Shopping for your Little One

I've recently discovered some cool baby stuff while shopping.

Walking Wings - This is perfect for toddlers who are beginning to take their first steps. They come in pink and blue (of course I got the pink one for Baby). I got one at Babyland for P1,290 - a lot pricier than the 70-peso version at Baby & Co. but the difference in quality is certainly more than apparent. The Walking Wings fits well, never hurts, easier for baby to wear and for adult to use. We use this at the malls, at my in-laws' house, even in play school, and I'm very grateful for the mompreneur who invented it.

Socks-On - I love buying clothes that are slightly bigger in size. We know how babies grow up so fast and we want the clothes to be worn more than once before throwing them into the second-hand pile. Baby wears Mothercare's 3-piece frogsuits to sleep. The Socks-On is perfect, not just for securing baby's socks in place, but also to keep Baby from tripping when her frogsuits are a little bit too long. They are quite expensive at P395 a pair (Rustan's) when they're not even socks, but I consider it a good investment!

funky socks - These are not just socks. They have anti-slip rubber material at the bottom, and they look like shoes over the feet! Baby looked like she was wearing maryjanes to play school (cool and comfy maryjanes at that!) and everybody just loved it! They are quite expensive at P500+ a pair (Rustan's) when I usually get 3-5 pairs of ordinary baby socks at Mothercare or Debenhams for the same price but the uniqueness of these funky socks surely made up for the premium in price.

Leg Huggers - Also known as leg warmers in other countries. They come in cute unisex designs made to fit babies from 0 to 4 years! I bought 3 pairs from Tiny Tots (online) @ P279 each. These are useful when Baby's wearing a onesie, especially since she hates any kind of blanket, no matter how smooth, to touch her skin. And I would like not only to keep her warm but to protect her skin against insect bites. The leg huggers can also be used as fashionable leggings beneath the baby's balloon skirt or short shorts.

It's so fun having a baby girl!

Ctrl-X

I cut my left thumb while cleaning the lapu-lapu last week. It was big and deep, but didn't hurt as much as it seemed. The pain lasted through the first 2 seconds at most, but a lot of blood gushed out - I felt dizzy, nauseous, and I thought I was going to pass out. I think I just had my first panic attack.

Husband would always ask me to let the helpers, well, help me. I don't mind giving them the floor, when it comes to the rooms, the laundry, the cars, and pets, but I would rather have full control of the food that we eat. When I ask the helper assigned to the kitchen to do things for me, I still make sure I am around to supervise. Otherwise, I'd prefer dialing my favorite hotlines:

Sango - 6361991 - I usually order the master cheeseburger for merienda, but prefer any of their Japanese rice meals for either lunch or dinner.
Razons - 6870019 - Sisig and halo-halo satisfy our craving!
Brooklyn Pizza - 6339999 - My favorite pizza! Not only it's the least greasy, I love the way it tastes too! We customize our pizza, it would always be a combination of cheese and porko.
Causeway Restaurant - 6389374 - Frozen dimsum kept for another day (asado siopao, chicken feet, and raddish cake), and cooked food for lunch or dinner (beef with ampalaya, polonchay with garlic, lapu-lapu fillet with taosi, yang chao fried rice, needless to say, a balanced diet!)
CPK - 6877841 - Always always chicken BBQ pizza and thai crunch salad, no more, no less.
not but not the least!
McDonalds - 8-MCDO - cheeseburger and float for me, quarter pounder meal for Husband :)

The First Years

I'm a fan of The First Years BPA Free Suction Bowl with Lid. Baby got hers in green and yellow. (Baby & Co. P399) It has soft sculpted handles to offer a secure grip. Suction base helps keep bowl in place in almost any material. Sure-fit lid helps prevent leaks around the edges. Bowl material is break-resistant and surface can only be warm to touch, at most, even if you put something very hot inside. Deep sides for easy scooping. Microwave and dishwasher-safe. 8 oz. capacity. This is the perfect handy bowl for serving, storing and transporting your child's meals and snacks.

I also find The First Years Take And Toss 8 Oz. Bowls With Lids (6 Pack) very useful in storing baby’s meals! (Baby & Co. P399) I make Baby's meat stock per batch, store everything in the freezer, and just take one bowl to reheat per meal. It's just the right size, and it saves time and power. These bowls come with lids that seal tightly to keep food fresh and prevent leaks. There's also a designated area for putting the date, so you can always keep track of the food's freshness!

I got Baby's The First Years Take & Toss Bowls with Lids and Spoon in Singapore. I did not give it a second thought; I purchased it right away. I find it practical because they are affordable enough to lose and durable enough to reuse over and over. Just the right size of an infant's feeding needs, these bowls have 2 compartments and are also comfortable for adults to hold. Lids seal tightly to prevent foods from mixing into different compartments. Built-in utensil compartment makes it easier to take along a Take & Toss™ Infant Spoon!

Alcohol-ic

I have always been a neat-freak all my life. My bag should have a small bottle of hand sanitizer, rain or shine. This "convenient" and "useful" habit just got magnified a hundred times eversince Baby was born. We have more bottles of rubbing alcohol than the fingers on both of your hands, at any given time - 1 in the living room, 1 in the kitchen, 2 in Baby's room, 1 in each of our bedside tables, 1 in my CR, 1 in each of the cars, 1 in my bag, 1 in Baby's diaper bag, and a few more bottles in stock.

There are quite a number of varieties in the market - ethyl, isoprophyl, 40% and 70% solution, regular, or with moisturizers, etc. I don't intend to master their differences; all I know is that 70% solution of ethyl alcohol is good for your stitches (C-section) and your baby's belly button (when it hasn't healed). But we are past that stage now, so I can choose my alcohol more freely - i.e. based on scent. Let me share with you some of our favorite brands.

When I was still an OCD "Princess" (fresh grad, young employee, no husband, no child), I used Blue Angel in cleaning my landline phone, my keyboard and mouse, my desk, and yes, even my armrest. I had to label my office chair so it wouldn't get mixed up with somebody else's everytime the maintenance staff does a general cleaning. At that time, I could only find this brand at Pioneer Centre.

Fast forward to the present, the OCD Queen likes Guardian. It was part of the hospital welcome kit when I gave birth. And I've been addicted to the scent eversince. It smells like a mild cologne instead of a disinfectant.

However, being a full-time mom means having no steady income as part of the deal. It's Hubby who pays the bills, so he should at least have the freedom to choose his own products. His loyalty is with Cleene. This 70% solution ethyl alcohol by PhilUSA is not bad: decent-looking bottles, in big and small sizes, with nice-smelling scent. My only complaint is the cap, which is not the flip-top type, and so aside from the time wasted opening and covering before and after each use, you also risk losing or misplacing the cap when you tend to be a little clumsy.