DIY: Easy Baby Soft Busy Block (Free Patterns)

Few years back when my nephew was 4 months old my sister bought him a Fisher Price sensory block that I found it very interesting and I thought when I have a baby I will get him/her one! Unfortunately, Fisher Price is not selling it anymore. I have been searching online for it and I decided to make one myself and put my long forgotten sewing skill to a test. 

I don't have a complete pattern but I will put in details how I design my cube. It took me 2 weeks to complete the design.

What you need to do before creating the design:

1. Understand your baby. 
Each baby has different liking like the colours and they are developing so fast each month they explore different things. BabyE is all about yellow, he loves yellow and he screams every time he sees yellow. He loves this block so much he could scream and play with it for a good 20 minutes all by himself.

2. Know what you want.
Is your block focusing on texture or colours? Are you planing to put a little bell into your block? Think about it.

3. Understand the material.
Are you looking for a super soft block? If you are focusing on texture, what kind of fabric will you be including in your block?

How to create a soft block?

First of all, you need to know your block has 6 faces. Refer to the image above about what I say. You can choose to have 6 different designs or some duplicate designs or whatever you like.

The guide attached is for my block which has very limited design. I focused on yellow but you can make it colorful or other colour that your baby loves.

Materials:
a. Felt
b. Fleece
c. Cotton Fabric
d. Ribbons

Instruction is together with the pattern file.

You can download the 
pattern and instruction HERE.

The Ultimate Baby Food Guide for 4-6 months old

Do you think your little one is ready to start solid? If yes, this will be ultimate guide for you to look at. I started feeding Baby E solid when he hits 4 months because I loves cooking and I just can't help but to start it. Doctor advised us to start at 5 months but I decided to start at 4 months, 3 meals a week.

An easy guideline for you is to start feeding your little one solid when they can hold heads up and sit up straight or when you realised they aren't full yet after breastfeeding. Baby E is a foodie, he always seems to be very excited when he sees us having our meals at the dining table. Thus, I decided to start at 4 months. If you are worry about digestive problem, please consult your medical advisor.

In this article, I will share about the list of food that is suitable for your little one and a different way to prepare baby puree without a blender.

List of food you can start your little one with:

1. Avacado
2. Apple
3. Pear
4. Potato
5. Sweet Potato
6. Carrot
7. Peaches
8. Pumpkin
9. Peas
10. Rice Cereal


Baby E is a big lover of sweet potato and I bought the purple ones because the colour is nice and I find it easier to prepare.

Something you should know before you start:

1.  I would advise you to do a single portion for new food to ensure your baby takes the food. I prepared a big batches of pear puree the other day and Baby E refuse to take it. Ended up, I forced my hubby to finished it.

2.  Please sterilised all the cooking equipment before preparing your baby food.

3. For a start, you might want to start with 1 teaspoon of solid and slowly increase it.

4. I am also against freezing baby food, I prefer fresh food for such a young age.

5. Your baby might have constipation after their first food so don't panic. Wait for a day or 2 if your little one still constipate, go to the doctor.

How to prepare in small portion?

1. Peel the skin and dice the fruit or veggie. The smaller you diced the quicker it cooks. 

2. Steam it for 30 minutes or until soft. (fruits will not require steaming, you can skip this step if you are preparing fruits for your little one)

3. Mash it with a potato mashes and you might want to mix in a little of rice cereal. (Any ratio of the rice and veggie/ fruits is fine, depends on your liking)

4. Strain the mixture with a sieve to make it smooth and easy to digest. I would advise to add some water when straining it to avoid cobsitipation.

** Do not make it too watery, as it will gets more watery. As long os the puree is smooth, is good.

Why didn't I choose the blending option?

1. The Cleaning Up 
Washing/ cleaning the blender is horrible. I would rather do it the manual way for now as I only prepare very small batches.

2. Colic Problem
Chinese believes that blending will cause colic problem. Colic cause indigestion then will lead to tons and tons of other problem. Thus, I do not recommend blending for baby below 1 year old.

3. Portion Too Small
There is no point and almost impossible to use the blender when I am preparing such a small portion.


I hope your little will love the food you prepare as much as Baby E love mine!
Good luck!

7 Easy Steps To Purchase Your Customised Ikea Kitchen Cabinet: From Planing to Installing!

Image Source: Ikea Malaysia

Are you giving your kitchen a facelift or simply moving in a new place? Ikea Kitchen cabinet is one of the most affordable choice of all but to most people it can be really troublesome because you don't have a contractor coming to your house and putting all the available catalogs on your face for you to choose from.

I have going back and forth for more than 5 times (Both Cheras and Damansara outlets) just to get the right design that can fit into my kitchen perfectly which I can actually get everything done in just 1 visit. I am going to simplified process by providing you a simple step to step guide. 

1. Measure your kitchen space

Get a measuring tape and start measuring. Do not leave out the windows and the pipe area. You will need this to decide on where should your sink be at and the position of the wall cabinet. 

2. Design it (roughly)

Use a piece of paper if you are not tech savvy. If you are good at computers, jump into the Ikea Kitchen Planner section and start designing it. 

3. Budget it (roughly)

Go to the Ikea website and look at the table top choices, door choices and etc. 

4. Make an appointment

Make an appointment at the ikea website and be on time because the there are a lot of people in line.

5. Talk to the consultant

Finally, visiting Ikea. Tell them what you need and who them your plan (on a paper or simply the file you made at ikea website). Have a look at the material you choose and have a feel of it, make any changes you need if you don't feel right.

6. Purchase it

The consultant will print a bill for you to make the purchase at the counter. After purchasing, collect it at the collection area!

7. Install it

Installation can be DIY or by paying a certain amount to Ikea for their contractor to install it!

Yes, it is this simple! I hope this article helps you on saving time!

5 Quick Tips on Baby Vaccine: Things you need to be aware before bringing your baby for vaccine

There are things you will need to be aware of before bringing your baby to vaccine to avoid panicking after the vaccine. Vaccine usually comes with side effects and for new parents it will be very terrifying. Sometimes, your baby might not have any difference after vaccine, sometimes your baby might be unwell.

1. Speak to your child specialist 

First you will need to understand what vaccine will your child be taking. Google it up and check on the side effects. Ask around if you could how did other baby react to the vaccine. Know more, if anything occurs you know it is normal.

2. Get a Thermometer 

Most vaccine causes fever, you need a thermometer to monitor your baby’s temperature. Anything above 37.5 is not normal. Baby E’s doctor advise us to get the ear thermometer as it will be more accurate.

3. Stock up some baby paracetamol at home 

Talk to your child specialist do he suggest to give your baby paracetamol if your baby got fever after the vaccine.

4. Stock up some baby Probiotic 

Some vaccine will cause diarrhea. Again speak to the doctor if it happens can you give your baby some probiotic. Baby E is using the Met Gala probiotic which is working just fine for him. Baby E’s doctor actually told me is totally fine to give Baby E probiotic daily.

5. Get your child specialist email or phone number 

Baby E’s doctor gave us his email address. He always email me before a vaccine to get prepared and understand what Baby E’s will be getting. After that he will also send me article on how to handle if the side effects happens.

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5 Easy Smoothie Recipe for Working Moms

Are you on the smoothies game? Lately smoothie bowls has became a trend and almost every single instagrammers and youtubbers are showing you how to make the colourful nutritious yet delicious smoothie bowl. There was a secret you weren’t being told thou, to make it looks pretty requires a lot of hard work. I do not have the luxury to do so, thus I dump everything into my blender and I have my to go smoothie every morning and enjoy it during my morning traffic.


First, how to speed up your smoothie routine and making sure none of the fruits or vegetables gone bad before you even using them? FREEZE EM! You got to believe me sweetheart, Freeze em all! Prepare a few ziplock bags and put all the cut fruits into the bag. Place all the bags into the freezer and easily blend it every morning! I usually go with low fat milk when it comes to my smoothie as I love the thickness of the milk but it is not as fattening as the usual fresh or full cream milk . However, for all the recipes you are welcome to replace the liquid with any kind of products you like such as almond milk, fresh milk, soy milk or others.

I would advise to stay away from store-bought juices as it really sweet and why do you need that when you are blending a whole lots of fruits/ vegetables already. Below are my favourite combination and hope you will give it a try too!

1. Power Green Monday 

A handful of Baby Spinach
Half of a Cucumber
Half of a Red Apple Oatmeal (soak it with Low Fat Milk overnight)
Low Fat Milk

I am not going to lie, this doesn’t taste as good as it suppose to be. However, it is packed with all nutrition I need in the morning and enough to keep me full until lunch. You can replace the red apple with Honey if you wish too. I just added some red apple for the sweetness.

2. Berry Tuesday 

Half a cup of Blueberries
Half a cup of Strawberry
Half of a Banana
Chia Seeds
Low Fat Milk

This will be champion as the best taste smoothie of all, it is sweet and the banana just made it all. Don’t you agree? Berries are very nutritious and jam packed with antioxidant . This smoothie is in a beautiful hue of purple as well which makes me extra happy when drinking it!

3. Fiber Power Wednesday 

A slice of Papaya
Half of a Green Apple
Half of a Red Apple
Half of a Carrot
Half of a Banana
Oatmeal (soak it with Low Fat Milk overnight)
Low Fat Milk

This is a super formula is packed with fiber and it is one of the best solution for anyone suffering from constipation. The taste might be a little weird or some told me the banana has covered up all the taste of it. However, it is really a great source of fiber and a great break up formula with constipation!

4. Happy Melon Thursday 

2-3 Slices of Honeydew
Soy Milk
Oatmeal (soak it with Soy Milk overnight)

This simple smoothie does has a touch of Asian taste in it. Perhaps was due to the Soymilk? It is pleasant to drink and the kids will love it too! Honeydew is a great source of vitamin C, vitamin C actually plays an important role on producing Collagen!

5. Super C Friday

Half of a Cucumber
Half of a Celery
Half of a Carrot
Chia Seeds
Water

Calery is famous for improving blood pressure and cholesterol levels. I can prevent heart disease too! Carrot is a great source of fiber and it is rich in antioxidant!

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10 Cities that is actually child friendly

Leaving your child at home for traveling is something every mom will hesitate to do no matter is your child with your parents or your in laws or even your nanny. Sometimes, it just doesn’t seems right. Of cause, I mean wouldn’t you want to have fun with your kids? Capturing 100x images on your mobile to save the perfect memories? I got you really!

Your child should be travel friendly when they are 2 years old and above. If your child is a quick talker it will be even easier. Let me share you a list of cities that is child friendly, and you can consider it for your next trip!

1. Gold Coast & Brisbane, Australia 

Gold coast is no doubt the best place to bring your child with all the theme parks around. In Brisbane, you could easily chill a day off the busy theme park at Southbank. Enjoy a cup of hot chocolate with some delicious churros in the afternoon and have a evening walk along the riverbanks! Fantastic! The public transport is easy access and it is not as busy as Melbourne or Sydney. Definitely the number 1 choice for parents with kids!

2. Osaka & Kyoto, Japan 

Osaka & Kyoto is rich in traditional cultural of the Japanese. The city is not as busy as Tokyo yet there are lots of amazing temples and museum to visit! Rent a traditional Japanese Kimono in Kyoto and you are ready to capture all the amazing time with your child! Love it!

3. Queenstown, New Zealand 

Queenstown, the amazing tourist destination of New Zealand. Love Queenstown because it is surrounded by mountains and it is very clean. Rent a car and travel around the place! If you child is slightly older they might enjoy some of the not-so-extreme sports too! If your child is over 30kg, do consider Skydiving!

4. Edinburgh, United Kingdom 

The best place to visit if you would like to make this trip as an educational trip. There are tons of historical landmarks that you will enjoy telling your child about it. For example: Edinburgh Castle, Craigmillar Castle and Greyfriars Bobby. Have a fun picnic at the Princes Street Garden to enjoy the weather if you will be visiting in Summer!

5. London, United Kingdom 

I remember traveling with my mom when I was a child to London. The castles visit were so fun! The famous castles and palaces in London is a must visit! Not to mention the excitement of riding a double decker bus and falling asleep in it!

6.  Glasgow, United Kingdom 

Source: https://peoplemakeglasgow.com/

Glasgow is cold, very freezing cold. Well at least for someone from a tropical country, I would say it is so cold and I love it! The city is safe and it is really nice to visit some historical landmarks. I find that most cities in the UK is quite child friendly comparing with those we have here in Asia. People seems to be very helpful and friendly too.

7. Taipei, Taiwan 

Source: https://www.travel.taipei/

A friendly city that full of lovely people. Most of the people I meet during my trip to Taipei, they are very kind and very helpful. At certain areas like Ximending or Jiu Fen will be crowned and I don’t advise to bring stroller to places like this or to be even more straight forward don’t bring kids to places like this. Especially Jiu Fen, I can guarantee you, you will cry if you are with kids that are not very excel in walking yet. However, there are other beautiful places such as Taipei 101, Tamsui, Jin Shan and etc.

8. Perth, Australia 

Another quiet city in Australia that worth visiting. What’s better than hugging a Koala at the Whiteman Park with your little one? Enjoying a glass of beautiful red wine while your kids is munching on the wonderful cheese. You can also visit the Fermantle market with your little ones, tasting all the food that’s available there. Simple and quick trip.

9. Singapore, Singapore 

A beautiful, vibrant, young city that happens to be safe and clean. There are a few place to drop by with your child in Singapore such as The Singapore Zoo (Wonderful Zoo, one of the best so far), Universal Studio, Orchard Road and the Sky Gardens.

10. Florence, Italy 

The special reason Florence is being one of the top place for family visit is because of the organized landscape of the city which allow your stroller to move freely. Do you really need a better reason? Well, is the food. Italian food is really child friendly and every loves it! The city is beautiful and almost every corner of it is #instaworthy!

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7 Mobile Apps that will Make your Parenting Life Much More Easier

Sometimes we tend to glued on our phone so often that most of our tasks are done on the phone itself. However, parenting life can be hectic especially when you need to use different source to do your records, notes, shopping, and etc. Wouldn’t be nice, if some of your parenting task can be done in your phone too?

1. MammaBaby 

This app is great for mommies with infant. You can start tracking the feeding pattern, diapers changing counts and sleeping hours if your baby! Now, you can ditch your usual book record to a simple and quick app!

2. Baby Center 

This is the best baby encyclopedia! Key in your baby’s age or if you are a soon to be mummy, key in your due date! Every week the app will have updates and articles according to your needs at the time.

3. Happyfresh 

This is my to go grocery delivery service because it covers quite a number of area in Kuala Lumpur. Simple and quick especially on those days that Baby E decide to be a koala and treating me like his favourite tree.

4. Tasty 

This is the place I get all my simple and delicious recipe. I always view this at night when Baby E is asleep to get some inspiration for the next time when I have the opportunity to cook (only provided Baby E willing to hang out with his daddy).

5. P Tracker 

I always keep track on my period to avoid any embarrassing moment. As a working mom I find it even more important because I really don’t have extra time to clean some unnecessary mess.

6. Go Get 

As mentioned, sometimes I will not have the opportunity to cook when Baby E is being sticky. I always use Go Get as a food delivery when both my husband and I are tired of fast food or instant noodles.

7. Netflix 

I would recommend this for parents with older kids that has started the youtube fever. I do not recommend youtube as we cannot control what is being shown to the kids. Even on Youtube Kids is not trustworthy. Netflix kids has a safer range of videos selections.


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Considerations before planing on having a baby

Having baby is a big deal and a game change of your life. As mentioned in my previous post about becoming a mother, Baby E was not planned and it did made my husband and me having a lot of argument along the way and did not getting any better until lately. To avoid both your partner and you having any argument after child birth or even during pregnancy, do consider the below consequences.

1. Financially Ready

This is important. If you do not plan to giving birth at a government hospital, this will be even much more important.

I delivered at a private hospital and I am going to give you a rough breakdown cost on just checking up. Each check up will cost you about RM 150- RM 300 (at least). You will be visiting the doctor's office once a month and by weekly when you hit 7 months. You can do the math by this.

You will be advise to do a down syndrome test which cost you RM700 for the basic one and the advance one will take about RM 2000.

Delivery will cost about RM 8000 - RM 12000 depends on how smooth is your delivery and it is a C-section or natural delivery. Remember some delivery can be complicated.

Epidural will cost you about RM 1000 or lesser or more. Depends on the hospital of your choice.

After child birth, in the first 3 months your child will visit the doctor quite often, might be due to rashes, fever, cough, flu or other illness because your baby anti body is still weak. Each visit to the child specialist will be range from RM 50 - RM 200.

2. Emotionally Ready

During pregnancy can be really stressful especially if your baby is having some issue inside you. Well, you never know. You might to keep count on baby's movement for some reason or need to visit the doctor's office more often. Bleeding or water leakage, everything is possible.

After labor will be the non stop crying and guessing what your little one needs. Not easy, it took me a month to get used to it. Also if your partner is very dependent on you, you might need to take on the role as a mother and the wife. If you will be a working mother, this will be even more critical.

3. Career Path

Are you an employee or an employer? Speak to your boss if you are an employee because trust me you will not be 100% focusing on your work anymore. Is not easy and if you have a very short maternity leave like me which is only 2 months will be even more difficult. You might need to take a lot of time off to send your baby to the doctor's office or when your nanny is busy.

As an employer, lucky you! You will have more flexible time but try not to plan any business expansion until your child is at least 1 year old. Is not easy, really.

4. Be Socially Isolated

You will want to spend as much time with your baby as possible. You might ended up giving up your social life, your friends just to focus on your baby. Your me time will be very limited.

5. Understands Ignorance is Bliss

After having a child, you will need to deal with your in laws more often than usual. Is their grandchild anyway, they will want to visit them from time to time. They method of bringing up a child might not be what you expect and you will start to see the different. If is little thing, try to smile and ignore. otherwise, don't be angry and start screaming. Speak to your partner.

6. Be a Smart Talker

Again, when you need to talk to your partner about your in laws. Speak as if you are in his shoes. In a nice way with reasons. You are a mother now, you don't want to be treated badly when you have a daughter in law. Stay rational.

7. Be very Independent

At sometime, you might need to face your baby all by yourself. For example, when your partner is busy. You will need to bath your child, feed your child, entertain your child and put your baby to sleep all by yourself.

Be ready and do not breakdown in front of your baby. never leave a baby crying for too long. It is bad for your baby health and also will affect your baby emotionally.

8. Be Ready to say "It's okay" when your child prefer others more than you

If your parents/ in laws/ nanny is the one who is taking care of your baby on weekdays and you only take over on weekend, you might face a problem when your baby is not used to you especially at night. Is normal, and it's okay. When they grow up, you will always be the one they go to.

9. Physically/ Health Ready

Be healthy. Stay away from your usual caffein break and cigarette break if you are a smoker. Those habits will harm your baby and you don't want it to happen. Stay away from sugary products to avoid diabetes.

10. Be ready to face a short-term Depression

Hormones will do the trick. You might think it will never happen on you but trust me it very likely will. I am not saying you are a negative person or anything like this. Is hormones, they are the bad guys. If it really happens, stay cheerful and stay happy. Kick the negative thoughts away!

Good luck!

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