First breeze of winter..

Grrrrrr! This was the initial reaction the other day as we flip the calendar into May.. It's the first day of winter..It's freezin' cold outside and as we already know its winter, most of the jumpers and woolen clothes are still in the drawers coz unlike this year, last year's one just pass as with the normal 5- 10 degrees at its peak.

Poor Nyanne, was the first victim of colds. She was sneezing the whole night and oozing with her stuffed nose. So, this only busted the myth that babies born in a cold country can stand a cold weather, indeed my Nyanne, and probably most of babies around New Zealand should be kept warm and comfortable at all times.

So for this winter, I am taking the following precautions:

1. Always wear 2-3 layers of clothing - this depends on the house you are in. As more houses in NZ are not insulated, you don't want to spend all your money for your electric bill in using the heater at all times. In fact, heater can also cause some respiratory problems and allergies as there will be no chance for air to circulate, so we only use it at night.

2. Ensure that 'pambanyos' or soft liniment is available at all times -  When Nyanne was born, I wasnt able to find anywhere in NZ what they called in the Philippines mansanilya. Accordingly, it helps babies to get rid of air in the stomach. So instead, I use efficacent oil and make sure that she has it around 7 or 8 or just before bedtime.

3. Bathing every other day during bad weather. Water is overflowing in NZ and you can afford to take a bath 2 - 3 times a day without suffering your family budget, but this only applies on summer! There's an old saying "wala namang namatay sa di paliligo". So for me skipping a bath during winter is fair enough for Nyanne (and sometimes even for us adults! lol)

4. And most of all, give her all the hugs and kisses in the world -  this keeps her warm at all times and passing the message to her that the love we have for her is even better!