MUMMYPOH

In Singapore, the first savings account which most parents open for our children is the Child Development Account (CDA), which enables us to enjoy the baby bonus and dollar to dollar match up by the Singapore government. (For more information regarding CDA, please click here!)

However, please note that CDA is not an ordinary bank savings account where you can simply withdraw money anytime for any child-related expenses. CDA is a special saving account for Singapore children up to the age of 12 years old where the money can only be used for specific child-related expenses under a restricted list of organisations.

So what if the parents wish to have just an ordinary savings account for their kids where money can be put aside each month and retrieved easily for our child's education(tuition/enrichment) or investment to grow their savings?

To carry out the Chinese ritual, these are the following food items prepared based on Hokkien practice (my hub's side is Hokkien dialect) :

1) Chicken Drumstick - Symbolises "food abundance". 
This is to bless her with a life without the fear of "吃不饱"(starvation). Meaning she will be able to eat well and enjoy all the awesome food under the sun! I've seen others used steamed chicken drumstick. We just bought the 油鸡 drumstick and wash the excess oil with hot water before giving it to lilmisspoh. 

2) Chicken Head - Symbolises eloquence. 
This is to bless her with an outspoken character so she's able to out talk others and speak up for herself. Hopefully this won't result in her talking back at me and hub in future!

3) 8 Marie Biscuits - This is to minimise drooling.  
The biscuits are meant to be worn around the baby's neck, tied together with a red string or ribbon. Just use a chopstick (preferably one with a slightly pointy tip) to poke a hole into the biscuits and string the biscuits up together.

That's my mama doing the preparation work. =) Use a pointy chopstick to poke a hole through each biscuit. Be as gentle as possible to avoid breaking the biscuits into pieces!

Lilmisspoh posing with her stylish Marie Biscuit necklace.

My sweetheart <3.

So how this goes is, my mum has to rub each biscuit against her lips and recite in Hokkien "Qit Ta Ta", meaning "wipe dry dry" all the drools. She has been drooling like a puppy ever since she's about 12 weeks old. Sometimes it makes me wonder whether she will get dehydrated from the drools coming out from her mouth. Hopefully this rituals work for her!
Born in this modern generation, I know nuts about these rituals. It was my MIL and mummy who shared these practices with me. We even had a good laugh together when my MIL shared with us the photos of my hubby going through this Chinese ritual when he was a baby. Sadly, my mummy didn't capture any photos of me going through the rituals. From the sparkling joyful eyes of my MIL when she shared the photos, I know the photos have captured perhaps one of the precious fond memories she shared with her child. Regardless whether the rituals work or not, I'm sure these photos captured will serve as a great way to rekindle the moment in future! And to show lilmisspoh the funny things we do to her when she's a baby. >.<