Outings and Travel | Making travel with babies & kids fuss-free

June holidays are approaching. Yes, some like it some fear it. My kids childcare has planned a series of school outings for the kids and I am tagging along too to enjoy the holidays as an adult. Well, adults don't have school holidays so I have to make full use of any opportunities to play and bond with my children.

My children are 3 and 6 years now and thus it is much easier now. I definitely recalled when they are still a baby and a toodler. The mind is all about making sure that I have brought enough items so that I won't lack any items that are required. Ironically, when I have brought everything out in a big bag (sure heavy!!!), then I realised a lot of items were not used at all. Well, it's for just in case purposes anyway, sigh. =p Sometimes, I even have this bad thought that we should not go out so that we won't be iny situation that makes the trips unpleasant. Bad thought actually!

Nevertheless, parents will tend to bring their children out more often during the holidays, be in some interesting places locally or aboard. At different ages, parents should be concerned and prepared themselves essentially when out as you won’t know what you might experience along the way, especially when all of you travel overseas.

Outings can in fact be very enjoying if you are well prepared, well organized and self-assured. However, do bear in mind that travels should not be too ambitious and should not be any overly strenuous walking expeditions. Relax and should you experience some hiccups, laugh at it instead of fuss over it, spoiling your outings and overseas trips.


Here's a guide of what to pack in your bag.

A. Local Outings

0-1 Year Old
It’s worth while to spend some time to plan how you are going to your destination, what you need, where to feed your child and change him. If you are not confident, have your partner or friend with you to help.

Items to bring along for a young baby:
- Changing Mat (if nursing rooms are not easily located)
- Sufficient Nappies/diapers
- Baby Wipes/ Diaper cream/
- Milk Feeds
- Sweater
- Extra set of clothes
- Burp cloth/ Bib
- Pacificer (if baby needs it)
- Hat
- Toys
- Wet Bags

Extra items to bring along for an older baby:
- Milk Feeds, Baby Food and spoon
- Snacks
- Water
- Bib
- Sweater
- Extra set of clothes
- Hand Sanitizer

How to bring your baby out?
Parents should also think about how you want to bring your baby out. The time you are bring them out, i.e. during off peak or peak hours, the amount of time out and what is the mode of transport all contribute to how you decide to carry your baby and of course the items baby needs.

1. Using a Sling
Slings are one of the most convenient methods to carry your baby if your outings are not too long. But do ensure that baby and adult is comfortable.


2. Using a stroller/pram

Use a stroller if you are expecting to be out for hours as your baby can sleep comfortably in the stroller. However, do not leave your child unattended. When in stationary position, ensure that the wheels are locked and put on the safety harness.

1-3 Years Old
By this time, your child might have learned to walk. The greatest possible problem is to keep him or her safely restrained. Always be prepared to slow down your outing pace as your child might stops to look and explore what he or she sees along the way.

Your child might not be happy if he or she is totally restrained in his or her stroller. You might see the need to persuade your child to stay in it and one of the best way is to bring along his or her favorite toy as well as some snacks.

Items to bring along:
- Toys
- Books
- Water
- Snacks
- Comforter
- Sweater
- Hat
- Diapers if not toilet trained
- Additional set of clothes
- Wet Bags


B. Air Travels

If you are intending to travel by air, you need to plan your journey meticulously. Always check with the flight company or travel agency the constraints on board an air craft.

Things to note:
- Always indicate that you have a baby with you.
- Ask for a bulkhead seat as there’s more leg room
- Check if cots are provided onboard
- Arrive at the airport with plenty of time to spare
- Always seek your child’s doctor advise ahead of the trip for health precautions, vaccinations, medication

Items to bring along (ensure sufficient supplies):
- Child’s travel documents
- Baby bag for baby’s on-the-go items
- Stroller/ pram
- Changing needs
- Plastic bags
- Feeding needs
- Toys
- Comforters
- Sweater
- Water
- Medication

Here's a list of products to consider. Get them at www.eobexclusive.com.

Label Label Pacificer Holder

OXO Tot Snack Disc

Smelly Bag

Steripod Portable Toothbrush Sanitizer

My kid has a fever and why I should be concern everytime

Have you ever have the expeirences that when you touch your child, he or she feels warm but when you measure her, the temperature was all right? Or have you ever wonder why your child has a higher temperature when he is perfectly fine just a moment ago, but he still seems energetic?

Here, we came across a website that has a pictorial that gives us information when you can seek initial self-treatment or head to your paedictrician right away. However, it does not mean that you need not worry. I would put it across as being concern everytime there's a fever. Not worrisome though it might be the case especially it's a high fever. Do also note that commonly doctors refer fever to be higher than 37.5ºC.

In the picture, it uses Fahrenheit. Hence for conversion, we includes some figures.

1 degree Celsius = 33.8 degrees Fahrenheit

Some key temperatures to note:
98.7ºF = 37ºC
99.5ºF = 37.5ºC
101.5ºF = 38.5ºC
102.5ºF = 39ºC
100.4ºF = 38ºC
104ºF > 40ºC

And some indications to summarise the chart:

1. For children 3 months to 3 years old, a temperature of up to 39ºC (higher for older children) indicates the body fighting an illness.

2. A low grade fever might be expected for children who recently gets an injection.

Common Singapore fever medicine includes:

1. For fever lower than 38.5ºC, paedictricians/ GPs normally prescribe the pink solution call paracetamol. Do note the strength as it does indicates how much you feed your child. In the market there are 2 strengths; 120mg per 5ml and 250mg per ml. So always check carefully how much you feed your child if you are seeking self-treatment. If ensure, call your doctor's clinic or visit a doctor. And always follow the dosage as when as the times to be given.

2. For fever above 38.55ºC, ibuprofen is commonly given. However, as this is stronger, always limit it use unless required. And seek professional guide at all times.

Source: http://health.clevelandclinic.org/2014/01/when-a-childs-fever-becomes-a-serious-problem-infographic/

The all Natural-Homemade Postpartum Care Kit | Just too good for mothers on confinement

Giving birth requires a lot of work to recover and hence in Asia context, we have our one month confinement to nurse back our health and at the same time bond with the newborn. Not forgetting that healing can be painful and challenging.

For first time mothers especially, I recalled myself shortage of things that I actually need but never prepare. Luckily, in Singapore, shops are not too far away to send husbands to run an errand to. =p

However, maybe we can relook at our already available home items that we can make used of. And also saving on costs.


Preparing for postpartum in advance is also essential for helping guard your adjusting body against the baby blues and postpartum depression that you are susceptible to after birth.

Please note that information here are merely to educate, inspire, and motivate you to look into these issues more on your own, or to speak with your own medical practitioner for more information.


1.Postpartum Salt BathFor women going through natural birth, and there's a cut or tear to the perineum area, soak yourself for 5-10 minutes or even wash the area with a bath bath to help healing faster. Fill up warm water in a basin and dissolve in a tablespoon of salt. This can be your table salt. No, it does not sting. We tried it and it indeed help heal the perineum area faster and helps soothes the pain. You can either sit in the solution for 5-10 minutes or wash your perineum area with this after using the loo.

2. Refreshing Perineum SprayFill a small spray bottle with witch hazel and a few drops of lavender essential oil and apply to your perineum after you use the restroom.

3. Postpartum Blues SprayGeranium or bergamot essential oils are excellent to prevent post-partum depression, so dilute a 2-3 drops in a small spray bottle or diffuse around the room to help balance all those adjusting hormones. A small spray bottle with this concoction is another great gift for a new mommy.

4. Homemade Mother’s Milk TeaYes, you need it for the hearty production of your milk supply.
Please refer to the recipe at this link.

If you have more good ideas to share, please drop us a note so that mothers can get prepared. =)

Dealing with In-laws | handling their views and opinions

Do you know that about 60% of the women hate their in-laws, especially mother-in-laws? Well, think that figure would not surprise you. Rather you might think that’s too low, right? How about the rest of the 40%. Well, it does not reflect that these 15% likes their in-laws. It just shows that they don’t hate them. That’s all. But it is not about hating. It's more about how to handle a relationship.

With so much commotion especially between both mother-in-laws and daughter-in-laws, how can we overcome such issues especially the person in between two of you is your husband and her son after all.

We have classified in-laws into 5 groups of personalities. Most of them fall into one but we can be certain that some actually have all the traits of each group. That’s a horror! Well, one day, you will become a mother-in-law too….. so be nice about it…… and not take it so seriously.

1. Controlling In-laws

They just want to control your hubby’s life and thus create the impression that they are controlling you as well. To put in nicer words, they are too used to running your hubby’s life. However, do not think that they are out to make your life miserable; while some really do if they have objected to your marriage in the first place. 

They need to have these controls so that they feel needed. After all, they gave birth to your hubby and after marriage, they still need that control as parents. If they lost that control, they will do any stunts either through threats, manipulation or even guilt-peddling to regain that control they need.

Solution :

Never talk bad about his parents especially your hubby is so used to his parents bidding, meaning he let his parents control him. Now that he forms his own family, try to understand that it might also be a huge change to his lifestyle. However, you can approach this situation by helping him understand that his parents’ behavior is making you and your marriage suffer. 

Do not over-react or nag but assure him that you are always with him. Ask him why he does not want to stand up for himself and his family, especially when there are additions to your family.

If you have a baby at home:

If your methods in raising up a child are completely different from his parents, do not nag. At the very least, they brought up your husband that way. There must be some ways that you can adopt even in this present era. You need to get your husband to stand by you and explain to his parents why you are adopting a different teaching methodology. 

2. "Close to You" In-laws

Your in-laws treated you as their own daughter. However, they do not really understand why you need your privacy. They will expect that everything is on the family mode, rather than the marriage mode. This can make you frustrated by being on 24/7 standby as you must entertain them.

Solution :

Let your hubby knows about this else he may think that you have enjoyed spending every minute with his parents all this while. You might consider setting a family routine so that he will not neglect his parents too.

If you have these in-laws, consider yourself lucky as they are relatively harmless and easier to convey your sentiments. However, be prepared to make compromises sometimes.

If you have a baby at home:

They might popped by your house every other day to see the baby as one of the excuses. That explains their overly-frequent visits. Simply let them know that you need some privacy and rest. At the same time, consider putting more effort in bringing your child to visit them.

3. Chaotic In-laws

As the name implies, it’s really chaotic. Somehow, the lives of your in-laws are too ‘messy’ in the sense that they might be unhappy about their own lives that they can stir up lots of problems in their lives and others. In other words, they do not care about your marriage life. They just want someone to focus on themselves.  In fact, they might be the problem themselves.

Once they have a problem, they will turn up to you and your hubby for aid. Suddenly, you will feel like your husband and yourself have become superman and wonder woman. You just need to solve and fix the problems but these problems will never end.

Solution:

Since it’s a never-ending journey with all these problems, you might just have to say NO! Though we need to be filial to our parents but we cannot be the ones to be responsible for their actions. If it’s a one-time situation, all right, go ahead and help. If it’s not, just reject them. It might make you look bad as a daughter-in-law but in the first place your in-laws might not be interested in you either.

Your hubby might need to step in and let his parents know that his parents need to take back their responsibilities for their lives. If it’s too hard to approach this nasty situation, consider a counselor.

If you have a baby at home:

Be careful of such in-laws especially if you have a child at home. They might be teaching your child certain bad habits alongside the growing process. We do not want the child to pick up skills in creating problems. Hence, as parents, you need to be firm in rejecting your problematic in-laws.

4. Rejecting In-laws

We are sad to tell you but your in-laws have never liked you. Hence, they do not care about anything about you. They might do all sorts of things to ostracize you and drove you to the end of your marriage. All these things happened due to several reasons which are hard to solve – religion, race, social differences and even personality. 

Despite all the efforts you have tried to get closer to your in-laws, it still seems that the ice is still frozen and the rock is still as hard.

Solution:

Accept that there’s nothing much you can do now or even in the future. They have already dislike you before they have met you. They know of your presence but not you as a person. Leave them alone. Concentrate on your marriage and own family instead.

If you have a baby at home:

Just leave them alone. Focus your love and energy on your hubby and children instead.

5. Bad-Mouth In-laws

Whatever you said, they must scrutinize it, be it your views, feelings or what you have done. Even if you do certain things perfectly, they are out to criticize it.

The reason that they have to do these – to put you down and let you know who the boss is. They will keep nagging, giving you unwanted advice and picked on you or the things you did. The only thing you can do is to bite your tongue so that they have lesser things to criticize.

Solution:

Always resist the impulse to attack back, argue or go silent. It is because you might still be blamed for either being disrespectful or for doing nothing at all. Rather, if the criticism is harmless, treat it as a humor and let it pass. Alternatively, you can use a humorous strategy to bring your message across. 

If you are really feeling super angry, try to delay your reaction and gain over your emotions. Use a positioning statement like ‘I know you have your own methods of doing things. I have my own method of doing things too and I should be the one to decide.’

If you have a baby at home:

Do not quarrel with your in-laws as your children are watching it. Rather be calm and bring your point over. 

We hope you have fun reading this post and we like to share what we always do... have an easy heart. Do not take it so seriously. 

Pregnancy is not necessarily becoming FAT if you know how to care for yourself

What most women fear…. Being FAT! However, it’s really not posible not to put on weight during pregnancy. Why are some mothers so thin with only a tummy protruding out but some blow up like a balloon everywhere?

By the end of your pregnancy, your extra weight gain should be around 10 to 12kg to be normal.
For practical reasons the pregnancy is divided into three periods:

1. the first period runs from week 0 to 12 where it is normal to gain 1 to 2kg
2. the second period runs from weeks 12 to 28 in which it is normal to gain 300 to 400g a week.
3. the third period runs from weeks 28 to 40 and it is normal to gain 1 to 3kg a month.

It is not necessary to be obsessive about your weight during pregnancy. However, excess weight gain is probably best avoided since most women will want to return to the same dress size within a few months of delivery.


Where do the extra kilos come from?
A baby weighs approximately 2.5 - 3.5kg before birth
The uterus grows to approximately 900g
The placenta weighs approximately 650g
The amniotic fluid weighs approximately 800g
The woman's breasts grow by approximately 400g
The weight of the extra blood is approximately 1.25kg
Water retained in the body tissues weighs approximately 2kg
The layer of fat beneath the skin weighs approximately 1.7kg


How to prevent getting putting on the unnecessary fats and your unborn baby gets the essential food and grows well? You will have to decide for yourself and get your gynae's recommendations.

Eat for 2? True or False?
It is not true that a pregnant woman should eat for two people. What is true is that during a pregnancy, a woman has to provide good nutrition for two individuals – herself and the baby. The growing baby gets all its nourishment from its mother through the umbilical cord, so diet is very important during this stage. If the mother is lacking in any vitamins and nutrients her baby might lack them too.

If a woman has had trouble keeping her weight up or down before the pregnancy, she should make a nutritional plan with the help of her gynae.

How much energy does a woman need during pregnancy?

• A woman who is not pregnant needs approximately 2100 calories per day.
• A pregnant woman needs approximately 2500 calories per day.
• A breastfeeding woman needs approximately 3000 calories per day.

What sort of food should pregnant women eat?
- A well-balanced diet should contain something from all the food groups: dairy products, fruit, vegetables, fish, meat, eggs, fat and carbohydrates. A pregnant woman needs to eat something from all these food groups every day in order to get the proper amounts of energy.
- Approximately 10 per cent of calories should come from protein. Protein is mainly found in meat, fish, eggs, dairy products and beans.
- Approximately 35 per cent of calories should come from fat, which is mainly found in butter, oils, margarine, dairy products and nuts.
- Approximately 55 per cent of calories should come from carbohydrates, which are found in bread, pasta, potatoes, rice, corn and other grain products.

Supplements

• Folic acid

During the first three months of pregnancy (and preferably before becoming pregnant) a woman needs folic acid. This is one of the B-group vitamins and is also known as vitamin B9. It is important during pregnancy for the creation of the baby's nervous system.

It can help prevent neural tube defects such as spina bifida and other congenital malformations such as cleft palate or cleft lip.


Sources of folic acid are barley beans, fruit, green vegetables, orange juice, lentils, peas and rice. It is recommended that all pregnant women take a daily 400 microgram supplement of folic acid a day for two months before conception and three months into their pregnancy. The dosage of the supplement should be larger approximately 5mg per day .

• Iron

During pregnancy, a woman's body needs more iron than usual to produce all the blood needed to supply nutrition to the placenta. Good sources of iron are green vegetables such as broccoli and spinach, strawberries, muesli and wholemeal bread.
Iron is more easily absorbed if it is taken in conjunction with vitamin C - either as a supplement or in citrus fruit or juice. Tea and coffee can interfere with the body's absorption of iron.

It is often recommended that all pregnant women take an iron supplement every day from the 20th week of pregnancy. This is not necessary if a woman has a good diet and routine blood tests show that she is not anaemic. Iron supplements however may cause constipation.

• Zinc and calcium

The minerals zinc and calcium are also needed for the development of the embryo. However, it is usually possible to obtain enough zinc and calcium by following a varied diet alone.

Remember, the goal of prenatal vitamins is to supplement your diet, not to replace it. Eating a balanced diet is still the best nutrition for your baby. Prenatal vitamin supplements cannot make up for poor eating habits.

What should be avoided during pregnancy?

• Vitamin A

Excess amounts may cause damage to the embryo. Foods containing large amounts of vitamin A include liver, and should be eaten on an occasional basis only.

• Unpasteurized cheeses, blue-veined cheeses

These are not recommended because of the possible risk of transmission of infectious diseases such as Listeria.


Prenatal/Maternal Milk
There are many brands on the shelf that you can consume while pregnant. This milk provides the vitamins needed during pregnancy. If you are already taking in the supplements, always ask your doctor for advice if there’s a need to drink the milk.

Tonics
Chinese herbs have a long history behind them and some people do actually benefit from them. Always consult your doctors before you decide to take them as different women reacts differently to the same kind of herbs due to different health constitute.

Have a wonderful pregnancy.

Apple iphone wonderful applications

Apple iphone no doubt has brought in a new wave in the handphone industry. Nowadays, lots of people are buying iphone and some are still considering purchasing one.

The interesting part of it, not only limited to the phone itself; are the applications written for the phone.

Here are some of the ones the team has tested. And maybe parents, especially mummies can make use of them, as some are actually FREE!!! We will be reviewing more applications. So stay tune…! =)

1. Milestones (Rate : 4)

Use : Records baby’s milestones

Cost : US$4.99

Good : This app keeps track of the weight and height of your baby through the inputs and can plot the information into a chart. You can track and record what your baby can do at a certain month under milestone and moments. What’s more, user-specified milestones can be added if it is not in their list. If you have missed out certain milestones, the program will let you know by highlighting the month range in orange.

Bad : Some of the milestones are not in the list.

2. My Baby (Rate : 3.5)

Use : Finding names for baby

Cost : FREE

Good : You can find names for a boy and girl separately. You can also specify the origin of the names you wish to search under.

Bad : You need to know the name to search. Or input the first alphabet to do a thorough search for that alphabet. It can be quite tedious.

3. Baby HowTall (Rate : 3)

Use : Calculates the height of your baby

Cost : US$0.99

Good : It will be fun to estimates how tall your baby will be when he or she grows up. It calculates the height based on Daddy’s and Mummy’s height and gives a range of the heights your baby might be.

Bad : It might not be accurate and there are no other functions besides that.

4. Breastfeed (Rate : 4.5)

Use : Provides information on breastfeeding

Cost : FREE

Good : It provides general information on breastfeeding. The wonderful part - it covers early breastfeeding management for the time between birth to 48 hours and 48 hours till 2 weeks. It has also includes information on medications and have an FAQ.

Bad : There’s no search function. Hence, mothers may need to read through to get the information.

5. Baby Flash Cards (Rate : 3.5)

Use : Flashcards of items for baby to learn about objects

Cost : FREE

Good : There a wide range of objects ranging from animals, fruits, furniture, numbers and lots more. The program can be set to display either in alphabetical order or random order.

Bad : The graphics are cute but colors are not vibrant enough to attract baby’s attention. There is no music too.

6. Sing Along Lite (Rate : 2.5)

Use : Display nursery songs’ lyrics

Cost : Free, US$3.99 for full version

Good : There are lyrics which you can learn so that you can sing the song to your baby. For the full version, you can also play the music and sing along with your kid.

Bad : The majority of the songs may not be localized, hence, you might never heard of these songs yourself; let alone sing to your baby. For the full version, even when there’s music to sing along with, the music is too soft despite you have put the volume to maximum. Hence, it is not useful in having the music. Just get the lite version.

7. ABC Phonics Animals Lite (Rate : 2.5)

Use : Teaches children on animals, the spelling and its sounds

Cost : FREE, US$1.99 for full version

Good : The colors and pictures are cute. The music/sounds do attract babies.

Bad : The lite version limits the variety of animals displayed. We are too sure if the full version has this restriction.

8. What to Expect Pregnancy (Rate : 4)

Use : Provide information on pregnancy

Cost : FREE

Good : It can calculate your stages week by week using your EDD. The program will also show your gestational period and the trimester you are in. It will also give you an estimate of the size of your baby in your tummy. The information not only talks about your pregnancy, it will also provide information on your baby.

Bad : What we like about this program – you can take a photo of your pregnancy days. However, it could not be stored as a journal in your phone. You need to save the photo to your phone’s photo album.

9. Baby Piano Lite (Rate : 4)

Use : A program with piano keys for playing purposes

Cost : FREE

Good : It has a small piano for playing. It can also be switch to animals’ sounds too. Colors are very vibrant. You can also record 5s of whatever you played on the piano keys.

Bad : Limited piano notes - Do, Re Mi, Fa, So, La Ti….

Baby and Magic Trick

Enjoy!!! =)

Our Sep 2009 Baby Contestants

Here's a video featuring the cute babies for Embassy of Babies Cutest Baby Contest for Sep 2009.

For more info, visit www.embassyofbabies.com!