Investing in quality baby gears is one important advice that we received from our friends when Khris and I were about to become parents. Those baby gears make life a lot easier for parents because they provide extra protection to children, they keep the little ones distracted and interested, or they keep things organized. 

Parenting is an incredible journey. As such, Khris and I could only be grateful for having been given the opportunity to raise our two boys. Every day is like one big adventure because our babies are both growing fast and demanding unlimited play. 

While our kids are our priority, my wife and I also have to attend to our respective jobs. We are working from home but, believe it or not, this set-up can become a lot more chaotic because when our babies see us, they would demand our immediate undivided attention. 

As such, we would have to stop whatever we were doing and play with them a little or carry them for a few minutes. When their excitement has tempered a bit, we hand them over to their yaya, then we go back to work. 

It’s a good thing that we were able to hire a yaya a month before the lockdown so she is nothing but a big help to use. There are moments, of course, when she would have to leave the kids to us for an extended period of time, either to prepare their meals or to take a break. 

That’s the time when some of the baby gears I have listed here come in handy. 

Most of our favorite baby gears are common equipment that many parents would probably also have. One thing that you should remember though is to buy good quality items. They last long, they are multi-functional, they are usually lightweight, and generally keep babies safe and secured. 

Here are five of the baby accessories that we can’t live without: 

One of the best decisions that we have made was to buy an Aprica baby stroller. It’s very easy to operate, unlike other brands that are as challenging as calculus to solve. We have another branded stroller given to us by my sister-in-law but it was as bulky as a piece of luggage. 

With Aprica, it has been nothing but pure joy to use; it was light as a feather, easy to open, and sturdy. What’s funny though is that our second baby loves being in this stroller; he would fall asleep in an instant whenever we put him in there. He would sleep deeply for hours unlike when he is in his crib. 

Before the quarantine, we used to bring our Aprica stroller with us a lot for our afternoon walks outside the condo. It was so versatile that we even used it to carry our grocery bags in several instances. 

Even with the lockdown though, we still use our stroller inside the house when we would feed our baby or when we are unable to immediately attend to him because of work. And we also use it for our daily afternoon walks in our front yard. 

We found the walker to be of big help when are babies are just starting to walk and get really curious about their surroundings. 

We used to take our firstborn for a daily afternoon stroll and his walker has been a big help because that meant that we would not have to carry him, he had the freedom to explore his surroundings, and he is generally safe (with proper supervision, of course). 

That’s also the same for our second baby but the walker is exclusively for use inside the house, because our front yard is paved with rough cement. 

Aside from the stroller, the carrier is a big help whenever we were outside, especially on weekends when we would go to the mall. 

Putting the baby in the carrier is one of the safest ways to carry them because it lessens the risk of them accidentally falling off. 

Again, even while locked down at home, we still find this useful when feeding our baby or during our afternoon walks. 

Possibly one of the most practical things that you can buy is a pair of knee pads. If you have a curious toddler who thinks that running is the same as walking, then having knee pads is guaranteed to give you peace of mind. 

We’ve had many instances of disaster, bloody knees and even elbows, and crying fits before we discovered knee pads. So if you can, buy a pair of knee pads right away. 

Whether at home or outside, use a baby bag to keep things organized. We use a Carter bag, which has been nothing but a lifesaver when we would travel or go out somewhere. 

Keep a piece of diaper, baby wipes, milk powder, feeding bottles with water, extra shirt and pants, and insect repellent lotion in your baby bag to avoid surprises during emergency situations. 

The bag that we have is medium-sized but I myself am amazed by the many things that we can fit in it. At times, I even remarked that it was a bottomless bag because we can just pull out from it whatever item we needed. 

Our sterilizer is one of the most useful tools that we have since our first baby was born. It’s easy to use; just wash the baby bottles and teethers well, put inside the sterilizer, plug, turn it on, and then leave. The sterilizer will do its job efficiently on its own. 

I think this is one gear that is most often overlooked by some parents. Sure, you can pour freshly-boiled water on baby bottles but make sure that they are submerged to ensure that all microbes and bacteria are killed. 

You can put the bottles in a conventional steamer and heat it over the fire but you’d have to watch it intently. We learned that the hard way when we completely forgot about the bottles that we were sterilizing on the stove; the bottles ended up deformed and melted. 

With an electric sterilizer, all the dilemmas above are eliminated. The steam circulates in hard-to-reach areas to ensure that bacteria are eliminated and it automatically turns off after about eight minutes. 

So these are the baby gears that my wife and I can’t live without. These are just common equipment that you can get from the mall or baby store. 

However, investing in good quality baby gears makes a lot of difference. They are usually sturdy, easy-to-use, and generally keep your baby safe and secure. We bought many of the baby accessories that we have when our first son was born and they still work well up to now. 

A word of caution though, even when using high-quality gears, always keep a close eye on your babies so as not to compromise their safety. Remember that accidents happen when you are unaware or are not looking.