2-in-1 Luggage For A Kid (3-5yrs)

I've been planning to buy a Trunki luggage for my boy since I spot

it from the website. Haha.. we are not frequent flyers but I find Trunki is very cute and functional (for a kid, of course!). Luckily I saw one from the local seller so that I don't need to get a friend to buy it from UK.

Now there are more than 5 designs from the Trunki series. It's called an innovative travel product which is a luggage for carrying kid's stuff but it's also a mobile seat for a kid to play or rest on it while waiting. I got a Harley version (the ladybird) for my boy. It comes just right for our short trip in September.

However, my boy has played the Trunki as a toy car in the house now.

It's a simple and light case designed for a kid to handle with. I guess only put toys, few books and few clothings inside as to ensure it is not too "heavy" for my boy to push/carry it. The lock system looks bit fragile to me. Thus, for the sake of this Trunki (life usage), I think I need to supervise my boy while he locks/unlocks it.

Vroom... Baby's On The Road

We are lucky to own two types of strollers. The 1st piece is a secondhand (from sister-in-law). It's kinda "mega size" stroller with fully recline seating, sturdy steel frame and built-in accessories like tray, basket (under car seat) and canopy.For the first 6-8 months, it is so convenient as the fully reclining seat allows our newbie sleep as comfy as in a cot (especially when we dine out/attend dinners). *Note: Newbies have weaker neck muscles and are not able to sit up. They sleep most (16-20 hours a day). Sooner, our little baby can sit and play very well. We take him out more often then we realise that this "heavy-duty" model is quite impractical to be carried along and loaded from/to the car trunk especially when our growing baby (> 12 months) resists to be seated in it sometimes.

As such, we got a new stroller from Maclaren (Model: Quest Sport) which is lightweight (5.5kg) and easily fold-up (looks like a golf club). It only has rear recline seating (4 positions) but its slim and compact body design has won our hearts. We can bring it along anywhere(ie shopping or travelling). It's not a problem carrying such "light-duty" stroller even if our toddler doesn't want to sit on it. We can push it with the nursery bag or shopping bags (instead of carrying by shoulder) or we just keep it in the car trunk in case that our toddler gets tired or feels sleepy.

Don't buy one in a rush. Do survey and compare the functions (and prices) accordingly to your need. Or else, it's wise to borrow/get a secondhand stroller (best with fully reclining seat) from your relatives/friends if you can't decide one yet.

Thank You, My Little Helpers

Most of the time our mom-to-be friends are concerned with those big baby's items like cots, prams, sterlisers, breast pumps and etc when they ask for recommendations. Like me (during first time pregnancy), I rarely check with the small items until I need one. For certain items, I even have bought different brands because the first one is not ideal or not good enough.

I'm happy to share about these good and tiny baby's essential tools. Without them, I can't do a better job (as a mum) since my boy was born. Let me introduce my little helpers!

(1) MOTHERCARE Ergonomic Nail Clipper

Unlike the traditional nail clipper, this Mothercare's nail clipper is covered with a round shape handle. It provides a good grip for adult's hand to hold it firmly. With this nail clipper, I can trim my little baby's fingernails easily and safely.

(2) BRAUN Thermoscan

To me, a thermometer is a must to all parents. I'm very satisfied with this ear thermometer from BRAUN. It's so easy to use (Till now I've never read the manual). Turn it on and place the tip to the ear hole and press the scan button. You'll get the scan result in seconds (after hearing a "beep" sound) and the results can be stored in memory. Fast and accurate. I can take my boy's temperature easily when he cries, but he hardly refuses it.

(3) AVENT Bottle Brush

I have plenty of bottle brushes but now they are left in the drawer except the Avent's bottle brush. Why? I find only this type (Avent's) can clean the milk bottles and the nipples thoroughly especially to remove the stains at the bottom part. I give it two thumbs up. You pay more for better and safer product.

Baby's Equipments: Cutlery Sets

My Baby's Self-feeding Equipments:
Stage 1 - Tommy Tippee's Travel Cutlery Set

At 8 months old, I noticed that my baby like to grasp the spoon from my hand when I fed him the porridge. However, I have let him eat fruit bits by his own (with fingers, wash them firstly!). He's quite good in taking the solid food. Then I decided to get a spoon for him to try 'self-feeding'. Finally I found this travel cutlery set from Tommy Tippee (see picture). The curvy handle fits my little boy's hands to grip on and to serve.

For your tip, it's feasible to choose a travel type which comes with a case to keep the cutlery set. For us, we will carry the travel cutlery set out. Most traditional restaurants don't provide kid's sized cutlery and therefore we need to prepare one set for our kid since he's been trained to self-feeding. After the meal, we just wipe clean the spoon&fork and put them back to the case. Yes, our bag is clean still with the case. On the other hand, by introducing self-feeding with his own cutlery set, it makes his mealtime more fun as we all are dining together (not take turns to eat cold dishes as to feed him first).

Stage 2 - IKEA's SMASKA Cutlery Set
Coming to 18 months, I replaced my boy's first cutlery set with SMASKA's children cutlery set from IKEA. Except the knife, I give him the spoon & the fork only. And still, I will keep this cutlery set into the travel case (Tommy Tippee's) which fits them whenever we're out. Now, with this new set, there's no problem for him to eat anything. See how he took the pasta from the bowl.

For Sale: Why Not A Glass Bottle?

My Boy's Very First Glass Bottle: Coddlelife's Borosilicate Glass Bottle

What is borosilicate glass?

It is the same kind of glass used in laboratories due to its superior strength, durability and ability to resist thermal shock, making it extra safe for your little one. Borosilicate glass is also much lighter than traditional glass that is used for baby bottles.

*Extremely resistant to high heat and breakage
*Lightest glass baby bottle on the market
*Anti-colic
*Soft, wide and stretchy nipple mimics breastfeeding action, preventing nipple confusions.
*Non-toxic, BPA, PVC, Lead & Phthalates Free
*Microwave, sterilizer and dishwasher safe

Retail Price: RM 61.80* per set

Include:
One Bottle (8oz/236ml)
One Nipple (Stage 1 for 0-3 months)
One Silicone Bottle Wrap (colour per picture)

*Note: Subject to delivery charge
**Order @ Facebook via "oneplusone-maternity@live.com"
TQ

Baby's Equipments: Bumbo Baby Sitter

A cousin just informed me of her new pregnancy. Congrats! Days ago we met up in a family occasion and both of us talked about baby stuff. Oh ya, this reminded me of some baby equipments and newborn's clothing stored in the boxes for years. Some we bought and most we got them from our sister in-laws (save up a lot).
One of the innovative baby equipments that we purchased is a training sitter from Bumbo. See product picture.

We put our 4-months baby onto this Bumbo baby sitter when we play with him in the living hall (about 10-30 minutes, prolong the sitting time slowly with baby's capacity). Or if you have the play tray, you can attach it onto the sitter and place some toys on the tray.

Coming to 6-months, we feed him baby food from this baby sitter and later we let him to eat by himself.

All the times we seat our baby in the Bumbo baby sitter, we follow the below safety rules closely:

• Never leave baby alone in the sitter
• Never place the sitter (with baby on) at any raised surfaces (ie couch/sofa, chair, stairs, bed) other than ground level.

However, we stop putting him in the baby sitter after we see him arching back. He learns to crawl and he is freely moving to anywhere... much fun than just sitting in a baby sitter.

Despite we just used it for less than 6 months... but now, i can lend it to my cousin (more in the future).

P/S: I found a link about the hazards and the instructions regarding the usage of Bumbo baby sitter. http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml08/08046.html

*Another brand-BeBe Pod and read the comparisons http://familytravel.suite101.com/article.cfm/bumbo_vs_bebe_pod_baby_seats