Independent sleeper

A lot of people are surprised that M sleeps on her own at night. She has been sleeping in the cot in her room since she was born but there was always an adult close by. When she turned one, we decided she was ready to be on her own. She was sleeping well and no longer needs a night feed

The only exception was when she was sick. And we always keep a baby monitor on through the night so we are alerted to her cries easily.

I’ve definitely been sleeping better since moving out of her room. It’s really beneficial that I get a good night’s sleep so I have the energy to take care of her during the day. I really appreciate this daily ‘time-off’ from her.

I remember an ex-colleague who mentioned that the only time she spends with her son was during sleep on work days, and that’s why her family co-sleeps on the same bed. How sad, I thought then…

So even though we’ve gotten a few frowns from people who seemed to imply we’re not good parents for letting M sleep on her own, we’re still behind it. It’s really just a matter of time.

For one, we will be spared the trouble of kicking her out of our bed or room when she’s older, which most people agree, will be tougher.

M started to nap in the old school sarong rocker when she was two months old. It allowed her to nap for longer stretches of time and allowed me to take a break. She was quite a ‘cry baby’ then, so we introduced the pacifier around the same time but kept it strictly for sleep. We even played soothing music at times to induce her to dreamland.

When her daily routine stabilised around six months, we started to wean her off the pacifier and music. The music was easy; we just stopped playing. As for weaning her off the pacifier, we first started with the afternoon naps. I would let her fall asleep with it and then try to remove it after she falls into deep sleep. At times, it startled her and I had to let her have it again. But after a week or so, she did not even need it to fall asleep. We then went on to do the same thing when she sleeps at night. All was well and the pacifier became reserved for emergency only.

But the sarong rocker remained our ultimate life-saver…

So much so that M would only want to nap in it. But as she grew substantially heavier, we began to worry about her falling out of it. Her weight gradually caused the sarong to sink lower and lower such that if her legs dangled out she could touch the floor.

I first tried to get her to nap in her cot when she around 1.5 years old but no matter what I did (milk, pacifier, music), I was unsuccessful. She would stand in her cot, point to her sarong rocker and cry till I brought her there.

Disheartened by the attempts, I did not try again till a couple of months later. This time round, the first attempt was already encouraging; even though I needed to re-introduce the pacifier and soothing music. She would cry when I put her in her cot; I would come back in with the pacifier and she would fall asleep after a while. Hence, I managed to get rid of the sarong rocker at the expense of the two lesser evils.

Not willing to settle at this, I tried not giving her the pacifier a few days later and she could fall asleep on her own! That made my day. Left with the least of the three evils – soothing music, I was really not in a hurry. And getting rid of it proved to be a breeze…

Getting ready for baby

For the benefit of some friends getting ready for their first baby, I’m sharing my shopping list below:

Shopping List

Food
1	Milk bottles
2	Bottle brush
3	Bottle liquid detergent
4	Bottle rack
5	Sterilizer – Pigeon
6	Breast pump – Medela
7	Milk storage cups/bags
8	Cooler bag + ice pack
9	Milk powder dispenser
10	Thermal flask (small)
11	Ba Bao San + Bao Ying Dan – Eu Yan Sang
12	Square towels/bib
Bath
1	Bathtub
2	Anti-slip mat
3	Baby bath gel
4	Bath towel
5	Wash cloth
6	Cotton ball
7	Changing mat/top/table
8	Water containers (2)
9	Baby wipes (+ travel pack)
10	Facial Cotton
11	Nappy cream – Desitin
12	Ru Yi You – Ji Siang brand
13	Baby cream/lotion
14	Olive oil
15	Cotton bud
16	Alcohol swap
17	Baby nail cutter/clipper
Well-Being
1	Thermometer
2	Baby monitor
3	Record book
Wear
1	Shirts + pants – long & short
2	Rompers
3	Nappy towels
4	Nappy liners
5	Plastic pants
6	Disposable diapers
7	Mittens
8	Booties
9	Cap
10	Receiving blanket
11	Baby washing detergent
Sleep
1	Cot/playpen/sarong rocker
2	Mattress
3	Mattress sheets
4	Blanket
5	Bolster (bean sprout)
6	Pacifier
Mum
1	Nightshirts
2	Nursing bra
3	Disposable + washable breast pads
4	Nipple cream
5	Breast shells
6	Breastfeeding pillow
7	Disposable panties
8	Maternity pads
9	Float (natural birth)
10	Stomach binder
11	Bedroom slippers
12	Herbs for confinement
Hospital Bag
Mum
1	1/C
2	Admission letter
3	Medical reports
4	Cordblood kit
5	Handphone charger
6	Sweater
7	Socks
8	Nightshirts
9	Nursing bra
10	Nipple cream
11	Disposable panties
12	Maternity pads
13	Slippers
14	Toiletries – toothbrush + paste, facial cleanser
15	Wet wipes
16	Facial cotton/cotton balls
17	Comb + hair clip
18	Float (natural birth)
19	Stomach binder (caesarean birth)
20	Pressure stockings (caesarean birth)
21	Going home clothes
Dad
1	I/C
2	Marriage certificate
3	Camera
4	Handphone charger
5	Clothes
6	Toiletries
Baby
1	Going home clothes
2	Mittens
3	Booties
4	Receiving blanket

p/s: Not everything is needed immediately. Really depends on your delivery mode, preferred way of feeding and diapering. Good to get hubby involved so he knows what to get later on.