01) Pigeon Disposable Breast Pads - Soft and individually packed
I usually use them for night time or when going out. During the day I'm at home I don't use them since I pump and latch as often as possible. Depending on individual, some mummies leak while some do not. I used to leak more in my early days but lesser once my milk supply has been established. It is quite essential to use during the night cuz if your baby sleeps over a longer period of time in the night (meaning you can also sleep longer!), and you latch him/her for night feed, the other breast might leak.
On sale at Taka and Kiddy Palace for $8.90
02) Munchkin Diaper Change Organiser - Very very useful organiser which I attach to the baby cot. Diapers, 如意油, small stuff all can be placed here. Very convenient. 8 compartments in all.
I got mine from Kiddy Palace for $59.90 but saw Taka Baby Fair having 20%.
Should have signed up for KP membership! Bleah...
03) Desitin Diaper Rash Cream - The miracle cream which helped clear up my gal's diaper rash within 1-2 applications. Forget about using the Avent one.
On sale at Guardian for around $12.90. Do remember to grab 2 boxes each time cuz it's so popular and forever out of stock.
Take note: Purple packaging one works just as well just that it's harder to wash off.
04) Pigeon Nose Cleaner - The name says it all
Not too sure of the price as my sis-in-law bought it.
Taka Pigeon corner stock this.
http://www.pigeonbaby.info/product.php?pr_id=35
05) Mesh support for baby bathtub - Very helpful especially in baby's early days since the neck is very soft. Hubby and I would have died after our Confinement Lady left if not for this little wonder.
On sale at Kiddy Palace. Price unknown as it's a gift from my Aunt.
06) Cotton Roll - For cleaning baby's face during bath time. I also use this for cleaning baby's bottom when changing diapers. Much more economical than using wet wipes. Not forgetting this is fragrance/chemical free. One roll lasts for 3 weeks I think?
I got mine from provision shop from neighbourhood housing estate.
My father got me some from Seng Siong supermarket. Smaller roll at $1 each! Those are good cuz the cotton is rolled till "felt-like" so just cut them to size and fold a few folds can use.
Another good one is Smith & Nephew's. Can be found at NTUC Unity Pharmacy.
07) Cheaper alternative disposable diapers - Pet Pet and Drypers (half price compared to leading premium brands)
Two reasons why I included this option in my list:
i) During the first days baby discharge from hospital, they poo a lot. And I mean A LOT! Like minimum 6 times a day. Could be more times, especially if your baby is breastfed. Therefore, no point to invest in the premium brands since changing so often. I've experienced changing three times in a row within 10min. The moment I finished changing and carry my baby, she poo-ed, three times in a row. The only downside is, the cheaper disposable diapers use the sticky kind of tape to stick on, making loud sounds which may be slightly disturbing for newborns.
ii) I try my best to stick to a routine to bath my baby before 10am every morning and give her a allover warm wipe every evening around 9pm. So for example during her morning feed which is almost time for bath and she poo-ed or if I find her diapers very heavy, I'll just clean and change to the cheap diaper. Then after the bath or wipe, I'll change to the better ones. I alternate between Mamy Poko and Huggies. Mamy Poko is the best among all I've tried. Yet to try Pampers except for the during hospital stay so I can't judge on that.
NOTE: Different diaper companies have different sizing/cutting. For example, Huggies cutting is very small so if your baby is above 3kg at birth, pls do not continue to buy the newborn size. It won't fit him/her anymore after 1 pack. My gal was small at birth (2.4kg) and before her full month, Huggies newborn is already tight for her. I estimate she was about 3kg during that time. She currently weighs 4kg (last measured 10 days ago at clinic) and small size almost getting tight now. Pls do not believe the packaging chart. Huggies small size supposed to be for 3-7kg but apparently 4kg+ is the max they could go.
Mamy Poko's cutting is quite big. The newborn size was loose for my gal. So loose that sometimes her poo will leak. I had to change my sheets a few times due to her leak! She was able to fit MP newborn size till about 8 weeks I think. Now, I put on MP small size for her for night time. Still a little loose but the wide base is good and ensures no leakage.
Pet Pet and Drypers sizing is quite ok but I don't wanna go into details since those are suggested for "short-time" usage. So far I've had no problems with Pet Pet. I would even recommend using it in the daytime. Drypers I cannot judge since they ran out so fast before I even had chance to decide.
08) Cloth Napkin - The type the old folks prefer
Well, I did want to use them for my baby in the early days but have been procrastinating till now. Keep worrying about her wetting the sheets and all. But I found other ways to use them:
i) For swaddling baby since I did not buy any swaddle cloth (some call it receiving blankets).
ii) To use as a blanket in the baby cot or use as a cover when in the pram. The blankets I bought are too thick and bulky for our climate. The baby quilt that came with the bedding set was useless. Too thick. I let my baby lie on top of it instead of under.
iii) Use it as a changing mat when outside in case you forgotten to bring your own changing mat.
09) Medela Breast Pump - Mine's the "Swing" model.
I've posted a pic of the pump in my earlier post. This model is a single pump. Very useful to me but of course a double pump would halve the time I take to pump. I've read so many good reviews of the Medela Pump In Style in forums. But no complaints. I'm very satisfied with this and will not be buying a double pump. For frequency of using the pump, depends on whether my gal is willing to latch or not. If she latches more, then I pump less. So far, I only managed to store about 1.7litres of breastmilk in the freezer.
"Swing" retails for about $340 locally. Much cheaper to order in from US.
10) Cheeky Bonbon Breast Feeding Support - Great for Cradle Hold position
Bought from Taka baby fair $29.90. I think this is the offer price.
Much much cheaper than MyBrestFriend (a whopping $80+ which to me, converts to 2 cans of milk powder) but good enough for me. My gal (and me naturally) prefer the Side Lying aka Reclining position which I can conveniently feed her while lying down. I won't say my bf is a huge success since half the time she rejects my breast (prefers bottles) and sometimes she's not full after feeds and I had to give her a bottle of ebm half or 1hr later. Geraldine seems to like this pillow so much that she's considering getting one as her laptop support. * LOL*
Two reasons why I included this option in my list:
i) During the first days baby discharge from hospital, they poo a lot. And I mean A LOT! Like minimum 6 times a day. Could be more times, especially if your baby is breastfed. Therefore, no point to invest in the premium brands since changing so often. I've experienced changing three times in a row within 10min. The moment I finished changing and carry my baby, she poo-ed, three times in a row. The only downside is, the cheaper disposable diapers use the sticky kind of tape to stick on, making loud sounds which may be slightly disturbing for newborns.
ii) I try my best to stick to a routine to bath my baby before 10am every morning and give her a allover warm wipe every evening around 9pm. So for example during her morning feed which is almost time for bath and she poo-ed or if I find her diapers very heavy, I'll just clean and change to the cheap diaper. Then after the bath or wipe, I'll change to the better ones. I alternate between Mamy Poko and Huggies. Mamy Poko is the best among all I've tried. Yet to try Pampers except for the during hospital stay so I can't judge on that.
NOTE: Different diaper companies have different sizing/cutting. For example, Huggies cutting is very small so if your baby is above 3kg at birth, pls do not continue to buy the newborn size. It won't fit him/her anymore after 1 pack. My gal was small at birth (2.4kg) and before her full month, Huggies newborn is already tight for her. I estimate she was about 3kg during that time. She currently weighs 4kg (last measured 10 days ago at clinic) and small size almost getting tight now. Pls do not believe the packaging chart. Huggies small size supposed to be for 3-7kg but apparently 4kg+ is the max they could go.
Mamy Poko's cutting is quite big. The newborn size was loose for my gal. So loose that sometimes her poo will leak. I had to change my sheets a few times due to her leak! She was able to fit MP newborn size till about 8 weeks I think. Now, I put on MP small size for her for night time. Still a little loose but the wide base is good and ensures no leakage.
Pet Pet and Drypers sizing is quite ok but I don't wanna go into details since those are suggested for "short-time" usage. So far I've had no problems with Pet Pet. I would even recommend using it in the daytime. Drypers I cannot judge since they ran out so fast before I even had chance to decide.
08) Cloth Napkin - The type the old folks prefer
Well, I did want to use them for my baby in the early days but have been procrastinating till now. Keep worrying about her wetting the sheets and all. But I found other ways to use them:
i) For swaddling baby since I did not buy any swaddle cloth (some call it receiving blankets).
ii) To use as a blanket in the baby cot or use as a cover when in the pram. The blankets I bought are too thick and bulky for our climate. The baby quilt that came with the bedding set was useless. Too thick. I let my baby lie on top of it instead of under.
iii) Use it as a changing mat when outside in case you forgotten to bring your own changing mat.
09) Medela Breast Pump - Mine's the "Swing" model.
I've posted a pic of the pump in my earlier post. This model is a single pump. Very useful to me but of course a double pump would halve the time I take to pump. I've read so many good reviews of the Medela Pump In Style in forums. But no complaints. I'm very satisfied with this and will not be buying a double pump. For frequency of using the pump, depends on whether my gal is willing to latch or not. If she latches more, then I pump less. So far, I only managed to store about 1.7litres of breastmilk in the freezer.
"Swing" retails for about $340 locally. Much cheaper to order in from US.
10) Cheeky Bonbon Breast Feeding Support - Great for Cradle Hold position
Bought from Taka baby fair $29.90. I think this is the offer price.
Much much cheaper than MyBrestFriend (a whopping $80+ which to me, converts to 2 cans of milk powder) but good enough for me. My gal (and me naturally) prefer the Side Lying aka Reclining position which I can conveniently feed her while lying down. I won't say my bf is a huge success since half the time she rejects my breast (prefers bottles) and sometimes she's not full after feeds and I had to give her a bottle of ebm half or 1hr later. Geraldine seems to like this pillow so much that she's considering getting one as her laptop support. * LOL*
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