In Parenting, WOMEN

Singaporean Kiasuism Galore With Kids

Every mother, whether she is 20 or 40, wants her child to grow up and reach their developmental milestones. My first son, Caden, is super underweight and has reflux problems since he was a baby, so we have been very selective with his food, vitamins and with our helpers to look after him. My current helper, Siti, is my 5th helper and I am glad to say that she has been with me for a year and she is a great help. She feeds Caden, plays with him, bathe him and makes sure he does his studying upon my instructions. I have been trying to find the best vitamins for Caden so as to beef him up and make sure his weight increases and he is no longer called “The Skinny Boy”. With my second son Charles, I wanted to do the same thing, to find the best vitamins to give to Charles. So before Charles was born, I got a bottle of Nordic Naturals Baby DHA from TMC’s Pharmacy. I wanted the Baby DHA to give Charles the moment he was born since the sales assistant at TMC’s pharmacy told me the Baby DHA was meant for infants from birth, but I stopped myself because it would be best to ask his pediatrician first before I gave him any vitamins.

After Charles reached his first month, I brought him to Dr Ang at TMC for his injection and check-up. It was the opportune time to ask Dr Ang if I could add the Baby DHA into Charles’ milk and give it to him so that he can absorb more DHA. Dr Ang told me not to give any vitamins as there was no requirement. She said the baby gets his nutrients from his milk and there is no need to give him so much of vitamins.

With her advice, the Nordic Naturals Baby DHA sat in the cupboard for 5 months before I finally opened it last Sunday. I checked the expiry date and told my helper to give it to Charles since now his liver is much stronger than it was when he was just a month-old. How much Baby DHA to give the baby is dependent on the weight of the baby and the instructions are clearly printed on the box. One bottle costs more than S$30 (that’s why I kept it in my cupboard).

Every morning, my helper will give Charles 2ml of the Baby DHA with his milk. I can’t say Charles is cleverer after just 3 days, but I would continue giving him because like Scotts Emulsion (an age-old DHA formula), it is good to give baby the extra DHA he needs to develop his brains and eyesight. I understand I was really kiasu on my part to want to give Charles his Baby DHA during his first month. We should not do it because if you have done some research, their small liver is still developing and most Asian babies would develop jaundice during the first few days after birth and so their tiny liver is already working hard at breaking down the excess bilirubin built-up and you would not want to add an extra vitamin to overwork their little livers. (So you can see that I didn’t do much research on this topic about jaundice before Charles’ birth)

At 5 to 6 months, their livers are fully developed and are weaning off milk to take solids so it is an appropriate time to add a DHA vitamin to ensure that they have good brain and eye development. I agree with Dr Ang that we shouldn’t give them during their first few months but when the baby is ready to take solids, his liver is strong enough to metabolize the DHA to aid in his growth. Charles is smart enough, but I hope he will be smarter and be able to read when he is 2 and play the piano when he is 3. Can you see how kiasu and concerned I am?

Nordic Naturals Baby DHA. Available at TMC Pharmacy or you can get it online from a trusted merchant.
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