“There are two classes of travel; first class, and with children.” – Robert Benchley 

I’ve been scouring the internet for tips, reviews and suggestions for kids-friendly places and events for our impending trip and I am so thankful to each and every one of you dedicated hardworking bloggers for taking the time out of your busy life to assist other information-hungry mommies in making our trip with kids more manageable. And so I decided to write one for anyone who plan to travel to Sydney with kids, based on my not-so-recent trip there with my firstborn Hadi, who was 3 at the time of the trip (Noah was 3 months old in my tummy during our visit). 

  

TRIP TO SYDNEY WITH KIDS: WHAT’S FUN AND WHAT’S NOT!

Firstly, I cannot say this enough: Sydney is a truly vibrant city. It’s sunny and clean, you feel safe walking anywhere in Sydney, the buildings are modern and nice and the beautiful, well - maintained beach is just nearby --- what’s not to love about that? There’s definitely something for everyone in the family, including the kids! 

STAY IN AN APARTMENT

Especially if you have a large family, apartment would be a better choice, monetarily and space-wise, as compared to staying in hotels. You can also save money by cooking in your apartment. Most days I would prepare fried rice / pasta to bring for my boy for our outings; this would save you some money and mostly, this save you from the trouble of looking for eateries that are both adult/kids friendly. Hungry kiddos are no fun.

SYDNEY IS A STROLLER-FRIENDLY CITY 

… so you don’t have to be worried about bringing your baby/kid’s stroller, except maybe when you go into the main attractions, perhaps you will piss people off with your bulky Quinny if the place gets too crowded. Umbrella strollers are always the best travel companion! My brother wore his baby who was a few months old then with a carrier and that certainly is a better choice when you go to the main attractions. 

SKIP THE SEA LIFE SYDNEY AQUARIUM 

… if your kid is younger than 5. The place is too huge, they’d get tired easily. My boy enjoyed the first 10 minutes and was more interested in the gift shop full of sea animal plushies afterwards. Older kids might appreciate it more I guess. 

A 4-year-old Hadi might appreciate the huge shark on top of his head more than he did last year. 

 He and I ended waiting outside for everyone. 

SAND DUNE COULD BE LOTSA FUN 

… if your kids, like most kids I know, love the sand. Mummy and daddy can go sand-board all you want and your kids will be content with the abundance of sand all around them. Older kids can join boarding, of course!

Trust me, my boy enjoyed himself too much here. 

GO SEE SOME ANIMALS 

And I do not mean animals in zoos like we have here in Malaysia. Go to farms where animals run free here and there and your kids will be all happy in their element. We went to the Oakville Farm in Newcastle and I believe that was the highlight of the trip for Hadi. We adults had so much fun too though.

 It was a gorgeous day at the Oakville Farm.

DO NOT, I REPEAT, DO NOT SKIP THE BEACHES 

We went to Bondi Beach when we were in Sydney and truly enjoyed ourselves. You can rent the surfing / body-boarding supplies and even umbrellas and chairs there. If the waves are not for you, younger kids can enjoy the small ocean pool and soft sand. I read that the best beach for kids in Sydney is Balmoral Beach but we didn’t have the time to go.

 I miss his chubby cheeks! He's too thin now!

IF YOU HAVE OLDER KIDS, GO TO THE THEME PARK 

The famous one in Sydney is Luna Park and we opted to not go because Hadi was just 3 last year, he would not have enjoyed it to the fullest. Maybe next time?

CHURROS, MUST EAT CHURROS 

Kids are definitely going to love ‘em! Holidays are cheat days (for you, mommies)!

IF YOU MUST GO TO THE SYDNEY OPERA HOUSE 

… you can! While kids may not appreciate the majestic building, they can run around, watch and dance to the sound of didgeridoo, eat ice cream. And be sure to board the ferry to the Opera House, older kids would surely love the ride (although my boy slept all the way on the ferry ride, tired from earlier ventures to the main attractions, booo). 

THE DARLING QUARTER IS A PLAYGROUND HAVEN 

Due to late start of the day, we did not have the time to go and we headed straight to the Darling Harbour main attractions, but promise me please that you will go and bring your kids to enjoy the vast and spectacular kids haven! 

GOOD LUCK, MOMMIES!

Like I have said for too many times, I truly enjoyed Sydney, the city is so amazing and kids-friendly, I could just pack my stuffs and move there in a blink of an eye. I hope to visit the city again one day, but next time around, I will skip the main touristy attractions and opt for more picnics and BBQ, playground adventures and of course, more visits to the beach! Good luck with your trip (this is inevitable when you’re travelling with little ones har har) and I hope you will enjoy Sydney as much as I did, if note more! 

“Children are likely to live up to what you believe of them.” - Lady Bird Johnson 

I can’t believe Hadi has completed a whole school year! Where did the time go? Did I even properly blog about his first day in preschool? I don’t think I did! Towards the end of 2014 school year, the teacher said she has seen a lot of improvement in him. He’s usually really shy around strangers but hey, he did really good at his school concert last Sunday. Although he couldn’t keep his eyes off his class teacher Puan Pipah most time of the performance, he danced and sang his heart away wholeheartedly and I was overwhelmed with pride and joy for my firstborn. 

Although I must say that attending your child’s school concert will make you feel like a real grown up grownup, you know what I mean? Tsskk. 

Here's my big boy, taken on one of the last few days of school. He suddenly decided he wanted to bring the Batman cape I made for him to school to show to his friends. He never bring any of his stuffs to school and I finally found out why! His teacher will make anyone who bring anything from home to go in front of the class and tell a story about it. A sharing session, they call it! And Hadi has been refusing to bring anything because he was too shy to tell stories in public! Shy lah sangat kamu kononnya! But on one of the last few days, he wanted to bring his cape voluntarily so I hope this is a good start. 

School holiday has only officially started for two days and already the boy has been bugging me that he misses his school! Tssskkk. One month ++ to go, dude.

A one-year-old child is so many things -- 

A tiny discoverer of butterfly wings, 

A hugger of Teddies, 

A sweet sleepyhead, 

And someone to dream for in bright years ahead 

My Noah turned one on October 19th and we celebrated with a picnic with our mini family (+ Tok) at our favourite park. I love picnics and it’s a curse that I live in humid, hot Malaysia. The birthday boy got cranky after the first 1/2 hour due to the heat but thank goodness his big brother enjoyed his time at the park playing frisbees, ball and what not. 

I know we did a much bigger bash when Hadi turned one back in 2011 but that was just because we got over excited, with him being our first born and all. Noah has to know, hence I’m writing this, that this does not in any way mean we love you any less than we love your big brother, OK? It just meant that as seasoned parents (har har har), we’re more practical now and this year we decide that we’d rather spend on perhaps a family vacation (soon, I hope). 

It has been an amazing one year with you, Noah. My darling sweet Noah. One peaceful and easy baby who comes with other sorts of challenges, dramas and fears, which perhaps I’ll share one day. But for now, I am thankful for this blessing and I look forward to many more years with my Noah. Alhamdulillah.

"Love can change a person the way a parent can change a baby- awkwardly, and often with a great deal of mess.” - Lemony Snicket, Horseradish

A darling friend Ayuni requested from Ayin and me a checklist of stuffs needed for a newborn. True there are a lot on the net but some are way too extensive, like what do you need an RM189 brush and comb set for? And expensive night light with lullaby? Sure, if you have money to burn, go ahead, but if you're practical (and kedekut) like me, soft light from a semi-closed bathroom door and your own zikrullah lullaby would do insyaAllah. 

So yeah, because I was bored, stressed out and was melayan Hadi painting anyway, I doodled this one for Ayuni and you can share it too! (I think I left out some essential items here, like a thermometer perhaps - thank you, Ayin for pointing that out. And yes Ieja, maybe a baby carrier too)

Till then, enjoy your pregnancy, mommies-to-be! (And enjoy shopping for you baby!)

“A morning coffee is my favorite way of starting the day, 
settling the nerves so that they don't later fray.” ― Marcia Carrington 

My mom is an avid fan of tea. She’s a tea-holic, she actually survives on tea, really. She could go days without rice and proper food but could only last a few hours without a cup of steaming hot tea. So naturally I was never raised to be coffee lover. The first time I tasted coffee was probably when I was 10, at a relative’s house and they served us hot black coffee (yes, to the kids as well) and I remember thinking that the taste wasn’t anywhere near good. 

Little did I know the day will come when I will be finally introduced to good coffee, become obsessively dependent on them (oh those sleepless mombie nights and sleepy mombie days) and the rest they say is history. 

[Mombie: a mommy who is a zombie, weee!]

Coffee; in support of mommyhood since forever (so my mom preferred tea but to each moms their own caffeine, yeah?) Happy International Coffee Day, coffee lovers all over the world! Thank you for existing in our lives!

"All kids need is a little help, a little hope and someone who believes in them." - Magie Johnson

I saw this Baby Mugging meme on Pinterest this morning and thought that this is too cute and doable too! Apparently it is the current Instagram sensation replacing #sleepingbabyart, which by the way is super hard to be done, phewww. I have some of Noah's #sleepingbabyart and I shall produce them when I have the chance. Look for #babymugging or #babyinamug hashtags on Instagram for so many other cute photos! 

And naturally, I have to come up with one of Noah! Here's my darling Noah, popping out of Hadi's Daiso RM5 mug, weee!

“There are lives I can imagine without children but none of them have the same laughter and noise.” - Andreas

 

One day, our kids will outgrow our laps and leave our home, and this is a reminder that every single thing we do with our kids, we could be doing them for the very last time. There are days when we are too tired and crappy from everyday stress and we get cranky and angry with the kids behaving like well… kids, we forget that these days shall pass very soon and one day, we will only be left with the memories of their childhood innocence and the lingering sound of their sweet voice calling out for us.

Ups and downs, craziness and fun; cherish them all, we shall.

“If you don’t think life is great, try going on without one"– Jim Evans

It’s been too long. Do people still read blogs anymore? I still do, although not on daily basis, but there are a few blogs that I still follow religiously. I just don’t think people still want to read my shit when there are faster mediums like Instagram, Twitter and what not (these days I don’t even tweet or read tweets daily anymore!) Until recently at a relative’s wedding, a pretty lady came up to me while we were queuing for buffet (didn’t catch her name but she said she’s Shanim’s cousin, so hi hello if you’re reading!) and she told me she reads my blog and asked why don’t I blog anymore. Honestly, I’m just plain lazy, that’s why. 

I’m gonna start with a summary. Fast forward 4 months after my last post, I’m still a lawyer and have been branching out on many other areas of law so you can give me a call if you find yourself buried deep in legal problems hew hew hew. Oh I do entertain “friendly” legal questions - you know, the pro bono kind which doesn’t lead to real cases with real fees, but please remember that a lawyer gotta eat (and have needs for pretty clothes) too. Am still very much happily married to the boss (d’uh) and he’s getting me a new car soon (amen!) so I’m loving him even more these days hew hew hew, oh and I caused a dent to a rented car few weeks ago so yeah oh baby I love you so. My parents and MIL are in good health and I thank Allah everyday for this. My Hadi has been in preschool for almost a year now and I’ve seen improvement in his everyday English and socializing skills although he is still very very shy around strangers (including friends at school)! He is the complete opposite at home though; very loud, talks non-stop, always jumping and running and up to some mischief. I wish I could combine these two very different personalities and create one perfect Hadi, sigh. My Noah is already 10 months old (time flies so fast with this one, phewww!) and he is still the calm and darling baby that he is. I have so many things to share about Noah but maybe later. Still fully breastfeeding Noah who doesn’t really like food so momma’s milk is all his nutrition is coming from and honestly I don’t think I am able to keep up with his demand! God help me! 10 months later and yeah, I’m still fat, far from my dream weight, belly full of baby fat (more like full of teh tarik and nasi lemak) and lotsa fat hanging loose here and there (don’t picture it!) Maybe I should just get pregnant so I could justify all my eating and what not. I want 5 kids anyway (if Allah permits) and I’m already 32 now so I think we should act fast! I have so many everyday issues that I share randomly on Instagram, Whatsapp and Facebook, I couldn’t probably list them down here in one post. But all in all, by Jim Evans’ standard, life’s really good. 

That’s a lot of useless facts in one para. This is fun. Maybe I should pick up this hobby again.

"Between the innocence of babyhood and the dignity of manhood, we find the delightful creature of a boy"

Mothers, here's to all of us.

Here's to 9 months of nausea, back pain and headache, to mention the least. 

Here's to child birth pain; erased forever at the wonderful sound of your breathing, crying babies. 

Here’s to saggy baby pouch, uneven lactating boobies, ugly stretch marks and apparent c-section scars. 

Here's to the struggle of breastfeeding; the nip cracks, sleepless nursing nights and endless pumping. 

Here’s to celebrating baby poop and fart. 

Here’s to lack of sleep and the glories it brings; eye bags, zombie-ness and surviving on coffees. 

Here’s to new moms; stumbling through diaper change, baby bath, and the art of taking a two-minutes shower. 

Here’s to baby’s first step, first toothless smile, first hearty laugh. 

Here’s to restless nights caring for your sick children. 

Here’s to toddler tantrum, terrible twos and terrific threes. 

Here’s to moms who are in dire need of date nights, coffee breaks, trip to the salon, an uninterrupted toilet visit, a long phone call with your friends; whatever it takes to remain sane. 

Here’s to moms who never get such breaks; may God ease your hardship. 

Here’s to proud moms fighting back tears watching your children singing their heart away at a school concert. 

Here’s to working moms struggling to balance raising kids and meeting deadlines. 

Here’s to stay-at-home moms who are 24/7 on their feet. 

Here’s to imperfect moms who don’t always feed your children homemade organic food, who couldn’t bake the perfect rainbow cakes, who couldn’t even master a simple kid’s craft. 

Here’s to learning to let go of a huge part of your personal social life. 

Here’s to our kid’s little achievements; learning to ride a bike, writing ABCs albeit crookedly, baking cookies, painting their own crafts, dressing themselves, making friends. 

Here’s to everyday drama; that even a simple act of getting ready for school could take longer time and more shouting than it should. 

Here’s to the pang of guilt you feel after you yelled at your kids for well, being kids. 

Here’s to breaking down after you couldn’t handle a bad moment. 

Here’s to other moms who give support and encouragement in those kind of bad moments; no judgment whatsoever. 

Here’s to moms giving in to ice creams, candies and gadgets; for a piece of sanity. 

Here’s to the constant fear for your child safety. 

Here’s to feeling the need to flee from wherever you are to hug your children when hearing news of a terrible accident, a wild storm, a baby dying. 

Here’s to kissing boo-boos, rocking a restless child to sleep, lullaby singing, comforting a tummy ache. 

Here’s to the heartache of letting go of your child; to school, college, out to the wild wild world. 

Here’s to stressed out moms; whose babies won’t stop crying, whose toddlers won’t stop shouting. 

Here’s to clueless moms; whose preschoolers won’t stop asking questions and demanding answers. 

Here’s to moms raising know-it-all teenagers, may God grant you patience and strength. 

Here’s to older moms, learning to let go of your all grown up babies. 

Here’s to the perfect trophy moms, the tiger moms, the crazy cool ones; whichever kind of awesome moms you are. 

Here’s to motherhood and its roller-coaster ride; of trying our best, taking each and every day as it comes and hoping that our kids will grow up to be amazing. 

Here’s to all of us. Happy mother’s day. 

"There are certain things you learn to do as a parent - using every single part of your body because you're multitasking all the time. You're holding the baby and you're closing the door with your left foot." - Amy Ryan

I like our new stroller so much it deserves an entry. And it’s not even Stokke, Bugaboo Bee or its kind. 

With Hadi, we used Quinny Buzz, which, although was very sturdy and comfortable, is a pain in the ass in terms of handling and storage. Bulky weh. Tapi memang cun dan melenakan. We still have it stored at my MIL’s. We also have one Mothercare umbrella stroller, which has been a big help to so many other people as well. 

This time around, my specs were a stroller that can be umbrella-folded, easy to handle (which is very very important especially if you're alone with two kids in tow), can be fully reclined for infants and CHEAP without compromising quality and looks. And I found Halford Fliplite! 

It’s just a simple stroller, really. Entah kenapa aku suka sangat. Perhaps because I got it on sale at only around RM290.00 from Baby Cottage (RP is around RM460) and that it fits all specs that I needed. 

My reviews? (1) Umbrella fold, easy storage di bonet kereta apapun. (2) It has 4 positions seat recline, and yes can be fully reclined for newborns (not totally flat macam infant strollers but reclined secukupnya). (3) Shopping basket kat bawah, but if you fully reclined the seat, the basket becomes not accessible, lalu susah sikit to letak barang. Not a big problem though. (4) Lockable wheels, which is important. (5) It has ‘windows’ on the side and above, which you can unzip which allows your child to look out through netting and vice versa. 

(6) The material nipis sikit, so for babies, I’d recommend you to letak blankie, comforter or buy something like this body support, so that comfy lebih sikitlah. But my Noah is such a good sport, as long as cukup susu and tak panas, he’d sleep anyway. That's what small babies do pun kan. Hehe.

(7) Oh it says it can hold up to 18 kg which I think is true because this big baby Hadi of mine weighs a whopping 17kg! 

"A newborn baby has only three demands. They are warmth in the arms of its mother, food from her breasts, and security in the knowledge of her presence. Breastfeeding satisfies all three." - Grantly Dick-Read

I breastfed my firstborn for more than 2 years, and exclusively for over a year. But except in cars and planes, I’ve never ever nursed him in public. So yeah, planes memanglah sangat public sebenarnya but it was inevitable, I need to keep my baby full and/or asleep to ensure smooth plane rides. But other than that, no other public places. The reason? Amat sangat segan! And to tell you the truth, it was very tiring having to run around looking for baby rooms and/or more secluded spots to nurse him while he was wailing for milk. Stressful tau! Kasihan ibu dan anak!

As we all know, breastfeeding is feeding on demand and when a baby demands it, you can do no reasoning with the little creature; they have got to have it. And Hadi, well well well, he was a milk monster with little patience, phewww. 

Oh once, I even breastfed Hadi in the toilet at the USS, Singapore because the baby room was too damn far away from where we were. I am still ashamed of the fact that I was too penyegan that I had to feed my darling baby in a freaking toilet! Disclaimer: Singapore toilets are super clean though. But yeah, tetaplah toilet kan?! I'm not proud of it. Really.

So this time around, I told myself, no more. I shall not menyusahkan diri lagi. Nak segan apa? Rileks sudah. And the first time I nursed Noah in public was when we were still in pantang, curi keluar makan at Marche at The Curve. I did not have my nursing poncho with me but my shawl was wide enough to cover his tiny baby head and everything else. And honestly, the feeling was liberating! Satisfied baby, happy mommy. 

This was me yesterday, nursing Noah at Marco Polo while waiting for my Steak Sandwich to arrive. And by the time my food was ready, Noah was full and asleep. Bukankah membahagiakan?

 

Since that very first time, I bring my nursing poncho (given by my darling Ayin) everywhere I go and feed Noah anywhere suitable. People still give me the stares sometimes, but I couldn’t care less anymore. It is seriously way too convenient to NIP and once you get the hang of it, you’ll be like, yeah I’m feeding my baby with my boobies under this wide burkha underneath, if you have a problem with it, you can shove it up you know what. Yes, something like that.

It is funny how NIP dipandang serong especially in countries like the USA where most women are practically naked all day long. It is acceptable for girls to be frolicking around in their tiny bikinis and tank tops, to be wearing lingerie-like dresses to the clubs and what not, but it is not OK for a mom to nurse her hungry, innocent baby in public? Seriously?! More so if it is done discreetly, under a poncho or covered with a big shirt, how is that a problem? People who have problems with it, are you mentally retarded or too perverted that breastfeeding turns you on? Sheesh!

Damn right. Fellow mommies who breastfeed in public because you care more about the happiness of your babies and yourselves instead of how the minority retarded society feel about it, I salute you! 

“My mother groaned, my father wept, into the dangerous world I leapt.” ― William Blake 

Noah and I, we clicked the first time we saw each other. He, of course looked a bit dazed as to whom I am and why am I shoving my you-know-what to his mouth, teaching him to latch on it. But me, I fell instantly in love. I mean, I have loved him from the moment I knew I was carrying him in me, but the first time I held him in my arms, I fell in love. Head over heel. Told ya, a mother’s love knows no limit, has no capacity. 

Anyways, the birth story. Alhamdulillah, this time around, shorter labour, easier delivery. I told my doctor that I was determine to try for vaginal birth for this baby, which would make it a Vaginal Birth After Caesarean (VBAC), which naturally, comes with more risks. 

Two days before Noah was born, I was admitted for heavy blood show. Pad-soaking heavy, it was quite worrying. So they attached me to the CTG machine for almost the whole night to monitor the baby and did vaginal scan the next morning but everything seemed normal and there was no other labour symptom just yet. Blood show, Braxton Hicks, 1 cm opening but nothing else. They sent me home and I went on a date with the husband the whole day. 

October 18th, at night, I was starting to feel more sharp contractions, lebih sakit dan lebih kerap, and by midnight, rasa dah sakit sangat. My firstborn Hadi was already asleep so we angkut him and sent him off to his Tok’s, not without some drama of course, sebab dia terjaga and wanted to sleep with me. Berjaya lepaskan diri at around 1 a.m. and they immediately admitted me and called my doctor. 

Starting from around 2-3 a.m., the contraction semakin sakit but baru buka 3 cm! 3 cm! Rasa nak meraung when they told me that. Still a long way to go, man. There was no single room that night so I had to share with 4 other heavily pregnant mommies in distress, macam berlawan-lawan mengerang. Sometimes I would remember to change position, berzikir, do the labour breathing and what not, but other times I would just join in the mengerang session (which as we know, was so not helping with the pain sebenarnya!) 

After Subuh, the nurse told the husband that my bukaan was only at around 4 cm and they estimated paling cepat akan beranak petang, so husband went home to mandi etc. By then I was already in so much pain I was determined that I wanted epidural. They asked me to wait for the doctor. The doctor came at around 8 and I was so ready with my script nak request epidural but they checked and I was already fully dilated! How did I go from 4 cm to being fully dilated in only an hour, I do not know! 

So they immediately wheeled me to the labour room, while one of the nurses frantically called the husband and the others telling me to try to push. Tapi sebenarnya takyah suruh sebab masa tu all I want to do is nothing but push, push, push! They coached me and cheered on me and honestly, the delivery process was so quick I can barely recall what happened. Pushed a few times lalu dengarlah tangisan Noah bergempita. I thank God for making the delivery bit quite easy, phewww. Husband arrived 10 minutes after I have given birth, with Hadi and his Tok. 

One day old Noah Rashad. Mad love.

 

I wish I came up with a post-delivery plan for the doctor though; would have loved to have the baby placed on me immediately after he was born, he must have felt really scared without his mommy! He was only sent to my room an hour after that and I was told that they have fed him with formula. Apparently it’s the paed’s practice. Pfftt. One of the nurses even “advised” me that newborn need formula milk, to make sure cukup sihat, kenyang and to minimize jaundice risk. Say what?! I was feeling so much love and gratitude ketika itu so I just held back and said nothing much. So yeah, mental note, next baby, tell them: immediate mommy-baby body contact, and no formula please! 

Noah is 47 days young today and Alhamdulillah, he has been a very easy, fuss free baby from the start. He almost always seems contented, only merengek sikit when he wants milk or diaper change, and wakes up at night only for feeding. MasyaAllah, what have I done to deserve this blessing, I do not know; not a day passed without me thanking Him for Noah, the easy baby that he is (setakat ini! Hehe) 

One thing for sure, Noah certainly lives up to the meaning of his name; my darling peaceful baby :)

“Through the blur, I wondered if I was alone or if other parents felt the same way I did - that everything involving our children was painful in some way. The emotions, whether they were joy, sorrow, love or pride, were so deep and sharp that in the end they left you raw, exposed and yes, in pain. The human heart was not designed to beat outside the human body and yet, each child represented just that - a parent's heart bared, beating forever outside its chest.” ― Debra Ginsberg 

Alhamdulillah, on October 19th, 2013 I gave birth to a perfect little baby boy, another heartbeat of mine. InsyaAllah I shall share the birth story soon. Muhammad Noah Rashad, my peaceful and wise baby, insyaAllah.

“In their innocence, very young children know themselves to be light and love. If we will allow them, they can teach us to see ourselves the same way. ” ― Michael Jackson 

Research has shown... Har har har. You know a piece of writing is going to bore you jika bermula terus dengan research result or statistics and what not. I’m going to bore you anyway and share that research has shown that play time for kids helps develop crucial social skills, preparing them for adulthood. But you don’t need to have a PHD in Early Childhood Education to realize this I guess. Emak-emak memang tahu.

My preschooler has yet to begin any formal early education (next year insyaAllah), of course he plays a lot during the day, but I like to bring him to play rooms and such on weekends to get him to interact with other kids and learn new stuffs. Sememangnya after a while memang sangaplah duduk tengok budak-budak main; most people leave their kids with their bibik (maybe I’d do that one day so I can go shopping or watch movie) but social skills are important, and the only way to develop that is through social interaction. 

One of my favourite places to bring Hadi is the Kidz Room at Danga City Mall (I think I’ve written about it before, in my write up about the Little Play Loft). The parking is easy and free at DCM, they have quite a number of eateries, and I get to go to Metrojaya and SSF then after (ngeee!) Besides, I really like the Montessori feel of the Kidz Room, They have many sections for many types of activities; pretend play – there’s a shopping mall, a little kitchen and a small dining place, video games, reading corner, colouring section, blocks, puzzles and many more. They assign at least 4-5 people to man the room (especially to take care of the older kids – kids below 5 must be accompanied by parents/guardians) hence the room is always clean and the kids are always in order (except of course, for a few uncontrollable kids once in a while – once, there was this one boy, around 5-6 of age, asyik mengacau other kids, girls especially, keep throwing things and shouting stuffs; his parents got called up and I never saw him after that) 

Anyways, here are some pictures from our last visit. They don’t usually allow picture-taking, but they seemed cool about it on that particular day. 

The reading corner; they have many good books (including the dinosaur series that Hadi likes) And yes, perlu pakai socks, for both kids and guardian. Bring your own socks or else boleh beli from the counter. They also insist on spraying hand sanitizer and checking your kids' temperature, which I thought is good!

Colouring corner and Hadi kept asking me why are all the colours so small? Eeek budget saving.

Hadi was quite hesitant to join this singing and dancing activity because he had to hold strangers' hands. But that's part of social skill! So I paksa juga, and he wasn't happy about it. Har har har.

Book reading time. Hadi and few other kids kept on menyampuk when the kakak was telling them the stories, and the girl shushed them and told them to just listen; I thought that should be handled differently as they were just expressing their views, which is crucial and good! Tapi tak apalah, the girl bukan a trained educator pun.

The fee is RM15 for unlimited hours. On days when they have extra activities, ada different charge lah. Oh they also have packages for birthday parties, looks pretty cool I must say.

Last weekend we went to City Square Mall dan baru tersedar ada kids play gym on Level 5. All these while I thought tempat main game saja because it’s always packed with teenagers. Turned out ada small space for younger kids. RM5 for 20 minutes and RM9 for an hour or so. Bolehlah, ada many stuffs he got to play and lompat with. Hadi had too much fun that I practically had to drag him out of it. Pfftt. Always my least favourite part. 

If you know any other recommended play rooms/gyms in JB, do let me know. And if you haven’t been to the above mentioned places, I’d recommend you to. Just be warned, it will be a pain in the ass to get them out once you’re in.