#nadskai

Comments

•

A few weeks ago, the family and I boarded Royal Caribbean Singapore's Voyager of the Seas for a family vacay.

Not sure if you guys remember this, but last year we experienced Mariner of the Seas when Aidan was 1 and I was pregnant with Davina back then. This time, we went back to Royal Caribbean's Voyager of the Seas for a 5d4n trip which had stops at Port Klang and Phuket but we only disembarked at Phuket.

Here's my experience on bringing an infant and a toddler on a cruise! This time, I had more opportunities to try various activities and take more pictures as I wasn't pregnant and suffering from super bad morning sickness. Here's my tips on traveling with a newborn and a toddler on Royal Caribbean Cruise.

  • Bringing a stroller and a baby carrier (like a Tula) was the right idea.

Be kiasu. With a newborn, you'll like have to babywear all the way. Having a stroller means the newborn (or even the toddler) can lie down and nap. But of course, if you do not bring a stroller, you can always avoid taking the lifts and get to places faster.

Untitled

Untitled

But personally i feel that a cruise is one of the most relaxing holiday that you can take. Be kiasu, bring both carriers and strollers.

Plus a stroller is always a makeshift diaper changing table, especially if your room is far away.

  • Request for items earlier.

Once I boarded, I immediately requested for a playpen. I'm not sure how many they are, but I rather be kiasu and book asap. You can also make a request to book a playpen before your cruise!

Also, if you did not prebook your dining times earlier, (i.e. if you are on My Time Dining), you can either make a standing reservation (e.g. 5:30pm everyday) or you can book a day earlier. You can also make your reservation online via the Cruise Planner on Royal Caribbean's website pre-cruise!

Untitled

Again, to avoid disappointments, we booked earlier and the same time each day.

  • Plan in advance for activities that you'll like to do.

Some of the activities that we really wanted to do was the Flowrider and Rock-climbing. We managed to get these activities done within the first two days.

Untitled

Untitled

Untitled

Which was really lucky of us, because it rained the next two days. Phew! Skai really enjoyed the Flowrider so much that he queued over and over again for it.

Untitled

Also, for most of the performances, do queue earlier to get good seats especially for the ice-skating show. It was fully booked when we went and we had to catch the next show. Highly recommended to go for it!

Untitled

Back last year, Aidan enjoyed the shows. This time, he enjoyed it more! I felt that he understood it more and he really enjoyed the song and dances more this time.

Untitled

Untitled

Untitled

Untitled

Go for a swim, I like that they had movie screenings outdoor where families can just laze in the jacuzzi and watch the movies. Super nua and comfy activity!

  • Stay safe. Stick to the Main Dining Room if you have young kids or a big family.

While I do enjoy the buffet selections, I feel that having a dedicated table is more important. With young kids, it's tough to wait for tables especially when they get hungry and cranky. I prefer to eat at the Main Dining Room (ours was Sapphire Dining Room) and head to Windjammer for snacks if need be. Also with big families, it's kinda impossible to get a table altogether especially if you go at the peak timings.

Untitled

Untitled

Untitled

Untitled

Untitled

Untitled

Untitled

Also, you get to enjoy dedicated service, quieter quality moments.

Untitled

There are kids menu available where you can order items without salt too. Also, it's like an ala-carte buffet, you can order multiple servings.

    • Sleep in. Order breakfast in.

Untitled

Untitled

Untitled

Untitled

We order breakfast everyday just in case the kids can't wake up for breakfast.

  • Offshore excursions are fun!

Untitled

Untitled

Untitled

We chose to disembark at Phuket and go for the Panoramic Tour where we had a tour of Phuket in the comfort of an air-conditioned bus. Honestly, there were other excursions where you can go on foot to explore Phuket and were more fun but we had to think of how feasible it would be carrying a newborn and a toddler. Don't bring the stroller along here! I made a huge mistake here.... I forgot to bring down any cash when we went to Phuket. Was too used to the just using our card on the cruise that I left my money in the safe. Oops. We missed out on all of the street food! SOBS.

  • Bring a nursing cover.

Untitled

There isn't any nursing rooms if I remember correctly. A nursing cover means I could nurse anywhere anytime. Royal Caribbean is super family friendly, no one stared when I nursed in public.

  • If you can only choose one paid restaurant - choose Johnny Rockets!

Untitled

Untitled

Untitled

Untitled

Untitled

If you have a fries monster son like I do, do check out Johnny Rockets. Just for one flat fee, you can enjoy all the yummy burgers, hotdogs, floats and fries to your heart's content. Till today, Aidan keeps asking for the fries place. Oops.

  • Most of all, just chill & have fun.

Untitled

Things will happen. There will be tantrums, wailing, poonamis etc. But the beauty of a cruise is that you can stop anytime.

Untitled

If the kids need a nap, dapao them back to the room.

Untitled

If they pooed and needed a diaper change, go back to the room. Enjoy most of the facilities anytime. There is no rush I feel unlike when traveling elsewhere. A cruise is definitely a good starting point for traveling with young kids for the first time.

Thank you Royal Caribbean Singapore for the opportunity. While this trip was partially sponsored, opinions are my own and not obligated.

Do check out my pregnancy and baby blog posts here:

Thanks for reading nadnut.com - Singapore Lifestyle Blog! Do follow me on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Dayre to get quicker updates of my life! For advertorials, media invitations or sponsored reviews, please contact me here.

Comments

•

As mentioned in my previous post, we together with Missuschewy's family, traveled to Kota Kinabalu, Sabah.

For our trip, we stayed at Shangri-La's Tanjung Aru Resort & Spa which was located very conveniently near the airport.

We had the most amazing room - the Kinabalu Club Family Room which offers two adjourning rooms. This room can fit 2 kids and 2 adults comfortably. We 'parked' our Bumprider stroller that we brought for our trip in the kids room heh.

Untitled

Untitled

The kids room had a bunk bed alongside a comfortable siting area and bean bag. There were also cute touches like magnets for them to play with. Check out my video of the room here! For the parents room, they had prepared items like a baby cot, diaper changing pad, kids toothbrushes, a steam steriliser and bottle warmer. These were really useful for us through the trip as I was breastfeeding!

...continue reading →

Comments

•

As some of you guys may know, I did my recent maternity shoot with Ashley Low Photography and basically almost all of my family shoots with her!

She did such an awesome job with Aidan's newborn photoshoot that it's a no-brainer that I would return to her!

Do check out pics of Aidan's shoot here! 

Prior to the shoot

We discussed about themes and concepts. Questions posed to me were:

- Do you have any colour preferences like “neutral”, “pastels only”, “bright” or you are fine with any colour choice?
- Do you like usage of flowers, floral themes?
- We have the following set ups: basket/fabric ; beanbags ; themes - do you have preference over any kind of set ups?

I also viewed their website to have a sense of what types of set ups were available. Back then, for Aidan's shoot, I wanted colourful. For Davina, I wanted more neutral and girly colours. I also opted for more beanbags and baskets/fabrics as compared to concept themes.

Ashley's team also shared with us to consider neutral coloured outfits for our family shoot and to avoid big logos etc. Like with Aidan's, we decided to go with all white again!

They also sent across the location map for our easy reference.

On the day itself

Ashley has shifted studio to a stone's throw away from her previous one. The new studio is bigger and more comfy!

Untitled

Untitled

There was a huge bunch of props and also an area for kids to have fun, which Aidan definitely did! He had so much fun with all of the toys!

Untitled

Untitled

A pantry area where cold and hot drinks are available. Plenty of snacks were available too!

Untitled

Untitled

Some of the other props available such as cloths, swaddles, baskets etc

Untitled

A changing table where diapers and wet wipes are available.

Untitled

I was extremely excited when I walked in as I saw all of the themes prepared for me.

I soon sat back and just let Ashley and her team to work her magic. She took care of outfit changes, to coaxing Davina to even changing her diaper when Davina soiled it! Here are some behind the scenes pics I sneakily took of Ashley and team!

Untitled

Untitled

Untitled

We managed to finish the photoshoot within 1.5 hours despite having to stop for 2 times, to breastfeed and also having to coax a temperamental Aidan who did not want to take pics and wanted to continue playing LOL.

All I can say is... Ashley really knows how to coax kids! She got Aidan smiling in no time!

Final results

ALP_0832

ALP_0862

Love the sky background!

ALP_0889

Florals! Huge fan of florals

ALP_0904

ALP_0930

Pink and neutrals in a basket!

ALP_0940

I had to do this shot as we did a similar one for Aidan back then! I also customised the name banner for Davina.

ALP_0961

My princess in a tutu!

And my personal favourite... the family shots!

ALP_0989

ALP_0999

ALP_1021

ALP_1041

ALP_1049

My happy family. 😀

ALP_1071

ALP_1080

Featuring the gems in my life.

I'm so glad that we decided on a newborn shoot for both of our kids, they grow up so fast! Love that we captured these precious moments in prints!

Discount code available!

If you are an expecting mum, I'll highly recommend that you splurge on a newborn shoot! It's definitely worth it! Ashley has also kindly extended a discount for www.nadnut.com readers!

Simply quote ‘Nadia’ upon booking to enjoy $50 discount on all session fees! Discount is available till 31st December 2018. Do take note that terms and conditions apply!

For bookings and enquiries, email Ashley at: info@ashleylowphotography.com
Visit her website for more details! www.ashleylowphotography.com

Background info about Ashley:

Ashley Low Photography (ALP) is a cosy and personable boutique set-up that provides creative and fun photos for your beautiful lasting memories for your newborns and babies. Ashley is a female photographer and the only Photographer in ALP who specialises in Newborn and Baby Photography, and they also provide photography services for pregnant mummies and families in Singapore. ALP has been around for over 6 years now!

If you like my photos, do check out Ashley Low Photography! It's definitely a great experience working with her. All in all, I enjoyed the brainstorming sessions and actual photoshoot the most! She really made me feel at ease, which is very important for a newborn photoshoot!

Do check out my pregnancy and baby blog posts here:

Thanks for reading nadnut.com - Singapore Lifestyle Blog! Do follow me on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Dayre and Snapchat (nick: @nadnutdotcom) to get quicker updates of my life! For advertorials, media invitations or sponsored reviews, please contact me here.

Comments

•

Just like with Aidan, I opted for a scheduled c-section with Davina. Reasons being, I suffered from low placenta again and Davina was breech.

To be honest, I really did wanted to try a natural birth but because of the risks involved, a healthy baby was more important.

This time again, we chose the single ward. Same like last time, we checked in after midnight, did the pre-admission etc. I however felt even more nervous than the first time. Had so many fears and worries before the surgery. I guess, it's also because I knew what was going on, thus I felt more scared.

I couldn't sleep a single wink before my surgery. Not a single minute at all.

Funnily, this time, I didn't had to use a supp to clear my bowels. I asked the nurse and she said there was a note that I had a low placenta and that they don't use supps for low placenta. Kinda weird if you asked me since I had that for #1. Maybe my placenta was lower than back then?

Same as the previous time, they prepped me and wheeled me off to the operating theatre while Skai was brought elsewhere to prep.

I had previously requested for the same anaesthetist but unfortunately she wasn't available. This time, a male anaesthetist handled my surgery. He gave me laughing gas before inserting the spinal block which I didn't feel help much. It just basically makes you feel a bit woozy LOL.

For those familiar with a caesarian will know how's the procedure.

  • After the anaesthetist has injected the spinal block, your gynaecologist will check if you have any pains by using pressing your stomach.
  • They will then start the operation, and very quickly the father will be ushered in and your baby will be born quite quickly. At this part, some pressure will be placed on your tummy to push the baby out.
  • After a quick photo taking, the father and baby will be ushered at the side where they will check the baby and also have a look at the placenta.
  • The baby will then go thru a few other checks elsewhere and the father will be ushered out of the operating theatre.
  • The operation will continue as the gynaecologist will concentrate on closing you up.

Here's my account of Aidan's birth.

This time, everything happens as per usual.. at the beginning. Skai was ushered in and we waited.

However Davina didn't appear as fast as Aidan did and we noticed that the mood of the team took a very serious turn. More hands were called for to help push Davina out. At this time, no one was telling us what was happening but we knew that Davina was stuck. I heard the anaesthetist suggesting to my gynaecologist to use the forceps.

It felt like forever (as compared to Aidan's time) and finally Davina was born. However she did not cry. I noticed some of the staff hurrying to call the pd etc. It felt like everyone was holding their breath as.. We all know there would be complications if the baby does not cry...

After a while, she cried. I have never thank god so many times in my life before. Skai was then ushered out and again, my gynaecologist closed me up. And everything was per normal.

The next day, when I was feeling better, I asked my gynae what happened. In my own understanding, my bladder was in the way of the scar so he cut in a different angle. Coupled with the fact that Davina was not in the right position, it became a very difficult delivery.

But thank god, all is well.

Aside from that, I suffered side effects from the epidural such as shivering and nausea. My nausea was so bad that I wasn't allowed food for a while. When I could eat, I was only allowed porridge for 2 days.

I also had breastfeeding contractions which I later found out was more common in second time mums. Recovery for my second c-sect definitely took longer and I was in severe pain for a few weeks. Thankfully I'm much better now. But am still taking it slow, to be safe.

Enough about the wall of text, here are some pics from my hospital stay!

...continue reading →