PB essentials: the paraphernalia

So, my lovelies, time to wrap up this little series of Planet Baby essentials with the unbelievable amount of ‘paraphernalia’ we need. It's a beautiful word which covers a multitude of objects, most of which we had no idea about pre-PB! So here goes with some categories to break it down:

Eating

We have an assortment of delightful Bunnykins crockery, mainly given for the pixies’ christenings, just like we grew up with. I love the idea behind it – the fun comes from the anticipation of finding those beautifully detailed scenes beneath the food when you have been 'very good' and cleaned your plate. I also adore the little rabbits that run endlessly around the rims.

For everyday use, we have stacks of unbreakable melamine plates. Ah, melamine, how we love thee, especially with young Sam on the loose, reaching his cotton-picking little fingers up onto the table to pull down plates! As well as more Bunnykins, we have plenty of other colourful bowls and plates. Together with gender-neutral ones, of course, we have India’s ‘girly’ plates. We have to ensure the older pixies are each given their own plates and bowls or mayhem ensues! Here's India's favourite Prinzessin Lillifee plate from Germany.

We’re huge fans of Hobart woman Anna Jayne Designs' bibs, both the reversible towelling ones for the early days of milk feeds and the plasticised ones for solids. How's this for some retro cuteness?

Drinking

One day the pixies will use their cherished Bunnykins mugs. Until then, they’re using an assortment of colourful melamine mugs and their prized Playtex Insulator cups. After trying a multitude of different brands, we now swear by them. They are spill-proof (the holy grail for parents), keep the contents cool for a long time and are both BPA- and phthalate-free. They come in a variety of bright colours and patterns and are indestructible! We used to be able to buy them at Coles but they seemed to vanish from the shelves a while ago. Now we have a friend in the US who posts them to us (much cheaper than ordering online), together with the replacement plastic valves (another godsend for parents who know how orange-mouldy and manky such cups can become, no matter how well you clean them).

Lying

Our sweet Mothercare Winnie the Pooh playmat lasted for all three pixies. Easy to fold and transport, it was machine washable and dried quickly. Our Minimink rugs have also been winners, especially in the Hobart winter.

Playing

Now, this is a huge topic which I’ll canvass properly in future posts. But generally, we choose wooden and educational toys, classics which will last. Mind you, we also have our fair share of plastic toys!

Sitting

We used our dependable Love’n’Care Royal Rocker and brilliant Bumbo seat when the pixies were small. The latter was particularly helpful when Joshua developed a flat spot on the back of his head as it meant he could sit up without putting pressure on his head, unlike the rocker. Here he is, sitting in it.

Our Ikea Kritter table and Leksvik chairs have been sturdy, well-used and a bargain.

Sleeping

Our cotton Living Textiles cot-sized sheet sets (flat sheet, fitted sheet and pillow case) have worn beautifully and are easy to care for. We folded them underneath the smaller bassinette mattress at the beginning so we didn’t have to buy extra bedding for that short period. Waterproof undersheets have been essential.

Transporting

Our trusty navy Baby Björn Baby Carrier Original Spirit with extra back support has done remarkable service and has now been retired (well, Mr PB lost it but Sam is too big for it now, anyway!). It’s been so durable, withstanding the pixies’ teething and drooling and been easy to care for – just thrown in the washing machine. Mr PB used to take Joshua on long walks and he’d doze off very contentedly. We also used it as another option with the newborn ‘settling’ problem.

Mr PB, headphones on, about to head off on a walk with Joshua

We’ve been pleased with our hardwearing navy and white Peg Pérego pram.  I’ve loved its versatility, being able to use it with the pixies either facing me (imperative when they’re tiny and even when they’ve been bigger, I’ve still enjoyed watching them) or away (I’ve eventually had to accede to their desire to look out and explore, not just look at my face!). We found it stored away easily, being quickly dismantled with one foot and one hand (with the other one holding the baby) and a good weight, so important when you have to lift it in and out of the car. At about $430 on sale, we scored a bargain.

Watching

Our trusty old combination DVD/VCR player has copped a fearful hammering from inquisitive pixie fingers but has survived intact (apart from one repair trip after ‘someone’ - aka ‘Mr Nobody’ – posted some toast in the slot, the old classic!). The pixies pretty much watch ABC Kids exclusively (we’re firm believers in a ‘no ads’ household while they are young). Our childhood favourites of ‘Sesame Street' and ‘Play School' feature on the morning agenda, together with shows like ‘Giggle and Hoot' (I still have to send Joshua’s drawing in, bad Mummy), ‘Shaun the Sheep’ and ‘Blinky Bill’. The telly goes off after ‘Play School’ finishes at 10 am and is turned back on again at 3pm for the afternoon version of the show.

Some of the many DVDs on PB

We have a stash of DVDs which are in high rotation but only viewed at certain times. Current favourites are ‘Trotro’, the cute little French donkey, any ‘Land Before Time’ or ‘Ice Age’ dinosaur episodes, any episode of ‘The Fairies’ and the slightly subversive ‘The Upside Down Show’. Classics (mainly chosen by Mr PB) include ‘Peter Pan’, ‘The Wizard of Oz’, ‘Captain Pugwash’ and ‘The Goodies’ (yes, you can tell we are children of the 1970s!).

So, that’s it in a nutshell. Do share what you’ve found works best for your children – roadtested tips are the best!

Jane