Mothers, let me hear you ROAR! Are you guys enjoying the Movement Control Order? Looks like it’s nowhere near over yet, and I’m barely surviving! If you’re a full-time working mother like me, chances are that we’ve been through the cycle of terror – when it first began, we were lost. Then, help kicked in in the form of virtual classrooms when the schools had a better grasp of things. Shortly after, I started tearing my hair out with the endless questions and requests for snacks, while desperately punching all my thoughts onto the laptop before they slipped my mind. Right after the kids are served, it’s back to the laptop where these thoughts are churned coherently and emailed over to clients and colleagues.
Staying Home With A Toddler
Being stuck at the hips with my toddler for the past 4 weeks has been nothing short of a lesson. Every day, I’m amazed by how he retains information and learns. If there was an Olympic game segment in mimicry for toddlers, I have faith that he would excel.
My favourite time of the day has got to be our most intimate – putting him to nap during the day, and down for the night. Perhaps being together most times has brought us closer, and I’m more attuned to his needs and habits now. Recently, he developed an itch that had to be scratched.
THE ITCH
The itch starts at the palms, hands, and legs. If we’re lucky, it stops as soon as it starts. Often, it becomes a frenzy and the skin breaks. Painful scratch marks serve as a reminder to the endless battles in the dark as we try to put him to sleep. I have two little lords at home so guess what the younger one is up to when the elder plays the itchy tune or worse, bawls helplessly? While this has always been manageable on regular days, we suspect the MCO has left him deeply restless and scratching has become his way of doing something. Or, we live in a bug-infested home and I’m delusional.
As the rest of the world welcomes daybreak, our household wakes up in zombie mode. Seriously, I’m not even exaggerating this. With our toddler constantly bawling his eyes out at night, the adults try to get it together but the restless nights with him get to us – we are only human, after all! His scratching frenzy makes me lose focus and struggle with house chores and work, and I know at the back of my head that tonight is going to be a repeat and I can feel my chest tightening just thinking about it.
To make matters worse, I can see in the CCTV that my toddler is nodding off in classes and acting out. Imagine I can’t even go out to run errands in peace without worrying about him. Oh my, there can be no peace unless we fix the uncomfortable itch!
During these nights, we’ve tried every trick in the book. Applying toothpaste on the offending area? Check. Applying an ice compress to the body part? Check. Smacking the itch to distract the kid with pain? Check. Sleeping under a mosquito net? Check. Other than fulfilling my dream of sleeping in a princess bed, what with the long, flowy organza-like material hovering over me, it did nothing!
THE TUBE
While growing up in the 80s, my parents always had a handy tube of MOPIKO to ease the itch. Since then, I’ve always had it on me wherever I spent the night (camping grounds, sleepovers, college dorms, my first dingy apartment after graduation right up to living with my beloved in our own house now). We’ve always had this at home for the adults to ease the itch but I wondered if it was suitable for my toddler? Off to Google I go for the answers and boy, was I surprised at the rich history!
Armed with the knowledge that it is suitable for toddlers above 2 years old, I applied it generously on my toddler. The familiar scent was also a nice walk down memory lane. So much so that we’ve decided to visit the orchard that I used to spend my school holidays with my parents as they harvested durians, mangosteens, star fruits, and bags of calamansi. I’m equally pleased and surprised to say that MOPIKO worked to relieve the itch and along with it, our stress levels were drastically reduced overnight.
Fascinating Facts About MOPIKO
After having learned more about MOPIKO and how it has worked wonders for my toddler, I feel it’s worth sharing a few ‘did you know’ facts about this wondrous product with all the mothers out there.
Founded in 1909, MOPIKO is the result of a company policy committed to ‘Challenge for Advance’, which led them to consistently develop ‘Only One Product’. In fact, the name aptly describes its use as “MOPI” means incomparable and “KO” means cream or ointment. The name really says it all, huh?
Designed and manufactured by a company that has the top market sales in the anti-pruritic drug category in Japan*, MOPIKO comes in a tube of pure white cream. My husband and I especially like that it came in a tube, which was easy to squeeze and portable to be carried everywhere. And being the always-on-the-go mother that I am, MOPIKO has definitely won me over with these features. Imagine how easy it is for me to carry out my never-ending house chores, while being able to apply the product effortlessly on my toddler’s skin. I know, you can tell how much I have always been in love with it!
Even More Facts
As for my darling toddler who just can’t seem to sit still, and I know most mothers can totally relate to this, it’s the perfect kid-friendly medicine for my little monster. It’s steroid-free, non-sticky, and spreads easily on his skin, to help reduce the stress he’s experiencing from all that scratching. And we know how much he (read: me) really needs this right now. The fact that it gives my toddler the comfort that he needs, of course, I can’t help but smile till my face hurts. Because you know this mother is never going to go through that vicious cycle of terror again. And by that I mean his skin condition. Seeing his skin breaks as the inflammation gradually got worse, just broke my heart.
As I found myself engrossed learning more about MOPIKO, I discovered even more amazing details about it. Like for example, it helps to prevent nasty skin inflammation from developing into infectious impetigo in infants and children. How, you ask? Through its 3 proven ingredients: menthol, methyl salicylate, and camphor. The perfect combination for mothers like me to help relieve itching in little ones. And when there’s no itch, there’s no scratching. Without scratching, the skin barrier stays protected. Hence, closing the doors on children getting impetigo. Yeay! So, trust me, it really is the perfect solution to help soothe itchy skin quickly. Now, who doesn’t want that for their children, right?
Suitable for both kids (2 years old+) and adults in the whole family, MOPIKO is available over the counter and you can get a tube easily from the nearest drugstore, supermarket, or convenience store; making it convenient for daily grocery shopping. Having been the go-to anti-itch ointment in Malaysian households for more than 50 years, it has provided relief and alleviated the itch for millions of people. What a high penetration in the market for a ubiquitous product that was first introduced to us in 1963. And not to mention, a solution that has been loved and respected by many!
FUN FACT: Malaysians often assume that MOPIKO is a healthcare product, but it’s in fact, an authorised medicinal product! Don’t you just love the fact that literally everyone of all ages can use it?
Time to grab a tube and make it your secret weapon to soothe your children’s skin when they get itchy and scratchy!
*Fuji Keizai Co., Ltd, OTC Drug Data Book 2019 No. 2, Anti-pruritic Drug Year 2018.