Exciting news! Today, I’m reviewing the fantastic Karen Tyler Montessori Teacher Training Program, and 1 lucky Mummy (or Daddy) stands to win a seat in her online class, worth USD150!

I’ve been attending the program since 1 December 2011. It complements The Shichida Method that we’re using very well, provides a comprehensive homeschooling curriculum, saves me TONNES of time researching, and Vee’s enjoying the activities every day.

If you’re passionate about teaching your child at home, do check this program out…

What’s the Montessori Method?

The Montessori Method is popular among many preschools and parents nowadays. The method is “characterised by an emphasis on independence, freedom within limits, and respect for a child’s natural psychological development, as well as technological advancements in society.”

Read more Montessori education at Wikipedia here.

About Karen Tyler Montessori Teacher Training Program

These are the main features of the program:

• Instructor is Karen Tyler, who is AMS-certified and has been teaching for over 30 years
• Suitable for homeschooling families and existing Montessori educators
• Learn the Montessori Method to teach children aged 2 to 6 years old
• Receive a 12-volume set of Montessori Albums covering Astronomy, Botany, Ecology, Geography, Geology, History, Language, Mathematics, Physical Science, Practical Life, Sensorial, and Zoology.
• Entirely online, with no tests, assignments, and time limit
• May make comments or ask questions by posting to the class Yahoo Group or contacting Karen
• Choice of Standard Program (24 months) or Fast Track (12 months)

For more details, visit the course specifics here. You may download the Table of Contents for the albums here.

Our Detailed Review

Rating Guide: ★ Oh no!     ★★ Poor     ★★★ Fair     ★★★★ Good     ★★★★★ Excellent!

(a) Program Contents: ★★★★★ I signed up as a Fast Track student to complete the course within 12 months. Vee’s almost 3 years old and learning like a sponge. I need to make full use of this “sensitive period”. If your child is younger (say less than 1 year old), you may choose to complete the course over 24 months.

The 12 albums contain thousands of pages of activities, all in PDF files. I like that they’re very comprehensive, even covering subjects such as Astronomy. This way, I can choose the activities based on Vee’s interest at that point in time.

Even on the Fast Track route, I find the readings very manageable. I usually spend 15 to 30 minutes a week on the assigned readings (mainly presentations of activities in 1 to 2 albums). I prefer to read them using my iPad anytime, anywhere, instead of printing them. Once I identify suitable activities, I’d proceed to prepare or buy the needed materials.

I love the many FAQs that Karen has uploaded at the beginning of the course. These gave me a good idea on implementing the Montessori Method at home.

(b) Effectiveness: ★★★★★ These few months, Vee’s very interested in imitating adult activities such as pouring, sweeping the floor, and using locks and keys. The ideas in the Practical Life album are perfect for us now.

I’ve effectively taught him how to cover his nose when he sneezes, stand up properly, walk in a straight line, etc. Before using the Montessori Method, it could be frustrating teaching him these seemingly simple things.

Our homeschool organisation system has been revamped using the Montessori way. Now, I lay many activities on the shelves using trays. Then when I need to attend to baby Jae, Vee would work independently. Very peaceful! (I’d be getting more shelves and materials, so stay tuned for updates.)

Karen’s albums provide step-by-step instructions on how to present each activity. These are very easy to follow.

I like that our homeschool environment is now much more effective, and Vee has become a more independent learner.

(c) Service: ★★★★★ Karen’s very responsive with questions asked in emails and the Yahoo Group forum. She usually replies within a day or two. And if she’s on vacation, she’d inform everyone, and even clears emails during vacation!

(d) Overall Value: ★★★★★ The price of the program ranges from USD150 (paid upfront) to USD240 (paid monthly). The albums, which are packed with activities, are already worth the price. Moreover, it frees up my time researching, thus spending more time implementing the activities instead. At this price, I can’t find any other comparable course.

The program is superb value for money and I highly recommend it.

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What we like about it:

• Comprehensive albums and notes for educating a child from 2 to 6 years old
• For the busy mum — no tests and assignments
• Quick email and forum response
• Superb value for money

What can be improved:

• Some typo errors in the albums

—

Win Your Own

To thank supporters of Mummy’s Reviews™ Parents Club, this Giveaway is EXCLUSIVE to Parents Club members. ONE (1) lucky member will win a seat in Karen Tyler’s Montessori Teacher Training Program that starts on 1 March 2012, worth USD150!

How to Participate

1. Join Mummy’s Reviews™ Parents Club here or below (existing members counted)

2. Fill in the online form HERE

Other Information

• This Giveaway is open to subscribers worldwide (except in countries that don’t allow participation in lucky draws / sweepstakes).
• I’d choose the entry with the best supporting reason to win the seat. If I really can’t decide, then the winning entry will be chosen randomly.
• It will run until 10 February 2012 (Friday) 2359hr (GMT +8).
• The usual Giveaway Terms apply.

Submit your entry now and good luck!

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Get Your Own

To join Karen Tyler’s Montessori Teacher Training Program, visit World Wide Montessori Online.

For enquiries, you may email Karen at karen [at] amontessorimarketplace [dot] com.

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P.S. Read more on homeschooling.

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Disclosure: I paid for my own training course and did not receive anything from Karen Tyler for this review. I simply love it very much and wish to share this information with other parents.

Mummy’s Reviews™ is a review site that receives compensation if readers make purchases from affiliate links (these are marked with an *). If we receive compensation from the companies whose products we review, this would be disclosed. These compensation help to maintain and grow Mummy’s Reviews™. We test each product thoroughly and give ratings according to our experience with it. We are independently owned and the opinions expressed here are our own.

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No related posts.

Here’s the list of baby fairs and kids’ education fairs in Singapore and Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur) for Year 2012. It’ll be updated as the year goes by.

Singapore

1. Baby Expo

• Dates: 17 to 19 Feb 2012
• Time: (Fri & Sat) 11a.m. to 9p.m., (Sun) 11a.m. to 8p.m.
• Venue: Singapore Expo Hall 4A
• Organiser: Vivacious Media Pte Ltd
• Website: Singapore Expo events page here

© 2009-2012 Veezian Pte. Ltd. | All rights reserved - This feed is provided for the convenience of Mummy's Reviews™ subscribers. If you like this post, you may share its link: Baby Fairs & Kids’ Education Fairs in 2012. Any reproduction of the content within this feed is strictly prohibited.

Related posts:

1. Takashimaya and More Baby Fairs (Singapore & Malaysia) in 2011!
2. Giveaway #20 Winners & Baby Fairs Update

As promised, here are more tips for early potty training success. There’s really no definition for “early”. Personally, I prefer to have my kids on underwear by around 2 years old, at least when awake. The reasons for early potty training have been mentioned in 18 Sure-Fire Tips for Early Potty Training Success. Of course, you may have your own preference.

The tips below are more for toddlers aged 1 to 3 years old. Older preschoolers aged 4 to 6 years old may need other (more “aggressive”?!?) methods to accelerate progress.

General tips…

1. Set no expectation: Without an expectation on Vee’s progress, I avoided disappointment and frustration. We simply moved a little week by week, and enjoyed each progress. (This “no expectation” attitude actually applies to many aspects of bringing up a child.)

2. Choose suitable diapers or training pants: These are the main choices for potty training:

1. Cloth diapers or training pants with feel-wet fabric, with waterproof layer
2. Cloth diapers or training pants with feel-wet fabric, without waterproof layer
3. Regular underwear

(Note: I left disposable diaper or pull up pants from the above because the ultimate goal is to help the child wear only regular underwear, so she needs to get used to wearing cloth next to her bums.)

Just in case you were wondering, training pants are optional for potty training, especially if your child is already on feel-wet cloth diapers. You may progress from cloth diapers straight to underwear, like how our parents and grandparents did it.

And if you’re looking into getting training pants, there’s a small section on how to choose suitable ones at the end.

3. Observe progress then decide when to go diaper-free: I want to minimize wet messes (and frustration), in case Vee-the-super-heavy-wetter pees on toys and mattresses that can’t be cleaned easily. So from 7 months old, he has been wearing modern cloth diapers while being potty trained.

To accelerate success at the last lap during the day, I let him wear thin cloth diapers and non-waterproof training pants. Once he pee-ed, they’d leak and wet the floor, giving him a shock. After 2 very wet accidents, he started telling me consistently before pee-ing. Then we were finally confident enough to go diaper-free. The key is to observe when the child is almost ready.

4. Try different toileting options: A child who doesn’t like the potty may be excited at using the “big” toilet like Mummy. At different locations, I let Vee pee in the potty, on a toilet seat, and portable potty. I let him pee sitting, while hubby prefers to let him pee standing. This way, he’s also very versatile wherever we go.

Potty training when outdoors…

5. Visit the toilet before the next destination: This prevents accidents while in the car or public transport. Sometimes, we still forget and have to stop somewhere convenient to let him pee. Oops!

6. Have a portable potty in the car (or even diaper bag): We love to use Kalencom 2-in-1 Potette Plus*. Once, we were driving along the Singapore-Malaysia highway and Vee needed to POO. We stopped at the nearest rest station, pulled out the portable potty and he poo-ed while sitting along a corridor! The toilet was too far away. It was a hilarious sight indeed.

Potty training for naps and overnight…

7. Visit the toilet as part of bedtime routine: Vee takes up to an hour before falling asleep. So if he has a big bowl of soup for lunch, he may pee up to FOUR times before nap!

8. Before waking your child up to pee, consider her sleeping pattern: Vee’s a super light sleeper. Sometimes, he wakes up to request for a diaper change after he wets himself. That abruptly marks the end of his nap or he’d need 1-2 hours to fall back to sleep again! This is no fun at all. So I don’t wake him up to pee, and let him wake up by himself or hold till morning.

If your child sleeps well, then you may try waking her up to pee at night. A suitable time is when she shifts from deep sleep to light sleep cycle, and starts stirring.

9. Place a protective layer on mattress: We use a soft waterproof mattress protector (by BabySafe) under the bedsheet.

On his bed, he sleeps directly on a piece of water-resistant fleece blanket folded into several layers. (I bought this from Aussino.) It’s much easier to change and wash the fleece blanket than the entire bedsheet, especially at night. Do note that sleeping on fleece feels slightly warm, so it’s more suitable in an air-conditioned room.

10. Limit fluid intake before bedtime: I decreased Vee’s milk intake from 1  to 1/3 cup before bed; and increased it during snack time. He gets some bread during supper to last him through the night. This has successfully helped him wake up dry on some mornings.

11. Expect regression and deal with it positively: Vee regressed just after Baby Jae arrived. He pooped twice on his diaper (without waking me up) and pee-ed once on his highchair. Of course, I was upset at first and spoke to him firmly after these incidents. Upon reflection, I realised he needed more attention from me, so I ensure he gets sufficient attention during the day.

How to Choose Training Pants

Nowadays, there’re many types of training pants or cloth diapers that can double up as training pants. These are some factors to consider:

• Feel wet fabric: It’s important to let your child feel wetness and discomfort to wish to progress from wearing diapers. Generally, cotton and bamboo feel wettest, followed by microfleece, then suede cloth.
• Suitable absorbency: For daytime, underwear-like training pants with extra layers of fabric in the wet zone is appropriate. For nap and overnight, having the option to stuff additional inserts would be good.
• Fits well: If the training pants are too loose, the rise is too long or thigh circumference too big, leaks are more likely to occur. It should also fit comfortable on your child.
• Easily pulled up and down by adult and child: Ideally, the training pants should be pulled easily by your child when she needs to use the potty. This also depends on her motor skills development. For instance, Vee was day potty trained before he could pull his pants down. It took another few months before he could pull them up. That’s one reason why we could skip training pants and move straight to underwear.
• Waterproof or water-resistant layer: This helps to keep moisture away from sofas, beds, wooden floors, etc. PUL and TPU are commonly-used waterproof fabric; while fleece is water-resistant. More important for outdoors, nap and overnight, less for daytime so that you know immediately when your child pees.
• Attractive colour or design: Depending on the child, she may want to wear attractive training pants and not wish to wet them.

© 2009-2012 Veezian Pte. Ltd. | All rights reserved - This feed is provided for the convenience of Mummy's Reviews™ subscribers. If you like this post, you may share its link: [Potty Training] 11 More Tips for Early Success. Any reproduction of the content within this feed is strictly prohibited.

Related posts:

1. 18 Sure-Fire Tips for Early Potty Training Success
2. [Potty Training] Cloth diaper that can be used as training pants (Blueberry Basix AIO Cloth Diaper)
3. [Potty Training] Daddy-approved pull-up pants (Kissaluvs Pocket Trainers)

More on training pants options — this is a review of Kissaluvs Pocket Trainers, provided by Milagro Trading.

Potty training is a long journey, and it’s great when hubby chips in to help, especially with boys. When outdoors, hubby’s in charge of bringing Vee to the toilet and teaching him how to relieve himself “men’s style”.

Kissaluvs Pocket Trainers are certainly Daddy-approved, with their trim fit and ease of pulling up and down. If you’re looking for training pants for day-time and outdoors, read on.

About Kissaluvs Pocket Trainers

These are the main features of the pocket trainers:

• Outer fabric: 100% custom milled PUL
• Inner fabric: 100% cotton flannel
• Soaker:  Microfiber (2 sewn in layers)
• Closures: 4 side snaps. 2 snap settings per side.
• Country of origin: Made in the U.S.A.

They’re available in 2 sizes; and 4 colours with printed cotton flannel inside.

First Impressions

These are unique training pants with prints on the inside instead of outside. Haha… my mum thought that it’s a reversible underwear. And the dinosaur prints would be a hit with boys!

They’re very trim and side snaps make them suitable for pulling up and down during potty training.

There’s 2 layers of sewn-in microfibre, and a back pocket opening for stuffing more inserts to boost absorbency.

Our Detailed Review

Rating Guide: ★ Oh no!     ★★ Poor     ★★★ Fair     ★★★★ Good     ★★★★★ Excellent!

(a) Prewash & Laundry: ★★★ I prewashed the Kissaluvs Pocket Trainers by hand in warm water. There was slight colour run by the dark brown fabric, which cleared up after 3 rinses.

Unfortunately, the training pants can’t be washed with hot water.

Subsequent laundry is very easy because of the 1-piece design. They dry quite fast too, within a sunny day.

(b) Ease of Use: ★★★ There’re only 4 side snaps to handle. For short hours, no insert is needed — very easy to use.

Even though Vee’s rather chubby, they’re easy to pull up and down, almost like a regular underwear. This is why Daddy loves using this outdoors when bringing Vee to the toilet.

But the pocket is very narrow and feels stiff inside; it’s hard to stuff an insert in. So I’d use it as it is, without adding absorbency.

(c) Fit / Trimness: ★★★★ Vee wears size 3T and is on the smaller waist setting. They fit well at the waist and thighs, while the rise is slightly too long.

They’re very trim (though look puffy in the photos) and fit well under pants for outdoor trips.

The elastics at the back and thighs are sturdy yet gentle without leaving red marks. Vee has a big belly, so it’s good that the trainers rest nicely under his tummy.

Here’re his sexy bums…

(d) Performance: ★★★ The trainers have 2 layers of microfibre and 1 layer of cotton flannel, that can hold 1 of Vee’s pee. This is suitable for potty-training in the day and outdoors.

As mentioned, the pocket is too narrow. I managed to stuff in our narrowest insert (Knickernappies LoopyDo) plus a hemp booster, to last through Vee’s nap. Generally held in well with an occasional leak.

Since these are training pants, I like the feel-wet inner cotton flannel layer.

Personally, I won’t use these for overnight potty training yet until Vee’s dry for more nights in a row.

We didn’t get to test them with poo.

(e) Quality: ★★★★ The sewing and workmanship is excellent. We haven’t used them rigorously enough to judge the long term quality.

(f) Overall Value: ★★★ Each pair of Kissaluvs Pocket Trainers retails at SGD21.50. In the U.S., the suggested retail price is USD14.95.

My main gripe about these trainers is the overly-narrow pocket. Otherwise, they’re easy to pull up and down — great for potty training in the day and outdoors. Not for long naps and overnight, unless you want to catch just one pee, or you manage to stuff additional inserts in.

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What we like about it:

• Ideal fabrics for training pants — waterproof PUL to contain a pee accident and feel-wet inner fabric
• Easy to pull up and down by adult and toddler (nearly 3 years old)
• Gentle leg and back elastics that leave no red marks on chubby toddler

What can be improved:

• Widen pocket for easy stuffing of inserts
• Use fabric that can withstand occasional hot washes
• Indicate waist, thigh and rise dimensions for easier choosing of size

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Get Your Own (with Discount!)

To get your own Kissaluvs Pocket Trainers and other cloth diapering products, visit Milagro Trading.

• Special Treat: 10% discount off regular priced cloth diapers products
• Discount Code: MUMMYREVIEWS12
• Validity Period: Until 30 June 2012

Live outside Asia? You may also check the price at Amazon here: Kissaluvs Pocket Trainers*
—

P.S. Coming up next is an article on More Potty Training Tips, the sequel to 18 Sure-Fire Tips for Early Potty Training Success.

—

Disclosure: I received 1 pair of Kissaluvs Pocket Trainers from Milagro Trading for review.

Mummy’s Reviews™ is a review site that receives compensation if readers make purchases from affiliate links (these are marked with an *). If we receive compensation from the companies whose products we review, this would be disclosed. These compensation help to maintain and grow Mummy’s Reviews™. We test each product thoroughly and give ratings according to our experience with it. We are independently owned and the opinions expressed here are our own.

© 2009-2012 Veezian Pte. Ltd. | All rights reserved - This feed is provided for the convenience of Mummy's Reviews™ subscribers. If you like this post, you may share its link: [Potty Training] Daddy-approved pull-up pants (Kissaluvs Pocket Trainers). Any reproduction of the content within this feed is strictly prohibited.

Related posts:

1. [Potty Training] Cloth diaper that can be used as training pants (Blueberry Basix AIO Cloth Diaper)
2. Review: Kissaluvs Fitted Diapers helped Vee to potty train
3. Review: Knickernappies 2G Pocket Diapers

Happy 2012 to you! For the first post this year, I’m reviewing Blueberry Basix AIO Cloth Diaper, provided by Milagro Trading (previously known as Whoopeekiddies).

Vee has been day potty-trained since 23+ months old, and we’re still working on getting him dry when he’s asleep. He’s using this diaper as training pants for night-time potty training.

After 4 months of testing, I like the Blueberry Basix for its comfortable fit and versatile absorbency. It’s among our favourite cloth diapers that dual-functions as training pants.

About Blueberry Basix AIO Cloth Diaper

These are the main features of the AIO (All in One) cloth diaper:

• Outer fabric: PUL
• Inner fabric: Microfleece
• Soaker:  Microfiber terry (3 sewn in layers)
• Closures: 4 side snaps. 3 snap settings per side.
• Country of origin: Made in the U.S.A.

They’re available in 3 sizes; and a variety of colours and prints.

First Impressions

The colourful owl print is super-cute! Being a side snapping diaper, it’s trim and suitable for pulling up and down during potty training.

Though the diaper’s an AIO, there’s a back pocket opening for stuffing more inserts to boost absorbency.

It comes with a soaker that’s sewn in yet can agitate out during wash for quick drying. There’s a front pocket opening for the soaker to escape.

Our Detailed Review

Rating Guide: ★ Oh no!     ★★ Poor     ★★★ Fair     ★★★★ Good     ★★★★★ Excellent!

(a) Prewash & Laundry: ★★★★ I prewashed the Blueberry Basix by hand in warm water, and it started absorbing. Unfortunately, the diaper cannot be washed with hot water.

Yes, the sewn in soaker does agitate out during washing. I’m still fascinated by the convenience. It takes about 1+ days to dry when it’s cloudy.

(b) Ease of Use: ★★★★ There’re only 4 side snaps to handle. For short hours, no insert is needed for the AIO — very easy to use. We add in a hemp insert to use it overnight, so that’s like a pocket diaper.

Vee’s rather chubby, so it’s ok (not super easy) to pull up and down.

(c) Fit / Trimness: ★★★★★ Vee wears size Large and is on the largest waist setting. The rise is just nice for him, not too long, unlike some Large cloth diapers.

Side snaps provide a very good fit on him. I love this.

The elastics at the back and thighs are sturdy yet gentle without leaving red marks. Vee has a big belly, so it’s good that the diaper rests nicely under his tummy.

Here’re his sexy bums…

(d) Performance: ★★★★ Vee likes the owl design so much that he’s wearing them to bed every alternate night, once they’re dry.

The microfleece inner layer feels damp when pee-ed on, which is fine to aid in potty training.

The sewn-in soaker is only 3 layers of microfiber terry, so it isn’t for heavy wetters during sleeping time.

The size of the pocket opening size is generous. We add in a hemp insert to use it overnight. We’d no leak for a few months until Vee’s pee volume increased during a recent period. Now, he has improved and the diaper is able to hold overnight again. (Our night-time potty training journey is like a yo-yo.)

On some mornings, he’d “apologise” to the owls for wetting them, and that he’d try to keep them dry the next time!

We didn’t get to test the diaper with poo.

(e) Quality: ★★★★★ The sewing and workmanship is excellent. After many washings, the diaper still looks and performs as good as new.

(f) Overall Value: ★★★★ Each Blueberry Basix retails at SGD30. In the U.S., the suggested retail price is USD16.95.

Over the entire diapering period, sized diapers usually requires a larger investment than one size diapers. Yet I’ve always loved sized diapers (especially side snapping ones) for the great fit and ease of use. The Blueberry Basix is a good choice for potty training toddlers, even overnight.

—

What we like about it:

• Cloth diapers that double up as training pants
• Large pocket opening to add inserts for overnight use
• Sewn-in insert agitates out in the wash for shorter drying time
• Gentle leg and back elastics that leave no red marks on chubby toddler
• Lovely prints

What can be improved:

• Use fabric that can withstand occasional hot washes

—

Get Your Own (with Discount!)

To get your own Blueberry Basix AIO Cloth Diapers and other cloth diapering products, visit Milagro Trading.

• Special Treat: 10% discount off regular priced cloth diapers products
• Discount Code: MUMMYREVIEWS12
• Validity Period: Until 30 June 2012

Live outside Asia? You may also check the price at Amazon here: Blueberry Basix AIO Cloth Diaper*
—

P.S. Coming up next is a review on Kissaluvs Pocket Trainers, for day-time and outdoor potty training.

Also, read more on 18 Sure-Fire Tips for Early Potty Training Success.

—

Disclosure: I received 1 pair of Blueberry Basix AIO Cloth Diapers from Milagro Trading for review.

Mummy’s Reviews™ is a review site that receives compensation if readers make purchases from affiliate links (these are marked with an *). If we receive compensation from the companies whose products we review, this would be disclosed. These compensation help to maintain and grow Mummy’s Reviews™. We test each product thoroughly and give ratings according to our experience with it. We are independently owned and the opinions expressed here are our own.

© 2009-2012 Veezian Pte. Ltd. | All rights reserved - This feed is provided for the convenience of Mummy's Reviews™ subscribers. If you like this post, you may share its link: [Potty Training] Cloth diaper that can be used as training pants (Blueberry Basix AIO Cloth Diaper). Any reproduction of the content within this feed is strictly prohibited.

Related posts:

1. [Potty Training] Daddy-approved pull-up pants (Kissaluvs Pocket Trainers)
2. Review: weehuggers Diaper Cover is too gorgeous for pants
3. Review: Kissaluvs Fitted Diapers helped Vee to potty train

Finally, it’s the last Friday of Year 2011! While my 2 boys are soundly asleep, here’s a quick post on Mummy’s Reviews™ TOP 10 Favourites of the year:

For Pregnant Mummies

• Belly Armor The Belly Band: To protect foetus from radiation, especially for the techie Mum

For Mummies

• Advante Blackhole Mosquito Trap: Must-have if your home is infested with mosquitoes!
• LadyCup Menstrual Cup: If you’d like to ditch pads for good
• The Butterfly Pillow: Beautiful multi-purpose pillow. Babies and pregnant Mummies can use it too.
• weehuggers Wet Bag – Hobo Bag: As a small and stylish diaper bag

For Babies & Toddlers

• Four Cow Farm Baby Wash: Great for those with eczema and sensitive skin
• KidzGrow Online: Innovative child development tracking programme
• Lego Duplo: We love playing with these!
• Loopy Loo’s Snap & Scoop Bibs: Finally found my dream bibs
• Love to Swaddle UP: Unique easy-to-use swaddle that helps baby sleep well

Hope you’d find the list helpful in your shopping.
May you and your family enjoy good health and happiness in Year 2012!

Cheers,
MieVee

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To view all our favourites since Year 2009, click below:

• Pregnant Mummy’s Favourites
• Mummy’s Favourites
• Baby & Toddler’s Favourites

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P.S. What are your favourite buys this year? Feel free to share in the comments box.

© 2009-2012 Veezian Pte. Ltd. | All rights reserved - This feed is provided for the convenience of Mummy's Reviews™ subscribers. If you like this post, you may share its link: [Mummy & Baby] Year 2011 TOP 10 Favourite Items. Any reproduction of the content within this feed is strictly prohibited.

Related posts:

1. Year 2010 TOP 10 Favourite Items
2. Year 2009 Favourite Items
3. Thank You For Reading Mummy’s Reviews™! Need Your Feedback…

Today, I’m reviewing Love to Swaddle UP, provided by SMT Distributors (based in Singapore). It’s a very innovative swaddle that we love and are excited to share with you.

My older boy, Vee, was a very fussy sleeper who had to be swaddled until 6.5 months old! So I was thrilled to review this swaddle on baby Jae, hoping that he’d sleep much better than his brother.

About Love to Swaddle UP Lite

These are the main features of the swaddle:

• Fabric: 97% cotton, 3% elastane
• Closure: Twin zipper
• Country of origin: Made in China (Designed in Australia)

The Lite version is made of material 30% lighter than the Original version. I chose this because of our hot weather all year round. It comes in 3 sizes.

First Impressions

The fabric is very thin and smooth, absolutely suitable for delicate baby skin.

I like the twin zipper design, which makes wearing and diaper changes very easy. The zip is also neatly covered up, so it doesn’t rub against baby.

Our Detailed Review

Rating Guide: ★ Oh no!     ★★ Poor     ★★★ Fair     ★★★★ Good     ★★★★★ Excellent!

(a) Laundry: ★★★★ Jae has been using the swaddle every night since 2 weeks old. It can’t be tumble-dried, so I handwash it (in a mad rush) every morning. By evening, it’s usually dry for reusing.

(b) Ease of Use: ★★★★★ It’s probably the easiest swaddle around. Simply lay baby on it, slip his hands into the corners of the wings, and zip up.  Super duper easy. And best of all, baby can’t undo it!

(c) Fit: ★★★★ Size Small is recommended for 3 to 6kg. It has fit well since Jae was 3+ kg. He loves to put his hands to his face, so this swaddle’s design is perfect for him.

When Jae was about 4kg, the swaddle started to fit snugly. He’s now about 4,5kg. Hope it’d really last him till 6kg.

(d) Performance: ★★★★★ At first, Jae would wake up for milk after about 2 hours. The first night he tried the swaddle (at 2 weeks old), we’d to wake him up for feed at 1a.m. and 4a.m.! This miracle didn’t last though. (I wished it did!) Generally, he sleeps very well in this swaddle because it keeps his arms from “flying around” too much.

During breastfeeding, he prefers to cover his face with his hands, so he can feed in a natural position in the swaddle.

It also keeps his hands from scratching me. There’s no need for mittens that tend to drop off easily from his tiny hands.

Diaper changes are easy. Just pull the lower zip upwards. There’s no need to remove the swaddle even when washing baby’s bums.

After 1 month old, Jae started regurgitating milk often, so I bought another swaddle to rotate.

(e) Quality: ★★★★★ The sewing and workmanship is excellent. After daily washings for 1+ month, the swaddle still looks and performs as good as new.

(f) Overall Value: ★★★★ Each Love to Swaddle UP Lite retails at SGD55.90. The Original version is at SGD49.90. It seems pricey for something that’s used for a few months. Yet I’m all in for investing in baby stuff that facilitates a good night’s sleep, so this is still a good buy. (If you’ve read ALL my reviews on baby sleep products, you’d certainly understand where I’m coming from. Ha!)

A great choice for easy swaddling and for babies who love sleeping with hands up.

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What we like about it:

• Allows baby to be swaddled with arms up in a natural position
• Baby stays swaddled all night long
• Twin zipper design for easy wearing and diaper changes
• (Lite version) Very light single-layer fabric — prevents overheating in hot weather
• Facilitates breastfeeding even when swaddled up

What can be improved:

We’re very happy with the swaddle!

• 2 swaddles are usually needed for rotation, so do offer package deals

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Get Your Own (with Discount!)

To get your own Love to Swaddle UP, visit SMT Distributors (Singapore).

• Special Treat: 15% discount
• Discount Code: MUM-IVJ9L-99195
• Validity Period: Until 31 Mar 2012

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Sharing time: Does your baby love or hate to be swaddled? Feel free to share your experiences and reviews in the comments box.

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Disclosure: I received a Love to Swaddle UP Lite from SMT Distributors for review, and bought another one.

Mummy’s Reviews™ is a review site that receives compensation if readers make purchases from affiliate links (these are marked with an *). If we receive compensation from the companies whose products we review, this would be disclosed. These compensation help to maintain and grow Mummy’s Reviews™. We test each product thoroughly and give ratings according to our experience with it. We are independently owned and the opinions expressed here are our own.

© 2009-2012 Veezian Pte. Ltd. | All rights reserved - This feed is provided for the convenience of Mummy's Reviews™ subscribers. If you like this post, you may share its link: [Baby] Swaddle baby easily with Love to Swaddle UP. Any reproduction of the content within this feed is strictly prohibited.

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1. Review: Bumble Bee Swaddle Blanket
2. Review: Kiddopotamus SwaddleMe
3. [Mummy & Baby] Year 2011 TOP 10 Favourite Items

The winners of Giveaway #21 sponsored by Mummy Knows Best Shop are out!

Here are the lucky winners (first 3 names generated by Random.org) who win a GroVia Diaper Shell Set worth SGD45.90 each:

Doreen who would like it in Blue Birds (Aplix).

Chong Mui Ling who would like it in Blackberry.

Carol Lim Mei Mei who would like it in Blue Birds (Aplix).

Timestamp: 2011-12-17 05:03:33 UTC

Congratulations to you! To claim your prize, please contact me within 7 days of this post with your mailing address (Singapore only) and contact number.

Note: For future giveaways, I’d email winners directly instead of publishing a separate blog post.

Updated GroVia AI2 Cloth Diaper Review

Baby Jae has been trying out GroVia AI2 over the past 1+ month.

• The trim cutting fits him very well.
• Aplix tabs give a good fit for newborns and are WAY easier than snaps to put on a screamy newborn.
• The washable soaker is able to catch runny breastfed poo. Sometimes, the diaper shell may get dirty, which means it can’t be reused. Overall, no leak for pee and poo.
• The disposable GroBaby and GroVia Biosoakers only worked well for us in the first 3 to 4 weeks. Like his brother, Baby Jae’s also a heavy wetter. When he reached 4 weeks old, the biosoakers leak after 2 hours (about 2 pees). Once saturated, the sides tear and gel escaped.

For the full and updated review, click here.

There are several upcoming reviews on interesting baby products that we’ve been using on Jae. And of course, Giveaways too. So stay tuned!

© 2009-2012 Veezian Pte. Ltd. | All rights reserved - This feed is provided for the convenience of Mummy's Reviews™ subscribers. If you like this post, you may share its link: Giveaway #21 Winners & Updated GroVia AI2 Review. Any reproduction of the content within this feed is strictly prohibited.

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Baby Jae turned 1 month old on Wednesday, so it’s time to share his birth story with you while my memory is still fresh.

A quick update first: I’ve been taking care of the 2 boys by myself over the past few days. I messed things up quite a bit on the first day, ha! After that, things have been improving. It certainly helps that Jae LOVES to sleep, so it’s usually lights out for him by 7 to 8 p.m. Then I can spend some time with Vee and get things organised.

All right, here’s the birth story…

The Plan

My EDD was 10 Nov 2011. Since the second trimester, I’ve been communicating with Jae to arrive on 5 Nov 2011, which is a Saturday, followed by a public holiday on Monday.

The day came and nothing happened, so I celebrated my birthday in advance over the weekend. That 2 nights, I experienced slight cramps, but not regular enough to mean the real thing.

The REAL Thing

7 Nov 2011, 1p.m.: Mild contractions started after lunch. They were relatively regular, occurring at about 30 minutes interval. That day was my lunar birthday and my mum’s birthday. I’d a feeling that baby would arrive by the end of the day or the next.

3 to 5p.m.: I took an afternoon nap with Vee. Once awake, I felt the mild contractions again.

I downloaded the Contractions Monitor app on my iPod Touch. This way, I could simply press a button when contraction starts, and press it again when it ends. Then choose its strength, from “Very Mild” to “Very Strong”. The app even plots a chart showing the patterns of the contractions — hubby was impressed!

7.30p.m.: We’d dinner at home. Since the ob-gyn said I need to be admitted when there are 10 contractions within 1 hour, I waited for that time to come. Then suddenly, the contractions became rather strong and VERY frequent — I was pressing the button throughout dinner! And I realised there were already 10 contractions within 40 minutes!

Our original plan was to put Vee to bed, then go to the hospital. But I knew things couldn’t wait, so we decided to rush to the hospital first.

8.30p.m.: I caught a quick shower (cos who knows when the next shower time would be) and saw the “show”. Things were happening too fast beyond our expectations. We grabbed the hospital bag and left house. Great that the hospital is only 10 minutes away from home and there was no traffic jam.

9.15p.m.: Immediately, the nurse arranged for a penicillin injection because I’m a Group B Strep carrier. This is to protect baby during delivery.

The midwife checked and I was already 6-7 cm dilated. She estimated that baby would arrive within 2 hours. Fantastic, considering I spent 29 hours in the hospital for the first delivery.

I lied down inclined sideways and used deep breathing plus relaxation technique to manage every contraction. They were strong yet still manageable.

The ob-gyn reached and artificially burst my water bag to speed things up. The next contraction was EXTREMELY powerful and shocked me! I thought I’d the urge to push, but it was still too early.

Ob-gyn said that baby was very deeply engaged, but his face was facing front, so that could give me the false feeling to push. I mentally told baby to turn backwards.

Midwife suggested that I change from lying on my left to the right, and the following contraction was milder.

Then the super-powerful contractions came on again. Amazingly, baby has turned. This time, the midwife said that I could start pushing, so I did.

10.52p.m.: Within a few pushes, baby Jae was out. I was sooooo relieved and happy that I did it with no enema, no pain relief and no episiotomy. There was only a very slight tear and no blood loss like the first delivery.

Jae calmed down immediately and looked at me when the nurse passed him over. Priceless moment…

After Delivery

For 2 nights, I stayed with Jae in the hospital while hubby brought Vee home to rest. Breastfeeding this second time round is much easier since I know how to cradle the baby and latch him on correctly. And time flies, Jae’s already 1 month old. I’m looking forward to him growing up and playing with his brother.

Sharing time: What’s your birth story? Share your blog post link or write it out in the comments box.

© 2009-2012 Veezian Pte. Ltd. | All rights reserved - This feed is provided for the convenience of Mummy's Reviews™ subscribers. If you like this post, you may share its link: Baby Jae’s Birth Story. Any reproduction of the content within this feed is strictly prohibited.

Related posts:

1. Sharing Vee’s birth story with you
2. [Pregnancy] Hospital Bag Checklist for Delivery

Note to new readers: This article is part of Vee’s developmental milestones update series. It summarises my parenting approach, Vee’s progress, challenges we face and how we overcome them.

Inspiration this month:

Being a mother of 2 means I need to master an entirely new level of multi-tasking. Imagine this: nursing a newborn, urging a toddler to eat faster and gobbling down my food all at the SAME time.

Now that baby Jae has arrived, Vee’s officially promoted to be an older brother. I’ve stretched his growth updates from monthly to bi-monthly to tri-monthly. Ha… time’s very limited as I learn to juggle between the needs of 2 young boys. Kudos to mums who have even more children!

Anyway, the boy turned 2 years 9 months old (33 months) and here’s his progess update:

Learning & Communication

Through the final trimester of pregnancy, I managed to homeschool Vee using The Shichida Method almost every week day. We’d a break for the first 2+ weeks when baby Jae arrived, and just resumed guided activities again. He certainly misses his home lessons!

• Senses: Perhaps with the senses play that we’ve been practising, Vee has super-sharp senses. A few days ago, we were playing in the living room. Then he suddenly exclaimed, “Mummy, your handphone is ringing!” My phone rarely rings and it was in the bedroom upstairs. And I seriously couldn’t hear it at all. When I checked, it indeed had a missed call and 2 SMSes. Wow!
• Memory: We started learning 三字经 (Three Character Classic) through CDs and homemade flashcards. He’s very good at reciting them with minimal effort. In contrast, I need to practise MUCH harder to recall the verses. The power of learning using the right brain! Bit by bit, hopefully we can cover the entire classic through next year. This is a fantastic way to strengthen his audio memory, widen his Chinese vocabulary and instil good moral values.

• Reading: Recently, he has shown great enthusiasm in reading Chinese books aloud by himself. I’m putting a lot of emphasis on his Chinese language because we’d be enrolling him in a Chinese primary school. And I always think that Chinese is a beautiful yet very difficult language to master.
• Favourite books:

1. My First Things That Go Board Book* by DK Publishing: I bought several books from this My First series when Vee was about 1+ years old. This book on transport vehicles is his all-time favourite. From this book, I also learnt about vehicles such as digger, front loader and tractor with bale loader. I’m not a vehicle person at all, yet this little knowledge helps me to connect with Vee when he goes all EXCITED seeing them on the road. Other books from the series that we love:
2. My First Animal Board Book*: I like that this book introduces a wide number of interesting animals, such as the boa constrictor and fire salamander.
3. My First Word Board Book*: This book covers a big array of items in and out of the house. Ideal for expanding vocabulary.
4. My First Phonics Board Book*: I didn’t learn phonics as a child, so I can’t teach Vee phonics. This book covers many of the common sounds, so we learn together by reading it.

Montessori: For his first 3 years, we’ve been focusing more on right brain education. From age 3 to 6 years, it’s time to start bridging the right and left brain. This means besides “input” to the right brain, we’d also cover more logical reasoning and explanation. Vee started asking “Why” all the time since several months back, so it’s a sign that his left brain is kicking in.

After some exploration, I’d be implementing more Montessori activities into our home learning. To kick this off, I’ve enrolled in a 12-month online Monterssori Teacher Training Program offered by Karen Tyler, beginning on 1 December 2011. You’re welcome to join me and Shen-Li (of Figur8) if you’re interested.

Motor Skills

• After a few weeks of regular practice on his balance bike, he can move very fast on it, maneuvering in circles and sudden swerves.
• These few months, he finally could pull his underwear up by himself. So he doesn’t need my help to go to the potty. Just in time since I’m busier with baby Jae now. He managed to put on his pyjamas pants by himself too, but still needs more practice.

Behaviour & Social Skills

• With baby Jae’s arrival, I’ve less dedicated time for Vee. In the early days, he saw his baby brother scream, so he followed suit. He behaved in a very unusual manner during that first week when I rested a lot. Now that I’ve more time for him, he’s more his usual self.
• To ensure he continues to feel loved (and therefore behave well), I give him my full attention once baby Jae is asleep. We read, sing, play, hug and he totally enjoys these special 1-to-1 moments.

Diet & Feeding

• Vee used to be very easy during meal-times. Now, if I’ve to breastfeed Jae when he’s eating, he’d be very difficult and wait for me to feed him after I’m done nursing. I wish this is only a passing phase!

Potty Training

• Several months back, he’d a week of staying dry through naps and nights. Then he completely regressed. Nowadays, he wakes up wetter than in the past! More patience needed here…

Sleep

• He’s finally used to Daddy putting him to bed and sleeping beside him through the night. Miraculously, Granny managed to put him to bed on the night I delivered Jae, even though it was 1a.m. when he finally zonked out.
• I’m also teaching him to stay calm (and not cry) if he doesn’t see me when he wakes up. Many times, I’ve to breastfeed baby Jae in the next room.

It’s been a steep learning curve being a Mummy of 2. Thankfully, Jae has been a very angelic baby who already sleeps up to 4 hours in a stretch at night! Hope I’d be able to manage well when the confinement lady leaves in 2 weeks. Catch up again!

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P.S. View more developmental milestones (from 8 months old onwards).

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Disclosure: Mummy’s Reviews™ is a review site that receives compensation if readers make purchases from affiliate links (these are marked with an *). If we receive compensation from the companies whose products we review, this would be disclosed. These compensation help to maintain and grow Mummy’s Reviews™. We test each product thoroughly and give ratings according to our experience with it. We are independently owned and the opinions expressed here are our own.

© 2009-2012 Veezian Pte. Ltd. | All rights reserved - This feed is provided for the convenience of Mummy's Reviews™ subscribers. If you like this post, you may share its link: [Learning] Vee Turns 2 Years 9 Months Old. Any reproduction of the content within this feed is strictly prohibited.

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