This post came about when I was exchanging emails with a good friend who was shopping for gifts for a cousin who is expecting. She came to this blog and read about my post on BPA and BPA-Free products but couldn’t find a list of actual products she could buy. I  created that post to share what I’ve learned about BPA and I feel that it gives a good overview on why BPA is a big N-O.

For anything concerning BPA and other toxins that are unfortunately present in our environment, I only refer to two sources:Safe Mama and The Soft Landing. The ladies behind these blogs and websites have done their research and are staunch advocates of eco-conscious child rearing. These blogs are great resources and have empowered a lot of parents with great information.

I love Safe Mama for their cheatsheets which are updated regularly.  I’ve asked Kathy if it would be alright to repost their BPA-Free Bottle cheatsheet and she said it was fine as long as I note that the list is live and that us moms and dads (and well meaning titos and titas) should still go to Safe Mama for the most recent list of BPA-Free goodies.

A partial list is found below. I’ve filtered the list so that what I have here for you are BPA-Free products available in Manila and that I’ve seen stocked in local baby stores like SM’s Baby and Co and Rustan’s Baby Club.  You may want to print out the list (or better yet go to Safe Mama and print out their list) so that you can bring it when you go shopping as some of the brands only have specific variants which are BPA-Free. There are still baby brands out there that carry products which have not been found to be safe from BPA.  If you know of any other products that are available here locally, I would love for you to shout it out at the comments section for the other mamas to read about. Again, to get Safe Mama’s list, go here

A quick note, glass bottles offer the safest, bpa-free option out there. Silicone jackets or cozies are available which slips on these bottles for easier grip and so that when they fall, the won’t break easily.

Now on to the list:

Feeding bottles

• Avent: “Via” Feeding System, Tempo Liners, Avent PES Bottles (see here to read up on Philip’s FAQ regarding BPA)
• BornFree: All bottles and cups BPA free
• Dr Brown’s Glass Bottles, Dr. Browns Polypropylene Bottles (all vent system pieces BPA Free – made with polypropylene – and fit all models)
• EvenFlo: Classic™ Glass Bottles, Classic™ Light Tint Polypropylene bottles, Classic™ Clear Polypropylene Bottles, Purely Comfi™ Bottles
• Medela: All bottles
• Munchkin: Dora the Explorer Classic Bottles, Mighty Grip Glass Bottles
• Nuby: Standard Neck Non-Drip Bottle, Wide-Neck Non-Drip Bottle, Wide-Neck Bottle with Handles and Non-Drip Nipple, Standard Neck Bottle with Handles and Non-Drip Nipple, 3-Stage Wide Neck Easy Grip Feeding System with Non-Drip Nipple, Natural Touch SoftFlex InfaFeeder (silicone) (keep up to date on Nuby products here)
• Playtex: Original Nurser, Playtex Drop in liners, Ventaire Advanced Bottles (marked BPA Free)

Hope this helps!

One of the last things that I  prepared was the hospital bag. My mom was bugging me to prepare one when I was on my 7th month but I thought that it was too early and honestly, I didn’t know what to pack. With all the resources and parenting forums out there, the list can get too long and complicated  and the helpful pieces of advice can be too overwhelming. So on my eight month when I finally got around to packing, I did what any first time mom probably did— I overpacked.

It is true what they say “buti ng sobra kesa kulang” (better to go over than be lacking) but it’s also true that hindsight is 20/20. My bag thefore had stuff that I never used and did not have those that I wish I brought.

So fellow parents, here’s my own checklist based on my own experience. It’s always better to check with your hospital’s nursery and your OB what you need to pack.  I was surprised at the list my OB gave me, it only had five items. Syempre di ko sinunod haha

This list (found after the cut) is based on my stay at St. Luke’s hospital.  If you have any more to add to the list,  please post them at the comments section including why you think they’re musts! I would love to hear from you!

So there we go, the things to pack for the big day for yourself, your partner and the baby. These lists are by no means complete and is just based on my experience during my stay at St. Luke’s.  Did I miss anything? What other “musts” should any parent bring to the hospital for the big day?