Baby: Jumperoo

(written by Avatar's mummy on 10 Jul 2009)

My sister bought this fantastic machine and Baby Avatar absolutely loved it! He is always jumping up and down, laughing, playing and turning round and round in it.


It is also from Fisher Price and is quite pricey. But I guarantee you that your baby will have endless fun in it and you will actually have time to do your own things…for a while.

The only thing to note is that it has a weight limit of 11.5kg and Baby Avatar’s feet is already touching the floor when he should only touch the floor if he tip toes.

Baby: Pram

(written by Avatar's mummy on 10 Jun 2009)

When we bought our pram, we looked out for a few things:

1. Firm backing - my father-in-law felt that a soft backing will affect Baby Avatar’s spine development
2. Open and close with 1 hand - If you are out on your own, who is going to carry your baby while you open/ close your pram?
3. Cover from sun - so he can sleep
4. All wheel drive – easy to manoeuvre.
5. Can use from birth up to 3 years old – save money

It is also good to have 2 prams in case your baby dirties 1 pram or 1 pram becomes faulty. Make sure you also buy a head snuggler, cushion padding, stroller cover, mobile fan and a pram toy. Blanket is needed in case it gets chilly.

Mummy and Pregnancy: Nursing Pads

(written by Avatar's mummy on 31 May 2009)

For nursing mothers and those who are lactating, I strongly recommend Pigeon Disposable Breast Pads. These are really comfortable, never leak and you do not even feel them when worn. I heard about other breast pads that turned soggy or washable breast pads that go out of shape when put in the washing machine.


Another reason why I am so impressed with Pigeon Disposable Breast Pads is, when I mistakenly put the breast pads in the washing machine, they turned out really bloated but did not leak at all. I also used them on my nursing bras without padding when I stopped nursing till my breast returned to their original size and I could fit into my pre-pregnant bras again.

Baby: Baby Toothbrush

(written by Avatar's mummy on 24 May 2009)

I started brushing Baby Avatar’s teeth once the first one grew out from his gums. Oral hygiene is very important although milk teeth will eventually fall out as tooth decay causes lots of problems and money to fix.


His first silicon toothbrush fitted over my index finger and it was pretty easy to brush his teeth. Now, he has 8 teeth and every time I use this toothbrush to brush him, I get multiple bites from his razor sharp and extremely strong teeth. Hard to believe that this comes from an 11 month old.

So now, I also use the Pigeon Lesson 2 toothbrush which is meant for babies with 8 teeth and it is really quite cute. You put a bit of toothpaste on the rubber tips and brush his teeth like a normal toothbrush. Just make sure you do it quick as he likes to bite it at every opportunity. At this age, he will also want to hold things by himself so I usually teach him to brush by himself after I have done the job for him. The toothbrush has a safety ring over it to prevent Baby Avatar from pushing it too far back into his mouth.

Baby: Hand and Mouth Wipes

(written by Avatar's mummy on 10 May 2009)

Another thing we highly recommend from Pigeon is the Pigeon Hand and Mouth Wipes. These are very useful to wipe when you are outdoors and your little one has just touched something dirty or made a mess with his food and you need to wipe him up quickly. Again, these are easy to pull out and thick.


Please DO NOT use the wet wipes for his backside to wipe his hands and mouth as there may be chemicals that are not suitable for consumption since your little one will very likely stick his fingers in his mouth soon enough.

Baby: Wet Wipes

(written by Avatar's mummy on 3 May 2009)

We tried many different brands of wet wipes complimentary from baby fairs, magazine subscription and from NUH where Baby Avatar was delivered. Of all the brands tried, our favourite is still Pigeon Chamomile Wet Wipes as they are thick and wipes well and importantly, are easy to pull from the packet. This is especially useful when you try to clean an active baby who never stops moving, rolling left and right and grabbing everything that his little hands can find AND making sure he does not stick his feet onto the soiled diaper, or peeing again before you wrap him up which means you start all over again.

What we also bought was the Pigeon Plastic Container which opens and closes easily and prevents the moisture from escaping from the wet wipes.

Baby: Liners

(written by Avatar's mummy on 26 April 2009)

It is not a good idea for the baby to use disposable diapers 24 hours a day as he/she may develop nappy rash. I must share with you about Bumwear and was introduced to it by a nurse at our antenatal class. It is really quite clever. Instead of pins or velcro, you can just pop the diaper together using the rows of plastic clips and I heard that you can use it until your baby is about 2 years old. Imagine the amount of money you save from buying disposable diapers! However, do note that the starting price for Bumwear is not exactly cheap but you can spread out the cost in 2 years.


We started Baby Avatar on Bumwear when he was about 5kg (3 months) as it would slip out if he was smaller than that. Make sure you wash these at least 3 times before use and WITHOUT softener or the urine will not be fully absorbed into it. If he defecates, it is easy to wash off and you do not have to touch the poo or scrub it out.

Please make sure you use 2 layers of napkin liners though so that most/ all of the solids will be captured on the napkin liner. I have tried Pigeon and TollyJoy napkin liners and felt that the TollyJoy one is better as it is bigger and remains strong after washing in the machine. You must be as surprised as me to find that napkin liners can be reused after washing (of course not after defecation!) More money saved!

Mummy and Pregnancy: Maternity wear

(written by Avatar's mummy on 19 April 2009)

My first purchase was 2 pairs of black work pants that had adjustable waists and costed almost $70 each. However, I soon realized that I could have spent less. I grew 2 sizes and put on 14kg in total. Only one pair of pants was able to grow with me as it was 1 size bigger than me at the time of purchase.


I managed to get most of my maternity wear at baby exhibitions which happen almost every quarter, online websites such as Moms R Us (new clothes), eBay (new and pre-loved) and during sale periods. The average cost of the clothes was $35 each and lasted me throughout the pregnancy. It was important to buy nursing wear and maternity bras as well and need not be branded ones from eg, Triumph.

This is what I got: 3-4 pairs of pants for working and casual 3-4 pairs of skirts 10-15 tops including 5 nursing wear. 5 Maternity bras – I bought them 1 size bigger when I was 7 months and they were just right when I was nursing.

I did not get dresses as I preferred to mix and match my clothes. Even then, I spent $1,000 on clothes alone. The maternity bras were around $25 each as I bought them during the baby fairs.

Try not to spend too much as breast feeding mothers will realise that within a few months, they will revert to their pre-pregnancy size and these maternity clothes will just be kept in the closet until the next one comes along.

Baby: Why we started using the pacifier?

(written by Avatar's mummy on 12 April 2009)

When Baby Avatar was about 1 ½ months old, he would wake up every 4 hours to feed and would sometimes cry for long periods of time and refuse to return to sleep. I would carry him around, sometimes close to an hour to make him sleep. I was against using pacifiers as I felt that it would make him dependent and most importantly, make his teeth ugly (when he gets them eventually)! However, my aunty, being a mother of 4, coaxed me into trying the pacifier on Baby Avatar. She bought NUK brand ones called orthodontic soothers which were shaped such that they did not affect the growth of his teeth. These were made in Germany and we all know German products spell quality.


I must say these orthodontic soothers were really useful as I could get more sleep once Baby Avatar went to sleep quicker using them. To my great relief, he also did not depend on the pacifiers as they popped out of his mouth when he was fast asleep. Even now at 10 months old, we give him the pacifier only when he is about to fall asleep and he will sleep right through, with or without the pacifier. And he has 8 beautiful teeth!