(2006/06) June 2006 MTB

[okasan2b]

celeste,
ya, mustela product very ex one....that's why hubby say dun buy such big bottle of shampoo, etc...but just ask for sample loh...

I'll just use those brands like kodomo, johnson & johnson instead for bath, etc...for rashes, I may just get drapolene cream although I am tempted to get destini creamy...

 

[joemlk]

Okasan,
Tks for the reminder that not all 100% delivery is prepared. Maybe i am too excited like you also hv dreams throughout the nite.Wonder others mummy experience this or not.

Tinklebell,
I don really noe how to toilet train my boy too. Cos i had a maid previously,i asked her to help to bring my son to wee every 1-2hrs and stop him from wearing pampers during the day when he had his nap.As for the nite time,cos the boy sleep with us.We hardly wake up to take him to wee wee.Till now than we bring him to toilet 3hrs later after he doze off.More or less it works.Sometimes he wakes up with dry pamper.

 

[okasan2b]

btw, got one question:

when u toss and change position when u sleep, do u feel your baby kicking for a while before quieten down? I always feel baby kicking for a short while when I toss in my sleep...dun know is it coz baby also need to change position when we change position...

 

[okasan2b]

 

[mother_of_a_princess]

 

[tinklebell]

Jojo, re: BW bulk purchase, do u have to let Lynette know where to collect fr? i see some pp putting the collection point.
BTW, u getting another maid? we will probably get another one after my birth... i was hoping she can come in during my confinement so that she could at least learn fr the confinement nanny? any recommendation of maid agency?

 

[mother_of_a_princess]

AROMABABY Barrier Balm also not bad . good for nappy rash and aid in the healing of minor skin complaints. May also be used on sunburn, windburn, chafing and cradle cap. i bought that for gal also.

 

[okipoki]

okasan,

Yeah I do feel it when I change my sleeping position. She will kicks for awhile I think but sometime when the position is not right, I will feel some pain.

 

[poohy]

re: bb names

celeste, one of the choice I had in mind for my girl is also yi xin. But I want the "wen1 xin1" that means warmth. But my cousins said its too close to my son's name (yi4 xi1) so we prob will name her yi4 en1 (grace of God). Which "yi4" are you choosing? The "yi4" I had chosen previously for my son and will be used for my girl is "jin1 shen2 yi4 yi4" that means full of life. Thus the character "yi4" for our children means "abundance and no lack".

My son's name is yi4 - no lack/abundance, xi1 - hope ... together they means a life with no lack, abundance and full of hope in God.

My coming girl's name will mean yi4 - no lack/abundance, en1 - grace of God ... together they means a life with no lack, abundance and full of grace of God.

in the bible, parents prayed over the names of their children and it sort of signify the blessings and their calling in life. Thus, we hope their name will be a reflection of the blessings they will have in the rest of their life...

re: episiotomy

my gynae did not do episiotomy for my in my first delivery. He said just tried to do without. I did tear very slightly and got slight stitch though. The healing part from the stitch depends on individual's skin quality and degree of tear/epi and gynae's suture skill

 

[kite~]

Mummies!

Me just called to register and wil be attending Cordlife Talk next mth as my hubby is interested to store our bb's cordblood w cordlife plus we have TMC first born incentive card for further discount.

Celesteblur:
Yi xin very sweet gal name

for me, i stil hvnt decide wor. not easy.

Tinklebell/Celesteblur:
Me too last time every sun i wil always mop/sweep e flr, wash toilet n etc. nowadays hubby wil do it but sometimes he lazy/tired only mop/sweep once every 2wks. no choice. cos he need to work, do hsework n etc n drive me ard if i want to go to these n that places n he pei me. also tiring for him though i see the hse abit sianz but no choice.

 

[ahblur]

okasan,
ya lor...tats y i bought all kodomo products liowz...bath, lotion, detergent *lol* cos its cheaper also

poohy,
really?

"Yi Xi" for boy sounds quite gd too. I tink the Mediacorp Xiang Yun's son also named "Yi Xi" but prob different chinese characters?

Hmmzz, the "Yi" that I have for my gal will be this "" if i'm not wrong. Not sure what is stands for cos I didnt search the chinese dictionary for this character as we will be using it becos hb hopes that we can have the same first word as his other nephews and nieces

 

[tinklebell]

poohy, I like "xi1" too... but i'd like to use it on my girl... not sure if "xi1" as in "xi-wang" is too masculine.... there is another "xi1" as in daylight... but that one is difficult to write.

my son's name end with "en1" too. actually i like "en1". i was watching this K-drama on vcd Full House..the girl is called "zhi4-en1"... i thought it's a nice name. But i dont think i can use it for my girl... it's too confusing if 2 of them r "en1"s.

 

[joemlk]

Tinklebell,
You mean now than you get a maid,is it too rush.Shl hv bring in one before your delivery,at least she has to get to know your elder son first and get used to your house work and rules.The agency i am using is recommended by my SIL.Her choice of philippines is very limited unless you prefer an indo maid.So far i had this one is the second maid from her,they are all transfered maid.So far,her recommentation on the transfered maid is ok for me.If you want her contact i can give u. Her office is located in People's Park Complex.Alternatively,there is a thread regarding maid and recommendation,you can refer to that one.
http://www.singaporemotherhood.com/forumboard/messages/36738/306115.html?1144032594

Re:BW bulk purchase.I think Lynette had some mummies to co-ordinate on the collection point.Copy and paste this info incase you miss out from the thread from Lynette:

Hi all,

Milo will help me out in the west i think jurong point. Right milo??

I repeat collection location again. Somerset(lunch hours), Serangoon, Expo (sunday around 1230pm after my church services)

Of cos at the shop also.

Please let me know other place u would like to pick up as well.. to see if i pass by.

As i mention in the previous thread that.. the diapers are not cheap to make. so 20% discount is the max that they can give.. moreover Rita had just change the materials of the diapers to a better grade.. therefore her cost increase as well but no increase in price.

and also.. just another reminded or i should be highlighting this again. Please place your order in this thread only. For those who want to collect at united sq, DO NOT ask for further discount as the sales gals might not know what is going on. If you decide to buy more on the day itself, please pay the usual package price.

If you would like to use it during the night.. it can be done by putting 2 inserts..

 

[joemlk]

Have you all ever encounter the bb using part of the body,maybe knees or head to push so hard out of the tummy that causes pain.Wonder y she did that to me the day before.

 

[kite~]

celesteblur:
for me i hvnt bought any bb bath products, just bot Lactacyl body wash for bb as its very mild for bb's skin. after 3mths, then i wil switch to normal bb brands

 

[tinklebell]

kite, i think vacuum cleaner helps. i notice that if if vacuum, the house takes longer to turn dusty... and also i dont have to mop. i vacuum 1x a week and then use the 3M cleaner everyday. i feel very tired but i really cannot stand dusty floors these days leh... getting a bit mad.

when is the next talk? my rep havent contacted me on the next available date. i'd like to attend too.

celeste, i think Xiang Yun's son's "xi1" is the "xi1" i am referring to... but very difficult to write.

 

[ahblur]

kite,
better dont wash toilet liowz....i stoppped washing toilet since i was around 16 weeks cos hb also said its dangerous as toilet is wet n slippery when washing. So during this whole period he will be in charge of washing toilet. But now no more sweeping or mopping for me too cos tiring to bend using the broom n mop also...so its delegated to him too. Sometimes feel a bit paiseh also..cos he is now like doing 80% of the hsehold chores. Then at times when the car is dirty i ask him to drive to manual car wash on his way back from work but he still insist on washing the car himself...*sigh*
Bath products i bought liowz cos kiasu, since NTUC tat time got discount...hehe and i have to finish getting all things done soon. Cos I will be busy with moving hse etc around 36 weeks so i have to get hospital bag, finish washing all bb stuffs etc before that...*sigh*...like so many endless things to do

tinklebell,
i have a vacumn cleaner its those philips one but kinda laoya, wondering if shld invest in a better one. But which are the gd ones and not so exp? Cos dont wanna spend a big sum of $ on vacumn cleaner alone

Ohhzz...the "xi1" got a lot of strokes izzit?

 

[tinklebell]

Thanks Jojo, i didnt see that thread on the collection point.

I am not getting a maid so soon bec i will be getting a CL. My house will be too crowded with CL and maid for 1 whole mth! I suppose the 3 mth Maternity leave will help the maid to familiarise herself with my son. My son is in half day childcare and my hubby n mother usually will take care of that. I called one agent last time and she says a new maid takes ard 1 mth at max to come so that's why until now, i havent made any selections loh. I'll be getting one fr philippines.

 

[tinklebell]

celeste, wow u lucky girl ...so good to have hubby to do 80% of the housework for u

i'm very particular abt having a clean toilet so bo bian i still clean and scrub them every other day. Hubby usually come home much later than me so i see the dirt earlier than him ... hee heee... once i see it, i must clean it off lor
we have the Rainbow vacuum... i must say that it's really very good.

 

[ahblur]

tinklebell,
haha, before that it was me doing 80% of the hsework...*lol*. Ya, I think toilet very impt, especially the floors must make sure its quite clean otherwise if cos those grubs or wat will be slippery then very dangerous

But I remmeber u all mentioning Rainbow vacumn is quite exp rite?
Actually i am contemplating getting those water-based vacumn cleaner cos i thinking does that mean we use the vacumn cleaner since it also uses water to clean then we dont have to mop the flr? *lol* Pardon my ignorance...hehe

 

[kite~]

Tinklebell:
We have vacuum cleaner at home but rarely used. Mostly we are using the Magic clean floor wiper and it is very effective in picking up dust n hair. So my hubby wil always use that to clean the whole house

The next talk on Cordblood by Cordlife wil be on 19 Apr 7pm to 8.30pm. For me, i register on a sat next mth as i prefer a wkend

Celesteblur:
I stopped washing toilet n doing hsework since i got to know i m pregnant

but only recently dunno y, if i cant stand e bowl, i wil do a fast scrub on the bowl for less than 1 min n thats all. lol. Yaloh, my hubby also need to bath n blow dry my dog wkly, wash his car wkly somemore n after wash all the utensils, bowls after i finished cooking. for laundry, i wil throw inside washing machine n then he wil help me hang clothes together

As for cleaning e flr, if he is not tired, he wil clean wkly, else once 2 wks. i cant expect more from him but at times i wil nag at him LOL. dunno y cos i m abit Jie Pi.

 

[poohy]

celeste,

ya ya ... xiang yun's son is called yi xi and daughter shd be yi xin. Different character as my son's.

tinklebell,

ya i know there is a "xi1" as in daylight and was considering for my son last time but its really hard to write... my hb's surname is "chen" so i wanna called my son "chen2 xi1" as in "first light in the morning". This is really very difficult to write and my hb said next time my boy will be angry with me for making him suffer hehehee. There was another xi1 I wanted which is the emperor kang xi. That means "majestic etc"... I find it very nice too ... but I think "hope in God" gives a better christian meaning... cos the theme for my son's name was the verse "jeremiah 17:7-8 Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord and whose hope is in the Lord" and "jeremiah 29:11 ... those who hope in the Lord, will soar on wings.."

 

[kerenelu]

Hi Kite,

My hubby also did all the housework ever since i am pregnant.. well, come to think of it.. i also have not been doing much even before pregnant hahahaha... envy ya? In fact my hubby can do housework better than me leh! When he mop the floor, its cleaner. He washes the dishes and they are cleaner and he also irons clothes straighter than when i iron them heeee...

 

[okasan2b]

kk,
my hubby also did most of the tedious housechores even before I was preggy and of course continue doing them when I'm preggy now...

think coz he's proud of his own house..hehe...

for me, I just wash clothes, wash dishes, and cook meals for him during weekend....

 

[joemlk]

Wow! You all so good,have all your hb to do all the housework.If im not preggie,i wouldn't have a chance to laze around..hehe..come to think of it...the best time to excuse from hsework is when you are preggie..don't even need to make milk for my son.

Tinklebell,
You have 3mths ML and u have to take it all at once mah? As i will be taking only 2mths ML and the following 20 working days ML can be taken within the next 6mths so i don't think i have the time to train a new maid at all.I still prefered transfered maid as they already are aware how SG people lifestyles is like.So shouldn't have any difficulty telling them what we expect.Is this your first time employing maid.If so, i think you have to read more advise from the maid and expense thread.

Btw,your bb is girl or boy?

 

[tinklebell]

****Envy envy**** next time must tell my girl girl... one criterior for looking for a prospective hubby ===> must be able to do housework LOL... never marry a mummy's boy

kekeke .... think my MIL spoilt her sons ...both all dont do housework type! must go and complain to her!

 

[tinklebell]

Jojo, i had a maid for 2 yrs previously when my son was born... had been more than 1 yr maid-less. Yes, will be taking ML one shot 3 mths. I dont mind transfer maids too... keeping my options open. do u place your maid at home with your kids or with your elders? mine will go with the kids to my mum's place. some transfer maid quite picky ... want 2 weekends off, dont want work in 2 places, dont want to wash car etc etc... keeping my fingers crossed for a good one.

My bb is a girl, how abt yours?

 

[okasan2b]

tinklebell,
my hubby also never do housework when he's with his parents....but ever since he owes a house, it becomes 2nd nature for him to clean up the house..hehe....I don't even have to tell him to do..he just volunteer to do...*LOL*

for me, I do housework at my parents' house before married...but do less after married coz hubby do most of them...

 

[toto]

Good afternoon mummies,

wow... thread moved so fast...

re Desitin Creamy, i got 2 tubes 2 oz and 1 tube 4 oz from Lynette from the previous bulk purchase. actually, i have been applying this to my rashes. it eases the itch, very creamy and comforting, but can be quite difficult to wash off.

re mustella products, i got the relaxing bath, baby foam shampoo, as well as massage oil. the relaxing bath smells nice. i also tried that on myself.

re Lactacyl products, i got the body wash and feminine wash. oh... you can get these products from a shop in Chinatown for only $7 each. better priced than the previous TMC sale. i have already stocked up 8 bottles... using this myself as well. very good for rashes...

re maids, have been actively searching for a maid these few weeks. will be doing our selection next week. have few interviews lined up, phone and face to face. the thing abt transfer maids is that you can interview them face to face. get a better feel. realised the maids look really different in person.

re housework, my part time maid will no longer be able to work for me after next week. maybe need to engage another one while waiting for my full time maid to start. have stopped all housework except for my laundry and bb's laundry (actually, i dun do much housework, except sweeping the car porch, watering the plants, feeding the fish). nowadays, very tired, even without doing much or moving around much.

re sleeping posture, yes, realised bb will kick vigorously whenever i turn to sleep on my right or left... end up, always sleep facing up, which causes back aches...

hmm... no news from little dreamers... maybe will send them an email... wonder when they will send me a confirmation on the products i ordered online last friday...

 

[okasan2b]

amy,
wow, u bought a lot of products!!

I also same as u, end up sleeping on my back...but hor, even if I slept on my side, I'll still feel backache....

 

[toto]

okasan

ya... backache getting worse since week 30. every night toss and turn...

counting down till delivery... bb stuff all settled, but still many things outstanding... engaging maid, preparing maid room, confinement stuff, preparing CL room, reading up on teaching bb, caring for bb... luckily already sort of settled our bb's one month celebration venue and days. decided to spread out 2 days, given our large no. of guests...

ladies, do you wash all your curtains before bb comes out? hubby want to get our curtain man in to take down all curtains, dry clean, then put back on... hmm... no curtains for few days... dunno how...

hee hee... tonight i will be receiving my baby einstein DVDs... got the whole full set, 20 DVDs... can start watching them tonight lor...

 

[toto]

just rang little dreamers... my stuff arriving tonight... wah... such efficient service...

will keep you all updated re the smell of the products...

 

[okasan2b]

amy,
wow, you already settle the full month celebration, so cool!!

I dun have curtain at home, only binds...so less maintanence....

u really on leh...so fast already preparing the education stuff liao...any good books on teaching baby to recommend for reading?

 

[kite~]

Hi mummies!
just came back from lunch, outside so warm! hehe i bought another magazine "Young parents" from 7-11 store. quite addicted in buying lol.

Tinklebell:
hey i managed to get hold of the cordlife's talk timetable.
19 Apr (7 -8.30pm)
6 May (10 - 11.30am)
17 May ( 7 - 8.30pm)
3 Jun (10 - 11.30am)
21 Jun (7 - 8.30pm)

I have registered to attend e talk on 6 May cos it falls on a sat

 

[ahblur]

kite,
wow...ur hb still must help bathe n blow dry ur doggie wkly...tats another additional task...sometimes like i sit around doing nothing also feel a bit guilty...*lol*...but nmind, after my confinement i will start sharing the hsework again

okasan and tinklebell,
same here...my hb never does any hsework b4 he got married...maybe once in a blueblue moon. When he was previously staying with his parents/brother, normally is the parents and SIL doing hsework....he never really does one. When we got married, he did do occasionally but not regular.....so its more like i am doing it most of the time. Only when i got preggie then he started sharing out more hsework and did more lor....*sigh*....and my hb dont really know how to cook also....unless u r talking bout maggi mee...*lol*....i tink my MIL didnt bother to train them in hsehold chores.

 

[joemlk]

Tinklebell,
It seems like we are both the same.Been having maid less for 1yr plus too.I will be bringing the maid and bb to MIL hse after i return back to work till we are confindent she is ok to be alone with bb at home.
Re: Maid
Better be sure everything is written black and white on the contract.Especially on the offday issue if you didn't want to give her offday.I am also crossing my finger hoping this one is ok.She should be transfering to us by next week ba.Got alot of bb old clothes,hsework for her to do before the bb arrive.
Geee..mine is bb girl too. Have to rebuy all clothing for the girls for outing de.Today my collegue just gave me one big bag of gals dresses and shirt..all pink ..so cute!

Re: Sleeping posture.I do feel the bb kick whenever i toss to the left or rite.But it does not last long.Backache,thanks god the backache is gone since i'm at week 20.The GP said it could be bb sitting on my vein hence i got the backache. But since preggie,i cant lye on my left side,there is a burning pain under my breast.Wonder is that consider heartpain.

Celeste,Okasan,Tinklebell,
It looks like other than the bb,we have another BIG baby to look after.That is what most of the mummy will say.I don pamper my son,i made him do some of the simple chores to become independant.Maybe u all can do that totherwise when he got married,his wife blame us back just like we did to our PIL.hahaha!

 

[tinklebell]

Amy, i will be washing one panel of curtains one by one, starting this weekend..normally i just machine wash.

kite, i will attend either
19 Apr (7 -8.30pm)
6 May (10 - 11.30am)
It depends on my hubby's schedule. But usually Sats are out cos he works every sat morning (unless i go alone). Hope to visit the lab too.

 

[tinklebell]

Jojo, haha... i was LOL when i read your posting of the BIG BABY...hahaha! I also dont pamper my son... nowadays, i make him rinse his cup and bottles after drinking. Training him to bathe on his own too. Gotta train them up else 20 yrs later some other women will complain abt having to serve a BIG baby! Haha!

 

[kerenelu]

Hi Okasan,

Yup, me do the cooking too. But now when i stand too close to the stove, bb will complain by kicking leh hahaha.. So i dare not stand too near liao

But i still cook sometimes, especially soups. Cannot tahan outside food. Sick of it at times.

My hubby do everything except cooking. He throw something in the oil and will run away hahahaa.. how to cook like tat??

 

[tinklebell]

re: how much to give parents

i got one question... for those of u who are putting your kid for your parents/ in laws to take care, how much allowance will u give them? just wondering what is the market norm. right now, i give them $700 but my friend scolded me saying it's too little!

so am thinking of $1k when no2 comes along.

 

[mtmtmt]

Hehe, talking abt HB doing housework... HB an only child with housewife mum, so definitely untrained! But when we got married, I taught him how to sort his laundry and so on. When I was preggy with #1, he helped but at 3rd trimester, I think pregnancy nestling hormones- I felt so frustrated it wasn't clean enough yet cldnt reach all the dusty corners. So we got wkly PT cleaner.
Recently preggy with #2... he went to clean HIS PARENT'S home, LOL! One fine day w/o any comments from me, he suddenly gek-sim to see our toddler walk ard their place and getting her soles black-black. So he mopped their living rm, kitchen... MIL was abit pissed off and said he's been well-trained by me.

 

[okasan2b]

tinklebell,
on the allowance to give...if u mean solely for taking care fo kids, then should give market rate, that's abt $600-$1000 depending on day or night care....

however, on top of allowance for taking care of kids, should also give them allowances for them to spend...the amt to give is very much to the individual and also how many siblings are giving allowances to them....

hence if u say $700 for taking care of your kid and also for them to spend, then it's really too low, I feel......but if $700 is solely for taking care of your kid, then think still ok lah...

anyway, how much to give is also very subjective coz some parents dun wanna so much money from their children anyway.....

 

[okasan2b]

kk,
ya, when I cook, I also dun stand at the stove too long...actually baby never kick...but I'm worried that it will be too hot for the baby so I'll try to stand a distance from the stove as and when possible....

my hubby love to try cooking but her mum doesn't let him touch the kitchen...until he has his own house, he will try to be involve in the cooking by helping me stir-fry food, etc....

 

[okasan2b]

jojo,
agree...muz train our own son to do housechores....my mum trained my brothers very well, now the hoursechores all done by them....

I have many friends who never iron a single shirt or wash their own shoes....after married, they have big problem adjusting to life loh...

 

[toto]

okasan, i booked these 4 books. will purchase online when kinokuniya has 20% storewide. recommended by some mummies in this forum.

How Smart Is Your Baby? : Develop and Nurture Your Newborn's Full Potential-US-
ISBN:0757001947 (Paper cover book)
Doman, Glenn / Doman, Janet / Publisher:Square One Pub Published 2006/02
Price:SGD31.70

How to Teach Your Baby to Read : The Gentle Revolution-US-
ISBN:0757001858 (Paper cover book)
Doman, Glenn / Doman, Janet / Publisher:Square One Pub Published 2005/10
Price:SGD25.61

Gina Ford's Top Tips for Contented Babies and Toddlers -- paperback-UK-
ISBN:0091898757 (Paper cover book)
Ford, Gina / Publisher:Ebury Press Published 2005/08
Price:SGD20.95

Secrets of the Baby Whisperer : How to Calm, Connect, and Communicate with Your Baby-US-
ISBN:0345479092 (Paper cover book)
REPRINT Edition
Hogg, Tracy / Blau, Melinda / Publisher:Ballantine Books Published 2005/07
Price:SGD14.38

 

[toto]

Re allowance for MIL, i am getting a maid who will look after baby and assist MIL when i am at work. Hmm... becos of that, MIL dun need her own part time maid (save $200 a month). Me too, no need my part time maid. So, how much should i give MIL? What do you think?

And how much do you give your mum, if your mum is not assisting in any way (no confinement help, no baby sitting help)?

 

[toto]

JoJo, need your advice here.

just had a phone interview with a filipino ex Sin maid. she is asking for $350 with one off day a month, has a mobile phone, and has relatives (cousin and aunt) in Singapore. Do you think i should employ her given this is my first time getting a maid? wonder whether i can handle her.

but good thing is, she worked in a 2 storey house doing housekeeping and looking after baby. but she cannot bathe baby, but can do cooking of Chinese food. she is 24 yrs old, 150 cm, 40 kg, single. bit on the small side.

 

[tinklebell]

Amy, i really donno what is the market norm... i was actually quite surprised when my friend said it's a bit low. okasan also mentioned it's a bit low...
$500 the norm for parents who dont look after kids?

$1k-$1.5k for those who look after kid and depending how many kids?

 

[joemlk]

Medusa,
Thumbs up for your being well trained on your hb. Your MIL will surely be jumping up and down.Lolx.When ever we visit his Parents,my MIL always scoop the bowl of rice for my hb and any other MAN in the family except women or gal grandchildren.Cant stand the way she treat the her own family differently.I always make my hb to wash the dish for me after dinner at her place.Wonder how she feel..kaka!!

Okasan,
Ya.Many children nowsaday don't even know a simple hsework to be done which i also think is not an advantage to them especially the boys who will be joining NS in future. They really should be train since young loh.
Hope we don't do that when we are old.LolX

 

[joemlk]

Wow.Amy.
From my point of view.She haven't even start to work and have so many request.If you agreed to her condition,than in future how would she want to listen to your instruction.Fil maid is different from Indo maid.They have more pride than Indo maid.My new transfered maid is paid $340 for no offday.We will monitor her performace and increase her pay should she perform well.
As a first time employer,it is advisable to get a fresh maid as they are easier to control.I had experience of controlling my first maid who is transfered and experience too lo.Reason y i ask her to go becos she starts to disobey my instruction and talk back to me so i hv to let her go even though she is good in everything.Actually is up to individual.But i still think you get a fresh maid better.Majority of maid we employ is thru 80% luck too.

Ask Tinklebell too.She was a maid employer once too.I would like to hear her advise too.