Tuesday, 20 March 2018

Eating durian during pregnancy

It is safe to eat durian during pregnancy, but pregnant women should avoid over-consumption.

Durian is rich in sugar and has high energy. Two seeds of durian has 60 calories of energy. If pregnant women eat too much durian, she may give birth to a large baby. It also increase the risk of childhood obesity.

Pregnant mums with gestational diabetes should avoid durian due to high sugar content of durian.

If you eat durian in moderation, you will be able to enjoy the health benefits of durian which are listed below.

First, durian is rich in antioxidants which are beneficial to the pregnant women and the unborn baby. Some studies have found that durian contains antioxidant like zinc, organo-sulphur and tryptophan. These antioxidants help to protect the fetus and the expecting mother from attack by free radicals and pollutants. Vitamin C found in durian further enhance this property.

Durian is also rich in minerals like copper, manganese, iron and magnesium. Copper and iron help to make red blood cell. This is beneficial for pregnant women who need larger blood supply to support the growing fetus.

Source: can I eat durian during pregnancy?

Monday, 19 March 2018

baby sweat while sleeping

It shocked me as a new dad when I found my newborn sweaty during his sleep. His clothes was so wet that we had to change his clothes as we worried that he may catch a result. We thought the room temperature may be too high, but that was not true as the baby slept in air-conditioned room.
This repeated many nights, so one day, I decided to do a search online. To my relief, it this is normal for baby to sweat during his sleep.
According to online research result, the cause of this may be due to
  1. overbundling. This simply means that your baby wear too much clothes. In Singapore, it is hot everyday. It is not necessary for baby to wear too much clothes. 
  2. deep sleep cycle. Baby spends more time in deep sleep cycle and baby tends to sweat during deep sleep cycle
  3. immature nervous system. For newborn baby, his or her nervous system is still developing and this can cause him or her to sweat excessively while he is sleeping. 
It should also be noted that this can also be caused by problem that need parents' attention.
For example, if baby also sweat excessively during feeding, parents should seek doctor's help as this may indicate heart problem.

Other medical conditions can also contribute to this such as hyperhidrosis. Parents should seek doctor's help right away for this kind of conditions. 

You can refer to why baby sweat during sleep for more information on this.

Monday, 12 March 2018

Enrichment Classes in Singapore

There are many enrichment programmes offered to toddlers and preschoolers in Singapore. Mainly, these programmes can be broken down into four categories: academy, musics, arts or crafts and sports.

There is a term “kiasu” which is used to describe parents in Singapore. The terms literally means “aftraid to lose”. Because of kiasu, many parents enroll their toddlers or preschoolers in to learn abacus, reading classes, music class, dance class and many more.

Research has added fuel to this phenomenon. Some researches suggest preschoolers learn better at the age of 3.

As a parent of three children age 6, 4, and 2, I am also a kiasu parent. I have enrolled my eldest kid in the abacus class and playing class (which suppose to enhance his creativity), i have also intended to send him to some reading class as I worry about his reading ability and vocabulary (we speak mostly Chinese or Teochew at home, that is why I worry about his English and want him to expand his vocabulary through the reading classes).

I believed the abacus lesson is beneficial. My observation can tell that his mental calculation is good and is able to solve problem given by the teachers himself in a quick pace. Of course, he may have inherits good genes from me who has won several prizes (LOL) in many Mathematics competition such as Mathematics Olympiad. Anywhere, he enjoys the class and progresses well and we will continue to support him for the rest of this year.

I once want to enroll him for swimming lesson. I believe swimming is a life skill which he should pick up either now or later. I have postponed this to next year.

A trend I have noticed that there are more and more enrichment centres that offers robotics programmes. These centres usually give children some lego-like toys and children are able to learn some simple coding that can help to control the toys. It is fun for many children that I have observed. Given the prevailance of digital technology, i believe it is good for children to learn some coding skills.

You may refer to Enrichment Classes for various enrichment courses offered to preschoolers and toddlers in Singapore.

Sunday, 11 March 2018

Confinement Nanny in Singapore

In Singapore, many women will go through a period called confinement after childbirth. It usually last between 28 days to 42 days. A confinement nanny is hired to look after both baby and the new mothers and also advise new mothers on what to do and what not to do. 

There are less and less Singaporeans who are willing to work as confinement nanny. One possible reason is that there is low stability in the job. Unless you work for a confinement nanny agency, otherwise you have to consistently look for new employer as each employer will only hire you for 28 days. After 28 days, you will have to change employer. 


Second possible reason contributing to this may be the fact that you have to stay in the employer's house and probably cannot meet your family for one month once the job commences. 


For Malaysian, because of exchange rate, working as a confinement nanny can earn them good money for some experienced nannies. For 28 days, they may be able to earn about 3000 dollars which can mean 10,000 in their home country currency. 


It is not convenient for new mothers to hire foreigner like Malaysian as work permit is needed for foreigner to work in Singapore. That is why there is confinement nanny agency in Singapore who can help to do all the paper work. The confinement nanny agency can also help to change the nanny if the employer finds her unsuitable for the job. Not just the work permit, the confinement nanny agency can also help to apply for insurance that is needed for the application of work permit. 


It is not unusual for new mothers to change nanny during confinement period. Some confinement nannies are also inexperienced that they are not able to help employers much. This is another reason why many prefer to hire nanny through agency instead of hiring freelance confinement nannies. Once you find the nanny unsuitable, you can change. Usually, there is no additional fee needed unless you want to give new nanny a red packet. If you hire a freelance one, it may be difficult for you to change as it will take time for you to confirm a new one. 


To work as a confinement lady, she needs to have a good idea about some properties of various food so that she can advise new mothers whether or not to eat a food. She also needs to know how to take care of small babies in area such as feeding, diaper changing and make him or her sleep so that the new mother has sufficient to rest and recover from the childbirth. Lastly, she should be able to advise new mothers on breastfeeding. 


Lastly, some confinement nanny agencies also provide training to their confinement nannies. This is to ensure that they have the right skills and updated skills to meet the increasing demand of standard of services. 


To choose a suitable confinement nanny agency, please visit confinement nanny for more information.
Confinement Nanny, Food or Massage