(2008/09) Sep 2008


Happy Mothers' Day to all the noble mommies!

breadmum, relrenn, Yun,
U staying JE or JW area? Yes, Pierre is in Cherie Hearts Justkidz. Personally I feel P is more happier then he was in IFC. But also naughtier
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He become more chatty now, learn many new words.. Yes, I actually looked for CC 6mths before. It was already quite full then.

Hw cum CC dun allowed milk drinking? Mine allowed leh. 1 thing I like abt cherie hearts is the playgroup is smaller and there are more teachers to take care of the playground because this is the group that requires more care and attention seeking.
 
Goldfish,
Jia you! not easy to pump in the middle of the night. As for mastering speech, I agree with Bigtoes, just keep talking and talking.. they will register even though they may not speak now.. then once they start to speak, all the words will tumble out.

re: Milk in CC
my elder boy's CC also allow us to bring formula milk to his CC. I think it really depends on the CC. some of the bigger CCs don't allow, because they have too many children to cater to. So they don't want to have each child bringing their own brand of formula milk and clogging up the space. Mine, allows us to put the whole tin of milk there. We just write his name on the cover.

Then there are some, they allow you to bring, but you must put the exact number of scoops in a milk powder dispenser. that way, they have less work to do, and no need to keep track of the milk powder usage. So for those whose CC don't allow milk, maybe you can offer this as a suggestion? See if the teachers are willing to help to make the milk, if you get the milk ready for them in dispenser. Just a suggestion..

Bigtoes,
Good to see that Keiran can cope well even when left alone. Good job!
 
<font color="aa00aa">Autum (autum) - Kieran's CC asks that we bring the milk, so I put his in the small dispenser (with 3 compartments for 3 feeds). The thing is, they only allocate one milk feed a day (about 12 noon, just before they sleep), so that the teacher doesn't have to make milk too many times. So even if the child asks for another feed at another time, they will not make the milk for him/her, even thou it just means pouring, adding water &amp; shaking. Wonder what happens for cases when the mom is still nursing &amp; providing BM &amp; the CC has to chill &amp; warm it up? Maybe the CC would reject the child???

Anyway, we visited another CC on Sat - prefer their premises &amp; the 2 teachers we spoke with seemed friendlier &amp; more forthcoming (his current CC now has fiercer/more curt teachers). They had no classes on Sat, so will have to go back again on a weekday to see a class in session, then most prob will sign him up for N1 for Jan 2011. Hopefully he won't miss his classmates by then (think they are too young to even make proper friends right? They just parallel play most of the time now.</font>
 
I din know CC will reject milk feed! ok, now that im sourcing for CC, can mummies let me know what are the things that i shld check/look out for?

snowyee (snowyee11) : me in JW ave 1. Where is cherie hearts located? Hw is the ratio like?
 
Bigtoes:
The CC my gal attend also give only 1 feeding of milk, that all.
Think this is because, they are having solid food.
Normally my gal will have 1 bottle of milk when she woke up, then when she reach school, she will have her breakfast. But these few day, she didn't finish her milk, so this morning, i try not to give her milk. So when she reach sch, she will have her breakfast, then lunch, n snack and milk.
Breakfast, sometime they had chee chiong fun,cereal, cornflake etc...
Lunch: fish porridge, maconroni, rice, soup... etc with fruit.
snack: green bean, dao suan, bread, cake... etc.
So to them 1 feeding of milk is enough. Normally all will be having milk together, so they won't thinking of having milk again cos they will be busy entertain themselves.

so during weekday, she will be having 3 milk feeding, 1 morning, 1 afternoon, 1 night.
but today she will be only having 2 feeding cos she skip the morning one.
 
<font color="aa00aa">rlrenn (rlrenn) - She didn't say "no cannot" but basically meant that everyone would get just one milk feed, &amp; that was it. I guess they don't want to have various kids asking for milk at various times! This CC also has a set time for drinking water - everyone takes out their water bottle, and have to drink 1/2 the bottle in the morning &amp; the remainder in the afternoon! Quite regimented, like in the army. Oh, and shower is basically 4 buckets of cold water each from the water container...thank goodness K is a very sweaty boy &amp; actually loves cold showers....the other CC we went to check out on Sat had hot water (water spray) shower.

I guess it really depends on how fussy you are about these things - aircon vs. non aircon, cold vs. hot water, quality of food etc...I am not so fussed, but quality of the teachers have to be good &amp; they have to look dedicated at the very least.</font>
 
bigtoes: shower with cold water?? i never bathe my gal with cold water..;p i guess i really hv to list down my requirement vs wat the cc can provide..
 
hi, thanks for pointing all this requirements out. i also against idea of having our little ones bathe in cold water. no wonder, so many kids fall sick, cough and flu or weak lungs (what more, if they've just recovered or about to contract the flu virus)!! if like that, i rather delay my kid entering cc and build up her immunity first. i have to reccee and like rlrenn, ask all questions of concern with the cc first.. i oso against kids taking green bean soup, it's so cooling for adults what about to kids - again that could be reason why their cough prolonged despite flu virus. these are all the weakening contributing factors for the kids' lungs.
 
<font color="aa00aa">rlrenn (rlrenn)&amp; onsansg (onsansg) - Yah, cold water from a big water container - maybe cos the CC is non-air con &amp; the kids are hot anyways? (I think most of us also grew up bathing in cold water, but yah - before last week, Kieran always had nice warm showers!)

I guess its not easy finding a good match - and sometimes, if the CC environment is OK, it might so happen that the teacher might be less good for whatever reasons, or location is inconvenient, or fees too expensive? Just have to weight your priorities &amp; close an eye on what is less an issue i guess?</font>}
 
Hi Bigtoes, maybe Kieran is stronger and can take cold water. Water stored in big container will be very, very cold. That is for sure..

To me, medical cost, sleepless nights, skipping classes, kid's health is far more costly than a cold bath. Well, this could be my own personal opinion though..
 
hmm, my elder boy is now 3+yrs old.. I put him in CC since he was 18mths.. and guess what, I don't even know if he is bathing with hot water or cold water! whahahaha.. in fact, I didn't even find out what kind of food menu they have until more than a year later! basically I am quite a bo-chup mummy :p and thankfully my son seldom falls sick, and comes home happy each day. So i guess i don't have to worry too much. and if I want to put my girl in CC, probably I will put her in the same CC as my boy.

Bigtoes,
my boy's cc also gives one milk feed only. In the initial weeks, they let him use a bottle (cos he was still on bottle).. then after that, they trained him to drink by cup. so no more bottles. your Keiran using cup or bottle now?
 
<font color="0000ff"><font color="ff0000">Goldfish</font>
Congrats!! It's really tough coping with 2. jia you!!
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<font color="ff0000">rlrenn / Yun / breadmum</font>
I signed my boy up for Carpe Diem at JW. If i'm not wrong it's at St 76. He'll be starting end of this month
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onsansg- i happen to pass by one o the CC near my hse. i saw kids bathing and the fan is on. Guess children tend to get sick is like that. I enroll baby K into N1 next year 2 hr 45min to let him slowly pick up and learn. His speech is still slow, though recently i teach him how to say Please - sound like pa haha. and also call gong gong sound like gor or ger aha
 
hi koras, luckily we all happen to mention about cold water bathing. kids will catch cold easily if they just came back from a sweaty outdoor play and directly into bathing. bath with fans directly on them is not good, but if the fan blows around, guess may still be ok??

we oso speak to our gal a lot at 4mths old. now at 17mth, she can talk and understand sufficiently. she just ran inside the kitchen and open the pot lid on the floor,saying soup, soup (and it's true, soup is inside the pot). aiyah..now very busy chasing after her.

guess, it's natural development for opposite sex. my girl is slow in gross motor development but fast in speech. baby K will sure catch up pretty fast. let him listen to all diff languages in the radio or tv.
 
sasa and jurong mummies,
I heard good reviews about Carpe Diem. Not sure if it's particular to any outlets, but generally i think CD is quite good. i have friends who send their kids to Carpe Diem and generally all are happy. hmm, but actually a lot also depends on the teachers at that time.

I agree with Bigtoes.. there are too many factors involved when looking for CC. Convenience, distance, teachers, environment etc..it's too hard to satisfy all our criteria. we just have to make-do with the best choices that we can have at the time.
 
Hi Sasa,
called up Carpediem le.. will find a day and go down to see ..
so Far had seen Whispering hearts, Brightkids, Loving development, MMI, FIRST SKOOL, The Little schoolhouse..
Will only put little J in the CC next year, still think he is still so young and I dun bear to part with him ..haha (sound dramatic)
He will attending Playgroup at the enrichment classroom in the JW sport complex in this september.
 
<font color="aa00aa">Autum (autum)- hah, yah - i think we mommies worry too much sometimes. On drinking milk - for all kiddos, breakfast milk is in a cup, but milk at 12+ (before their afternoon nap) is in their own milk bottles (think the intention is to have them drink then doze off).

CC- i heard that Carpe Diem &amp; Cherie Hearts are both ok. Think regardless of the CC, at the end of the day, it really depends on your luck &amp; how engaging/enthusiastic the particular teachers for your child are. And even then, the teacher you observe during the session might not be the one teaching your kid when he starts CC.

Btw, how much are fees (full time) for these 2? I guess fees would be an indication of the quality. At least more ex = hot water baths &amp; better food?
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yun (cutieyunyun) - which Little Skool House International did you check out? How did you find it? Am going to check it out on a wkday &amp; prob transfer K there in Jan.</font>
 
yun - why so ex? $1k is without the working mom subsidy? And new center but still with a long wait list? The one I am most prob enrolling K to is at Orchid Country Club. Fully air-con, with warm showers(!), &amp; indoor &amp; outdoor play areas, plus weekly swimming sessions which is good cos hubby is teaching K to swim now. More importantly, the teachers seems more friendly!
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I forgot to ask about the food thou, &amp; have yet to sit in at a class. They have shuttle buses to/fro my ILs (which i didn't know about earlier), else i would have signed him up at the first place.
 
Hi Bigtoes,
yes.. very long wait list.
I think after subsidy $300 you still need to pay $800 plus.
I didn ask so many details though.. its already "sian" to heard the long waiting list
 
Hi Sasa, Yun,

Nice to see you ladies back here again.

Also headache about CC arrangements and what works what does not.

..I am probably starting Scarlett at a CC soon too with my younger boy coming along in August. We have been looking at Cherie Hearts at Starhub as well as Brighton Montessori or Schoolhouse by the Bay.. our plan will be to put Scarlett in Childcare during the mornings when my hub gets to office.. then a school bus will ferry her to Bethesda Kindy and then back when she finishes school to the CC for the rest of the day... although the CC offers good curriculum too, we feel that we still want to send Scarlett to a full kindergarten..

Scarlett's at my IL's care now and attending playgroup at a Montessori Kindy for 3 hrs everyday but we doubt my IL could handle both kid at one go when my younger boy arrives.. hence pop the above idea..
 
yun - LSH International @OCC is about $700/mth after subsidy. I am signing K to start N1 in Jan, cos that is the earliest slot they have for him. Not sure why the one at Jurong Safra is more ex? I assumed prices would be consistent across the branches? And yes, CC is expensive - pretty lucrative business to be in!

Btw, what did u think of the other CC you visited then?

Letty - S can start kindy already? Do you mean N1, not K1? I would love if K could skip classes if possible!
 
Hi Bigtoes,
You are right.. their price is $700 plus permonth after subsidy.Because Iam SAHM so the subsidy is $150 only, rite ?
I called them again yesterday to check the vacancy,they ask me to call again on October if I want to enrol J in the Jan 2011.But they cant guarantee the availability on that time too

I still like MY FIRST SCHOOL in Jurong Point, its quiet,convenience and cheaper for me.
Others CC are seems too noisy(near mainroad) or rundown

Today will going to visit CARPEDIAM and CHERIE HEARTS..hopefully I can decide one between two of them
 
hi yun

wow u visited quite a number of CC in jurong! i only visited mulberry at JE swimming complex. How much is The first school in JP? What is their cirrculum like? Is there any outdoor activity for the kids since they are located at JP? Mulberry has outdoor activity like swimming and they has a outdoor playarea..
 
Hi rlrenn,
Ha..ha..yes,looking desperately for a good one, so must visit more to do a comparison.
Think Of PAT'S SCHOOLHOUSE too but its quite costly for me ($1300 before subsidy)

I heard about Mulberry,interested to visit them too..hehe
For MY FIRST SCHOOL is about $600-$700 before subsidy.I dunno about the curriculum and the activities Le.. more concern to "vacancy"
 
yun - yes, subsidy would be lesser for SAHM. Think its $300 for FTWM &amp; $150 for SAHM? How come they only open for enrollment in Oct? The one at OCC is open now, on first-come basis, so the lady told me to enrol now to ensure a spot. Btw, K is now at First Skool in Yishun (the one i commented about cold showers, timed water breaks). Some stuff, we don't quite mind, but find that the teachers are not too open with sharing information, &amp; the place doesn't even have books (at least not for the 18-30 month classes). The teacher does read to them (maybe 30 min/day), but other times, its just lego blocks &amp; toys. K loves to 'read' &amp; i want an environment that allows him to do so. Btw, i think the First Skool in Jurong shdn't have a long wait list (I basically signed K up in mid-April &amp; started on 3rd May).

Letty - oh, so its N1 but in a Kindy.
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Hi Bigtoes, I thought That is how they work on the WL SYSTEM or Maybe they dun want to take too many WL.
And yes, FIRST SKOOL in JP is extremely full,few mummies I know are experienced the same with me, was told"dun waste your time to wait.. there wont be any vacancy in these 2-3 years"
 
<font color="0000ff"><font color="ff0000">Autumn</font>
yeah.. i read n heard abt good reviews abt CD and CH. Finally decided on Carpe Diem coz of 2 things
- it's nearer to my ILs place
- somehow Max n I felt more comfy when we visited the centre. At CH, he simply refused to come down to venture around the centre. But at CD, he was so different. So that was the crux.

<font color="ff0000">Yun</font>
Let me know your thoughts about the centre k. Max will be starting end of this month
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U meeting Teacher Rebecca isit?

Btw, Carpe Diem is $400 after working mum subsidy.
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<font color="ff0000">Letty</font>
hey kym, would it be a hassle if letty has to shuffle from CC to Kindy den back? Not sure.. at least this is wat i feel</font>
 
Hi Mummy

Long time no posting here cos busy w/ my no.2 little gal.

Just sign up Ryan for (2 hr)playgroup last nite, school will start on July.

Any mummy here send your child to short hour playgroup instead of CC.
 
snowyee - I stay in the East but my main caregiver are my parents and they stay in Jurong. thus, my search is in Jurong. I'll be checking out cherie hearts at the new outlet soon. I did not hear good reviews of the SAFRA Jurong FS though.

I've started my son at Zoophonics at Tampines Mart on Sunday. Its cheap and nice environment, however, the teachers did not leave much an impression on me. My boy was like a koala bear the entire 45 mins during Chinese class.
So I will have to see this Sunday how he takes or warm up to classes.

Sasa - give us some reviews after you go, so that its an alternative :)

Bigtoes - cold bath??? oh dear, I think we've all been bathing our little ones in warm bath unless they go swimming. And to make sure they are dry and clothe so that they won't catch a chill will be a challenge, isn't it.

ha ha, seems like we are overprotective over out little darlings.
 
Sasa: Ya, feel its a hassle.. but its not much diff if we decide against CC. Still need to ferry Scarlett to my IL, and have the kindy school bus pick her from IL and back after school..
 
annteo: my gal currently attending 2hr playgroup daily since apr. and she enjoys very much.
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so our little ones are N1 next yr rite? hw many hrs usually is the lesson? i tot of either putting my gal in CC or go kindy if there is any 3-4hrs kind..
 
breadmum (breadmum) - yes, cold bath! Luckily K has alot of fats &amp; protests less than me when he goes swimming. He actually enjoys the cold showers, weird boy that he is.

yun (cutieyunyun) - wow, First Skool at Jurong has a loonnngggg wait list? The one at Yishun just told me to register 1 month before he started! Suppose the waitlist is a reflection of the standard of the branch? (hah, doesn't say v much about the one K is going to then!)
 
CC-
Bath time: Me too don know they bath my gal with cold or warm water, i do know they have heater, so should be warm water ba.
As for the food, they will actually wrote down what they eat n how much water they drink, so i know what r they eating.
They also will state what time they sleep n for how long and what activities they have done. well, i'm not sure how accurate it was, since i'm not there to watch.
so as long as she is ok, go there in 1 pc, come back in 1 pcs. hahaha....
I'm not sure what cheric heart or Little Skool House provide to the kids, maybe price play a part. After all, i'm paying $180, impossible for me asking for too much. So open 1 eye close 1 eye.
 
hey ladies, I realised that this thread, few mummies post pics of their babes.. let's post more pics so that we all can share the joy of our babes okie!

let me start the ball rolling. this is taken in march when I brought my kids to Genting. My girl is the Sep08 baby. Her name is E Vee.
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Jasmine Yeo (jasyeo80) - wow, $180 for full day? And they actually update you on how much food/water is consumed, &amp; how much your child sleeps? That is really pro-active! Now, cos Kieran just started CC, my MIL has been asking the teacher how much he has been sleeping (but cannot be asking all the time cos the teacher would get irritated.)...so really no gauge of how much he is eating (i know he is drinking too little) &amp; sleeping &amp; otherwise coping OK cos the teacher is quite tight-lipped &amp; always just says "he is doing v well, etc etc" &amp; u don't quite know if she means it or says it to get parents off her back! Can't ask Kieran also cos his standard answer is that he likes school (again, cannot trust what a 20 month old says!)

Autum (autum) - ur kiddos are cute
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mei mei looks alot like kor kor! I think we stopped posting cos most of us are on facebook &amp; already posting countless pix there?
 
Bigtoes,
yes, I figured that most of you post pics in FB.. but I think it's quite nice to see some of the babes pictures here also mah. :p

Actually my girl doesn't look like the kor-kor at all. Just that in this photo, there is some similarity. But mostly, they look different. My boy looks like me while my girl looks like my hb.
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Limay - LOL, K is one weird little boy! He's probably training up for NS in future.

Scarlett would tell me cold cold cold if I ever shower her with cold water and then hot hot if water is slightly warmer than she'd like, so we'd nv get away with the water bit. But she'd willingly dash down the pool even if the water is freezing and then complain cold cold..
 
Bigtoes:
Yes. $180 for full day after subsidy. B4 subsidy is $480.00.
Yup, they will joint down n showed to us when I went fetch her. so in the morning when I sent her in, i need to give info to them, what she ate for dinner, what time she sleep, is she sleeping ok, did she had her breakast, what time n the amt consume. also can tell them what to look for her if she had a fall the night b4 etc....
They been doing this since when I start her off from infant.
 
Jasmine Yeo (jasyeo80) - Wow, its really value for money then. Which CC is this? I understand the need for them to update for the infants (since we need to closely monitor their milk intake &amp; sleep &amp; they cannot tell us if they are drinking/sleeping enough) but they are do so even for all the toddlers?
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Letty (letty) - K is a very 'hot', sweaty boy, so i guess he relishes the cold showers! Now, when i bathe him on weekends, he complaints that the warm water is too hot. However, i still don't think its a good idea to bathe 20 month olds in cold water - even we adults need the water heater ourselves!
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Autum (autum) - Here is a recent pix of K taken over the weekend. He's seated beside my bunch of Mother's Day flowers! Looks more like hubby but character is more like me
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Bigtoes,
Keiran looks so happy and smiley! My girl is a crybaby. haha.. i think boys tend to be more smiley.
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Other mummies, quick go post pic of your darlings.. i want to see!
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Autum (autum) - I don't think boys tend to be more smiley lah
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Anyway, its quite difficult to get K to look at the camera &amp; smile so we usually have to take candid shots (usually of him running around cos he is happiest then).

♥Mamyvelle♥ (mamyvelle) - ur gal is petite! K gained 0.4kg the last week alone - cos we were feeding him more at home (scared he was 'starving' at CC) &amp; he was infact, asking for 2nd helpings in CC. So now he weights almost 13kg! About the same as his female cousin who is 10 months older!
 


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