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Milestones and growing up

Milestones and growing up Nat Kao Parenting 101 Product Reviews Reviews

iChew [Product review + a discount code]

December 18, 2012

The vast majority of babies sprout their first teeth between 4 and 7 months of age. Baby Nat had his first bottom middle at 6 months. Now, at 9 months, he has 6 teeth – the bottom two middle teeth, top two middle ones and two more at the sides. Good thing is, he doesn’t have the same fussiness and irritability his sister had when she was teething (my goodness, she was a screamer, alright) nor the sleep problems his brother had when he teeth broke through.

This happy little honey bun just dribbles all day long. Oh, and he also loves to bite. This is the little teether gnawing away:

This is him finding out how juicy my left thigh is:

Somebody give this boy a teether, please!

When the folks at Maternity Exchange asked me to pick a gift for my baby from their wide range of fun and quirky gift and accessories, I picked the Sophie the Giraffe Ice Bite Telephone Teether which I felt would be perfect for Nat to grasp and handle. This teether provides just the kind of relief a teething baby with sore gums needs. Upon refrigeration, the cold anaesthetises the pain caused by teething, and the hard parts protect baby’s hands from the cold. I had to get this for Nat because I haven’t found much success getting him to use the hand-me-down teethers from his siblings; they are so cold to hold he usually can’t last more than three seconds.

So with this Ice Bite Telephone Teether, the little boy got to say “hello” to Sophie the Giraffe

And had his sore gums soothed with a new toy to nom nom nom away

It was great that he could hold on to it for a while and changed the sides to chew and explore. That kept him busy for some time.

With a teether so cleverly designed like this, I’m sure we’ll be able to tide through the dribbling, drooling and biting. At least I know my thighs will be safe for now.

More details:
  • Sophie Ice Bite Telephone Teether and other Sophie Baby Teethers are available in-store at #03-108 Marina Square and online at http://www.maternityexchange.sg/.
  • Just for Motherkao’s readers, shop online and receive 10% off regular-priced gift and accessories! To enjoy the discount, enter the promo code “motherkao” when you check-out. Applicable for online store purchases only and valid till 31 January 2013. Free shipping is available for any orders of $100 and above.
  • Maternity Exchange offers a wide range of gift and accessories for mummies, babies and also daddies alike. Indulge your expectant friends and loved ones, or even yourself with some wacky, practical or simply delightful gifts! Check out their range of gifts & accessories here.
  • This Christmas, Maternity Exchange has new gift bundles that combine practical, fun and witty gifts that are sure to bring joy and laughter this festive season! All bundles come prettily packaged, from $80 for a basic one to $220 for a luxurious gift set.

*Discount applies to most gifts & accessories storewide except promotional & clearance items, MX Gift Vouchers, Hem Gems, Hollywood Fashion Tape, the Sophie range and other selected products. Maternity and nursing wear, lingerie and swimwear not included.*

**Disclosure: Baby Nat received the Ice Bite Telephone Teether for the purpose of this review. All text and opinions are Motherkao’s own.**

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Becks Kao Milestones and growing up Parenting 101 Re: learning and child training What to Expect... As a Mother

Mama’s not ready for toilet training even if you are

December 17, 2012

When you have one kid that constantly needs to be engaged, one kid that is always engrossed and one kid that’s perpetually putting things in the mouth ranging from dirt to plastic bottle caps (and more recently fir leaves from our Christmas tree), you can forget about toilet training.

It’s time to toilet train the middle child but it’s been nothing more than a daunting feat.

Picture this: the girl’s at the stage where she’s fully aware of her need to go, finds the diaper cumbersome and wishes to do her business swiftly and confidently, just like her kor kor. She takes off her diaper (or refuses to wear it) and goes about the house, doing her own things. Mom occasionally remembers she has diapers off so she asks her for the first ten minutes of her diaper-off time, “Do you need to pass urine?” and reminds her to go to the toilet if she needs to. Then Mom goes about the house, doing the things she needs to do to keep everyone out of mischief, such as reading to the eldest brother, role-playing with no-diaper-little-miss herself, and stopping the baby from chewing the house down, which includes running up and down the hallway, into rooms, toilets and kitchen 459 times. Very soon, half an hour passes and everyone forgets that little-miss is not wearing her diaper, including little-miss herself.

Little-miss has so far peed on the playmats, the coffee table, while sitting on the sofa and halfway through pretend play, craft lessons and just walking around the house. After every “accident”, we’d remind her to go to the toilet when she needs to pee and she’d say “ok!”. Have I ever mentioned I have a daughter who plays with a great deal of abandonment?

It was much easier with Ben, partly because he’s the first kid and partly due to the fact that he’s a boy. Boys have it easy. Especially with the trainer urinal. All I needed to do was to put the urinal at an accesible height in the toilet and the novelty of pee-ing soon caught on. That boy just couldn’t wait to pass urine and watch what comes out. When he needed to poo, he’d would yell for an adult to fix the child toilet seat, sit there, entertain himself while doing his business, and ask for reward stickers after he was done. It was such a breeze, and so much fun.

With Becks, we have to keep reminding her of her need to go and even physically drag her there because she tends to lose herself in play and can get so engrossed she wouldn’t move an inch. There have been successes, to her credit. Sometimes she’ll walk to the toilet and sit on her potty. But of late, she seems to realise it’s no fun squatting, so she imitates her brother. And instead of wiping her, I end up having to bathe her after every time she tries to pee like him because she’ll be wet waist down. I also end up saying “I’m busy as it is already so stop pretending you have a penis, please”.

The worst is when she wants to pee but doesn’t hurry to the toilet and is next to the baby. Have I also mentioned besides enjoying putting things in his mouth, the baby also enjoys splashing in puddles?

I’m insisting that Becks wear her pull-up pants for now. She might be ready, but I’m certainly not.

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Becks Kao Ben Kao Bento Attempts Milestones and growing up The Kao Kids The real supermom

Mealtime woes

December 7, 2012

I’ve been busy making picture bentos for the kids for almost every meal they have at home, but it’s been quite futile.

They.are.still.not.eating. They just go “yay”, pick the bits they like and very much leave a large portion of the box untouched.

So every day I try, and hope that more gets finished today than yesterday. Very humbling for the mommy ego indeed.

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Getting all sentimental now Milestones and growing up Nat Kao

Letter to my littlest #3

November 29, 2012

Dearest Nat,

You’re nine months old! You’re crawling, cruising, clapping and making all sorts of monosyllabic sounds. First you said “ma ma”, then you said “bah bah”, and then you started playing with your tongue and blowing saliva bubbles I think you forgot your “mamas” and “bahbahs’.

And boy, you must be wishing you can run and jump and move around! I bet you’re wishing to be as fast as Ben and Becks. Every time they disappear into the rooms, leaving you alone, you’d wail for them to come back. Sometimes you’d give up halfway crawling after them because they’re moving around too fast for you! I can see that longing in your eyes – how you wished you could take part in their little hide-and-seek game and ring-around-the-rosies prance-along. It won’t be long, little one – you’ll be chasing them in no time!

Till then, please take your time to grow up, will you?

With all my love and more,

Mama

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Becks Kao Ben Kao Bento Attempts Milestones and growing up The Kao Kids

Mealtime wins

November 27, 2012

We’ve been fighting mealtime battles a lot lately.

What went wrong? Strict dinner rules have been laid. No tv. No running around. Eat what’s on your plate. Treats only after you’ve finished. My kids don’t snack. They don’t eat candies either. They should be hungry by dinner time because I never give them anything three hours before dinner, except water.

And yet, I had to send the kids straight to bed without a full dinner a few evenings ago. For a few consecutive days prior to that evening, they’ve been balking and gagging at what they were supposed to eat, taking forever to chew and swallow, and doing nonsensical things with each other, like kicking each other’s legs, laughing for no reason and blowing bubbles in their soup. After a few days of that, enough was enough. I gave my last warning to chew the food that was in the mouth (which wasn’t heeded anyway), marched right into the kitchen, grabbed the trashbin, emptied their plates right before their eyes and sent them straight to bed.

Never imagined needing to do that.

I know reality discipline advocates that. For a while, I’ve always tried not to resort to this. I’ll nag, threaten, cajole, play close-your-eyes-don’t-see-what-you’re-eating game and, of course, when all else fails, spoonfeed.

That night, I stayed up to rethink my strategy. I want them to eat – without me having to feed. I want them to love food. I don’t want to send them to bed with the reality of an empty stomach. I don’t want hunger to teach them anything – for now. I want them to have fond memories of the times we spend at the dinner table.

My new plan is to make food appealing to them and hope it whets their appetite.

I’m getting so inspired by these bento creations and the “bento-mums” I know!

Someday I’ll make all these (and more)!

These days I’ve been cracking my head to see how I can make the food more “picture bento”-like just so they can get excited about eating their dinner. It’s like a project everyday: give instructions to the helper to cook the dishes for dinner, but at the back of my mind, think about how to morph what the adults are gonna eat into fun things on the plate. These were my very humble first attempts.

I’m glad to report that the children look forward to dinner a little more now than they used to, and Ben has been finishing his portions since I tried this out two days ago. He has even made requests to see leopards, pandas and lions in his bento. I’ve much to learn, but am loving every minute of this; and I really hope to announce my decisive win in the Battle of Wills at the Dinner-table soon!

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Becks Kao Milestones and growing up The darndest kid quotes and antics

Little Miss B #2

November 17, 2012

Remember Little Miss Bossy? She’s back, bossier than ever.

Blooding plaster

Ben, my eldest, loves the plaster. He loves those with cartoon animals and Disney characters, and would find every reason to use one. He usually has more bruises from knocking into things than cuts on his fingers / toes / hands / feet, so he hardly ever needs a plaster for anything. Lately, he’s been peeling skin off where his fingernails are just so he can use a plaster.

Ben: Mama, I need to use a plaster. See?

Me: Oh, you have broken skin.

Ben: So I can use one?

Becks: Mama, look, kor kor is BLOODING. Give him plaster!

Me: Yes, ok. He is not really bleeding but yes, I will give him one. Sigh.

Breast is certainly Best

The older kids know that a baby nurses from his mother’s breasts and I unapologetically explain to them how this happens. Ever since then, there’s been endless nipple and boob jokes going around the house, which usually involves them trying to feed their little stuff toy “babies” and imitating me.

Becks: Mama, you finished bathing?

Me: Yes, my dear.

Becks: You still have your breasts?

Me: Yes, my dear.

Becks: You still have milk?

Me: Yes, my dear.

Becks: GO FEED di di. He’s hungry!

Me: Yes, my dear.

Footwear Fuss

My little princess is beginning to explore walking in other people’s shoes, literally. She loves to go to the shoe rack near the main door and put on footwear of every kind, from her father’s loafers to my four-inch heels.

Becks: Mama, is this correct? (referring to the way she’s worn my sandals)

Me: Yes, but these are not yours. I want to wear them out later.

Becks: Is this correct or not?

Me: Yes, they are on the correct foot, but these aren’t yours.

Becks: No, these are mine. It’s correct.

Me: Sigh.

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Everyday fun! Family life as we know it Happy days Milestones and growing up The Kao Kids

It’s beginning to look a lot like… fun!

November 16, 2012

The sniffles are clearing. The laughter is back.

At three-half, two years four months, and nine months respectively, the kids are beginning to play together. They now monkey around a lot. The older kids have taken it upon themselves to entertain their baby brother. It’s like an unspoken competition between Ben and Becks; everyday they try to make Baby Nat laugh and see who can successfully do it, and who can do it more. They play catch with him, throw balls his way and prance around him with peek-a-boos and butterfly kisses. In the evenings, before they all go to bed, they would hang around the little one to cuddle him and make him laugh. They take turns to be his little pony and rocking horse. They impart their planking skills. They do the tehee giggling together. They make cacophonic sounds of merriment and glee.

Life just got better.

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Milestones and growing up Nat Kao The darndest kid quotes and antics The Kao Kids

Can’t carry on

November 9, 2012

Does your kid have a favourite phrase he’d say to you regardless of time and place? My two older kids’ fave is “Mama, carry me”.

Of course, depending on the time and place, my replies are usually as follows:

“How am I supposed to? I’m carrying your baby brother.”

“Why don’t you walk, my dear?”

“Shall we hold hands instead?”

“You’re getting quite heavy, my love!”

“I’m really tired today and would like to rest my arms / back / legs.”

“Darling, let’s hug first. And then you can sit next to me.”

Of course, fatherkao often reminds me that we won’t be getting these requests soon enough and that we should savour every moment. I totally agree. In fact, I’d always say to myself ‘to heck with the backache and fatigue’ and try as much as I can to smother these babies, all three of them, with loads of hugs and kisses, and indulge them in a great deal of carrying. In fact, I baby the baby so much I now have a problem: he wants to be carried all the time.

At nine months, he is unable to travel in the car on the car seat. For nine months, I can never drive without witnessing moments like these:

Pardon the picture quality – snapped this shot at a dark basement carpark yesterday

At nine months, just like his older siblings, he’s learned to say their favourite phrase his way, “Mama, carry me”!

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Invites & Tryouts Milestones and growing up The Kao Kids

In support of Global Handwashing Day

October 15, 2012

I am one neurotic mother. I just can’t seem to be the kind that subscribes to anything-goes.

I ban tv programmes in the house (check out this article for the real reason why tv is banned in my home).

My kids don’t eat french fries from MacDonald’s (are you kidding me, didn’t you watch Morgan Spurlock’s experiment?).

They have been taught to say no to candies, gummies and lollies of any kind (there’s already enough sugar everywhere, so the only “sweet” they eat is the vitamin tablet).

And I make my children wash their hands A LOT.

Handwashing is proven to be one very effective way to prevent the spread of germs and illnesses. Ben and Becks wash their hands the first thing they return home after they take off their shoes, before and after every meal, after they’ve used the washroom, and whenever they picked their noses or scratched their scalps. They scrub their fingers, palms and lower arms thoroughly with soap whenever they’re done working with crayons, glue and paint. They wash their hands whenever they sneezed or coughed. And if they ate dirt, they not only washed their hands — I put them under warm running water and scrub them silly till they are spanking clean. All in all, I think they wash their hands more than six times a day. I also make sure they only touch their baby brother when they have clean, germ-free hands.

Which is why the Kaos are very glad to celebrate Global Handwashing Day with Lifebuoy today, together with others who are committed to do so in 100 countries around the world. Global Handwashing Day is an event to support a global culture of handwashing with soap and to raise awareness of the benefits of washing our hands. For the 5th year running, Unilever, through its Lifebuoy brand, will work with the Millennium Villages Initiative to bring hygiene education to children across 10 countries in Africa. This year, they hope to save children from potentially fatal diseases caused by poor hygiene and help them reach their 5th birthday.

And we can all do our part for this good cause by pledging to help a child here. With every pledge received, Unilever will commit to teach a child hygiene education through PSI, a Unilever Foundation partner. It’s just a click away; and no money is involved on your part.

I don’t like the the fact that more than 2 million children in African countries don’t live to see their 5th birthday, and even more so that these deaths can be prevented through regular handwashing with soap! I’ve done my part to pledge for this cause, and I hope you do so too.

And while I might relent in years to come and allow my kids to watch tv, have a Happy Meal and try a Chupa Chups, washing their hands regularly and as frequent as their neurotic mother deems fit is no negotiation. Gonna have to keep germs far and away!

To support Lifebuoy’s Global Handwashing Day and help a child reach 5, do make your pledge on Lifebuoy’s facebook page here.

This is a sponsored post. All texts and opinions expressed are Motherkao’s own.

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