Must-haves

The idea of becoming new parents (for the first time) can sometimes overwhelm us not to mention that we're about to go through it by ourselves - especially when living so far away from our families and relatives. So we started educating ourselves further than the norm. We read a lot, researched (medically as well), joined forums and clubs, attended classes (pre-natal and post), visited bookstores, dig out as much we can from out obs and invested a lot just for the best. I felt there was nothing we didn't do or find out about pregnancy and babies then.

Few months before the arrival of our cheek-a-boo I browsed through some parenting mags while waiting for our check-up at the hosp. Flipping through the pages there was this article I remembered from famous people in Australia of the list of "must-haves" which they swore by them put their lives (and bubs) at ease. The list goes from travel cribs to lil furry musical lamb to soothe their lil bubs at the time.

So now that our lil tot is almost turning two, we thought we shall come up with our own list of "must-haves" that we consider as things we are most grateful to have bought since lil Mia was born.

1. Muslin cloths

We bought some pretty colourful ones with prints on them as napkins to put on our shoulders in case she spills out milk from her mouth. We bought a set at Target and another set when she's a little older and only because now lil Mia is very attached to them they've became her 'security blankets' :) They also come in various sizes so the bigger ones are used as baby wraps at home for when naps and bedtimes kick in.

2. Bath-tub

Fisher Price has this tub inclusive of a baby sling so when she was an infant, we could bathe her securely without worrying of slipping or holding her awkwardly during bath time. She absolutely loves bath time when in the sling rather than holding her in our arms/hands.

3. Portacot

This comes in handy when sleeping over at people's house (visiting or hometown visit for Raya) including a night at Grandma's. Esprit has one with adjustable height (up when infant, low when baby can pull himself up) and turned into a play cot, separate changing table, musical mobile, canopy, wheels for easy portability, take-along bag where you can pack and it is such light-weight that we can put into the car and take on flight! Also it is easy to assemble and pack too!

4. Baby Bjorn Baby Carrier Synergy

Now this is a sure fire life saver. It is airy, with back support for carrier and baby, light weight, easy to put on and off. Lil Mia can sleep soundly while Mommy or Daddy shops :), it can be used from newborn (3.5kg - 12kg) and it saves us from taking the stroller along to packed places (eg Central Market). Also useful for me to do groceries shopping by myself, leaving both my hands free and have lunch. We took this with us on flight to Canberra without the stroller. I could breastfeed her without taking the whole thing off, and the airlines allows us to carry her in the carrier til we reach inside the plane. How convenient! We also took this on boat rides and unlike those bulky plastic baby carrier by hand, this one is perfect for us. Baby Mia had this phase of wanting to be held ALL the time. It went on for a couple weeks. Putting her down in the stroller or car seat means hell. So while on this carrier I was able to manage so many things at once and because this carrier fits snuggly, she sleeps comfotably and observes her surroundings while on it with no fuss at all :)

5. Baby Bjorn Babysitter Balance Air

I know I must sound like a Baby Bjorn ambassador now but this one is also great! Baby Mia loved it for a while then she got kinda 'scared', maybe? This self-bounce babysitter might 'freaked' her out a little since she's not used to being swooned around :) But now (at 21 months) it has been her favourite seat to bounce around in, watch TV or put her lil doll to sleep. This bouncer has 3 positions for newborns, babies and toddlers. It can be folded and dumped into our backseat car for travelling purposes.

6. Bumbo seat

So this Bumbo seat is a dream once lil Mia was able to sit (with support), she can be seated in this cute lil seat and I was able to feed her without worries. Of course this seat should only be stationed on the floor as cautionary action. This also comes with a tray that allows her to play or bang around in. Now at 21 months old lil Mia still uses this seat for snacking or watching her favourite show.

7. Fisher Price Space Saver

We were presented with this absolutely convenient seat during our Baby Shower party. This genius piece of thing can recline for babies as young as 4 months to hang around in watching their surroundings and as booster seat for them to grow into through age 3 or 4 years old. It attaches to your regular dining chair and the tray can be detached for lil ones to just sit and enjoy their surroundings or to have their meals together as part of the family.

8. Steelcraft Strider 3 and Bugaboo Bee

Okay so lil Mia has 2 types of strollers. Her first Steelcraft Strider 3 stroller is so sexy in red I couldn't stop myself from puchasing it spacious, sturdy and very good for when we stroll around Rundle Mall or the parks. The tyres are big and even when going over bumps and rocks, she wouldn't wake up from slumber. It has a big space under the seat for when groceries I can easily stuff things there, wide holding area, three-wheeler (hubby's requirement) and a canopy large enough for when she's asleep. There's also footrest for her to keep her snug inside. It really is like a small shelter for our 21 month old. Unfortunately this stroller can only be found in Australia. Bugaboo is very light-weighted. The main reason why this is kept with my parents for even they can manage it with ease. It is also easy to open and close. We brought this one to Phuket with us and it was a dream. Definitely worth it.

9. Samsung Galaxy Tab

From the day we brought this back home with us, this gadget has been a favourite and has kept our lil one entertained so long. It is a life-saver! I've enclosed details to how easy life has been with this in the previous entry.

10. Avent Storage system

I have bought loads of these. The cups can be used as expressed milk storage, stuff them inside the freezer, lid on top and just forget about it til when baby's screaming for one. Once bub turns 6 months or ready for solids, it can in turn become little containers to put food/snacks in and bring along while out and about! Lil Mia now uses them as lunch packs for rice porridge, cut-up fruits, cereals, biscuits, etc etc.

11. Concorde Ultimax car seat

I simply could not resist adding this one item. Our car seat! Now lil Mia does have 2 car seats - one for each car - but I'd like to highlight this particularly bcos I just love the functions and not to mention gorgeous colors! This one can hold up to 18kgs for when she turns 4 years old, recline even when it faces forward and everything is machine-washable! I absolutely love it. Have I mention the lovely funky colors on them? Yes, it is also spacious and the sides can be removed for large kids. The head cushions on the sides are a very good idea for when the child sleeps, their head can rest on the sides instead of hanging forward or sideways without support. And the cushions on the entire seat is soft and comfortable. It is a convertible which means it can turn forward or rear facing, easy instructions to install and really grows with lil Mia. We took her for long distance driving up to 4-5 hours on this seat with no trouble at all.

12. Cocoa Butter Nursing Cream

I suffered minor cracked nipple on my left breast. It was very painful. This cheeky cream saved my life. It is safe for baby to swallow and soothes the pain. I not only use on my cracked nipple but everytime after nursing. It goes everywhere with me for my whole breastfeeding experience.

13. Ni Organic Baby Conditioner

So this one is not entirely a "must have". But for us, it is. You see baby Mia was born with thick, long dark hair. I am sure she started growing hair on top of her hair first before any other organs or limbs. So this conditioner keeps those nasty tangles away and lessens baby hair loss. Her paed, Dr Powers told us not to forget conditioner on her hair so we've been using this organic product since Day 1. Unfortunately once again this cannot be found here so we used to import from Australia through friends.

14. Sebamed bath products

I have used this product when I was a baby and it is only natural to be using the same product on my baby. Baby Mia has only been washed with Sebamed wash, shampoo and lotion. It is compulsory for her to have lotion before putting on her nappy to avoid those nasty, nasty nappy rash.

15. Baby monitor

This is modern use gadget that saves me the trip of going up and down the stairs to check up on baby Mia. We train our lil boo to sleep without the aid of swings, pats or our presence. She shall learn to put herself to sleep by herself. It works nicely and today at 21 months my hubby and I cuddles her, kisses her all over, whispers sweet dreams and gently lay her down in her cot for bedtime or nap time and leave the room successfully. This monitor helps us hear her while (and when) she sleeps or wakes up. A very useful piece of gadget. I'd like to try those with the little video camera where you can watch them but they're just too expensive and this one does the job just fine.

16. Huggies Ultra, Huggies wipes and Johnsons wipes

Baby Mia used Huggies newborn variety (green color) when she was an infant. Now that she's bigger, she's only been introduced to Huggies Ultra (purple color). It lasts longer, soaks better and lil Mia has no problems with them. Now I was in nappies when I was a baby and those times nappies are not as efficient as they are today. Today we have breathable and certainly more efficient nappies than they were 20-30 years ago. So I am sticking to the modern civilization of nappy-wearing and donate money to the conservation in the name of lil Mia. Huggies wipes are awesome. They are thick and smells great! Now they do have them here in Village Grocer, but not the same variety so we've switched to Johnsons which is not as great but the best we've found so far. I just wish (crossing fingers) they would have wipes in those little travel packets like they do in Coles! Yes, you'd have to buy often but I seriously wouldn't mind since it's SO much easier to carry around than an 80 sheets packet!

Now these are just the list of items we found to be a "must-haves" for us particularly. Lil Mia is now 21 months old and all these products have stayed with her and we still use them daily. If you'd like to try out some of these products, we're happy to lend them to you for a short period of time and see if it suits your baby or lifestyle. Our lil tot absolutely loves all these items and suits her well. I can only understand these items can cost a bomb while some are just ridiculously priced commercially hence we're happy to lend for try outs.

Til then, happy shopping! :)