Chanbaby:
Chai my baby is growing everyday oh 6-9months short is like pant for him. All the clothes I have been keeping he can't wear them for long. Dh is not making things easy he said I should come up with an estimate. I said I can't its as I see i buy.
Boys clothes are so expensive.
Apart from mall for Africa how do baby clothes from Abroad oh with reasonable delivery charges.

I can understand your hubby, you need a budget and stick with it within reason. You do not need to buy EVERY size bracket and be buying a full range of clothes every 3 months. You can go the next size up and let him grow into it you will have longer use that way. . So instead of 9-12, you can skip that size in most of the clothes and get up to 18 months. For tops and trousers roll the sleeves and legs up. T shirts a size up you may never wven notice it is big.
The only thing i will may may not be too good to buy a size up if your baby is already trying to walk will be a the onsesie as the feet is dangling and becomes a trip hazard. ,

Also....You know ankara is your friend too.
Get your tailor to turn all your un-used scarfs and spare fabrics into shorts, cargo pants and trousers with shirts and tops for him for housewear and keep the more expensive things for outings.

My two cents.

Modified: see responses in red below.

Cc LholarB, HolySteph

LholarB:
Happy Sunday my darling Mamas. Plz I have some questions about the Best Brands when it comes to Baby accessories, clothings etc cos am confused on which Brand to buy and what not to buy, dunno if these questions have been overflogged here ( you can refer me to the page to Check on this thread if they have been answered but not seen any tho).

I have also seen some products with their reviews online but am still confused ( you know you can't trust this online things atimes) , dats why I need answers personally from experienced mamas here so I can combine with the the ones I got from some few experienced mamas at my clinic( just so am on the right track) .

Best is dependent on what you can afford. Also more expensive does not mean better quality or better performing.

1. Best brand of car seat/ stroller to buy... ( is the stroller necessary here in Nigeria as per the hustle and Bustle).
The need for a stroller is debateable as someone mentioned if you live in a gated estate it may be good for strolls, also may be useful if you travel a good light weight one is a nice to have/ essential item.
Additionally if you get the set that comes with a flat laying pram attachment.... it doubles up as a bed in the house/ rocker. Ditch the moses basket and Park it in the living room and baby can use it for naps. You can easily release the brakes and move back and forth to rock baby.

For car seat along with other brands that others have added, maxi cosi and mothercare do a good group 0 car seat. If you will be carrying it about. Ensure to check the weight without baby oh carrying 7kg carseat + 9kg baby is no joke!

You may also want to think of a baby carrier. Its a nice to have. I also use mine to carry baby when in a car and dont have a car seat like when on holidays and stuff. Basically strap on baby and use seatbelt on both of you. Just make sure the seatbet is not on baby's neck. So you may have to hold it out of the way.

2.which is better: Huggies or Molfix.
Not sure i can help on this one. I would advise by a small qyantity from a reliable source and test to make sure no reactions before buying any bulk items

3. Best Brand of reusable diapers (quantity to buy).

Depends as well, for the same number of people that love one brand, you have an equal number singing the praises of another. So you may have to dabble a bit on this.
There are a few UK and US brands you can google up. However I am launching my own range by the end of the year, so i will keep you posted on progress. Frantic background work ongoing!


4. Best Brand of Breast pad to buy
Avent disposbles is good. But i mostly ised lansinoh disposables, and boots washables ( usually when at home)

5. Best Brand of Baby oil, lotion and powder to buy ( johnsons had a bad review of recent so am kinda confused )

6. Best Brand of Feeding bottles, flask , Breast pump and sterilizer(or I just strerilze the old fashion way)

I used avent bottles and medela bottles.
Also use medela electric breast pump.
For sterilizer i used the cold water sterilisation with Milton tablets. For the staining as some have mentioned.... this is usually in silicone based products so ensure you only sterilise such products for the stipulated 15 minutes. If you leave it in the fluid over night the colour will change.
No reason why you cant pop the items you need to sterilise in boiling pot of water for 5 mins.


7. Best brand of clothings( sleep suits, jumpsuits, shawls, socks, moccasins etc) or can I just buy randomly if they look nice

Also depends. You may forget quality when you see fine designs. I try to go for quality of fabric rather than design, also some shops have larger cuts than others for example next and tesco clothes are larger than say marks and spencers. So they will last longer.
Also for the first 3 months or even 6, try and keep clothes unisex.

8. Do I need to wash all the new clothings before use ?

Yes this is recommended

9. Best brand of Baby walker and rocker/swing( asides mamaroo).
Fischer price infant/baby to toddler rocker
Tinylove infant to baby rocker
Rocker roo.

10. Best brand of maternity Bra ( am on the busty side )


From one busty girl to another.... I used hot milk, panache, freya, and marks and spencer all had their pros ans cons, you factor in shape, also the outfit you are wearing, if you need to sleep in them ( some are more comfy than others for night time)
but go to www.figleaves.com and check their maternity/nursing section to have an idea of good brands.
For maternity bras.. getting fitted now is fine but I will advise getting fitted AFTER you give birth for a nursing bra. Your bump seriously distorts the measurements
Also DO NOT get an underwired bra especially when pregnant. It is not funny! ( you wont know when you will remove bra in the middle of a crowded bus to ease discomfort!) Many good brands have fantastically supporting bras without underwires the bands are usually thicker for this reason.

Finally get one a cup size bigger this is to allow engorgement. So if you are measured as a G cup, get at least a H or HH cup. (Come back, testify and thank me later! )



11. Best brand of Baby cot, playard or Bassinet.

Not sure on this but i have read the play/travel cot is a good versatile option

12. Best brand of Baby bath plastics ( can I just buy randomly too)

In all honesty , if you bath a baby like a typical nigeran, all you need is a bucket, a small bowl, a good study stool at a descent height and maybe an anti-slip bath mat. You wont really use a baby bath like that till baby can sit up properly - maybe about 9 months. So it is up to you.

Its all plastic, some are just nicer looking than the others

From a concerned FTM, plz don't jump and pass... Thank you in advance!

keeki:
good afternoon mamas. pls help a ftm.my baby sucks a lot lately and I try to express sometimes so he sleeps longer.I use a stainless cup and spoon but of late I discovered that the cup has rust despite keeping it clean and since I don't use it all the time,I decided to get a plastic cup which Is free from rust. but I remember been told in the hospital not to use plastic cup as it is not good for the baby.he is 2months old. should I use the plastic cup or still get another stainless cup. pls don't read and pass.

Get a plastic cup that is BPA free. Many of the popular baby product brands usually have their plastic products bpa free1.
If it is a proper-ish cup you want you can get either the doidy cup by bickiepegs or munchkin have a miracle cup that you can unscrew the cover and use as a normal cup. And when you want , leave the cover on for baby to use by him/ herself

tatacherie:

Beautiful! Is it an adult size?

Thanks!
Child size. was planning to use it as a yoke on a dress but the No. 10 thread may not carry the weight of the fabric at least not with such a lacy crochet motif/ so i may just apply it as a sewn in collar. will repeat with at least a no. 6 thread and post progress pics

Congratulations peggygee.

May your lo always bring joy and happiness to your home.
May God bless and keep her

@ Haarfeez

She should also gargle with warm water and salt as often as possible.

She can take honey even if she is pregnant. Cc. HolySteph

Ginger, honey and lemon mix is also good for colds, coughs and sore throat either take with a spoon like that or add to hot water and drink like tea

If you make a large batch that is more than she can take in a day be sure to store in the fridge. Try not to store for longer than 3 days.

Giddyperson:
Biko I need suggestions. My BIL wants to buy my baby a walker cuz he's noticed she likes toys dangling over her. She's only four months old and I think she's too young for a walker but I agree that she needs something with lots of toys hanging over her. She's outgrown her rocker and we already have a stroller. Is there a nice reliable rocker that can carry a tall 10-12kg baby or any suggestions on what to tell him to buy. Price is not an issue since it's awoof and I wanna milk it. Pls I need to get back to him by morning. Cc:

Does it have to be a walker? Be mindful that babies can have a very short attention span. Plus if she is tall she could outgrow it rather quickly.

A walker will not have pieces over her head. I think the most you will get is some pieces that she can reach up for.

Besides at 4 months she still is a bit to young and will not really be able to use it till she is about 6 -7 months and can support her neck fully.

Alternatives to walker could be

● Jumperoo or jumper Also for older babies. From about 6 / 7 months. looks like a walker but is stationary with no wheels to move it about. It comes with activity interface with sounds, lights and stuff to entertain baby and some have high level toys that babies can reach for. Just make sure you check the weight limit as i think many are about 9 or 12 kg or so.

Other options with better longevity of use:

●Infant/baby to toddler rocker / chair - will last up to 18kg. Fisherprice and tinylove do a couple of options. She can use this till age 3. Just get it in a unisex colour so that giddy juniors can use it irrespective of sex. They usually come with a toy bar with a few dangly bits that you can remove when your baby gets older.


●high chair? You can get the type that you strap onto a normal dining chair ( this type is harder to overturn during tantrum momenta especially if you have verry study dining chairs) . Mamas & Papas do a very nice one. It comes with a table and a toy tray. When she is older you can just detach the table and she can use the main dining table. As it brings her up to that level. She can use it till about 3 yrs.

● Car seat? He can get you a nice group 1, 2,3 car seat. Even if it is only group 1, she will use till she is about 3 or 4 yrs old. If you get the type that is combined 1, 2,3 it is till about 12 years! Ok you may not use it for that long but you will get a solid 5 -6 yrs out of it.

Since it is a freebie and cost is not an issue, choose your gift well oh!

blackFTM:
Hello mamas....my baby is 6 month today. And we tried pap for the first time....the guy was loving it but started crying when ever o remove spoon from his mouth to take pap. He wants the spoon to remain in his mouth while pap keeps flowing (he things it's like breast). And please I need help

1. How do mamas prepare pap and milk for babies.....what I did was make the pap directly on the fire and I discovered that when I added sma gold to the pap, it started to become watery as the pap gets cold.

2. please is there anything I can add to the pap apart from milk.

3. How much milk should I put.

Please make una pity first time mum like me....una thank you.

Sorry i can't help with pap queries. Our other members of the Ogi Voltron force will come to your aid to add to what other mamas have said.

Cc. Zaynie, Liftedhands.

However, for non-pap related food ideas......

https://alphahandmaiden..co.uk

Crochet collar - WIP.

With no.10 crochet cotton and 1.75mm hook.

Goodfortun
Congratulations on the arrival of your LO, and to all mamas that have given birth.
May the los bring you boundless Joy and may God bless and keep them.

To all newly preggers congratulations as well, may your journey be uneventful with no losses.

To the waddlers.... keep strong, your babies will be here sooner than you think ( even though the days seem to be moving in reverse slow-motion)

To the men in the house on behalf of their partners, weldone, God bless you real good.

Ok. God bless y'all. Una goodnight.

JGracious:
queen.snow, (fearless agbo user )I understand your point. Up till now, I wonder why we get secretive about names of herbs that works for a particular ailment. Personally,I would have loved that the names of the herbs are listed which makes it easy to do one's research. Please can you list the contents of the agbo since you got it from a reliable source and it worked excellently for you . I'll appreciate it.
Thank you.

cc.Benignasw.eety

Good luck with the boldened.

It is a trade secret. Even KFC is still claiming to guard the colonel's secret blend.
If her supplier gives her the correct ingredient & quantity list, what is stopping her from making it herself.... business lost!

They will only give you the common ingredients like dongoyaro or moringa... the potent stuff? If you like tear pant! nothing for you.

On the agbo issue!

Just because our parents and grandparents gave us certain things does not mean they are the best.

20 yrs ago it was considered ok to build with abestos..... now it has been found that it causes a serious and irreversible respiratory disease... which is terminal. So will you say because your father built with abestos, you will go ahead and do the same?

Many of these herbs and sticks are not only boiled; they are steeped in locally brewed alchohol to extract the "essense". Do you know what % of alcohol is used, thr effects on infant developement? Or all the twigs/ plants that are used? Either local names or latin/ english equivalent.

your baby may have an allergy, and some can be quite severe enough to kill.

I know of cases of people who have died from everyday "normal" stuff, because of unknown allergens they were exposed, or one extra ingredients, or preparation methods gone wrong.

Some everyday plants can be poisonous if prepared wrongly or if the wrong part is used..... the humble cassava and irish potato are a good example....

As a parent you are reaponsible for your child's health. Do what you think is best.

If S#!+ happens, do not forget to take your bottle of agbo to the hospital along with an ingredient list. , so the doctors have an idea of what they may dealing with..... along with malaria, and x, y or z virus, the cause of illness could also be as a result of what has been ingested.

tatacherie:

Aww! Happy baking little cutie.wishing you safe delivery ma'am.ok

1 chocomilo

tatacherie:

Hello Ma'am kindly pm me

2 chocomilo!

proudmom38:
Mamas abeg make una help me o

My son is cutting his molar and his gum too is bleeding, he can't chew foods and the thing don make am lean finish. Please what can I use to treat the bleeding gum cos its making him to have bad breath.


Ps. I brush his teeth twice a day, so is not hygiene issue!

Cc. zay.nie, ahn.ie, Alphah.andmaiden, sas.syangel, giddy.person and all sabi mamas.

Not sure you can do anything about the bleeding, it will stop then the teeth completely breaks through but for the discomfort you can use teething gel, it is a very mild anaesthetic and helps numb the area.

Paracetamol may also help.


For the breath keep brushing and make sure he is well hydrated. My dd sometimes has bad breath when she is a bit ill and is not drinking as normal.

Benignasweety:
Please maamas lemme cc some people even though I meant all, as most times questions are jumped and passed.
en.que
gid.dyperson
zayn.ie
A.lphahandmaiden
Pre.ttyhurts
Jazz.yjazz

Is it compulsory my lo takes pap?
I read how to prepare tom brown and I think its more better being that its same ingredients and it will come out in powder form instead of stressing on soaking, sieving and all.

It is not neccesary.

I never gave my dd pap when weaning her. I think she has taken pap a grand total of 3 times in her life, and never more than 3 - 5 spoons. She is 21months.

Liftedhands:
Oga fear God! I say fear God!!!!

Miracle Tea! , gbogbo-ise!
Na small make e carry wheelbarrow with loud speaker.....

J0hnTrevolt

For food allergies, both wheat and milk are common culprits.

Wheat has glutten in it and milk lactose both of which people can have an intolerance to.

Any new changes in food before the rashes?

If he has always been taking milk with no issues and wheat is the newest addition, try other cereals.

You can have them as Oats, corn, rice or othet grain based.

Do it one at a time, and give about a week to see if any reactions.

If baby is also over 6 months you can try other foods and fruits as well. I would say avoid any wheat based foods for now including bread and others like pies and cake, basically anything made with standard flour!

If your baby has been breastfed and the rash started since inteoducing formular, milk could be the culprit.
You may want to stop the milk, and see if there is any improvement.

This would mean back to only breastmilk, switching to a lactose free formular ( if you are in a country that offers you these options) or moving on to vegetable based milks such as almond, rice, coconut or soy and supplementing with multivitamins

Onesie conversion

version 2: double layer skirt

Ammy5565:
Pls ooo mamas epp me, my LO suddenly developed a boil on one side of his head on his face. I've been applying penicillin ointment but no much difference. it hurts him and he z been crying. Pls is there any quick remedy for this, I'm so uncomfortable.


all sabi mamas

Ouch!!!! sorry, not sure what you can use, but i will not advise you pop it, you may just make it worse.

You can try the palm oil someone suggested, or you can apply some spirit on it, either methylated or alcohol( 40% at least) soak it in cotton wool and hold on to the boil as long as you can. It would help soften the head.

Someone also mentioned using potatoes to help with boils a good few pages back.
If you have some time do a search, boils and random rememdies were discussed a while back, you may find something that will help.

Give paracetamol for any discomfort.

I hope it goes soon.

Mooretes,
Thanks for the mention. I hope you and the family are doing fine. My LO is doing well, acting as miss independent and talking the house down!

Anyone know of baby/ toddler / child remote control invention with mute, stop and sleep buttons?!

ifyalways:

Amen but errrh, I'm not preggie o.
Too old for that.

So said Aunties Sarah and Eliza in the bible...


* picks up sewing machine and runs far far away *

Onesie conversion

Version 1: single gathered skirt at waist.

Will put up more pics and tutorials when i get a frewmoment.


@ BritneyStacy saw your pm. Unable to reply. I keep getting error messages from the NL reply .
You can send me a direct message at alphahandmaiden@gmail.com

voucher:
Please o the doctor said I should add plenty sugar to my baby's food when he's six months old...I thought babies dnt need sugar? And my husband agreed to it, i dnt want to give my baby sugar o! He said plentyy

Please change your doctor! This one will give you bad advise!

Babies need NO added sugar. Especially processed sugar and definitely not honey.

If you must sweeten from 6 months use fruits, these are naturally sweet.
At 21 months, i still do not use sugar in my dd's cereal. And she takes it just fine. If i must sweeten i use fruits or even use sweeter cereals like golden morn and mix with crushed corn flakes.

Liftedhands:
Start by looking around you and see what people need but is scarce. Secondly and most important in my opinion is what do you have passion for? Cos when business gets slow it's your passion and desire that will keep you going.

I hope I've helped small good luck.

Mamaoo long time happy belated birthday​ to baby J! May he always give you joy and happiness! May God continue to watch over him for you. Kisses to the lil big man

.
Did I just read Alphahandmaiden giving advice on ogi I think we are about to have a new convert into the league of GREAT OGI VOLTRONS! DEFENDER AND USER OF ALL THINGS OGI lols the tips you gave are so on point.

Lol! Lol!

You dont have a convert just yet...I understand the theory but i dont understand the hype thazzall!

Fattamyfattamy

Take him to a doctor may be an eye specialist. If he has never shed a tear; he may have something wrong with his tear ducts. Have you noticed any eye dryess or any other discomforts with this eye? If you do keep note and mention to your doctor.

He may also just be ok and normal.


FruitfulHome,

Please take her back, coughing blood is never a a good thing - it could be tb or any other lung infection, and many of them quite contagious.

The basic test you can do is a chest x-ray. This should show if the issue is only with her lungs..... if she is also vomitting bloods there could be other issues or it just shows the seriousness of her illness.

Sad to say a lot of naija people will knowingly allow you take a seriously sick person and not give you any warning of the seriousness of the illness all in a bid to transfer responsibility.

Should the person get worse or even die, the story we be that their child died in your care.... so please be very careful.

You can assist remotely.

Pweetiebabe:
Advice needed mamas.....

I want to quit my teaching job, I wanted to drop my letter on Tuesday but didn't meet my boss and d secretary refuse to collect it I know my proprietor will try to convince me but I do spend Almost 10k a month for transport and d salary is not up to 30k, den I teach JSSS1-SSS3 Agricultural science and SS1-SS3 biology, d taught of writing lesson note and plan alone is driving me nuts.... And dis summer break don over sweet me DAT am not sure I can start waking up 5am again just to start preparing for school with dis big belle....Am really confused, DH is in support of any decision I make, just don't no wot to do jawe.

Do you have something else yet?
Can you wait till you start maternity, then you can resign from extended mat leave from there.

That way you will have a few months to assess your decisions and if you change your mind, you just resume as normal, if not, you hand in your notice and move on.

And you also get maternity pay.

Also if you know your boss will try to talk you out of it, you may be able to negotiate a pay rise. .

Just my thoughts.

booqee:
this question has been bothering me..

in this modern day, what exactly do u do with the placenta? is it OK to leave it at the hospital?

I know in old times, they give it to the parent..in which some bury it or whatever way to prevent it from getting in "wicked people's hand"..

I've been wondering what to do with it when the time comes, cos it's not something u just wanna throw in the dustbin like that ..and burying is not really an option especially when everywhere is cemented.
can u leave it in the hospital for them to destroy and dispose it them self?

u know this is Africa.. and we are kinda kinda too religious in this part of the continent hence the question..

The hospital should dispose of it, usually by inceneration. Most people these days just let them handle it like any other body parts they have.

You can always ask for it if you wish to dispose of it as you please,

Also some people actually ingest it...... yep you read that right! There is a belief that it is high in all sorts of vitamins and minerals and prevents post partum depression.

So you can cook it, i read stirfry or casserole placenta is quite tasteee...

Some others have it dried, and blended and the powder put in capsules to be ingested as a supplement.


So...... the choice is really yours.


Modified:

To all those collecting their placenta from the hospital, please be considerate in diposing it appropriately, do not taint water supply with your internal organs which will rot, spare a thought for the pour soul who may drink water directly from that river or all the bits get into the ground water.

I think your best bet is to have it burnt and the ashes can be flushed or buried.

For all saying "this is Africa", i agree, mean things happen in Naija so if you have it collected, make sure you dispose of it YOURSELF!

If your excuse is that you are not able to do so immediately after child birth, put it in your freezer if you have one . Then throw it away when you get the earliest chance. Just label it as "do-not- use" before it becomes peppersoup condiment!

Giddyperson:
seriously she's a saint. Whenever she tells me she's going for confession I'd be wondering whether she's going there to confess over reading the bible

lol! Father forgive me for i did not read the whole chapter of john 21 today..... i only read verses 1-23!

Giddyperson:
Thanks I've given her. I added 3 spoons of formula to 150 ml of pap. Hope that's not too much cuz my baby loved the pap a little bit too much. Someone that's a professional spitter promptly forgot how to spit. If I remove spoon from her mouth for a second to get more pap she would throw a tantrum. But it's so messy. Her clothes and mine and my bedsheets all need changing . She ate about 50ml before I gave up. I tried feeding her from a bottle but the formula made the pap thicker and it's not really coming out from the nipple.

Why not make the pap super thick at first so when you add the formula you can then add water a spoon at a time to lighten it up if required. Or you mix the formular with a small bit of water ( just enough to make it liquid) and add to the pap.

Also for feeding bottle, you will either need to make it watery enough to pass through your current teat..... or...... cut the teat to make a bigger hole so it is easier to come out.

Ogi voltrons - am i right?

Ynnk:


Spain.

Looool! This has just put masssive gravel and sand in people's garri. I can just imagine how many have been targetting this shop for a yarn splurge if you had just mentioned a naija city!


Dont be doing things like this! No fair.

hernyhorla:



Well done Dad.
My ds of 6weeks was down with catarrh. I carried him to GH and he was nebulized. I was told to do steam inhalation .
Take off his or her cloth, pour hot water intonation bucket, put a drop of eucalyptus menthol/oil and get someone to cover you and the baby for some few minutes .
It has really worked well. Do it for upto 6 times daily to get effective.
My son is fine now

Cc. Dapotemi

dapotemi:
So glad to read all the wonderful advice here from all the mommas in the house; though am a father with a 3 weeks old baby, i always look foward to this page to read and pass the wonderful info to my wifey. Please this is our worry;
My baby suddenly started having rashes on her forehead, dosctor says we should not cover her too much because shes big (4.2 at birth) and we heed that advice. My wife suddenly develop cold/cough/catarrh and i was scared that she will pass it on to our baby, took mum to hospital and shes getting better but within 48 hours, baby started having running nose; its so painful to see her struggle with breath. But her appetite is good, shes EBF and she feeds well and poo well( like 4 times a day). My MIL sometimes put her mouth in my babys nose to suck out the mucus sometimes(i dont knw if this is right) and baby feels good for a while b4 she will starting running her nose again, she does not sleep well as before. We only give her Vit C every 3 hour and Panda cold/paracetamol. Rashes due to heat and now catarrh due to cold AT THESAME TIME. Pls advice.
N.B I'm also planning to take her to the hospital on mon or tue, preferably a general hospital because i notice that our private hospital does not have childrens doc(peadetrician).
Pls wetin make we do, am so confuse, this is our first child!

The sucking of the nose is ok. As it removes the phlegm and eases baby for a while. If you are not comfy with MIL sucking nose, you can get an nasal aspirator. Comes in two types, the bulb type and the sucking type.... both in pics below.

Get some olbas for babies and put on her bib it will help ease the congestion. After a bath, rub her chest, sides, back and soles of her feet with some baby grade metholatum. If you dont have this you can mix half robb with half shea butter. To dilute it.

Also you will find that laying her flat on her back will make the congestion worse so if you may find she sleeps better on her bouncer or you can lift the front legs of her crib with a book or something so her head is more elevated.

Please DO NOT use a pillow. You can use a folded blanket.... UNDER.. the head of her mattress.

If at any time you see she may be struggling to breathe ( i.e using plenty energy with excessive chest movements) please take her immediately to the hospital

hope it helps.
Good luck and welcome to parenthood.