Here's a little sharing on what we got and what we thought were necessary at the back of our minds for our little Smurf...
Baby Sleeping
-Baby Cot Set with mattress, bedding and side protectors… You may need to standby 2cots if baby will be travelling to your mummy’s place & your home (If Baby is going to 2places lah)… Alternatively you can do a cot & a play pan like what we do for our little Smurf, baby cot at home & play pan at my mummy’s place… We were lucky to get hand downs from Wifey’s elder brother so didn’t buy the baby cot and play pan… ***Extra covers as baby bedding stuffs we have to wash like 3-4 days once or once a week…
-Sarong, rocking machine & sarong stand… If your baby doesn’t like the cot the sarong is great help…
(Our little Smurf sleeps in the sarong during the day till about 14months old, now he sleeps on the bed) He co sleeps on the bed at night as he’s still breastfeeding… (we didn’t use the rocking machine because the one we have rosak & tight budget mah so we’ve rocked him by hand) ***Sarong sleeping with rocking machine may be addictive to babies because they may get so used to it and can't sleep without that rocking movement... Aiyo!!!
-Baby Monitor (Only if baby is sleeping in another room lah)
-Sleep Comforter Pillow… This I think is very important… Put this on baby’s chest & he/she feels that someone is always by their side/holding them so baby feels secure & won’t suddenly startle…
-Swaddling Blankets… We used recycled sarongs & the white square cloth nappy to swaddle the little Smurf… Most babies 0-3M likes to be swaddled as they feel like in the womb again & can sleep better… ***Not the Glenn Doman way though!!!
Baby Changing/Bathing
-Changing mat for diaper changing, we used the cheap foam + plastic ones bought from Baby Love RM8...
-Baby wipes… Buy the no fragrances one because NB especially, has sensitive skin and fragrances can cause rashes… Ps: There’s samples at the baby fair for you to smell smell before you buy lah… We used Baberiche(Korea), Shelly(Malaysia), Baby Hito (Taiwan), these three brands made of purified water and no scents at all, not even aleo vera (I don’t like the aleo vera smell) PS: We currently use the Beberiche ones seling at BDB shop and you can get those at the fair too!!! These you will need a lot of for the first 6months... ***When I wipe the little Smurf during the first 3months I use like 3-4 sheets each diaper change but my paranoid wife uses about 10sheets each diaper change!!! Later when he was like 5months like that during each diaper change we normally will wipe with 2-3pcs of the baby wipes and then wash his bum bum and kucu kucu (yes!!! I have a name for it... Lol), wipe dry & put on a new diaper... Washing is much cleaner and can totally void of rashes because it occurs when the skin is hot and bacteria from the pee pee + poo poo that we didn’t clean clean and fast enough…
-NB Diaper… We started off with Huggies at night & Pet Pet during the day… Tried the other brands that has the sticky tape but didn’t like those ones (sometimes they don't stick well or when wanna open to check the poo poo status too tight… We used a pack of Mamypoko too and that’s not bad… Now the little Smurf is on Pet Pet during the day and Baby Love Night for night… ***Didn't use Mamypoko because we heard that the latest design were warm and can cause diaper rash...
-Cotton Buds (clean the nostrils) and alcohol swabs to clean the belly button after bathing… (Those can get at the pharmacy, the hospital will give you for like 1weeks supply only)
-Guiness Stout, 1carton if you believe in the Chinese Bathing thingy to reduce/prevent Jaundice… ***I would also suggest that you stay an extra day or maybe two in the hospital to monitor baby's jaundice level because you never know when it goes up... Our little Smurf had a very bad experience with 2months of jaundice problems (prolonged breastfeeding jaundice)... 30days of his life he had at least 20times cucuk sini cucuk sana to get blood to test his jaundice level and he cried every time he kena cucuk... Sigh... The next one we'll stay an extra day at the hospital...
-Mummy Recovery... Some may not see the importance of this because they have good inner strength and were blessed but for some those 30days Chinese Herbs is a must... We bought but only drank a few packs because Aiden had Breastfeeding jaundice and Wifey had to stop... Now her body is very weak and the next pregnancy she will suffer a great deal of morning sickness... These herbs can be bought at the Chinese medicine hall, we bought ours at Happy Garden at OUG and they have the 30days list and there’s two or three participating vendors at the baby fair like Eu Yan Sang & another one which is a Chinese Medicinal Shop from Penang... Cost like RM450 if not mistaken for the 30packets...
-Nappy Cream/Diaper Ointment/Virgin Coconut Oil (VCO)/Calendula Remedy
[Whichever you choose for your baby’s bum] Our Little Smurf had mild nappy rash and we used EVCO (Extra Virgin Coconut Oil from BDB), he also takes 1tsp off and on or after a play group and when he comes in contact with someone sick nearby/public places and started this when he was at about 6months to boost the immune system... This oil can also rub on eczema if have this problem, for the hair if baby have too little hair too... Oh yeah, for adults it’s 1Tbsp a day to keep the doctor away…
-Baby’s Bathing Towel… A few because every 2-3 days you’ll be washing lah and any brand also can... Our little Smurf has a cute one with a moo moo cow hood to cover his head… Hood is not necessary lah, simple, soft cotton towel will do just fine...
-Baby’s Skincare (baby wash, lotion, ) *** We use the Four Cow Farm brand sold at BDB because it's all natural and no fragrance... Aiden also tried some of the FOC Pureen, Putto and Johnson Baby ones but after finish we didn't use anymore because they have fragrance...
-Nail Clippers (I used the scissors till 6months & only after that bought the nail clippers) I prefer the scissors lah but must be very careful oh… ***Yes, the nails grow pretty fast and we cut so that he won't scratch his face... ***Tip: Babies don't like it so a good thing to do is when he/she is being breastfed and get your hubby to potong!!!
-Bath tub x2 if baby’s gonna be in 2 places… Unless you wanna carry up & down lah…I got the big one so that the little Smurf can use the same tub till today... I bought from Baby Love at the fair RM19...
-Hanky to wipe all the saliva... Any brand also can lah... If you want stylo milo ones can get the BDB Organic Bamboo Minky/Flannel ones (so soft & so nice and a bit pricey lah) We use a lot of good morning towel for Aiden at home and when we're out we use the nicer ones lah...
-Yu Yee Oil… To rub on tummy & feet for baby’s comfort and to apply after bathing… ***Did you know that if mosquito bites your baby you can use the oil that has been mixed with some grind-ed sea salt and you apply on the affected area... We do this for the little Smurf...
-Regular cloth nappies (we cut into small sq pieces [3/4 of the i-phone size] and use this as the little Smurf’s disposable everyday mouth & tongue cleaning cloth... We clean daily (mornings before milk milk) so that his tongue is clean pink color & not stained with white milk and smelly... ***Also good to train like this so that he is aware that next time must brush teeth every morning before drinking / eating...
Travelling
-Diaper bag (presentable)… A good one will have many pockets so that everything is organized... There’s so many brands and styles in the market… I don’t see too many in the baby fairs though but a few vendors carry them…
-Plastic Marketing Basket (home to home travel use)... We bought one from the normal pasaraya and this is used to put all his barang barang inside when travelling up and down from my house to my mummy's place and to wifey's hometown...
-Baby Car Seat… With a newborn cushion or attachment… Try to get your baby to start young so that next time he/she will have no problems travelling in them… We used the regular brand called Sweet Cherry, this is within our budget lah RM399... There are some which doubles up as a carrier, meaning that there's a handle which you can carry like a basket detached from the car seat, we didn't get those type, dunno why but I think it's heavy to carry lah... Price can range from RM299 - RM1800... The RM1000++ ones are of course with softer materials, slightly easier buckles, a bit more safety features and the brand lah, like Hallford, Recaro, Graco, Combi, etc...
- Stroller... No need so expensive one lah because we buy strollers to seat the baby while shopping mah & let baby rest when we’re out and about at the restaurant… That's my opinion lah but there are some parents who spend up to RM2000 (Some Glamorous parents can spend up to RM5k)... Mine was a hand down but if I get one I wanna get one that can support up to 20-25Kgs and can fold up to the smallest possible shape to fit into the car booth with other stuff (I would go for the one they say can fold like umbrella ones, if not mistaken it's a McLaren RM800++)... On a budget, get the Sweet Cherry brand... That's good too and price range from RM399 - RM999... ***Danger Zone: Some babies are so sticky and refuse to use stroller, wanna be carried all the time... A friend bought a McLaren for like RM1800 and didn't get the chance to use it till her daughter was like 15months old!!!
-Baby Carrier like what we’re using for the little Smurf now is a SSC (Soft Structured Carrier)… We’re using the BB Kool brand by Baby Gearz of Singapore which starts from 4months till 35kgs… Bought from BDB and it's called the BB Kool G3 because I like the safety features and the durability…
-Baby Pouch
Carrier/Ring Slings… We tried those but the little Smurf didn’t like it… Maybe
didn’t try from young… These type of carriers are from NB and can last till
about 12kgs (approx age 4,5,6M)
Feeding
We used Dr. Brown bottle form birth
till today... Tried Tommee Tippee, No brand bottles & Avent but he didn't
liked it so we stuck to this one brand...
-Option2: BPA Free Glass Bottles with silicone sleeves… This type of bottles do not need to change because when washing with the bottle brush they do not scratch and no bacteria will be hidden in the scratches… But we did not go for option2 because it’s heavy…
-Option3: BPA Free Mimijumi Baby Bottle Sold at BDB... This nipple is looking like mummy's breast to avoid nipple confusion...
***Tips: 1-4/5months baby feeds on demand and sometimes without strong mental health
and positive thoughts mummies tend to not produce enough breast milk... So with
a positive attitude, proper latching, frequent latching & breastfeeding you
will have abundance of supply!!! My wife is not a positive fella during the
first 2 months and with jaundice and all it was tough but the 3rd month onwards
it was better and when supply was low we fed the little Smurf with S-26 Gold
(that's the 1st one the hospital fed him with and we continued from there)... A
good thing to practice is that only Mummy breastfeed the baby
and Daddy / other caretaker feeds baby with bottle to
avoid the nipple confusion... We practice breastfeeding & EBM (Expressed
Breast Milk) during the day and the final night feed we gave him formula milk
but my baby don't sleep through the night even till
today... 1-2 months you MAY experience that your baby
will demand for feed every 1.5 - 2hours... 2-3months every 2-3hours...
3-4months he demands maybe every 4-5hours (that's because when baby
grow older they drink more and less frequent lah) Don't forget to burp!!! Burping
is very important!!!
Eh have you joined this group, you
can learn a lot here: http://www.facebook.com/groups/TheBreastfeedingAdvocatesNetwork/doc/10150441562226173/
***Some mummies get 3-6bottles
because they don’t use & wash straight away… They would just soak into a
pail of water and wash later all together and then one time sterilize with the
automatic steamer when ready… We didn’t do that and we used only one bottle at
home and another bottle at my mum’s place… (we use 2 bottles every 5-6months)
-Pacifiers... Latex ones are softer but cannot sterilize and have to change every 2-3 months... The Silicone ones can sterilize but it's harder and can last 5-6 months before changing... Our little Smurf tried 3different types of silicone ones and all also cannot... He's that 10% of special breed that can't be fooled by giving pacifiers to replace Mummy's nipple... Aiyo!!! ***Our little Smurf didn’t like both Orthodontic & round pacifiers so we had to just keep them aside…
-Bottle Sterilizers... Avent seems to be the brand everyone is using these days… We didn't use any of the commercial ones but I sterilize the little Smurf’s bottles every morning using the boiling method... During his first 3-4months after washing I would fill the bottle half way with hot water from the flask and goncang goncang to sterilize the bottle after each feed/wash but now it’s just air dried after washing till the next morning when I sterilize them again…
-Big flask for baby’s hot water at home & smaller one for travel…
-Manual Breast Pump if not getting the electronic one… Avent manual pump is the best (Wifey says it’s better than the electronic one) but the hands are tired lah…
-Electronic breast pump… We used our friend’s Ameda Dual Expression Pump before getting the Madela Free Style (FS)… The Ameda Dual pump is about RM800+ and the Madela FS is about RM1800+… Many find that the Madela FS is very good & convenient especially when pumping on the go at work…
-Breast pads for the leaky boobs…
-Nipple cream… The 1st few weeks BF Wifey had very painful & cracked nipples and she used the Lansinoh Nipple Cream… That’s the best… We’ve tried the Madela Purelean but the Lansinoh is better!!! ,,, Alternatively, for a more natural remedy my friends says they use the Calendula Remedy and it’s a great!!!
Clothing
-Bodysuits (Onesies)
-Sleep Suits (Mother Care has really good ones we got from them and buy the package ones... RM89 to RM139 for sets of 3pcs... Theirs are thicker and some sleeves can fold over to cover the palm as if using a mitten like that)
-Mitten & Booties… NB babies we need to cover them up… he he he…
-Hat (for that extra cuteness)
Others
-Baby Drawer/Cloth Storage… We got the simple plastic ones from Tesco Scott Garden to put all the Smurfy clothes…
-Soft toy (not too many because it's dangerous to have so many in the cot, can accidentally suffocate during the 1-3months)
-Baby Sleep Bags, use this instead of using a blanket to avoid SIDS [Sudden Infant Death Syndrome] We have the Snozaboo brand in the BDB shop and they sell them at the fair too... The little Smurf uses blanket and yes we are very careful with him one...
-Bouncer… Luckily we borrowed from a friend and the little Smurf was OK with it for a week or two only… After that don’t want already…
-Baltic Amber Neckalce for teething babies... I suggest to use this 3months onwards to ease the teething pains and baby who uses this amber necklace has a calmer personality...
For Mummy
-The baby fair will also sell those slimming belts/bengkung if you wanna get one... We got the modern bengkung from Fabulous Mom (Velcro one RM39.90) There's a brand called Figure 8 but a little mahal... (RM299++)
-Saseme Seed Oil... (for confinement)
-Rice wine... (for confinement)
-Tong Sam & Red Dates... (for confinement)
-Premium Dried Oysters (slow boil with some oyster sauce, pork balls or with papay to increase breast milk supply & can make breast milk more pekat) Wifey's mum boils the dried oyster soup for her...
-Nursing Tea, works for most mothers but don't really work for Wifey... We used the Mother Love Breastfeeding supplements, those worked, they have the Special Blend, More Milk Plus & Goat’s Rue…
-Breastmilk storage bottles... (Bumble bee one is good & can fit onto the Madela Breast Pump if you're pumping...
-Breastmilk Storage Bags (Double Zip Lock from Autumnz) I recommend this and not the Jingle Jungle ones, Autumz ones more stable and they come in 7oz and 12oz bag sizes…
Ok lah, this covers to the best of our experience... There may be more to your liking though...
We bought these baby stuff slowly slowly when Wifey was about 3months preggy till almost due date and the wallet didn't feel much of a pain…
If you were to do all at one go then there's gonna be a big budget involved lah...
Oh yah, forgotten to mention that Wifey took Lo Hong Ka bird's nest thorough the pregnancy and it was like 7bottles or so to improve her immune system & baby's immune system would be better and also Ahem, baby's bum bum would fairer... Lol...
Happy shopping!!!
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