Responsive 7th month

Used to be that GM hardly takes note of my movements but lately, whenever he sees me, his eyes will track my movement until I am out of sight.  Should I approach him, he will get excited and literally bounces up and down - a really cute sight and definitely heart-warming.  It seems he has also associated with me going out with my handbag.  Whenever I pick up my handbag, he will keep watching me and if I do not pick him up, he will start to cry.

His crawling has also improved and he can move pretty fast, especially

when he sees something that he wants.  At times, in his excitement, he will crawl with his hands and feet as opposed to hands and knees.  He also loves it when I hold his hands and he walks - he "squeals" and has a big smile on his face.  He can also move to a sitting position on his own and sits well.  He will often take a break from crawling by sitting before continuing with exploring.

From his diet standpoint, he drinks milk 6 times a day, 110 fl. oz. each time.  He eats soft foods 3 times day, accompanied by plain water.  I also give him 50 fl. oz. of fruit juice daily - unsweetened.  Alhamdulillah, I am fortunate that GM is easy to feed and doesn't "pick" his food and will eat whatever is served.  He has his "dinner" at between 7-7.30pm followed by his last bottle of milk for the day between 8.30-9pm and then it is his bedtime.  I find that with this evening feeding schedule, he sleeps through the night and wakes up around 5.30-6 am which works well for me.

I also introduced him to the swimming pool and he loves it.  The first time that he entered the pool, he was very excited, his legs pumping furiously.  He definitely loves water.  I feel that introducing him to water activities will also help with his physical development including his motor skills.

He is also "talking" more, making more different sounds and tones.  Often we would have conversations although I wonder how much he understands.  He has also begun to express his displeasure when he is denied something that he wants and at time will continue to babble in a rather "angry" tone for a few minutes.  For a baby who is just seven months, it is rather funny to listen and watch. 

As he turns 7 months, he is now 70cm tall and weighs 9 kg so my "weight training aid" is starting to feel quite heavy after a few reps :).  He has now outgrown all his 3-6 months clothes - mainly they have become too short for him.  I love watching him grow.

Progress all around to 6 months

As I watch his mobility progress this month, it has really been interesting.  In the beginning, he would be on his hands and knees, move his knees forward a couple of steps and would lunge forward so his head would be in front of his arms.  He would then lift his arms and place it parallel to his head and move his knees accordingly.  Most people tell me that babies learn to go backwards first but GM has opted to go forward.  He moves fast for a little person and when he is not in his playpen, he requires constant supervision.  Whenever something catches his eye, he "really moves" to try to get to it. 

With his increase in activity, I have also opted to increase his soft meals to 3
times per day and his milk intake is 6 times a day.  Even with the increase in intake, he hasn't developed Michelin arms and legs but is becoming more muscular.  I guess he works off the additional meals.  He also drinks juices and plain water so this helps me ensure that he doesn't get dehydrated from all the drooling and sweating.

GM takes a few naps a day but each nap lasts no longer than 30 minutes.  In the beginning of this month, he will have his last milk around midnight and then he will proceed to sleep until 5.30 to 6am.  From what I have read, babies should be able to sleep 8 hours straight now and require no night feedings but I just use this as a guideline.  As long as he is healthy and developing well, I am not worried.  Towards his completion of his sixth month, with the meals and more activity, I put him to bed at 9pm and he wakes up at 6am - a definite progress which also means that I can sleep at longer stretches.

He also talks more and we would sometimes "chit-chat" in the car and also before he goes to sleep - a way I use to unwind him in preparation for sleep.  I would normally start "slowing" him down around 8pm, starting with a bottle of milk, massaging him, chatting with him, all slower paced activities.  We would also spend time reading Quranic verses before he would fall asleep.  I try to stick to this routine as much as possible although when we attend events, this may not be possible.

GM remains his smiling self, always a smile for people who greet him
which really endears him to many.  He also is willing to be held by anyone so this really helps me out a lot, allowing me to have someone care for him when I need to do something.  As he rounds off his 6th month, he weighs 8.6kg and is 66cm tall.

Now that I will be approaching 5 months, any other things apart from milk?

GM was growing so fast and he drank milk about every 2-3 hours.  I began introducing him to soft foods like pureed pumpkin, peas, zucchini and rice and he enjoyed eating them.  He was easy to feed and when I place the spoon close to his mouth, he opens it readily.  All the food was without added sugar and organic.  I tasted them and found some of them to be only slightly sweet and this was from the natural sugar content.  I varied his meals and so far, he has eaten all the different types of food.  At this stage, I did not want him to eat sweetened food but to accept the natural tastes.  Luckily, he also accepted drinking water and unsweetened juices like apple and pear.

He also became more active - moving his arms and legs a lot.  He definitely developed an aversion to being held in a sleeping position and would voice his displeasure.  He preferred to sit up and stand and watch the world.  He began to recognize other people apart from me and would smile at people.  He loves to smile and he looks so adorable that people just tend to fall in love with him, especially with his easy-going personality.

He also started his babbling and I would respond with some inane response.  According to the literature that I read, babies do not understand what you say but will respond to your voice and this would encourage them to "talk" so here I am saying all kinds of things in response to his babble.  He also began to react to harsh tones by crying so I would avoid situations where he would hear people arguing or yelling at each other.  Since he rarely cried, and also chooses to babble at his pleasure, whenever we visit my dad, his comment would be that he hardly hears GM voice and has yet to hear him cry so he worries that GM will develop his vocal skills at a slower rate.  My comment, I'd rather he cries only for specific reasons like he wants to be fed, changed or is not feeling well :).

I bought him a couple of toys to further encourage his motor skills development and he would try to hold them, although with his thumb still folder so of course, this made it difficult for him to hold things and he figured out that he can grab things with his index and forefinger.  Towards the end of month 5, he began to use his thumb sometimes. 

He also learnt to lie on his tummy and would roll around as well as slide so I had to watch him
whenever I place him on the bed or any other locations where he could fall off.  He moves pretty fast so I had to keep a watchful eye on him.  He also had developed a preference to sleep on his tummy and sometimes even lifting his bottom up, which looks really funny.

At his fifth month checkup, he weighed 8.2kg and was 72cm tall, above average growth but with balance height to weight ratio so I didn't have to worry about him falling into the obese category.  If a baby fell into the obese category, it may affect his ability to crawl and walk if the legs and/or arms are not able to support its weight.  All in all, a month filled with changes and the joys of motherhood continues.

Motoring through month 4

I see the most changes as GM ages from 4 to 5 months.  Most of the changes occur is his motor skills development and also social interaction.  I am mainly a spectator, being there in case he gets into dangerous difficulties.  As far as possible, I let him work it out.

As he progresses through this month, he finally finds his feet, and I mean
this literally.  He learns how to grab his toes and this action is good as it helps him learn how to use his hands to hold something.  He tends to grab his toes and put them in his mouth so I find it important to make sure that his hands and feet are clean and that he is an area that is clean - clear of anything that may end up in his mouth unintentionally.  According to Malay folklore, when a baby sucks his toes, the mommy will have another child.  Hmmmm...don't know if I will have any more energy to have a second child :).

Everyday, he spends at least 5 sessions of 5 minutes time on his tummy to help him develop his core strength which will be important in the development of his motor skills.  Towards the end of the month, he has learnt how to roll on to his tummy on his own which means that supervision is of the utmost importance.  As his neck muscles are now strong and he can hold his head up as well as move his head from left to right and vice versa, I have less a worry of him smothering himself.  I do play with him to encourage his head movement while he is lying on his tummy.  I find that he prefers to sleep on his tummy with his head slightly turned to either the left or right.  He has also learnt to lift his buttocks while lying on his tummy so I guess this is a signal that it may not be too long before he learns to crawl.

GM is also more socially-aware now, recognizing people and sounds.  I may be biased but he is such a good baby with a great personality - always smiling and friendly.  He only cries when he is hungry, wants his diaper
changed or is not well.  He is starting to learn to hold his bottle, albeit he will only hold it when he is in the "mood" and the hold is not firm yet.  When he is full and no longer wants to drink more milk, he will use his hands to push away the bottle.  Even if I attempt to place the bottle back in his mouth because there is still milk in the bottle, he will purse his lips shut.  He goes with me almost everywhere and I rarely leave him in another's care.  As such, he does not fear new surroundings or sounds and is more apt to explore it. 
As he now expresses his opinion through verbal or physical actions, I watch for the signs.    When he cries, there are differences between the sounds he emits for when he is hungry and when he wants to have his diapers changed.  He also now smiles in response to me and also to other people and has learnt to laugh.  I have found some toys for him to play with and in the beginning, he didn't know what to do with it.  Now he has learnt to play with them.

As I am still pretty much mobile, travels in the car in his car seat.  Although at times I may have passengers and they want to hold him, for his safety and also for consistent pattern, he has to sit in his car seat.  I have seen how some parents have to face a crying baby or baby's tantrums whenever they have to put the baby in his car seat so I hope GM continues to accept this pattern of travelling.
All in all, this is the month that I have seen the most changes in him and every day, it is a joy to watch his development.  Alhamdulillah.

Laughing and smiling to his fourth month

I love greeting him in the mornings as he always responds with a smile - yes, he has started to respond even more.  After all, I guess he is fully rested, sleeping at least 7 hours every night which means both mommy and baby gets to rest.  So, we get to spend a few minutes chatting before he realizes that he is hungry.
GM is definitely interacting more socially, wanting to chat with people, expressing himself when he likes something or otherwise, and moving his eyes and head to look at people and things.  At times, he gets upset after seeing something as if he is upset that he cannot get it.  Sometimes when I am eating something, he will look at me and what I am eating, his expression as if he is saying "I want to try that" - which always gives me a laugh.  He is always looking at his surroundings with many things catching his eye and he is very expressive with his face.  SubhanAllah, I am happy with his social developments. 
As he completes his fourth month, I started him on soft food - home-made mashed pumpkin and carrots and also farm-fresh organic bananas.  Of course no condiments are added to it.  I have not replaced his milk, but merely complementing his "meals".  He has already recognize his milk bottle and will smile when he sees it, usually after he has started to cry to be fed.

During the day, he only takes short naps, usually after his feeding.  He drinks milk every 2 - 2.5 hours, 100ml each time.  The naps do not last long, from 15 to 30 minutes so I have to make my activities fit with him.  This is where his stroller comes into play - I use it to transport him all over the farm - making full use of the stroller.  His supplies are always with him - his meal, baby wipes, bib and of course, a natural pest repellent.  With many trees and plants, there is always a shady area where he can sit and watch.  It is great to see what catches his eye.

I now have to watch where he is placed when he sleeps or nap, making sure that there is nothing to smother him as often, he rolls to sleep on his side.  When he is awake, I am not so concerned as he tends to move around.  He has almost made it all the way to lie on his tummy but not achieving this makes him upset.  Maybe it is bad of me, but it is funny to watch.  He prefers to be in a sitting position or standing - I guess he wants to be in a position when he can see things other than the ceiling.  When he is lying down and I place my hands on his arms, he will lift his head and use my support to come to a sitting position and then he will lift his body - albeit I will have to assist a bit - to a standing position.  He has a good balance and can hold his head up well although I still hold his sides.

He has progressed to instead of trying to put his whole fist into his mouth to just a couple of fingers.  To me, this is a development in the dexterity of his fingers - he no longer keeps it all tightly-fisted, although he is not sucking his thumb but instead his middle and fore finger or sometimes, all four fingers. 
I continue with his routines - morning bath, exercise and massage around 8-9am and in the evening, bath and massage around 6-7pm.  His normal bedtime is 9pm.  Before we head out in the car for short trips, I always make sure that he has had his milk.  He is comfortable being in his car seat and most often sleeps.  Every once in a while, we may "chat" along the way.    I think having a routine is key to having a less stressful daily experience and he had a routine since he was born with the routines modified as he grows.  My suggestion to all moms, have a routine and a "standard" way of doing things - keeps mom and baby happy. 

Great things in the third month

I often read books, magazines and articles on the net on baby growth and developments, mainly to see what is most likely to happen.  I use all this information as a basis.  However, I belief that each baby is different and the best for me is to monitor GM closely and see what he does, what he wants and what he prefers.  This approach also gives me joy as I do enjoy watching him.

The best development is that he now sleeps 7-8 hours at night if I time it correctly, I too can get a good night's sleep.  I put him to bed at 9pm so this
means he will wake up hungry around 4-5am which is great for me.  After I feed him and change his diapers as well as spend some time "chatting" with him, he is ready for another nap and I am ready for my Suboh prayers.  SubhanAllah.  As he often wakes up ready to eat and expresses his displeasure if I take too long to prepare his milk, I will prepare the concentrated milk at night and place it in the fridge and have the thermos filled with hot water, ready to mix when he wants it.  For me, this practice helps me as when I first wake up at his cry, I am really sleepy.  This also means that I do not leave the milk standing in a warmer for hours, something that I am not keen on.  During the day, I still "wrap" him for his naps as he seems to sleep better.

He drinks milk about every 2.5 - 3 hours during the day and he likes it at warm - not cold or lukewarm - so I will keep water in the thermos available all day.  I also give him about 20ml a day of Zam Zam water which I feel is beneficial to him.  One thing I am glad is that when he has had enough milk, he will turn his head away from the bottle.  As an experiment to see what he would do, I would put the bottle back to his mouth and he would turn his head away.  So I guess, one thing that I do not have to worry about is for him to "overeat" which is a concern for formula-fed babies.  His growth is above average and at his third month check-up, he weighed 6.8 kg and measured 60cm tall.  At this rate, he will outgrow his 0-3 mths clothes soon.  I am still continuing with the application of Telon or Yu Yee oil on his tummy and soles of his feet after his morning and evening bath and Alhamdulillah, no recurrence of colic.

He has also started to smile and laugh so I spend quite a bit of time eliciting a response from him.  He also keys off the tone of voices - when the tone is distressed, he will frown but when it is happy and lighthearted, he will
smile.  I will also interact with him, moving my positions to get him to turn his head, working his neck muscles.  GM can now see better and has started to recognize people.  When he wants to be held, he will let me know by voicing himself, albeit not in our words, but in his words.   His "words" are different for when he is hungry, when he wants his pampers changed, feels hot or just want to chat.   He can hold his head up so I have started to place him on his tummy, every time after he has had his bath and at other times, which is also an exercise to help him strengthen his back muscles.  As he only take short naps during the day, I spend quite a bit of time interacting with him which means my time is limited for other activities but I am loving spending time with him.

I tried to give him a pacifier but he prefer to suck on his hands so I have
opted to not cover his hands with mittens.  He plays with his hands a lot, moving his fingers around and not keeping it tightly fisted anymore.  I will trim his nails weekly to prevent him from scratching himself and I find it best to use baby nail clippers and sometimes blunt-end scissors as his nails are still pretty soft.  As he can sit whilst being supported, a position that he likes when he is awake, this makes the nail cutting task easier.

I look forward to what new things he will do and watching his development :)

Going mobile - things I need

I practice a mobile lifestyle, moving between my home and the farm, and all the places in between.  It means that GM also needs to be mobile so it was necessary to get "gadgets" that would make us mobile and be able to move around in comfort and safety as well as easily.  When you go to a baby shop, there are so many things that you can buy but in the end, you may end up spending unnecessarily, only finding out later that what you bought may be nice but of no real use in your baby's lifestyle.

The first item that I find is essential is a way to carry him, whilst leaving my hands free.  As he was still small, I didn't want to place him in a stroller.  To this end, I find a baby carrier with the baby placed at in front against my chest was important.  I didn't particularly like the sling-like baby carrier.

Safety is essential when travelling in a car so the next item is a car baby seat.  There are so many types to choose from and there are some designed specifically from newborn to about 3 months - based on weight.  GM has now outgrown his first car baby seat so I am looking for a new one.  Key items are that it is easy to place, solid construction, not heavy (as the car seat can also double as a carrier), with enough padding for the baby, easy to clean and of course, the color that I like.

I also find having a mobile "bed" for him to be a plus as during his first 2 1/2 months, he slept a lot during the day.  For this, I find that baby baskets are great although it can be quite cumbersome to carry around.  So, I use this mainly when I get to a location that I will be static for a while - a couple of hours.

A baby carrier is great for short outings but for longer outings, I opt for a
stroller.  There are so many out there and the price range also varies.  I started out with the criteria for my stroller:

1. Easy to open and close
2. Solid but not heavy - under 10kg
3. Can be used long term
4. Can be placed in positions so that GM can sleep or sit up or in between
5. Has a canopy for sun/light protection
6. GM can be placed facing me when he is still small and the seat turned to face forward when he is older (12 months?)
7. Has a "storage area" where I can place his baby bag
8. Good manoeuvrability

Having my criteria helped me manage my way through selecting the stroller that I wanted.  Once I had selected the possible strollers, the final test was the GM test.  I place him in the strollers to see how he would react to it.  After all, I may like it but if he is not comfortable in it, it could lead to unhappy outings.

There are so many baby bags out there - some big, some small and some in between.  I basically settled on two types based on two different needs: (1) for long trips and (2) for day outings.  The similar set of criteria that I had was:

1. Able to place a thermos in s "fixed" position
2. Pockets to place diapers and small towel
3. Pockets to hold spare milk bottle and milk container
4. Room to place travel size toiletries

Whatever  I get, another important criterion is that it easy to clean.  Babies can be messy so if something is difficult to clean, that it will not work for me.  I guess I am rather practical when it comes to selecting items for our mobile lifestyle but it does make life easier :)

GM's second month

I enjoy watching the changes in GM.  Whereas during the first month he spent most of his time sleeping, during the second month, he would stay awake for longer periods of time after each feeding. 
I still keep him swaddled when he sleeps, choosing the material for swaddling depending on the environmental temperature.  Often he would manage to work his arms out of it.  He would wake up, making his presence known with soft sounds first, getting louder as time passes.  I would wait to feed him until he is loud.  At this time, I know that he is really hungry and would finish his bottle.  To me this was important to try and set a pattern where he would finish his milk so that he would have a more regular feeding pattern instead of drinking a bit at a time, dragging the feeding.  Except when he was breast-fed, which he would be hungry again in about 2 hours time, with milk formula fed, the intervals were about about 3-4 hours.  This allowed me to plan my time better - I get to work on the farm in between as well as doing other chores.
Having a baby carrier that allowed me to carry him whilst leaving my hands free was also a bonus as this meant that I could be mobile and he would be comfortable held against my body.  I take GM everywhere with me, going banking, groceries, etc.  I wanted him to be accustomed to all types of sights and sounds so that he would not easily be shocked or scraed.  I would introduce him to new surroundings albeit not at "rush hour".
With three supply locations, my home in KL, my farm in Ulu Langat and the car, this allowed me the freedom to be modile with GM.  His car supply pack included milk, hot water, bottled water, diapers, travel pack toiletries, change of clothes, baby blanket and towel. Of course, he had his car seat which to me looks like I will have to change in about one month or so at the rate he was growing.
At his second month checkup, he weighed 6.4kg and 54.4cm tall.  If he grows at this rate, he will be a tall man.  Many people who met him thinks that he is around 4 months old based on his size and alertness.  He recognizes me now and will look for me when he hears my voice.  It makes my "heart smile" when I see him do this.  He has started to "fill out" his clothes and I love to hold him as he feels "solid".  When he is awake he likes to be held standing up with his feet planted down.  He can hold his head up but I do have my hands on stand-by to support his head should he need it.  He has also started to smile and baby talk so we have baby conversations :).

Colic - the bane of any new mom

Before having GM, I heard stories of how some parents had to stay up nights, comforting a baby who was suffering from colic.  I experienced this twice during the first month and I learnt a lot from the experience.  To say that it is a tiring experience is the least, the handling a distressed baby is worse.  From what I have read and gathered from pediatricians, this condition can happen during the first three months and then tends to disappear.
Both times that GM had the symptoms of colic or in Malay "kembong", I think could have been avoided if I paid more attention to details.  GM is bottle-fed mainly and this can contribute to "gas".  I learnt at the hospital that one shouldn't shake the bottle when mixing the milk with water, it is better to swirl it around so as to minimize the introduction of air bubbles into the milk.  Burping is an act of necessity and not one to be taken lightly.  I gently pat his back while holding him in an upright position.  I will alternate the patting with a gentle circular strokes.  Amazing how his burping would bring a smile to my face - simple pleasures.
During the first month, I bathed him once a day, around 9 am, followed by his sunbathing routine.  After every bath, I would apply either Yu Yee oil or Telon oil on his tummy and the soles of his feet.  I would use circular moves on his tummy and soles.  I would also apply them at bedtime.  The one time I forgot, I had to "walk the house" till 6am.  During his second
month, I bathe him in the morning and late afternoon/early evening - around 6pm and the routine has now changed to applying the oil after his bath.
I would also have him lie on his tummy a few times a day, supporting his  forehead before he was able to lift his forehead.  He seemed to enjoy being in this position although for short periods of time.  Sometimes, I would lie down and have him lie on his tummy on my tummy.  He often falls asleep while we do this.
Every morning before or after his bath, I would go through an "exercise routine" with him.  I would place him on his back and move his legs as if he is pedalling a bicycle.  He seemed to enjoy doing this.  I read somewhere that this movement helped in releasing any gas from the tummy and sure enough, he would often pass gas after or during our exercise session.
Sometimes when I have him in my arms, I would also gently massage his back even though he hasn't just had his milk.
Alhamdulillah, since he was born, he is almost 3 months old now, I only had to go through the fussiness twice,  I hope what they say is true and I will not have to worry about colic in a few more days.  However, I will continue with his routine as it seems to keep him comfortable.

To swaddle or not to swaddle

When GM was released from hospital after he was born, he was all swaddled-up.  I had always thought that swaddling was strictly to keep a baby warm so I was apprehensive he would get all hot and sweaty but he seemed to remain calm.  I also wondered if swaddling may have adverse effects on him but all that I read seem to suggest that it may be beneficial for him but all the articles seem to be from temperate climates.  I also heard from some that it is a tradition to keep the baby swaddled so that he does not get easily surprised.  However, our climate is hot so I still wasn't too sure unless GM was in a cool environment.  So, what to do?

GM is a quite big baby, born at 3.4kg and at his 2 months check-up he had almost doubled in weight, weighing in at 6.4 kg.  During his first month, I found that swaddling him keeps him calm and he slept better so I practiced it.  However, I did not feel like keeping him in an air-conditioned environment all the time as I did not feel that it would be good for him.  Almost all baby blankets are made of flannel and a standard size.  This seemed ok for nights but in the day, he would get red in the face, indicating to me that he was feeling warm so I opted to use the cloth diapers as his swaddling "blanket".  These diapers are made of cotton and able to keep him "cool" and absorb his sweat.  My indicator was his face wasn't so red anymore.  During his first month, you could say that I kept him swaddled almost all the time.

GM soon outgrew these so I had to look for options and I found that my pareo works very well so I started using these.  They are made out of cotton material and are cool.  At this stage, the swaddling was not to keep him warm but to provide him with the sense of safety and to me, of being held so it provided comfort.  I would only swaddle him before lulling him to sleep.  It is a great sleep aid.  Since my pareos were of bright colors, I would also play with him using it - I read that baby's like bright colors and it encourages his brain development.  I am never sure how they know this but if it is not harmful, why not.
My conclusion, swaddling is definitely something that is good, both for the baby and the mother as if baby gets good snooze, he doesn't get cranky and wakes up smiling and rested - definitely a stress remover for mommies :)

The first month challenge

I heard many stories of how tired you can get, the middle of the night feedings, fussing babies due to colic, uncomfortable with the environment temperature and a whole multitude of other possible reasons and the change in lifestyle.  Then there was all the no-nos based on tradition.  Added to that is that everyone has an opinion on how you handle things and how it is wrong or could be done better.  All in all, patience is key.

According to Malay tradition, a baby shouldn't be taken out of the home until after at least 40 days.  I took my baby everywhere with me, of course taking all the necessary precautions like ensuring he was dressed properly, travelled in comfort and with safety and not going out in the evening, after maghrib.   I preferred to carry him, letting him know, I hope, that he was always cared for and I will keep him safe.

GM spent most of his time sleeping, feeding about every 2-3 hours about 50ml of milk in the day during the first 2 weeks,  I fed him on demand and followed each feeding with holding him almost upright against my shoulders and massaging his back.  I find that there is a difference between formula milk that is prepared by vigorously shaking the bottle and by steadily swirling it around the bottle.  With the second method, less air was introduced into the milk hence it led to less burping by GM.  Alhamdulillah, I was lucky as at night, he only needed to be fed once before suboh.  I found that if I fed him at 10pm, he normally wants another meal at 2am and then at 6am.  This allowed me to rest longer than in the day time between feedings. By the end of the first month, he was feeding every 4 hours and his intake had increased to approximately 80ml per meal.

Keeping him warm but not overheated was also important.  I practiced swaddling him and he slept better being swaddled.  Depending on the day's temperature, I would either use a flannel blanket or the cotton cloth diaper which was used specifically for swaddling him.  Both at Lui and at home in KL, at night the temperature was cooler, albeit at home by air-condition to keep the temperature comfortably cool, so I dressed him in "onesies", those pajamas that had both the hand and feet covered.  During the day, I dressed him in lighter clothing but always with mittens and socks.  I kept a regular schedule of changing his diapers, once every 4 hours, always about 30 minutes after his last meal.  With every diaper change, I always applied a "diaper rash cream" and powder and found that this prevented him from getting skin irritation and diaper rash.  I bathed him once a day, about 9am and followed that with a morning sunbathing ritual lasting 5-10 minutes.  I also massaged Telon oil or Yu Yee oil on his tummy and soles of his feet after every bath and also in the evening when I changed him into his pajamas.  The sunbathing ritual was based on traditional belief that this will keep him healthy and keep "yellowing" at bay.  From modern medicine, it is my understanding that the melanin levels in his body was still not optimum so it was important to not over-sunbathe.  The oil massage was to keep his colic or perut kembong  at bay.  Throughout the first month, he only had colic once when he was 10 days old, for which I am thankful, as that experience was both stressful for GM and me. 
During this month, my checklist for when he cried was:

1. is he humgry?
2. is his diaper wet or dirty?
3. is he hot or cold?
4. is his tummy upset?

It is funny to me when everyday I felt happy after he "pooped".  I never thought that such a simple action from GM would provide me with such relief and happiness.  He was born weighing 3.4 kg and at his first month check-up, he weighed 4.85 kg.  By keeping him comfortable, it also kept me more relaxed.  After all, a happy and comfortable baby leads to a happy and comfortable mommy :).