Image credit: Zee Schoolhouse
It’s the weekend, your little one is sound asleep, there’s an open baby bag in front of you, baby’s essentials are strewn all over your bed – you’re wondering what to pack for their first day at infant care and it’s starting to freak you out. What if you forget something?! What if there are too many things?! What if…
Okay firstly, take a deep breath. Breathe in, hold it there for a second or two, and then let it out…
Secondly, get these items prepared:
Because you’ll need a bunch of them to help you stay organised!
Here’s a list of items that you should pack for baby:
Milk, Bottles, and Food
If you happened to notice, labelling your child’s items with their name is a reoccurring theme!
Diapers and Clothes
Other Important Items
More Tips
LABEL EVERYTHING. This can’t be stressed enough. Labels are mainly for hygienic purposes and safekeeping. Things will go missing, but labelling them will help you out a bit! On the topic of things going missing, try not to hand over things that are hard to replace, expensive, and easily broken.
The clothes that you send will definitely get dirty and stained, so only use ones that you can live with being stained, or are alright with throwing away. For consumable items like diapers, food, wet wipes, etc., take note of how much is left and when you’ll need to replenish them by.
One more thing to take note of is that every infant care centre will have their own checklist of items so please do enquire with them about that list when you’re looking to sign up with them. The items that we’ve listed above are generally what are required to be packed in your bag. It’s always better to be prepared in advance!
We hope your child’s infant care experience will be a good one!
Pregnancy and Baby Singapore provides you with the latest news and practical tips to help you in your parenting journey. For more tips on your pregnancy and baby in Singapore, subscribe to our mailing list and like us on Facebook, to receive new articles for mummies like you every week!
Image credit: Pognae Singapore
The most important thing to consider when packing for your bub winter trip is clothing!
For your trip to be as stress-free as possible, ensure that baby is always well geared, covered, and toasty. The alternative would be for them to be cold and unhappy – and that’s definitely no fun for anyone.
Here’s a quick checklist on baby’s winter essentials:
Clothes
Toiletries
Other Items
Tips for snugly wrapping up baby
Keeping ourselves nice and warm is of utmost importance when we’re in winter, and even more-so for our babies. Our little bundles of giggling and puking joy lose heat a lot faster than us adults, so a good rule to follow is to add on one more layer than what we’re wearing in the same weather (the #1 rule for layers).
The great outdoors
For example, if we’re wearing a t-shirt, a long-sleeved shirt, and a winter jacket, baby should be wearing all those plus a woolly jacket.
Areas that lose heat fastest are: head, hands, and feet. So give them a snug beanie for their head, some cute mittens for their hands, and warm boots for their feet.
If you’re planning to use a stroller, attaching a windscreen on it will shield baby from the chilly winds – but if the wind is way too strong, don’t even take them out for walks.
Watch for signs of hypothermia in baby – they may look healthy but their skin will be cold to the touch, they’ll be unusually quiet, their lips might be bluish, and they’re shivering. If you notice these signs, please do get somewhere warm quickly.
Going indoors
The #1 rule for layers also works indoors, and is especially important as you’ll want to keep them warm but not too warm as overheating is dangerous for them.
Like keeping an eye out for signs of hypothermia outdoors, the same should be done for overheating indoors – baby’s skin should be warm but not sweaty, their hair shouldn’t be damp, their breathing shouldn’t be rapid, and their cheeks shouldn’t be flushed.
When putting them to sleep, keep to the same conditions as when they’re at home to reduce the risk of SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome). Use a sleep sack instead of a blankie (unless they’re still alright with being swaddled) and ensure that their sleeping area is clear of loose bedding or items.
Related article: Check-List For Baby's Carry-On Items
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Mustela, the baby skincare expert, has developed a diagnostic tool to help you find out. The right baby skincare is not one single range or product that fits all skin types.
Each skin type deserves its own special care.
Answer these questions to determine your baby's skin type and learn more about which products will best suit them!
Related article: 7 Common Baby Skin Rash: Causes And Treatments
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Overtiredness is a condition in between tiredness and exhaustion. It is a state of physical fatigue that activates the stress-response system.
An overtired baby is too tired to sleep and gets fussy. Even if she manages to fall asleep, she would wake up soon after and struggle to go back to sleep. The more the baby gets tired, the harder it is to put her to sleep, as she cannot control or express herself. To put it simple, an overtired baby just won’t sleep.
Can a little baby, who seemingly has little activity through the day, get really overtired? Yes, she can and it is interesting to know what makes her so tired.
Why Do Babies Get Overtired?
The most common cause for overtiredness is sleep deprivation. Your little one learns several things during the day time. To process all of them, she needs regular naps. That is why babies have short awake hours, which extend with age. For example:
As your baby gets closer to finishing her awake time, she turns drowsy and is all set for a nap. This is the right time for you to settle down your little one, as she can fall asleep with ease.
But what if you do not put her to sleep at the right time? Well, she will have to produce more of cortisol and adrenaline hormones to stay awake. Now, this is stress! The cortisol and adrenaline hormones flood into the bloodstream, making it difficult for the little one to relax.
Note: Crying it out is not helpful for babies and could be stressful.
Signs Of An Overtired Baby
Why do babies cry when they are tired? Your baby could cry as the last resort after trying to communicate with you in several other ways. If you are asking, “In what way does she communicate with me?” then read on.
Understanding your baby’s cues will help your baby sleep. You need not have to deal with a grumpy baby. Doesn’t it sound great! Here are a few common and early cues of tiredness in babies:
Facial expressions: If your baby’s expression changes from happy to grumpy, she is getting tired gradually.
Rubbing eyes, hair and ears: These are among the most common signs of tiredness among babies and are commonly mistaken for teething.
Yawning: This is one sign you cannot miss! When your baby is yawning, wrap up whatever you are doing and put her to sleep.
Avoiding eye contact: A tired baby tends to avoid looking at you directly. She may even stare blankly into space.
Stiffening the body: Your baby may have rigid or tense hands and legs. She may keep her fists clenched.
Losing interest: If your baby suddenly loses interest in her favorite toy or food, it may be due to tiredness.
Difficulty in latching: Overtired newborns have difficulty in latching or cry at the breast. Older babies may throw food, toys or things that are there in their hands. Some babies may even hit or smack.
Self-soothing: If you ignore the early signals, the tired baby sends self-soothing signals like sucking the thumb, searching for a dummy and so on.
Autonomic signals: After a while, your baby may exhibit autonomic signals, which happen without her conscious control. They include:
If you miss all these signals the probable outcome is a fussy and crying baby. All these are late signs of an overtired baby. At this stage, a tired newborn cries without any apparent reason, pulls up legs in pain, and arches her back. An older baby puts up miserable behavior, rejects food, fights sleep, screams, and cries.
All these are signs of ‘Flight, Fright and Fight’ that are the classic response to stress hormones. A fussy baby means you surely have missed the bus!
Note: Sometimes, parents may not be able to differentiate between overtiredness of the baby and reflux and colic. Understanding the actual reason is important. Seek a doctor’s advice, if required.
What if you overlook these tiredness cues? You may have to deal with full out meltdowns, which could be a nightmare. Make efforts to calm down the exhausted baby.
Continue reading on Page 2 on how tips on how to prevent overtiredness...
How To Calm A Crying Baby
Some babies are ready to sleep at the first signs of tiredness. But some need to be very tired before they fall asleep. You’ll know the difference as your baby grows.
Here’s what you can do when you see tired signs in your baby:
To calm down an older baby:
When a baby is tired, she may wake up soon after she falls asleep. So be ready to soothe her back to sleep.
Behaviour Of A Baby Constantly Tired
If your baby is getting overtired frequently, she displays a different behavior. It is essential to figure it out and take necessary measures. Such a baby may:
Overlooking these behaviors could hamper the overall development of the baby. It is essential to prevent overtiredness by giving her enough naps. Keep reading to learn several ways to achieve this.
5 Tips To Prevent Tiredness In Babies
Keeping an eye on your little one and her activities would help her from getting tired frequently. These tips would be beneficial.
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One thing we love to do as Singaporeans (aside from eating good food) is to go on holidays (even better when we do both at the same time)! And what do we need to travel? A passport!
We all know how to renew our own passports, but how do we get a new one for baby?
It’s actually a lot easier than you think! Here’re some details which will be helpful for you when you’re getting a passport for baby:
Items that you’ll need when applying:
If you plan to send it via mail, here’s what you need to do.
If you plan to do it online via their APPLES webpage, you’ll need soft copies of your documents.
You’ll be informed through post once baby’s passport is ready for collection, and will need to head down to the ICA in person (with baby) to collect!
Items you’ll need when collecting:
After collecting baby’s passport, it’s time to travel! Prepare for your holiday by learning more about what to bring for baby’s carry-on luggage and 5 baby friendly airlines in Singapore!
Taking Baby’s Passport Photo
As parents, we’re definitely used to taking photos of our kids, but doing a passport photo for them is a whole different game. They’re easily distracted, and might not be able to sit still for a long enough period of time for you to get a proper shot!
If you want to DIY, here are some tips to help you capture a cute (but boring) photo of baby that’ll pass the ICA’s requirements for passport photos:
If all else fails and you’re not able to get a good shot of baby for their passport photo, you could always approach the professional photographers at ICA to help you out!
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When your little one has a dirty diaper, all you care about is getting her out of it as quickly as possible. But throw in a squirmy baby and the task just got 10 times more challenging.
To avoid the mess and frustrations, we have 5 useful tips for you to try out!
1. Make it a time to exercise!
If you have a crawler on hand, it is highly likely she will attempt to flip and crawl off the moment you place her on her back. The few minutes it takes to stop and get her changed will feel like eternity to her. So, keep her busy by letting her move on the changing mat! Try some baby yoga poses like bringing a knew up to her chest and slowly moving it around or gently pulling her arms across her body, all these while narrating to her and cleaning her at the same time.
2. Use pictures to distract
Put up pictures of animals or flash cards on the walls around the changing area. Point to them and make the animal sounds while changing her. Encourage her answers, even if they’re just coos and gurgles. Best bit, you’re educating her at the same time!
3. Make a bunch of silly sounds
By 3 to 4 months old, your little one can laugh up a storm. So bring on the silly noises! If oinking and mooing doesn’t get her going, try a simple ‘uh-oh!’ or beeping sounds or singing ‘pop! Goes the weasel’ might help.
4. Distract with toys
Have a distraction toy around during the change. A kid-safe mirror is a perfect distraction toy – babies love mirrors! Any toy with noises are great too. I recommend having a few different toys on stand-by because they do get bored easily. Also, get a toy that isn’t heavy as they will most likely drop it on their face while playing.
5. Tell a story
Create a diaper changing story for baby! To the young ones, the sound of your voice is soothing and might stop the squirming. Give fun names to the diaper, wipes and diaper cream – include her name in there too! Tell her the story everyday and one day she’ll surprise you with what she remembers once she’s older.
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Image credit: iDiva
There might not be a ‘right’ way to bottle feed your baby. However, there are some positions and methods you can do to make it a more comfortable and pleasant experience for baby and you.
Here’s the bottle-feeding do’s and don’s to look out for:
Don’t
Tilt the bottle too high
The bottle should always be parallel to the floor, never tipped up too high. Baby should be propped up into a sitting position or at a 45-degree angle. Avoid feeding baby in a lying down position – especially if it’s a newborn. This will prevent choking and reduces the amount of air baby is sucking in.
Force to finish
Feed smaller amounts and follow baby’s lead when baby pushes the teat out. Don’t try and force it back in. If baby is fussing, it usually means that they are trying to tell you something. Perhaps she’s full, need a burp or flow is too fast. Attempting to force feed her will not solve the problem and may even make the situation worse. Try taking a break and continuing it 15 minutes later or feed in small, frequent feeds.
Swaddle
Avoid swaddle baby during feeds. Baby’s hands should be free so you can check for signs of stress and so baby can participate in the feeding. Swaddling also stimulates a cosy and conducive environment for baby to sleep – it’s frustrating when baby falls asleep halfway through the feeding!
Force the teat into baby’s mouth
Instead, encourage baby to open her mouth by gently stroking her lips with the bottle teat. As they get older, they will willingly open their mouths to accept the teat when they’re hungry.
Do
Use a slow flow teat
Use a teat that is age appropriate for your baby. If you notice that baby fusses when you feed, you might be using a teat that is too big or too small for them. It takes some trial and error to figure out what works best for your baby. Some babies prefer a faster flow – watch their cue!
Bond with baby
Use feeding time as an opportunity to bond and connect with baby. Look at her, smile and talk while feeding. Never leave baby unsupervised with a bottle – especially a newborn!
Mix it up
Alternate sides that you feed baby to mimic breastfeeding. Avoid feeding baby facing away from you. Take this break to burp baby before continuing again.
Apply pressure to chin
Applying gentle pressure under baby’s chin will encourage her to feed. Pressure from the teat on the roof of her mouth may trigger her sucking reflex.
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You’re going to need all the help that you can get when baby’s around, no matter whether you’re a first-time mum or if you’ve got a bit more experience under your belt! That’s where Combi’s Joy Parenting Station comes in to save your day – it’s easy to use and has multiple functions that’ll make your life so much easier, baby’s life so much more fun, and save you quite some money.
What a parenting station can do for you is simple but oh so effective – it frees up your time to work on other things around the house (e.g. housework or chores, cooking, ironing, laundry) while keeping baby entertained and safe! And Combi brings to the table (or rather, your house’s floor) the top quality Joy Parenting Station from Japan, which does all that and much more.
Fun and Comfort for Baby
Joy… really does bring joy to both parent and baby! The station comes with a colourful toy bar that’s easy to attach and detach, and has dangling toys that’ll grab baby’s attention with their colour and sounds.
Babies are naturally curious, and they’ll definitely try to reach out and grab things, which is good when the things they’re trying to grab aren’t dangerous! The toy bar is adjustable with different angles, allowing baby to get optimal grabbing positions.
Give them the chance to engage their senses while playing with the toy bar – they’ll be safely secured by a child-proof harness, all while sitting in comfort on their cushion.
What’s more, baby will be able to enjoy using the station until they’re around 18 kg, which should be when they’re around 4 years old.
Versatile and Flexible
The Joy comes in 2 modes, the daybed and swing chair modes, 5 angles for reclining, and 5 levels of height – you’ll definitely find the best mix of positions both of your needs.
Thanks to the adjustable sitting positions and height of Joy, as well as their smooth and sturdy wheels, you can roll baby with you to whichever room you want to at home! Once you’re there, all you need to do is to lock the wheels and movement, and baby will always be around you.
After baby’s tired from all their excitement, or when it’s their nap time, all you need to do is switch it to bed mode and gently rock them to sleep. What’s more, you can easily remove the toy bar to provide less distraction for baby.
As baby grows, so does the Joy – its food tray can be extended outwards to give baby the space they need. Talking about food… things will get messy and dirty!
No doubt about it, babies love to experiment with things, and it’s usually things that make a funny sound when they shake or throw it. So for things that go ‘splat!’, ‘sploosh!’ or a variation of that, look no further than food.
The thing is, baby isn’t doing this to annoy us! They’re just curious about cause and effect, and the things that bear the brunt of their curiosity are usually cloth-based items. Joy’s seat cushions are reversible for when you need a quick fix, and once you’ve got the time, they’re easily machine-washable.
And once you need to store it away, the Joy is compact and easy to fold! Discover the joys of the Combi Joy Parenting Station, and marvel at the freedom it gives you!
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You’ve been told that your newborn needs to be fed every 3 hours but what do you do when he has been sleeping for 5 hours straight? We totally understand your reluctance to wake someone who’s fast asleep so peacefully and also the fact that you spent 1 hour trying to put him to sleep earlier. We feel you!
But while a newborn’s feeding schedule can seem like a chore, it is especially crucial for them at this moment! Yes, even if it means to wake them up from their slumber.
Why should you wake them?
Baby’s digest milk quickly
Especially so if he is breast fed. Also, a newborn’s tummy is really small and so he will need the frequent feedings to keep him full. A formula fed baby on the other hand can last a little longer (about 4 – 5 months).
Babies can sleep through hunger
When baby is awake, he will usually show you hunger signs. He cries, try to root, suck on his fingers. However, when they’re sleeping, it is easy for them to sleep through the hunger. Especially if they have jaundice, which makes them extra sleepy.
They need to gain weight
While it is completely normal for them to lose a few grams during the first few days, they will need to put it all back on eventually to stay healthy.
It’s good for your milk supply!
Frequent nursing from the start helps to establish your milk supply. Not nursing on demand will affect the supply needed to meet baby’s needs.
How to wake baby (and keep them awake)
If baby still refuses to stay awake, leave him be! If he misses a feeding, he will likely make it up at the next one. Look out for signs that baby is feeding well:
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