Milestone Card: Yay or Nay

Now that I am a second time mum, it is funny how my husband's friends would ask him to consult me on some Mummy's stuff. Am I seen as an expert? I guess I definitely know a little more, thanks to a healthy dose of research done during the previous pregnancy and also I guess from experience. 

Recently, I shared my "updated" hospital packing list (will share here on a later date, but you can refer to the old post here) and my husband's friend asked erm...what is a milestone card. I felt it was still a necessity and left it in my list. Lol!

For fathers especially who are bound to be confused, Milestone Baby Cards are basically beautifully illustrated development cards to help capture all the development milestones of your baby's first year. First time mothers are especially enthusiastic in it and I think most are able to sustain in the first 4 months. I am proud to say, I actually took DIY themed shots for every month for my firstborn. 

Although this is my 2nd born, I intend to apply the same enthusiasm and has amassed clothes for her 12 "photoshoo months". When people ask, why do I need so many clothes for even my 2nd born, do I even have that many occassions to dress her up? This is how I find the occassions. 

This time round, we are using milestone cards from Happy Starts ($15 only!). This series is particularly cute and appropriate because our little one will be a cub princess. I have already packed the welcome baby into the hospital bag. Like the last round, I intend to let her take a photo with "Welcome Baby" and her father will write her birth details, like date, height and weight on it. :)

Given my track record, I foresee myself these 12 cards in the deck. They have other cards too, but some may be harder to catch. Sometimes I do cheat, the first sit may not be the baby's first sit and the same goes for first stand. My previous deck didn't really have holidays version so I am quite excited for them too! Stay tune to catch the cute photos!

Tinys.Co: Organic Baby Products

This is one of the topics I really wanted to dive into. I have asked many mummies about organic wears etc. and most mummies can't really give me much information because most don't really go for this option mainly because of its price-point. It baffles me a little because most Mummies refrain from using products which uses too much chemicals on their babies, but the same rule doesn't seem to apply from clothes.

I came across Tinys.Co and thought I should give this topic a go. If price-point is truly the reason stopping parents from going organic, then you would be happy to know that Tinys.Co is a brand from Malaysia so you get to benefit from the favourable exchange rate. Also, purchases above RM200 will allow you to enjoy free shipping.

Apart from clothes, Tinys.Co holds organic swaddles and teethers as well. For those who are considering to gift, you would be happy to know that Tinys.Co can pack the items in nice recyclable box that includes a cardboard hanger. Cute. All the items will be packed in a drawstring pouch and you can also insert a personalised note.

If you are getting a romper, you can also do personalisation. For us, we got baby an organic sleepsuit (RM149.90) instead for 3-6 months in mint. Personally, I am very in love with the pastel green colour (Psss... I even got matching maternity shorts to twin with baby). Design-wise,  Tinys.Co is very classy and simple.

Unlike most of my other sleepsuits, it is a single-zip design. In terms of the fabric, the sleepsuit is made from 100% GOTS certified organic cotton. It uses non-toxic dye and is hypoallergenic. T be honest,  I actually can't tell through touch whether the fabric is organic. But one thing we all know is that the baby's skin is a lot more sensitive than an adult, in fact the epidermis is 3-5 times thinner than an adult's.

Some babies may be more sensitive to allergens and irritants in the air. I think a good gauge is whether the parents have eczema or sensitive skin. Personally, apart from the skin on my face, I have quite resilient skin, but the Hubs isn't so lucky. So I am guessing baby might turn up either way. I guess if given a choice, we are definitely swaying towards avoiding synthetics and cottons which have been sprayed with herbicides or pesticides for baby. Cos bringing him in and out of the PD might cost more pain to our pockets and heart overall.

We also tried out the cupboard hanger. Frankly, it leans towards the fragile side. Having said that, I have no qualms putting it into baby's wardobe. I don't think it lasts as long as plastic for sure, but we will use it till it hangs on its last breathe (no pun intended)

This is my second set of milestone cards (RM18.90) and I think I like it much more than my first. You will definitely see quite a bit of them in my photos. I think I am just a sucker for simple, uniformed designs. Compared to its other products, this is one of the easiest on the pocket. Take note that it is made of cardboard and doesn't have the waxy texture over it.

Thus far, I have been accumulating quite a bit of swaddles and each one gets better. This is my fanciest swaddle thus far. At RM55, it is actually quite affordable. Tinys.Co doesn't have the largest range of designs but it have quite a bit that will make you gush. This piece is made of 70% bamboo fabric and 30% GOTS certified organic cotton. It is also anti-static and hypoallgergenic. 

Like my other swaddles, this is alos 120cm by 120cm and is really soft. <3 After taking a look at Tinys.Co's collection, I don't find organic products particularly steep in their pricing. Apart from the sleepsuit, the other products doesn't pinch the pocket much given the quality. I think perhaps the key is really knowing where to get your organic baby products and I am so glad that I shared this site with you Mummies out there, so at least now, you have a choice, without being too worried about $$$. By the way, additional 25% off if you quote "CHAA25"

The Art of Swaddling

Honestly, motherhood during COVID is tough. As a first time parent, I had wanted to attend some prenatal classes to help me through this journey. Now, it is just simply self-learning with limited support. Most of the things I have learnt about new borns are either from the vendors or online and this is why I decided no matter how shitty I feel, I will write down every nibble of information I got because it probably can help another mum-to-be out there.

So today, I thought I will share with you all I have learnt about swaddling. Initially, when the Hubs and I came across this, we were a bit bewildered as to why would a new born want to sleep with restricted movements? I mean hasn't you been confined in a womb for 9+ months? Now that you escape from it, wouldn't you want all the freedom in the world?!?

So the Hub and I did a silly experiment, he "swaddled" me up in our comforter to let me experience it myself. And I concluded it was rather comfy and secure, though warm. I would think when swaddled a new born would feel like it is still in the womb, letting it feel safe. On further research, swaddling is also supposed to help restrict movements from the baby so it doesn't accidentally suffocate itself by its blanket. 

But swaddling with a cloth is really like doing some origami and I doubt the impatient woman in me will be able to swaddle a soft newborn when it is born. This was when I decided I need to find a simpler alternative. I was surfing through Bambino and came across their swaddles.

The swaddle-up ($55.90) looks like a little onesie. The Hubs and I picked this colour cos we thought it looked like a dog bone HAHAHA. If you want something fuss-free, this is a easy solution. Just put baby in and zip it up. I was quite thankful that the material was really soft and breezy. Because the Hubs and I can't take humidity and warm weather very well so we don't really expect baby to be too different from me and the Hubs. 

We are also extremly pleased that the material was quite stretchy. Reason being, the little one seems to be on the bigger side (despite making me puke and all, it is getting quite a bit or just sucking nutrients off me) >_< But actually we don't need that big a piece because most babies stop swadling by 2 months (or when they start wanting to flip). The baby can be suffocated if it accidentally flip on its tummy!

Apart from the swaddles we saw, Bambino also hold other babies' needs and mummies' wants. We also received milestone cards ($19.90)...Whee. This is definitely more if a mummy's want. I thought it was cute if we could document baby's journey. There are even a notes section at the back to jot down fun facts of our little one. I have repacked the cards so that I won't fumble when our little one presents itself. 

If you are into simple, classy designs, these milestone cards would be up your alley. Looking at the cards, I was quite inspired to also make a welcome card for our baby. Hehe. Now that it is the circuit breaker, I just might be able to squeeze out some time for handicraft. :D