My List of Essential Baby Gear

I’m super excited to be a mom again which brings me to reminisce how giddy I was to shop for baby gear when I was first pregnant with R in 2010 (pero ang wallet di masyado excited hehe). I kid you not, baby gear is expensive, but you also have to consider that safety is not an option. There are things you can do to save though like borrow from a relative. Others would consider top of the line gear as investment, which they can use for subsequent babies.

I did a mix of both. So here’s my top essential baby gear:

1.   Crib – I just borrowed from a cousin after their daughter turned a year old and could climb out of it already. I just placed in a new mattress and lucky me, my mom’s interior design shop took care of the linens. Safety features of any crib should include: 

 - Slats no more than 2 3/8 inches apart; 

 - corner posts no more than 1/16 of an inch above frame; 

 - no cutouts in headboard or footboard; 

 - and top rails at least 26 inches above mattress.

2.    Bath tub – We bought this cheap tub at SM for around Php300 and a mesh support for baby.

3.    Breast pump and milk containers -You really have to invest in a good pump. I bought the Avent Single Electronic Breast pump and it was my "breastfriend" for over a year. I'll tell you all about my breastfeeding stories in other posts. It costs around Php15,000 but I think it's a good investment because 2 months palang bawi na ung cost as compared to using formula. And of course, breastmilk is still best for babies. I also bought VIA cups to store breastmilk. They have an adaptor as well where you can attach the nipple and feed baby directly. The VIA cups can also be used to store baby food later on.

Images taken from http://www.philips.com.ph 

4.   Feeding Bottles - We spent around Php10,000 for Avent bottles which are BPA free and anti-colic (although with my experience, nagka colic parin si R). I could still say sulit parin siya because upto now parang bago parin. My baby boy would still be able to use this, I'll just have to buy new nipples. I bought the honey-tinted bottles which were of durable material. 4-6 pcs. of 4oz. bottles for the first few months, specially if you direct feed once you get home from work. While 8 pcs. of the 9oz. bottles, when they are bigger and matakaw na.

Image taken from http://www.philips.com.ph 

5.    Sterilizer – I bought this Chicco sterilizer for less than Php1,500 and used this for bottles and breast pump parts.

Image taken from the web

6.    Stroller plus car seat/carrier - This lightweight travel system from Graco costed us Php16,000 but sulit naman talaga. Pati ako kaya nyan isakay eh. It has a lot of compartments/holders and is easy to fold. But for travels abroad wherein you basically commute, umbrella strollers are still more convenient. Un nga lang walang reclining positions. For the one we used in Hong Kong, we bought it for around Php1,000 only.

7.   High chair - We bought this from Landmark for around Php1,000+ only. The salesman said it was made in China. I liked it for it's minimalist design and because it's easy to clean. Later on did I know it's a knock-off of Ikea's Antilop chair =).

There goes my list of my barely basics baby gear. But you'll eventually see out there in the market that the list goes on as your baby grows. It's really up to you and your budget what you think your baby really needs.