Baby Wipes

      One of the things a mother must always have on hand is Baby Wipes. It is good for diaper changing and instant cleansing of baby’s hands especially when thumb sucking is prevalent.

      I have tried brands like Farlin, Giggles, Kinder Care, Pigeon, Johnson & Johnson, and Bebeta. The best one so far is Johnson & Johnson because the wipes has a lot of moisture unlike the other brands. The downside is that the price is very steep.

     The one that I am currently using is Bebeta because it has more moisture than the other mentioned brands and the price is a little affordable. I was surprised to see that Pigeon did not have that much moisture considering that it is one of the leading brands in baby stuff.

     If I would not consider the cost, I would choose Johnson & Johnson because aside from the moisture, the wipes are also thick.

Baby Body Carrier

There are a lot of Baby Carriers in the market. I can only give reviews for two of them because they are the only ones I have tried. The “Ring Sling” Baby Carrier and the “Mei Tai” Baby Carrier.

Ring Sling: By the name itself, this kind of baby carrier consists of a long rectangular cloth that has two rings sewn on one end of the cloth. The rings are placed on one side of the shoulder and the cloth is wrapped around the opposite hip and the end is threaded through the rings to create a buckle effect.  A pocket is then created where the baby is placed. The sling can be adjusted by pulling more fabric through the rings to loosen or tighten it.

Mei Tai: This style of carrier is Asian inspired. There are no rings or buckles involved. The Mei Tai is all cloth with a rectangular panel with long shoulder and waist straps. The straps are padded which gives the wearer comfort. Adjustment is easy because you just tie the straps according to your size. Baby can be worn face front, hip-carry and at the back.

When I tried the ring sling, my baby was fussy and I had a hard time putting him in and adjusting the sling. I felt very uncomfortable using the ring sling. My shoulders also hurt because there was no cushion on my shoulder and most of the weight is on one side of the shoulders only.  I wanted to use the ring sling because it can help me nurse in public discreetly while walking hands free. However, after a few attempts, I just gave up and searched for other baby carriers in the market.

I found the Mei Tai baby carrier and decided to try it out. I found it much easier to use compared with the ring sling. I would just tie the rectangular panel to my waist and put my baby. I then lift the panel over my baby and cross the shoulder straps to my back and tie it. It is also easy to adjust. It is also more comfortable because the shoulder straps are padded and the weight of the baby is evenly distributed to both my shoulders. One negative thing about it is that the straps are too long and I usually need an assistant to hold the straps for me to avoid touching the floor. My baby is so comfortable in the carrier. I can go anywhere and have him near me hands free. It’s hard to nurse in it though because his head is above my breasts unlike the ring sling where in the baby can be carried in the cradle position. With the Mei Tai, the baby can be only carried three ways: face-front carry, hip-carry and back carry. The ring slings have more positions in carrying the baby.

I prefer the Mei Tai baby carrier because it is easier to use especially for first time moms like me who is not used to baby wearing.

Bottle Drying Rack

      I started giving my son expressed milk through bottle when I started working. I would pump morning, lunch and evening to store milk for him to use the next day. Washing and sterilizing my breast pump and his bottles have become part of my daily routine. I actually enjoy doing it because I love to make sure that his bottles are squeaky clean to avoid unnecessary illness.

     After washing the bottles and my breast pump, I have to air dry them. I found the “Bottle Drying Rack” very helpful. I just place the bottles on the rack and I would just leave them there to dry. I can do other things while waiting for them to dry up. I just make sure that the surroundings are clean and no one would be sweeping the floor to avoid dust clinging on the bottles.

     I would definitely recommend this product.

Breast Pump Reviews

When I was still pregnant, I made up my mind to exclusively breastfeed my baby for at least six months. It would be best if I can go further than six months. A week before returning to work, I pumped double time to save up enough breast milk as my back up just in case my milk supply would not increase. It worried because I could only pump around two ounces and I would pump one hour straight. Then I could only pump around 1 ounce after that. I have been advised to pump while nursing my baby. Since I was using the Evenflo Single  electric pump, it was hard for me to do both. The electric pump has a force control that I need to adjust and it’s hard to adjust it using only one hand.

 My sister in law gave me an Avent Isis Manual Pump. Using the manual pump, it was easier to pump and nurse at the same time. It made a huge difference in my output. I could pump about 2 ounces every time I pump and nurse at the same time. Sometimes, it took only 20 minutes to get the two ounces.  Unlike the electric pump that I was using, I could only get two ounces in the morning for an hour of pumping.

 My brother then gave me another manual pump. This time, it was the Medela Harmony Manual Pump. My milk output using the Medela Manual Pump was the same as the Avent Manual Pump. However, the Medela was more discreet when you pump because it did not make any noise unlike the Avent. Also, there were lesser parts to clean with the Medela Manual Pump.

 My baby is already three months old and so far, he is still breastfed and given my expressed milk when I’m at work. On the average, I could pump about eight to ten ounces per day and my baby consumes about ten to twelve ounces per day when I’m at work. I go home every lunch to breastfeed my baby. I am hopeful that I will be able to give him only breast milk for at least six months.

I would recommend using the Medela Manual Pump if you  want to pump and nurse at the same time.