Wednesday, June 22, 2016

Tools and Method Used When Cooking for Baby Vern

Ever since baby Vern started semi-solid/solid food, it has been almost a daily thing to whip out something quick for him. Let me share with you how I cook for him and the tools I use to make my life easier.

Let me first share my first favourite tool.
I forgot the brand and don't really know what it is called, but I called it the Lotus Foldable Steamer Basket.

This thing is foldable, with self-adjusting sides which fits into almost any size pots/pans.
Mine is made of polypropylene sides and a metal base which are heat-resistant to a high heat level.
 

This is how the back looks like. It has silicon feet.
 


So what I do is I usually cut my carrots/pumpkin/potatoes or whatever into strips so that it is easier to cook and also to encourage self-feeding for baby-led weaning.
Then spread it on the Lotus Foldable Steamer Basket.
Then I filled a little water into a small pot and then put the steamer basket into the pot once the water is boiling away.
Close it up and lower the heat and in about 10-15 mins it will be done.
 
 

I like this because I like to steam most of baby Vern's food, because steaming supposedly retains those all-important nutrients, making it a healthy way for him to enjoy his food.

You can also put a variety of food in it at once. Mix it up. It works fine as long as you are ok with the mix of the flavours. I don't mind and Vern doesn't mind so it is fine.
 
 

Actually, this nifty little tool can be bought anywhere.
I saw this selling at the pasar malam too. Not sure if they are bpa-free or not though.


My next favourite tool is this Turbo Chopper by Tupperware brand.
I owned one previously and I mainly use it to chop garlics and chilies. 
I like that it is small and it doesn't use electricity; just pull the string several times and it is all done! Easy and effortless!
Photo Source: http://www.tupperwarebrands.com.my/turbo-chopper.php

I use a lot of minced garlic for cooking so this saves me time and sanity. I chop a week's worth of garlic and then use it every day, saving me a lot of time.
 


And then I decided to use this to chop Vern's food too. But since mine is already filled with garlicky-chilly smell, I purchased another one from my friend.

This time, I purchased the Turbo Chopper Set; which comes with the turbo chopper and an extra 2 bases with 3 seals.
Photo Source: http://www.tupperwarebrands.com.my/turbo-chopper.php

I use it to blend the brown rice or rolled oats before cooking them to make them smaller and easier for baby Vern to eat since he hasn't got much teeth yet. 
I sometimes blend the carrots or pumpkin or whatever food to be added in to the porridge as well. 
 
 

I like that this small little chopper is easy to control how coarse or fine I want it to be chopped/blended. I blended it finely when I want to make it into soup. Or now that baby Vern can bite better, I chopped his food more coarsely when I added them into his porridge/oats.
 

The very sharp three-blade can be removed from the base and clicked into the white plastic for security, and then you can just out the lid on and keep the remains in the fridge or to take out for outing. Very convenient indeed. 
 
 


And to cook his porridge/oats, I steam it too. If we are cooking rice, then I just add a little bowl on the top of our rice. But if we are not cooking rice, I would just take a small stainless steel bowl and steam it in the little pot. 

I either use a little rack for the bottom, or you can also use it without. It works fine. Just make sure the water level is half or less than the bowl and simmer it on low heat. 

I cook it this way because it doesn't make sense to put the porridge or oats directly into the pot as it is easily burned due to the small amount the baby eats. 
And it is much easier to wash this way too. :)
 
 


All if you are in a rush of time, or simply just didn't have the time to look over the fire, you can just use the lifesaver slow cooker.
Just throw all the ingredients inside, like for instance I added the rice grains, some corn and pumpkin. Turn on the power and just forget about it. About 1 1/2 to 2 hours later, all will be done. :)
 


Let me end this post with some pics of baby Vern and his food!
   
  


I like these tools and method because I don't have to use my giant steamer / pot to steam/cook just a small amount of food each time for him. And also by using this, I have less things to wash, which ultimately means I am more inclined to cook fresh food for him at every meal, and don't have to resort to batch cooking because I am lazy to wash, haha. 

Hope this post can encourage and inspire you people to cook healthy delicious food for your little ones...with minimal washing and fuss of course! haha!


Thursday, June 16, 2016

Review: LÍLLÉbaby® Complete ALL SEASONS Baby Carrier (Part 2)

Vern @ 9 mo - 30 April 2016

This is Part 2, a continuation of the review of the LÍLLÉbaby® Complete All Seasons Baby Carrier that I did last year. You can read all about Part 1 of the review here in which I talked about my first impressions of the carrier.

Now that I'd finally had a chance to babywear baby Vern using this, I'll share with you the babywearing experience of this LÍLLÉbaby® carrier.



Ergonomic

This is basically how it looks like wearing this on me. 
I prefer to use Front-Toddler style, where I'm wearing him at the front of my body with him facing me. 
These are the side views, the front and the back views.

 
 


When baby Vern was an infant, I preferred to use the wrap or sling to babywear him. But this LÍLLÉbaby®carrier can also be used to babywear an infant without the use of an infant insert. All you need to do is to use the wide seat setting and the baby will be positioned in the natural newborn frog-legged position.

As you can see, baby Vern is being seated very ergonomically and comfortably in the carrier, with the M-shaped bottom and legs. 
This seating position is also achieved using the wide seat setting, which ensures a natural seating position as baby Vern can sit comfortably with his legs around my waist. 


I like how natural it is for baby Vern's body to curve into mine as I babywear him in the Front-Toddler position. This shows how ergonomic the carrier is and how both of us are so comfortable in it.  



Wide Padded Shoulder Straps & Waist Belt
The first thing I noticed when I tried it on is how well padded and wide the shoulder straps are, giving me comfort and it did not dig into my shoulders. 
The waist belt is also wide and comfortable enough, distributing my baby's heavy weight properly all around the waist.
As an experienced baby carrier user, I know how important this is. 




Lumbar Support

The highlight and my favourite feature of this carrier is the Lumbar Support. 
This piece of cloth on the baby carrier which is the lumbar support, does actually increases comfort for me.
I felt it helps to provide support for my back and thus prevents lower back strain.

It also helps to maintain a healthy posture and alignment as I felt that this lumbar support ensures that I always wear my carrier at the center position and not slide to the side. 
When combined with the extra sturdy waist belt it maximizes my comfort. 



Two-Way Strap

This 
LÍLLÉbaby® carrier has a two-way strap feature which I find it so very helpful. 
The carrier straps adjust in 2 ways - you can either pull forward or backwards to tighten it. This two-way, dual adjustable belt makes it easy to adjust the carrier to my most comfort level in no time at all. I don't have to reach my hand to pull a strap backward. I could just simply pull forward or backwards as long as it reaches my desired length for my maximum comfortability! 

This dual adjustment buckles also simplify breastfeeding and adjusting straps on the go. This two-way strap ensures that I could breastfeed discreetly and no one would ever know because I would just pull the straps easily to adjust positions. 



Extra Tall, Extendable Torso

Another one of my favourite features of the LÍLLÉbaby® carrier is that it has an extra tall and extendable torso. This feature provides neck and back support for the baby's head.
I don't think I can say that baby Vern is tall, but then I can safely say that he is definitely a big baby. 

So whenever he falls asleep in the carrier, I like to unbutton and extend out the extendable part for a higher support for him. 
This is how it looks like with the extendable part up.
You see how the silver part of the carrier is being extended up to baby Vern's ear and cover half of his head.
You can definitely see how it helps to support his neck and back, and is definitely helpful when he is asleep. 
 
 

Vern sleeps ever so peacefully in it. ;) 
 



Temperature Control Planel (ONLY FOR ALL SEASONS carriers) 

And now for the uniqueness of this All Season's model, is the Temperature Control Panel.
This panel has 2 zippers on either side of the midline.  This panel can be zipped up for warmth or down for a much cooler, breathable babywearing session.

On the left is when the panel is zipped up, with the extra cotton fabric. 
And on the right is how it looks like with the panel being zipped down, where the silver mesh material is exposed. 
PANEL ZIPPED DOWN vs PANEL ZIPPED UP

 


In a cool and air-conditioned mall, I usually zipped it up.
 

But lately the weather in Penang was crazily hot with the Equinox phenomena hitting us, so even in the mall we felt not that cool and sometimes both Vern and I could even be sweating.
So this temperature control panel really comes in useful as I can kinda adjust it according to the temperature. So I've been using it zipped down most of the time. 
It also has a tiny strap below it for you to roll up the cotton panel to be tucked in below. I like these little details that LÍLLÉbaby® put into the carrier. 
  



Pockets

As for the pocket size-wise, it is a little tight. It can fit my iPhone6 but not anything else. I would prefer a bigger pocket, perhaps pockets with a wider base so that at least I can fit in my car keys and a little cash perhaps.




All in all, both baby Vern and I are very happy with 
LÍLLÉbaby® Complete All Seasons Baby Carrier. Albeit a little bulky, but it comes with the comfort and the many features mentioned above and more.


Let me end this post with the happy faces Baby Vern in this 
LÍLLÉbaby® Complete All Seasons Baby Carrier!


 

 

 

p/s - Please click here for Part 1


TO PURCHASE 

Please send an email to LÍLLÉbaby® Malaysia at info@activaimpetus.com , or you can also text their mobile at 014-6993992
You can also visit their Facebook page for more info and shop directly from their Facebook-Shop Now link directly from their suppliers. 




TO PURCHASE WITH 5% DISCOUNT CODE (on top of existing discount)

More good news! Thanks to 
LÍLLÉbaby® Malaysia, you get: 

5% off  ON TOP OF existing discount. Please enter/mention tanshuyin upon checkout. 





To read about my other reviews on babycarriers, click on below :-
a) Soft-structured Carriers (SSCs)
Pikkolo by Catbird Baby
LÍLLÉbaby® Complete All Seasons (Part 1Part 2)
- Ergobaby; Ergobaby Performance, and Ergobaby 360.

b) Wraps
Ergobaby Wrap

c) Slings SUPPORi Baby Sling
SUKKIRI Ring Sling







* Disclosure: I received an LÍLLÉbaby® Complete All Seasons Baby Carrier for review purpose, but no monetary incentive was received. All text and opinions are of my own and represents my honest opinion of the product(s).

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