What did (Early Intervention Programme) EIP Teaches in Singapore?

Every kids have different pace of learning. Preschool syllabus are designed to cater for majority child. There are children that not belong to the majority range. They maybe a slow learner or born as genius. For slow learner we have to design a special syllabus that dedicated to them so that they can be back on track. 

EIP is aim to support children that have development delay. It covers overall skills that the kid should have on their age.

Before you enrol your child to EIP, they will do an assessment to know your child condition. If is a mild development issue, they may suggest to you to other courses pertaining to their delay like Speech Therapy, Occupational Therapy and so on.

Different children has different deficiency. Some may have social communicating deficiency while some may be on motor skills. Therefore, there is no One syllabus for all. When come to EIP, there will be a pre-assessment for each child on 5 domains: 

a. Cognitive
Like Phonics sound. Understand more vocabulary and concepts. 

b. Adaptive
Like self Help Teaching them to bath, go toilet, put on shirt, put on socks and etc.

c. Social communication
Use words then follow by sentences instead of pointing. 

d. Fine Motor
Like using scissor, writing and drawing.

e. Grass motor
Like throw/kick the ball. Climbing or hopping.


From there, goals will be set for each of the children. In other words, every children will have different goals.

EIP class is usually small with 3-4 students. It has to be small as teacher has to attend to every different child needs and work on the goals set. It has to be in a class instead of one to one as they can learn to Social and communicating.

The earliest your child attend EIP classes the better. The younger the child is, the easier to correct them and EIP only available from age 2 to 6. It is also to prepare them to attend Primary 1. It's help the family!

In the end, it is still back to you! Read here to learn how you can start to keep your little one up to speed.

Early Intervention Program (EIP) - Introduction in Singapore

When you notice your infants or children have delay of development, you should start making appointment with KK Hospital Department of Child Development to assess your kids. No harm sending to assess even you have doubt. The outcome may not be negative always. Do as early age as possible as it can correct your kids behaviour before it become a habit.

Example: He does not look into your eye (no eye contact) when communicate with you. The professional will have ways to correct them. With eye contact, he will be able to learn and ask. It also improve his Social and Communication. A simple worry has to be corrected as it will lead to another bigger worry.

How it start?

Your kid will have the first assessment with the consultant and doctor. They will assess if he has 

- Eye contact
- When you call his name, did he answer you.

- Able to follow instruction

- Able to read
- Able to point

- Arrange things in straight

- Ask for help when needed
- Any repetitive behaviour

This assessment also will tell you if your kids is actually slow development or really something that you need to take note. So, no harm to get your kid assess. It also could turn out he is just fine!

This assessment will not confirm that your kids is Autism but will give you an overview of what is your child progress compare to average kids of his age. Autism has a wide range of spectrum from mild to severe. Mild autism which we call it High-functional Autism which is refer to people who can read, write, speak and manage daily life skills.

If your kids are way behind the normal kid range of development. Classes like Early Intervention Program (EIP), Speech Therapy, Occupation Therapy and etc will be recommended which you can enrol with government (cheaper and at least 6 months waiting time) or private (expensive and can get seat immediately). Assessment with KK Hospital will cost about 100+ each time.

What is EIP?
It is an Early intervention Programmes that help to support overall development and therapy for infants and young children with slow development.

To confirm your kid is an Autism, you will need to send for a full test and once confirmed it will label your child as Autism and recorded now in hospital. So, I would not recommend to go but to correct your child first with Early Intervention Program.

There are also free classes for parent on how to correct your child behaviour which KK Hospital will arrange for you. Classes will be ceased once your kid is enrolled to an EIP school (either private or public).  

Working parents and unable to send kids to EIP under government for weekday. Although there is transport arranged from school to EIP centre directly on weekday, but you still need time off to be there to understand the progress.
Some EIP require parent to attend together.


Cost
Here you need to calculate the cost and see which is the best options.

EIC (Public)
- Courses on weekday (require parent to attend?)
- Transport
- Low Fee
- 6 - 9 months waiting time

PIC (Private)
- Courses on weekend
- Location
- Higher Fee
- Shorter waiting time (got seat most of the time)
- There is PPIP subsidies (min. S$500)

What is the cost? 

See Public Price here.

Private price is about 1.5k at year 2019

Cost per class (around 1 hour) for Occupational Therapy and Speech Therapy 

Public Price around $60 at year 2021

Private Price about $200 at year 2019

Child development progress is very much dependent on the parents or care giver. Therefore, KK gave classes to care giver and parent instead of the child. The classes will teach you how to train them. Whatever they learn in school, it must be practise at home to see the result. Teacher and parent must work hand-in-hand to correct the child behaviour.

How to choose your EIP Center?
I would suggest somewhere near your house. You be tiring to send twice a week if the location is far. Sending twice a week already use up most of our family time. If you are going a travel far, you will be losing your half of your day. EIP class is around 3 hours per session (depends on center).

What did EIP teach? Read more here.

Singapore has a strong agency that take care this pool of kids. You can check out SGEnable Website.

In the end, it is still back to you! Read here to learn how you can start to keep him up to speed.

How to Boost Your Breast Milk?

If you ask me what is the booster food, I would say is different for different people. But i would list down foods that will boost majority mummy breast milk.

First, you must be well-hydrated and well-balanced diet. This first step is to ensure that you are giving a quality milk to your baby. Do not think to lose weight first, give yourself at least 6 months to lose the weight from your pregnancy. If you think about loose weight and yield more milk, the conflict could add stress to you.


Tips to yield quality milk
- Drink adequate water. Some believe red dates drink, Bubble tea, oat milk, milk will boost the milk.
- Sleep well as your body need energy to produce milk.
- Eat well-balanced meals 
- Some say durian boost the milk.
- Fenugreek are well-known of milk booster. You can get Fenugreek tea from IHerb website.
- Take fruits daily. Avocado and banana are nutrition.

Food that kills the milk supply
- Coffee or Tea
- Alcohol
- Spicy Food

How Breastfeeding Journey goes...

Breastfeeding is amazing. The moment baby latch on it, both mum and baby already know their roles. ButThere is always situation that baby cannot latch due to various reason.

Breastfeeding is like business. When there is demand, there is supply. Therefore starting, there is not so much milk. Business just start, your body do not know how much milk is needed and baby actually do need only few spoon of milk when they just born. The more the baby suck, the more the milk kicks in. 

Try with baby sucking every 3 hours. If baby sleep more than 3 hours, try to wake the baby up.

How to know baby is having sufficient milk?

The first 3 days make sure baby has poo and pee. If yes, that is a pass! After few weeks, you will notice baby has lesser poo. It's normal as baby able to absorb all the nutrient. Just make sure the diaper is wet.

After returning work

- You can do Breastfeed before and after work and pump during working. I will do 2 times at work, one before lunch and one at tea time.

- Prepare BreastFeeding clothes or button clothes that enable express easily. Breastfeeding cloth a bit costly but nice while button shirt is cheaper and you can get more choices.

- Plan you express timing so that you can juggle between work and express breast milk.

- Prepare your breast pump, milk storage bag, reusable ice pack and Cooler bag to keep your milk.

- For baby, you will need to prepare milk bottle and warmer if needed.

- Communicate with your baby child taker on the timing of feeding and how much feeding per time.

- Some baby may not able to go back breastfeeding, so be prepare to be full time pumping.

My advice

Try to breastfeed/express milk as long as possible. Breast milk baby are not prone to sick. It also give win win situation to Mummy and baby. Mummy get to slim down and baby get the best precious gift of mankind.

My another advice is if you have a complicated situation, do not stress or insist of doing it. You must be healthy first as the baby need you the most. 

Mentally Prepare
You will be definitely physically and mentally fatigue. You will have interrupt sleep as baby wake up at night. I would not suggest feed on demand but feed on routine. First 2 months, try to feed every 3 hours and after 3rd month you can train to feed every 4 hours.

Seek help from other of your family and spouse and make time to rest. Rest will give make you sober to continue. While baby is nap, you go rest too instead of doing housework. 

You could be exasperated when milk supply go low. First keep your mood up first, then you be able to think rationally. Read here to find how to boost your milk and what decrease your milk supply?

First Time Mummy Checklist - Baby Gear

When come to Baby Gear, you have to do a lot research and also what do you want?

What is your budget range?
What is the functionality needed?
What age group?
Where to get it?

Stroller

You definitely going to change your stroller during the growth from bay to toddler. Stroller come with different size for different age group and also features.

You need how many declined stages? For baby stage, you definitely need a stroller that can totally flat down. For toddler stage, you need a bigger and more decline stages as they would want to sit up. As they grow older, you need a simply stroller as it less heavy and you do not need more compartment to bring more things.

Light stroller easily toppled when you hand more things but heavy stroller are more difficult to manage especially for lady to carry and move up and down from car.

Cheap stroller is hard to navigate when toddler is heavy compare to a better brand.

If you have two kids, would you consider a twins stroller? or a sit and stand stroller? Twins stroller if is too heavy, it really use a lot of energy to push.

For me, I just get second hand stroller from carousel as I can have a good bargain for a good stroller there. Secondly, I able to try especially the twin stroller and manage to sell back at the same price after found that it is not really useful.

A twin McLaren stroller, I can get at $150 at carousel and is a very nice and well maintain stroller. 

Car seat

When come to car seat, make sure it is safe brand. Buckle must not easily being able to unbuckle by the toddler. Therefore, buckle part is the main thing you have to check.

Car seat also come with 3 declare stages, so for baby or toddler time, they can decline more to sleep. When they grow taller, and do not need so much sleep, it can sit up. Some can remove the top and become seat booster to lift up their seat higher.

Diaper Bag

Always choose the lightest bag because when the things that you need to carry is lot and heavy. With heavy bag, it like carry rock out everyday.

It should have more compartment to separate between Food and diaper. When baby start solid food, you will have to bring food & water. you need to have a different compartment so that it won't wet you baby cloths. If you do not have compartment for that, you might need to carry a different bag for food. 

Portable changing bag

 Even nowadays there is nice and clean baby room, but there is still germ or bacteria that we could not see. Therefore, putting another layer of portable changing bag before changing the baby.

Portable changing bag also useful as you can change at stroller, car or sofa for emergency cases.

Sling carrier

When you go shopping alone with baby, sling carrier come handful. You will always have your hand to browse item.

I use sling carrier at home too. I need to do my house work and baby need carry. Sling helps a lot.

Check the Full First Time Mummy Checklist here.