Parenthood - Preparation (Welcoming new born)

Welcome to parenthood!
First of all, congratulations on being a parent soon. It will be a journey like no other and you will LOVE it. 

You will be tired...exhausted...on the verge of breaking down (maybe), but a smile or a laughture from your little one will wipe it all away, temporarily. Hahaha.

So they say, we can never be prepared to be a parent. I believe they meant mentally/psychologically.

So what did I prepare?

1) Diapers

We asked for samples from various companies. Got them, did the touch experiment and comparison.

Decided that we will either get Mamy Poko or Huggies.

Baby skin is delicate, I wouldn't want my baby to suffer more pain from the abrasion in the event of a diaper rash. They can't voice out their discomfort, they can only cry. So let's give them something more comfortable.

2) Milk formula

It really doesn't matter what brand you buy for your new born, the formulas are similar so don't worry about which is the better brand.

Instead, look out for the suitability of the formula. 

Colour, texture and frequency must be monitored and switch the formula if the poop is not of the right colour, too watery or poops more than usual. Buy the smallest tin available to try out.

We started with Nan, changed to Isomil Soy on her 2nd month (because she was sick and had diarrhoea from the antibiotic) and eventually changed to Karihome. 
Now at 13 months, we changed her formula again to Friso Gold.

3) Crib

I got my girl a 120cm by 60cm baby cot ( I think that's the size).

Usually, a 4" anti dust mite mattress will be included when you purchase a baby cot, but we went ahead and added another comfortable layer of latex from Little Zebra. 

The one I've got also has this one hand drop-side mechanism. Very convenient and easy.

Imagine holding your baby with one arm while usinig the other to slide down the railing for easy and comfortable transferring.

4) Hammock/Cradle

We only started using that much later because it was less tiring for us to get her to sleep in the hammock than holding her and dancing around singing to get her to sleep (my little girl is not a big fan of sleeping).

I heard from some elderly that sleeping on a hammock is better so that your baby will have a rounded head. 

We usually have her sleeping in her cot on the flat mattress and indeed, the side where she's always turning to is a bit flat 😅. No developmental concern, don't worry about it.

5) Nest

It is those small portable bed with a ring of cushion around it. Pretty useful I say. 

We'll let her sleep in it when we are in the living room, we'll put her in when she's sleeping between us (the ring of cushion makes sure we don't squash her).

6) Anti-colic milk bottles

If you read about colic, you would know that it's usually too late when you can get an accurate disgnosis on whether was it really colic your baby is having. 

There are many bottle out there that states to have this anti-colic feature. You will be able to find some reviews on YouTube too. 

We got 2 different brands of such anti-colic bottles. MAM & Dr. Brown's. 

Still using Dr. Brown's because MAM wasn't that user-friendly when it comes to measurment.

I record the time and amount my girl drink everytime but MAM's bottle couldn't give me the reading I needed easily. 

7) Changing counter

I didn't get that and I hope that if you are reading this, to consider getting one. 

We were using our bed whenever changing for her. It's back breaking. Hahahaha. 

Do consider to get one, your back and knees will thank you for it.

8) Steriliser

If you are considering an UV steriliser, get one that is big and rectangular. You need the space.

Imagine this. You will be needing sterilised bottles every 1-2 hrs. You will need spares and will have spares. Either place more per sterlising session or do it more frequently.

I eventually got one from xiaolang because of the price and internal capacity. 

I used it to sterlise her toys, teethers and other more, because of the size, I could.

9) Clothes

I know it's hard. I'm just as guilty too. 

But they grow so quickly they outgrow the clothes I've gotten for her. 

Can't advise on how to spend less on clothes but they grow very fast and really "pass them down" clothes should really be consider.

10) Creams & lotion.

 I've got:

• Mustella barrier cream 
• Sudocrem and Desitin for diaper rash
• Physiogel for face 
• QV baby for her body
• 如意油

11) Stroller

What is it you prefer or prioritise in the stroller?

For me, light weight was critical and Combi had a model that weighs slightly below 5kg. That's what I've got. 

As first time parents and since she was still so small, we brought a lot of things with us whenever we bring her out. Having a lightweight stroller was important to us. 

We changed the stroller when she was about 13 months old. Her first stroller didn't have a lot of space for her to turn around.

The criteria for her second stroller was different from her first...this time, we wanted something big, with leg rest and collapsible and we found one from Joie.

12)  Car seat

Do you drive? Well, we got our car only after our girl turned 4 months old. 

We wanted to start bringing her around, to be out to experience the different sights, sounds and people.

So a car seat became a necessity. 

I love the car seat. 

It has the following features which I think makes in stand out easily from other car seats.

I got mine from TaoBao. Saw models with similar features in Singapore that were 5-6 times the price I paid for.

• 360 Rotatable (this is really very convenient, especially as your baby grows and gets heavier)
• 4 inclination setting
• adjustable head rest height to accomodate growing kid.

13) Cord blood banking

Did you know there are 4 companies in Singapore that offers cord blood banking? I didn't, but now you do.

They are:

• Cord Life
• Singapore Cord Blood Bank
• StemCord
• Cryoviva

So what is this cord blood thing and what does it do for my baby?
To put it simply, I am buying and saving a "RESET" button for my girl. 

No parents would want something bad to happen to their child. No parents would want to stand helplessly and watch their child suffer. I am just one of such parents.

I am not a doctor, I am not god. If my girl do fall sick, my last bet will be the cells kept in the cord blood to help heal my girl. 

So yes, understand the various packages available and how using the CDA can cushion the financial impact. 

I've got my package from Cord Life and I am glad to be received by such a responsive and fast acting sales personnel. 

If you are getting a package from Cord Life, you may want to look for Tessa.

14) Insurance

For both the mummy and the baby - maternity plan. 

Once baby is out - upgrade of hospital plan and a whole life plan. 

So why a maternity plan? Frankly, the death benefit, the birth defects or whatsoever isn't what pushed me to buy a maternity plan. The payout is only a consolation is my girl was born with congenital illness. But the guaranteed insurability is the biggest attraction here.

Whether my girl is healthy or not. Insurance company will have to honour and take in my girl's policy and cover her for whatever that may happen in the future. 

Children will not be denied insurance just because of a hole in the heart, some blood disorder or any other health issues that they might have in the future. 

If the child is healthy then good, whether or not you want to purchase another insurance is up to you.

If the child is not as healthy and you do not have this maternity insurance, he/she will be denied insurance protection for the rest of their life. 

A few hundred dollars for a guarantee, I went for a maternity insurance.

Because of my decision to upgrade her hospital plan, I saved more than $7000. Phew.

My girl was hospitalised twice, once when she was 2 months old and another when she was 4 months old. The bill came at $4000+ and $3000+. 

The first admission was due to an infection. Her fever wouldn't subisde and we were worried so we drove to the A&E straight. 4 days 3 night staycation and multiple tests. Heart breaks.

The second time she had fever, being the first time parents we are and the infection memory still fresh, A&E we went again. Another 3 days 2 night staycation at KK.

I am so glad we had the hospital plan in place, and for any parent or parent to be who is reading this, I hope you have done so too. 

There are just so many things to prepare to welcome our little one and I hope you enjoy your parenthood as I did. =)