Childhood Development

Breast milk is best for your baby

Breast milk is best for babies. The World Health Organisation (WHO) and Health Promotion Board (HPB) recommend exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of life. Unnecessary introduction of bottle feeding or other food and drinks will have a negative impact on breastfeeding. At around six months of age (but not before 4 months), infants should receive nutritionally adequate and age-appropriate complementary foods while breastfeeding continues for up to two years of age or beyond. Consult your doctor before deciding to use infant formula or if you have difficulty breastfeeding.

Abbott Singapore fully recognises breast milk’s primacy, value and superiority and supports exclusive breastfeeding as recommended by the WHO.

The content on this website is intended as general information for Singaporean residents only and should not be used as a substitute for medical care and advice from your healthcare practitioner. The HPB recommends that infants start on age-appropriate complementary foods at around 6 months, whilst continuing breastfeeding for up to 2 years or beyond to meet their evolving nutritional requirements. If no longer breastfeeding, toddlers can switch to full cream milk after 12 months. This should be complemented by a good variety of solid foods from the four main food groups (fruits, vegetables, grains, meat and alternatives). For more information on the nutritional requirements of infants and young children, please visit www.healthhub.sg/earlynutrition.

Milestones ahead

From the first moments after the birth of your child, you know your life will never be the same. Your child will change from week to week-even from day to day-as he begins to notice the world around him, and to interact with it. Get a head start, and know what to expect as your baby matures.

Children between the ages of 4 and 6 are just beginning their school experience

During the transition from toddlers to childhood, there's lots of growth to look forward to, and lots of key milestones along the way. Make sure you have your camera ready, because they grow up fast.

By age 6, your child will most likely be able to:

Brush teeth by himself (supervision is still recommended)
Ride a tricycle
Button coat, zip pants, tie shoes and display other signs of increased motor skills
Show awareness of gender identity
Help to dress and undress himself
Recall part of a story and sing a song
Play with and want to please friends
Agree to rules
Show more independence and may even visit a next-door neighbor by himself
Increase vocabulary from 900 to about 2,500-3,000 words
Distinguish fantasy from reality
Count 10 or more objects
Correctly name at least four colors
Better understand the concept of time
Know about things used every day in the home (money, food, appliances)
Speak sentences of more than five words (using future tense)
Remember and say name and address
Hop, somersault, swing, climb, stand on one foot for 10 seconds or longer, possibly skip
Print some letters (encourage proper holding of pencil and downward strokes)
Use fork, spoon, and (sometimes) a table knife
May be losing baby teeth
Care for own toilet needs

Breast milk is best for your baby

Milestones ahead

The Pre-School Years

Children between the ages of 4 and 6 are just beginning their school experience