On Vertical Bumpers

Our baby began exploring how to stand on his own in his wooden crib at 9 months. It drove our paranoid minds to the brink of insanity as we figured out how we can protect his head. We leave our son in the crib so we need not worry but this has changed since he started standing up. Of course I have seen the helmets and I know how my baby will never allow us to secure that foreign thing on his head. He can definitely not sleep wearing it and our baby stands on his own as we sleep. How many times have I awoken to a baby standing in his crib staring at me. Yes, this creeps me out at times, and yes, it also makes me guilty every time it does, because, what mother gets spooked by her own baby. I later on learned, it happens to other moms too. I digress.

We do not have conventional crib bumpers because it raises the risk of SIDS which I have blogged about before. We have done okay in the past, granted there were some bumps on the wooden crib but we figured the wood used for the crib is safe enough not to harm his head. However, falling like a log backward from a standing position and hitting his head is not something that we will idly watch happen.

We needed to find a solution and fast. I then went to Google for help but I was dumbfounded. What do I search for? What kind of product are we exactly looking for?! I was able to find Wonder Bumpers by Go Mama Go Designs. These bumpers are special because unlike conventional bumpers that will block air passage into the crib and pose the risk of SIDS, these are vertical. The bumpers individually wrap each railing by zipping the bumper around it. I loved it immediately. This was even before I learned that it has been given multiple awards. Unfortunately, I found out that they are in the US and to have the bumpers shipped will take a while and we need the bumpers urgently. Clearly, our lack of foresight is to blame. I sent an email to Go Mama Go Designs to inquire about a local distributor in the Philippines. It was a weekend so I had to wait at least 2 days for a reply. Meanwhile, I kept on searching while considering a DIY project.

By a stroke of great luck, I chanced upon Forever Mommy on Facebook and they were on a Clearance Sale. I browsed through the selection and lo and behold, I saw the Wonder Bumpers and they were on sale!!! We immediately placed our order and as though Forever Mommy knew about our predicament, our order arrived the following day! You cannot imagine how grateful we were!

We ordered the following:
1. 38 Wonder Bumper A for Alien Vertical Bumper Set (3,800PHP) in cotton fabric that comes with the following:

• 38 reversible vertical bumpers  
• Crib Skirt
• Crib Sheet
• Toddler Blanket

2. 4pcs 2-Pack Blue Damask Vertical Bumper in mink fabric (279PHP each)
    We got these because our crib has 4 thick corners and we also have more than 38 rails. We had to combine 2 vertical bumpers to enclose the corners. All we had to do was to zip together 2 vertical bumpers.

They did not have the A for Alien design for the 2-Pack Vertical Bumpers so we resorted to the Blue Damask design in mink fabric. I later on learned that this belongs to the Luxury Line of Go Mama Go Designs. 

3. 2pcs 52x12" A for Alien teething guard (459PHP each)
4. 2 pcs  30x12" A for Alien teething guard (369PHP each)

We had the Wonder Bumpers machine washed as soon as they got to us and the following day, we were able to install them. Note that it has been raining when we washed the bumpers but they dried the following day anyway.

Forever Mommy gave me the wrong width for the 30x12 teething guard but they delivered the correct width the following day, early in the morning. They also gave us free gifts to make up for it. Now that is customer service!!!

Go Mama Go Designs replied to me on the first working day in the US and the reply I got? They do have a local distributor and it's Forever Mommy!

My son has since fallen four times in his crib twice falling backward. It gives us some peace of mind that the rails are now padded. Being paranoid parents, we reinforced the padding that came with the Wonder Bumpers with Uratex foam that is 2" in width. We just inserted the foam into the vertical bumper sleeve.


What we love about the Wonder Bumper:

• Easy to install
• Reversible
• Quick to dry 
• Machine washable
• Nice fabric
• Well made 

We would have preferred thicker foam but then other parents who aren't us may be fine with the foam. As I have said, we are super paranoid.

I definitely recommend this product to those who have wooden cribs!

Youji&Me Warehouse Sale: Wooden Crib

We wanted to get our baby a wooden crib that can be used until his toddler years and then eventually be used by our next child. After looking around, I saw some shops selling wooden cribs but the sturdiest with the most reasonable price was Cuddlebug that is distributed by Youji&Me. Mothercare has some nice wooden cribs too but their price starts at 15K PHP.

Upon browsing the Youji&Me Facebook account, I learned that they hold annual warehouse sales and in these sales, they give as much as 50% discount on cribs and even more discounts on their other items. It was great that historically, they hold these sales around the month of September or October because these are the months that I can already shop for the baby. Since I learned about the warehouse sale, I have been waiting for their announcement so when the day finally came, my husband and I decided that I will go on leave to make sure that I get to buy the wooden crib we want for our baby. My husband had to work on the day I had to shop so I went on my own.

I went there with three criteria in mind:

• Price - Of course even with the discount, we still want the price to be reasonable
• Quality - We want it as sturdy and as solid as possible
• Color - Husband prefers dark color so it matches with the rest of our furnitures

When I got there, there were already some pregnant women and couples waiting in the lobby. The sale opens at 10am and we were early by 30 minutes. The elevator going to the 9th floor where the sale was is rather small and I was part of the third trip up. When I got there, some of the cribs were already marked as SOLD. Their inventory moves fast, it was good I came early.

The way they do it is, they display the actual item you will buy and that will be the one packed or delivered to you. I wanted to get this Fontana crib at first because this had a 40% off discount and it came in a dark color. 

I could have gotten the Fontana crib for 6K PHP but decided against it because I felt that the Brentwood crib was sturdier and more solid and the price difference was only 2,400.00 PHP. The color though did not match what my husband wanted but that's the least of our priorities. There was this other crib that came in exactly the same shade that we wanted, it was sturdy and elegant but the price tag was hefty at 12K PHP and this is already the discounted price!

I got this crib for 8,400.00 PHP which is not so bad since some of the Pack and Plays cost even more than this amount. My husband said that ten years ago he bought a wooden crib for at least 10K PHP so he thinks this is a great deal. I got it in Tawny so the wood is at least brown though not in the shade we wanted.

We also decided to get the mattress from Cuddlebug even though we could have gotten a much cheaper Uratex mattress because what they have conforms to the safety standards for cribs, it's supposed to be cooler to the skin because of the side vents, firmer because it has coiled springs and has a waterproof lining as well. The dimension is 52"x28"x6". This retails for 3,999.99 PHP and we got it for 3K PHP. The Uratex foam would have costed us almost 2K PHP.

While Youji&Me sells bed linens, I decided not to buy because it came with bumpers, blankets, comforters and other loose items that I did not want in the crib. We are just going to look for a fitted bed sheet. Since the dimension of the crib follows the standard dimension, it should not be hard to find the fitted sheet.

The Youji&Me Warehouse Sale is still ongoing from today, September 18 to 20, 2015 at Deco Centrum 10:00 am to 5:30 pm. There are other items that I got that I will post soon.

Search for the Wooden Crib

My brother and SIL have offered their Play and Pack pink crib but but because a) I am still unsure of the gender of my baby b) I am nesting c) eventually we will have to buy a wooden crib too for when the baby grows bigger, I have checked wooden cribs out as well. I have looked at so many wooden cribs today and I have identified the following shops that I would like to check out:

• Mothercare  I have not checked the price range of Mothercare cribs but the crib that Daphne Osena got for her first kid was still used by her other two kids. Also, my husband wants to make sure that the crib is safe and I know Mothercare sells items safe for kids.

• Youji & Me I have seen some of their cribs online and I like the brand Cuddlebug. I like this brand because most of their cribs can be converted into toddler beds. They also make use of non-toxic paint and really good wood.  I hear they hold warehouse sales and in 2014 it was around September or October. This is perfect for me because by that time I can already start shopping!

• Baby Company I know they carry Cuddlebug as well but I am unsure if they have a lot of choices.

• Rustan's They carry Cuddlebug along with other brands. At Alabang Town Center, they have one display unit and the others are just shown in pictures but are also available for sale.

• Ikea If only we have Ikea in the Philippines! They have nice crib options and beddings that will fit perfectly in the crib. They have a lot of cribs that can be converted into a daybed as well so I think it will be a good investment. There is one seller on Lazada offering an Ikea crib so I might consider this as well.

There are also online shops offering second hand cribs from Japan but I do not think my husband will be interested in purchasing a crib once owned by a stranger. If you are interested though, here is one of the sites I saw:

• Abebe Beybishop This shop offers Japan surplus items for kids. They have wooden drop side cribs. Please note though that drop side cribs have been prohibited by US already because there have been many infant deaths associated to drop side cribs. Eventually, the mechanism weakens or the assembly is incorrect so some babies get trapped in between the drop side and the base of the crib. For more information you can read about it here. 

I initially wanted a drop side crib because it will allow me to push the crib next to the bed. This way we can co-sleep without sharing the bed. The American Academy of Pediatrics discourages co-sleeping because it increases the chances of the baby getting suffocated so I was thinking this was a great work around. Also, this should help me in late night feeds but after reading the ban on drop side cribs, I have decided against it. Some cribs like those of Ikea and Mothercare allow the removal of the sides once the child is older so that it can be converted into a daybed but the sides cannot be conveniently removed and then placed back.

I am really learning a whole lot. I guess it is good too that I am nesting this early.