(2005/07) Any July 2005 new mums to be?

Bichon
Are you going to feed your 16mths self cook food when travelling?Am still thinking very hard what to feed my 17mths baby when travelled to hk end this year...will see how.....
 


hi sp, yeah ... u can find the recipe in this URL: http://www.cookingforengineers.com/article.php?id=26 - i like it coz it's eggless. for kids, there is no need to add liquor.

yeah, travelling with kids is v troublesome - alot of barang-barang to bring.

joy747, i couldn't agree more with u abt the child-friendliness of perth; in fact i think the whole of AUS is child-friendly. even the shopping mall carpark has lots for ppl with prams & kids - amazing!

food-wise, we r less ambitious when it comes to bb#2, we just let him eat whatever we r eating but we brought along canned/bottled food for him from gerber, heinz or pigeon.

we'll b gg to chiangmai by tiger air, and we plan to travel to the long-neck tribe.

http://momtoangels.blogspot.com/
 
Bichon

We went to see long neck too...that was before I was married....Never feed baby with any bottle food as yet as all his food are freshly make daily

Not confident that aedann will take it well in plane....Might travel again in march before my priviledge ticket expired...may go perth or Japan disneyland....will se how.Do share with me your chiangmai trip...
 
Joy747

so how was the long-neck trip, if u could remember.
japan disneyland is great, but japan being japan, stuff there r pricey! my fren got a helium filled balloon for his girl & it cost S$13 & had to be deflated to bring on air due to the pressure.

yeah, will definitely share abt our chiangmai trip - coz we wanna catch the loy krathong festival where lanterns will be released into the air - quite a spectacular sight.

http://momtoangels.blogspot.com/
 
bichon,
the recipe link very interesting, got ppl comment some more, hehehe. thanks for sharing!
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yr Chiangmai trip sounds interesting, got long neck tribe, lanterns... when u departing?
 
halo mummies, i'm back
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hehe... when Bella saw me at the airport, she was smiling away... i was so glad to see her after 2 wks!

can i ask if any of the mummies here feed their toddlers cheese? what cheese do you use? do you feed them with the cheese slices? i fed Bella cheese slice yesterday and she seemed to like it a lot, she ate it plain like this and easily finished a whole slice. However, i find it a bit too salty compared to what she is eating daily, i.e. porridge (without any seasoning)...
 
hi sp, we'll b gg to chiangmai from 4-7 nov.

hi plim, i feed raeyen with laughing cow savoury cheese cubes - he likes all the flavours - blue cheese, french onion, mushroom, plain. if u think some cheeses r too salty, u can choose those that are reduced salt.
 
plim... my boy loves Philidelphia cream cheese spread. I think it is slightly less salty (at least to me =p). He also takes those cheese stick and can eat it plain.

Not sure about you... but I am definitely not as strict as most mothers about when it comes to sugar and salt =p To me a little won't hurt. As long as he doesn't overdose. Anybody here like me?? Since he turned one year old... I feed him anything as long as not too salty and not too oily... and he is able to chew with his gums. PD said its ok as well. Maybe because I grew up like that as well. My mum never restricted me and my siblings from taking tidbits, ice-cream etc and we didn't grow up to be adults with snacking habits or a sweet-tooth. So I use the same standards with Matty and similarly he won't go overboard. He likes ice-cream and will take a few mouthful... but he knows when to stop when he has enough and will push it away. He doesn't overindulge and keep eating non-stop or even reject his normal home-cooked food. But different folks different strokes.
 
plim,
I fed my ger kids cheese sticks last time. but long time never feed her that, recently, try to give her cheese slice wih bread, but she doesnt seems to like it liao.

Odie,
Haha, same here. I am also not too particular abt what my ger eats after she turns 1. Now she eat tingkat dinner with us. Somehow, i feel as long as the food is not very salty, etc then i guess its ok to feed her with tt lor.
 
plim,
welcome home! 2 weeks away from Bella, so long! u must have missed her so much!

re: cheese
my in-laws not into feeding "ang moh" foods like cereal, cheese etc so I also don't bother to buy for them to feed hh. they only feed oats porridge and rice porridge, hh eat until bored already but we dare not suggest alternatives because what they are feeding are indeed the "healthiest" food. Alternatives such as noodles, bread, cereal, pasta - are more refined foods.

odie, ginsengmum,
actually, I no longer cook for hh, so whatever he eats is what in-laws or my mum cook. In-laws will put ikan bilis powder, soy sauce etc to season his porridge.

On Sundays when we bring hh to my parents' house, my mum will feed him "adult" food with rice as she can see that he's really bored with porridge.

As for hb & I, when we bring him out we let him taste the food we are eating, we only let him eat soft foods that are not too oily. Last Sunday we let him makan egg sushi without the seaweed wrap, he likes it! But when we are out with in-laws, we try to resist letting him taste because they don't like us to "anyhow" feed bb with outside food.
 
bichon, i actually bought the laughing cow savoury cheese cubes and fed bella, she seems to like it... personally i like the flavor as well (the tomatoes one i think, it smells like pizza ;) ... and this one doesn't taste too salty as well...
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re: strict about food?
for me, i try to restraint whatever i feed her, best is no salt no sugar, no oil :p personally i don't grow up to be this way though, but my hb he's grown up in a family that takes less salt and sugar so in a way i'm influenced by him... although sometimes i will think that she's already beyond 1 yr old and shld be able to take adult food, but having considered all the effort that we've been taking to minimize/cut down on salt/sugar in her food, by giving her anything now, doesn't it diminish the purpose in the first place?
However, having said that, i'm still not too much of a control freak... will occasionally feed her food that i eat... hehe

sp, ya, i agree with you, my mother also not into feeding 'ang-moh' food, they tend to stick more to the chinese food like porridge, etc. so, when i buy all these 'angmoh' food, i will feed her myself...

odie, so good hor, your boy, knows when to stop, my gal doesn't seem to know one... even when i touch her tummy (it feels very full), she will still want to eat... if i take the food away, she will cry ... *sigh* what to do?
 
Sp,
My MIL oso surprised that i feed my ger rice when hb told her last wk. Haiz, she is one weird woman, the food she cook is real salty one & she feed my hb that, while i feed my ger with rice, she makes it sound so undesirable.

Plim,
re: strict abt food..
I think it depends on ur normal eating habits lor. Like for me, even if i really restrict what my ger takes now, in time to come, she also nids to take the super "tasty" food prepared by my MIL. So it doesnt really helps lor. But on the other hand, if your normal food doesnt contains salt etc, then its ok, coz she will continue to enjoy the healthy food even when she grows.
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Hi mummies

So much about food...to me its really depend on indiv mummy and kids..of course, we do not feed baby with cafeine staff...When I feed new outside food, always a bit here and there , just make sure he does not have any allergies...
 
SP

try not to put soya sauce into HH food......my mum say will cayse the urine to be smelly and yellowish one.not very healthy........

I also let Nat eat bits of our food...but not too much lar...
 
Ginsengmum... I think most of us will face such problems with MIL. My MIL is the same last time. What she feed my boy with is ok but she must criticise what I give. Nowadays I just shrug it off. I think she eventually got the message =p

Sp and plim... actually if everyday porridge also sian right? Don't say the baby... we adults cannot take the same food everyday. My MIL used to complain that my son very fussy about food. Cannot take the same food everyday. I told her... well if we cannot do it... naturally the baby will also grow sick of it.
 
hi plim

there are actually 2 types of savoury cheese by laughing cow. the one i usually buy for raeyen has blue cheese, mushroom & french onion. hv nt tried the one with tomatoes, shall buy it. tx.

MILs all meant well, it's juz that their way of thinking & brought up are different from us. Sometimes they are v stubborn as they want it THEIR way. it's like a "war" u r fighting sometimes; while we respect them, they should also respect us for being the mothers of our kids.

http://momtoangels.blogspot.com/
 
re: childcare ctr

ladies, does any of u heard of modern montessori childcare? there's one near my place @ sengkang. if u heard of it (regardless of branch) or ask around for me, pls share with me by sending me a PM. we r desperately scouting for one for our older son, kieran, who is 4 yrs old.

tx v much!!!!

http://momtoangels.blogspot.com/
 
plim,
actually hor, having a bb who loves to eat is anytime better lah, easier to feed, hehe.

ginsengmum,
yalor, some ppl think that bb can ONLY eat porridge becoz rice cannot digest. even my colleague her son > 1.5 yo also on porridge only. but that is not true becoz hh's PD said can feed rice already, even that time hh fever PD also said can feed rice and no need to dilute milk.

love,
oh, didn't know soy sauce is so bad. so Nat's food how u season or still no seasoning? I can't stop my in-laws or my mum from pouring soy sauce into his food, even last time he <1 yo I got say them also no use.

odie,
I totally agree with u, now that our kids are bigger, they are getting smarter and won't eat the same thing every day. u know, my niece 17 mo and hh see their breakfast oats porridge will cry and try to escape, hahaha... Then my in-laws got to catch them and apply tactics to cajole them to eat it.

My MIL so cute, she got ask us, any ideas what else to feed the babies as they are sick of porridge? Hb &amp; I just kept quiet... u see, sometime back I got give cereal and asked my MIL to feed hh, she fed once only and never feed again although I reminded her a few times, so now I also lazy to suggest or buy anything for her to feed liao.
 
sp... actually alot of times it is the grandparents or parents who are overprotective and feel that the baby should be refrained from eating something but the PD never said so. I heard from a colleague recently that she has a friend who only started putting seasoning into her son's food when he turned 4 years old. Before he has never ever tasted any other food except porridge that his mother prepared for him. Few weeks ago my MIL attend her friend's grandson's 1st month celebration. So naturally the topic was on what the babies were eating. MIL came home and told me that one of her friend's 2 y/o grandson only takes brown rice porridge for both meals and never had seasoning before. She got an earful from her friend for introducing salt and sugar. I told her that just because other children can tahan porridge day in day out for 2 years doesn't necessary mean all the babies can do it. And seriously everybody has their own way of feeding a child. It doesn't mean they are any more right than us. Some pple say after 1 y/o its ok... then there will be some who say 2 y/o or even 3 and 4. Nobody can say which is right or wrong. I just feel that we can never protect and control the child forever.
 
bichon,
i did called up the montesorri at rivervale.They cater for bb 18mths &amp; above.They provide full n half day service from mon - fri.Fees are $690 for full day n $660 for half day(after subsidize).
 
hi zen, tx, actually i hv MMI's brochure as we looked around the compound early this wk with their PR staff. while all looks well on the surface, we wanna find out more from those who experienced MMI or heard from their friends who had kids @ MMI.

i hv 2 frens whose kids goto pat's schoolhse; while the kids are happy there but the fees are exorbitant! $840/mth for halfday &amp; $1260/mth for fullday!

http://momtoangels.blogspot.com/
 
re: feeding kids

personally i feel that as parents, we give what we think r best for our kids. so long as they r fed well with a balanced diet and not "over the top". go with the flow, let nature takes its course then u will not be so stressed up. my 4yr old kieran is a fussy eater &amp; takes his own sweet time to eat, my hb &amp; i gave up &amp; leave it to him. we were told by many experienced parents that a kid's growth/appetite spurt will come from 6yrs old onwards. our 14mth old raeyen on the other hand, binges on anything &amp; readily eats whatever we eat, but of course with moderation.

PDs r v easy-going, their advice is the basis; we should not be too kiasu &amp; kiasi on what food should be fed to our kids. kieran's PD said so long as he is happy and weight is on average, even he is picky on food or eats little, it does not warrant any concern/worry.

http://momtoangels.blogspot.com/
 
odie,
thanks for the advice on feeding! wow, didn't realise got parents can delay intro salt and sugar until 4 yo!

bichon,
yalor, PD easy-going but parents worry this worry that, hahaha. yr 2 kids very different hor. hmm, my mum said I was a fussy eater last time, every day must change the food or I will get bored and refuse to eat. guess hh takes after me, sigh.

hb &amp; I plan to delay introducing fast food and soft drinks as long as possible. other than that, seasoning, adult food, we don't mind feeding him a bit.
 
mummies, can i check:
does anyone know if we can buy vegetables and after processing them (i.e. wash, remove veins, etc., but NOT cook) just store them in the freezer? Will the vegetables stay good until i use, mayb 1 wk, in this way?

the usual method that i use is to cook the vege (whichever) and to puree it slightly and keep in the freezer... the vege keeps in this way until i use it...

but wondering if the 1st method i mentioned is it workable? anyone tried it?
 
plim,
I never tried the 1st method.

love,
actually hor, since hh started solids, my in-laws already started putting marmite although the food already has natural taste from the fish/ pork/ chicken + veg.

so when hh refused to eat marmite taste, they started putting ikan bilis and soy sauce.

not sure what they will put when he's sick of ikan bilis and soy sauce taste, kekeke...
 
I am flashing Flash card to my boys about 3 months back. He love to see those cards. Whenever i run out of flash card, he will cry. He can handle at least 100 cards each time.

I have blank Flash card. Can you please recommend me website to download pictures for printing?

Previously, I used Shichida flash cards. But, they are too expensive. Self print is cheaper. Recently, I read the book of Glenn Doman which talk about teaching your baby encyclopedia. I think is a good time to start now.
 
bichon, cos i'm working, i'm never able to get 'fresh' vegetables for my daughter when i prepare her meals in the weekends...
have been the usual way, but realised that i don't really need to puree the vege as much nowadays and i prefer to cook it 'fresh' the way it is together with the porridge... besides, also no time to cook it, puree/mash it and then store in fridge... if i can get fresh vege and store them, then i can use it directly to cook with the porridge...

sp, haha... i guess ur mil has a lot of headache thinking how to make hh enjoy his food! regardless, all of us grow up the same way, nonetheless
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plim,
actually, for Sat breakfast/ lunch, can give Bella root veggies bought during the previous weekend, they keep quite well in the fridge. Later in the day can go out to buy fresh leafy veggies to use for Sat dinner and Sun.

powerteletubbies,
sorry can't help u, I didn't do flash cards with my bb.
 
hi, joy747,
ya ya, u r right! so clever *pat-pat*
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I can think of 1 more, lotus root, got anymore?

can ask u, pumpkin, winter melon etc. that kind is called what veggie ah? they are above the ground one, but they also stay fresh quite long in the fridge, hee.
 
hehe, ya, i do feed my gal with carrot, potatoes and sweet potatoes... turnip not yet try b4... but am trying to give more green leafy stuff :D more for fiber...
 
hi zen, no, hvn't sent my girl to playground or any enrichment class yet... think she's still too young for that... are you intending to send? you're staying at SK right? Any good ones around there?

mummies, would like to ask if anyone of u using slow cooker to cook porridge? how long does it normally take for the porridge to cook, i.e. ready for eating by ur babies? Mine always takes 1hr 30mins to 2hrs... wondering if it's the same for all slow cookers or because my pot is big and therefore takes longer time to cook a small portion?
Also, anyone using those rice cooker to cook porridge (the rice cooker has a special 'porridge' function)... any comments on using that? how long does it take?
occasionally i do cook porridge over the stove, but troublesome cos need to tend to it...
 
Hi plim,
I onli started using slow cooker to cook porridge. Hmm.. it really depends on how fine u want the porridge to be. for me, if just plain porridge with maybe minced meat or fish, takes abt an hr. But if add carrots &amp; stuff like tt, nid to cook slightly longer. Trick is u use hot water to cook, that way its faster.
happy.gif
 
hi ginsengmum, yes, i realised that using hot water to start off takes time off the cooking... that is why i stated 2hr as the maximum time in my earlier post :p
hmm, mayb i shld add lesser water cos i normally let most of the water evaporate before i consider it ready... but then again, if i add less water (cos the pot is pretty wide) then i scared it will dry up too fast
kao_confused.gif
 
ginsengmum, plim,
I feel so guilty as I never cook for my hh since many months ago. he only eats my MIL's and my mum's cooking.

plim,
how big is yr slow cooker? mine is 1.5L, too big for 1 bb meal but just nice for 2 adults, hehe.
once in a blue moon I'll use it to cook porridge for hb &amp; myself. I use brown rice and let it cook overnite.
 
Plim,

Hmm, the general guide my friend gives me is that if bb is eating a chinese bowl portion of porridge, then put in 1/4 rice cup of rice with 1 or 2 bowls or water (depending on the texture of the porridge u want)&amp; cook for an hr at high heat. If u adding potatoes, carrots, those harder to cook vege, then u mite nid more water &amp; longer cooking time.

SP,
actually i oso seldom cook for my ger liao lah. hehe.. sometimes too lazi &amp; sometimes very sian coz she seldom finish her food &amp; milk now. so somewhat demoralised liao
 
Hi plim,

I've stopped using my slow cooker recently and I find that Kellis prefers rice to porriage nowadays. She's sick of porriage now.. =p

Another easy way to prefer porriage is to use this small container from Pigeon. I got it months ago but only started using it now. You just add rice and water (more if you want to make it a more runny consistency) and put it in the middle of your rice cooker when cooking rice for the rest of the family. I find this to be really convenient. If you need to grind, do it after it's cooked. Very fast and convenient overall.

Hi Mummies,

I've recently joined as "Friends of the Zoo". Intending to bring princess there more often as it's really fun. Brought her there twice in the last month. =) Think the last time I went there before this was almost 20 years ago!!

Any mummies considering putting your kids in childcare (half day) when they turn 18 mths?
 
sp, i don't know how big is my slow cooker, but definitely it's big for a bb's meal, can easily cook 8-10 times more of wat she's having...

bluez,
yeah, we also joined "Friends of the Zoo" couple of months back and have been bringing her to the zoo every other week :D...
which childcare are you considering?
 
bluez,
Haha the pigeon porridge cooker, hehe i sort of 4got i got tt ting liao. wah haha. ya, agree its very convienent to use tt
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re: friends of the zoo
i oso joined somewhere back in Jul. hmm, but now seldom go liao, with my big tummy, so difficult to walk.
sad.gif
maybe we can find a day, then we go together. hehe
 
plim... maybe you can invest in those small slow cooker. I used to use that to cook for my boy. My MIL still use that to make porridge for lunch. Very cheap only 20 over bucks and you don't need to worry about adding too little water and drying up as a result. Agree with the other mummies that the cooking time depends on how fine you want the porridge. We normally cook it over 3 to 4 hours mainly because we add other ingredients like carrot, chicken and if we cook it longer, the soup base is better. To decrease the cooking time, you can grind the rice first or pre-soak the rice before cooking.

Bluez... same here. My boy now prefers rice. So he usually have rice for dinner. Even for lunch... porridge is only the side dish. His cod fish is the main dish for lunch. So when I cook for the weekends... it is always pasta, macaroni. The slow cooker at my place has been sitting there for a while already.
 
Hi bleuz &amp; BBRayan

I have intention to put my gal at half day playgroup next. She really can get bored staying at home... When I was on MC few days ago, I saw her walking around in the house, pulling things. Touched her toys for a while nia and throw back...

Then recently, I dunno why, it is so difficult to feed her lunch and dinner. After a few mouthful, she will shake her head and refuse to open her golden mouth. I bo bian yesterday when to buy a tin of pediasure for her just in case... Me really headache now. Initially I thought she is sick of the food, so I varies with the food that she eat.... Same pattern lor. Cham!
 
plim,

i bought the slow cooker from tangs. it's the smallest size, can't recall how many litres tho.
think it was around $20+.

you've been going to the zoo often too? =) when do you normally go? we could all arrange to go
together, a mini outing of sorts... anyone interested? maybe a sat morning?


ginsengmum,

yeah. i forgot about my pigeon pot till recently too. let me know abt the zoo outing too yah.


bbrayan,

18 mths is the minimum age for day care. i feel it's good to put them there so they develope some
social skills and learn to be independent at the same time. but of course, given that they'd
probably fall sick rather often. i'm considering a half day option and putting my gal there
about 2-3 times a week.


tomatoes,

kellis is like tat too. takes forever to eat her food. even though i've now changed to rice
with 3 to 4 different dishes, she'd still take a mighty long time to finish, if she does
that is. hiaz...


re: childcare

i thot of pat's schoolhouse. think there's one in serangoon gardens, that's the nearest to
my place. but was looking at their once a week program not really childcare. hubby and i are
thinking of visiting some childcare just to have a feel of the different schools. anyone has
any good recommendations?
 
Hi bleuz

I have a few friends have studied the early childhood dip and been attached to different schools/centres. They feedback to me that Pat schoolhse &amp; kinderland has very good cirriculum but expensive lor. They told me when visiting the centres, must look around whether they have lotsa of artwork from children... Artwork/craft is very good for a child development. Some schools are scared of their students dirtying the place and hence din have much art session with the kids.

Then by chance, I came about Carp Diem (hope I spelled correctly) at Royal Road and visited it with my friend. I like the environment as it is kind colonial house with big compound. They rear chicken, ducks and rabbits. Not fully air-con somemore... But hor, that place very inconvenient.
 


BBRayan,
it really depends on individual on what is the appropriate age to put the child in CC. for my ger, she's been with infant care for almost a yr b4 i decide to resign &amp; take care of her. Reason being, she can fall sick like 2 or 3x per mth, &amp; ea time she is abt to recover, someone will spread a new virus to her. Lost count of how many times she needs to use the nebuliser &amp; end up using a puff. Really heartache &amp; it burns a big hole in our pkt.

but i do heard that bbs after a yr old will have stronger immune system &amp; tends to fall sick less. Maybe if u really want to put ur child there, it will be gd to ensure that he has taken the necessary vaccination b4 going.

Tomatoes,
Aiyoh, my ger oso lah. Last time she can happily finish her food &amp; milk. Now hor, she eat a few mouth, then shake her head liao. I oso thought its the way or variety i put in her food. But seems like bring her out for dinner, she oso like tt. Consider it lucky if she can finish 1/2 of her meal. Haha.. Likewise, i alreadie started her on pediasure for her afternoon feed, sometimes she finishes it, sometimes she dun lor.

Yup, i oso heard Pat's schoolhouse &amp; kinderland, as well as Carp Diem is gd. but i think all rather costly one lor. haiz.. Carp Diem have an outlet at Yishun Polyclinic, maybe can go there see see if its the same as the other place u r talking abt..

Bluez,
Hehe onz.. u all fixed a date to go zoo, then i see if can make it a not. agree must go morning, else not much time to wake abt &amp; the weather will be terrible..
 

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