Exploring Our Children’s Potentials

From Leonny:

Today I’d like to share with you something a little different.

A guest post. By Christie Burnett, the winner of Best Parenting Blog in the recent Asia-Pacific Blog Awards 2009.

She came all the way from Australia to Singapore for the first time, and so I asked if she could share with everyone at Our Everyday Things how the trip was like and the kinds of activities she did with her adorable 20-month-old Immy while in Singapore.

And so here it is.

Have a good read and enjoy your weekend, everyone!

…

If your child loves anything to do with transport then Singapore is the place to visit!  My daughter, Immy (20 months), loves motorbikes and in Perth we usually see one or maybe two (if we’re really lucky) when out driving.  So you can imagine Immy’s delight when we exited the airport to see a long line of parked motorbikes and many zooming by as well!  And she learnt a new favourite word in Singapore as well – taxi. Taxis are a rarer sight in Perth than motorbikes!

So we were off to a good start for our visit to Singapore.  It was my first overseas trip with a child in tow, and what a difference one little toddler can make.  From the extra preparation and paraphernalia to pack, to juggling sightseeing with sleep times, the wonderful flexibility I have known previously when travelling the world  was most definitely a thing of the past.

Here are some of the things I learnt about visiting Singapore and travelling with a toddler:

Sightseeing:
Think carefully about your sightseeing choices – are they child friendly and appropriate to your child’s age and interests?  As part of the Nuffnang Uniquely Singapore Tour we went to the Mint Museum of Toys and the Chinese Heritage Museum, both were wonderfully interesting but not really appropriate for a curious toddler.  Immy couldn’t understand why she couldn’t touch the toys on display (and just kept chanting, “Toy, toy, toy,” until I took her to the gift shop and bought her a toy) and at the Chinese Heritage Museum I was worried that she was going to touch something that she shouldn’t so instead of soaking up the history we opted for a stroll around the markets of Chinatown.

Activities which were much more successful for us included:

• The Botanic Gardens: Thanks to Leonny’s tip, we asked our taxi driver to take us to the Jacob Ballas Children’s Garden at the Botanic Gardens.  He instead dropped us at the opposite side of the park, way too far for us to walk (it was a hot and sticky morning).  As it turned out, Immy was fascinated by a pond of giant koi and swans swimming on a nearby lake.  We were able to enjoy a walk, an ice cream along the way, and lunch at Casa Verde.

• We actually went back a second time, this time equipped with a flyer which showed the taxi driver where in the Botanic Gardens the Children’s Garden was.  It was still a bit of a mission for him to find but finally we got there!  Immy had a wonderful time playing in the water play area with a lovely group of other young children who kindly shared their buckets and watering cans with her. One of the things I think Immy missed whilst we were away was regular interaction with other children so this was a wonderful opportunity for her to hang out and just be a kid.

• The Singapore Zoo, especially Kidzworld, was lots of fun. Whoever had the idea of adding this section to the zoo (especially the water playground) was a genius.  Of course, you could easily have time get away from you and forget to go and see the rest of the zoo!  I think a zoo is a great place to visit with children of all ages, Immy was fascinated by the polar bears and the orangutans and I loved the white tigers.

• Markets:  Immy enjoyed looking around the markets at Chinatown, so much to see, hear and smell for a curious little person.

• Singapore Flyer: I was worried that Immy would be bored for the 30 minute Flyer ride but she really enjoyed seeing the boats and cars from ‘up high.’  I enjoyed the peace and coolness, an escape from the busy city.

Snacks:
The first port of call for any Mum when visiting a new city should be the local supermarket to stock up on snacks (fruit, crackers and muesli bars work well).  I felt much more relaxed once I had done so as it meant that I always had something in my bag to offer Immy if our normal mealtimes were delayed due to being out and about in an unfamiliar city.

Eating out:
This is one area where I should have been more organised with some research before we left home.  I was happy to try a range of local foods at the Food Centres for me but had no idea what to order for Immy.  I was worried about choosing something too spicy or which contained one of the foods I have not yet introduced her too and I definitely did not want to spend our trip stuck in our hotel room with an upset tummy or serious allergic reaction.  So Immy lived on Chicken Rice for much of our trip, luckily she loves rice.  Next time we travel, I will definitely research the local cuisine before we go and find out what are the best choices for children.

Shopping:
What would Singapore be without shopping? I loved the contrast of so many types of shopping malls, from Plaza Singapura to Tanglin Mall and Orchard Road, there surely is something for everyone. My only problem with the shopping malls… the number of automated kids-car-rides, you know, the ones where you put in $1 and the child has a ride.  Immy wanted to stop for every single one we saw and we saw MANY! I regret the day that I first let her ride in one.  Once I was home I also noticed that nearly everything that Mum and I had bought out shopping was for Immy!  It was great to have so much choice when it comes to kids clothes, shoes and toys.  I also liked that the shops are open late so that after an early dinner we still had time for a little shopping before getting Immy back to the hotel ready for bedtime.

Routine and organisation:
At home I like to stick to routine nap/sleep and meal times but this is obviously much harder to do when travelling.  In my head I thought it was best to go with the flow and not pre-plan too many activities for our time in Singapore.  I had a few ideas of places for sightseeing and knew that there would definitely be some shopping but that was about as planned as it got.  In hindsight, it probably would have been better to have more of a plan rather than waste time each morning and afternoon deciding what to do and where to go.  I think it is good to still be flexible but have a fair idea of what places are definitely on your to do list.

Overall, I loved how easy it was to get around Singapore, how clean it was and how safe it felt, even when walking around in the evening.  I did however struggle a little with the heat and worried constantly whether Immy had drunk enough water or had enough sunscreen on.  I found the local people lovely and helpful and Immy certainly loved the attention of being a blonde-haired, blue-eyed little girl, though there was one occasion where we were mobbed by a large group of people wanting to touch her and take her photo where she did get very wide eyed and overwhelmed.  I think when it comes to travelling with kids, it is largely a matter of planning ahead, being organised and thinking carefully about what is appropriate to your child’s attention and stage of development.

Singapore, I cannot wait until the next time we meet!

Christie Burnett is an experienced Early Childhood Teacher and a Mum and has worked with families of children from 0-8 years of age.  She blogs at Childhood 101 about all the things that contribute to growing a memorable, healthy childhood, with lots of ideas, tips and information for families. Childhood 101 was recently selected as Best Parenting Blog at the Nuffnang Asia Pacific Blog Awards 2009.