Maternity check-up, hospital bills during delivery, vitamins, and supplements before and after pregnancy for a mother’s health maintenance are one of those essential expenses spent in the early stage of motherhood. What's next to this list? Well, expect more expenses especially in bringing up your baby’s needs. Infant milk, diapers, vaccines, vitamins, and other necessities will be already included in your budget.

Amidst life's difficulties, I embrace practical ways in order to economize expenses. Here are my true-to-life story tips.

Are you planning for a classy getaway that fits to your budget? If your answer is yes, Camp Holiday is a perfect venue for any occasion without spending much. It is far different than the other resort,  simply for its mesmerising ambience which makes you forget the hustle and bustle of a city life.  It was not crowded, knowing that it was summer time the last we visited.  I loved their wide and greenish landscape, suitable for a  nature-lover person like me. I highly recommend  Camp Holiday for your "rest and recreation".

Immunization program differs in the availability, here in the Philippines, our Government offers free immunization of selected vaccines for infants. I went to the Health Center of our Barangay for Free Immunization if the vaccine is available rather than going to private doctor, it is quite expensive. Now, here's  the list of  a Baby’s Vaccination:

Do you feel happy when your baby started to mumble? Of course, it’s a YES, our feelings are mutual. My baby girl Chesska began to mumble in the mid 3-4 months by simply expressing "okoh". She started to mumble one-syllable words like pa-pa and te-te when she started crawling. She had been saying these constantly everytime she woke up early in the morning. I envied my husband because Chesska could already say pa-pa. (lol). I wanted her to say mama but it was not happening yet, despite teaching her every morning that sound. I knew that was only a baby talk, just mumbling without meaning and comprehension.


When my baby reached 6-7 months,since prior to these months, she was exposed to watch an educational cd entitled "SOUNDS" of different animals, it seemed it’s easy to stimulate into her brain to baby talk more words. She started to mumble shhhhhh sound of a snake; other words like eeffff, mmmmm, and erf – these uttered sounds gave me no idea what she meant. Playing that cd constantly in the morning and afternoon, she began to express emotions like being excited and happy. I was also awed of her focused- attention watching the cd for 15 minutes.Always remember, babies have short span of attention, right?

When she was in her 8 -10 months, I noticed that she began to refuse watching the cd. I thought she was tired watching it over and over again, so I switched the cd to Barney and Friends and played it constantly. As time rolled by, she was already interacting by giggling when the dinosaurs giggle, and jumped jubilantly when her favorite scene was viewed.

On her one year of age, she received a gift, a Dora doll. When you press her tummy, she talked. She was fond of listening to her, most especially when Dora sang a song. She rocked her head and shook her body with the melody. It was really enjoyable to watch my baby rocks with her Dora doll.


Now, she is one year and one month old, she can understand when I say “NO” and she simply nods her head. When she cries, at times, she says ma-ma. Sometimes, her gestures like waving hands for expressing “bye” as well as clapping her hands when she is happy – these are some of the behavioral manners she imitated from me.

Final Words

A mother plays a vital role in child's development in any aspect of learning. Provide him/her quality time by  playing together, baby talking together, eating together, bathing together and most importantly,  provide a happy, love-filled and interactive environment. Start to teach good examples, simply because, babies are great imitators. The onset of learning of a child during this stage is very crucial, pampered the child what we think is best for the baby’s exploration, discovery, and learning.

Crying is normal for babies for a reason. It is the only immediate communication a baby can do. In the early weeks, it's hard to recognize yet what your baby is telling you, and you may feel distressed and panicked when you hear him/her crying out loud.

I have experienced a similar situation as described above, but as time passed, I was able to determine reasons why she often cried. Here are the following reasons:

Could you ever wash the dishes, do the laundry, cook food, or clean the house while your baby is awake? Yes, you could,  if you'll use your common sense. Just like a game of chess, plan wisely to make your pieces cooperate and coordinate.