Baby Jade's 1st Years

Fly! Fly! Fly!

2012-01-02T00:51:00.004+08:00

Hi!

can you tell where we are?

We were at the Singapore Flyer!

Not just once, but twice within a week!

Thanx to some promotion Mummy was entitled to.

Mummy was thought I might be bored but no...!

I had a wheel, I mean whale, of a time!

Mummy, on the other hand, didn't enjoy herself cos half the time, she was worried that we'll fall out of the capsule and the half, that we will misbehave.

at one time, I was handing on to the railing with my two hands and my legs were kicking at the glass.

Mummy stopped me immediately of cos.

actually I was trying to climb up the railing and sit on it like my korkor.

Tips:

anyway, if you intend to bring ya kids,

1. be prepared that they will sit on the floor (see picture #1) so dress them in denim bottoms and not white pants like mine.

2. 6:30pm is a good time to board cos u will be able to view in daylight as well as night.

check out this cool view captured on my papa's lens:

PageOne Warehouse Sale

2012-01-01T00:26:00.001+08:00

PageOne Warehouse Sale

30th Dec 2011 til 2nd Jan 2012

hmm... not sure if they have those nice children books like those in their stores.

Curry and me

2011-10-28T05:50:00.003+08:00

I've fallen ill.

stomach flu, doc said.
vomited more than 5 times since about 6pm after I woke up from my nap yesterday.
Have since stopped at 8:30pm after taking anti-vomiting medicine.

but please continue to pray for me to be able to eat and keep the food in today.

actually I had frequent bowel movements (3x poo per day) for two days before yesterday but my parents didn't think much of it (cos it happens sometimes).

~ photo taken from mygreenspace.nparks.gov.sg ~
They even brought me Mushroom Cafe at MacRitchie Reservoir to celebrate Deepavali

~ photo taken from www.bighooha.sg ~
with curry.
Look at the bread.
It's so big and it was toasted so I was really tempted.
then my papa dipped it in the curry and gave it to me.
I asked for more!
and had 3 servings of curry-dipped bread.

~ photo taken at mushroom cafe ~

after this episode, think my mummy won't allow me to eat curry anymore.
sigh!
I love curry!
and laksa too!
(though my papa insisted that it was not the curry's fault)

Healthy Snack: Cheerios

2011-10-17T10:11:00.008+08:00

if you like the photo of us below, please vote for it at
http://apps.facebook.com/life-from-all-angles/photo-contest/view-photo/photo_id/44/appmodule_id/1
~photo taken in April 2011 when I was 10 months old~
We love Cheerios!

Why Mummy loves Cheerios too:
1. Made from whole grain oats,
2. has no artificial colors or flavors
3. have only one gram of sugar.
4. low in fat, have no saturated fat and are naturally cholesterol free.
5. an excellent source of folic acid
6. a good source of fiber.
7. trains babies' fine motor skills.

Cheerios are so much healthier compared to

image taken from www.fairprice.com.sg

Gerber's Graduates Puffs.

If you compare the nutritional facts of Gerber's Graduates Puffs to those of Cheerios,
you'll know that the Graduates Puffs are just junk.

These
Happy Baby Organic Puffs
are more comparable to Cheerios.
These puffs do not contain Magnesium unlike Cheerios though,
and Cheerios are much higher in iron.
S$8.90 per bottle of 2.1 0z.

So, Cheerios are still the best for babies.
They're much cheaper too.
S$10.95/BOX of 14 OZ

Pss... Cheerios are also great for toddler (me now at 16 months), pre-schoolers (my korkor), children and even adults (my mummy eats them with milk and cranberries)!
Papa, u should eat this too. soluble fiber from whole grain oats in Cheerios can help lower cholesterol.

but Don't give baby other flavoured Cheerios as they may contain more sugar,
even this

Multi-Grain Cheerios
contains 6g of sugar compared to the original's 1g.

Cheerios are available at all Cold Storage and NTUC Fairprice Finest.

Row Row Row

2011-09-18T01:32:00.003+08:00

Guess what are we doing?

Row! Row! Row!
We're rowing boats.
My idea at 15 months 1 week.
Am glad my korkor plays along with me.

"Row Row Row your boat" is my favorite song now and I can ~~sing~~ say "row row row"!

Usually, Mummy lies on the bed and sits me on her tummy then holds my hands while pulling them forward and back as she sings "Row row row your boat".

Check out the crocodile's version if you don't know it yet.

self-feeding with spoon

2011-08-28T01:01:00.001+08:00

Me feeding myself with a spoon at 14.5months.
Sorry, don't know why can't upload the video.

Mummy breathed a sign of relief when I finally managed to feed myself with a spoon.
She had hoped that I will be able to feed myself before I turn 18 months cos she's worried that my new school will not actively train me to self-feed.

Anyway, here's what you need to make baby self-feed less messy.

1. bib with catch-all pocket/ tray.
I'm wearing a Bumkins Superbib, available at Mothers Work Baby & Kids, Tanglin Mall Level 3.

My korkor used Sassy EZ-Clean Pocketed Bib and Crumb Catcher Feeding Bib.
(click to see my korkor feed himself at 17months)
These were great too but they comes with cloth binding while the Bumbins bibs are full nylon so it dries faster.

2. Bowl with suction base
(keeps the bowl on the table and from moving about)
Mine's from Sassy - comes with lid so we can bring the bowl out.

3. Newspaper
to cover the floor below baby's high chair so you can just wrap up the messy after the meal.

Babies, have fun feeding yourselves!

13 months old

2011-07-10T16:52:00.008+08:00

Sorry! Have been neglecting my blog.
So here's a summary of my milestones:

Physical:

before I was 7 months old, I could already stand up by grabbing onto something.
Hence, My parents thought I would be able to walk before I turn one but I have other things on my mind.

can't remember when I started to cruise but this photo was taken when I was cruising at 10 months old.

and I finally started to walk on my own at 12.5 months.

This was my 1st birthday celebration at my Grandaunt's place.
The cake was decorated by my korkor and mummy.

by then, I can wave hi, goodbye and clap.

cognitive:

at one year old, I also started to appreciate books more and can be left alone to "read".

I love music and can follow instructions at music class such as "stop", "drum on the floor", etc.

Speech:

by 13 months, besides "papa" and "mama",
I can say "up", "star", "no", "hi", "bye", "来", "mum-mum" (means food), "nai-nai" (means milk) and the latest - "Hann!"

yup! the inspiration for this post is because my family is very proud of me for being able to say my korkor's name at 13 months old.
We absolutely adore each other!

Hann is a wonderful brother who takes care of me when my parents are busy.

Mothercare Infant Massage Workshop

2011-07-09T14:30:00.003+08:00

Infant Massage Workshop
20 July 2011, Wed
11am; 2pm; 4pm

Click to register.

Brave Kids

2011-07-01T11:03:00.004+08:00

July 02nd, 2011
10:00 AM - 07:00 PM
VivoCity, Central Court B

organised by NESTLÉ® NAN® Pro 3, Brave Kids is a day of celebration for children’s achievements which will take place at Vivo City, Central Court B on 2 July, 2011.

Featuring lots of uniquely designed activities to challenge, stimulate, and excite toddlers – from event partners, Baby Jumper Gym, My Gym, Tumble Tots, and Mother Care.

The Fimbles mascots from the award-winning and highly popular CBeebies children’s programme, produced by BBC UK, will also be making a special appearance at the event.

An important aspect in the development of a strong child is good nutrition plus the bond shared with him by his parent. Mrs. Wong Boh Boi, Senior ParentCraft Manager at Thomson Medical Centre, presents a talk “Nutrition & Bonding with your Child” at 12pm. Parents will get to know proper nutrition as well as effective ways of communicating with their toddlers.

Ten toddlers will also be especially selected to join the prestigious NESTLÉ® NAN® Pro 3 Circle of 10 Brave Toddlers.

Promotion:
Bring an empty tin or proof of purchase of any growing up milk (for children 1 to 3 years) and get a Free NAN® Pro 3 (900g) tin. (Limited to 1 tin per child per household, while stocks last. NAN® Pro 3 Premium Junior follow-up formula is suitable for babies from 10 months onwards. Redemption is only applicable to parents with children above 10 months of age. It is not applicable to pregnant mothers and parents with children between 0-6 months of age. Terms and conditions apply.)

Program Highlights:

10:30-11:30AM Morning Exercise with Fimbles mascots from CBeebies

5:30PM Family Dancing with the CBeebies mascots

12 Noon “Nutrition & Bonding with your Child” Talk and Activity by Thomson Medical Centre

10AM-6PM Fun games

Korkor and I wanta try out these YBIKEs from Mothercare!

and yes, I have started on Formula milk and is on NAN HA since 9months old.
still being breastfed though.

For Sale: Bumbo Seat and CO-Sleeper *sold

2011-06-24T12:30:00.009+08:00

I have sold the following preloved items ~~for Sale~~

1. Bumbo seat (aqua) with box
Condition: 7/10
Some scratches. See Photos.
S$30

2. First Few Years Baby Close & Secure Sleeper
Condition: 8/10
Working Night-light
stains on back of mattress cover (see photos)
but you can use any pillow case cover for the mattress instead
S$20
For more pictures and description, see
http://www.walmart.com/ip/The-First-Years-Close-and-Secure-Sleeper/3205748

for both items,
self-collect at Bishan.
other venues can be arranged: AMK, TPY, Jurong (weekday lunchtime).

viewing at Bishan only

mail to ariellyp-at-yahoo.com
if interested.

Just for laughs

2011-05-01T23:53:00.001+08:00

轻松一下！

Tahini vs Black Sesame Paste

2011-04-14T05:39:00.001+08:00

Have you heard of Tahini?

My Mummy hasn't, until she read the Super Baby Food book.

Tahini is a paste made from grinding sesame seeds just as peanut butter is made from grounded peanuts. It is a spread so it's super easy to add into baby's food.
Tahini is super healthy because it is high in calcium, protein, and healthy fats baby need for proper development (e.g. brain development).

Chinese also believe that black sesame seeds are great for hair growth.

Not only are sesame seeds a very good source of manganese and copper, but they are also a good source of calcium, magnesium, iron, phosphorus, vitamin B1, zinc and dietary fiber. In addition to these important nutrients, sesame seeds contain two unique substances: sesamin and sesamolin. Both ... have a cholesterol-lowering effect in humans, and to prevent high blood pressure and increase vitamin E supplies in animals. Sesamin has also been found to protect the liver from oxidative damage.
~ taken from WHFoods.com. Click to read more about what these minerals do for the body.

So Mummy went in search of Tahini and found only one brand in the supermarkets - Melrose.

image taken from www.originshealth.com.sg

Mummy didn't buy Melrose Tahini cos it says on the label, "may contain traces of peanut".
She decided to look for other brands and happen to find this

Healthy Mate's Organic Black Sesame Paste
in an organic shop at HarbourFront Centre -
Taste Original (Organic Food).

It says "suitable for diabetic" so Mummy thought it must be less sweet than Tahini.
(somehow, Mummy thinks Peanut Butter is not very healthy so she's not convinced that Tahini is any better)

Click on image to see the Nutrition Facts if you are interested.

Review - this "suitable for diabetic" black sesame paste has a little bit of bitter taste so add just a little bit (tip of a teaspoon) to baby's meal less baby doesn't like the bitter taste.
now we wonder if tahini will be sweet. haha.

Tip: use a dry spoon to scoop from the jar.

more about my name 雯汐

2011-03-30T23:22:00.007+08:00

Jade's Mummy's prayer for Jade 雯汐

May you be like the beautiful clouds 雯 that are always in fellowship with the Sun (God)
and like the tide 汐 that brings the gospel to every shore.

In Jesus' name we pray, Amen!

Jade at the Armenian Church Open House 12 March 2011

Baby Care Festival @ Singapore Expo

2011-03-16T00:16:00.003+08:00

BabyCare Festival 2011

Date: 18-20 March 2011
Time: 11am to 9pm (18 & 19 March 2011) & 11am to 8pm (20 March 2011).
Venue: Booth D13, Singapore Expo, 1 Expo Drive, #01-01, Singapore 486150

click on picture to see details of events.

Merchants include Nestle, Learningtech, LittleToez.

Mothercare Baby Fair @ HarbourFront

2011-03-04T11:05:00.002+08:00

3 - 13 March 2011

click on image to enlarge

click for the flyer and some items on sale.

4Es for successful breastfeeding

2011-02-27T07:47:00.005+08:00

not Jade but Jade's Mummy said...

Originally published on Hann's blog in 2007 as "the 3Es for Successful Breastfeeding" (in black).

I'll now add on a 4th E and other stuff (in blue).

For an "easier time" and for breastmilk to come in as quickly as possible, remember the 3Es:

1. breastfeed as Early as possible.

best is to latch baby the moment he is born.
well... if it's not possible, as soon as you can, ok?
or pump 1st if baby's kept from you.
don't worry that if you were to pump, baby won't have milk to drink later because your body will produce milk again soon if you keep the demand up!

2. breastfeed Everytime baby wants.

Resist the temptation to give baby FM cos it will disturb the establishment of your supply.
"Nurse at the first signs of hunger (stirring, rooting, hands in mouth)--don't wait until baby is crying. Allow baby unlimited time at the breast when sucking actively, then offer the second breast. Some newborns are excessively sleepy at first--wake baby to nurse if 2 hours (during the day) or 4 hours (at night) have passed without nursing." ~ taken from Kellymom.com

Bear in mind that supply = demand.
the more you feed baby / pump, the more milk you will have.

Used to advocate dont't give FM at all and used to believe that all will have abundant milk if only they dont' give baby FM but give breast everytime baby wants milk.

but I started to change my thinking when I learnt that a friend of mine's milk came only in 2nd week. Meanwhile, she gave baby FM and pumped cos she doesn't want to stress herself.
Imagine if my friend had not persisted, and gave up after two days of no milk.

but you'll have to keep latching and pumping. cannot think the milk will come if you do nothing. You must work hard for milk to come.

preferrably you shouldn't give baby any FM so that baby will demand for breast milk and suckle more.
for the 1st few days, it's enough just to give baby colostrum but I suppose, like what my friend said, no point stressing yourself. if baby's hungry, just give FM 1st. but please remember to pump.

3. breastfeed Efficiently.

Make sure you latch baby correctly and that you are sitted or laying down comfortably. Your back should be supported when you are breastfeeding.
Get the nurses to supervise you everytime you wanta latch baby so that you are sure you get it right. It's not a time to be shy about your body. When you are discharged, nobody can help you.

4. Expect to breastfeed.

Do you really want to breastfeed?
If you really want to breastfeed, you should expect yourself to breastfeed, rain or shine, pain or not.
Some mothers have this mentality - I'll breastfeed if I have milk.
I tell you, more likely than not, these mummies won't have milk because they just wait for milk to come and didn't work for it.
you'll never have milk if you just wait for it to come.
You'll have to latch, if not pump often.

Feed like you have milk / pump like you have milk.

oh. and when you 1st pump, the milk will be very little, so don't be discouraged.

Have a 假想敌 (an imagined opponent),
someone who breastfeeds and is your rival in someway - ex-boyfriend's wife, husband's ex-girlfriend, rival at work, ex-classmate who always fight for the 1st-position with you, any1 you will not want to lose to.
and tell yourself, "if she can do it, so can I!"

Jade's food before 8 months old

2011-02-18T17:15:00.003+08:00

Realised that I've been slacking in recording my food adventures.

So far, Mummy tries to introduce food to me as recommended by the Super Baby Food book though my Teacher doesn't.
Mummy bought the Super Baby Food for her but think she's not reading it.

Click image to enlarge.

Those with ticks are the ones I've tried.
Mummy marked a cross next to "yogurt" cos I developed rashes after eating yogurt!
so no yogurt for me until 1 year old perhaps.

Teacher also gives me fish, pork and chicken. Think from 7months onwards.

Baby Singapore 2011 Contest

2011-02-14T09:26:00.002+08:00

This is not just a Kaki Bukit Constituency contest but at various constituencies where
1st prize winners at the constituency baby shows for the “Most Photogenic Family” and “Happiest Parent & Baby” categories will vie for the national top spot during the Baby Singapore 2011 Finale.

the prizes at national level are
(for each category)
1st Prize $600 cash
2nd Prize $300 cash
3rd Prize $150 cash
All winners will receive 1 year free subscription of Young Parents Magazine and be featured in a Baby Singapore 2012 calendar.

oh well... my parents probably think it's not worth their time and effort.
unless we manage to get a funny video of me and win the video category (like my korkor did when he was a baby)

Medical Specialists Directory in Singapore

2011-02-13T09:54:00.003+08:00

Mummy recently found this
http://www.bookmyclinic.com/

while trying to help a friend find
a pediatrician near her place.

other specialist clinics are listed there too!

Welcome the Year of Rabbit with teeth!

2011-02-06T01:28:00.002+08:00

兔年快樂!!

Heehee!
I've got teeth for Chinese New Year.

my 1st tooth made its appearance two or three days ago
when I'm 7 months 3 weeks old.

young percussionist

2011-01-30T23:35:00.006+08:00

7 months 3 weeks old

Mummy taught me how to ~~play cymbals~~ bang two toy cups together.

to her surprise, I did it!
She was so not expecting me to be able to bang the cups together
(considered an advanced skill for 7-month old on BabyCentre's Milestone chart).

the next day, she gave me clappers/ click clackers and I "clapped" them together while Mummy sings my favourite song from korkor's Yamaha Junior Music Class - The Little Drummer Cat.

You can get these clappers / click clackers from
ELC and party shops like SPK.
Mine are free from some events.

Mummy thinks I can start going for music classes!
but papa think Mummy has too much $$.

If you are thinking of sending your baby to music classes, here are some which offer music class for young babies:

my korkor had attended -
Kindermusik - from newborn
Seimpi School of Music - from 4 months

not tried before -
Staccato! - from 6 months
Bloom - from newborn
Magic Fiddler - from newborn

crawl

2011-01-24T08:41:00.001+08:00

21st Jan 2011
7.5 months old

pardon me for showing my backside and for the low quality photos.
Mummy was too eager too capture my 1st crawling moments and there were no other cameras available except for her very laoyah camera phone.

Yup. I can crawl on my fours now.
a little bit slowly compared to moving on tummy though.

btw, thanx to Yi-Po, Gugu and YeePak for getting this set of Christmas Thomas wooden railway for my korkor.
I love it too!
and yes, my korkor shares it with me
though he has a hard time keeping me from eating the trains and railway tracks.

mei 妹

2011-01-22T22:25:00.003+08:00

My word of the day is "mei".

went out for lunch with my mummy's cousin and future cousin-in-law.
when the lady asked my mummy what's my name and how to call me, Mummy said, "meimei" and started asking me to say the word "mei".

and I did.
ha.
You should have seen the surprised look on Mummy's face.

mmmmma mmmmmpa

2011-01-21T04:51:00.003+08:00

19 Jan 2011
7 months 10 days old

This evening, I surprised my parents by calling them -
mmm-ma
mmm-pa
mama
papa

Mummy wonders why I have to say "mmmm" 1st before saying "pa" cos "pa" doesn't start with the "m" sound.
Papa thinks it's because I use "mmm" to start off saying words.

Actually I start saying "mmm-ma" a few days ago but my parents weren't sure if I was really speaking or just making sound.

There was once I woke up in the morning and wanted to drink milk.
Mummy wanted me to crawl (actually more like wriggle) across the bed to her and I cried out, "mama! mama!"

well, this time they're sure I'm speaking.

the next morning, the moment I woke up and saw Papa, I called him,
"papa. papa"

to stop or not to stop

2011-01-11T22:59:00.006+08:00

not Jade but Jade's Mummy said...

"When men share their problems, they want solutions.
When women share their problems, they want empathy."
~ quote from John Gray's "Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus" ~

May I add, "and hear the answers she already had in mind."

Recently have thoughts of stopping breastfeeding
because my supply is getting quite low and have to use freezer stock everyday on top of daily produce to meet Jade's daily demand.
Jade also seems not satisfied after her last feed at night and even started waking up at 3am for milk when she had been sleeping thru' the night since 2 or 3 months old.

So I posted this on facebook and got some comments.

It appears most moms think it's ok to stop breastfeeding once baby reached 6 months and some are even happy to stop breastfeeding.

I'm not so sure if I'll be happy if I really have to stop breastfeeding now.
in fact, I think I'll be depressed.

I think it is NOT ok to stop breastfeeding at 6 months because I'm kiasu and kiasi.
Read my 10 kias here.

now I can add a #11 kia:
Kia Jade feels shortchanged or unfair cos 6 months of breastfeeding is not even 20% of what her brother had.

After getting a few responses, I think the answer I want to hear is not that it's ok to stop breastfeeding now but that it's ok to continue breastfeeding and supplement with FM.

Oh well... for now, I'll continue to breastfeed.
Afterall, I have not tried the 101 methods to increase milk supply (will talk about that in another post someday).
Perhaps we've gotta start looking into supplementing with FM though.

I can sit up on my own!

2011-01-10T05:37:00.002+08:00

9 Jan 2010

at exactly 7 months,
I can finally get from lying down position into sitting position all by myself.

So the teochew saying:
7 坐 8爬 9发牙
(sit at 7mth, crawl at 8, teething at 9)
is right on me!

I can move around really quickly on my tummy now and get into crawling position.
let's see when I can really crawl.

Millet - super healthy whole grain

2011-01-09T00:14:00.005+08:00

Have you heard of this food - Millet [mil-it]?

image taken from crazysalad.typepad.com

My mummy hasn't heard of Millet til she read the book - Super Baby Food.
and now she knows that Millet is used to make one of her favourite bread - chapatti.

Millet is super healthy because
Millet is rich in B vitamins, especially niacin, B6, and folacin and offers calcium, iron, potassium, magnesium, and zinc.

source: http://www.vegparadise.com/highestperch29.html

check out other health benefits and nutritional profile of Millet at
www.whfoods.com.

Mummy grind and cooked and gave it to me today.
but I didn't like it and didn't want to take it!
even when Mummy added in some bottled pear baby food, I still refused to eat it.

Later in day, I finally took it when Mummy added a little of the Millet porridge into my brown rice cereal.

Mummy, u should take Millet and not give it to me since
"Millet has an interesting characteristic in that the hulls and seeds contain small amounts of goiterogenic substances that limit uptake of iodine to the thyroid."
source: http://chetday.com/millet.html

Tip: (updated on 10 July 2011)
soak the millet overnight before cooking.

Melt-in-mouth Baby Biscuits

2011-01-01T11:25:00.002+08:00

Baby biscuits and other finger food are great to keep baby self-entertained during meal times.

though I still need a little help holding onto the biscuit.

Mummy thinks melt-in-the-mouth Rice Crackers are safer, compared to other baby biscuits,
for Beginning eaters like myself.

picture taken from fairprice.com.sg
Take One Baby Bites are especially popular with Singaporean mommies.
I suppose it's because it's cheap ($2.40 for pack) and easily available in NTUC Fairprice.

BUT my mummy is not about to give this to me. This Baby Rice Cracker is made in China.
How quickly people forget about the massive recall for China-made milk and dairy product in 2008 when this product was one of those that were taken off the racks.
Well... this product might be tested (or assumed to be) ok now,
but my mummy doesn't want to take the risk and be shocked like how
this Mummy did in 2008 during the recall.

We'll be sticking to made in Japan Pigeon baby biscuits which my korkor was taking.

Pigeon Small Fish Rice Crackers
Ingredients:
Rice, Cornstarch, sugar, fructo-oligosaccharide, salt, small fish powder, calcium carbonate.

cost $4.90 per pack, 2x the amount of Baby Bites, but I suppose we pay for the peace of mind.
Available at all major departmental stores.
You can always wait for these stores to have their 20% sale and grab a few of these.

Recently, Mummy found, by chance, another brand of Baby Rice Crackers:

Wakodo Rice Crackers (Akacyan Osenbei)
Ingredients: Rice (domestic production - Japan), rice/potato starch, sugar, table salt and calcium carbonate, the pyrophoric acid iron.

cost $4.50 per pack,
Available at Yamakawa Super - Japanese Supermarket at Square2 and Central
or you can try Cold Storage and Isetan's supermarket.

Wakodo is a reputable brand in Japan and has its own line of formula milk and other baby food.

Think the next time we go Square2 or Central,
we'll get the
Wakodo Rice Crackers with Vegetables (Pumpkin, carrot, spinach)

Mummy likes these Wakodo and Pigeon baby biscuits not only because they melt in the mouth but also because they are animals' milk free.

Cow's milk is listed on "Super Baby Food" as
"the food most notorious for causing allergies in young babies".
Since I'm on breastmilk, Mummy wishes to introduce cow's milk to me as late as possible.

So don't just buy any biscuit for me, kay?

My 1st foods

2010-12-30T22:14:00.007+08:00

12 Dec 2010

On this day which Mummy planned for me to start solid food,
she woke up extra early to go to the super market to get organic brown rice for me.
According to the book "Super Baby Food", you should grind and cook your own brown rice porridge so Mummy wanteda get this

Lunderg Organic Brown Rice

to grind/blend at home.

According to the book, it's easy and fast to cook and healthier and cheaper than getting those commercial packet of Baby Cereal.

Then Mummy saw this Healthy Times Premium Organic Baby Cereal - Brown Rice Cereal for Baby.

One pack of this cost almost the same as one pack of those Lundberg Organic Brown Rice.
Mummy checked their nutrition facts (see below).

Left - Healthy Times Organic Brown Rice Cereal
Right - Lundberg Organic Long Grain Brown Rice
as the serving size on Lundberg is 3x that on Healthy Times', in blue ink is the amount divided by 3 for fair comparison.

It seems the nutrition value of both are comparable.
Of cos, the commercial Healthy Times Baby Brown Rice Cereal has all the vitamins and minerals added so got all those "stuff" at the bottom of the nutrition fact sheet.

Having considered how hopeless she is in the kitchen, Mummy decided to buy the just stir-into-water/milk Healthy Times Baby Cereal instead.

So that was my 1st solid food.

Next up is Healthy Times Wholegrain Oatmeal Cereal for Baby.
Mummy bought this cos it has more potassium and fiber compared to the Brown Rice Cereal.
(See why potassium is important here.)

Other food I've tried so far are
papaya
potato
carrot
sweet potato
and baby biscuits (will talk about that in another post).

My first solid meal

2010-12-28T09:07:00.001+08:00

12.12.2010 6 months 4 days old

This is the day I start on solid food.

My korkor helped me put on my bib.

Eagerly waiting to taste solid food.
Organic Brown Rice in this case.

Super Baby Food Tip: use a cup instead of a bowl so that Mummy can hold the ~~bowl~~ cup more easily.
Tip from Jade's Mummy: Beware of Baby grabbing the cup!

Tip from Jade's Mummy: Use a soft tip spoon cos it's gentle on baby's gums.

Super Baby Food tip: Have a wipe-cloth ready. Not for baby to chew on but to wipe baby's mouth, hands, etc.

As you can see, Baby gets messy during mealtime.

Super Baby Food Tip: Give baby a little water after and between meals. Water will help her kidney dilute the more concentrated waste products of solid foods.
Common sense tip: Water helps baby pass motion more easily.

My first solid food experience's been fun though messy.
Appears to Mummy that I will love food like my korkor did, rather, does.

Stock list:
Ikea High Chair with removable tray
Combi soft tip Spoon with Case
Pigeon MagMag Spout Cup

happy boxing day

2010-12-26T19:35:00.002+08:00

Happy Boxing Day!

Thanks to every1 for your presents!

Time flies!
This picture was taken on Christmas eve.
I was sick then and left the party early to go home and sleep.
I can't sleep outside that's why.

Super Baby Food

2010-12-24T22:10:00.004+08:00

When my korkor was a baby, my mummy never thought of reading up on starting solids for him.
She just did everything intuitively and follow my brother's infant care centre's leading.

This time though, Mummy decided to "start it right" for me by reading

Super Baby Food
by Ruth Yaron

There are a thousand and one books on starting baby on solids, Mummy chose this because
she knows 3 super mummies who feed their 5 babies super baby food and their babies are healthy and smart and love fruits and vegetables.
No prize for guessing whether my korkor love vegetables. haha.

Super Baby Food is mainly a home-made vegetarian diet for babies and toddlers.

"ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING you should know about feeding your baby and toddler from beginning solid foods through age three years. How and when (and what) to start your baby on solid foods, with detailed information on the best and safest high chair, spoons, bibs, and other feeding equipment."
~ Product Description from Amazon.com ~

also check out its contents pages at amazon.

Ruth Yaron also talks about baby's development in Super Baby Food.
Mummy strongly recommend this book to all parents.
Oh. you should start reading this book as early as possible to you know what to expect/do when the time comes.

Available at Books Kinokuniya Singapore.

Infant Care Centres: Questions to ask, n things to look out for

2010-12-10T17:34:00.001+08:00

From the stats, it appears that some1 was looking for info on
"Sending breastfed baby to infant care"
on my blog.
Sorry you couldn't find what you need
but hope u come back and see this.

This was written by my Mummy and posted on a forum some 4 years ago in 2006:
in blue are updates this year - 2010, after my breastfed brother has gone thru' infant care.

Hi everybody, After having a bad time at our 1st infant care n having visited a few centres, I came up with a list of questions to ask n things to look out for while hunting for an infant care centre.

In case you dunno, Here's where u can get the list of infant care centres (as well as childcare centres). Can sort by area.
http://www.childcarelink.gov.sg/ccls/home/...areServices.jsp
click the link at the bottom of the page.
You can also take a look at the guidelines for the centres so u know if a centre is "compliance" when visiting.

Questions to ask over the phone:
1. (1st thing to ask) Any vacancies?
2. How many babies n teachers at the moment?
3. What is their recomannded teacher to baby ratio?
(anything worse than 1:3 is ~~crazy~~ not realistic. Zhenghu recommendation is 1:5 (which is ridiculous)
4. What is the maximum capacity? lesser better. the centre may have very few babies but can take in more.

If the answers to the above are not favourable then dun have to visit liao.

If wanta visit, ask if can stay there with baby for a few hours.

Questions to ask when visiting:

For BreastFeeding mums:
1. what is the centre's stand towards breastfed babies/ breastmilk? Any babies there on bm?
The politically correct answer is of cos they support breastfeeding. So you'll have to "dig" deeper.

2. Ask to see the fridge they use to keep breastmilk. It should be dedicated to bm ONLY. that's the guideline set up by MCYS.

3. u probably want baby to continue at the same centre when he goes to childcare. If you want to bf beyond 18 months, Ask them if the childcare side accomodate bf babies. Some don't. e.g. some NTUC.
actually if they don't support breastfeeding beyond 18 months, you more or less know how supportive they are towards breastfeeding.

4. ask how they warm bm.

5. what will they do if baby reject the bottle?
the 1st infant care Jade's brother, Hann, went to, they do nothing. Their stand is baby hungry, he will drink from bottle.
but no loh! it just doesn't work this way.
My stand is, the priority should be to let baby adapt to the place and people.
Then baby will drink from bottle.
I feel that bottle strike is a way of "protest" from baby.
in the 2nd infant care, the one Hann stuck though, they were patient with him when he rejected bottle and spoon-fed him until he eventually took the bottle.

For all:
4. what are the teachers' qualifications. how many of them are trained teachers? (teacher assistants not counted hor.)

5. what's the turnover rate of the teachers?

6. How do they handle new babies esp if they can already recognise people n places n may cry a lot.

7. Do the infants mix w the toddlers/preschoolers? (if yes, more exposed to viruses)

8. look at the bath n sleeping area. Ask how they clean up the sleeping facilities (usually a cot).

9. Look at changing area. how they dispose the diapers. are the soiled diapers exposed?

10. Impt: look at the children. are they happy? are they engaged in activities?

11. Impt: look at the teachers. how they handle the babies, how they feed them. Are the teachers happy, confident. Talk to the teachers.

12. Discipline. ask how the teachers discipline the children. if they don't discipline at all, you may want to think twice.

13. If quite happy with the above, ask for a trial period, though it seems nowadays infant care and childcare centres don't give trials. ask abt the trial charges.
Even if you are sure happy with the place, still ask for a trial period. otherwise, if things don't turn out well and you want baby to leave, you may have to pay for 2 months.

I can sit!

2010-12-10T10:39:00.001+08:00

5 months 3 weeks

This is rather overdue.
Finally, I can sit unsupported!
so I didn't lose to my korkor after all. =p

Fan vs Aircon for confinement

2010-12-09T11:34:00.005+08:00

not Jade but Jade's Mummy the trained application scientist says...

a friend, who is expecting her baby real soon, post this on her Facebook status:

Mothers out there, any scientific proof that aircon has no negative side-effects during confinement??? I need to win this war very badly! pls help

Fret not, Mummies! Scientist to your rescue!

basically the whole idea is to prevent wind from entering your body during confinement.
Hence, Fan is actually worse than aircon w/o fan.

Aircon
just keeps the air cool.
keep it at no less than 25 deg would be good and don't blow the aircon directly at you though.
If you Don't let the aircon "sweep", and/or keep it at low fan speed, the air in the room is actually quite still.
So, no wind!

Cuba Gallery: Retro fan blowing hair
Originally uploaded by Cuba Gallery - Now on Twitter!

Fan
creates wind which is exactly you want to avoid.
Wind is also known as convection currents which is a type of heat loss,
hence Sweat + fan is the worse combi.
If you are sweaty and you blow the fan at yourself,
the convection currents promoted by the fan will cause the sweat on your skin to evaporate more quickly and as a result, more heat lost from your body.
Even if you have no sweat on ya skin, heat will continually be removed from your body thru' convection if you blow the fan at yourself.

so Jade's Mummy, the trained application scientist (aka engineer), strongly recommends Aircon over fan.
Well... of cos, if you are one of those who can survive in hot hot Singapore without aircon as well as fan, Bravo!

but Jade's Mummy will just die without at least one of those.

Shopping and Delivery

2010-12-08T00:02:00.003+08:00

December's the best time to shop for baby stuff!
cos on top of The Great Singapore Sale (GSS), there're Christmas specials all around.

topperIMG_1524
Originally uploaded by alwayscake

but Did you know...

most, if not all, major departmental stores deliver ya shopping to ya place for free if u spend above the minimum sum.

for Takashimaya, it's >$200
and Robinson, it's >$150
check other departmental stores for their min sum for free delivery.

so no more lugging all those heavy shopping!
especially helpful if you're pregnant and/or carrying a baby and shopping alone.

Can't make up the minimum sum?
No prob!
just pick up a few of those 6-packs Pigeon Baby wipes. cost $19+ per.
otherwise, u can get those boxes of 60-piece Pigeon Breast Pad, cost $13.90.
These are the stuff that run out quite fast and they are soooo heavy and/or bulky so it's best u don't have to carry them!

Warning:
If u're in ya 3rd trimester, excessive shopping may cause contractions to start earlier than due.

Happened to my mummy twice!
1st time: Mummy just had her gynae appointment at my brother's 36th weeks. Doc said baby won't be coming out for at least a week. So she went shopping for baby stuff for the rest of the afternoon. Her contractions started that very evening.
2nd time: Mummy went to Robinson sale at my 35th week. She did asked for delivery (no pun intended) but still... I came out 3 days later and just managed to pass the "premature baby" mark.

erm... so according to this logic, it's best for expectant mothers in their 1st trimester to please take note of how long u've been shopping for the day. Rest is important!

Sleeping habits

2010-12-03T08:44:00.001+08:00

this is how I sleep - in between two pillows + one bolster above my head, suck thumb and hold hands.

This was at my Ah Gong's house and the soft toy I'm holding hands with belongs to my Xiao Yi.
I usually hug a small pillow at home or just grab the pillow I'm tucked into.

Activities for babies

2010-12-01T08:32:00.002+08:00

Many parents wonder what to do with baby.
So here's a list of things you can do with your baby:

Baby Centre's
Let's Play! Weekly activities for your baby's first year

My parents have not been reading this so here's what they usually do with me:

1. read
I love reading.
actually I love eating the book too!

Get those "touch and feel" or peek-a-boo books.
They're great for baby's development.

2. talk
I enjoy talking and learning to make new sounds.
I always try to copy the sounds my parents teach me.
just make sure u're facing baby and hold his attention while you talk to him.

3. Mirror
Sit with baby on your lap, both of you facing the mirror.
Tell point to him and name his body parts.
Sing the song "head and shoulders" and move baby's hands to touch all the parts mentioned.
Make funny faces as you look into the mirror at baby's reflection.

4. action songs
believe it or, at 5 months old, or even earlier, I've been actively worshiping God.
my mummy plays the children's worship CD and lift my arms and body to move to the music.
One of our favourite songs: Bubbling Joy.

better still if you do all the action songs in front of the mirror!
another action song good for this purpose is "if you're happy and you know it"

5. Hang Laundry and Fold clothes
While hanging up the laundry, Mummy will put me in my Bumbo Seat and let me watch her.
As she takes out each garment from the washing machine, she'll show me and tell me its colour.
When folding clothes, mummy gently sweeps the piece of clothing she's going to fold across my face to let me feel its texture.
You can also play peek-a-boo with baby while folding clothes.

yummy toes

2010-11-29T16:24:00.002+08:00

5 months old

I can "eat" my toes!

I also lift up my legs when Mummy's changing my diapers.

Charlie's Chubby Angel

2010-11-25T00:05:00.002+08:00

Crying Angel
Originally uploaded by lastboltnut

Check out my arms...
These are what my parents call 面包手.
Look like bread, don't they?

When my mummy brought me to accompany my korkor to his new school on his 1st day, korkor's classmate asked Mummy, "Why her (Jade's) arm got so many lines?"

To avoid using the word "fat", Mummy replied, "cause she is chubby."

The boy continued, "what is 'chubby'?"

To which my mummy doesn't know what other word to use besides "fat".

wriggly girl

2010-11-16T00:03:00.004+08:00

at 4months plus,

I wriggle all around the bed and cot.

korkor put a pillow on my back and called me a tortoise. Humph!

I'm still learning to sit unsupported.
My parents think I'm going to "lose" to my korkor who can sit on his own at 5months+.

Mirror Mirror on the wall

2010-10-20T23:08:00.002+08:00

Mirror, Mirror on the ~~wall~~ cot,
who's the cutest of them all?

Haha!
I like looking into the mirror on my cot.

Mirrors are great toys for babies!

check out how mirrors can help babies develop here.

bottles

2010-10-19T08:20:00.000+08:00

am learning how to drink from bottles.

Think my mummy won't be bothered with bottles if not for her having to go back to work.
She finds bottles a hassle - gotta wash and sterilise.

Worse thing is...
I don't even want to drink from the bottle!

yah... at the moment, I still don't know or don't want to drink from the bottle.
every time the 30 ml of milk mummy prepare will be gone to waste.

did you know?
all standard neck bottles go with standard neck teats too!
I'm using Pigeon teats on Medela bottles.

When choosing baby bottles, make sure that it is BPA (Bisphenol-A) free.
Mummy was very upset 3 years ago when she found out about BPA and that my korkor's bottles contain BPA.

Rhinestone Babies

2010-10-18T10:21:00.007+08:00

Received a surprise gift yesterday!

comes in a nice little package like this.

Wow! it's a romper with my name in Rhinestones!
Glam or what?
Finally, something that's not in pink. haha.

Thanx, Auntie Michelle.

If you're interested in getting a customized baby tee/romper , check them out at
www.rhinestonebabies.com

Gone swimming

2010-10-11T06:17:00.004+08:00

6 -8 Oct 2010
few days to 4 months old

Gone swimming with my korkor and parents.
It's my 1st time swimming!
and I swam for 3 days consecutive!

Sometimes I swim forward.

Am I back in mummy's tummy?
Originally uploaded by lastboltnut

Sometimes I swim sideways.

sometimes I ~~swim~~ float backwards.

when I do, I like to hook my legs together.

Sometimes I complain a lot, other times I enjoy myself.

*yawn*
swimming sure is tiring!

I even fell asleep in the pool!

Tip: Baby gets tired and hungry after swimming, get a bottle of milk ready after swim might be good.

Flip Flip

2010-10-03T08:17:00.002+08:00

3 months old

I've been trying to flip....

see my legs?
this happens quite often...

here I go again...

Argh! just need to get this arm out!

Yeah! I did it!
eh? what's this?

Oh! I need to do a ~~lucky~~ blessing draw for the pacifier give-away.
and the blessed winner is....
chanelgay!

Blog Give-away: Pacifier closed

2010-09-17T18:17:00.008+08:00

~~Am giving away~~ Have given away an unopened, brand new pack of 2 Avent Pacifiers for 0-3 months.

Nope. I don't use pacifiers nor am I endosing them.
These came free with the Avent Combined steamer and blender my Ah Gong bought for me.

Why no pacifiers for my brother and me?

1. My mummy is worried bout nipple confusion.
not just for us babies but also for herself.
She's worried that she won't be able to tell when baby wants milk and when baby wants the pacifier.
She'd rather her babies suck on her all the time than for them to suck on the pacifier.

2. One day, when my korkor was a few days old, he was crying non-stop at night and my papa put a pacifier in his mouth. My korkor stopped crying but my mummy started crying and said, "他不像我的baby! (he doesn't look like my baby.) boohoohoo!"
so my papa stopped giving the pacifier once my korkor spat it out.

3. We (my korkor and me) didn't know how to keep the pacifier in our mouth.
We kept pushing it with our tongue instead of sucking on it.

Hence, no pacifiers for us.

oh yes, of cos there were times my mummy is tempted to give me the pacifier but each time, she leaves the "dirty job" to my papa who is not doing a good job of keeping the pacifier in my mouth. I reckon he still remembers that night when his wife cried and said, "他不像我的baby! "

Think my korkor would have done a better "dirty job".
He's always enthusiastic about giving me the pacifier.
he thinks babies look cute and more like babies with one.

click on the picture below to read mummy's friends' comments about the pacifier:

The issue of giving a pacifier to a baby has been debated much through the years.
Click to read the pro and cons of using a pacifier.
You might find some interesting stuff that u didn't know before!

at the end of the day, hope you can make an informed choice.

~~If you'd like to have these Avent tootoos, leave a comment with your email address.~~
~~we'll close~~We've closed the give-away on Mon 27th Sep 2010 and do did a ~~lucky~~ blessing draw.
and the blessed winner is channelgay!

Yummy Fingers

2010-09-14T12:23:00.002+08:00

3 months old

some weeks ago, I started ~~feasting~~ fisting, i.e. "eating" my fist or what my korkor calls "cucumber".

now I promoted to "eating" my fingers.

did you know that sucking fingers is also a milestone?
It means baby can control her hands and fingers to go to her mouth!

"Parents often think that it is better to let their baby suck on a pacifier instead of their fingers or thumb. They figure that they can always take away a pacifier, but they can't take away their baby's thumb or fingers.

The problem with this reasoning is that:

few parents actually take away the pacifier
there is nothing to stop a child from switching to their thumb or fingers if you don't let them have a pacifier anymore.

...

Thumb or Fingers versus Pacifiers

Although you often don't have a choice and it will be up to your baby's preference, you likely don't need to discourage thumb or finger sucking, since:

your baby has ready access to her fingers or thumb
parents often overuse pacifiers, putting them in their baby's mouth every time they cry, while your baby can use her fingers or thumb when she really needs it
your baby can stop sucking on her fingers or thumb when she is ready, while you may continue to use a pacifier longer than necessary, making it more likely to become a habit."

~ italics taken from pediatrics.about.com

认人 recognise people

2010-09-05T06:57:00.003+08:00

Ping and Jade
Originally uploaded by lastboltnut

at 11 weeks old, I can recognise people.

sometimes even my papa can't pacify me when I cry cos I want Mummy. Once Mummy carry me I'll stop crying.

oh. I can differentiate men and women too.
when women carry me when I'm hungry, I'll start "digging" for milk. but when men carry me, I won't.

Shower

2010-09-03T08:50:00.000+08:00

talking about strengthened neck muscles,
mine are quite strong since birth.

since my neck muscles are strong enough,

My papa's being giving me shower instead of bath since I was 7 weeks old.

Less hassle, Fast and simple, he thinks, compared to using the bathtub.

me? bath or shower, I love them all.

Tummy Time

2010-09-01T17:17:00.002+08:00

Tummy Time is simply time baby spends on her tummy.

Tummy time helps babies strengthen their neck muscles and to get ready to push up, roll over, sit up, and eventually stand.

A search on "tummy time" on the internet suggests that many babies hates tummy time.
I wonder why.

cos I love tummy time!

It's a time of play for me!

while on my tummy, My parents will put their hand/ arm or leg against my feet so I can kick off and move forward.
it's lots of fun!

Library for Babies

2010-08-26T12:14:00.005+08:00

hmm... where are we?

Library?

Went with my korkor to the library.
My 1st visit and what did I do?

Drink milk
(shhh... not allowed in the library)

and

sleep.
See my korkor reading on his own in the background.

by the way, expecting mummies, go get a Pre-birth Kit for your baby.
It includes a Baby Journal, an audio CD and a Growth Chart.

Pss... remember to bring Baby's BC and a parent's IC
if you wanta make a library card for baby.

Finger Games

2010-08-24T12:30:00.000+08:00

~ picture taken about a month ago ~

These are MY fingers?

When to remove mitten?
From about 6 weeks old, remove baby's mittens when baby's awake and play finger games with her.

This will help baby to learn that she has fingers and that she can use them!

Here are some songs Mummy sings as she gently pinches the tip of each of my fingers.
By pinching the fingers, signal is sent to the brian.

1. Ten Little ~~Indians~~ Fingers
One Little, Two Little, Three Litter Fingers
Four little, Five Little, Six little Fingers
Seven little, Eight little, Nine little fingers
Ten little Jadee(replace with ya baby's name)'s fingers

2. Friendly Fingers

This is one of the songs we learn from my korkor's Yamaha's Junior Music Course.
oo... the video is removed due to copyright issues.
maybe will get my korkor to sing and upload (stay tuned!).

Look at me, I'm holding up my thumb, finger number 1!
Always feeling really hungry,
Yum, yum, yum, yum, yum, yummy yum!

Here's the one that points at me and at you,
Finger number 2!
Always feeling cross and angry,
Ra, ra, ra, ra, ra, ra!

...

Now the baby, smallest of all, finger number 5!
Always crying really loudly,
waa, waa, waa, waa, waa, waa!

3. One, three, four, five, once I caught a fish alive
Six, seven, eight, nine, ten, then I let it go again
why did I let it go?
Because it bit my finger so
Which finger did it bite?
this little finger on my right
(randomly change the finger bitten)

oo... my fingers look so yummy, my mummy really bites them!
Ouch!

Confinement Must-haves

2010-08-14T17:30:00.003+08:00

Not Jade but Jade's Mummy said...

Must-have for the confinement period (and beyond):

~ image taken from http://www.myfredi.com ~

1. Bedroom Slippers
Most Singaporean homes use ceramic tiles or natural stones for their flooring, hence the floor will be cooling.
Wearing bedroom slippers during confinement keeps your feet warm and the "cold" away from ya feet.
Believe me! I don't really believe in these confinement stuff but I get pains when I'm not wearing bedroom slippers.

2. Bathrobe
Help you dry ya body faster - just put it on and wa-la! most of your body will be dried.
Use towel to dry other "uncovered" parts like hair, face, calves , etc.
if you decide to shower, that is.
I think the idea of not showering is to keep the water and wind out so if you do decide to shower, try to dry up quickly.

3. Long pants / pajamas
same thing: keep the wind out and keep ya legs warms
I wore shorts most of the time for this confinement (am really afraid of heat!) and later on always get joint-pains at the knees.
When I get joint-pains then I put on long pants loh. Helps!

cute girl needs bottles

2010-08-13T06:28:00.004+08:00

me at 2 months 3 days

Thanx, Hong Ah-yi for this romper!

For those who are thinking of getting me a gift,
please get me these

Medela milk bottles.

Mummy has so much excess milk, all our bottles are in the freezer now.

Happy Birthday, Singapore

2010-08-09T01:03:00.003+08:00

Not jade but Jade's Mummy said...

Saw a new mtv of the
1998 NDP Theme Song - Home
and was touched by the song.
Well done, Dick Lee!

can't find this new version sang by 2 Girls.
so here's the original one by Kit Chan

btw, any1 knows who wrote the lyrics for chinese version - 家?

ooh... btw, Kit Chan's cutting a new album!
Yeah! 陈洁仪，等你好久了！

Happy birthday, Singapore!
and happy 2 months, Jadie!

when breastfeeding mom is sick

2010-08-07T07:13:00.003+08:00

One common question among breastfeeding moms is this:
Should I breastfeed when I'm sick?

The answer is YES!

but make sure you tell ya doctor that you're breastfeeding and get him to prescribe medication that is compatible with breastfeeding.

"The best thing you can do for your baby when you're sick is to continue to breastfeed. ... Your milk will not transmit your illness to baby, but it does have antibodies in it that are specific to your illness ..."
~ taken from http://www.kellymom.com/health/illness/mom-illness.html ~

Mummy's down with flu
and the bad thing is most flu / running nose medicine are not safe for breastfeeding.

So how?
Since Mummy's milk contains antibodies against her illness,
theoretically, her milk is the best remedy for her illness.
So she decided to drink her own milk though she thinks it tastes yucky.
(I wonder why, cos I like it tastes yummy!)

To make her own milk drinkable for herself, she adds it to her milo.
that'll be one big mug of milo (about 250ml) to 30 - 50 ml of breastmilk.
Anything more than 50ml, u can taste the milk in the milo.

Free Huggies Samples

2010-08-06T06:04:00.003+08:00

Wah! Free diapers!

Closing date: 16 Aug 2010

What are you waiting for?

Click to get samples

Limited to one pack per household per address

Baby's Day Out - National Day Party for Babies

2010-08-04T06:26:00.004+08:00

Baby’s Day Out - My First National Day Party

Date: Sat 14 August 2010
Time: 9.30am - 12.00pm
Venue: NUS Centre For the Arts

Register now and get an exclusive funpack, including a limited edition National Day Baby Tee!
Registration closing date: Closing Date: 6 August 2010

Bring your children out and enjoy a spectacular music extravaganza with Singapore Chinese Orchestra and Jazz Kids! Have fun dancing with your child to the rhythm of popular children songs and national day songs!

Pss... Babies who are turning one in August 2010 will receive a special gift!

Admission is free for children below 12 years old.

click for more details.

How to keep Mittens and booties in pairs

2010-07-29T06:33:00.002+08:00

mittens and booties.

They're tiny and many.
So howta keep them in pairs?

1. put them in washing bags before you throw them into the washing machine.

2. clip them pair by pair to dry.
If you can't find the matching pair, leave the lonely mitten or bootie on the clip until you've found and washed the matching other.

3. To keep the dried mittens / booties,

tuck one into the other.

There!
That should keep them in pairs.

Takashimaya 14th Craziest Toys Sale

2010-07-22T08:19:00.004+08:00

Tue 13th July 2010

My very 1st outing with Mummy!

1st we went to Junction8 to meet Mummy's friend to pick up some books for korkor.
Then we travelled together with her and her son to Orchard and finally parted at Takashimaya.

Saw that Taka's going to have this Crazy Toy Sale.
Wow! looks like a LOT of toys!

Wed 14 Jul to Sun 1 Aug
Takashimaya Square B2

Full Month @ Sukura

2010-07-21T15:42:00.006+08:00

Had my full month celebration with my father's relatives at

Sakura International Buffet Restaurant
at Doby Ghaut Green.

~ photo taken from www.sukigroup.com.sg ~

The buffet spread is very good and food is yummy too.

Their outlet at Doby Ghaut is super convenient - just outside Doby Ghaut MRT
but since it's in town, it was very crowded (full house!) and super cramped (space is scared in orchard).
Hence my papa didn't take any picture.
of cos, he was busy entertaining the guests too.

To celebrate my full month, we ~~are giving~~ have given away
10 Sakura 50%-off-2nd-pax vouchers!
Actually the restaurant gave us lah.

Click on the picture to read the terms and conditions.

Note: only valid at Choa Chu Kang and Balestier Shaw Plaza.
Since these outlets are not in town, I'm sure they're much more spacious cos the ones my papa visited before (Omni and Jurong West) are very spacious.

~~To win these vouchers, just leave a comment on this post, indicating ya interest and ya email address and we will contact you soon.~~

I'm one-month old!

2010-07-15T10:36:00.008+08:00

Friday 9th July 2010

Time flies!
I'm one-month-old today.
My papa arrange for my hair to be shaved and make into 胎毛笔 (Chinese calligraphy brush made with baby's first hair).

Mummy ask Papa to take nice pictures of me with hair before I'm shaven.
and these are what he took:

Argh! so angry!

This is much better!

me with hair, waiting for the TaiMoBi person to come.

and soon, the shaving began.

"Are you sure about this?"

Soon it was done.

My korkor was very supportive and was with me the whole time when my head was being shaven.

My confinement nanny, Auntie Betty, giving me a bath after the hair~~cut~~-shave.

Tell me the truth, Hello Kitty. How do I look?

Evening...

My Ah Gong, Ah Ma and

Xiao Yi came to see me.

Our family insurance agent, i.e. my Lao Goh (Grand Auntie), also arranged to come this day to settle my Hospitalization Policy.
(sorry. forgot to take pictures)

What an eventful day.
I was so tired at the end of the day,

I was knocked out.

Sunning my Jaundice away

2010-07-07T09:09:00.001+08:00

Pictures taken when I was 8 days old.

Mine was consider a mild case of Jaundice, hence no need photo-therapy.
I was to be sunned twice a day - morning 8am and evening 6pm, front and back, 10mins each.

"A common condition in newborns, jaundice refers to the yellow color of the skin and whites of the eyes caused by excess bilirubin in the blood. Bilirubin is produced by the normal breakdown of red blood cells.

Normally, bilirubin passes through the liver and is excreted as bile through the intestines. Jaundice occurs when bilirubin builds up faster than a newborn's liver can break it down and pass it from the body."
~ taken from kidshealth.org

Hence, to help baby recover from jaundice faster, you have to give baby as much milk as possible.

Note: "Giving water or glucose feeds will not lower the jaundice. Since bilirubin is excreted from the body in the stools, breastfeed your baby frequently to encourage frequent bowel movement."
~ taken from www.nuh.com.sg

Mummy was amazed that I can prop my head up so high when I was only a week old.

Then I started to graze on the blanket cos I want milk!

another important thing to note: Jaundice causes babies to be sleepy.
but Don't allow baby to sleep as much as he wants
but you've gotta wake baby up for milk!
Make sure you feed baby every 2-3 hours so that baby can pass out bilirubin as quickly as possible.

I've recovered from jaundice on my 2nd week.

Dear God, thank you for healing me.

and thank you, Mummy's friends who had prayed with us.

Golden butt

2010-07-01T11:01:00.000+08:00

Not so long ago (actually even now), people use cloth nappies

that's my Mummy when she's a baby in 1977.
Notice they didn't even use safety pins but a cloth belt to secure the nappy.

My parents did try to use cloth nappies for my korkor...
until one day...
my korkor's motion dropped out of his cloth diaper from the opening meant for his leg.

So they gave up on cloth diapers and switched toimage taken from www.fairprice.com.sg

Pampers NewBorn - disposable diapers.

My korkor has tried other brands like Mummy Poko & Drypers.
Mummy Poko New Born is soft and good too but it was too slippery on my korkor's butt so it kept sliding down his backside. Drypers was good too... until my parents found crystal-like stuff on my korkor's butt especially when the diaper is heavily soiled. So Pampers is THE brand for newborn babies. When it was my turn, the hospital which I was born in used Fitti. So we brought home and used the pack from the hospital. Mummy thinks Fitti is rough at the edges though my papa thinks it's similar to Pampers. but it just nice bao liao end up at my umbilical cord stump so it kept rubbing on the stump and it dropped prematurely causing a mild infection. sigh. now we change back to Pampers.

Pampers New Born Cheapest S$8.45 for a pack of 24 at NTUC Fairprice.
(correct as at 30 June 2010)

So what happened to all those cloth nappies?

Oh... we put them to good use - bed linen, blanket, swaddle cloth, towel, etc.
That's me in the picture, in case you were wondering.
Cloth nappies are great! cos they're so thin - suitable for the humid weather in Singapore.

As for wiping babies' backsides,

image taken from www.unfpa.org.pk

My Mummy remember helping to tear cotton wool from these rolls of them and make them into cotton balls. My grandparents will then use the cotton balls, dip them into water and wipe my XiaoYi's butt when she was a baby back in 1988.

image taken from www.pigeonbaby.info

Nowadays, we use baby wipes.

image taken from www.pigeonbaby.info

Pigeon's baby wipes are the best so far - no smell and not too wet, not too dry.
others are either too fragrant or too soapy.
the box's great for home use - making sure you take only one piece of wipe with each pull.

image taken from www.fairprice.com.sg

Otherwise, you can get the refill pack cheapest from NTUC Fairprice,
pack of 3 x 82 for $9.85 (correct as at 30 June 2010)

To keep baby's butt free from diaper rash, apply a barrier cream (nappy rash cream) after cleaning baby's backside everytime, before putting on the diaper.

image taken from www.eczanemonline.com.tr

Mummy recalls seeing this Drapolene cream being used for all the babies at home so she tried that on my korkor and the effect was not good. It was quite useless for a baby (i.e. my koror) who pass (a lot of) motion after every feed.

They then switched to Desitin.

Desitin Nappy Rash Cream comes in two types:

1. Desitin Creamy (blue box)

Picture taken from www.gmarket.com.sg

Desitin Creamy smells nice, can be applied and wiped off easily.

but for maximum strength, or bad case of diaper rash, use
2. Desitin Original (white/purple box)

Picture taken from happydays-shop.com

But be warned: Desitin Original's got fishy smell and more difficult to wipe/wash away.
Super effective though.

blocked Nose

2010-06-29T10:00:00.006+08:00

I'm not even 3 weeks old and fell sick already!?

Got seriously blocked nose yesterday and my parents brought me to the doc.
Doc said there're big lumps of dried mucus in my nose but mine's not an extremely bad case.

My mummy did try to clean my nostrils with
Pigeon's cotton swabs
(choose the one with extra thin stem, thinner than those in the picture, for tiny nostrils)

but she couldn't get much out from my nostrils since the mucus were deep inside.

So Doc used a nasal spray on me and a mucus suction machine! to suck out my mucus.

I screamed and cried so badly.
My parents and korkor looked on, feeling heartache for me.
My korkor shook his head several times.

this is the nasal spray I use:

Sterimar Nasal Hygiene
an isotonic* filtered sea water solution
(*Isotonic solution: a solution that contains the same concentration of salt that of the human body cells)

When using at home, no suction is needed.
The solution will just flow out or flow back into my system.
Doc said she had to use the suction machine on me cos I had too much mucus.

One good news from the visit to the doctor's: I put on almost a 1kg since birth!

Oh. and I can finally sleep properly after all the mucus are cleared.

One other thing we learnt:
Doc said sometimes when Mummy eats food that is too heaty, it will cause my mucus to be thick.
Any1 can verify this?

I also have a super big ulcer on my tongue, deep in.
Cause is unknown and Doc said it's unusual for babies this young to have such ulcers.
Now Mummy thinks maybe it's the heaty food she took that cause my ulcer.

Yesterday my korkor saw the doc too cos his voice was hoarse and had been having cough.
Mummy also suspect that it's her heaty milk that caused him to cough.
Now that I'm having ulcer, Mummy dare not give him her milk, for fear of contamination.
What to do with the extra milk now?

My korkor's Pram

2010-06-25T08:40:00.001+08:00

When my parents were choosing a pram for my elder brother (korkor),
they wanted these features:

1. reversible handle
(so that baby can see you while you push the pram. especially useful when baby is fussing)

2. Large wheels
for smooth drive over big gaps.

3. Four-wheel drive aka 4 swivel wheels
Say, if you are buying a car and it has a 2-wheel-drive as well as 4-wheel-drive model, and you do not have limited resources, which will you choose?
4 wheel drive, right?
Same logic.
It is easier to manoeuvre a 4 wheel drive pram than a 2 wheel drive.
This is especially so when u reverse the handle and a 2-wheel-drive has the steering wheels behind - very difficult to manoeuvre.
Hence, a reversible handle should come with a 4-wheel drive.

4. Reclinedable back rest (suitable for new born baby)

5. Leg rest/ pan
Papa thinks babies are very poor thing cos their pram usually doesn't have Leg rest or leg pan so babies' legs are always hanging in the air plus their legs are too short to reach the bar below.

In the end, they settled for a Capella Stroller which has all the features listed above.

That's my korkor, Hann, with his pram in the picture.

For me... of cos I'll using the same pram.
it's very durable you know?
I'll be the 3rd baby using this.

When my brother was a baby, Capella was the only brand that has prams with 4 swivel wheels.

Currently, those Capella strollers that come with leg rests are very heavy (8kg+) compared to my korkor's 5.5kg.

8.9kg CAPELLA Adonis Premium Stroller S707 ('09)
Picture taken from www.babysuperstore.com.sg

Actually 5kg is not considered lightweight, but it's ok for my mummy cos she will just push the pram from our door all the way to the mrt station and off they go for their outing.
Mummy often found my korkor asleep in his stroller upon reaching home from an outing.
Looking forward to my own outings with Mummy!

Combi has since caught up and their COMBI Miracle Turn series also have 4 swivel wheels.
Heard its wheels are small though.
Combi is more expensive than Capella though.

TJT450 - Combi - Miracle Turn
picture taken from www.babysuperstore.com.sg

As for the very popular (for some reason unknown to my parents) and expensive Maclaren, they are not in the consideration for my parents at all cos they think the design is mechanically unsound.
See my korkor's previous post on this.

About my name

2010-06-23T09:20:00.000+08:00

Photo taken by my Papa when I was 36-minute old.

大家好！我叫梁雯汐。

For those who have difficulty pronounce my name, it's actually quite simple.
Just follow my Mummy's 口诀：有边读边，没边读中间，没中间读上下。
so 雯 read as 文 and 汐 read as 夕
If you can't even read the two simple chinese characters 文 and 夕, your chinese is very bad.

Then u can call me by my dialect name-
Leong Man Jade,
or simply, Jade.

In case, you were wondering, I'm a girl.

The meaning of my name is

雯 wén: 成花纹的云彩, Cloud patterns or the colouring of clouds.

汐xī: 夜间的海潮, night tide

My father wants to use these two natural phenomenon to describe God's good timing of my arrival - unexpected/ unplanned /unpredictable as what the tide might brings but at the right time / appropriate as beautiful clouds.

雯 or nice clouds are also a sign of sunshine after the rain, signifying God has healed Mummy.

汐 also describes me coming in the night or rather, the labour started at night when Mummy's water bag broke. I was only born the next day past noon.

I was born 4 weeks ahead of my expected due date (EDD), hence again, unexpected/ unpredictable.

During labour, there were a few occasions when my heartbeat dropped significantly and when I came out, there were two loops of umbilical cord around my neck, though Doc said they were loose.

Some relatives speculated that perhaps I was in danger so I kicked the water bag burst;
while my Mummy says it's because I can't bear seeing her do silly paper work which she gets angry every time she does it.

Whatever the reason as to why I came out from Mummy's tummy a month earlier, we think it's God's good timing.

As for my dialect name, it's just spelt angmo-ly
like my brother's name，Tim Hann.

"Man" is also short for Immanuel/Emmanuel - meaning "God with us";
"Jade" is a green gemstone popular with the Chinese and the Chinese word for Jade, 玉, also means "that which is pure, fair and beautiful/ handsome".

Baby Jade's 1st Years

Fly! Fly! Fly!

PageOne Warehouse Sale

Curry and me

Healthy Snack: Cheerios

Row Row Row

self-feeding with spoon

13 months old

Mothercare Infant Massage Workshop

Brave Kids

For Sale: Bumbo Seat and CO-Sleeper *sold

Just for laughs

Tahini vs Black Sesame Paste

more about my name 雯汐

Baby Care Festival @ Singapore Expo

Mothercare Baby Fair @ HarbourFront

4Es for successful breastfeeding

Jade's food before 8 months old

Baby Singapore 2011 Contest

Medical Specialists Directory in Singapore

Welcome the Year of Rabbit with teeth!

young percussionist

crawl

mei 妹

mmmmma mmmmmpa

to stop or not to stop

I can sit up on my own!

Millet - super healthy whole grain

Melt-in-mouth Baby Biscuits

My 1st foods

My first solid meal

happy boxing day

Super Baby Food

Infant Care Centres: Questions to ask, n things to look out for

I can sit!

Fan vs Aircon for confinement

Mothers out there, any scientific proof that aircon has no negative side-effects during confinement??? I need to win this war very badly! pls help

Shopping and Delivery

Sleeping habits

Activities for babies

Baby Centre'sLet's Play! Weekly activities for your baby's first year

yummy toes

Charlie's Chubby Angel

wriggly girl

Mirror Mirror on the wall

bottles

Rhinestone Babies

Gone swimming

Flip Flip

Blog Give-away: Pacifier *closed*

Yummy Fingers

Thumb or Fingers versus Pacifiers

认人 recognise people

Shower

Tummy Time

Library for Babies

Finger Games

Confinement Must-haves

cute girl needs bottles

Happy Birthday, Singapore

when breastfeeding mom is sick

Free Huggies Samples

Baby's Day Out - National Day Party for Babies

How to keep Mittens and booties in pairs

Takashimaya 14th Craziest Toys Sale

Full Month @ Sukura

I'm one-month old!

Sunning my Jaundice away

Golden butt

blocked Nose

My korkor's Pram

About my name

Baby Centre's
Let's Play! Weekly activities for your baby's first year

Blog Give-away: Pacifier closed