Cost of baby's 2nd month - Baby Fair

Thanks to my Parents-in-law who braved the crowds during baby fair in april to get some baby items. There were comments that the crowd were worse than IT show. Singapore's new hobby - shopping for baby items. The discounts are quite good though. Below is a comparison:

The Milk bags are going for $0.1875/pc instead of the usual $0.23/pc, while Nuk teats were at $3.20/pc instead of $4.14. Worth it if you buy in bulk.

We also came across this self warming bottle that is convenient for parents to heat up milk bottle when you are outside or travelling. See link for more info. We have recently learnt that freshly pumped milk can last 4hrs in room temperature, so there is no need to bring around your whole milk preparation devices when you are out for a short while.

Cost of baby's 2nd month - Baby wipes, Napkins and Liquid Cleanser

Got more napkins. Really useful in a variety of things. Used as a bath towel, pillow, blanket and for swaddling.

Still cant find a cheaper place than Swanston for Baby Wipes and Liquid Cleanser.

Cost of baby's 2nd month - Thermometer

This is a case of super kiasu-ness. Things get abit panicky and abit uncertain when Baby has a temperature. We previously had a infra-thermometer, but in the end, the readings were too varied for us to be comfortable with it. In the end, we got not one additional thermometer but 2 different ones - an In Ear and a traditional digital thermometer that you put under the armpit. Just a word on the digital one from Omron, the tip is flexible and would be child friendly in theory. Havnt tried it as Baby temperature was back to normal.

I don’t think you need so many thermometers, but having one that you are used to would provide a greater sense of security. No need anything fancy.

Cost of baby's 2nd month - Pediatrician and vaccination

Baby's umbilical cord stump dropped off in the 2nd week and a couple of weeks later, we noticed a bump on his belly button. We went to the pediatrician (PD) and it was diagnosed to be Umbilical Cord Hernia. This happens when bowel or tissues pokes through a weak spot near the belly button. However, its not an emergency. Just got to monitor it and see that it doesnt grow bigger. Should gradually subside over the next 1 year, otherwise surgery might be required.

The subsequent week, we brought baby back to the PD for vaccination. Based on the Health Promotion Board (HPB) guidelines, this 5-in-1 vaccination is supposed to happen on his 3rd month. You can find the schedule table here. However, the PD advised us to do it one month earlier after we mentioned that baby will go to infant care at 3mth 2wks old. It is advisable to complete 2 rounds of 5-in-1, Pneumococcal and rotavirus vaccination before baby goes to infant care. These will reduce chances of him falling sick. 

Total of 2 jabs and one oral (rotavirus) = crying baby. The PD mentioned that there is a 50% chance that baby will have slight fever the next few days and true enough, he did. Below are some info on the vaccination:

Infanrix 5 in 1 vaccines: Provides protection against diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis and polio which are part of the compulsory childhood immunisation programme. In addition, they provide protection against Hemophius Influenzae Type B which causes meningitis and pneumonia.

Pneumococcal Vaccination: Pneumococcal disease is a leading infectious cause of death in children and adults worldwide. It is a bacterial infection that causes pneumonia, meningitis, bacteraemia and other life-threatening ailments. Serious pneumococcal infections are a global health problem but are vaccine-preventable.

Rotavirus Vaccination: Rotavirus disease is the most common cause of serious diarrhoea in infants and young children. It is a highly contagious infection, but can be prevented by vaccinating against the rotavirus

Baby Bonus

Singapore government have been eager to encourage more babies to improve our aging population. In terms of financial incentives, there are 2 schemes which will give parents a total of $12,000 for their first child (more if you have more children).

1) Cash Gift - For the first child, you will get $6,000. The cash gift will be disbursed in 3 installments over 12 months from the birth of your child, to help parents defray the new or additional expenses arising from your newborn. You will receive the first installment (50% of the amount) within 3 week after we have received your completed forms, and the subsequent two installments (25% each) when your child is approximately 6 and 12 months of age. The cash gift will be credited into the bank account you specify.

2) CDA - The government will match dollar for dollar, for the first $6,000, if you credit money into your child's CDA account. Money in the CDA account can be used at pre-approved institutions or retailers and usually for the purpose of the child's education and healthcare needs. You can open a CDA account with either OCBC or Standard Chartered only.

For both schemes, you will need to register your child's birth first before you get to enjoy the benefit. For Gleneagles, they provided a one stop shop and i was able to register for both schemes upon registering for my child's birth certificate.

More information here

Finance 102: Getting high interest in a low interest environment

Making our money work by putting in a bank has become more meaningful recently. There are 2 schemes which i use to generate some income:

1) OCBC 360 Account - Base interest is 0.05%. Nothing special. What's special is when you credit your monthly salary, and/or pay 4 bills within the month and/or spend $400 on a OCBC credit card in that month. For each action, you will get 1% interest per annum, paid every month. That will give you a total of 3.05% per annum if you complete all action. However the additional interest in capped at the first $50,000 deposited. 

Assuming you have $50,000 in the account, that will give you $127 per month or $1525 a year! To put it into perspective of a parent with an infant, that will probably be enough for diapers(i only spend $49.80 in April) and milk powder for the month. On top of that, if you have OCBC Frank Card, you can continue to enjoy 6% off online/netsflashpay spending (pls refer to my previous article Finance 101 ). For more information, you can refer to OCBC website.

2) Standard Chartered BonusSaver - You get 1.88%, on the first $25,000, when you spend $500 on your BonusSaver Credit Card. This will give you $39 a month or $470 a year in interest. Not as exciting, but not shabby at all, in this low interest rate environment. For more information, you can refer to Bonussaver website .

So, if you have $75,000 and spend at least $900/mth using credit cards, you get to enjoy $166/mth of risk-free interest income. 

Cost of Baby's 2nd month - Diapers

It is commonly understood that Pampers is the more expensive brand compared to Mamypoko. That is unless there are promotions going on. I got a pack of Pampers from The Arc NTUC at Alexandra Road that is going at a discount and on a $/pc basis, it is slightly cheaper than Mamypoko.

In terms of review, both are equally absorbent, but Mummy has a preference to Mamypoko as she feels Baby's output stick to his skin easily when he is on Pampers.

There is a comprehensive review by another mummy who tested the products herself to look at comfort level, absorbent level as well as tolerance to wear and tear . See link

At the end of the day, the best way is to try it out. Huggies provide free diaper sample and you can register from the link below:
https://www.huggies.com.sg/request-sample.aspx?icmpid=claim-your-free-sample-now

Cost of baby 1st year - 2nd month

Cost will begin to normalize after the initial big ticket items. This month's purchases were mainly for daily essentials and Pediatrician for vaccination and checkups. Details to follow