6 Nice-To-Have Baby Gear According to SP Moms

Nice to Have  
The following items were rated by SP Community members. Find out if these are really worth buying.

 
1. Bottle Rack
Must have: 5 votes
Nice to have: 8 votes
It depends: 2 votes

Canada resident Mommy Maine, aka mainymaine, does not recommend having a bottle rack. 

"For me it defeats the purpose of having a bottle organizer,” she says. “It would be useful if you have lots of bottles that the rest won't fit in the organizer. I didn't get to use mine for a long time too since I let the bottles cool down in the sterilizer, plus, I do not think it is that safe since bacteria and germs, even insects can easily get thru the rack because it's open."  
 
Home keeper from Antique Rachel Anne Legaspi Del Rosario aka Mommy Leng finds bottle rack not so important.

"A dish rack will do or any basket that is clean and close safe from dirt and dust,” says Mommy Leng. “If you have extra budget, it would be nice to have one. It's not a necessity for me but you can opt to buy these. Bottle racks can also keep the bottles looking tidy and organized. If practicality is the issue, I think I wouldn’t waste money to buy one.”

 

Click here to read SP moms' thoughts on audio monitors and bouncers/rockers.

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Read on about SP moms' thoughts on audio monitors and bouncers/rockers.

2. Audio monitor
Must have: 0 votes
Nice to have: 9 votes
It depends: 7 votes
 
Most respondents feel the need for an audio monitor if the house is big and no guardian can closely watch over the baby.

25-year-old Xander's mom Karen Abigaile Roxas aka xandernok - recommends an audio monitor only if both parents are working and away from the child.
 
Other SP Community members have this to say:

• twelvth_goddess - "if your house is big and the there is no yaya or if the yaya is not too dependable, maybe getting one is OK."
• hel -  "[An audio monitor is] Useful if baby will sleep in his own room / nursery and also if you have a big house so you will know if the baby's already awake. At night, you can hear him breathe, so less worries.  An audio / video monitor is also good so you can keep watch of the baby specially if he can walk already or he moves a lot."

 

3. Bouncer / Rocker
Must have: 6 votes
Nice to have: 11 votes
It depends: 1 vote

Medical Technologist Grace Garcia-Anonuevo aka addicted2jakey has this to say:

"We got our Newborn-to-Toddler Rocker as a welcome gift request for Jacob. It's quite pricey, but it'll be useful to us and to him. Although he has a crib, we often keep him in his rocker to sleep or carry him anywhere in the house. The rocker plays music which he became familiar with before he got introduced to educational DVDs. The vibrating function helps in putting him to sleep. Unfortunately, the kind we have is too big for out type of car and can't double as a car seat.”

 

Click here to read on for tips on making the most of your bouncer/rocker, and what SP moms have to say about baby slings.

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Read on for tips on making the most of your bouncer/rocker, and what SP moms have to say about baby slings.

 

To make the most of what you spend for a rocker, here are tips:

• Train your baby to sleep, stay and let him play with the rocker as early as possible.
• Make time with your baby when he's on the rocker, and the sooner he will like staying on it.
• You can use the rocker while feeding him if he's too small or you don’t have a high chair.
• Try to find a cheaper music player that could be attached to the rocker.

Manila Stay-at-home Mom Rowena Downey aka MrsDowney says otherwise.

"My son received two of these when he was baptized. I was thinking they might come in handy when I needed to do chores. To be honest, I didn't think it was that useful. My baby moves a lot, at 6 months he would always attempt to get out of it. It scares us because he might fall. We figured that if we needed to do something and we needed to leave our baby alone for a few minutes, it was still safer to leave him in his playpen. My hubby and I ended up giving the bouncers / rockers away to friends who were pregnant.”
 

4. Baby Sling
Must Have: 3 votes
Nice to have : 14 votes
It depends : 2 votes 
 
As Mom to be Helen Marie R. Portem aka hel puts it: "I think these are important to parents if they want their babies to be always close to them most of the time and these can also be used instead of strollers which can sometimes get bulky and heavy. Also, if the parents are advocates of attachment parenting, these would really be essential.”

tiny_little_mom learned it the hard way. "I spent on it already before I realized it was useless so I got disappointed. I found out other disadvantages from other SP moms via the forums too late." 

 

Click here to read on about SP moms' thoughts on carriers.

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Read on about SP moms' thoughts on carriers.

5. Carrier
Must have: 4 votes
Nice to have: 12 votes

Carrier user Michelle Solee aka michi247 says: "We use a carrier for my nephews and nieces when we go to church. None of them got bow-legged. When I had my own baby, I got myself one when he was 3 months old just to be sure that he has good back support and head control already. It was very useful for me and I got my hands free too. A carrier is helpful especially when you're alone with the baby."

Expectant 28-year-old Mom Vanessa Manila -Dy of Antipolo or twelvth_goddess thinks carriers are not practical. "The baby can use it for a maximum of 1 year only,  depending on his size and weight. Also, this is the purpose of a stroller. It's also quite difficult to bring the carrier around. Even if I have the extra money for it, I really wouldn’t buy one because it's just going to eat some space in our room when the baby doesn’t need it anymore.”
 
Other SP moms had these to say about carriers: 

• joy724 -"For me, as a mom with no yaya at all, a carrier is a must especially when you're without a stroller. It's much easier for me but then my son got a bit bigger, I was not able to use our carrier anymore and now I'm selling it."
• mich_tatsdwayne - "No. Ako nahihirapan whenever I see babies placed inside a carrier. I prefer stroller.”
• dunadrinksred - "I don't have one but when I see other mommies using this, the baby looks as if they're hanging uncomfortably."

 

Click here to read on about SP moms' thoughts on play yards / play gyms.

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Read on about SP moms' thoughts on play yards / play gyms.

 

6. Play Yard/ Play Gym
Must have: 7 votes
Nice to have: 7 votes
It depends: 4 votes

30-year-old Meg aka LuvKoSiMarcus shares how her son loves the play gym: "Marcus enjoyed his play gym very much; from his 3^rd to 5th month he would happily play with it. He was so adorable kicking the hanging little toys. We had to stop him, though, from using it when he learned to stand. The kind we had wasn't too stable. I'm glad we didn’t have to spend for it, it was given as a gift.”

Many SP moms share the same belief with caramel_delarosa - "A play yard or play gym would be great if you have enough space at home. Having a play gym with a floor cushion gives you less worries if the baby might hit his head on the floor. If the space and budget is a limitation, letting him play in the crib would do just fine."

It would really be up to the parent in deciding what items to get for their baby. Take Helen Marie R. Portem's (aka hel) advice: "I do not advise that all the items mentioned should be bought since no one can be sure if all of these will be used or will be worth your money.

It will always depend if you have the budget to buy all these baby gear and items. Even with a big budget, it is not practical to buy attractive items just for short use.

Some parents are really lucky because most of the big ticket items are usually given or handed down by friends, relatives, godparents, gifts during the baby shower, christening and even during the first birthday parties. For the budget-conscious, there are always alternatives and cheaper products available in lieu of these. "

 

Illustrations by Jazer Basan