Brush those Teeny-weeny Teeth, Baby.

Do you still remember your baby's teething days?

Wailing in the middle of the night, incessant crying, biting everything he sees....

Cultivated the habit of brushing S's since he was toothless. Cloth wrapped around my finger and stuffed it into his mouth to touch those soft gums and tongue softly so that he would get accustomed to the feeling. Seemed pretty easy at the start and he quite liked it for the first few months. But when major teething times arrived, he was suddenly reluctant to having the cloth or brush in his mouth. I guess the pressure and abrasion caused discomfort on his gums.

I got a full set of Pigeon brushes for S for different stages at the start but he only liked the first brush which has soft rubber bristles. He started biting the bristles or munching and sucking on the brushes when he started teething. I persisted for several months and in the end thought probably those made his gums feel uncomfortable.

Recently, I got him an Oral-B brush and he now enjoys brushing his teeth himself. So I can confirm that the bristles on the Pigeon one has caused him discomfort in some way and that's why he kept rejecting it.

The Oral-B Brush for 4-24 months

This Oral-B one comes in pastel colours which makes it cute for your babies and toddlers. S especially loves it as he loves ducks so at the sight of it he was immediately enticed.

                                   

Pretending to brush when the brush isn't even in his mouth. Action only.

In the end he decided this is the best way to brush. Getting very cheeky nowadays.

And do you know? We are advised by the dentists to change our toothbrush every 3 months to protect our teeth from being infested by microscopic bacteria that stays on the brushes after rinsing and washing. This is not only for young children, it also applies for adults as well.

Happy Brushing for Shinier Smiles!

The Separation Anxiety

If you are returning from work after your 3-4 months maternity leave, you must be feeling quite sad and unwilling because it's finally time you've got to spend so much less time with your baby. But don't fret, weekends will be always be here!

I'm one of the lucky ones who have the chance to be home to spend quality time (till I get sick of it sometimes) for at least the first few years of S's life.

For me, I only had to leave S behind when S was 1 year and a month old. I wouldn't have done it if given a choice. But I guess the decision was right to make sure that he isn't such a mummy's boy. I was back in Singapore for 3 days and I decided not to bring S along since it is just a short trip. I've learnt that such zoom-zoom trips aren't suitable for him. Went back to celebrate Mum's Day with my beloved mum and sister.

Too hard to part with this cheeky face.

In order to ensure that your child and you will be happy during the separation.

1. Prepare the helper with daily duties like making him take naps and feeding him his meals.

2. Have Nainai ( my mother-in-law) sleep with him at night.

3. Let him know that you'll not be at home for the next couple of days.

Somehow in my case, S understood and got used to no-mummy-days and only whined the first night we videocall-ed. Other times he just behaved and played with Daddy, Nainai, Yeye ( father-in-law), and the helper. Just that he still looks for me, his toilet trainer, to poo so when I was not around he didn't know who to tell and so pooped in his pants for that few days. Lol.

Frankly speaking I didn't dare to video call him after that because I couldn't bear to see him sad again. It makes me feel so guilty, like a mum who ditched the family to go have fun on her own.

Though the break only lasted for like 2 days, I got to rest properly for once after 1 year and 1 month of sticking with my silly boy. However, habitually, I still woke up in the middle of the night to check if he was too cold or hungry.

Out to Feast Mum's Day.

During the separation, I missed my son a lot but also had to force myself to leave so that he wouldn't be too reliant on me. I would still return to the workforce one day because I realised being a full-time mum just isn't too healthy for someone like me. I'm planning to be back soon.

Wait for me fellow comrades, I'm going to be back for serious business! Being a part-time mum is good enough.

Never too Early to Potty Train

We started potty training S when he was 2 months old. Thus far it has only been successful for pooping. Pee wise, not really. He still pees as and when he likes. So I still wrap him up in his diapers during sleeping times. But it already saves a lot of trouble for me.

Switching from disposable to cloth is a lot of effort actually. Firstly, cloth requires frequent changing as it doesn't absorb like how the disposables do. Secondly, you got to wash the nappies in mid-day preferably unless you don't mind the stench of pee.

But one advantage for that is you cut down a lot on the usage of disposable diapers. For now, I still use disposables for S at night as I want undisturbed sleep.

It's all about making it a habit. It's much more hygienic and neat this way. Now he only does his occasional poos in his disposable diapers when he is feeling unwell or when we are on the go and he really cannot tahan anymore.

I've resorted to letting him repeatedly watch a Youtube video. Toilet Time is Fun to let him understand what he has to do when he has the urge to poo or pee and so far he seems to understand as he has been holding back his urges for the potty.

He is almost 15 months now and being his exclusive "Potty Trainer" he will always send me the urge signals. My efforts have paid off and the tiredness is all worthwhile.

Being a full-time mum is a never-ending process, now I understand why my mum use to say she is the one who understands us the most. She'll always be able to see through our lies and I hated it. Lol. Only a full-time mum can proudly make this claim. It's tiring but definitely fulfilling.