around 8pm, after a three hour drive from Berkshire to Devon. London, you are lovely – I just wish you were a tad closer sometimes.