Thursday 28 July 2011
Tuesday 26 July 2011
Swimming lessons at Aquaducks
After the trial lesson, we signed Hayden up officially for the infant swimming lessons. When we first attended the trial, there were only 3 babies including Hayden. Last Sunday (which was the 3rd lesson), the number of babies increased to 8 babies. Aquaducks coaches are swim coaches trained in early childhood development, and their lessons use toys, games, songs, motion and verbal communication to stimulate learning interactions.
Some of my friends ask me is it really necessary for Hayden to learn swimming at such a young age? Of course it is not necessary but it is said to offer some benefits such as:
1) They learn to kick in the water and becomes stronger
2) They will not grow up to fear the water when you want to let them learn proper swimming strokes in future
3) They learn to hold their breath under water and it helps strengthen their lungs and minimize chances of asthma.
4) They learn that in the event they are drowning, they must swim to the wall and grab the wall. (After the 2nd lesson, Hayden already has the natural instinct to swim to the wall and grab it. We can release our hands and he is really grabbing the wall and supporting himself!)
At $25/lesson, I do not feel it is expensive as a "floating" session at Hwa Xia already cost $33/session but babies don't learn anything except kicking water only. Having sent Hayden to try both, I truly feel Aquaducks is a better option because at Hwa Xia, the babies are not in a natural position of swimming and nothing is done to help them overcome the fear of water since their heads are supported by the float.
Last Sunday, the coach released Hayden in the water and he swam a short distance to Micky on his own. I'm so proud of little Hayden!
Some of my friends ask me is it really necessary for Hayden to learn swimming at such a young age? Of course it is not necessary but it is said to offer some benefits such as:
1) They learn to kick in the water and becomes stronger
2) They will not grow up to fear the water when you want to let them learn proper swimming strokes in future
3) They learn to hold their breath under water and it helps strengthen their lungs and minimize chances of asthma.
4) They learn that in the event they are drowning, they must swim to the wall and grab the wall. (After the 2nd lesson, Hayden already has the natural instinct to swim to the wall and grab it. We can release our hands and he is really grabbing the wall and supporting himself!)
At $25/lesson, I do not feel it is expensive as a "floating" session at Hwa Xia already cost $33/session but babies don't learn anything except kicking water only. Having sent Hayden to try both, I truly feel Aquaducks is a better option because at Hwa Xia, the babies are not in a natural position of swimming and nothing is done to help them overcome the fear of water since their heads are supported by the float.
Last Sunday, the coach released Hayden in the water and he swam a short distance to Micky on his own. I'm so proud of little Hayden!
Friday 15 July 2011
DIY Haircut for Baby Hayden
It's been 4 months since Hayden shaved his hair and his hair has since grown back. It never dawned upon me that I would need to trim his hair until his nanny highlighted that he is pulling at his ears and it may be because his hair is tickling his ears. I always took the occasionally tugging at his ears as part of his teething symptoms hence his nanny's comments came as a surprise.
I went down to Kiddy Palace and bought a hair trimming kit by Farlin that costs $30+. It contains a comb, a pair of scicorrs with rounded tip and another pair of layering scicorrs.
Despite the fear that I may accidentally cut him, I mustered the courage to give it a go. Trimming Hayden's hair is no easy feat as he kept turning here and there, trying to avoid me touching his ear or hair. In the end, I only managed to trim the above his ears so that he will not feel ticklish. However, due to my lack of skill, one side is cut quite bluntly and a tad too short. Sigh....
I went down to Kiddy Palace and bought a hair trimming kit by Farlin that costs $30+. It contains a comb, a pair of scicorrs with rounded tip and another pair of layering scicorrs.
Despite the fear that I may accidentally cut him, I mustered the courage to give it a go. Trimming Hayden's hair is no easy feat as he kept turning here and there, trying to avoid me touching his ear or hair. In the end, I only managed to trim the above his ears so that he will not feel ticklish. However, due to my lack of skill, one side is cut quite bluntly and a tad too short. Sigh....
Tuesday 12 July 2011
Aquaducks Infant Swimming Lessons
Last Sunday, we brought Hayden for his first swimming lesson. We went for a trial lesson with Aquaducks at Excelsior International School. The lesson lasted 30mins and went pretty well. There were 4 babies in the class but Hayden was the youngest at 7 months.
The lessons are meant to let baby get used to being in the water and not to fear it. They are assisted by 2 instructors. Daddy went in with Hayden to assist him too. As he slowly gets used to it, Hayden will then be taught to put his face in the water and blow bubbles in the water. It costs $300 for 12 lessons (30mins each session) which I find is a reasonable price considering "swimming" at Hwa Xia Baby Spa at Plaza Sing or Harbourfront costs $33 if I don't remember wrongly.
If you're interested in booking a trial lesson, go to http://www.aquaducks.com.sg/
They are not pushy or hard-selling after the trial hence no pressure at all.
The lessons are meant to let baby get used to being in the water and not to fear it. They are assisted by 2 instructors. Daddy went in with Hayden to assist him too. As he slowly gets used to it, Hayden will then be taught to put his face in the water and blow bubbles in the water. It costs $300 for 12 lessons (30mins each session) which I find is a reasonable price considering "swimming" at Hwa Xia Baby Spa at Plaza Sing or Harbourfront costs $33 if I don't remember wrongly.
If you're interested in booking a trial lesson, go to http://www.aquaducks.com.sg/
They are not pushy or hard-selling after the trial hence no pressure at all.
Saturday 9 July 2011
Friday 8 July 2011
Beansprout Pillow and Bolster Cases
In my previous post, I mentioned I bought some Japanese Kimono Cotton and will be turning them into beansprout pillow and bolster cases. They are finally done!!! Yay!! Hayden's gonna love his new pillow and bolster cases! So excited!
As I had extra fabric, I also made a few more for sale on GMarket. Yep, HDB Mummy is now a GMarket seller!
Thursday 7 July 2011
" Tai Mao Bi " or Baby's Hair Calligraphy Brush
When Hayden was four months old, we shaved his head bald. Old wives tales has it that if the baby still has his hair that he had when he was in mummy's belly, he is considered "unclean" and cannot enter a temple. This is apparently because baby is born from "down there" which is considered dirty. My Hayden was a c-section baby, hence should be clean right? Lol. Nonetheless, I still did it mainly to satisfy my MIL who kept asking me when am I going to shave his head. Honestly, Hayden had a full head of hair and his hair was sooooo fine and soft to touch, I really couldn't bear to trim it off.
After doing some research, I only managed to find 1 company that does baby hair calligraphy brush, which is Hua Xia Tai Mao Bi. To those who does not know what this is, basically after shaving baby's hair, the hair will be collected and made into a calligraphy brush. The bristles will be very soft and is supposedly the best brush money can buy. It is supposed to be good luck for baby to have the brush and represents parents' hope that their baby will be a scholar in future.
They will send a rep to your house to help baby shave his head. The shaving is very fast and the shaver is meant for babies.
It begins with the person explaining to you what type of brushes they have. There are different types of materials such as ivory, wood, plastic, etc... and there are different thickness for the brush too. As Hayden has alot of hair, we decided to go for the thick one, using sandalwood or rosewood (can't remember) with intricate engravings. The brush costs us $200+. (Can't remember the actual price already)
We also decided to store his umbilical cord and a tiny bit of hair into an acrylic name stamp. This is also meant for good luck and remembrance for Hayden.
Monday 4 July 2011
Trimming babies' fingernails
The elderly will tell you not to trim baby's nails till after the first month and you may think this is due to superstition. However, the parentcraft consultant at Gleneagles also advise trimming Hayden's fingernails after one month as if we do it earlier, we may hurt his delicate nailbed and/or cut him. Hence Hayden often scratched himself during his first month when his mitten dropped or when we are bathing or changing him as his nails were jagged and sharp.
Its really a daunting task initially, esp. when they are newborns.Their fingers are so tiny it seems impossible to trim. I tried baby nail scissors and baby nail clippers. Both have their pros and cons. Personally, I find it easier with the nail clippers as when I use the scissors, I have a tendency to cut too deep. I even bought a few brands of nail clippers to see which is better. My verdict? Manicare and Safety1st are better in terms of ease of use. If you can find one that comes with a tiny torch attached, it will be better as I often had to trim Hayden's nails only after he sleeps at night hence the extra light would come in handy.
Baby nails grow very fast hence we often have to trim them twice a week. Well, can't say we don't need the practice right? Be sure to gently pull back the fingertip before you trim and do not trim too deep as it will hurt baby.
Ok, time to go and trim Hayden's nails now or he'll fail his nail inspection again (inspected by my MIL).
Its really a daunting task initially, esp. when they are newborns.Their fingers are so tiny it seems impossible to trim. I tried baby nail scissors and baby nail clippers. Both have their pros and cons. Personally, I find it easier with the nail clippers as when I use the scissors, I have a tendency to cut too deep. I even bought a few brands of nail clippers to see which is better. My verdict? Manicare and Safety1st are better in terms of ease of use. If you can find one that comes with a tiny torch attached, it will be better as I often had to trim Hayden's nails only after he sleeps at night hence the extra light would come in handy.
Baby nails grow very fast hence we often have to trim them twice a week. Well, can't say we don't need the practice right? Be sure to gently pull back the fingertip before you trim and do not trim too deep as it will hurt baby.
Ok, time to go and trim Hayden's nails now or he'll fail his nail inspection again (inspected by my MIL).
Maxi-Cosi Car Seat
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