THE NEW & YOUNG PARENTS' ESSENTIALS

My substantial almost 2-year parenting experience (most of the time alone) has granted me with the credibility to come up with the following list, THE NEW & YOUNG PARENTS' ESSENTIALS. Before I actually list them all down one by one, this list will only be of relevance to you if:

• You have never had any real experience taking care of any babies at all.
• You are one lazy bum.
• Most of the time, your motherly instincts (if any) don't work.
• You feel like pinching your cute baby's cheeks every time they bawl.
• You get panicked easily for the most trivial baby issues.
• You only think a crying baby is cute for the first 10 seconds. 
• You love to have a shower longer than 2 minutes, with the doors closed.
• You tend to have that lifetime-long guilt every time your baby falls. 
• You don't fancy having bouncy kids at the rear car seat as you drive. 
• You'd love to do your toilet business in peace, with the doors closed.
• You tend to become half-human for lack of sleep. 
• Your baby loves throwing food more than eating it.
• You are an absent-minded person.
• You are a  relatively young parent who is constantly tired after working hours.
• Your baby picks up everything and puts everything (except fresh and delicious food) in his/her  mouth.
• You love a smooth shopping experience.
• You don't have a maid or helper, or other family members to help you out with. 
• Your parents are faaaaar awayyyy...
• You want a cleaner house.
• You are a cheapskate.
• You freakinly want a life!

If you've said YES to all of the above, indeed you NEED all of the following items to facilitate your new adventure in the world of babyhood:

1. PACIFIER

I used to think that bra was the best invention in the world. I've changed my mind. PACIFIER beats all other inventions in the world thus far. The world is a lot more peaceful without unnecessary babies' wails and whimpers. Best of all, pacifiers or soothers now come in a lot of shapes. I've chosen an orthodontic one for the fear that Awish will go all jongang. 

2.  BABY SWING/ROCKER/BOUNCER

This is one magical item I tell ya... If you have a baby who possesses a wide range of voice pitch levels, put him or her in this miraculous staple appliance and wallaaaa your baby will magically turn into one sweet angel who looks as helpless and as peaceful as someone who is in a trance state. An electric one is practical too if your baby takes a longer time to sleep. But don't forget to turn it off once your baby is sound asleep. 

3. CAR SEAT

This is one essential item in your car, especially if you are usually driving only with your baby together. Driving while holding a baby on your lap is just grossly unacceptable. And even if you have another adult with you in the car, it's not exactly safe, should an accident happen. Sometimes you and the other person/people in the car also would love to have your hands free to scratch your body and pick your nose.

And an average one that is not too cheap and too expensive would already do it. As long as it's sturdy, has some kinda warranty, and you can easily go to the manufacturer, should there be any spare parts that need replacement. And buy one that can be used from 0-25kg for example. Then only you can save up and not buy one every year as your baby grows.

And you must start putting the baby in the car seat as early as possible. If he/she is not accustomed to the whole idea of sitting at the back alone, all buckled up in a reverse position, then you will have a hard time later commuting from one place to another. 

4. BABY STROLLER

No matter how masculine you are, how strong your backbone is and how muscly your biceps/triceps are, you tend to get all achy after a few minutes/hours holding your baby. and your baby isn't going to sit still. He/she will usually toss and turn as everything around them is just extremely fascinating. So please do all parties a favour by putting your baby on a stroller. Your baby can happily view the new intriguing world around him/her and you also can shop and stroll away with more ease and sanity. And you need to practise putting him/her in it from the beginning. Then only the baby will feel that he/she has no choice but to sit still in it. 

But if you are still expecting, I suggest that you do not necessarily have to buy an expensive stroller. Unless the features are really superb, you don't have to waste too much money on this one item. A cheap one would already be sufficient. Mine is only RM200+ but has served its purpose well for the past 21 months. We have not only carried our baby in it, but carried a newly bought microwave (with my baby still sleeping soundly in it), items to move out and move in a few months ago, and the usual weekly grocery items in it (sometimes Awish even holds the cucumber for me if there isn't enough space). Don't succumb to peer mommy pressure, unless your baby really would only sit still in an F1-branded stroller..

5. BABY MONITORS

This is an item of grave importance to all parents who care about your baby's safety without disregarding your digestive health. Believe me, you will get all cranky if you can't even perform your basic human rights with a peace of mind. It's really not funny to be going back and forth between the toilet and your baby's crib to check on him/her, just to see that they are happily asleep and you end up having constipation.

6. BABY CARRIER

Worked wonders for me and my baby, especially when he's in his cranky mode where both pacifiers and my own horrible version of lullabies didn't work. If you do not like the idea of having a baby swing, maybe this would help. But be ready to walk around the house for an hour or more until your baby is completely asleep. Once he/she is, wait a few more minutes until he's truly dozed off and remove the straps the gentlest way possible or else he/she will wail again like someone has just burnt his/her butt.

7. PLAYPEN

The playpen is also another godsent item ever created. It may not be as nice-looking as a proper wooden crib but it's safer with softer materials, should your baby fall in it. And a cheap one is already good enough. Now it's even cheaper, as you can even get one less than RM 100 in TESCO for example. If my baby isn't cranky and is in a very playful mode, it's better to let him play in the playpen as you can still do your 'business' without having to drag him/her all the way to the toilet and force him/her to witness the whole ordeal.

8. CHILD SEAT

 Yerp, you need this. Not just for meal times, but also whenever you don't trust them to walk around the house when you are just truly tired. Leaving them on their newly functioning feet when you are all burdened with fatigue is never a good idea. You might doze off unintentionally and God knows what they will do and where they will go. And my baby specifically loves to put everything in his mouth. The more dangerous that thing is or the more stale the food is, the higher the possibility that he'd put it in his mouth. So although ideally this method isn't exactly healthy either, but if you are just too exhausted, put the baby in the child seat with some toys and play an educational DVD for them to watch. Better than discovering that your baby is all swollen from a nasty fall, right??

The IKEA Antilop baby seat is the cheapest that I could find in the market. That explains why most gerais and restaurants alike would have this type in their eateries.

 9. DVDs

Yes, some people might think these are supplementary items, but they are VERY important to me. My baby is a fussy eater and knowing that he could eat 10 x more while watching DVDs, I just let it be a part of his routine. He'd be just too fascinated and will just nganga  when I feed him. He is terribly underweight so if DVDs work for him, so be it. There are just a range of activities that you can do if your baby is very mesmerized with all the animated effects shown. I can get a lot of household chores done, get some time to read newspapers, and do all sorts of other things possible. The list is endless. I know human interactions are of utmost importance. Of course I do that too. 

I play different DVDs for him based on his interest and also based on the types of things I want to get done. So the more things I need to do, the longer the length of the DVD is, ranging from Sesame Street (20 minutes - to read 1-2 articles), Barney (40 minutes - to do the laundry and wash the dishes) and the Chipmunk movies/ Rio (90 minutes - for a spring clean of the house). But, you've gotta be cautioned with the possible addiction on TV your baby might have. And for that, you need to anticipate that your child will not talk as fast as other babies of the same age. And don't be annoyed that you yourself might end up memorizing the whole film's dialogues and songs and the songs could be stuck all-day long in your head wherever you are!. Please remember to never let them fall asleep on the chair. Pity them, sakit tengkuk. There's always the baby swing to further save the day!!!

10. BABY WALKER

I bought one only after Awish has learnt to walk. Pretty ironic but I had to buy it because I didn't fully trust his newfound walking abilities and I was constantly too tired to fully monitor him and walk with him everywhere. I bought a cheap one too at TESCO and he has never fallen from it or anything. So I suppose it's OK. My baby loved strolling around the house in his walker and doing the bumper-car acts in all directions. 

11. BABY BACKPACK

I got this bag from a friend as a present. This exact shape and colour. It's definitely a more organized way to put all your babies' stuff whenever you need to go out of the house. And usually you have other things to hold on to, so don't buy the baby bag that you need to hold with hands. A backpack would be a lot more practical. With this, you can hold your baby as he/she walks with one hand and hold the trash you've been wanting to throw for days with the other one.

12.  PLASTIC BOOKS

Yup, if you have a baby like mine who loves to eat books more than reading them and more than eating real food, you need to get the plastic material books. It's water- and saliva-resistant and your baby can even read in the bathroom! (as if!). You can go crazy over a range of such books at reasonable prices at BookXcess at Amcorp Mall.

13.  SHOPPING TROLLEY BAG

This is important especially if you always bring a lot of stuff to work and you need to carry the items and your baby both at the same time. And it's essential too if you go shopping only with your baby. So you can always hold your baby with one hand and hold this trolley with the other. I even put Awish in the trolley bag when I'm just too tired. He loves it!

14. PRE-INSTALLED TALKING TOM APPLICATION

In an event where you have decided to walk into a nice restaurant but your baby starts to whimper after you have ordered,  spoils the whole romantic mood, and embarrasses you with soprano-quality cries, it's time to let your baby explore your phone and go all abusive with the talking cat. I was hoping he would talk to the cat more than actually hurting it, so you better monitor you baby's violent nature.

15. BABY PLAN APPLICATIONS

I am so absent-minded that I can't even remember the amount and frequency of the medicine I normally take. Thus, there's no guarantee at all that I will remember my baby's. Being a fussy-eater, 80% of the solids that my baby takes are supplements, and I need to remember them all; the amount, the frequency, etc. And his immune system was rather bad too, so I had to remember so many drug names, the dose and whatnot. Thank God he's a lot healthier now. Nonetheless, I benefit a lot from all sorts of planners available on my phone. There are a number of planners specifically invented for forgetful parents like me (last meal with time, last diaper change, etc) but actually normal planners would do too, as long as you put all the important things in a form of a daily checklist.

16. POTS & PANS

If you have a baby like me who does not appreciate Fisher-Price sophisticated toys, just give them enough pots and pans to play with. Put all of them which are not breakable in the lower cabinet and they'll be so amused by them all that they will not bug you for at least a little while. Straws and spoons are Awish's favourites too.

17. A DASH OF HUMOUR.

For without it, life is just too much to handle.

Ciao!

P/S - Reckoned that a portable DVD player would help too whenever we feel like dining in a fancy place, but maybe it's a little bit too much huh?? huhuh...

P/P/S - A robotic vacuum would be wonderful too!! My house is constantly in a mess no matter how often I clean. waaaa... but I miss Awish tremendously now. ... grrr...