Choosing and preparing formula milk

At 4 years old, Emma has been eating fine, loves fruits and taking all sorts of drinks, including fresh milk. However, I still continue to give her formula milk twice a day for various reasons - she's relatively small in size, doesn't enjoy breakfast and loves her milk. She's just not a foodie but an avid milk lover! 

7 things about being a second time mother

I recently started my journey as a 2nd time mother. Things are very different from the first time I became a mother. At first, I was worried that it would be a struggle but it wasn't as bad as I thought. I find it easier to go from 1 child to 2 than from 0 to 1. But, it's just tiring. So, how is it really like for me to be a 2nd time mother?

5 simple ways to encourage arts skill in children

Over the past few months, Emma has shown greater interest and improvements in drawing and colouring.

30 mins of colouring at a children's stationary shop

5 things for a Big Sibling-to-be to know before new baby arrives

The challenges that come along with becoming a big brother and sister are so real.

 

One day, Daddy and Mummy shared a big news about having a new baby in time to come. And, this brought about great excitement and fantasy to the big brother or sister-to-be. Then, the excitement gradually changed into a seemingly long period of waiting and changes. Suddenly, Mummy got rounder, tired easily, couldn't carry or run around with him or her and the list goes on. Things then got more challenging when baby arrives. Depending on the age, gender, personality and various factors surrounding the child, he or she might cope with it very differently.

 

5 things for a Big Sibling-to-be to know before new baby arrives

 

As a big sister-to-be, there are lots for Emma to learn and adapt in her new role. Thus, I've been spending more time talking to Emma about being a big sister and helping her understand what lies ahead. I doubt she can be fully prepared for the new baby at 4 years old, but I pray that she can embrace her new role with lesser difficulties by knowing and keeping these 5 things close to her heart. While these might be harder to younger children to understand, I believe the little ones will understand bits and pieces of it over time.

21st week pregnancy update!

I can't believe that I've actually passed the halfway mark of the pregnancy. It has been 21 weeks and 2 days to be exact.

I'm glad that the first trimester morning sickness is over. The tiredness dragged few weeks into the 2nd trimester. But, I'm so thankful that things started to pick up by the 18th week, as we were just in time to pack for house moving. Now that I'm slowly regaining my energy and settled down at my in law's place, it's really time to buck up. I haven't prepare anything for baby other than making visits to the gynae and booking the confinement lady. And, I've only taken one baby bump shot at 17+ weeks. Over these 20 weeks, I have about 4 kg but my baby bump seemed so much bigger than before.

Let's look back at how my pregnancy progressed, shall we?

Outdoor fun at Dragon Playground @ Toa Payoh

It was a cloudy cool morning! After a visiting at Bishan, we decided to check out the nearby heritage Dragon Playground at Toa Payoh.

The past weekends were filled with rain and wet grounds so it certainly felt like a great indulgence for Emma to be finally playing outdoors! We still love shopping malls and indoor playgrounds but I find it recharging to be running, swinging, jumping and sliding under the sun once a while!

Set off on the awesome Friso Experiences Rocking Boat Play Set with 5 nursery rhymes + Friso Christmas Promotion!

Oh boy, it's a boat!! Emma was so thrilled when she saw the rocking boat set!

While I didn't expect her to spend so much time with the boat, she loves it so much and spent alot of time in the boat. Besides rocking the boat, it has become her favourite corner for reading, chilling, role playing and singing. 

Potty Training for Toddlers

Following some signs of readiness for potty training from Emma, we embarked on our potty training adventure at the start of this year!

5 Fruits to Promote Child's Digestive Health

When Emma was younger, she faced mild constipation at least once a week. It was bad enough for her as she cried in fear (and pain) and broke into cold sweat while she tried to poo. Sometimes it took 5 mins but for most of the times, it took longer. There would be blood stains once in a while if she exerted too much effort. It was such a pain seeing her struggle.

Fiber, Fluid and Exercise!

Over time, I realised most of the times they happened when she skipped fruits. So, I became more diligent in offering her at least a serving of fruits everyday. Things got so much better now as she has sufficient dose of fiber, fluid and exercise! 

According to WebMD, leading health organisations recommend that children ages 1-3 years old should get about 19 grams of fiber per day and children ages 4-8 should eat about 25 grams of fiber daily. It's also important to note that increasing water intake when eating foods high in fiber is crucial. A diet high in fiber without proper water intake can have opposite effect and cause constipation along with other stomach issues. 

If your child has a tendency to get constipated, you can try to avoid some foods like refined "white" foods like white rice and white bread, cheese and other dairy productions. 

 

 



5 More Nutritious and Easy Soups for Toddlers

For many good reasons, we always have soups on our dinner menus!

  

As a soup lover, Emma could easily slurp down a small bowl after her main course. She has always been quite a picky eater and used to take 45 mins to finish up her meals when she went on food strike. So, you can imagine how happy I was when she finished up her first bowl of soup in less than a min.