BABY STUFFS WE DID NOT REGRET BUYING (Tips For The First Time Moms and Dads!)
Wednesday, July 01, 2020
Being a concerned Mom and Dad, it is only natural that we feel like we need everything we see for our baby's sake. But do we? Really?
Well, here's the thing: I can't really say for sure which ones your baby particularly needs. That's because WE ALL HAVE DIFFERENT NEEDS AND SITUATIONS. And must I say, we all have different babies too. So while I can't point out which ones you do not need, I can somehow share to you some baby stuffs that I definitely did not regret buying at all. Some of these stuffs are "essentials" while some can be considered "miscellaneous" -- but are definitely helpful in adding up to the parenting convenience that we parents need.
Here we go:
1. TOOTH GEL - This is something I consider an essential. This has helped our daughter soothe her aching gums when she started teething. But more so, it has also helped us to motivate her today in brushing her teeth daily. Brushing her teeth is a very crucial habit especially now that she's already a toddler who loves sweets. She thought that having her own version of Mom and Dad's toothpaste is really fun thus making her want to brush her teeth every time she sees us brushing ours. We have tried several different brands already and right now, we are currently using this one from Sansfluo. It's flouride-free and safe to swallow.
2. BABY RICE POWDER - Another "essential" FOR ME. I have never used regular baby powders on Izzay at all. NOT EVEN ONCE since she was a small baby. I read several articles posted from different reliable sites and learned that doctors DO NOT recommend usage of baby powders at all. Experts did some studies which show that babies may breathe the very fine powders and it will stick into their lungs making it one of the leading causes for children to suffer asthma and even pneumonia. If your baby has sensitive skin and really need powder to keep him/her dry, you can use baby rice powders instead. It is a little bit more expensive than the regular baby powders but its fine particles are safe to be inhaled by our dear little ones. It actually has better water retention which means it is more effective when it comes to keeping our baby's skin dry. I've already tried two local brands so far (Tiny Buds and Belo Baby) and both of them are unscented. I am not quite sure if all baby rice powders are unscented but it seems like it. It has a very subtle smell which is not irritating at all.
3. GENTLE MOISTURIZING LOTION - Baby's skin is very sensitive. They may get dry or irritated easily considering our country's rapid climate changes we experience in just a day. They are born with natural smooth skin and if you wanted to keep it that way, a gentle moisturizing lotion is the key. Izzay has a sensitive skin (hindi nagmana sa akin na balat kalabaw, LOL) Aside from her allergies, she usually get hives every after bath too. But she is so far satisfied with the local baby lotions I bought from Watsons. You may go for more expensive brands or you may also try the cheap ones from our local drugstores. It's all up to you. The ones I bought from Watsons are good enough. They're gentle, has subtle fragrance, very effective and it's so huge it takes a while before we run out of it again. As long as it does its job, then I'm happy with the product regardless of the brand.
4. HIGH CHAIR - I've always wanted to do baby-led weaning for Izzay and her high chair is one of the things that helped me achieved it. We have established a routine so she knew that when we sit her in her chair, it means "meal time". And when it is meal time, she already knows our routine and how we expect her to behave. Not that she's always very obedient. She could be one stubborn child at times. But at least now she has her expectations about what to do next and how she should behave when she is seated in her high chair. It helped us keep her in place during meal times. She was able to conveniently join us in the table by seating in her own chair. When she was smaller, she has to use her own table/desk attached to her high chair because she was a messy eater. But when she turned a bit older, she can finally eat with us in the table with her safely tucked in her chair. We are happy with our decision to go for a gender neutral color when we bought the high chair because now that we have a baby boy coming out this year, we won't need to purchase a new one anymore. The high chair we bought for her is something that can be changed from high chair, to a low chair, and lastly to a booster seat. That was really helpful as it allows us to transform it according to her current needs.
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| Izzay at 1 year and 1 month old |
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| Izzay at 1 year and 2 months old |
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| Izzay at 1 year and 7 months old. Already eats on the table with us with the help of her high chair. |
5. POTTY - I bought a potty trainer for Izzay very early. It was (more or less) when she was turning 1 yr old or around a year old already. She was potty training since then. I wasn't really expecting her to be potty trained right away. I just really wanted to start early in potty training because I was told that there is no particular time considered to be the best time except NOW. The earlier you start with the training, the better it is for both the child and the parents. Judging to where we are now in terms of "potty-ing", I can finally say that it was a good decision to start early. Izzay is finally fully trained at 2 years old. Even on night time, she doesn't wet our bed anymore. Though I still put her on diaper on days that I've just changed the bed sheet. I don't want to take any chances in case "accidents" happen! Washing the bed sheet is hard work: You mommies know that!
( Oh forgive me my dear daughter for sharing your private potty moment. Sorry na agad, LOL ) 😆😆😆
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| Taken just this morning (7-2-2020) 😆 She's already 2 years and 10 months old |
6. INSECT REPELLENT LOTION - This is no doubt one of the essentials that is sometimes being forgotten. I can not stress enough how important it is to apply insect repellent lotion on your kids especially on babies! It probably is not a 100% insect bite proof but it is definitely effective enough to somehow put your mind at ease for several hours. Dengue cases in our country could sometimes get uncontrollably high, we don't really want to add up to the increasing number. Now that I have a toddler, I always make sure that I put lotion on Izzay before 4 PM especially when she's out playing with the other kiddos.
7. SILICONE BIB WITH FOOD CATCHER - In my opinion, a silicone bib with a food catcher is an important "miscellaneous stuff" especially for those who wanted to pursue baby-led weaning. The food catcher is not really "mess proof" but it will definitely save you from a lot of mess during your baby's meal times. Izzay is independent and she is also a messy eater. Her bib's food catcher was an absolute life saver! I did not have to worry anymore about her food getting all over the place. It caches even the big chunks of food that slips in her small hands. And because the bib is silicone, cleaning it is easy peasy. It doesn't stain either! There are already a LOT of silicone bibs available in the market today but I would suggest that you buy only from trusted sellers and brands just to ensure that the silicone bib you buy is of food quality. That's the most important aspect of it that you gotta look out for. We don't really want to risk anything for our baby when it comes to the food they put in their mouth. We bought ours from the brand Marcus & Marcus and the quality is superb. Their silicone bib is soft and easy to fold making it very travel friendly. It has actually become an essential too in my diaper bag. Good thing we bought it in neutral color so she can definitely pass it on to her little brother ❤️
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| Izzay at 1 year and 1 month old |
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| Izzay at 1 year and 1 month old |
8. EASY GRASP SPOON & FORK - At 1 year and 2 months old, Izzay already knows how to feed herself all by her own using a spoon. All thanks to the spoon and fork I bought from Marcus & Marcus that is especially designed for toddler's small hands. The utensils' handle were designed in such a way that toddler's can easily grasp them. It is also made of "food grade silicone" that is safe for your little ones in case they decide to chew on it. Another thing I like about it is that the head of the spoon is made of metal which helps the child get use to the feeling of the material to prepare her for the actual "grown up spoons". The colors and designs of their spoons comes in different colors and designs that can be paired with their silicone bibs. Unfortunately, the design that pairs with her bib isn't available anymore so we decided to get a different one. We still opted for a gender neutral color so that even these utensils can still be passed on to her baby brother soon. I don't really know some other brands that sell the same kind of utensils for toddlers, my apologies if I can't recommend anything other than Marcus & Marcus. Short clips below show how Izzay was able to use her utensils easily. All clips were taken when she was 1 year and 2 months old.
9. SNACK KEEPER - Toddlers are independent tiny human beings. They like to do things on their own even if they are not really fully capable of the tasks yet. They wanted to do the things they see from the moms and dads. To help her become independent, I decided to buy her a snack keeper which allows her to carry her finger snacks anywhere she wants without having me worry about spilling her food on the floor. It has this cover with holes especially designed for their small hands to get into. Their hands can get in to the opening, but the food can't spill out in case she tilted the container by accident. Just like her bib and spoon, this one is also made of food grade silicone. Breakage proof, spill proof and very easy to clean! I swear this is not a Marcus & Marcus paid endorsement but the snack keeper that I fell in love with is also from this brand. However there are also other brands available just like from NUBY which is a trusted baby brand too. I have tried buying other unbranded snack keepers but the material they used isn't as soft and baby friendly as those that were made of food grade silicone. Note: Some photos below are from Marcus & Marcus IG feed.
10. BABY CARRIER - This was one of the major life saver for me back then. Especially because I was a full time mom (until now) with no household help. It was always just me and Izzay since she was a newborn. A pair of another hands would be a big help but my husband is not always at home either. That's when I learned to toggle between house chores and Izzay. It was really hard! But when Izzay was finally old enough to be put on a baby carrier, everything seemed to be A LOT EASIER. It allowed me to do other things while carrying my baby. It entertains my baby too as she was able to see the things I was doing. I was also able to go out with an umbrella on one of my hands and a bag on the other one. Our baby carrier is from Piccolo in navy blue. I knew back then that I will be using it a lot so a dark colored one would be more practical to use as it doesn't get dirty too easily. The one we bought is transformable from a carrier to a hip seater. It is very sturdy and secure too! Everything on it is still working so I can definitely still use it for our next baby. There are a lot of baby carriers available now in the market. They come in different colors, styles and prints so you'll have all the choices you need. :) If there's anything I would highly recommend among all these stuffs, it would be this. I can not emphasize enough how important this stuff is.
There were also some other baby stuffs that we bought and regretted but I am not quite sure yet of sharing them here on my blog. I would very much like to add CLOTH DIAPERS on this list but I haven't really tried them on my first born. However, I will be cloth diapering on our second baby and I can not wait to try them already! I will definitely be updating this list if I find them useful and worth the money so watch out for that.
By the way, I am planning on making a post about POPULAR BABY STUFFS THAT WE DECIDED NOT TO BUY AND WHY. There's not a lot but I think our reasons of not buying them is worth sharing so I'll be making a post about them soon. That's it! If there's anything you would like me to talk about in my blog, let me know!
'Til then, See Yah!
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