The KELA Box - one year later

Peanut's birthday is approaching! Our little one is nearly a year old -- and so is her mama's blog :-)

Looking back, we are both much wiser, calmer and confident in our parenting. Peanut is just amazing - a year has brought so many changes and so much growth.

And, our KELA box (the baby starter kit given by the State government to all new mother's in Finland - though it means so much more) has been with us through it all, starting out as Peanut's first bed. Where is it now you wonder? Stacked up on other boxes in Peanut's closet, filling up with clothes that too small and toys that are no longer interesting. Unfortunately, we lost the lid in the move (though the rough&tough packers in Helsinki did take an extra moment to ask me if I wanted to bring it - mind you, they did not ask about ANYTHING else in the whole apartment!!)

What about the contents? Let's take a quick look.

Still in use today:

• cloth diapers - as sunshade on Peanut's stroller and washclothes
• bath towel with hood - best towel we have, still fits Peanut, soft!
  
• bib - lightweight yet water resistent (not quite proof) , good for meals on the go
• 'changing cloth' - not sure what the material is, but its water proof on one side, we use it for diaper changes on our bed
• hair brush
• nail clippers
  
• book
• rattle - good for teething and shaking
• the Box - for storage

Very useful:

• the diapers
• bedding - mattress, sheet and blanket fit the box perfectly
• thermometer for bath - unfortunately we lost it during the summer
• Baby guides - I used the breastfeeding guide the most
• some of the clothes though I almost took the size 60 out too late. I was a bit surprised at the poor quality of the buttons (came off in the wash) and how much they shrank in dryer (OK, they were cotton so probably not that big of a surprise). Peanut used the bodysuits with legs and one-piece crawler outfit the most.
• woolen socks
• And we also used up the sanitary napkins, breast pads and condoms (this year they've also added a lubricant - luckily new moms)
  

Hmmmm:

• What I thought was the sleeping bag or travel playblanket, but really was a stroller bag to keep baby warm -- we had two of these. I used them as playblankets on the floor until Peanut got too big.
• Baby lotion
  

We didn't use:

• the winter outerwear outfit + hat, gloves, etc - since we were moving to Texas, I donated this to children in the Baltics
• lighter outerwear outfit - ditto
• hats - ditto, plus Peanut hated hats as an infant
• wrap-around body suit - too difficult with all the little strings
  

And for those out shopping, here's a list of what to buy.