How to Successfully Potty Train in 8 days

Published on February 18, 2021 by MamaKENGLeave a comment

When to potty train?

Potty training is easier when both child and caregiver are ready. Meaning, child can verbalise the need to go toilet and caregiver is prepared to deal with the mess (accidents are inevitable!)

Most children are ready from 18 months to 3 years old, with girls generally earlier than boys.

During lockdown (19 months old), my son started telling us he wanna poop but I was too tired and lazy to train so I decided to wait.

Fast forward to 2.5 years old now, it is so much easier to train! He had about 4 leakages so far.

Also, potty training too early can lead to kidney and bladder problems and even urinary tract infection!

I chose a weekend to start potty training as I needed full day to make him get into the habit of going toilet.

What to prepare?

Brace yourself for accidents. Prepare tissue, cloth, mop etc to clean up the mess. And of course, a potty or kid’s toilet bowl.

He didn’t like the traditional red potty and couldn’t even sit still for more than 10s. Maybe it was too unstable for him. Tried the cow potty and he liked it.

Wanted him to use toilet bowl directly but he was scared…

Lastly, buy some underwear with his/her favourite designs. My son didn’t want to give up on his diaper until he saw the excavator on the underwear.

How long does it take to train?

Depends on individual! Fastest I heard was 2 days and some take up to weeks.

For schools, it usually takes longer as child may be shy to tell teachers. Some successfully wear underwear to school after months. Like with everything else in raising a child, there is no need to compare and feel pressured.

How I train in 8 days…

Started day 1 on a Sunday where I had full day with him. Placed potty near his play area. Was told that I need to bring him to potty every 15-30min but I was lazy. .

So I made him naked and sat on potty until he peed (while he watched TV). I let him indulge on TV as it was difficult to make him sit on potty for long.

After his first pee, I praised him to make him feel good about his achievement.

His proud face after the first pee. Eyes glued on TV, which kept him entertained. Screen time rule was relaxed as my priority was potty training. Choose the battle to fight wisely!

After tasted success, he was able to tell me he needed the potty. Subsequent pees was 1 hourly interval. I would always praised him loudly to make him know he did well. He didn’t poop on first day.

On the 2nd day, he could take out underwear and use the potty by himself.

As I didn’t want to clean poop, I told him to poop in toilet bowl instead of potty. It wasn’t successful and he poop onto underwear. Showed him how I threw poop into toilet bowl and flushed. Also made him watch how I had to clean his underwear because he didn’t poop in toilet bowl.

On the 3rd day, he was able to tell us that he needed to poop and successfully did it with toilet bowl.

On the 5th day, we decided to let him try underwear to school as there was no accident after 3rd day. But he couldn’t tell teacher and leaked. We found out that the teacher insisted him to stand instead of sitting to pee. He hasn’t learn standing as he was trained to sit at home.

The next school day, we decided to try again. We told the teacher to make him go toilet every 1-2h even if he said he has no pee, and to let him sit instead of standing. Chances are, he will pee (as this is what we experienced at home). Indeed it was a success!

On the 8th day, he was able to express his toilet needs to teachers! We told the teachers to change into diapers if it is too difficult but glad that we all persisted!

After thoughts…

-Don’t have to buy training pants as I went cold turkey and just strip him naked for the first pee. Subsequently he knew that wearing underwear means need to pee in potty as we kept reminding him. Alternatively can just wear underwear with diaper outside if afraid of cleaning the mess. But I find it faster to just wear underwear.

-It is easier for boys to train by sitting than standing to pee.

⁃ It seems easier to train pee than poop.

-It can take about one year to be diaper free during sleeping. We decided not to stress him and let him wear diaper when sleeping until he naturally outgrow it.

Overall, we are glad that we waited till both mummy and kid are more ready. It makes potty training less stressful!

Honest Review for Flat Head (Plagiocephaly) Baby: Should I get a Mimos Pillow?

Published on February 10, 2021 by MamaKENG2 Comments

It is one month after using mimos pillow for didi’s plagiocephaly. Time for a quick review!

First day on mimos, he was 5 months old.

Sometimes he will roll out of the pillow when falling asleep but thankfully he is able to sleep on it most of the time.

I still try to reposition him although mimos website said it is not needed. But even if he is sleeping on his flat side, I’m not so worried as the pillow helps to spread the pressure evenly (used to sleep late cause I’d reposition him after he slept).

Physically, we don’t see much improvement except it is less pointy at the back. But I am so glad that it isn’t worsening! 😌Went to the orthotist two days back and his plagio measurement has decreased from 14 to 13mm (0mm is a perfect round head). Yay! 🤩Which means the pillow has helped to correct 1 mm!🥳🤩

I wasn’t hoping for major correction and was just praying that it will not get worse while we wait for the helmet to be ready.

So yep, money well spent!😀 Another one more week of mimos pillow before he starts wearing helmet.

#not sponsored #sponsoredbymummy #sgbaby #plagiocephaly #flathead #torticollis #mimos #mimospillow #23weeksold

7 Most Used Newborn Baby Products That You Never Thought Of

Published on February 3, 2021 by MamaKENGLeave a comment

There are tons of baby products out there that look so cute. As parents, we love to buy things for our kids and sometimes they end up as white elephant.

I’m a minimalist even though it is hard to continue this lifestyle after the kids are born. To achieve the minimalism in me, I always ask myself “do I/ baby really NEED this?”

A newborn baby has few needs, eat, shit and sleep. So my shopping list revolve around these 3.

Eat

I believe in fed is best and not overly stress myself with exclusively breastfeeding the baby. For the first few days when baby had jaundice and I couldn’t supply him with enough milk, I chose formula.

1. Water dispenser

If you are formula feeding, get a water dispenser that comes with instant varying temperatures such as 37 deg C, 50 deg C etc. No more guessing how much hot water to add to room temperature water. My husband thanked me for this purchase. Parenthood made easy!

A water dispenser with instant varying temperatures is excellent for making formula!

2. Spectra double breast pump

Spectra heavy duty hospital grade breast pump

I learnt from my first breastfeeding experience, a hospital grade breast pump is a must as it clears milk better. Get a double pump to save time and pump both breasts simultaneously.

3. Haakaa silicone pump

This haakaa silicone pump is good for catching letdown when baby is latching on one side as every liquid gold is so precious!

4. My Breastfriend nursing pillow

Still on breastfeeding, this breastfeeding pillow was a wonderful support for my newborn and helped me to have better breastfeeding posture.

Baby soon outgrow it at 2 months old so getting a second hand item is cost saving.

Baby struggled less when nursing with this pillow. *Photo credit: Mums & babes*

5. UV steriliser

I used steam steriliser for first child but hated how it always leaked water onto my kitchen counter top. Decided to invest in UV steriliser this time! It doubles as a storage for the bottles! That said, steam steriliser seems to be less harsh on the plastics as I noticed the teats broke more easily with UV than steam.

It’s a personal choice to get steam or UV steriliser but having one is a must! The conventional way of boiling bottles is too troublesome!

Poop

6. Bidet bottle

Didi had frequent pooping (3 poops in less than 10min) that resulted in bad diaper rash. It was so bad that we could see his flash. Hence we had to wash his butt instead of using wet wipe every time he pooped. It was so troublesome to bring him to the sink and this bidet bottle was a life saver!

Adjustable angle and pressure for baby’s delicate bum

Sleep

7. Zipper swaddle

This zip swaddle from love to dream allowed baby to self soothe as he can access his hands. It is also very convenient to change diaper when he is sleeping as I do not need to remove him from the swaddle (can unzip from bottom) unlike the common cloth swaddle.

The snug fitting also helped him to sleep longer and better.

Ok there you go! These are my 7 most commonly used items besides the other essentials like bath soap, bath tub, milk bottles, cot and so on. Hope this article helps in your planning for baby items shopping.

6 Things To Do NOW if Your Child has Flat Head Syndrome (Plagiocephaly)

Published on January 15, 2021January 15, 2021 by MamaKENGLeave a comment

If your child has flat head and you are wondering if it is normal, please take some actions immediately as the golden period to change baby’s head shape is between 4-8 months old!

I started noticing my second born preferred to sleep on his right (LEFT torticollis) when he was 2 months old. I flagged out to the pediatrician and he told me that he had stiff neck. He advised to do neck stretching exercise for 10 seconds x 3 times a day. As he didn’t say it is of concern, I wasn’t actively doing it and over the next 2 months, has resulted in him having flat head (plagiocephaly).

When he was 4 months old, I got panicky when I saw his right head was much flatter to the extend that it affected his facial symmetry (his right forehead started to bulge out more)!

Right forehead bulged and right head flattened.

So during his routine 4 months old checkup at the polyclinic, I highlighted to the doctor and she referred me to KK Hospital. The appointment was 2 weeks later and I was so worried that I made another appointment at a private orthopedist .

At KKH, the paediatrician also said it is mild and only referred me to physiotherapist for him to review if there is a need to do helmet therapy. I found out later that physiotherapist is unable to do referral (only doctors can) and KKH has no helmet therapy so I had to go back to the KKH pediatrician and ask for referral to Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH).

This has resulted in precious time lost as my son was already almost 5 months old. As of writing, only TTSH (subsidised) and Orthopaedia Singapore (private) do helmet therapy in Singapore.

Meanwhile at the private orthopaedia, we found out that his plagiocephaly was severe (yet 3 doctors told us was mild!), according to the head scan that the orthopedist did. She claimed that PD usually do not place flat head or torticollis as high priority since they don’t affect brain development. Maybe that’s why no doctors ever flag out to us about his plagiocephaly.

Looking back, I should have been more active in seeking treatment for his flat head. Deep inside, I was hoping not to do helmet therapy hence I did not actively research on the possible treatments. We might not have needed helmet therapy if I had done something to his torticollis. Argh! If only I could turn back time, I would…

1. Reposition his sleeping position

Since birth, alternate their sleep positions by turning LO’s head to the opposite side. This can allow even distribution of baby’s head weight. Put your baby at opposite ends of the crib each night to encourage baby to face to both directions.

For my flat head baby. I am now repositioning his head diligently such that the rounded side of his head is placed on the mattress instead of the flattened side.

This works best before 4 months old as after that baby will have the strength to move to his preferred side.

2. Alternating sides when handling baby

I made the mistake of always carrying baby on my right arm when feeding and this encourages him to turn to his right even more, making his left neck muscles more tense.

Carrying baby in alternate sides will prevent asymmetry neck muscles tightness and preferred head position.

For my left torticollis case, I need to cradle carry him on my left arm more to force him to look to his left. For upright carry, I need to carry him on my right shoulder so that his head will be force to look to his left.

3. Encourage more tummy time

Tummy time takes pressure off baby’s head and strengthen body and neck muscles.

Head is seldom at center position due to his left torticollis

I place toys or stand on his left to encourage him to turn.

4. Do more stretching exercises

This website has very useful exercises which are similar to what was being taught by my physiotherapist. Do take note of whether your child has right (prefers to turn left due to stiff right neck) or left (prefers to turn right due to stiff left neck) torticollis.

Helping him to turn his head to the left

5. Buy mimos pillow

Some mums claimed that mimos pillow helped to correct the flat head. I would have given it a try if my LO was much younger. But sadly, only helmet therapy can help him now.

6. Immediately ask polyclinic for helmet therapy referral

Don’t wait. I should have asked the polyclinic doctor to refer during the 2nd month routine checkup and not listen to them that it is mild and do nothing. The referral process takes some time (1-2 months) and it is best to start helmet therapy early as the later the child starts, the longer the treatment period (some even need 2 helmets as it is so severe!) It is also almost impossible to alter the head shape after 1 year old.

Hope this sharing helps any mummies with flat head babies. I will write another post on the helmet therapy after we have started with it. All the best! 🙂

Outgrow Egg Allergy with Baked Egg Muffin Introduction

Published on July 14, 2019May 13, 2020 by MamaKENG1 Comment

I didn’t expect baby A to have egg allergy as I have fed him hard boiled egg white at 7 months old and he was ok.

However when I fed again at 9 months old, this time hard boiled egg white and egg yolk, he had an allergy reaction. Almost immediately, his mouth area started to have rashes, which spread to the whole face and whole body.

I kept feeding him with water hopefully to flush the system while applying some mild steroid cream on the rashes. It was a Sunday and the nearby PD clinics were not opened. I monitored him closely while tying him with my baby carrier to prevent him from scratching himself. Thankfully the rashes subsided after 2 hours and he was back to his usual cheerful self.

My poor baby 😦 What unfortunate thing to happen on his 9th month.

During the routine polyclinic checkup, the nurse referred us to KK Hospital as she said baby might not be able to take the 1 year MMR vaccination as the vaccine is made from egg proteins.

We did some allergy prick test at KKH and he was found to be allergic to cow’s milk and egg. It is indeed very weird as he had formula milk derived from cow’s milk before! Anyway, KKH said that it is ok to take MMR as they are not made from egg’s proteins and even the doctor at KKH was puzzled why polyclinics always refer babies with egg allergy to them for the MMR despite telling them it is ok.

Prick test. Thank god he has no shell fish nor nuts allergy.

Sorry that I digress so much from the egg muffin. To cut the story short, 80% of babies outgrow egg allergy and if babies can tolerate baked eggs, they have higher chance to outgrow egg allergy. So as a kiasi and kiasu mum, I followed the nurse’s instructions and faithfully feed him baked egg products.

This is the baked egg muffin recipe I used, modified from the one given by KKH.

Ingredients:

80g self-raising flour
20g unsalted butter (if baby is allergic to milk, replace with Nuttelex)
80g banana or apple puree (apple sauce)
2 large eggs (about 65g each)
Muffin cups (60x44mm) or muffin baking tin

Steps:

Preheat oven to 180degrees C for 5 min
Combine apple sauce, butter and eggs in a mixing bowl
Fold in the flour (I used thermomix and combined step 2 and 3 into one step. Speed 5 for 10 seconds)
Divide the batter equally between 6 muffin cases and bake for 25 to 30 min. Bake immediately. Once ready, a metal skewer shoud come out clean when inserted into the muffin.
Leave to cool and keep in an airtight container. Can be stored for 3 months in freezer and 5 days in fridge.

To DIY apple sauce/ apple puree,

peel apple skin off and cut apple into chunks
steam apple for 10 min. Retain steaming water.
blend apple with steaming water and add more water if needed to achieve desired consistency.

Important Note!

Before the introduction of baked egg products,

ensure that the child is well
not on oral antihistamine for 1 week
choose a day where you have the time to observe the child for several hours in case of allergic attack
examine child for pre-existing rashes
do not introduce other new foods while introducing baked egg products.

The first time I fed him with baked egg muffin, I gave one small pinch and waited about 15 min before giving more spoons of muffins to ensure that he is not having allergic reaction. Once cleared, continue with baked egg products 3 times a week to maintain their tolerance to baked egg.

This muffin is also a very good baby led weaning recipe as baby A can self-feed pretty well with this!