Category Archives: Advice for Mothers

Buying The Best Diapers For Your Baby

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By Adeline Woo

 

a sweet baby sleeping on a blanket

1) Get the size right

Before you get to the brands, you need to know which diaper size is best for your child or toddler.  Diapers come in different sizes from 0 to 6, and each brand will offer some features. Here are some key differentiation:

  • Newborn diapers: For babies that still have their umbilical stumps, look for diapers that fold down so the waistband that  the diaper doesn’t irritate the wound.
  • Overnight diapers: These are extra-absorbent diapers that last up to 12 hours at a time, reducing the need for night-time changes.
  • Diapers for sensitive skin: For babies who break out with nappy rash easily, you may need to buy diapers for sensitive skin, such as the Japanese GOO or Mamypoko diapers.
  • Pull-up pants: For older babies, this is the diaper you can use to start potty-training.

 

2) Spot Diaper problems

In assessing the best diaper brand, you should look out for the following problems:

  • If the diaper leave red marks or heat rash along legs or waist, that means your baby is not comfortable in it.
  • Leaks of urine or poo, there is obviously a lack of leak prevention design.
  • If the diaper needs frequent changing, more than what you deem necessary, then the diaper has some absorbency issue.
  • If you child is constantly having nappy rash, that means your child could be sensitive to the pampers or it doesn’t give room for the pores to breath.

If you experience any of the above, you should try changing to a different brand.

 

3) Do NOT buy in bulk

Many parents tend to buy things in bulk to save some cash. However, some things are not worth the economies of scale. Newborn babies grow very fast, so don’t buy too many diapers in small sizes. A single pack for size 0 is enough for many babies before they switch to size 1. Size 2 or M size is when you can start buying in bulk for savings.

 

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Play Ground Safety For First Timers!

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By Adeline Woo

Bringing your child to the play ground for the first time sounds a lot easier than it actually is. For all first time parents out there, here are some tips and advice that are extremely useful, we promise!

playground

1) First things first, learn to let go. Let your child explore the play ground on their own. The first time is always the most terrifying experience for the parents. Worried about your child falling down or hurting themselves but giving kids their own space allows them a chance to learn on their own. Letting them run free gives them the confidence and independence they will carry with them as adults.

2) Don’t take your eyes off your child. Put away the iphone, and watch your kid. Many parents just take their kids to the park, plop themselves on the bench and just glue their eyes to their phone. It’s pretty irresponsible and annoying in my opinion to do that. Don’t get me wrong, checking your phone occasionally is fine but focusing more on your phone rather than your child is pure negligence. If your child puts themselves in a dangerous situation you should be there to prevent it. If your child is behaving aggressively to other kids you should be there to intervene. Your child is your responsibility even from a distance.

3) If another kid needs help, help him. Once a toddler was first in line for the slide. Behind him were a set of brothers. The toddler for some reason didn’t want to go down the slide and was holding up the line. The kids behind him seemed to be getting impatient but didn’t do anything. The father of the brothers behind him then said to his sons “Help the baby go down the slide. He might want to ride with you.” The brothers then grabbed on to the toddler and all three of them happily went down the slide together. Now that is something that one parent to another can appreciate.

4) Don’t be overly defensive. Kids can be aggressive by nature. If your child gets pushed by another kid, first make sure he is okay and try to move their attention to a different area of the playground. And as much as you’d like to reprimand the child who pushed your child, it’s not your place. If your child is at fault, admit it to yourself. Check to see if the other child is okay, have your child apologize to the other child, and calmly apologize to the parent. If it was the other way around wouldn’t you appreciate an apology? Kids make mistakes, move on.

5) Remind your child to wait their turn.  There’s nothing worse than being bullied and pushed around after you’ve patiently been waiting your turn. If your child gets too antsy to wait, move their attention to another area of the park and go back when the line has cleared up.

6) Introduce your kids to other kids. When your child is in the same vicinity of another it’s always good to help them break the ice. Encourage your child to say hi, this breaks the ice for the kids so that they can play together. Kids learn by mimicking (it’s a good thing and a bad thing, I know). By introducing your kid to others, he’ll see how they played and learned how to do it himself.

7) Don’t share snacks. The little monster needs fuel to play so make sure to bring a few snacks and some water. As much as sharing is a good lesson, it wouldn’t be the lesson here. Random kids may come to you when they see the snacks in your hands but bear in mind that you have absolutely no idea what the other kids may be allergic to and the last thing you would want is for them to get a bad reaction to the food and have to explain yourself to the other mums or dads.

5 Things you never knew about your baby!

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By Adeline Woo

As parents, sometimes we tend to overlook the simplest things in life. When we have a new born, one would think we pay more attention to our child but here are 5 things that we never realize!

breathing

1) Babies take more breaths than adults. 

If any parent out there realized this, kudos to you! However, there is no need to worry because according to Orgeon’s Health and Science University, a baby’s normal breathing rate is about 40 times per a minute while us adults only breath between 12 and 20 times a minute.

crying

2) Newborn Babies don’t shed tears.

You’d probably go, what nonsense is this? But it’s true! If you observe a newborn closely when he/she is crying, you’d realize that there are no tears. Why? Although the tear ducts and glands are working, they produce just enough tears to lubricate and protect your baby’s eyes. But you’ll soon realize that those teardrops will start to flow between 1 and 3 months.

peacefully sleeping

3) Babies can Crawl as soon as they are Born. 

We’re not pulling your leg here! In 1987 the Karolinska Institute in Sweden compiled the findings of  their study on the “Breast Crawl”. When the baby was dried and laid on a mother’s chest immediately after birth they were able to find her chest for feeding within an hour. Pretty impressive don’t you think?

baby's ear

4) Newborns Recognize Mom’s Voice At Birth

I’m sure every mum is pleasantly pleased upon reading this! When a baby is born, their hearing isn’t a 100% up to par yet because the middle ear is still full of fluid which tends to impair the hearing somewhat. The one sound they are able to recognize is the sound of mama’s voice. They respond to this sound above all others.

baby are nearsighted

5) All Newborns Are Nearsighted 

This might explain why all newborn babies like to grab things and bring it up to their face! Newborn babies are very nearsighted and their vision only allows them to see people and objects at their clearest when they are within 8 to 12 inches away. 

Ways to keep your baby laughing!

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Everyone loves it when a baby laughs especially when it’s completely out of the blue. But getting the baby to laugh again by doing the same thing seems to never work. I don’t know if you’ve realized this but whenever I see a baby laugh, it brings a smile to even the grouchiest person.

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Here are 5 fool proof ways to make your baby laugh, smile or giggle!

1) Tickle.

I bet you think this is such a no brainer. Honestly, tickling a baby is tricky. If you tickle a baby too hard, the baby will feel major discomfort and instead of making it laugh, you’re going to make it cry, wail or brawl.

Here’s the trick: Tickle the baby by grazing your fingers gently under the baby’s feet or inner thigh. (Imagine your fingers are as light as a feather.)

2) Pretense Biting.

Just for the record. We’re not encouraging cannibalism here but pretending to bite your toddler’s arm or thigh will make the baby laugh and giggle. Partially because it’s ticklish but mostly because it’s something different and out of the ordinary hence the baby starts to get really excited. This would explain why doing the same funny face twice will not get the baby to laugh again because it’s something that he/she has already seen.

3) Laugh!

Previously we mentioned that Parent’s are influential. We all know that Laughing is Contagious. Imagine when an influential person does something that is highly contagious, people will follow!

Babies are easily influenced especially when they are in a room looking at everyone around laughing,  they will be influenced to laugh as well!

4) Weird sounds.

Unusual noise are one of the most common things that gets a baby to start giggling. A burp, a slurp, even a choke!

5) Blowing.

It’s official. A baby works differently from the rest of the human species. Blowing on the baby’s face. tummy, feet and underarms will get the baby to start laughing non-stop!

This works for my kid, let me know if it works for yours!

Dealing with your Toddler’s Tantrum

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By Adeline Woo

tantrum

As a mother, I know how painful it is to deal with a toddler’s tantrum and how many a times I desperately wanted a miracle remote control to appear where I could just shut all the loud whines, screams and cries coming from a tiny body. Unfortunately, no matter how much I wished for it, there isn’t such a thing.

So fellow mothers, rest assure for you’re definitely not alone in this. As much as I wish, I dare not say that I have the perfect solution on how to deal with a toddler’s tantrum. However, I do have some tips and advice to share with you that might prevent your toddler from having a 10 minutes long tantrum or to quickly end their tantrum.

  1. Ignorance is bliss. Ignoring your toddler when they are screaming and shouting might seem like the least motherly thing to do but trust me, it works. Tantrums usually occur when the child is frustrated, upset or unsatisfied with the situation and expresses it through a a tantrum – a negative way of demanding your attention. You could entertain the toddler and give in however in the long run the toddler will know that by getting what he/she wants, all the toddler has to do is cry or throw a tantrum. Of course, that being said, if the toddler is doing a positive thing and would like your attention, you should give the toddler your attention and commend the actions at times even though they probably don’t understand what you’re saying.
  2. Understanding is key. Understand why your toddler is throwing a tantrum may sometimes be the fastest solution to ending the tantrum. Is your toddler hungry? Is your toddler tired? Perhaps it was in an extremely position or the sun was glaring in the toddler’s face while he/she was in the stroller and you weren’t aware. Bottom line is, finding the solution and understanding why the toddler was throwing a tantrum would aid you in better dealing the next tantrum. Yes, there will be a next tantrum.
  3. Keep Calm and Carry On. Just like what the Brit’s say. Being a mum is not an easy feat but it’s a very endearing and heartwarming journey. Everyone makes mistakes and falters in between – no mum is perfect. So don’t beat yourself up and/or question your mothering abilities just because you’re unable to deal with your toddler’s first few tantrums. Just keep calm and carry on because once your toddler passes the tantrum phase, things will be better and when you look back, you can pat yourself on the back for doing a great job enduring that insane time of your life especially.
  4. Golden Rewards. Remember to reward your child when he/she is on a good behavior. It helps reduce the tantrums as your child is aware of what makes mummy and daddy happy and at the same time what makes him/her happy. For example, stickers for his/her sticker book collection.

I hope this helps all the (new) mothers out there and do feel free to share your problems, issues or advice that you face with your new born, toddler or child.

 

Much love,

Adeline Woo