Switching Nannies

I've had my kid's nanny for almost 6 months now. She's separated with three children that she left to her mother in the province. This is why when she told she wanted to try her luck working overseas, I did not find it a surprise. I wouldn't want to stop her in finding better opportunities to give her kids a better life.

I have a new nanny now and she's being trained by the 1st nanny (weeks before her planned departure from our home). My son is adjusting quite well. He's turning 6 months on the 11th of August. Of course I had to make sure the replacement was going to be as dedicated to her job as the first one, if not better. 

Finding a good nanny isn't difficult if you know what to look for --- depending on your family's needs. I'm lucky our household help (dedicated to household chores) was able to refer a friend to us. I used the same steps I took when I hired my first nanny.

As a working mother (my husband works full-time as well and is often not home than I am), my primary concern is the safety of my son at all times. My previous blog entry on hiring a yaya (nanny) helped me a lot.

Bored and Pregnant

When I was pregnant, I was bored sick that I spent my days doing all sorts of "projects" at home. During the Christmas season, I was 7 months pregnant. My doc advised me to try to not be a couch potato and move around so I did.

I did a lot of baking. Since it was Christmas season, I even got orders from family and friends. I had to watch out, of course, so when I started to feel tired, I no longer accepted orders. I think I must have made around 30 boxes of cupcakes or close to that.

I made the Baby Room my "special project". I spent a lot of time in that green room! I had to keep myself busy. I couldn't get out of the house because of the pregnancy rash, so I had to make myself useful in other ways besides grocery shopping.

Being pregnant is not an excuse to be lethargic. So move it!

Wedding Day

I got married at 23. In my country, culture and family, that's not young. That's way too young. It took a while before my mom learned to accept the idea --- I think she's pretty much still in the process. 

I was married December of 2006. We began the planning December of 2005. I did not really have professional help with the planning, by that I mean no professional wedding planners, event stylists and the like. That was my first rule to getting the wedding that I want without spending my life's savings.

I had a wedding diary. Nothing fancy, just a Starbucks 2006 planner I got from buying what must have been a thousand liters of Frappes in a month. I made sure my wedding diary was thick enough to handle all the notes and sturdy enough to handle all the post-its and would last a year until the wedding day's last minute reminders. 

My wedding theme was pretty generic. 1940's America. There's this convenient store in a gas station my husband and I go to for a late night snack. We always see a line up of classic vintage cars parked in the station's lot every Saturday night. That one night we asked the gasoline boy what was up with that and ended up with a name of some guy who leads a club of vintage car collectors. The guy (whose name was Charlie) does not really rent out his cars for events such as weddings. But to ours, he said yes. PHP10,000 for a "His and Hers" 1939 Jaguar. That's 2 cars -- in the price of 1. If that's not a bargain then I don't know what is!

My wedding's master of ceremonies was a friend who worked as a professional DJ for a radio station. We were classmates in graduate school. Instead of monetary compensation, I gave him a Ralph Lauren cologne from my honeymoon shopping. 

One thing i did not scrimp on was food. My husband and I did taste tests to 3 different caterers and came down to a decision to choose a caterer called Auffrance. Not only did they have good food, their packages were reasonable, too. We came down to 7 dishes exclusive of the desserts. We had 200 guests and everyone had tiffany chairs in silver. They gave me a wedding cake. 3-tiered fondant and even let me choose the color. Take note that this cake was given for free. I chose a plain white - all white cake and just had my florist put flowers to it. It looked amazing.

Photographers and videographers were also chosen by me, personally. I let them take care of the ceremony's photos while candids and shots during the event, the dancing, the drinking and laughing, were all taken by my friends. I asked everyone I could to bring a digital camera and shoot away. They gave me the pictures in CD form while some emailed them to me. I edited some myself, making some black and white, others in sepia (aged brownish color). This way, I was able to choose the cheapest package since I did not need them to take as much pictures as they would if I chose the expensive package.

All the other details of the wedding I had the help of my friends on. Such as choosing flowers and the right florist (referred by a friend) and choosing designers (a good friend of an uncle and therefore got a good discount). I let my bridesmaids choose their own gown designs, as long as the design fit into the color motif of the wedding (silver and baby pink). My gown, on the other hand, has been designed in my head since I was twelve so I encountered no problem with that one.

Picking the church was a breeze. It was the only air-conditioned church nearest to my home. It made it easy for my family to run back and forth the venue. Reservations were done as early as February. 

The reception was held at this place called The Big Tent, also close to where I live. They accept reservations for different events. It ran around PHP45,000. I considered doing the reception in a hotel, but i figured everybody does that, plus it drains out the pocket! So I thought of renting a venue that allows caterers to get in.

All in all, I'd say planning a wedding is extremely exciting and exhausting. But as all newly weds say, it's all worth it. Our best man said "Think of your wedding day as the day you loved each other the least. And everyday after that, you love each other more and more." 

We strive to make wedding days as unforgettable as we possibly can. And as you plan it, remember that weddings lasts but a day. Marriage, on the other hand as they say, lasts as long as you both shall live.

Mom and Ma'am

I'm off to a mid-shift meeting at 3:00 am today. It's a client call.

I was informed earlier that I will be handling a team of 41 people for a new campaign / account. As if that's not news enough, my work schedule will probably change big time. My normal schedule in the office is 10pm-7am (night shift). But starting tonight, I'll be on a 12am-9am shift. However, I've heard that this account will be having a 12-hour workday with a 6-day workweek. I've been shaking my head for ideas on how to deal since.

I'm supposed to being my son to the Pediatrician for his 5th shot and check-up. That's way overdue (his schedule was on July 14th). Now I won't be able to do that now that i have to stay in the office until 12 noon today. I'm rescheduling it on Saturday. I'll make a really early house call to Doc for that.

I'm pacing. Pacing around my workstation repeating in monotone "this is good. This is okay. This is good. This is okay. I love my job. I love my job. I love my job." --- and I do. I really, really do. But family comes first. Always does.

So now, the Spidermom will turn into another one of her multi-million characters. Mom and Ma'am both at the same time. Not to mention my online business (another baby of mine) is really picking up. Lots to do!

I'm not sure how I'm going to do it, but I know I'll do it. I do what I can when I can where I can.  And if I can't, then I can't. Some things will, some things won't, so what. Makes me laugh now when I remember that movie where my blog name was inspired by. Grandma says "you do too much. You're not Superman, you know."

Yup, that's right. Just spidermom. ;)

Homemade Baby Food

Like all moms, I'm careful about what I feed my little tyke. I still do feed him baby rice cereals from the box, I mean, why not? But then I make sure he it's not all that he eats.

Once a day, I make homemade baby food made from veggies and fruits. I don't add sugar and let him enjoy the good stuff as it is. He loves carrots. I mash them with this baby food maker I bought from Baby & Co. (3rd level at the Podium in Ortigas).

I've also tried feeding him avocados. He likes them, but he developed rashes the day after, so I figured he's allergic to it. I might try feeding him avocados again, just to see if the rashes were really a result of that. Doctors say we should feed babies 1 kind of food for 3 days straight to figure out if it's an allergen.

I also feed him pureed mangoes (I use the blender or just mash them with a spoon). I use fresh mangoes. I have no intentions of feeding him anything from the can anytime soon (canned peaches, pineapples, etc.)

This way, I'm sure he's getting enough vitamins because he's no longer breast-feeding. I plan to move on to mashed squash (loading him up with vitamin A for strong eyesight). I think I'm raising a future pilot.

Housekeeping Diva

I wrote this note about 2 or 3 months ago on my Face Book account. I got it out of reading home decorating magazines and some are charged to experience and mom's old tricks. 

1. For Sealed Envelopes - Put in the freezer for a few hours, then slide a knife under the flap. The envelope can then be resealed. (hmmm...) 

2. Ants, ants, ants everywhere ... Well, they are said to never cross chalk line. So get your chalk out and draw a line on the floor or wherever ants tend to march and see for yourself. 

3. Vinegar kills weeds. Spray full strength (undiluted) on weeds - be careful not to spray it on the surrounding grass as it will kill that too. 

4. Place bay leaves in kitchen drawers to keep crawling insects away. 

5. Dentists have recommended that a toothbrush be kept at least six feet away from a toilet to avoid airborne particles resulting from the flush.

6. Use baking soda and water mixed together (1 part baking soda to 3 parts water) for white-cords-turned-gray to make them white again. (I personally do this on my MacBook's cords--they work great). I also use it to restore my husband's white cortez sneakers to its original color.

Cleaning Out the Closet

I'll be cleaning out my son's closet today. And by that I mean getting rid of the "old" stuff --- although they're not really that old. 

Miguel celebrated his 5th month a week ago and to my surprise, most of his clothes don't fit him anymore. Of course these are infant clothing, those that we've had months before he's even arrived. I have an office-mate whose wife is giving birth in August. He asked me if I had things, clothing and toys that I might want to sell him. So i said, yeah! Why not!?

Now that I'm thinking, I actually do have some stuff that I want to get rid of already. That carrier we bought has gotten too small to hold him. And those side-tie shirts he used to wear to sleep can't even be tied anymore. Socks and mittens that either no longer fit or no longer needed. And a lot more.

I can use the funds to get him a new bouncer (I'm getting rid of the bouncer he got as a gift, he can actually twist to the side and make it tumble over). He needs a bigger one now.

Lots to do! I'll be taking photos once I gather the stuff and post them on ebay or email a catalog to my friends. One way to make my Saturday night fun without having to wear a dress, put on make-up and go to a pub. Plus, it gets rid of the clutter and I get to earn extra cash. Now that's way cooler than a drink!

A Desperate Housewife

I've watched every single episode of ABC's Desperate Housewives from Season 1 to 5. Every episode has a theme, and each theme will leave something for one to think about. 

I have a DVD Collection of all seasons of Desperate Housewives. As a mother and wife myself, I see me in more than 1 character of the show. I see me in Bree van De Kamp, a domestic goddess, queen of the kitchen and Fairview's number 1 homemake

r. And I see me in Lynette Scavo, a tough soccer mom, smart career woman, and Tom's partner in love and crime.

However, most of all, I see me in Gabrielle Solis, in the latter seasons of the show. 

Gabby is the youngest of all housewives, an ex-model and was a very independent woman who had to hand over her freedom of thinking and choice when she marries millionaire businessman Carlos Solis. She goes through a lot in the show. She experiences culture shock and a change in lifestyle drove her nuts to the point that she could hardly keep it steady. She struggled to prove herself and everyone that she can do, whether she's with her man or not. Through these experiences she learns and becomes stronger. Gabby proves that nothing else teaches better than hands-on experiences. And yes, Mary Alice was right when she said "someday we all must become responsible adults. And no one knows this better than the young."

Love the show. Can't wait for the next season.

Dinner for Ten

For the first time in a long time, I'll be serving dinner to ten people on Saturday. My Uncle and his family from Detroit is home for a visit.

Planning the menu wasn't really difficult. I like serving and feeding people. I like entertaining. And part of the planning is making sure they don't get fed the same food they have been eating since they got here. They spent 2 weeks in Ilocos Norte, a province in the north before they hit Manila. They're actually asleep as I blog away. (3:25am Manila Time)

I plan to do grocery shopping on Friday afternoon. My menu is all set. No "adobo" --- they must have eaten that 13 times in 14 days. Entertaining people includes making sure they feel that the hostess exerted a little --- if not all effort to make it special for them. Especially when they visit once in 5 years and fly 19 hours to do it.

Nothing fried --- my recipe for my Proud Chicken perhaps (blogged about it in a previous entry). It's roasted.

Mashed potatoes instead of rice. I'll give it a French twist, so spices are all listed down.

I plan to get mushrooms. Not sure what to do with them yet, perhaps I'll look up a few recipes and take it from there. Mushrooms go well with anything roasted. I think.

Vegetables? Maybe spinach if i can get them fresh. But then there's always the household favorite broccoli, carrots and baby corn --- Kenny Rogers style.

When it comes to preparing for an occasion, I always do "half planning" instead of getting everything ready. It gives me space to make mistakes and then adjust on the way. Better than getting everything ready and ending up wanting or changing something. It saves me more time than messing the plan up and starting all over again.

Same rule applies to picking what to wear to this dinner. 

1st Birthday Theme Ideas

My son won't be celebrating his 1st birthday until February next year (2010). But I've started thinking of themes as early as now. 

Here are a few ideas I've come up with so far:

1. Soldier Party 

2. Aviation Party (baby as Pilot)

3. Football Theme Party (2010 is FIFA World Cup year)

4. Sesame Street Party

5. Cars (cartoon) Party

If I go with the Sesame Street Party, no one will have trouble thinking of something to wear. We'll just color-code it. Yellow, blue, red and green shirts and dresses only. Oooohhh the kids are all going to look like M&Ms!!! And the photos are going to come out great!

If I go with the football theme party --- and my son does not end up playing or even liking the sport, his 1st birthday won't have as m

uch significance to him when he gets old and looks back --- but it's a fun theme to put up

 and prep for! Plus, it's an all-man's game!

I can go with the Soldier Party, my grandfather was with the US Army. That will have a bit of significance, it's a theme that's all-man, too. Plus, a point comes when most boys (not all) wish or imagine themselves as soldiers or heroes of some kind. 

The aviation theme party also sounds like fun. We can have guests dress up with costumes 

different countries, the venue may be dressed up as an airport where different nationalities meet and someone may win a prize as best-dressed. Parents may also participate by dressing up as their children. Daddy and son, Mom and daughter. Cool!!!

I remember the years when themed birthdays were not a thing. I never had a themed birthday --not even as an adult. Now, planning a themed birthday (even for kids) is not only done for the memories but simply because it's fun to prep for it. 

Although there are always the challenges in planning a themed party. Will write soon about these challenges, so do watch out! 

Barbie Doll Princess Party

On Sunday, my son is about to attend the 1st birthday party he was ever invited to. The theme is: Barbie Doll Princess Party. The invitation says: Come in your best Barbie costume. 

I have a feeling that there will be a lot of pink. What is he supposed to wear!?

This is one of those mommy problems I haven't really prepared for. But then again, I never expected my boy's first party to be "girly" themed one. Obviously i will want him to dress up as Ken. Pink dress shirt with a white bow-tie, perhaps? White or gray shorts or slacks? White leather shoes? Won't he look like a mini-me of Frank Sinatra or something? Hopefully  not. 

Squeezing my brain to come up with a picture in my head of an outfit that won't make my little man look like a little old man. This is so not fun.

OFFICE FUN

The other day, my friends at work (4 gay men) and I were online during our lunch break. We came across this site that allowed you to take a quiz to find our your gay name just for fun. Without hesitation, my friends took the quiz. I did too. The names were hilarious! But no pun intended...

According to the quiz, my gay name is Andasa Potilyachenes. I don't remember whose name is which but I remember equally funny ones such as, Merlat Shulupi and Cassandra Bumabarney.

Work is exhausting. But when you have times like these with friends like these, it becomes funner than you can even imagine.

My Mom's 2nd Shot at Motherhood

My relationship with my mother can be described in many different ways.

But one thing is for sure: our attitude towards almost everything is the same. And instead of complimenting each other, we clash. Although we laugh about it, most often we do not.

Since I gave birth to my son, my mom has become extra "everything". Extra strict, extra hot tempered, extra careful, extra watchful, like I said, extra everything. But I think I have an idea why. I am an only child. And it has been 26 years since she felt like a mother who is in control of her child's life. As we bud, our parents gradually let us go to let us grow.

I realize that my mother is not trying to stick her nose to how I'm raising my son. She's not meddling with my parenting style or contesting it. She's not trying to cross the line. She's drawing another one for herself. Which, is perfectly fine.

Being a grandmother is my mother's --- every mother's 2nd shot at motherhood. This is their 2nd chance to do things right. Every mother may have regrets of what kind of parent they were or they became. At some point, they have thought of "could have beens". "I could have been this and that", "i should have done this or that" or "if only I were this and that".

This --- being a grandparent --- is their chance to be parents again. This is their 2nd chance at motherhood. She misses it. She misses being needed. She misses hearing "Mom, I want more food." or "Mom, read me a story."

So I will let her. Because someday, when my son is grown and is a dad, I know I will want the same 2nd chance my mom wants right now.

Baby Toys' Pricetags

I guess most of not all babies won't really be playing (with a toy) until their 2nd month. They're happy enough playing on their own. My son's playtime involved stretching his arms as if punching in the air. Before his 2nd month, his only toy was a soft rattle (a small caterpillar from Brightstarts). He was happy sitting on his bouncer to watch TV (the colors and moving objects on the screen distract --- and entertain him).

But sooner or later babies will have to play with something else. We only started buying toys when he turned 3 months. We didn't even spend as much, since most of the gifts he got for his Christening were toys, clothes and more toys. So far, here's to give us an idea of how babies' toys cost nowadays (in the Philippines)

1. Brightstarts Musical Play Gym: Hop Along theme (available in other themes) - P2,000.00

2. Brightstarts Tummy Time Turtle Prop - 1,000.00

3. Fisherprice 2-in-1 Turtle Gym - free when you get a Rainforest Jumperoo at Toy Town in Eastwood City Mall

4. Fisherprice Rainforest Jumperoo (available in Precious Planet & Galloping fun themes too) -P11,999.00

5. Fisherprice Cover N' Play Bouncer - P2,700.00

6. Fisherprice Teether - P288.00

7. Brightstarts Soft Rattle: Yellow Caterpillar - P280.00

Eventually he will outgrow these and the rest of his toys. But we plan to keep some of them as memorabilia of his childhood, while others, we may give away or even sell. :)

My Proud Chicken!

The first perfect roasted chicken (at least for me) that I made as an adult was made with McCormick Zesty Garlic Marinade. Alavet!!!

I bought a medium whole chicken from the supermarket, drizzled it with olive oil, sprinkled it with the Zesty Garlic Marinade powder, popped a bundle of Lemongrass (Tanglad in the Philippines) into its insides to help the chicken absorb the flavor. I stuffed about 2 slices of lemon for a little more tang. Left it for about 30 minutes then popped it into the rotisserie I got from my wedding. I let it sit there for 45 minutes at 230 degrees and flipped it to cook the other side for another 45 minutes without changing the temperature.

It was an experiment really. The chicken turned out to be really tender and really juicy. Full of flavor --- my husband thought I bought it from somewhere and claimed all the fame and glory.
Finally, a recipe I can call "half my own".

Oh, and I took the leftover juice from the rotisserie tray, heated it up in the stove, added a bit of flour and presto --- I got sauce!

;)

The Boy Pilot: A Story of Reincarnation

One night when I was checking out videos on Youtube, I saw an amazing story of an 8-year old boy who started remembering things when he was 2 years old. Things that never happened to him --- at least not in this lifetime.

James Leininger is a little boy who has a peculiar passion and interest in planes. Particularly, war planes. James is the first son of Bruce and Angela Leininger of Baton Rouge, LA.

At first glance, James seems like a typical boy. Playful, imaginative and curious. However, when his deep fascination with war planes suddenly started giving him nightmares, his parents were alarmed. James, then about the age of 2, did not know how to read. He would flip through books and could only appreciate the photographs. One instance, when his mother brought him to a small World War II Museum, he pointed to a green plane and said, "That's a corsair".

One instance, Angela bought him a toy plane. While playing, his mom said "Oh look sweetie, there's a bomb in the belly of the plane." But James corrected her, "No mom that's not a bomb. That's a droptank." Much to her mother's surpise, little James' claim --- at that time barely 4 , had no idea how to read and had never seen or heard of any World War II stories before, turned out to be correct.

This baffled and worried Bruce. One night. he decided to talk to his son before he went to bed, while he was very, very sleepy. Little James started to tell stories that had so much detail. He said he once flew a plane, a corsair. His plane got shot in the nozzle by the Japanese and crashed in the ocean. He remembers a good friend, Captain Jack Larson and their planes took off from a big ship in the middle of the sea. Little James said they called it "Netoma".

His parents were concerned all right, but not until James was almost 5 and started doodling, writing his name with a number 3 (James 3) did they decide to do something about it. Bruce started to research on whatever he could to get answers to where his son might be getting his stories, memories, claims. The results of his search, according to Bruce, shook him to the core.

Bruce and Angela found out that there is a very huge possibility that their son James was reliving the life of Lt. James McCready Huston Jr., a 21-year-old Navy pilot who died in March 1945 during World War II when his plane was shot down by the Japanese. His plane took off from a battleship called Netoma. And it turned out that Captain Jack Larson, the friend James was talking about, does exist and actually is still very much alive.

This possibly was the reason why James wrote 3 every after he writes his name. He always says "because I'm the 3rd James." Lt. James McCready Huston --- was a Jr.
Experts say children remember their past lives the most in clearest detail when they are between ages 2 -7 and gradually fades after they start attending school, when they start to get exposed to other stimulus. I am a mother of a young boy, too. I'm not saying I believe reincarnation now. But then again, I don't have a reason not to, either.

Daddy Time

My husband works night shifts like I do, but I get off work on schedule while he usually leaves early and gets home late because of the workload and demands.

However, I make sure that Fridays (1 of his 2 rest days) is dedicated to Daddy Day. This does not mean that he's in charge of taking care of our son, diaper duty and so on but just quality time with him. They watch TV together, spend time playing, he feeds him lunch, and go out for a stroll.

I think it's important that he grows up knowing his father, no matter how busy he is. During normal workdays, we spend time with the little man no more than 3 hours a day, and that's divided: An hour before we leave, about 2 hours before we doze off. One of our primary concerns as working parents is that we may be raising a parentless child. To make sure we don't, one way is to strictly follow our scheduled Mommy Days and Daddy Days.

Activities during these days do not have to be expensive, tiring or strictly planned. Just spending time with our little one, no matter the activity (sometimes when I make dinner, I make my little man sit on his bouncer to watch me as I talk to him), what's important is that we are visible and he feels us.

We have a nanny that looks after him during the days and times when we can't. But when we can, we make sure we DO.

;)

Supermarket Secrets Revealed

I like grocery shopping. Especially in big supermarkets. It's a great workout. I get to walk an estimated 2 kilometers (depending on the size of the place) per shopping day.

I don't shop in just 1 supermarket. No particular reason, i just don't. This is what made me notice a few things.

1. All the supermarkets I shop at have their on-sale items by the entrance, and these on-sale items are of the Supermarket's own personal brand. To give you an idea, my favorite SM Supermarket's "Bonus" items, which are really good buys, are always placed by the entrance near the shopping carts. Hmmm, i wonder why...

2. In the Candies and Chocolates aisle, the interestingly packaged and colorful ones are placed in the lowest shelves where they're within kids' eye level and easy for them to grab. They put the expensive and high-end chocolates and candies at the middle to the top shelves, where they're easily seen by adults. So watch what your little one tosses in your shopping cart!

3. Impulse Products - while waiting for your turn at the checkout counter, you tend to review your shopping cart for anything you've missed out on. So while waiting in line, you see a stack of products that you don't regularly buy ---such as batteries, toothbrushes, shavers. Then we think as we wait "do i need to change my clock's batteries? When was the last time I changed them?Yeah, i think i do..." --- lo and behold, they're right there.

4. The items that we do regularly buy, such as meat, fish, chicken, vegetables, laundry detergents, shampoo and soaps, are put in the far most lanes. Almost at the end of the supermarket. Ever wonder why? I have. I think that's to make us go between the lanes of items we did not really go to the supermarket for (and end up buying them) ---- before reaching the lane of items we really planned on buying. Talk about technique! :)

Best Bet for a First Pet

My sweet Shih Tzu Diego used to live with us when my husband and I were still living at a condo unit. We didn't have our son then. Diego was our baby. He even behaved like one. Very quiet, always sleeping, and loved to ball up on the couch as I watched TV.

We had to give him away after I gave birth to my son. Shih Tzus are a great breed, but they can be very jealous. At least from my experience. Diego never liked it when I play with the neighbor's dogs.

I guess if I were to choose my son's first pet, it would be a Golden Retriever. I hear they're great with kids. Friends who've experienced having one say that they don't get annoyed easily and although they're a large breed, they say they make a good company. Maybe not as "lightweight" and "portable" as a shih tzu, but less manageable.

Price ranges from P8,000 to a whopping P35,000 or even higher depending on the quality of the breed and the sire.

Playpen VS Crib

They say that traditional wooden cribs are more sturdy, lasts longer and are heavy duty compared to the what now seems to be a more popular alternative, the Playpen.

They cost almost the same, price ranging from P5,000 - to the higher class P19,000 --- depending on the brand.

Let's do Pros and Cons, shall we?
PLAYPEN
1. Playpens are made of softer materials --- steel legs are hidden over cushioned covers of colorful patterns. So no worries of baby bumping his head when inside the playpen. Some playpens also have musical toys to entertain the baby or put them to sleep.

2. Playpens are nicer to look at --- especially with the wide variety of color choice, themes and prints to match the baby's room and even gender.

3. Playpens are 2-in-1--- may be used as a crib and when the bassinet is lowered it turns into a playpen. Some playpens come with a changing table for changing diapers as well, although they cost a bit more.

4. Playpens fold - yes, they are easy to dismantle and simple to pack. Playpens from brands like Graco come with carrying bags.

5. Playpens have weight limits - Yep, playpens are not made of hard wood so there is a weight limit on how much it can carry. Although some playpens may be used from birth to 3 years of age.

6. Playpens' bassinets may dip - My son's playpen has been around for only 4 months and its bassinet (where the baby lies down to sleep) has already dipped in the middle where most of his weight is on when lying down.


TRADITIONAL CRIBS
1. There are 2 kinds of cribs we mostly choose from--- convertible baby cribs and the standard baby cribs.

2. Convertible baby cribs have adjustable features that last until the childhood years.

3. Standard baby cribs and convertible cribs are most of the time made of hard wood, therefore more durable --- even if the child is a bit on the heavier side or is very active. But then this depends on what wood it is made of. It may be sturdy --- yet heavy and lightweight --- yet easily broken.

4. Because they are made of wood, they may be decorated and matched with different colored beddings, and will match most furniture at home or in the baby room.

5. Traditional cribs are very easy to find -- or to have made by a good carpenter --- and they cost just a bit less than the modern Playpens. (Wooden cribs are all around Caloocan's furniture strip!)

6. Standard cribs may convert to a toddler bed or a day bed with a headboard and a footboard ready.

7. Traditional cribs may be heavyweight, therefore not very easy to carry from room to room and may require extra effort and time to pack.

When choosing the right place to sleep for your little one, always consider their age, your lifestyle, the space or room, their attitude (active, reserved, etc.) and of course, your budget.

Good Luck!