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Bare Nanay

Motherhood | Marriage | Freelancing | Lifestyle

I was often told not to spoil my son by carrying him all the time. I don’t get it and I probably never will.

My husband and I found our first carrier when we visited Legaspi Sunday Market in Makati when I was still pregnant. I told him we should get one when the baby comes out.

We also have a stroller with a full recliner that we got as a gift and it proved useful to carry our baby when he didn’t know how to stand yet. Now that he can stand on his own, it’s just scary because he’s a bit Houdini and can escape the seatbelt. We still use it to stroll a bit on the roof deck.

So we have a stroller, why not use it? Isn’t that more convenient?

See, I am a stay-at-home mum with no helper who dabbles on breastfeeding peer counseling, studying for certification as a breastfeeding consultant and blogging when the baby is sleeping and I am without chores. We live on the sixth floor of a walk-up building. Yes, you read that right: WALK-UP. It’s actually the top floor (can’t say penthouse because it sounds mayaman, haha!) and we have lived here a few weeks before we got married, so another yes on I used to go up and down our building during my entire pregnancy (and no, that didn’t help me get a normal spontaneous delivery). I cannot, by the life of me, bring the stroller up and down the building on my own while carrying a, now, 9-kg baby.

My SaYa is a lifesaver. We got my SSK Maharlika when Khale was a month old and then got my husband’s SSK Inca Coordinates when baby was four months old.




We buy groceries twice a month, and I insist on coming because I love shopping for stocks (and I’m always dying to go out for sanity’s sake). So far, I have washed our laundry, swept and mopped, folded linens and clothes, ran errands, went to church, attended a wedding and more recently, paid my dad’s PhilHealth contribution. I usually walk for errands. Everything seem to be walking distance to me, so it’s not some easy feat when I do errands.

Here’s a family pic during the wedding we attended while babywearing:


My husband treated me for a haircut once and I saw his reflection in the mirror doing hand signals. This was how I found them:



Babywearing helped me carry a very clingy baby while my hands were busy with chores and/or work. I would love to post a picture of us doing the laundry, but it’s a chore that I do when my husband’s at work and no one’s with us to take a candid shot.

This was one of our lunch dates and I was able to eat while Khale slept comfortably.




So going back to SaYa, it’s a locally-made hybrid wrap made up of two loops that are linked together, and it has three kinds: SSK, VTB and Marble.

The one we have is an SSK (semi-stretch knit). The fabric is a blend of 95% cotton and 5% spandex, which in my opinion is best for our country’s climate as there’s less heat factor when using it.

VTB (versa tekk blend) is 80% nylon and 20% spandex, so it’s stretchier and works best for cooler climates or air-conditioned places.

Marble is a hybrid. It has one SSK loop and one VTB loop. That’s the best of both worlds.

Sizing depends on the wearer’s fitted t-shirt size and not the baby’s. As with other (ergonomic and recommended) carriers, baby should be kiss height when worn. It may be a bit tight and may seem like baby’s not happy on the first try, but after getting the hang of wearing it, it’ll be a breeze to make the baby fall asleep in it. I’m able to wear my son without any help.

I don’t normally cover up when breastfeeding, but I’ve used it a couple of times to nurse.


Here’s me and baby in different SaYa positions:

Duyan. He was a month old here.



Yakap. Our forever position.



Lakbay. I need assistance here, so I might not use this position often.



My husband and I love our SaYas. While others are dreaming for soft structured carriers when their budget permits, we’d probably buy more SaYa in different designs if we had more money.

Recently, on my birthday trip to Legaspi Sunday Market, we met a fellow babywearing mum who made a quick chit chat with us. She was using a non-ergonomic carrier. She asked about my SaYa and said my son seemed really comfy in it. Being the jolly, extremely friendly person that I am, I was able to discuss ergonomic and recommended carriers, where to get SaYa and to join Babywearing Philippines.

SaYa is available online and has several stockists. For more details, please do check their Facebook Page by clicking on the link below:

https://m.facebook.com/Sayababy/

For more information on proper babywearing, and ergonomic, recommended and safety-tested baby carriers, please join us in Facebook at Babywearing Philippines.

Our babywearing life in color! :)







2:48 PM 10 comments
I have always wanted to go to a picnic complete with the grass, picnic mat and basket filled with food.

Last February 13, my boys made the dream come true with the addition of a movie and the stars!

Circuit Makati is a stone’s throw away and is the newest hangout spot in Makati. Although not yet fully open, the city within a city boasts of an Ayala Mall with several restaurants and shops, a football field, kart racetrack, a skate park and a concert ground.

For their pre-valentine offer, for singles, couples and families alike, Circuit Makati hosted an outdoor cinema in their Globe Circuit Events Ground dubbed as “Pop-up Night Cinema”.

Here we are at the entrance. We tried our best to do a groufie, but my husband couldn’t keep the phone steady. Ah! This is the dilemma of a small family without a photographer. Good thing a couple offered to take our photo.



The cinema started at six in the evening with Julia Robert’s My Best Friend’s Wedding, and then Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan’s You Got Mail (my all-time favorite!), and finally, Tom Cruise and Renee Zellweger’s Jerry Maguire (my husband’s choice).

We got the best spot in the house!



There were a couple of vendors too including Power Mac, Backyard, On Board, Kowloon House, SimpliciTea, and Sbarro, to name a few. There were stalls selling nachos, popcorn, fruit shakes, Pinoy street food, shawarmas, and kakanin.  There even was a sorbetero.



We were only able to watch You Got Mail, because the little guy was getting sleepy (and became hyper again as soon as we got home). Over-all, it was a wonderful experience. I have always wanted to go to Nuvali’s outdoor cinema, but it’s just too far for a commuter family like us with an infant. Glad to know that we have Circuit so much closer to us.

It was a truly happy hearts day for us!


For more information on Circuit Makati and their events, please do like and visit their Facebook Page by clicking the link below:

https://m.facebook.com/CircuitMakatiOfficial/
5:22 PM 14 comments
I’m a member of Millennial Moms PH, a group founded Dette Zulueta. Last January 26 five tickets for The Gruffalo were up for grabs.

I hardly win anything, so I keep trying to join raffles. And hurray for winning this one! I won three of the five tickets. The baby is counted, so I was left with one because my husband would be at work. We thought of taking my eight year old brother-in-law, but I think an infant and a hyperactive little boy will be too much to handle for me. So, we decided to give it to the mum who one two tickets, but she couldn’t attend too and gave the tickets to us instead. Unfortunately, my mother- and brother-in-law couldn’t come at the last minute. Good thing a mummy friend was nearby.



The show was at 4PM the next day and the venue was at Carlos P. Romulo Auditorium in RCBC Plaza, which was a tricycle away from my place plus two blocks. I needed to walk for the two blocks.

My baby and I (myself, mostly) are always dying to go since we’re at home everyday, so I thought this would be a great opportunity plus it was a building away from my husband’s office. We can all walk home after. My son was only six months old, and we loved exposing him to different things at a young age. I mean, he wouldn’t understand the story, being young and all, but the stage set up, the words, the songs and the lights were such a delight. Like I always say, “Busog ang paningin at pandinig”.



The Gruffalo is about a Little Mouse in the woods who made up a creature called the Gruffalo to avoid getting eaten by the Fox, Owl, and Snake. She ended up meeting a real live Gruffalo who wanted to eat her, too. The Little Mouse tried to convince the Gruffalo that other animals in the woods feared her and told him to walk behind her so she can prove it to him; and of course, seeing the Gruffalo behind the Mouse scared the animals away, making the Gruffalo believe that the Mouse really was scary.

Moral of the story? You’re never too small to (I’d like to say outsmart, but meh) think big.

Khale’s eyes were wide and bright while watching. I, especially, loved the costumes. My favorite was the Snake’s, who wore a snakeskin jacket, a turban, had strings of long braided mustache, and carried two rattles (because he was a rattlesnake).

The play was very interactive. The characters asked questions and made the audience do things like roar whenever the Mouse raised both arms and keep quiet when she made the “shh” sign. Kids were shouting everywhere.

The play was shown from January 27 to 31, 2016 and ran for fifty-five minutes.

Two thumbs up for a great production!

Join us at Millennial Moms PH!

https://www.facebook.com/groups/millennialmomsph/


10:23 PM 12 comments
We’re very minimal when it comes to baby things.

Everytime our son outgrows his clothes, we donate them. We have carriers instead of a stroller (convenient, considering that we live on the 6th floor of a walkup building).  We do have a stroller, which was a gift that we often use when walking at the building’s deck. I breastfeed, so we don’t have bottles, pumps, sterilizers, etc. We use cloth diapers, which are environmentally friendly and cost-effective. We also co-sleep, so we never had a crib.

What I swear by, though, was getting a playpen.

We got the BABY1st playpen when our son was almost four months old, and kept it for future use.

Keeping him on our bed and the fully reclining stroller stopped being safe for him when he learned how to sit and kick even the heaviest of our pillows. That’s why last weekend, now that our son has started to stand on his own by holding on to edges, we decided to put up the playpen.

It’s a square 130cm x 77cm x 91cm. We got it from Baby Company at SM Makati. It has three colors: red, apple green and blue. We wanted the green one, but unfortunately it was the last piece and was on display. They only had red in stock.

Here's the playpen during assembly.


One thing I love about it is that it has a mat that you can zip in. Unlike other bulky play pens where it’s just the fence that you put on your floor and baby can push it around, this one stays. The panels are made up cloth and metal that is covered with cushions, so there’s no need to worry that your baby will bump and hurt himself. We just added extra cushions inside the playpen for safety.



As for washing, you can unzip the covers. Yes, even the panel covers. I popped them in the washing machine and it was a bad idea. It ruined the stitches (but I fixed them already). It’s best to wash them by hand.


If you’re thinking of buying a playpen, I recommend this one. It’s big enough for baby and a parent. I just slept with my son in it yesterday.

Me and my son, celebrating his 7th month.



For more products of Baby Company, check out the links below.

https://www.facebook.com/babycompanyph/?ref=br_rs

http://www.babycompany.com.ph/


10:16 PM 11 comments
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Hello! I'm Nanay Nini

Mom | Wife
Digital Marketer | Copywriter | Blogger
Breastfeeding Peer Counselor
Homeschooler
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Work with me: niezhining@gmail.com

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