These days Richie is having fun reading story books. He loves to hear when I read out to him and he even turns the pages. But what he does most is taste the book to check if it good. ;) Babies at this age have very sensitive taste buds and want to taste everything to find out whether they are good or bad.
His favourite are “The very hungry caterpillar”, “Goodnight moon”, “Five little monkeys jumping on the wall”, “My first 100 words” and “Spot the Dog - series”. Here are some books you can buy for your little ones and see the lovely smile on their face.They will surely enjoy them.
There is nothing like listening to stories before going to bed. The rhythmic sound soothes them and makes them fall asleep. It also helps to create a love for books, which will help them in the long run. I remember our grandmother telling us stories when we were small and I used to love it, even if, she was repeating the same story everyday. ;) It brings nostalgic moments back to me.
Richie’s trip to the shopping mall
Today mom took me to the mall for shopping. In that mall, there are lots of things, right from food shopping, kids and baby clothes, toys and accessories, men’s clothes and accessories, women’s clothes, home accessories and electrical appliances, pet foods and clothes and the list goes on.. It also has a health and beauty spa, hair cutting saloon, eye testing clinic, pain relief massage parlour, and even English lessons for kids and adults. You name it and it is there. Mom and Dad can spend hours at the mall shopping and I enjoy sitting in my pram and having a tour of it. That is how I know about all of it. ;)
Now the best place in the mall is the games section where kids and adults play together. I love watching them as I cannot play much there. Here are some pictures for you. Mom says she will take me there when I become 1 year old. There is also an area adjacent to it with lots of toys, for babies to play. That is the area I like the most at the moment. Mom showed me this area many a times, but today I actually got to play. I felt a bit scared at first, finding myself amidst other babies and people. Later I got down and started playing without bothering about others. I had lot of fun trying out new musical toys, drums, alphabet blocks, cranes, books etc. It was very exciting. I am waiting to go there again.
6 month old baby feeding and sleep schedule
After all these days of on-demand feeding, I realized that Richie is still not getting enough. He was always hungry. I wondered, “what is going wrong? am I not feeding him properly?” I realized that though I was feeding him, it was all haphazard. He used to be not hungry enough and then refuse food. I used to think he had his feed and next within an hour he was hungry again.
My friend advised me to make a schedule. She said, once he is on a schedule, he will wake up for his feed at the stipulated time. Yes, it will seem difficult initially, but will be very beneficial to both of you in the long run. Some days in the schedule, and I am a happy mom. I even get time to blog as I am no longer worried whether he is getting enough. When it is time to eat, I feed him and he too is happy.
I am posting Richie’s schedule here. I thought, it might help someone who, like me is craving for time to do something for themselves. This schedule is just a guideline and you can change it to suit your baby.
8am – Wake up, drink breast milk/formula
8.30 - Play and Sleep (about 2 hours)
11am – Breast milk/Juice/Water and Play/Learn/Exercise
1pm – Lunch of rice and vegetable
1 – Sleep for 2-3 hours
3.30pm - Drink breast milk/Formula
4-6pm - Play, go for a walk in the park, drink water/juice
6.30pm – Light Snacks sweet potatoe, apple/banana puree, fruits yoghurt etc
7pm – Oil Massage and Bath
8pm – Catnap for 30 mins if the bath was too tiring;)
8.30pm – Dinner of rice porridge with fish/vegetables
11pm – Breast milk/formula
11.30pm – Sleep (+wakes up once or twice for feeds)
My friend advised me to make a schedule. She said, once he is on a schedule, he will wake up for his feed at the stipulated time. Yes, it will seem difficult initially, but will be very beneficial to both of you in the long run. Some days in the schedule, and I am a happy mom. I even get time to blog as I am no longer worried whether he is getting enough. When it is time to eat, I feed him and he too is happy.
I am posting Richie’s schedule here. I thought, it might help someone who, like me is craving for time to do something for themselves. This schedule is just a guideline and you can change it to suit your baby.
8am – Wake up, drink breast milk/formula
8.30 - Play and Sleep (about 2 hours)
11am – Breast milk/Juice/Water and Play/Learn/Exercise
1pm – Lunch of rice and vegetable
1 – Sleep for 2-3 hours
3.30pm - Drink breast milk/Formula
4-6pm - Play, go for a walk in the park, drink water/juice
6.30pm – Light Snacks sweet potatoe, apple/banana puree, fruits yoghurt etc
7pm – Oil Massage and Bath
8pm – Catnap for 30 mins if the bath was too tiring;)
8.30pm – Dinner of rice porridge with fish/vegetables
11pm – Breast milk/formula
11.30pm – Sleep (+wakes up once or twice for feeds)
Saw baby's first 2 teeth - 6 Months 15 Days
My baby is 6 months and 15 days to be precise. The other day when Richie was laughing, I saw two little pearls shining at me. Oh wow, he was showing off his new possession...2 white teeth were making their way through the gums of the lower jaw. He seemed excited.
Babies typically sprout their first white caps between the age of 4 to 7 months. But teething can start as early as 3 months or late as 12 months, so there is no need to worry.
Here comes the real test for me. Now that the teeth are scratching, I get more bites when I am breastfeeding him.. Ouuuuccccch..
Babies typically sprout their first white caps between the age of 4 to 7 months. But teething can start as early as 3 months or late as 12 months, so there is no need to worry.
Here comes the real test for me. Now that the teeth are scratching, I get more bites when I am breastfeeding him.. Ouuuuccccch..
Pregnancy and childbirth in Japan - What to expect
Pregnancy and child birth is said to be a life-changing experience for a women. Doing it in one’s own country is difficult enough and in a foreign land (for me here in Japan) where you do not even understand the language much, makes it much more difficult.
I decided to take up the challenge as I and my hubby are working here and wanted to be together during the delivery. Here are some guidelines of what to expect if you are having your baby here in Japan.
Once my pregnancy was confirmed, the doctor told us that we must register our pregnancy at the city office or nearest health center.The city office gave us a Maternal and Child health handbook (boshi techo), in which we will have to record the course of my pregnancy and the birth, prenatal classes record, as well as our baby's development and immunization records. This is a very important document and will serve as proof wherever baby development and benefits thereof are concerned. Along with the "boshi techo" is a packet containing local information, prenatal classes and immunization schedules. Also included are 10-12 coupons which will give you discount for health check-ups during the course of your pregnancy.
A prenatal visit to the doctor costs between 3,500 and 10,000 yen. Since we had the coupons it came out cheaper. We had ultra sound as a routine and was included in the fee. We also had HIV, blood sugar test, as well as Pap smear test. We had to bear the extra cost for these tests which was between 6,000 – 20,000 yen. Whoops, that seemed like a big expense for us. But for our baby, anything was fine.
The average cost for a normal delivery and a 5-7 day stay in the hospital with food included is between 350,000-850,000 yen, depending on whether you have taken a private or a shared room.
The city office gives around 350,000 to 380,000 yen as assistance for childbirth expenses as of January 2009. You need to apply for this aid at the city office with the boshi-techo and/or child-birth certificate, which may differ based on your locality. You will have to inquire at your city office for the exact procedure. You can decide to get the childbirth expenses amount in your account or directly pay at the hospital.
All the best for your pregnancy!!
more in the next blog...
I decided to take up the challenge as I and my hubby are working here and wanted to be together during the delivery. Here are some guidelines of what to expect if you are having your baby here in Japan.
Once my pregnancy was confirmed, the doctor told us that we must register our pregnancy at the city office or nearest health center.The city office gave us a Maternal and Child health handbook (boshi techo), in which we will have to record the course of my pregnancy and the birth, prenatal classes record, as well as our baby's development and immunization records. This is a very important document and will serve as proof wherever baby development and benefits thereof are concerned. Along with the "boshi techo" is a packet containing local information, prenatal classes and immunization schedules. Also included are 10-12 coupons which will give you discount for health check-ups during the course of your pregnancy.
A prenatal visit to the doctor costs between 3,500 and 10,000 yen. Since we had the coupons it came out cheaper. We had ultra sound as a routine and was included in the fee. We also had HIV, blood sugar test, as well as Pap smear test. We had to bear the extra cost for these tests which was between 6,000 – 20,000 yen. Whoops, that seemed like a big expense for us. But for our baby, anything was fine.
The average cost for a normal delivery and a 5-7 day stay in the hospital with food included is between 350,000-850,000 yen, depending on whether you have taken a private or a shared room.
The city office gives around 350,000 to 380,000 yen as assistance for childbirth expenses as of January 2009. You need to apply for this aid at the city office with the boshi-techo and/or child-birth certificate, which may differ based on your locality. You will have to inquire at your city office for the exact procedure. You can decide to get the childbirth expenses amount in your account or directly pay at the hospital.
All the best for your pregnancy!!
more in the next blog...
Sweet Potatoes as baby food
I introduced sweet potatoes to Richie after he completed 6.5 months. Sweet potatoes are nutritious and high in Vitamin A and beta carotene as well as potassium. They also contain a good amount of Vitamin E, calcium and folate. It is easy to prepare and he enjoys it as well.
Here is a simple recipe for you:
Sweet Potatoes Puree
1. Steam or bake sweet potatoes together until tender.
2. Puree as needed, adding water to thin if required.
Sweet Potatoes and Apple Mash
1. Steam or bake apples and sweet potatoes together until tender.
2. Mash/puree as needed, adding water to thin if required.
Boiling/Steaming Sweet Potatoes:
1. Peel sweet potatoes and cut into small chunks
2. Place chunks into a pan/pressure cooker with just enough water
3. Boil until tender.
Other foods which you can mix with sweet potatoes
Apples
Baby Cereal
Brown Rice
Carrots
Chicken
Green Beans
Lentils
Peaches
Peas
Pumpkin
Yogurt
Here is a simple recipe for you:
Sweet Potatoes Puree
1. Steam or bake sweet potatoes together until tender.
2. Puree as needed, adding water to thin if required.
Sweet Potatoes and Apple Mash
1. Steam or bake apples and sweet potatoes together until tender.
2. Mash/puree as needed, adding water to thin if required.
Boiling/Steaming Sweet Potatoes:
1. Peel sweet potatoes and cut into small chunks
2. Place chunks into a pan/pressure cooker with just enough water
3. Boil until tender.
Other foods which you can mix with sweet potatoes
Apples
Baby Cereal
Brown Rice
Carrots
Chicken
Green Beans
Lentils
Peaches
Peas
Pumpkin
Yogurt
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