Hi there, this post is dedicated to my friends who are going to be new mum and simply because its mother's day tomorrow. I thought I wanted to share few things regarding baby gears because I absolutely understand as a new mother, it was my concern on what to buy (as in priorities).

1)Baby Car seat

Baby car seat is a top priority even though once we are discharged from the hospital, the baby is small to fit in the car seat. How so? the baby will look a little uncomfortable with the position because the only position they are familiar and good with is lay down. I have not seen any car seat that allow baby to lay down straight on their back as if laying on the bed. So in Adni's case, I just need to hold her until we get home. One way to tackle this situation is to buy baby car seat body support which looks like Figure 1. This is definitely priority since baby will take time to grow and fit the car seat nicely. Moreover,it can also be used in stroller! Alright, baby car seat can be really a headache for a first timer, since you have no idea that you may have to change car seat once the baby outgrow it (when the baby reach certain weight and certain age). Plus, not all car seat is suitable for every cars, so  you may want to check what is your car feature whether it has ISOFIX or TOP-TEETHER. This is actually one of the features that you might one to be looking at if you want to buy car after getting married on top of having big car boot for baby stroller. Anyway, I really recommend you to refer this guideline by MIROS which will definitely give you an idea on what kind of car seat you are supposed to be looking at (as shown in Figure 2). You definitely don't want to waste your money buying the wrong type of car seat for you newborn right? Since it can be pretty expensive to buy car seat, I recommend you to buy it at baby fair or any events that give discounts. You can eye on affordable brand like sweet cherry or sweetheart paris.

2) Stroller

Stroller and baby carrier or either is really up to you. Some prefer stroller over baby carrier, some prefer both. One thing to consider is definitely the size of your car boot. Next, is where is your favourite jalan-jalan place (mall/park). Consider the lifts that might be dreading to wait and such. At the end of the day, you would prefer the most convenient option. So for stroller, there are many kinds of stroller you may find at the store. The one that fold itself like Crolla Gravity or stroller that can turn into car seat in a second like Doona. This is such a wide area, which I propose you to do more research within your means. Since it is also a big item with a huge price tag, which I also recommend you to purchase during baby fair. Super worth the hassle to go through the crowd for rm300 discount, right? Or if you creative and have some time to enter competition and win the stroller, why not right? TCE Baby Fair held a lot of competitions before their events, so you better keep an eye on them. They giveaway Cybex and all those branded stroller I tell you 😲 

For me, I got Quinny Zapp and Maxi Cosi (it came together), which is really handy because my newborn can fit nicely in the Maxi Cosi car seat which can easily attach to the Quinny Zapp frame. Over the time, as my baby outgrow the Maxi Cosi, then I can use the original seat of Quinny Zapp and change her car seat to a bigger one. I also notice that my 10 months baby feel better sitting up straight in bigger car seat instead of laying down in her basket, maybe because she get tired seeing the same boring view 😆). It also means, you have 10 months to change to a new car set (just heads up). One thing about basket kind of car seat (which is I'm talking about Maxi Cosi here), if I want to go to someone's house, I can just carry her in the car seat which I tend to not wake her up during those visits. That is convenient for me (but definitely no slack to exercise those arm muscles). 💪

3) Baby Carrier 

But! I also purchased baby carrier. I only bought stretchy wrap carrier, thinking its easier to move around (aka to shop), while my newborn cuddles me plus she feels very at ease since it feels similar as she is still in the womb. I only used it up to around 3 months. So if you want to keep your budget tight, you might want to opt for secondhand. 

Anyway, before deciding what kind of carrier you prefer, please learn to differentiate the types and functions. There are pros and cons for  each types so since I am not really a professional on this topic, I suggest you  join babywearer group on Facebook for more insight regarding baby carriers. If I were to invest in expensive baby carrier I would choose Ergobaby carrier because of the credibility in producing good baby carrier and the latest model has the one that allow baby facing front. 😎

That's all for now, hope these helps Mommy! 👼