Mothercare Combination Carseat

Another big purchase we had to make for Baby was for a carseat. There is no law requiring car owners to install carseats when transporting babies in the Philippines, but Husband and I agreed that it is a must-have, for Baby's safety and our peace of mind. I also foresee that there will be instances when I will need to run some errands or take Baby to the doctor by myself, in which case a carseat will be necessary. 

Carseats are very expensive. Those that are compatible with strollers cost around P3,500 to P6,000 and can be used only until the baby turns 9 months. We wanted one that the is suitable from newborn to 4-5 yrs, to get value for our money. Apparently, we were looking for a combination car seat. I saw one in Landmark but when I was told that it costs more than P20,000, I walked away from it immediately. Haha. SM Department Store also offers one for P5,000, but Husband didn't like the fabric.

We went to Mothercare Trinoma and the brands they carry also cost around P20,000. The salesman was nice and helpful enough to inform us that they used to offer Mothercare Madrid Combination Carseat, which met our requirement, but was currently sold out. Good thing that they had 1 unit available at their SM Masinag branch. 

(Image from www.mothercare.com)

The reviews are good in general, but the common complaint is that the recline position is still too upright for a newborn. Hopefully this won't be a problem for us, but in case we will need to wait for Baby to turn 2 months before we can use it, I still think P6,750 is a reasonable price for a carseat that will be used for 4-5 years. The materials are very soft and washable, and the quality is really good. I have high hopes that Baby will be super comfortable in it. 

Mothercare Wooden Crib

I am expecting my first child in December. I was working when I found out I was pregnant but my job was so stressful that I decided to resign around 3 months into the pregnancy. Thank God for my supportive husband!

My resignation also meant that we had a tight budget, so i spent a lot of time researching before making any purchases to prepare for our baby boy's arrival. This is where all the blogs by Filipino moms and countless threads about anything and everything about babies really helped. As my way of thanking all the moms who happily share their knowledge with ignorant expectant pinay moms like me, I decided to write about my limited experience on baby shopping, hoping to help even just one mom in making wise decisions, starting with my search for the perfect wooden crib. 

I wanted to buy a wooden crib because I read that it can give a newborn better back support than a playpen or pack and play. I've always had a bad back so just in case Baby inherits that part of my gene, a wooden crib would be better for him. 

Husband & I wanted the crib to:

1. Be in natural wood finish because painted, especially white, cribs are prone to scratches and dirt. Another issue is making sure that the paint and varnish used are non-toxic and safe for babies.

2. Have all its parts fixed. Based on safety standards in other countries, cribs with drop sides have been banned due to cases of infant injuries caused by sudden dropping of the crib railing.

3. Be convertible to toddler bed. (Ok, this was my requirement, husband really didn't care.)

We went to furniture shops in Caloocan to look for a cheap crib but all the shops offered the same design, not convertible and one side drops by simply pushing the lock with one foot. So even if the prices were really cheap, full size crib (28 x 52) selling for less than P4,000, we just had to pass. 

We decided to buy the Hertford Cot Bed from Mothercare Trinoma, for P8,500. Except for the fact that the price is higher than what we planned to spend for a crib, it met all our requirements. The mattress size is (28 x 55), 3 inches longer than the standard full size bed in the Philippines (28 x 52),  so looking for fitted sheets in other stores is nearly impossible. So I decided to buy 2 fitted sheets for P1,200 from Mothercare, then eventually use flat sheets when the baby grows bigger or when we convert the crib to a toddler bed. Flat sheets for single beds will do just fine.

(Images from www.mothercare.com)

I also bought a custom mattress from Uratex, blue and 3-inch thick, for P670. 

I am very satisfied with our purchase. This is the cheapest convertible crib I saw in the market. More importantly, the quality is great! It took around 20 minutes for Husband to assemble it, and it is as stable as can be. Here it is in Baby's room, but I think it looks better up close.