Moving to Singapore from UK with baby

[Biscuit]

Hi there,
We are moving to Singapore end of July and looking to rent a property in the East Coast area.
Can anyone recommend a paediatrician in this area?
Also, we have been told our 3 months old baby does not need any jabs for Singapore but a friend who lived out there recommended that we get BCG - any info. or advice on jabs would be very welcome.
Also, any info. on mother&baby groups in the area would be really helpful.
Thank you.

[ksl]

Hi there,
We are moving to Singapore end of July and looking to rent a property in the East Coast area.
Can anyone recommend a paediatrician in this area?
Also, we have been told our 3 months old baby does not need any jabs for Singapore but a friend who lived out there recommended that we get BCG - any info. or advice on jabs would be very welcome.
Also, any info. on mother&baby groups in the area would be really helpful.
Thank you.

Hi Biscuit,

I'm from UK also! Are you coming here on a expat package or what? Most HDB areas have medical clinics and I'm sure the doctor will advise you on injections.
My daughter is 5 years and had all the injections done, in Taiwan.

[k1w1]

Hi there,

I have been here for about six months and I have two kids. They both had the BCG done in New Zealand before we came out here - it was a very nasty vaccine (be warned!). You could have it done here if you wanted to wait a while.

The rest of the immunisation programme here has followed the same lines as the one at home. My daughter has recently has her 15 month jabs (done at 12 months in Aus apparently), and I asked then if the programme was the same. My doc said that the programmes are fairly compatible (DTAP-IPV, Hib, Hep B, MMR). BCG is given at birth here and is recommended for people under 20.

Regarding doc's: as the previous poster mentioned, the doctors under the HDB's are very good - they all speak English. They are substantially cheaper than expat doc's, with the added bonus of being close by, if you live near (or in) an HDB. Some expats feel mor comfortable with an expat doctor, though and there are plenty here.

Good luck with your move!

[nek]

hi biscuit...it looks like i am also moving to singapore at the end of july / august from the UK. although i'm originally a kiwi - i have a 16mth old son so have the same sort of questions and it seems like the east coast is the way to go so i'm kind of looking around there too. would be interested in any ideas info you find out on the area and doctors etc as i've only just found out about the move....good luck!

[Biscuit]

Thanks for your replies and help with this. My local GP here in London said she won't need any jabs including BCG but everyone else I speak to seems to disagree. Very confusing. Will go back to my doc about this.
Very excited about Singapore but also very nervous which I suppose is only natural. I have a million questions.
Do those of you already out there find it's necessary to join an ex-pat club or mother and baby group? We don't know anyone in Singapore so do most ex-pats join a group when they arrive? Or is it fairly easy to meet people through just going out and about?
Also, we are planning on shipping out all our furniture and renting our London house unfurnished. Do you think its preferable to bring all your stuff with you and rent an unfurnished place there? I'm really in two minds about this but my husband wants to bring everything out.
Thanks!

[ksl]

Thanks for your replies and help with this. My local GP here in London said she won't need any jabs including BCG but everyone else I speak to seems to disagree. Very confusing. Will go back to my doc about this.
Very excited about Singapore but also very nervous which I suppose is only natural. I have a million questions.
Do those of you already out there find it's necessary to join an ex-pat club or mother and baby group? We don't know anyone in Singapore so do most ex-pats join a group when they arrive? Or is it fairly easy to meet people through just going out and about?
Also, we are planning on shipping out all our furniture and renting our London house unfurnished. Do you think its preferable to bring all your stuff with you and rent an unfurnished place there? I'm really in two minds about this but my husband wants to bring everything out.
Thanks!

Singapore is very humid in summer over 90%, Your furniture may suffer here, depends on the type of wood, mostly hard woods out here, and wood worm and termites can be a problem, But if the company is paying, why not!

If you do try to sell your stuff here, you will get nothing for it, because it is cheaper here for mostly everything.

Electronics are very cheap compared to UK, So I would just sell all yours off and buy new here, also the TV, a new sony TV 29 inch is under 300 pounds, and expect you may be wanting the 42inch plasma, which are resonable now, Why waste time packing sell the bloody lot, and go and buy new, everything is so cheap here. or just leave it in the house and charge higher rental, is the best bet.

Just bring your sentimental things, also depends how long you will stay here for I guess.

The quickest way for you is to join some child group, to meet other wives, depends on your social expectations really, If you really want to get to know Singapore, then you should mix with the local community, and also save money. Many expats keep to themselves, they are only here for the money. Shame really because the locals are nice

[k1w1]

Depending on how long you are coming for initially, I would only bring the important things, and rent a furnished place.

If you live in a condo, you will probably hook up with other mums/kids pretty quickly, but playgroups etc are a great way to get out of the house and met people too - will give you something to organise when you arrive!

If your child goes into a pre-school or child care centre here, they will expect to see proof of BcG being administered (I have heard that you can argue your case and some schools will back down, but I don't know the ins and outs there I'm afraid).

[Lisab]

Hi,
Moving to singapore with 5 year old daughter from the Uk in one weeks time; getting nervous too. How do most people make friends? I am worried that my daughter will really miss her friends from home and doesn't start school until August. thanks

[ksl]

Hi,
Moving to singapore with 5 year old daughter from the Uk in one weeks time; getting nervous too. How do most people make friends? I am worried that my daughter will really miss her friends from home and doesn't start school until August. thanks

You'll manage, Our daughter is also five, and is in kindergarden, quite a long time from 7.45 to 18.00 long day, but at least she has many friends to play with, If she was home all day, which I have tried, she doesn't get the development that she needs, and the social activities with other kids.

Have you found a place to live yet.

[Lisab]

Hi,
We are in a serviced appt to start with until we find a place to live; any recommendations? What kindergarten does your child go to? Are there any groups which meet with mothers and children? thanks

[ksl]

Hi,
We are in a serviced appt to start with until we find a place to live; any recommendations? What kindergarten does your child go to? Are there any groups which meet with mothers and children? thanks

Hi Lisab,

Well there is a 3 bedroom next to us been empty for a while, but I think with you having an expat package, you can find much better, so I don't wish to waste your time.. we are not on a package, so therefore have to rent accordingly to our budget. We manage very well, and can actually save. So no complaints apart from the very long working hrs.

To be honest I've not been to any meetings, although the community where I live is quite a close one, I notice many church organisations, methodist and others, seem to be quite popular, but I never attend. I did however go to the weekend carnival or party for the local residents, and had a really good time.

[CUS]

Dear friends

We are also moving to Singapore at the end of July. Quite nervous about our new life! I need to find a nice primary school for my 6 year old boy. Any recommendation on school and accommodation?

Thanks

Julie

[guestlim]

Hi Lisa, Julie

I can imagine your excitement of coming over to SIN. Seriously when comes to kids preschools / schools, there is really not much to worry. It comes back to what kind of school would you like your kids to go to - International Schools or Local Schools. Within the locals Schools, they even have different kinds of preschools. I know of some foreigner frens of mine who sends their schools to the Montessori concept schools, or Eton.

Places to stay is even in more abundance. So it's really a matter of budget, preference eg to be an environment where there are lots of other expats around, or to have a house instead of condo as garden would serve as your playground for the kids, stay in house (typically no facilities) vs condo (typically comes with facilities), etc.

You get what i mean ?

Not too worry, i am a mother myself so i can fully understand the many aspects that has to be considered as a parent.

[honeybunny]

Hi,
we live on the East Coast, too, and love it here!!
Our now 5 year old never had any shots, after thoroughly researching it. There have been studies with 1 million people in India that show that the BCG does not provide the protection it is supposed to, and it does have many side effects. My friend's daughter has been immune compromised since she had the shot. But that's of course up to you, just do some own research, as doctors here are all for vaccines.
As for schools, especially kindergarten and preschools, there is lots of choice here, and playgroups can be found easily, too. For the bigger kids, there are dance classes, speech and drama (Centre Stage is good), painting and what not to keep them entertained during holidays. Millenia Walk shopping centre has a nice dance school called jitterbugs, www.swingapore.com
For new parents, the New Mother's Support Group is a very good resource. Check out www.nmsg-singapore.com for lots of useful information. They also provide a playgroup matching service.
You can get an idea about housing and prices from the search engine on this site. There are nice condominiums on the East Coast, and it is a handy way to make friends. Landed houses are nice, but require more maintenance and effort to meet people.
As mentioned, many condos have their own doctors, like the Makena condo has a small clinic with a friendly lady named Kiran Kaushyap. Beware though-most doctors here are happier to prescribe medication for trivial illnesses like runny noses. No wonder all these bugs here are resistant to antibiotics!!
Sure you'll enjoy Singapore!!

[sunny.ouyang]

[quote="Biscuit"]Hi there,
We are moving to Singapore end of July and looking to rent a property in the East Coast area.
Can anyone recommend a paediatrician in this area?
Also, we have been told our 3 months old baby does not need any jabs for Singapore but a friend who lived out there recommended that we get BCG - any info. or advice on jabs would be very welcome.
Also, any info. on mother&baby groups in the area would be really helpful.
Thank you.
:)[/quote]
As a frequent travel family like we do and will move to Singapore as well end of August, the Asian doctor strongly recommend the BCG if you are living there for more than 2 years. My daughter of 13 months old will get it as well. BUT, if your baby will go back to UK for elemetary school, you need to check with your home town once BCG was received by your baby, would they consdidered that he/she's postive reaction and then asking him/her to get medical treatment?
Another important vaccine is JE, you need to check with the Singapore pediatrician as well.
Sunny[/list]