Chances are, when you think of “sleep training”, you think of “cry it out”. Are they the same thing? We’d like to clarify that the definition of sleep training is teaching a baby/child to fall asleep independently, without assistance from caregivers. As shared in our previous post, children can learn new sleeping habits, and they can learn them through many different ways. This post aims to shed light on what some common different methods are. There may be many other names/authors of books describing similar methods below, but I’ve generally grouped those with common characteristics in the sam ..read more

Some of you may know that we are offering a potty learning workshop in collaboration with Tiny Play Club tomorrow. One of the things I am going to be sharing is how the potty leaning journey with all 3 kids have been very different – how we used elimination communication (yes, new term! haha) with KorkorC (#1) successfully, but the same methods yielded less “success” with the other 2 kids. The other thing I am going to be sharing is the challenges faced with different kids. In particular, with JiejieC (#2), she is having a very long-drawn night wetting process and with BabyC (#3), he is such a ..read more

All of us, from babies from ~4months old to adults, sleep in cycles. We start off drowsy, transition through light sleep, into deeper sleep, back into light sleep, and then we often wake up for a moment (even if we don’t remember it). “Sleeping through the night”, is hence not the “goal” of sleep training, since none of us “sleep through the night”. All of us, however, get into a habit regarding how we sleep. Most adults have the habit of going right back to sleep on our own when we wake up in the middle of the night. Many young children, however, have developed habits of depending on som ..read more

With so many brands and models of electric breast pumps out there today, it can be quite confusing how to go about picking one. While googling for "best breast pump singapore", choosing what your friends use or reading reviews might be some good ways to go about deciding, this post aims to  help break down all the attributes of electric breast pumps. 1) Closed or Open System This refers to whether or not there is a barrier to prevent any pumped milk from leaking into the pump motor, and helps ensure your expressed milk travels through a hygienic route, only touching parts of the ..read more

I might be MinimalistMum but it doesn’t mean my family doesn’t indulge in luxuries. The key one we love is travelling. Many new parents are quite anxious about travelling with their new member(s) of the family, so I thought it might be useful to share some basic considerations in order to enjoy a good trip.   Objectives of the trip This is the most important thing to sort out – what is the primary reason you are going for this trip? Is it to take a break from day-to-day work and routines? Is it to seek new experiences / learn new things? Is it to spend intentional quality time with the f ..read more

The word “ergonomic” comes up very often in discussions involving baby carriers, wraps and babywearing. However, not many parents actually understand what it means. Very simply, an ergonomic baby carrier designed to provide the best support and comfort to both the wearer and the baby. For the baby, an ergonomic baby carrier must properly and safely support the baby. It should support the natural baby posture (which changes throughout the first year) – the hips, spine and pelvis. In an upright carry, the baby should sit in an M-shaped position whereby the baby’s bottom is lower than the knees a ..read more

Milk bottle teats usually come in different sizes and are usually labelled with either S, M, L, XL, level 1-4 or 0-3m, 3-6m, 6-9m and >9m. However, there is no fixed or “right” time to change teat sizes. Some babies are content using newborn-sized flow throughout their feeding days, while more aggressive eaters may advance sooner than expected. What you can follow though, are signs from your baby. Typically, if the flow is not fast enough, your baby might: Take longer than usual to finish drinking the milk, or refusing to finish when baby is clearly hungry (displayed by needing another fee ..read more

I'd written about a possible routine which new parents can follow immediately after they return home from the hospital, so this post is a continuation on what to do right after that. Baby usually regains his/her birth weight between 8-12 days after he/she is born (as he/she loses some of the excess water he/she is born with in the first few days after birth. Once birth weight is regained, baby is ready to get used to an ideal routine to allow for some predictability for the family, and also optimise development. Below is a guide: Time Activity 7.00am Wake baby, nurse baby for about ..read more

Your baby is usually born with stores of energy, and hence can survive without feeding for the first few days after birth. However a mother usually produces the ideal nourishment for her newborn immediately after giving birth, called colostrum. Colostrum is a yellow sticky liquid which is full of antibodies, vitamins and minerals, so it plays a crucial role in building baby’s immune system. It also acts as a laxative of sort to help baby pass out meconium (baby’s first poops) and prevent jaundice. In the first day after birth, baby’s tummy is still tiny and so in a single feeding, can drink ~5 ..read more

Since I’ve started Baby Planner SG, I’ve been journeying with many new parents through offering Private Prenatal Classes. The classes have helped these new parents grow with their confidence of getting ready for their newborn to join the family, especially by ensuring they know exactly which areas of their house to do which activities with baby, and buying the right items to ensure they will be most comfortable. However, usually, the toughest time hits everyone the first days baby is back with you from the hospital. Even with a confinement nanny’s help, many struggle to figure out how to estab ..read more