Tabla de contenidos para November 2017 en Young Parents

Where did 2017 go? I can’t believe it’s already November. I like this part of the year, when the weather is cooler, my kids can let loose and I don’t have to wake up at 5.30am to rush them to school! Our School Holiday Issue (from page 46) has all you need for fun family bonding, from the best activities and events to Insta-friendly new hotels for weekend staycations and the coolest new theme parks and rides for your next holiday. Download our digital edition for more videos and photos. If you just had a baby, you’ll want to read our article, “So this is Motherhood?” (page 34), where Singapore women share their struggles. “I cried every day because I felt very helpless and useless. I felt that I could…

Unicorn, mermaid, bear or rabbit – which design does your kid feel like sporting today? With this customisable backpack (in various sizes and colours), she can reinvent her look to suit her mood. She’ll also pick up motor skills and boost her creativity at the same time! Upixel Dream High kids’ daysack, $68, from Pylones, #02-25/282 Marina Square. Additional pixels sold separately.…

Most people are biologically equipped to make babies naturally, unless there are certain medical issues, such as the man having zero sperm count or the woman’s fallopian tubes being totally blocked. Three-quarters of couples aged 35 and younger will conceive in the first year of trying. This goes up to 90 per cent within a two-year span, says Dr Douglas Ong, an obstetrician and gynaecologist at Mount Elizabeth Medical Centre. Natural fertility methods typically work better for those with ovulation issues, or when the couple is unable to assess fertile periods, he says. “Most couples are generally healthy and just need a basic understanding of their personal cycles. Fertility charting lets a couple understand and be in tune with the woman's physiology and natural cycles, and also enables her to…

“Everyone has their own challenges. What works for one mother may not work for you. There’s no one-size-fits-all way of being a mother.” Yanni Ang found herself in the throes of despair just days after giving birth to twins about a year ago. A first-time mother, she had planned to breastfeed her babies, but could not do so because her milk supply had not kicked in. “I cried every day because I felt very helpless and useless. I felt that I could not do anything for my babies,” says Yanni, 36, an assistant administrative manager in a hospital. Even when her milk supply did come in about a week later, it was insufficient for her twins, Oscar and Olivia. She ended up having to supplement every feed with formula milk.…

No matter how much you are provoked by the other child’s misbehaviour, never use physical punishment. That’s not your job. Play dates are great for your little one because they keep him busy and happy. He gets to learn important social skills, such as sharing and turn-taking, as well. Occasionally, some parents drop their kids off at your home and go off to run errands – you probably do this, too, when your child has a play date hosted by a trusted friend. And that’s all fine… until one of the children misbehaves. Then you wonder what to do. Can you discipline someone else’s kid? What would his parents want you to do? How would they react when they learn you reprimanded him? Of course, prevention is better than cure.…

Suggest ways that he could react to others – he could use a lighter tone in his voice, respond with a smile on his face, or speak more softly. Assertiveness means stating his point of view firmly without making the listener feel threatened. A recent survey of over 800 teenage boys in Singapore by Aware (Association of Women for Action Research) found that 90 per cent had experienced “gender-policing” (in other words, they had been chastised for not being “manly”). The most common form of this pressure was being told to “man up” or to “take it like a man”. In addition, the survey found that boys who had been pressured to be more gender-conforming were four times more likely to commit violence against, and six times more likely to…

Families and friends came out in force on Aug 19 and 20 to cheer on their favourite babies at the PS Babystar 2017 competition. Held in the atrium of Plaza Singapura, the participants went all out to impress the judges with their carefully curated outfits and charisma. Congratulations to the winners and check out winner Shakeel’s cover photo in this issue. OSIM Grab this bundle deal: Buy a uAlpine air purifier and a uPure 2 water purifier for $688 (U.P. $838) The uAlpine’s Multi-action Tru-air purification process, featuring the Ioncluster technology, purifies your surroundings and provides clean, fresh air to enhance your family’s well-being. With its unique four-step puri›cation process, the uPure 2 is proven to remove 99.99% of common bacteria* from tap water to supply quality hydration for you…

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Cord blood banking is the process of storing your newborn’s stem cells which are present in the umbilical cord following his birth. While it may have been available in Singapore for over 16 years, there are still many misconceptions about cord blood banking. As you have only one chance to bank your child’s cord blood, it’s important to do it right. The first step is to arm yourself with accurate information. Here are the five most common myths debunked. Myth: IF MY CHILD GETS SICK, HE CANNOT USE HIS OWN CORD BLOOD. Fact: Whether a child’s cord blood can be used to treat himself will depend on the type of condition being diagnosed, as well as the age the diagnosis is made. Should the cause of the condition be genetic,…

BREASTFEEDING MOTHERS’ SUPPORT GROUP This group provides breastfeeding mums with mother-to-mother emotional support, encouragement, companionship and information. Call 6339-3558 for counselling support. STORK’S NEST SINGAPORE This non-profit group helps parents make informed decisions on a variety of parenting issues. Some members are certified lactation consultants and paediatricians, and fellow members can seek advice from one another. Stork’s Nest Singapore also runs a closed Facebook support group for working mothers. (In a closed Facebook group, entry is given only upon the group administrator’s approval, and only group members can see the content that is posted.) Visit http://storksnest.org.sg and www.fb.com/groups/ SNSWorkingMoms. MOTHER & CHILD Founded in 1994, it provides both prenatal and postnatal services and courses. Some of the postnatal classes offered cover topics such as common infant illnesses, breastfeeding issues…

Stop blaming yourself for his premature birth. Accept that you didn’t do anything wrong during the pregnancy. Even though your premature baby is now doing well, you still feel very guilty for his “early arrival”. It pains you whenever you remember those difficult and stressful days in the hospital's neonatal intensive care unit when he almost didn't make it. To ease the guilt, you've been giving him nothing but the best, such as feeding him organic food, buying him the most expensive toys and giving him your undivided attention every minute of the day. But you don't have to feel this way. Here are 10 suggestions to help you to get over it: Stop blaming yourself In almost half of all premature births, the cause is unknown. So unless you…

Quality time isn’t about the number of minutes you and your child spend together, it’s about what you do with those precious moments. You decided to go back to work after being a stay-at-home mum for the past three years, but your three-year-old has started to act up at home. He's also creating trouble for the teachers at his childcare centre. You know that he wants things to be the way they were before, but you like working again and need the extra income. Here are some ways to cope with this rough period: Don’t expect too much, too soon Each of you needs time to adjust to your new daytime arrangements. You are not used to being separated from your child for so long every day, and you also…

#twinning love How sweet are these matching bags from Kipling? They’re part of the Asia special edition Mommy and Family series, which also mark the 30-year-old brand’s first twin collection. The crossbody bags for mum and child (pictured) are priced at $125 and $89, respectively. Dads and sons aren’t left out – there’s a matching range in blue, too. Visit www.fb.com/KiplingSingapore  for outlet details. how thoughtful Planning your child’s big celebration can be a tedious process, which is why Stamford Catering offers thematic setups for full-month celebrations and birthday parties that do it all for you. In addition to the buffet options, you can choose between the Ocean Blue and Pretty in Pink theme for your baby’s full month. That package includes balloons, a three-tier dessert plate, photo…

BRIGHTON MONTESSORI E contact@brightonmontessori.com.sg W www.brightonmontessori.com.sg T 6588-3883 @ FORT ROAD 16 Fort Road, Singapore 439077 @ FRANKEL AVENUE 125 Frankel Avenue, Singapore 458235 @ GREAT WORLD CITY 1 Kim Seng Promenade, #02-41A/42 Great World City, Singapore 237994 @ MOUNTBATTEN 764 Mountbatten Road, Singapore 437764 @ SUNSET WAY (NEWLY EXPANDED) 41 Sunset Way, #02-01/02 Clementi Arcade, Singapore 597071 @ THE GRASSROOTS’ CLUB 190 Ang Mo Kio Avenue 8, #02-01 The Grassroots’ Club, Singapore 568046 LEARNING VISION E enquiries@learningvision.com W www.learningvision.com T 6781-0888 @ ALPHA (SCIENCE PARK II) 10 Science Park Road, Singapore Science Park ll, #01-02/03 The Alpha, Singapore 117684 @ BIOPOLIS One North, 11 Biopolis Way Helios, #02-01/03, Singapore 138667 @ CET EAST CAMPUS (PAYA LEBAR) 11 Eunos Road 8, #04-04, Singapore 408601 @ CHANGI…

THIS MONTH, WE ASK Should we take our active toddler along for our next vacation? She won’t remember anything, after all. It’s true. Most kids don’t remember any holidays that they had when they were below three, no matter how much their parents splurge or how much time and effort they have put in the planning. Yet every trip still has an impact on your little one. Every new experience affects her development in some way, for example, travelling to the destination by car, ferry, train or plane; staying in an unfamiliar room; seeing different sights and hearing new sounds. Your young child learns so much from this varied stimulation. Bear in mind, however, that your toddler doesn’t care if she goes to a faraway destination or to a resort…

With her biological clock ticking and in vitro fertilisation out of the question due to her Catholic faith, Amelia Yap (pictured overleaf) went back to nature – by tracking her fertile and non-fertile periods – instead when she couldn’t conceive. The 35-year-old researcher was diagnosed with polycystic ovary syndrome and had irregular menstrual cycles. The hormonal disorder made it difficult for her to get pregnant. She tried acupuncture and medication to stimulate ovulation, but nothing worked. After an agonising two-year wait with no baby to show for, she found out about private centre Fertilitycare Singapore in 2014. Its natural fertility programme uses principles from a scientific approach known as Natural Procreative Technology (NaProTechnology) to help patients conceive naturally. It was pioneered by American obstetrician and gynaecologist Thomas Hilgers. Couples are…

Even if you don’t live in the eastern part of Singapore, you’d still want to pay Our Tampines Hub a visit. Billed as Singapore’s first integrated community and lifestyle hub, the state-of-the-art complex is located at the former Tampines Stadium and Tampines Sports Hall, and was conceptualised with the input from 15,000 Tampines residents. Here’s what you can expect there: 1 FESTIVE PLAY Designed for children aged two to six years old, and below 1.2m tall, it’s is divided into two areas – a playground and bouncy castle. The former sits on padded ground and features several play elements, including see-saws, a climbing net and a slide, while the latter rests on soft foam. The play area also hosts various attractions such as Robowars and bumper cars from time to…

Keagan Phua 10 months Kenzo Hu 9 months Neo Jian An, Jordi Kyle 5 months Robinson Kyla Nelly 6 years Muhammad Shareef Naeem 4 months Sahib Singh 7 months send us your child’s best photo & win! Each child featured on this page wins a fabulous Young Parents goodie bag worth $40. To take part, hashtag #youngparents_sg when you post your child’s photo on Instagram. Make sure your account is public so we can see your photos. Terms and conditions apply.…