2008-2-26 22:34
好宝宝
Baby got bath
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IF ADULTS can have their own spa treatment, so can babies.
A special service targeted at babies aged three to 12 months has been set up in the Punggol heartland.
Infants can enjoy a whale of a time in a hydrotherapy session, which is a 20-minute dip in a tub of warm water and supervised by an attendant.
The service is offered by Hwa Xia International, located on the second level of Punggol Plaza and managed by China-born couple Jason Luke and his wife, Madam Peggy Chua, both 40.
Mr Luke, now a Singaporean, says the service, which is popular in Shanghai and the United States, is the first of its kind by a private company here.
The couple set up their venture with partners for $60,000, after researching on the trend overseas.
The shop opened two months ago and the treatment is a hit with parents, says Mr Luke.
He explains that besides strengthening muscles and lungs, the treatment improves the sleeping patterns and bowel movements of the infant.
Swimming for babies is not unique here - schools like aquaDucks also offer swimming classes for babies aged six to 36 months.
While Thomson Medical Centre and Mount Alvernia say they do not offer hydrotherapy for babies, KK Women's and Children's Hospital started theirs two years ago.
But what is different at Hwa Xia is its three specially built baby tubs.
The tubs, made from acrylic, which is lighter than metal, are designed in the United States but made in China, says Mr Luke.
Measuring 85cm high, 75cm wide and 80cm deep, the basin comes with a heater. Each tub costs about $600.
According to attendant Alice Jiang, 35, at least half an hour is needed to prepare the water before the baby is put into it.
The tub is first cleaned and disinfected, filled with water and warmed to a temperature of between 37 and 38 deg C.
'The temperature has to match that of the baby's body,' she says.
As a baby gets older, the temperature will be lowered. This is because older infants have less sensitive skin so they will not be affected by a difference in temperature.
A specially shaped inflatable plastic float wraps around the baby's neck, ensuring that his head is above water.
Mrs Gurleen Singh, 29, says that her daughter, three-month-old Usmeher, is already a big fan of the treatment. 'She cried initially but now she loves it and doesn't want to come out. She cries when we take her out,' says the first-time Mum.
Mrs Singh, who comes usually on weekends with her child, says the treatment has made Usmeher's muscles firmer. She feels it is safe because of the one-to-one treatment by the attendant.
Mr Alan Tan, 33, a freelance computer accessories salesman and his wife Precilia, 34, have been visiting Hwa Xia once a week since it opened.
Their daughter, six-month-old Rui Yan, has taken to the water.
While hydrotherapy here is mainly used in rehabilitation for joint injuries in adults, some parents and doctors believe that it can help in a child's development, too.
Mr Koen Verhoef, director of children's swimming school aquaDucks, says: 'Children learn subconsciously and take to water very easily.'
Dr Cheng Tai Kin, a paediatrician at Siglap Kinder Clinic, says that the buoyancy and massaging effect of the water soothes a baby. Warm water also promotes blood circulation.
'Babies will sleep better and eat better because they expend energy in the water,' he says.
He adds that babies take naturally to water as it simulates the environment of a mother's womb.
Mr Luke and his wife say that they intend to open more branches if the response to their baby treatment continues to be good. Their current shop also offers baby haircuts and massages.
They get up to eight customers a day on weekends, which are their busiest days.
'I am expecting to see competitors enter the market in about half a year's time,' he says.
2008-10-31 02:23
lmno527
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