Baby Essentials Worth Investing In (Featuring RAPH&REMY 's Premium Personalized Essentials and MeiMeiOOPS)

I used to think the following..."Why are baby products so expensive?"

But being a second timer mummy, my perspectives have changed. I started to be more careful about the products I used with my kiddos, especially infants. I also saw the value of investing in certain baby products that really enhance the quality of care to my child's life. In today's blog post, I am introducing some baby essentials which is important to invest in for your kids and/or if you are intending to purchase something for a mummy-to-be. As an additional bonus, I will be highlighting an item which I personally love for meimeioops.

1) Organic Bamboo Bath Towels

Yes, and this is definitely the top on my product list. When you touch an infant, you can easily feel their skin being so soft and sensitive. Something too harsh may cause abrasion and/or rashes to their delicate skin which can make my helpless baby feel so uncomfortable. And it's worse if the babies have skin issues such as eczema which BabyOOPS had when he was little. Therefore I want to be extra careful with the bath towels which my baby gets close contact with everyday during bath time. I swear by towels which are made of a high percentage of organic bamboo fabric.  There are so many products out there that use the word "bamboo towel" "hypoallergenic" "anti-bacterial" so loosely. So it's important to pick certified products and to read reviews by other users.

With MeimeiOOPS, I am currently using RAPH&REMY's towel and mitt, which are OEKO-TEX® certified, for her bath times. The bamboo towel is so much softer, more absorbent and dries up much faster as compared to other cotton towels. To protect the texture of the towels, it is best that you handwash it. However, I am so overwhelmed with caregiving duties so I just drop the towel in a laundry net bag and wash it on low spin with a delicate baby laundry detergent. So far, we have washed it 3 times and it not only stays soft after washing, the shape and colour are also retained. 

My mother in law giving meimeioops a good scrub with her personalized mitt.

After bathing, we just wrap Meimeioops in the towel, cover her head with the hood and she's all dry. That probably explains the comfortable look on her face.

2) Bamboo Blankets 

Meimeioops's beautiful name is embroidered on her blanket.

A good blanket is the next important essential item which you would want to invest in. You know you have secured a good bamboo blanket the moment you touch it. You can immediately feel the cooling effect of the material when you brush your hand on the blanket. The material is also very breathable and soft and serves the purpose of keeping the baby warm. That's the type of blanket that's totally perfect for Singapore weather. Another key factor would be the knitted baby blankets not having too large holes such that the baby's fingers and toes would get caught inside the holes yet having good enough size "holes" that encourages air flow.

We are currently using RAPH&REMY's bamboo blanket with Meimeioops in 2 different ways. Firstly, we used it as a blanket to keep her warm when she's sleeping in a cold environment. As the blanket is 80cm x 100cm in size, this blanket is something that can accompany her all the way to toddler stage. 

Secondly, we lay it out on her baby cot and let her sleep on the blanket instead of her cotton bedsheet covers. The cooling effects of the bamboo blanket makes sleeping really comfortable for meimeioops. We have not head out to malls due to the Covid-19 circuit breaker restrictions. But now with shops open, I will bring this blanket along when we go for our shopping trips with meimeioops. It would be perfect for use with the stroller.

3) Teethers made with silicon and beechwood

Check out Ember's name being engraved on one of the wooden rings.

I never understood the importance of teethers until I have a baby. That's the hard fact.  It is natural that teething babies (about 4-7 months onwards) love to chew things because it helped to soothe the discomfort they are experiencing. Teethers are super important not just for the babies who are growing new teeth but they are also important for the parents and caregivers. When BabyOOPS was teething, there were times whereby we did not have teethers and teething necklace with us and so he ended up biting us instead and it's SUPER PAIN. I learnt to always have teethers around and since my baby will be chewing on it so aggressively, is important to look for teethers that are made of 100% food grade silicon which are BPA free and untreated natural beechwood. None of us will want our babies to ingest any forms of unnecessary chemicals.

We chose a strawberry pink for our RAPH&REMY's BubbleGummy™ Teethers. It came with sweet looking baby pink silicon beads and engraved with meimeioops's name on one of the beechwood rings. The teether is very lightweight and it is designed such that babies would be able to grip it easily. Can't wait for meimeioops to chew on it soon.

4) A Good Changing Mat

In the past 2 years, I basically went to many nursing rooms and handicapped toilets enough to understand the importance of a good changing mat. First thing to note : Not all nursing rooms are well-equipped and clean. Second thing to note: Some places do not have nursing rooms. Third thing to note: Most changing areas are basically a space saving foldable diaper changing board.

What I define as a good changing mat needs to have the following factors:
-Easy to clean because nursing rooms and handicapped toilets are filled with many nasty germs
-Portable and compact in size because if not, it would just be an added burden
-Some levels of thin padding because it can provide the baby with some comfort when we are changing them on those hard (non-padded) kind of changing boards

My current changing mat is RAPH&REMY's Changing Mat Clutch which fits all the criteria which I mentioned above. On top of that, it comes with some additional perks that made me fall in love with it immediately. The mat is designed such that it looks like a fashionable clutch handbag which never goes out of style. For a short trip out with the baby, I do not have to lug a huge diaper bag and just bring this out and it's good enough. Am I exaggerating? No.

Another feature worth mentioning is the additional dual side pocket which is good enough for me to put one full pack of wet wipes on one side. On the other side, I would slot in 2 diapers. In case of any poop-nami or milk "merlion" moments, I also slotted a plastic bag inside the pocket so I can put the soiled clothes if needed.
A downside of this would be the clutch losing its sleek thin look because I added a full pack of wipes inside. But if I can skip a diaper bag and replace it with just a clutch, it's a good trade off imho!

The size of the pocket is just nice to fit diapers and wet wipes etc.

A little more about RAPH&REMY...
When I was introduced to RAPH&REMY, I was clueless about this brand. But through understanding them better, I was so drawn to this company due to the amount of attentiveness they placed in designing their products, the colours and materials which they used and the way they emphasized on details such as the personalization and packaging of their products. An added advantage is that the founders of the company Tiffany and Eric are both experienced parents who knows the needs of young children well. Their products will definitely bring lots of joy and comfort to any family who's receiving it.

Premium packaging with handwritten personalized messages and product details

Loves loves.

One cool feature about their products is being able to personalize the items by either engraving or embroidering the baby's name / initials on the item. The fonts which they used are also very classy and elegant. Seeing our little one's specially chosen name on these frequently used products sparks multiple warm fuzziness in me each time I use it. These personalized baby products will also be  special and beautiful keepsakes for meimeioops when she gets older.

Another item which I personally love (and clearly not an essential) is this beautiful RAPH&REMY's white bow headband. It fits in comfortably with any head size (even my head) because its so stretchable. I also love the design because it's very classic and simple and versatile. It will go well with all types of dresses, formal and casual. 

For now, the bow looks quite oversized for meimeioops tiny head. Tsk, her head circumference is only at 25th percentile. Phew. Haha, but babies grow fast and I can't wait to dress her up more often with this headband!

Before I end off, if you are keen to shop for the same products I am currently using or if you are interested to check out more baby apparels, do hop on over to https://www.raphandremy.com/ to check out their whole range of products. For those who are looking at getting gifts for newborns but are clueless over what is most appropriate, I would highly recommend their 7 EssentialSomethings gift set. Every item inside are things which all parents would welcome, no matter how many children they have. Tsk, I'm speaking from experience.

That's all I have for now, Tata.
With love,
Mrs OOPS

Note: All photos are credited to Mr and Mrs OOPS unless otherwise stated. Follow @mrandmrsoops on Instagram for more photo works and updates. This blog post is a sponsored review which highlighted our thoughts about the products we received from RAPH&REMY.