Kidz Amaze at Safra Punggol & Jurong

Splash @ Kidz Amaze, Safra Punggol 

We've heard so many good things about this water playground in Punggol but had found it difficult to travel all the way to the Northwest of Singapore to visit. However, since we couldn't travel during the pandemic and almost maxed out on all the fun places in the West of Singapore (where we live), we decided that it was time to make the trip.

As it was the school holidays, all of the slots except for the last were fully booked so we had to book that slot. We picked the Littlest from preschool and made the trip directly. She was so shocked but excited! 

We changed into our swimming suits and jumped right into the water!

The playground wasn't big but there were enough slides to occupy my kids. Well, except for the Eldest, who was bored after 30 minutes once the initial novelty wore off. 

For the other 2 though, they enjoyed the water very much!

The Littlest is pretty independent and loves to do everything herself. This meant that I got to relax and only needed to keep one eye on her.

Enjoying these family moments while my Eldest is still 'young' enough to participate. She will soon outgrow these experiences and I will have to think of more fun places that can entertain my kids of all ages!

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Kidz Amaze, Safra Jurong 

Since the kids loved Kidz Amaze Punggol, we thought we would bring the younger two kids to Kidz Amaze Jurong to continue the fun.

The playground is smaller in square feet compared to the other playgrounds so it has to utilise the vertical height instead. The playground stands about 4 storeys tall based on my estimation and is the tallest playground in Singapore!

There are the usual fun things to do like shooting balls and swinging on a big ball.

There is also a lot of climbing since it's the tallest playground in Singapore. Most of it is really tight for adults so unless you are ok to squeeze through small gaps to get to the top with your kids, may be best to bring kids who are independent climbers. Like my Littlest 😃

The playground is designed in such a way that you have to squeeze through a gap and navigate a maze of steps to get to the slides. But once the Littlest figured it out, she was at it on a loop!

After sliding down the slides, the kids also had to climb this flight of stairs to get back to the top. Not easy for smaller kids for sure.

Older kids can climb to the top of the structure and slide down the tallest slide in the playground!

Kids had a lot of fun, though we doubt we will be back as we like to explore other playgrounds ☺️

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This post is part of my MadPsychMum Fun in Singapore Guide to all things exciting for kids! 

Check out other fun playgrounds and attractions in Singapore! =)

You can also keep up to date with our fun adventures on Instagram via our hashtag #mpmfuninsg!

Breastfeeding Baby #3: Beyond 2 Years, Ending at 30 Months!

I never thought that I will still be breastfeeding my Littlest Girl past 2 years old! 

I'm a breastfeeding purist (i.e. only full breast milk and no formula) for the 1st year of each of my child's life; however, once my babies turned 1 year old, I will usually wean them by starting them on formula. Why? Because I'm a full-time working mum who really did not enjoy a toddler biting my you-know-where or pumping constantly at the office. It's a good to have but not necessary. 

Slowly but surely, my two older children would realise that I didn't have any more breast milk and decide on their own to stop breastfeeding. The Eldest Girl decided to stop nursing at 18 months old when I went back to work full-time while the Boy stopped abruptly at 13 months old. 

Not my Littlest Girl! It has been more than a year of drinking formula but my Littlest has not given up on breastfeeding! Perhaps the situation was also special this time as she had access to me throughout the day since I was working from home since Circuit Breaker last year. Even though she has finished a bottle of formula milk, she would still climb on me and 'beg' me to breastfeed her. She is very determined and I find it hard to refuse her! 😅

However, because my Littlest Girl has started preschool in April this year, we needed to transition her to less reliance on breastfeeding.

I started by slowly reducing the number of daytime feeds, breastfeeding her only in the morning and at night. She seemed to be ok with it so I removed her morning feed as well, replacing it with formula milk and other food. 

For a month, she was only breastfeeding at night before bed as I wasn't able to remove her night-time feeds because she relied heavily on breastfeeding in order to sleep. I also wanted it to be a gradual process and did not believe in going 'cold turkey' (I'm a psychologist you know).

Slowly, by May, she was only breastfeeding every alternate night before bed (or when I couldn't get her to sleep!). She also no longer woke up in the middle of the night to nurse! 🥳🥳🥳 

By June, she was only nursing whenever she needed comfort, though I barely have any milk left!

Sometime around July I stopped breastfeeding her completely and she seems to get by just fine without it. 

Once in a while she would put her face on my chest, take a deep breath and say "boob, boob!" Don't ask me where she learnt it, I don't remember teaching her to say this! In response I would say, "no more, mummy doesn't have any more milk" and she would take it in her stride and did not pursue the matter further. 

With that, I've breastfed my littlest baby for 30 months, the longest I've ever breastfed at one go! In total, I've breastfed for 5 years! 😊

And here's signing off on my breastfeeding diary series. Thanks for joining me on my journey. 

P.S: if you are struggling with breastfeeding, feel free to reach out. I can't say for sure that I can solve your problems but I can certainly lend an empathetic ear if you need one. Stay strong and press on!! You can do this 💪🏻

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This post is part of my series My Breastfeeding Diary, where I document the highs and lows of my breastfeeding journey. 

Past posts in My Breastfeeding Diary series: 

Baby #2
Breastfeeding Baby #2: 1 Week
Breastfeeding Baby #2: 2 Weeks
Breastfeeding Baby #2: 3 Weeks
Breastfeeding Baby #2: 4 Weeks
Breastfeeding Baby #2: 2 Months
Breastfeeding Baby #2: 3 Months (Back to Work)
Breastfeeding Baby #2: 4 Months
Breastfeeding Baby #2: 5 Months
Breastfeeding Baby #2: 6 Months (Weaning)
Breastfeeding Baby #2: 8 Months
Breastfeeding Baby #2: 10 Months (Battling bronchitis)
Breastfeeding Baby #2: 12 Months
Breastfeeding Baby #2: 13 Months (End)

Baby #3
Breastfeeding Baby #3: The First Month
Breastfeeding Baby #3: Back to Work
Breastfeeding Baby #3: Weaning
Breastfeeding Baby #3: The 12th Month
Breastfeeding Baby #3: The 18th Month

June Holiday Fun at Labrador Park & Snow City

It's the June holidays and as usual, I tried to make time to bring the kids out of the house for some fun!

[Labrador Park]

I've always wanted to bring the kids to Labrador Park as it is so near our home. There were plenty of carpark lots available here so parking was not a problem. 

The park was located along the sea and the kids took the opportunity to enjoy the sea breeze and watch the waves crashing onto the shore.

There are 2 play areas, a smaller one with swings and a merry-go-round and one with a laze and slides, about a 5-minute walk away. 

The Littlest Girl got right down to business and headed straight for the slides! 

The Eldest Girl is starting to outgrow playgrounds (already?!?) but she joined her little sister out of pure love for her. 

Not that the Littlest needed any help with getting around the playground. She could do so confidently with little assistance. 

After playing for about 1 hour, the sky began to darken. I told the kids to go to a bench near the sea to wear their shoes and watch the sunset at the same time. 

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It was a really enjoyable evening 😊


[Snow City]

I decided to use my Singapore Rediscovers Vouchers on tickets to Snow City for 2A2C. After my previous tiring experience of bringing a baby (my boy) to Snow City in 2015, I decided that I wouldn't bring the super active Littlest Girl to Snow City this time. The rest of us would not have been able to enjoy the 1-hour session if she were there. 

Yes, we only bought the 1-hour session as the place isn't very big. Our tickets also came with Drift on Ice bumper car rides for 4 (do make sure that your kids meet the height requirement), and free rental of jackets and boots. 

Although the rental of winter pants was not part of the package, I insisted to rent them. I knew from experience that the waterproof pants would prevent our actual clothes from getting wet from the 'snow', which would be troublesome to clean up if we didn't rent the pants. The pants also has a thick inner layer, which would keep us warm and cushion us in case we slip and fall. Hence, I really recommend renting the pants. 

We proceeded to the counter to collect our boots, pants and jackets. We also rented a locker to store our belongings. 

Photography in Snow City is not allowed but I sneaked some photos because I'm #addictedtotakingphotos! 😅 Well, it's not like we didn't purchase their official photos (because we did)!

The small area for the little kids had a tiny slide that adults could slide down but it was so slow that it was no fun at all. 

We decided to hit the bigger 'slopes' instead.

It was quite a climb up to the top! The journey down was a 'one way street' via a 'canal' they created. Gone are the days where multiple people could slide down at different parts of the slope at the same time. 

In any case, the girl and I had fun. We went like 8 times I think. 

We decided it was time to utilise our Drift on Ice tickets and made our way to the bumper cars area. On the way there, we passed a small snow combat area, which we think is really only for kids because it was so tiny!

The bumper cars looked really cool and we should have had fun on it in theory. 

However, the bumper cars were hard to steer and moved very slowly. Very different from the bumper cars that we are used to in amusement parks. 

After going down the slopes a few more times, our hour was up and we all felt it was just right for us. The place was too small and too restrictive for us to stay there longer than an hour. 

We exited the snow arena, returned all our winter wear and bought souvenir photos for $35 for 2. Not exactly cheap but the pictures were decent and I wanted to support our local businesses. 

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Snow City was fun while it lasted but it really made me miss all our experiences with real snow in Hokkaido, Scotland, Disneyland Paris and most recently Mt Gozaisho/Nagoya. Miss travelling SOOOO much! Hope we can travel again soon 🤞🏻

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This post is part of my MadPsychMum Fun in Singapore Guide to all things exciting for kids! 

Check out other fun playgrounds and attractions in Singapore! =)

You can also keep up to date with our fun adventures on Instagram via our hashtag #mpmfuninsg!

The Littlest Girl's First Weeks at Preschool

It's my own personal conviction that if given the choice, I would prefer to delay the start of my children's schooling journey for as long as possible so that they can have a carefree childhood at home. Once they start school, it would be a non-stop strive for achievement for the next 20-odd years of their lives! Hence, for the very short first 2 years of their existence, I'd hoped for them to spend it at home. This is the reason why my two oldest only started preschool when they were 2.5 years old (you can read about the Eldest Girl's first day of preschool here and the Boy's first day of preschool here). 

This was what I had explained to the Mum-in-law, who was getting along in years and, drained from having to keep up with my super active Littlest Girl, had requested for us to send her to preschool when she was about 18 months old. 

I struck a bargain with her that we will send her to preschool after she turned 2 years old, which was already earlier than her siblings. Thankfully, she agreed! #bestmuminlawever

Preparation

As you know, I'm no rookie when it came to preschool hunting. If you wanted to send your child to a preschool, you'd need to start the hunt at least 1 year before and indicate your interest before Sep/Oct of each year, which is usually when preschools start their enrolment for the coming year. 

I did my research during Phase 1 of the pandemic and registered my interest for my top 3 choices at ECDA's website. Thankfully, my top 2 choices contacted me in Sep 2020 and invited us for a school visit. 

For context, I live in a very mature estate and there are at least 6 preschools within our budget (which is not high considering we have 3 kids) that are within walking distance of our home. This is one of the reasons why the hubby and I bought our home: the close proximity to many good preschools, primary schools, secondary schools, polytechnics, junior colleges and universities (NUS is right at our back door and NTU a few stations away). Therefore, my experience may be very different from yours, depending on your home's location and the demand/supply in your area. 

School Visit

Both of the preschools we visited were housed in landed semi-detached houses, both with their own playgrounds. I loved that the kids can have play time everyday (unless it rained) as they didn't have to walk to the neighbouring park/playground to do so. 

We liked both schools but eventually chose the cheaper of the two. The school required for us to place a deposit of one month's school fee in order to secure a place; we can decide the actual enrolment month later. 

Even though it was so much in advance and quite a big sum of money, I felt at peace putting the deposit as I had faith that this was the right preschool for my girl. 

It was always the plan for Cousin E to be in the same school as the Littlest Girl so that they can grow up together (since they are born in the same year). When my Bro- and Sis-in-law heard that we placed the deposit at this preschool, they did the same even though Cousin E will only start in July 2021! They didn't want to risk not having a place for Cousin E! 😂

Start of Preschool/Childcare

Day 1: Thu, Eve of Good Friday

We decided on 1 Apr 2021 as the start date. Before we came to this decision, we actually debated on whether to let her start on the eve of a long weekend or on the Monday after. We eventually came to the conclusion that the former would help ease her into school a little bit better. 

The Mum-in-law had a lot of difficulties transitioning my two older kids to preschool, hence the responsibility to bring my girl to and from school lies with me. 

As I would need to walk about 10 minutes to her school, I was so happy to bring out my all-time-favourite stroller: Baby Jogger City Select from storage! Eventually, the Mum-in-law may need to push both girls home so we need a sturdy double stroller to do the job 😊

Before we went to school, I made sure to prepare her for the day ahead. I told her she was going to school, that she'd get to play with all her friends and most importantly, that I would be back to pick her up. It's very important to me that my children be mentally prepared for school even if you don't know how much they understand. Our children are smarter than we give them credit!

Anyway, the school took our first 'Check-In' photo to mark her attendance. They do this at 'Check-out' as well, in order to capture the person who came to drop off/pick up your child. 

All the pictures are uploaded to Little Lives, a website used by the school to help parents track their child's progress. 

As with my 2 older kids, I had expected to be allowed to accompany my Littlest Girl on her first day. But alas, due to Covid-19 restrictions, the school told me that I could not be present in the school. I did manage to take some pictures of her in her classroom before leaving. 

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I do not believe in 'sneaking' off when the child is not looking as it breaks the trust they have with you. I informed the Littlest Girl that I was leaving and assured her that I would be back. She cried when I left! 😢

Just in case she needed me, I stood outside the school for about 15 minutes. When I didn't hear anymore crying, I went home. 

Although my girl was on full day preschool, the school recommended for the first week to be half day so as to slowly ease her in. Hence, I went to pick her up at about 12 noon. 

She cried in big relief when she saw me! Her teacher said she had her lunch and did very well for her first day. So far so good! 

Day 2: The Monday after Easter long weekend

We were slightly concerned that she might cry more as she had to go back to school after the long weekend but her cries were only for a moment. I remembered being very heartbroken when transitioning my older kids to school but for the Littlest, I felt very ok. I don't know whether it is because I have grown used to the cries or because she doesn't sob quite as tragically as her siblings (probably the latter 😂). 

When I picked her at 12.30pm, she was happily playing with her friends and only started to cry when she saw me!

Day 3-6:

The days after were pretty much the same. There was some crying when I dropped her off but she was willing to allow her teacher to carry her into her classroom. 

I'm usually the one who picks her up at 12.30-1pm as well but there was a day when I needed to go to the office, hence the Mum-in-law went instead.

Each day, her teacher would report that, other than being extremely active and a daredevil who enjoyed climbing on everything, she was adapting well. 

Week 2:

Since she was doing well the week before, we decided that it was time for her to try joining the rest of her class for their afternoon nap. Her teacher agreed and told me that she would give me a call if the Littlest couldn't sleep. If I didn't hear from her, it meant that I could pick her up at 3.30pm after her nap. 

Her teacher never called because the Littlest had no issues taking her naps in school! Her very experienced teacher knew just how to get her to sleep. We were very happy! We progressed to extending the time that we went to pick her; from 3.30pm to 5.30pm. 

It seems this little extrovert daredevil of mine is the most adaptable of my 3 kids! She could even walk to her class on her own without crying by the end of the week! I was so proud! 🤩

Week 3 and beyond

The Littlest Girl is not the easiest child to look after as she is very determined, fearless and has boundless energy! However I feel that her teachers understand her needs. This is to me the most important factor that I look out for in a school 😊

Now, whenever I tell my girl that we are going to school, she quickly puts on her 'school shoes' (the pair that she only wears to school) and says 'let's go'! 😍

So very thankful for such a smooth transition!