Surveying kindergarten for a toddler

I was keen to send my children to a Montessori or Waldorf school but staying in this part of the world make it almost impossible unless we were willing to make her travel everyday. Reluctantly, I send JY to a very academic kindergarten nearby after her babysitter suggesting her to go. The baby sitter was occupied with one baby and one ill mother in law aside from her busy house chores and hence could not cope with taking care of 2 years plus JY anymore.

I only realized I was unintentionally being brought up by a nearly Waldorf way until I became a parent and read about Waldorf. I  went to kindergarten at the age of 6. Before that, I grew up on the hill with my grandmother and my uncle's family. The first time I learned ABC was in kindergarten as my grandmother was illiterate. And I do think that the first 6 years of playing on the hill was one of the best memories of my life.

After comparing a few famous kindergarten nearby namely Q-dees, Smart Reader and MRC, at first I wanted to choose MRC as the school principle has the same view with me that children need sunlight and thereby let all the students playing under the sun before school program formally started each day.Unfortunately, it was fully booked when I found the school. Finally, we selected Q-dees as it was located in semi-D rather than shop lot, hoping that she will still get some sunlight from the window. Q-dees at BPP became JY's first school of her life.

JY cried for 2 weeks after going to school. She refused to wear her uniform everyday. I followed the principle's suggestion of letting her there for a full day program as a start (instead of a half day program before converting into full day) but regret after that. JY was not being well taken cared of at school (I guess the teachers are expecting her to take care of herself). At the age of 2 years 5 months, she still wear a pampers and do not clean herself up properly. Two weeks later, I withdrew her from full day program and found her another baby sitter. She went to kindergarten from 8am -12pm and went to her new baby sitter after that.

It has been almost 2 months since JY went to Qdees. Unfortunately, she still has not begin to like going to school. When I asked her if she likes school, her answer is still no. :( I guess I still have to look for a Waldorf school for her. Any recommendation on Waldorf school near Serdang or Seri Kembangan, Selangor? I will really appreciate your suggestion.

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I have finally withdrawed JY from Q-Dees after 2 months. She had developed sinus due to unknown reason. Her nose blocked seriously with bloody mucus excreted when she sneezed. After consulting the pediatrician, Dr. Lee from Kids Specialist Clinic several times to treat it, doctor advised that I tentatively withdrawed her from school. Due to this circumstance, the principal of Q-Dees at Seri Kembangan agreed with my decision.

At the age of 2 years 7 months, JY was sent back to a baby sitter (full day from 8am to 7pm) again. Her new baby sitter was very stern and successfully potty-trained her in 4 days! I was amazed with the result as the former baby sitter always told me that it wasn't time to start training her yet. I only re-sent JY to nursery when she approached the age of 3 this time. I found that she was really ready to go to school again this time. Sadly, JY's sensitive nose was not able to be cured completely. She often sneezes and developed runny nose especially in the morning and at night. I felt sorry to her that I have challenged her immune system at a young age by sending her to a crowded school. I wish that I could turned back the clock and redo what have been done.

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I was introduced to this nursery namely Tadika Kristal Cahaya by a neighbor who was a full time mother of 4. After meeting the principal, Ms. Jenny Beh, I decided to send JY to the nursery last August, 2015. This time JY happily attended school everyday. There are only 3 students of 3 years old in the class. Hence, the nursery had arranged to teach them together with those of 4 years old. The school fees was very much cheaper compared to Q-Dees and the school was not crowded. It was located in a corner lot of a double-storey house, which allowed children to run and play around everyday before school starts. School starts formerly at 8.30am but there was a one to one ready session, teaching the children to read "Key Words" book namely Peter and Jane series from 8 to 8.30am. JY learned to read the first book by herself after 3 months in the nursery and this was not something I expect her to do, but rather a bonus. I think the nursery suits her as it was not too academic driven and less crowded.

When selecting a nursery for your young child (3-4 years old), I would suggest that at least these considerations being made:

1. Distance of school from home (young children get tired of travelling to and fro if the journey was very long. Transportation can be a problem too.)
2. Teachers' quality (for example, I prefer teacher who speak non-broken English in my context. Teachers who look friendly, loving and patient would attract kids to like going to school).
3. Curriculum or program (Some people who prefer those academic oriented school should really consider Q-Dees from my opinion. I personally prefer school with simple syllabus for the kids at such a young age. I believe what Waldorf taught about how too early intellectual development would hinder growth forces on physical body.)
4. Cost (might be a concern if you have many kids)
5. Environment ( I prefer school with space for children to run around and get some sunshine before school started.
6. Numbers of students ( Consider teacher to students ratio and also how big is the space to occupied how many students. A small room cramped with too many students and teachers is definitely not comfortable making the kids get sick easily)

What else do you think that is important which I have missed out? Please enlighten me :).
   

Breast Feeding Guide- What do you need as a start (for working mums)

Accessories that You May Need

After selecting and buying a pump, don't forget to get yourself some milk bottles to store milk, ice pack to keep the milk chill, cooler bag as well as back pack to keep all these together with your breast pump. If you don't have much time left to shop and are looking for option which are safe and value for money, try this shop: One Baby World. There are many franchises available and you can even purchase their products online conveniently at http://www.onebabyworld.com/. Among all brands available, I found Autumnz as one of the brand that value for money. 

1. Breast milk storage bottles 

I recommended getting a BPA free milk bottle of 5oz size so that you can use it for a longer period of time without transferring to feeding bottle. Besides, I also find it more convenient to stick to one brand so that you will not have to waste time finding the cover that fits later. I recommended Autumnz brand milk storage bottles. It come in a pack of 10 pieces in less than RM35. 

Picture showing Autumnz brand milk storage bottles (adapted from www.onebabyworld.com)

2. Breast milk storage bags  

You may also buy some milk storage bags to spare in case you have insufficient storage bottles. Buy those with good plastic material (with certain thickness) and BPA free. Again, I found Autumnz a great choice as it is good value for money. 

Autumnz brand milk storage bag, less than RM0.40 per piece (picture from Internet)

3. Ice pack

Don't forget that you will need some ice pack to keep your milk chilled while travelling back from work. The cheapest option like Autumnz (around RM20 for 3 pieces) will do the job just as great. 

Ice Pack from Autumnz, picture from internet

4. Cooler bag and bag pack to carry your breast pump 

Last but not the least, a cooler bag that could fit the numbers of bottles that you pump at work (minimum 6 bottles for example); and a bag that could fit in all your pump together with milk bottles with cooler bag. 

Showing here cooler bag from Autumnz which is currently selling at around RM16 per piece (picture from internet). I have two of these so that I could give one to baby sitter while bringing one to work on the same day

Happy pumping mother! Your baby will enjoy better health, sleep better and stays happier with all your hard work after this.

Making Time Saving Nutritious Baby Food

DIY anchovy powder to be added into baby porridge

Recently I have tried to make dried anchovy powder using oven instead of "dry frying" (frying in the wok without oil while continuously stirring it- it was tiring and time consuming when making it this way). I found out that the result was amazing and much simpler which enable me to make it more frequently or making bigger batches!

Materials:
1. Anchovy (ikan bilis)- I have bought those de-boned with internal organs removed
 

Methods:
1. Wash the anchovy to remove salt, pat dry on kitchen towel and spread it on a baking pan
2. preheat oven at 100 degree C
3. Bake for 20 min or until it become crispy
4. Blend into powder using a blender and store it in an air tight bottle.

Suggestion 
It is so nutritious and tasty when sprinkled on top of the porridge or cereals made for baby to eat!

Cakes that you should avoid giving to your children

Rainbow cake & Red Velvet Cake

When come to selecting a birthday cakes for your family, especially your children; I hope that you would think twice if you are planning to buy a cake with very attractive color such as a rainbow cake or a red velvet cake. The reason is you need to add in heap of coloring in order to produce those cakes. Red velvet cake for instance, it is actually a chocolate cake often colored with almost 1 bottle of red coloring to make it appeared red! Although there are some people substituting the red coloring with natural ingredients such as beet root nowadays, it doesn't seems common here in Malaysia.

Nice looking rainbow cake is full of coloring

One piece of red velvet cake containing almost one bottle red coloring 

Instead, choose cakes with white color (color from the cream) or a chocolate cake. It is as delicious and much healthier choice. Fondant cake also looks nice and alright to eat except for the fondant which is basically sugar and coloring.

Research has associated food coloring with problems in children such as allergies, hyperactivity, learning impairment, irritability as well as aggressiveness. For some very sensitive children, they may even displaying attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms. This causes them not being able to  sit in a chair, paying attention, finishing school work, forgetful and not listening to others etc. Sound so familiar? So the next time we observe our children having these symptoms, we should find out what have we given them to eat recently :).

Pampers Deal in Malaysia

Drypers Wee Wee Dry- Best deal 2014

Although I still find Mamypoko being the best pampers available in Malaysia, I tend to use together with Drypers, which is much cheaper to save cost. Recently I have found a good deal at www.lazada.com.my selling Drypers at RM96 for 3 packs and on top of that, we got an additional 15% offer if you were to purchase using your Mastercard on Monday. Each pack of pampers which normally cost RM34 (normal offer rate) will now cost you RM27.20 (a saving of nearly RM7 per pack)! Delivery is FOC!!

I have grabbed the deal and I hope you will benefit the same way too.... Happy shopping online to save money and time!:)

Shall we give our children electronic pad like an I-pad or a Samsung Galaxy Tab?

Well although I have done my reading and I knew that we should not let our children watch too much TV or even use a-pad before the age of 2; however I have totally failed in executing this theory.

My hubby bought JY a Samsung Galaxy Tabs 3 as her 2 years old birthday present! Before getting this tab, she had already been using my I-pad for some times. She usually stream the You Tube videos playing kids songs until later on, she started to watch "products review"! Yes, I am saying "products review". She watch how people opening each piece of the Surprise Eggs for example, and how people use Play Dough to wrap the Surprise Egg and dressing up the Princess dolls!

There is no return of giving a kid an I-pad or a tablet I think. JY now cried non stop whenever I decided to keep her tab....until I would give her back or bring her out!! I enjoyed letting the i-pad or tablet baby sitting JY for me while I can do other things but worry that this would ruin her eyesight and make her unable to focus when start schooling! Well, everything has its pro and con I guess. The good thing is JY could sing the ABC song before she approached 2 years old and recognized all the capital and small letters from A to Z without "anyone" teaching her. She learned it from the You Tube!

Can I obtain a balance by getting our kids out more often while still letting them jiggling around with these electronic pad???  I wonder.....

Let's go outside so that we can stop using electronic items and instead watching the birds and trees..... and of course taking some fresh air and sunshine... Showing JY with JL in our old fashion stroller. The old fashion stroller enable JL to have her 360 degree unobstructed view.  

Online Shopping for Affordable Baby and Children Cloths and Food in Malaysia

Where do you guys buy your baby stuff from?

1. Try www.tongtaionline.com (discount code "tongtai30" to eligible for 30% discount) 

Well again, I normally get cloths for my little one at Jusco (now AEON) although the choice was somewhat limited. Recently, one children cloths company, Tong-tai had emailed me asking if I am interested to try and review their product (children wear). After browsing their webpage at www.tong-tai.com.my, I found that their cloths were of good quality and sold at an affordable price. Hence, I decided to give it a try.

I have received a giftcard from Tong-tai and bought one T-shirt and two leggings for JY. So happy to received it after 2 days. I will take some picture to show here during this coming weekend. By the way, Tong-tai had also offered me a discount code to be given out to my readers in this blog. Just go to www.tongtaionline.com, select the cloths you like and upon checking out, key in "tongtai30" to be eligibled for 30% discount!

One of my colleague who had been looking everywhere for a plain white shirt for her daughter's performance but in vain. At last, I browsed in Tong-tai web site and found a white shirt which I immediately recommended to her. She was so happy with it. So the next time you are looking for some good quality cloths with affordable price to shop for your little one, why not give this a try?

This is my JY dressing in clothing bought from Tong-tai. The size for 3-4 years old looks fitting on her although she is only 2 years old. The cloths look and feel comfortable and I will definitely shop again there.

2. Try www.babydash.com.my

I seldom purchase things on line until recently I found it to be a good experience. I have tried purchasing organic rice cereal for baby JL at www.babydash.com.my. As it was my first time purchasing from that site, the seller contacted me and offered to give me two pieces of organic cereal bar for baby as a free gift! The products arrive the next day upon ordering, saving my time to shop practically just for two item. The seller also assured me that they offer the best price for baby products sold online! It was my another wonderful experience of shopping online for baby goods. Being a busy working mother, I hope you could benefit from this site too :)

 Showing here instant organic brown rice porridge (Baby Natura brand) which I bought from babydash  at RM11.20. It was made with 100% organic brown rice without addition of other ingredients. I found this as a very good choice as baby first solid. It comes in 6 small individual pack rendering it handy to bring along when we go out. My milk powder dispenser now also served as a little bowl to prepare the porridge for baby wherever we go. The porridge was nutritious, easy to prepare and delicious :)

When shop for baby food, I normally choose the simplest (if possible without additional of artificial ingredients) formulation. You may refer to the ingredient list to check it out next time you shop for your little one.

Look at how happy my little JL was with her first solid food. It was delicious I guess :)
Do share with me if you found other good, convenient and affordable baby food around the corner.


3. Cheap and nice pajamas and casual wears for children
Try: http://www.qqbabyshop.com/

Lately I have tried to purchase pajamas from an online store namely QQ Baby Shop. There was a promotion selling pajamas and casual wear for children at RM150 for 10 sets. Since Chinese New Year is just around the corner and I could not spend time doing detail shopping while taking care of two, I decided to give this a try.

I have ordered a total of 10 pairs of pajamas plus casual dresses for JY and JL respectively. Three days after ordering, the goods arrived safely. Interestingly, some of the cloths quality were over expectation while some were merely acceptable although they were of the same brands. However, selling at RM15 per set, I think I couldn't ask for more but were overall satisfied with the trade. Showing here two sets of the cloths that I have bought which I thought were a super value buy. I recommended buying from this site especially for those who have many children! :)

Hello kitty T-shirt with tutu dress

Princess Sofia the first short sleeve pyjamas

Details of the dress

Details of the Hello Kitty picture

Sewing was neat