Dollars & Cents -Of Nappy Days

Being a parent also mean having to weigh out one’s options. Having tried many brands of diapers, a few stood out as exemplary wears.

Embed from Getty Images

//embed.gettyimages.com/embed/588932985?et=QEPH9ffiSiNsaxse0iJ-9w&viewMoreLink=on&sig=5WS_xCRU6qw49-jfD71Je_Fko4CahLIloYjEQqHVoIU=

The first that was tried and tested by Jelly Bean was none other than Huggies where having been given a free sample pack (at birth from the hospital), it fitted snuggly and felt dry to the touch despite being worn for up to 3 hours.

Of course, this was at a time when I had just assumed position as a new parent to a child whom I have yet become accustomed to. To this, changing nappies regularly to prevent diaper rash was one of my top priorities.

No one likes a wet bottom. Do you?

In an absorbency test done with 3 pieces of diapers per brand (samples sourced online- just head over to the ‘contact me’ section of all leading brands and you should be able to request with ease), Pet Pet unfortunately performed the worse. This was after having scoured through supermarkets on which diaper to purchase. Not only was it supposed to be light on the wallet (one of the cheapest), it was strongly recommended by the promoter lady, hence we bought a pack to try. It was definitely a cheap buy, with its price being almost half of that of the most expensive brands, yet, from having nappy leaks (the poo flowing out, backwards) to him having diaper rash- do note I was changing every 3 hourly- we hurriedly embarked on another quest to source for a new brand.

In the end, we settled on buying a combination of Huggies and Drypers.

This was when Jelly Bean turned 1 month old.

Why we chose Drypers & Huggies:

Truth be told, we really liked Mamy Poko, with Huggies ranking second.

Choosing Huggies was more due to a dollar and cents comparison- where on average, with promotions, Huggies was cheaper at 30c per piece. Thus, opting for it as our night-only solution. Drypers, with its discounts only amounted to 18 per piece (check out qoo10 for deals) which is fine as we change Jelly Bean quite frequently.

Our second attempt at Huggies after the first initial pleasant intro saw a back flow when he was lying in his pram. That was when he turned 4 months.

However, we soon realised that it was due to not tightening the diaper fully (the tape had to overlap each other in order for the elastic band to work) and as we were using Small- Jelly Bean weighed just shy of 6kg- it might have resulted in the spillage.

Fast forward 2 weeks and there’s been no other issue with leakages and he literally sleeps through nights from 12mn to 6am occasionally. For us, Drypers which was more economical, when changed regularly, was a good day-time baby bum companion.

Cost and comfort, when these two factors are met; that’s one happy baby.

Oh, the joy!

Of vaccinations & bye-bye bugs

Just had a conversation with one of my colleagues where with the flu bug in the air, it’s little wonder that tiny beings are falling sick all over the place.

Post Jelly Bean’s viral infection and nebuliser episode, what truly alarmed me was how quickly a baby needs to be treated. In a matter of hours, things could be so different.

Of course, being paranoid and panicking isn’t exactly the best solution; yet if the assumption is all is right without proper checks and balances, it might just be too late to react.

Since his recovery, we have had to prep Jelly Bean for his next few jabs. This was dragged on as we wanted to space things out, just in case he had an adverse reaction.

For the lesser informed, or kiasu parent like me; a paediatric doctor was the first choice in administering these jabs. What I didn’t know was that the polyclinic had a much better package and made a good case for the cash-strapped parent.

With his last 2 jabs and the rotavirus medicine, that set us back by over 400 bucks. This was a visitation without any visible ailments. A healthy, bubbly, raspberry blowing kid.

The many faces of Jelly Bean

Had we known earlier, perhaps attending the polyclinic might be a more pocket-friendly solution.

Point to note:

kid rearing needs more than tenacity and patience. A healthy cash pocket is required as well.

Huggies’ Experience on “Parent’s Guide”- 1/8/14 (Ch8, 10.30pm)

Received an invitation to partake in the local program “Parents’ Guide” on Channel 8.

Perhaps it is best described as a play date, Jelly bean had his first taster of airtime on television. Priscelia and Ben Yeo were of course the perfect hosts on this informative series that started on the 25th of July 2014.

Aired at 10.30pm, Ch 8; the segment was light-hearted in nature, delving into healthy cooking recipes  for children and where to cut your child’s hair.

Having used Huggies during his first arrival (we were give a pack of Huggies Ultra at Mt Alvernia Hospital), the quality of the diaper was actually cottony soft.

This is coming from a mum who had actively sourced for samples of all sorts – We used Goo.n, Pampers, Petpet, Mamy Poko, Merries, Drypers and of course Huggies.

My personal favourites in terms of absorbency and ease of use (e.g. tape) would be as ranked below:
1. Mamy Poko
2. Huggies
3. Merries
4. Pampers
5. Goo.N
6. Drypers
7. Petpet

I’ll elaborate more on costing and what I am currently using on Jelly Bean in another post.

For now, here’s a snippet of the episode: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_KDNLjvpqOA

Disclaimer: This post is part of a sponsored campaign with Huggies. However, all opinions are unbiased or influenced in any form.

Of diapers & sustenance

As with all babies, diapers and their regular sustenance are basic necessities. Being pro – breastfeeding,  my current ‘work schedule’ at home revolves around pumping, latching and changing diapers.

Ladies, if your spouse or relatives say that breastfeeding isn’t providing your little one with enough nutrition; it is a fact that infants get all they need from just consuming breastmilk in the first 6 months of their lives -check out LLL’s guide on breastfeeding for more info.

Even if it’s a combination of breastmilk and formula milk; the antibodies that’s produced is a good way to maintain good health in your baby’s daily diet. Water should be introduced after 6 months, where don’t let the “breastmilk is too heaty, that’s why he/she falls sick often” talk get you in a panic.

Sitting up in his ergo.

Remember, even if supply is low, any milk from mom is good.

Back to work special

As we know, all good things will come to an end. Here’s to 4 months of excellent mother-coddling moments and epic explosive diapers.

Almost 4 months, and the journey of worktime scheduling and pumping has just begun.

If there was a cartoon that I would love to play on replay for the little kiddy, it would be _____ & the _____. Any guesses?

Happy Father’s Day & more

If commemorating father’s day was liken to that of a running marathon, the winning isn’t in how far the race ran for or how long it lasted for. Rather, the journey in itself.

Being new parents of a mere 3 months, things started with a rather traumatic initiation, followed by an ongoing period of interrupted sleep.

Jellybean laughing with dad

Still, what’s applaud-worthy lies in how people change with the coming of a newborn.

Happy Father’s Day, my love.

With great power comes great responsibilities.

Of names and heirtage

A while back, we started a debate on what name would best suit our incoming jellybean.

One that holds significant meaning for instance, Lionnel derived from Lion, while Mariel came from my mother’s name, Muriel.  In short, significance that could be representative of a personality/ behaviour one can hope to make an impact on our child’s life in future or one of meaning that comes from adopting a name that’s close to home.

Our debate ended with 3 major points:

1. For boys,  the name should start with L, and for for girls… well you know the drill.

2. There had to be some form of meaning behind a name. Not a fairytale-spun name which upon my helpful suggestion would have been a combination of both of names- e.g. Ledriel.

3. It had to consist of at least 2 syllabus. This mostly stemmed from the hub’s fascination with pronunciation, and after several verbal testing of certain names (in context with certain dialects and bearing in mind derivations within our local Singlish vernacular); our little experiment was clear. 2 or more syllabus was ideal.

And this set us up for 2 choice names after omitting a slew of others:

Lyod
Leriam
Ledriel
Latham
Lionnel
Lucian
Lucas
Lanchester
Lufstansa (?? )
Lawrence
Leonard
Loren
Lyon
Liam

Of course, our list only contained the letter L and that was an exhaustive list of possible names in itself. For now, we are set. Awaiting the arrival of our little one.

Food review- Simply playtapus

Being pregnant, the first question when choosing any meal would be whether the said ‘food pyramid’ has been fulfilled with my daily requirements of carbohydrates,  greens and proteins.

The latest addition to the array of food available around Raffles place is just that; a healthy rendition of a tasty salad and meat variation.

Having ate this meal thrice this past week, there’s much to rave about this rather fiesty establishment. With its small box at $6.90, its serving of rocket leaves mixed spinach is nothing short of generous.

Doused in a sauce of your choice; Japanese sesame or honey miso appear to be evergreen flavours, this tasty meal is good enough to sate any vegetable needs that a nutritionist would impose.

A recent conversation with a colleague who’s a vegetarian revealed that for vegetarians who do not opt to pick up the 2 meat options, the box price still remains the same without discount but with a greater packed serving of pasta and chick peas.

Served from 11.30am, the norm would see that by 12.30pm, a popular choice of salmon cooked in a honeyed – like sauce would disappear from their inventory. With the same choices available, the one gripe would be the lack of variation.

Featuring the same 5-6 dishes and a staple of pasta (occasionally fried rice) served with a chick peas-corn concoction, this boutique cafe – restaurant loses points.

Still, a fabulous place to pick up some green grub that’s tasty to boot. Medium box at $8.90 and large box at $10.90.

Food Review- Toast Box’s Laksa Time

I have a confession to make. While whittling my days away in Melbourne back when we were less affluent as jobless students (I stayed in a 2 bedroom apartment with my Bro along Grattan Street) my favourite meal was part of a mega pack of mixed fishballs for AUD $9.90; Deliciously cooked in a packet of Prima Taste Laksa paste which made up to 4 pax worth of tasty soup and a package of Indo mee.

The taste of home was never too far, especially when missing your parent’s cooking despite it being too bland or salty… It was home.

But I digress. The laksa at Toast Box ($6.10 with a glass of barley) hits the spot and of course with its many branches available islandwide,  it’s my favourite solution to any cravings. 

Albeit not exactly the best tasting laksa (the sungei road one that has to be eaten with a spoon is by far the tastiest) but with my current growing girth and size, queuing for a meal that requires 30 mins in short, rids me of any cravings.

Toast Box’s laksa does what it sets out to accomplish well. A hearty and warm rendition of a popular dish. Yet it’s lack of cockles (si hum) and slightly less spicy base resembles curry more than a strong sambal flavour.

Taste – wise,  it is more subtle in flavour than belly – rubbing, chest – thumpingly delicious. A suitable treat after a long day at work where a pipping hot soup that doesn’t make one whinge from over spiciness helps alleviate a day of stress.

November’s T3 Opinion Piece- Mariel Wong