March 2019

I had a feeling I won’t get a bag for my birthday and I was right. I got a new phone instead! As much as I wished for a new bag, I needed the phone more. You see, my 4-year-old mobile phone died on my birthday. Quite literally, my damn phone chose my birthday to die, which in hindsight, was so fitting.

I didn’t realize how dependent I was on my phone until it died. My phone has been glitch-y since the battery started wearing out. Before that, I stopped updating the OS thinking that Apple has been slowing down my phone (which turned out to be true). I know Apple has been giving incentives for certain iPhone models with faulty batteries. Mine happens to be a part of the model with faulty batteries, but since I am no longer based in the city, I didn’t take advantage of the offer.

I really didn’t want to replace my old phone because the novelty of getting a new phone has faded a long time ago but I guess I have to.

Anyhoo, I got the iPhone Xr in Black. It comes with a massive, 256 GB storage, but just 3 GB RAM. I was lucky enough to get the version with the largest storage. My last phone only had a measly 16GB of storage and I cannot tell you how frustrating it was, erasing app after app because I kept getting prompts about my storage usage.

Initially, I wanted the red Xr but it’s sold out everywhere. Or at least in the stores that I went to. I knew this would be the case so I went for the black one.

Out of the box, I got the standard accessories: adaptor, headphones, and the charging cable:

The orientation of the camera is different from my iPhone 6 as you can see. The lack of a home button makes the Xr look so seamless:

The Xr is bigger than my old phone, but it’s not the largest in the iPhone X series. The Xr is larger than the old iPhone X and the updated XS but it’s smaller than the X Max, which is the premium phone in the line.

One of the most important features of the iPhone X series is the Face ID. The technology allows for facial recognition and this made the iPhone Xr much easier to open than the now-traditional fingerprint scanner.

The Xr is fairly expensive and it’s the priciest phone these hands ever held. At first, I was worried that the Xr might be too big and the size might strain my fingers, but surprisingly, I can use this phone with just one hand.

I love how snappy the Xr is but that’s normal if the phone is new. Apart from the Xr, I also got a Spigen crystal clear case because a scratch on this thing will break my heart. I also had the screen covered by tempered glass because that’s what kids do these days, apparently.

Overall, I am quite happy with this purchase though I’d rather get a designer bag. Still, having a fancy phone is nice because I can finally play freakin’ tetris when I’m bored or update my son’s instagram, which you can follow here.

UPDATED: Added another important item to my list of baby essentials!

Having a baby two months and counting, I have a pretty good idea what baby products work and what items we could live without. It’s a good thing that we bought most of the baby stuff ahead of time because taking care of an infant is by no means a walk in the park! Before having Damy, I made a list of the baby items that we’re getting (we bought all the items on the list, BTW) and I realized that I could’ve waited a bit longer before getting some of it.

Here are some products that really made our lives so much easier:

Haenim Sterilizer

You guys! This is the reason why I decided to make this article. Back in the day, parents would sterilize baby bottles by boiling the said bottles for 3 to 10 minutes. That’s really taxing because sterilization is an extra step to washing the bottles and it’s a lengthy one at that! This simplified the process and it made sterilization so easy and convenient.

All you do is to chuck the freshly washed baby bottles inside the Haenim and push a button. The device will sterilize the bottles using UV and then dry dem bottles at the same time. How cool is that? The settings are easy to understand and the device itself is so user-friendly. I also love the sleek design, it goes so well with my baby room decor.

The only caveat is the price. At almost 15K, this is an expensive baby item, but guys, the convenience is worth it if you are a sleep-deprived first-time parent, okay?

Raskog-Inspired Utility Cart

Since IKEA PH has yet to formally launch here in the tropics, I settled for a Raskog inspired utility cart. I got mine from Mega Mall and it’s in black. The utility cart that we got looks exactly like a Raskog trolley. I love the convenience of it, the generous shelf space, and the sturdy metal construction.

Usually, the trolley is set near the crib so all of Damy’s essentials are within easy reach. But when the yaya is away, we fill the upper shelf with all of Damy’s essentials and we just wheel the whole thing in the master’s bedroom so the baby could sleep with us. I’m so happy with this trolley, I’m already planning to get another one in the living room!

Sharp Air Purifier

Instead of getting a BlueAir air purifier, I got a Sharp air purifier because the device could lure and trap mosquitoes too. The one I got is the GM50E-B, which I ordered via Abenson’s online store. There are cheaper air purifiers out there, but I chose this one because of the features.

The hubs and I have asthma and I have a severe cat allergy. Living with four cats (yes, really) we were extremely concerned about our son having the same sensitivities. That’s why we put the air purifier at the top of our list of baby must-haves. I’m really happy with the device and we use this every day!

Crane “Daphnie the Duck” Humidifier

I didn’t add the humidifier on my wishlist because I figured that it won’t get a lot of use. Well, with the AC on most of the day and night, the air in the baby room is so dry, my sinuses would dry up just like that. Getting a humidifier became necessary! I was supposed to get the one shaped like a train, but I had to cancel my order because it took too long to process. I had to get one right away so I settled for the Daphnie the Duck one. I like the design because it’s cute but honestly, I still want the train one.

That said, it works! This device adds moisture to the air so the room is kinder to the skin and the sinuses. It also works in conjunction with the air purifier to keep the air cleaner. It works by weighing airborne irritants down so the air purifier sucks them in. As a bonus, Damy talks to Daphnie the Duck every morning so maybe it was better than I got this one rather than the train humidifier.

Omni LED Automatic Emergency Light

I live in a region that gets power interruption once a couple of months, so an emergency light is a must. This goes especially in the baby room, Damy is afraid of the dark! I’ve seen a lot of emergency lights at ACE Hardware but the one I like the most is the Omni square emergency light. I like the sleek, minimalist design, the user-friendly controls, and the compact shape.

This emergency light offers a low and high illumination, just push the button once for the high illumination and twice for the low light. I love how bright the light is and how sturdy the device looks. This thing can be mounted on the walls too and I had mine mounted on Damy’s wooden changing station. I did the wall mounting myself and it was easy. It’s priced just right and it gets the job done.

Bébéar Aluminum Hip Seat Carrier

Although Damy is just 2 months old, he’s pretty heavy. Taking him to the mall is quite tricky and we don’t really want to bring the stroller every time we go out. This carrier allows for baby wearing so I can take my baby anywhere, hands-free!

Several brands offer hip seat carriers but the one I chose is the Bébéar aluminum hip seat carrier. I chose this one because the seat has an aluminum frame so it will hold its shape much longer than some hip seat carriers. Also, I love Bébéar’s quality, although it’s a little expensive (almost 6K). Still, the aluminum is part of Bébéar’s premium tier and yet, it’s still more affordable compared to i-Angel’s hip seat carriers!

The Aluminum line comes in two colorways, gray and black. I got the black one and it’s so nice. The only downside is that the carrier is bulky when not worn. I love the cover that you can hang on the straps, it works like a shield!

Oribel Cocoon High Chair

The Oribel cocoon is no ordinary high chair, it transforms into a bassinet of sorts, which you can use to set the baby down when you’re busy preparing food in the kitchen. It’s a pricy high chair, yes, but it does what most high chairs couldn’t so the convenience outweighs the cost, at least for me.

We got the light blue one, which I think is the blueberry variant. The high chair is easy enough to install and it’s so stylish!

Love to Dream Swaddle

I cannot stress this enough, swaddles are a lifesaver for me. Damien is an extremely fussy sleeper. He would jolt himself awake even in complete silence. I know some babies hate being swaddled and initially, we thought Damien won’t benefit from it at all but guys, make your life easier by investing in a couple of swaddles.

I specifically chose the Love to Dream swaddles because I do not want to impede Damien’s movements too much. Swaddles are designed to help newborns sleep better at night at a time when their startle reflex (called Moro reflex) is most active.

I like Love to Dream swaddles because Damy’s arms are held up and he can soothe himself whenever he likes. I only got two because I was unsure if he wants to be swaddled (he does). Unfortunately, we were unable to use these right away because the nanny was afraid of using them. He used these when he was almost 3 months na and swaddling should be stopped by the 4th month. That’s the reason why I didn’t get more. Highly recommended!

Archives for March 2019