One of my best friends is 24 weeks pregnant. She is a bit overwhelmed with all of the products and things she has to learn before the baby arrives. I thought I would publish what I tell her on this blog as it will be relevant for anyone that is pregnant.
The first thing I told her to do was to download our baby checklist. This is not everything that you might need, but its a great guide and will give you a very good starting point. Click here to download our Baby Checklist. If you have any questions that you cant find answers to, just email info@wobble.co.nz and the girls will get back to you.
Here are the topics that I have covered as I write about them -
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Baby Checklist
Friday, February 20, 2009
Cots, Bassinet, Moses Baskets
There are a few items that your baby will spend the majority of their time using, the cot and buggy being two of them. Because of this, its really important to get the right products as you don't want to be regretting the purchase you have made for years. As with anything, there are cheap products and more expensive products. With both of these items, it is truly a case of "you get what you pay for" and bargains are usually for a reason.
When it comes to the baby's sleeping arrangements you have a few choices to make from the beginning. Do you want the baby to go directly into the cot, or do you prefer something smaller like a bassinet or moses basket to start with. The good news is there is not really a right or wrong answer, it's more a preference thing. My first went straight into the cot but my second went into a bassinet. This was really because my first wouldn't give up her cot in time (20 months between them). Most kids like to stay in their cot until at least 2, so if you are considering 2 close together, this might be a factor that affects your decision.
Moses Basket - These are great because they are very portable. They can be used as a portacot when the baby is small or moved around the house during the day so Mum can keep an eye on bubs. Many people have the cot setup and will put the Moses basket into the cot at night. Just so the baby is elevated.
Bassinet - These are great if you like the idea of baby being all snuggled up in something smaller than a cot. You will probably find that the baby's Nana and Gran have opinions when it comes to this. In their day, Bassinets were used a lot and it was common for it to become a family heirloom and passed around as the babies arrived. If you are lucky, one of them might buy this item for you :) If you click here and scroll to the bottom, you will see Ella snuggled up in her Bassinet at 2 weeks old.
Cot - No matter what you decide about the Bassinet or Moses Basket, you are always going to have a cot. If you click here and scroll down, you will see Jade in her cot at 1 week old. If you go directly to the cot, you just make it up 1/2 way down. This way the baby is sleeping in the middle rather than the top. I suppose you could also consider short sheeting them. You will notice in both examples that I am using a Sleep Wedge and that the babies are in wraps. The sleep wedge is great for keeping baby snug and in position (not that they move much at that age). I am a fan of using a wrap on babies as it keeps them snug and stops them hitting themselves in the head and waking themselves up (they do this lots when they are young). The other good reason for having the wedge is it allows you to position the baby slightly left or right rather than directly on their back and this helps their head to fall to the side. This will mean the baby doesn't always sleep on the back of their head and get a flat spot in their skull. Each time I fed them I would change the wedge around so they got even rotations of left and right facing.
There are lots of cots on the market, we stock 3 brands - Touchwood, Kaloo and Leander. These are all great cots, quite different to each other (in looks) and have slightly different functions to meet different requirements.
Touchwood is made in NZ, this is the brand I had. The are sturdy cots that look great and have 4 different modes. These cots also have a drop side to allow easier access when changing sheets and tending to the child. Touchwood also make change tables and other nursery accessories.
Bassinet mode - This means the base of the cot is set at a higher position. It elevates the baby and makes it easier for parents to tend to baby when they are small.
Cot mode - when the baby is bigger and starting to sit, pull themselves up or stand, lowering the base down will ensure they can't get out.
Seat mode - if you take the front off the cot it can be used as a seat in the bedroom or a way to transition to a single bed. With the front off, the child can get in and out by themselves.
First bed mode - by taking the front and back off and buying a shorter end (optional), you can use the cot as a first bed. Once the child is ok with this, you can move to a single bed.
Kaloo also have great cots that also have a bassinet, cot and first bed mode. For the first bed, the end of the cot is removed rather than being replaced with a shorter end. Kaloo have great dresser / changetable and wardrobe options, if you are looking for matching nursery furniture.
Leander have a very unique product. Their cot also has bassinet, cot, seat and first bed mode but it comes with an extension for the first bed that allows it to suit a child up to 7 years old. The other cots first bed options are really just to suit them while they are toddlers transitioning to the single bed. So the Leander really converts into a single bed. The Leander Cot may seem more expensive than the other options, but when you factor in the price you will pay for the single bed when they are around 2, it's about the same.
When it comes to the baby's sleeping arrangements you have a few choices to make from the beginning. Do you want the baby to go directly into the cot, or do you prefer something smaller like a bassinet or moses basket to start with. The good news is there is not really a right or wrong answer, it's more a preference thing. My first went straight into the cot but my second went into a bassinet. This was really because my first wouldn't give up her cot in time (20 months between them). Most kids like to stay in their cot until at least 2, so if you are considering 2 close together, this might be a factor that affects your decision.
Moses Basket - These are great because they are very portable. They can be used as a portacot when the baby is small or moved around the house during the day so Mum can keep an eye on bubs. Many people have the cot setup and will put the Moses basket into the cot at night. Just so the baby is elevated.
Bassinet - These are great if you like the idea of baby being all snuggled up in something smaller than a cot. You will probably find that the baby's Nana and Gran have opinions when it comes to this. In their day, Bassinets were used a lot and it was common for it to become a family heirloom and passed around as the babies arrived. If you are lucky, one of them might buy this item for you :) If you click here and scroll to the bottom, you will see Ella snuggled up in her Bassinet at 2 weeks old.
Cot - No matter what you decide about the Bassinet or Moses Basket, you are always going to have a cot. If you click here and scroll down, you will see Jade in her cot at 1 week old. If you go directly to the cot, you just make it up 1/2 way down. This way the baby is sleeping in the middle rather than the top. I suppose you could also consider short sheeting them. You will notice in both examples that I am using a Sleep Wedge and that the babies are in wraps. The sleep wedge is great for keeping baby snug and in position (not that they move much at that age). I am a fan of using a wrap on babies as it keeps them snug and stops them hitting themselves in the head and waking themselves up (they do this lots when they are young). The other good reason for having the wedge is it allows you to position the baby slightly left or right rather than directly on their back and this helps their head to fall to the side. This will mean the baby doesn't always sleep on the back of their head and get a flat spot in their skull. Each time I fed them I would change the wedge around so they got even rotations of left and right facing.
There are lots of cots on the market, we stock 3 brands - Touchwood, Kaloo and Leander. These are all great cots, quite different to each other (in looks) and have slightly different functions to meet different requirements.
Touchwood is made in NZ, this is the brand I had. The are sturdy cots that look great and have 4 different modes. These cots also have a drop side to allow easier access when changing sheets and tending to the child. Touchwood also make change tables and other nursery accessories.
Bassinet mode - This means the base of the cot is set at a higher position. It elevates the baby and makes it easier for parents to tend to baby when they are small.
Cot mode - when the baby is bigger and starting to sit, pull themselves up or stand, lowering the base down will ensure they can't get out.
Seat mode - if you take the front off the cot it can be used as a seat in the bedroom or a way to transition to a single bed. With the front off, the child can get in and out by themselves.
First bed mode - by taking the front and back off and buying a shorter end (optional), you can use the cot as a first bed. Once the child is ok with this, you can move to a single bed.
Kaloo also have great cots that also have a bassinet, cot and first bed mode. For the first bed, the end of the cot is removed rather than being replaced with a shorter end. Kaloo have great dresser / changetable and wardrobe options, if you are looking for matching nursery furniture.
Leander have a very unique product. Their cot also has bassinet, cot, seat and first bed mode but it comes with an extension for the first bed that allows it to suit a child up to 7 years old. The other cots first bed options are really just to suit them while they are toddlers transitioning to the single bed. So the Leander really converts into a single bed. The Leander Cot may seem more expensive than the other options, but when you factor in the price you will pay for the single bed when they are around 2, it's about the same.
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Clothing
When it comes to clothing for your new baby, it can be hard to work out what you will need from day one.
Our baby checklist suggests the following as a guide -
Note: The numbers in the brackets are the quantities.
Our baby checklist suggests the following as a guide -
Note: The numbers in the brackets are the quantities.
Bodysuits or undergarments (6-10)
Long or short sleeve bodysuits that dome at the crutch are the greatest. They help to hold the nappy in the right place and you don't have to worry about it coming un-tucked (as with a standard singlet). They are great for baby to sleep in during warmer months or to go under other garments in cooler months. Just remember to have 1 or 2 standard singlets for the first few days. It takes around 5 days for the stump of the baby's umbilical cord to fall off. Until it does you shouldn't use dome up bodysuits as they will put pressure on the stump and cause rubbing.
Gowns or stretch n grows (3-6)
It wasn't until my first baby was about 3 months old that I worked out how great gowns were. I had been using stretch n grows but gowns are very good. They give you very quick access to the nappy and the Nature Baby ones have built in scratch mittens. Stretch n grows are good also, its good to have built in feet and domes around the crotch.
Pants or footed rompers (3-4)
Its good to have some 2 piece outfits. Footed rompers are great like stretch n grows as you don't have to try and keep socks on little feet (harder than it sounds). These are also good as your baby transitions between 0-3 and 3-6 month sizes. The two piece gives you some leniency in the sizing.
Woolen vests (1-2)
If you have someone around you that is handy with knitting needles, put your order in for a couple of woolen vests. They come in very handy when you need to add layers and have a tendency to stretch so you get lots of use out of them.
There are lots of options here. You should consider neck lines when chosing these. When babies are really small its not always easy to get their head through neck holes. Also as they grow older, sometimes their head is quite big in proportion to their body and the neck hole can be tight. You will notice some items have envelope necklines and others are kimono tops, these are both really easy to fit.
Hats (2)
No matter what season your baby is born in, its good to have at least one woolen hat. A few material ones are great for keeping the head warm.
Scratch mittens (1-2)
Either little mittens or the built-in ones on the gowns will do. Babies finger nails grow really fast and are not that easy to keep short.
and under nice to have -
These are very handy, especially as the baby gets older and works out how to kick off blankets in the night. They come in cotton or merino lining.
I brought most of the items for my first child at Nature Baby. I liked the idea of organic cotton as babies skin is so sensitive. There are lots of stories about the chemicals that are used to bleach and process cotton, so I decided to go organic where possible. Nature Baby also do a great range of pure merino items. The fabric is very fine, soft and suitable for directly against babies skin.
When she was a couple of months old I put her in a cute little stretch n grow I had been given. When we got home, she was sleeping so I put her into her cot. When she woke, her hair was all wet and I thought she had a fever. She had sweat through her singlet and the outfit. I read the label and it said "Not intended for sleepwear". I found this odd as it was a stretch n grow for a young baby and really that's all they do. I started getting more conscious of the labels but noticed not all of them with the same materials said they were not intended for sleepwear.
My second baby was more sensitive than the first. If I put her in anything that wasn't organic cotton for any length of time she would develop rashes where it came in contact with her skin. My girls are 3 and 5 years and they still wear Nature Baby singlets and pyjamas. My Mum use to buy them cute flannelette pyjamas with prints like Barbie on them. When you get them they are really stiff and you can smell something in them. These always resulted in hot sweaty kids and rashes for my sensitive child.
When we started Wobble, Nature Baby was the first brand on my list as I consider them the one of the best brands I discovered and organic cotton items were an essential item for our family.
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Update on Ava's Appeal
Mountain Buggy Receivership update
We have received an update from Tritec Manufacturing Limited (trading as Mountain Buggy).
As you may already be aware, on the 12th of January 2009, Tritec Manufacturing Limited and some related companies were placed in receivership. My colleague Colin McCloy and I were appointed Receivers.
We intend to continue trading the business (manufacturing and selling Mountain Buggy products) with a few to selling it as a going concern. We believe the business is fundamentally sound and wish to preserve the great reputation Mountain Buggy products have developed over the last 10 years. We are confident there will be considerable buyer interest and taht the business will continue to operate and supply great products out into the future.
In the mean time we would like to emphasise that it is very much a case of "business as usual". It is our intention to ensure continuity of supply to you with as little disruption as possible.
So we haven't given up on New Zealand most popular 3 wheeled buggy yet. Such a great product must continue.
As you may already be aware, on the 12th of January 2009, Tritec Manufacturing Limited and some related companies were placed in receivership. My colleague Colin McCloy and I were appointed Receivers.
We intend to continue trading the business (manufacturing and selling Mountain Buggy products) with a few to selling it as a going concern. We believe the business is fundamentally sound and wish to preserve the great reputation Mountain Buggy products have developed over the last 10 years. We are confident there will be considerable buyer interest and taht the business will continue to operate and supply great products out into the future.
In the mean time we would like to emphasise that it is very much a case of "business as usual". It is our intention to ensure continuity of supply to you with as little disruption as possible.
So we haven't given up on New Zealand most popular 3 wheeled buggy yet. Such a great product must continue.
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