the baby and the feeder

Posted on April 22, 2013 by Marjorie

I can’t remember anymore where I first encountered baby feeders. But what I do remember is that I knew I wanted one for Yui the first time I saw it.

I wanted the Kidsme brand in particular. It turned out to be a good choice after all. It’s soft and good for teething gums, and encourages a baby’s independence without the mess. It comes with a cap so we can easily tow it with us for a day trip. To top it all, it’s so easy to clean. And nope, I’m not paid to endorse the product.

Yui was all smiles and laughter while gnawing at her feeder that has steamed sliced apple in it. So excited and happy probably because after MUCH gnawing (everything she gets her hands on go straight to her mouth), finally here’s something that she can eat and one that tastes good too! I’m also hoping it’s helping her self-esteem too!

baby food: steamed tofu and hard-boiled egg yolk

Posted on April 18, 2013 by Marjorie

I’ve loved this soft, silky tofu ever since Okasan sent us a box for the first time some two years ago.

Tofu is one of the suggested baby first foods for 5~6 months that was listed in the guide book/brochures that I got from the ward office. But I delayed on giving Yui one because I only have this Morinaga tofu in mind for Yui and I hadn’t bought one yet.

When we had our first orientation at the daycare last Sunday however, tofu was among those that we need to feed Yui before she goes to daycare – they’ll be feeding Yui this so it would be best if we observe for ourselves first if yui has any reactions to the food.

Thankfully, Okasan sent us two boxes last week. Talk about perfect timing.

So this morning for lunch (Yui’s first time for twice a day feeding!), I thought of giving Yui steamed tofu with hard-boiled egg yolk which she already had with her rice cereal for two dinners.

This Morinaga tofu can actually be eaten as is, without cooking. But I wanted to play it safe with Yui so I had it steamed.

Did the baby like it? Just look at that smile.

a bookworm? an author?

Posted on April 16, 2013 by Marjorie

We had our first orientation in the daycare last Sunday. Because the instructions/discussion/materials were in Japanese and because Yui started to babble loudly, I went out the room so as not to disturb the other parents and hence joined the other babies with the teachers playing outside.

While chatting with a teacher, we let Yui play with a Lego piece and a ball. But Yui soon ditched these over a book. At home, Yui actually has more books than toys so I can understand how she’d be interested with the musical book she found.

What was more interesting however was how Yui portrayed her love for the book. I had her sitting on my lap while the teacher was holding the book for Yui to flip the pages on. Yui however was about to tear the page so I gently removed her hand from the page while her sensei lifted the book higher. Just right after I’ve let go of Yui’s hand however, she lifted her butt from my lap to stand and reach for the book. With no support whatsoever to help her stand. First time!

Happy Mom, proud Mom that Yui was able to stand on her own. I wonder when will she consistently do it. And I think I just might have a daughter who’s just as addicted with books as her Dad.

shopping at Takashimaya babies section

Posted on April 8, 2013 by Marjorie

Or make that window shopping actually. With most of the shops selling dresses and clothes at average of 10,000yen, with some even selling at 30,000yen (brands that I haven’t even heard of – not that I’m particularly aware of all the high end brands), visiting Takashimaya babies section is almost only like sightseeing. For clothes that can only be worn for six months at the most, we don’t think we would buy Yui clothes that costs as much as a Coach bag (in the outlet store).

One thing I do love in that mall is that they have one of the best baby lounges I’ve seen so far.

Very cute and clean diaper changing area.

Being the OC that I am, I always wipe the table on which I put Yui on for her diaper change. Yes, some moms look at me but I most definitely am not bothered with it. Seeing this protective sheet being provided made me smile really wide. Takashimaya share my OC-ness!

Now if only their price is a little bit more to my liking…

One thing I love even more is that unlike in other malls wherein their diaper dispensers has a lid that you have to open, Takashimaya’s is automatic – you just feed in the soiled diaper and the machine would automatically chew it in, wrapping the diaper in plastic.

Of course there’s the standard sink for milk preparation with the hot water dispenser – one that’s really very handy as you don’t need to bring thermos around when going to malls.

Because of the presence of other people, I couldn’t take a photo inside the nursing room so I’m showing a photo of the door to the nursing room. 🙂

Nor could I take a photo of the couches and ottomans we’re lounging on so I’m sharing the vending machine in the lounge area

There’s a feeding room for toddlers too that’s equipped with a microwave for the parents’ convenience.

Convenience

my first DIY baby food

Posted on March 16, 2013 by Marjorie

From the onset, I wanted and planned to prepare homemade baby food for Yui. It’s healthier and you can be rest assured there are no dubious additives. Also, a lot of the powdered baby food here are mixtures of two or more vegetables and fruits. I wanted to feed Yui one type at a time to make sure she’s not allergic to a certain food hence homemade is the way to go.

I figure vegetables and fruits would be fairly easy to prepare. You can just either steam or bake them then mash them or purée using a blender. The rice though was a puzzle for me. Do I cook it first before mashing/putting on the blender or have it milled first before cooking? If the latter, do I mill it myself (buy a rice miller or blender with milling blade) or have it milled somewhere (but where?)? So I compromised and told myself to have it instant with the rice cereal.

Rice cereal and wheat bread cereal. Tried it with milk but Yui doesn’t like it. She preferred water on her cereal. Very Japanese palate. 🙂 I tasted these by the way and they really taste just like rice and bread. Very simple taste.

I wanted Yui to try brown rice but I couldn’t find one here. So I had it imported, through a friend. I wanted Gerber but apparently powdered Gerber is not anymore available in the Philippines. Did Yui like it? She did! Yui also has a Filipino palate, thankfully. Segue: notice that the Japanese boxes say for 5 months whilst the Cerelac one says for 6 months. Read the label and saw that Philippine paediatricians recommend breastmilk feeding wholly for six months. Of course it’s the same here. However it’s recommended to start at around 4 to 6 months just for training the baby to get the hang of eating and not really for nutrition. Nutrition is still wholly dependent on breast milk or formula. When we had the required four months check up at the government health clinic, we also had a seminar on feeding solids for baby as midwives/doctors believe we would be starting solids in a few weeks or so. Plus, starting solids when Yui is 5 months works for me since Yui will hopefully start daycare come April. I want to be the one feeding Yui’s first foods and not her daycare nurse.

Whew, quite a long segue. Anyways.

I talked with my Japanese friend last Friday however and she was able to personally mash her baby’s rice cereal. It can be done! Will definitely try it when Yui’s boxes of cereals have all been consumed. So, having had done with rice cereal, wheat bread cereal and brown rice cereal, it’s time for Yui to be on vegetables and fruits.

First on the menu, sweet potatoes. Sweet potatoes steaming.

I also bought a blender specially designed for making baby food. (The steamer was also the smallest one we could find).

But sweet potatoes, once cooked, is really soft hence mashing it using this is enough. Mashing took just a couple of minutes or so.

Sweet potato is really dry once it cools down. Hence I added cooled down boiled water to achieve consistency that’s similar to cereal.

Did our baby like it? Sure bet! We had a very very eager eater straining on her straps to get closer to the spoon. She absolutely loved it.

This being the first time, I only prepared one batch. Will try next time to make more and store the rest.

Sure it’s more troublesome what with more dishes to be washed and the steamer to boot. But seeing Yui eagerly take a spoonful (and sometimes even complaining when it took too long for me to give her another spoonful), it sure is worth all the effort. That, and the fact that you know you’re feeding your baby only the healthy stuff.

do you still sterilise your baby’s milk bottle?

Posted on March 15, 2013 by Marjorie

Even when I already knew what to do in sterilising milk bottles (I after all had been using Pigeon bottles already), when I bought another brand of bottles (Yui still preferred Pigeon bottles. But I digress), I read their instructions on how to sterilise bottles. It said to sterilise the bottle when using the first time. And then wash with soap and warm water on subsequent use. No sterilisation needed. I ignored this since after all, they sell some steriliser products. And I couldn’t wave away what I’ve been used to doing.

Then my bestfriend in the US mentioned how pediatricians in the US advise the very thing that I read in the bottle washing instructions. She still sterilise anyway. It’s already an engrained practice. Hard to convince yourself otherwise.

And then I read this article in Parents Magazine which tells about the most outdated pieces of baby advice. Yes, bottle sterilising is on the list.

We’d save on water and gas surely, if we follow this since the water I wash the bottle with is already warm. But I still am not sure if I can force myself to follow this. Will surely ask Yui’s paediatrician the next time we go for our well-baby appointment to hear about the latest on the Japanese paediatrics.
———
Asked our paediatrician about Japanese paediatrics’ take on bottle sterilisation in Yui’s recent 6~7 months old well-baby check and they basically concur with that of American paediatrics. As long as bottle is well-scrubbed with nary a spot of milk curd in it, it’s fine not to sterilise the milk bottle. He reminded me as well that of course, you have to make sure that your hands are clean when cleaning the bottles and when preparing milk.
Our warm tap water is set at 39deg C. Coupled with our paediatrician’s advise, using this temperature when washing the bottles, I’m somehow more comfortable with the thought of not sterilising the milk bottles anymore.

On Chocolate Hill

A chocolatey journey, with Yui!

Category Archives: baby’s stuff