Review: Playcots at i12 Katong

Singapore's one of a kind cassia seeds indoor playground for children.
There is another one located at City Square Mall.

The one we went to is located at the basement of i12 Katong.
Paid $10 for an hour of fun on Audria's actual birthday.
Since it was a Monday afternoon, we had the entire place to ourselves.

I must say it was a refreshing sensory experience!
Best of all, you won't get dirty (unlike playing in the sand).

The OCD part of me was panicking because i saw many hair trapped in the cassia seeds and toys isn't wiped clean so i was thinking, it must be hard to clean this type of playground.

Would i go again? Likely not because its not clean in that sense.
I mean, how do they suck out the dust, dirt and hair?

Nonetheless, after 30mins, Audria finally warmed up and she was finally playing.

It was fun watching her kick around and scooping up seeds.
Do remember to wear socks for your child and yourself.
No socks = no entry.

There is a gaming area outside Playcots.
We let Audria pretend play with the steering wheels because she loves it.

If you google on the benefits of cassia seeds, the list is long.
To name a few: its nice on the skin, and they do have some healing properties.
But if you think about it, it doesn't self clean.
So again, i don't think its great if you are particular about hygiene.
Let me know what you think! (:

Flying with Silkair: Traveling with 11 month old to Bandung

Back in January, we went on a family vacation to Bandung.
Its definitely not a baby friendly place but we felt equipped and confident to travel with our soon-to-be-1 year old baby last month.

We chose an Airbnb and the host was very welcoming.
Their kitchen is fully equipped so i cooked her porridge every morning before we set off for the day.
Brought along 2 thermos flask to store her lunch and dinner.
With plenty of snacks to keep them occupied during jams and the likes.

Bandung is a breast-feeding friendly place so just pop on your nursing cover and you are good to go.
The only available baby changing room is found at SOGO of paris van java.
The nursing room in the photo is found at their airport.

I started nursing her without cover, but i will turn away so as to respect whoever is beside me and might feel uncomfortable. But basically i don't expose my entire boobs so i don't see whats the big deal about nursing without a cover. Audria is happy with or without a cover so I'm quite lucky. The baby takes in 90% of my aerola anyways. Wearing a proper nursing bra or top helps ALOT.
If you can, try to breastfeed in your carrier. Its so convenient.

The airport is right in the middle of the city, its small and located in the weirdest spot.
They cannot expand the airport because of the location.
Jams can get lengthly when you travel with an infant that is restless.

We met some locals who gave us contacts for food, shopping and PD in case of emergency.
Please do write to me if you are heading there and will require medical stand-by for your baby.

The man tula-ing the babies as we travelled.
We enjoyed their local cuisine and the picking of strawberries at their Stroberri farm was epic!
Weather was kind to us, though it did rain a bit here and there.
Night time gets slightly chilly and the mozzies, omg......bring all the insect repellent you can think of.

Bought some stuffs from their baby mega-store YEN'S.
These 2 pull up pants were quite cheap and i don't see them in Singapore.
So why not stock up.

They have this atas supermarket called PAPAYA.
We grabbed some baby snacks there too.
If you want to stock up on drinkable water, thats the place to go.
Buy this brand: Prestine. Its safe for babies to consume.
Their meats are generally more fresh as compared with other local supermarkets.

Audria was about 11 months old during this trip so we didn't bring her bathtub along.
We brought her anti-slip mat and she stood on it while we shower her.
Basically, had to travel light.
We did bring her favourite toys and books, continued with bedtime routine and all.

With each trip, it becomes more enjoyable as we explore new grounds together as a family.
She enjoys rice so we do share some food like tofu and fruits.
The stress level is lower as compared to Bangkok last June.
Maybe cause I'm more relaxed now and chill about everything as she advance into toddler stage.
More experienced as well haha.

Can't wait for the next trip.
Canada or Australia perhaps.
Fly more before she turns 2.

If you have any questions, feel free to write in to me and i will try to reply (:

Diaper bag of year 2017

Recently, anti-theft bags have been all rage.
If you search the same on carousell, there will be many listings.
We got ours here: http://m.intl.taobao.com/detail/detail.html?id=541503970541

Pros: Extremely affordable. The real version cost a lot more. This inspired version was as amazing.
There are many compartments. Its super lightweight. Padded for comfort. The list goes on. Click on the link above to see the full functions.

Cons: Its rather manly (your husband can use it for work). And since its an anti-theft bag, its hard to access the items if you are in a rush to find your wallet or ezlink card.

Otherwise, for $52, i highly recommend this.

What i store inside:

4 diapers
barrier cream
moisturiser
wet wipes
antibacterial wipes
hands/mouth wipes
onesie, cardigan, hand/face towel
nursing cover
mini book, toy
bioCair hand sanitisers
changing mat
plastic bag for biohazard waste
wallet and the likes.

Still have room for thermos flask and all her food/weaning stuffs.
Comparing this to Jujube's BRB, i think this wins hands down in almost every aspects.

MMR and Pneumococcal immunisation

Fever on the 3rd day.
Poor baby.
She does get lethargic and lack of appetite during this period.

We stocked up on fever patches and this KOOLFEVER cushion gel pillow at Hougang Polyclinic.
Super useful!
She sleeps on it so i don't have to sponge her through the night.
Just have check on her temperature every 3 hourly.

MMR fever is usually delayed.
Comes on after 5-10 days from day of jab.
So for the 1 year appointment, they jab left arm for MMR and left thigh for pneumococcal.
The left thigh jab is slightly more uncomfortable and "painful" for the baby due to the fluid that goes into their bloodstream.
$150 for the pneumococcal jab is payable through medisave.
Hope this information helps new mummies!

Next appointment in 3 months time; 15 month assessment.

Feel better soon baby.

Audria turned One

I thought it would be nice to share some of the good gifts we received from Audria's One Year Old party.

And so, it has been 1 year of parenthood, being a SAHM is challenging but i will leave those emotions to another post.

Our theme was rustic woodland.
Audria's favourite book is "Brown bear, brown bear what do you see?".

Daddy spent a lot of time and effort cooking meesua for her (:

Amongst the many gifts we received, these 3 gifts stood out the most.
Not to say, angbao is always the most practical, and something we appreciate for blessing.

This set was given by the Wolfs.

What an amazing item to add to our diaper bag!

We can store fruits, dry snacks inside, or use it as a bowl for her congee/rice.

We love it!

She is a mother of 3 kids so, an experienced mother REALLY knows her stuff (:

This leapfrog picnic basket is gifted by Adela.
Perfect choice for a 1 year old (gross motor development they call it)!
She loves pretend-play (feeding me etc) and taking items out of basket/putting them back.

The e-book is gifted by Tirene.
Audria loves her books and flipping the pages.
Its interactive, definitely tickles her when she flips the pages.

Adela and Tirene are both mummies so they picked up suitable gifts (:
That, I'm thankful.

I will be very honest.
Some gifts are not suitable, and i feared receiving "useless" toys so i asked politely for my guests to refrain from giving Audria toys.
It will be nice for us (parents) to do the shopping instead and pick according to Audria's development.
Books we do welcome.
And just to share, Audria's 2nd favourite book is "Freddie the Frog" (gifted by Jenalyn ).
I shan't spoil the book content, do check it out!

Thankful for those who made it for her party.
Our hearts are full!