I have found that at different stages of my baby or child’s growing years, I tend to have a favourite or a few favourite products/ items that make both Joel and my life that much easier. Over the years, we have had things like baby carrier (we love/ loved baby wearing), nasal aspirator for clearing little blocked noses, the ‘special’ milk bottles that either child chose to use (yes they rejected all other brands) and the list goes on. (Oh yes if you are interested to know more about any of the above or the brands that worked for us, feel free to shout)

So what are some of our top items of the moment, well here’s the list and why.

Travel John Jr – Disposable Urinal Bags

I have been trying to potty train Jah since May, yes I know that is a super super long time to be potty training a child. If you ask Jah’s teachers, they will tell you he is potty trained already. (His teacher looked at me alittle confused when I told her this morning that I did not put Jah in his diapers. Her response was “he doesn’t need diapers”.) Ermm ok but you don’t know the boy who chooses to pee on the toilet floor when the potty is in front of him, just because he thinks it is funny. That being said, this is also the same boy who tells me in the car, shopping centre or as we are walking to our block that he wants to pee and he will insist on peeing in the ‘pee pee bag’

So yes I know I’m screwing things up abit as I put him in diapers a lot during the weekends. But I suppose with his willingness and extreme enthusiasm to use the Travel John Jr, I can attempt “no diapers when we are out” from now on.

The Travel John Jr basically contains a non-toxic, odorless gel that will ‘solidify’ your child’s pee such that it will be spill proof. This is especially handy when Jah needs to use it in the car and we can ‘keep it safely’ until we reach a dustbin. It also has a spill guard right at the top so it is suitable for both genders and can help the child to aim directly into the bag. No pressure at all to find the nearest toilet and worrying that your child might not be able to hold it in. I usually grab it from my bag, bring him to a private corner and he knows the drill.

I can understand why Joel and I like the product but I don’t understand Jah’s fascination with it! He will still use it even if we are standing in a public toilet with a readily available ‘potty’ but I suppose this is better than a pair of wet pants (for now).

City Select Double Stroller

If you don’t already know by now, we are one of those hated parents who push around a big stroller with an over-aged child’ and/or bags of groceries. Ok only half true because we don’t really use this stroller for grocery shopping, not anymore at least. Rather we use our City Select Double Stroller for long ‘hike’ trips aka a day out at the zoo. I recognize that our usage of this stroller is fast diminishing but we still love it. We love that it can withstand a load of almost 30kg (2 kids + a heavy diaper bag). We love that the kids can sit close to each other and fight or pretend to be loving and playful with each other. We love that there are so many configuration options which includes using Bella’s infant car seat as part of a travel system in the past and also having the option of a buggy board when Jah chooses to stand. I only wish we had more places to use it at but for now it will be our go to stroller for the zoo. I’ll let the pictures do the talking.

 

 

Cosco Umbrella Stroller

Yes another stroller! How many strollers do these people have right? No don’t ask because the answer to how many strollers we used to have, will scare you. Since we only use our double stroller for the zoo, what do we use on a daily basis? The Cosco umbrella stroller we owned, used to belong to Jah and it was super handy for our cruise travel and for quick trips to the supermarket especially with a toddler just learning to walk. So it is now perfect for Bella on our shopping centre trips, to get her to school and well everything else in between. Except that Jah is going through the infamous sibling rivalry phase (does it ever end?) and he has decided to stake his claim on everything that his sister uses. This means that we have had to purchase another one for Bella recently and so now we have 2! Cosco Umbrella Stroller which I guess is fine since it is truly light, fits so easily into the car boot and will come in very handy for our upcoming holiday trips. The stroller can be purchased from Toysrus and cost S$49.95. Given that we have been using our first one since Jah was 1 year old, S$49.95 for 2 years of usage seems fair?

Oral B Stages Power Toothbrush

I’m fortunate that both my kids sprouted their first tooth at 12 months so I didn’t exactly have to worry about brushing their tooth/teeth till then but this also meant they were more stubborn and more ‘saavy’

Up until recently, Jah would only entertain me with the customary brush aka sticking a toothbrush with sweet strawberry baby toothpaste in his mouth and turn it here and there a few times. A friend mentioned using electric toothbrush for her kids and so I decided to give it a shot. Electric toothbrush and a spot of kiddy fluoride toothpaste – I feel that I am now getting at least 85% of the job done as opposed to the previous hmmm 2%? :p The most important part is the toothbrush comes in his favourite Cars design so that motivated him and now it is almost a routine for him so no struggles!

We also converted our brushes to electric ones which help him see that Papa and Mummy are also doing the same. Familiarity always makes things easier.

So here we have it…our top 4 kiddy products of the moment…:)

JahBella’s Mummy