Jen_Elle

Can anyone recommend areas in which we should look to live? Potentially moving mid-2011 with my husband and 2 young children. As I will not be working, I would like to live somewhere with cafes and shops. As well as finding somewhere to live, I'm researching pre-school options for my 3 year old. Is it just me or are International schools very expensive? Are there other alternatives?

Inselaffen

it will be more a case of finding a school and then looking for somewhere to live close to that.

ex reg

Plenty of threads on this subject.
Why not read them and inwardly digest and then come back with more pertinent questions.

bakedbean

Hi Jen_Elle. If you go to the main Singapore sub-forum page. Look at the blue banner at the top. On the right-hand side, there's a tab marked Search this Forum. If you type in "school" on there, you'll get quite a few threads come up.

Ex-Reg could've told you this but he's having one of his negative moments

Jen_Elle

Thanks bakedbean. I've spent this evening familiarising myself with the website!

I've been researching MMR vaccinations on various sites but have not had any success finding what I consider to be helpful information aside from it being compulsory. My youngest is almost 8 months old and will need her MMR in August. Any advice where I might look?

bakedbean

I haven't the foggiest I'm afraid - no kids and not in Singapore anymore. Maybe someone more knowledgeable will be along soon.

Yorkieabroad

Not sure why I wandered in here tonight, as we left Singapore almost a decade ago, but here I am.

What is it you needed to know about the MMR there? My eldest was born in Singapore in 2001, and at that time, they were doing the MMR. However because we have a family history of autism, and this was at the height of the scare, our doctor decided it would be better to give it as 3 seperate shots, rather than the combination. I'[ve no idea what they do now.

I used to go down to the Mother and Child Center in Tanglin shopping center - at that time it was mainly a post-natal drop in sort of place that was staffed by expat brit midwives. I just googled it and they seem to be still going, and have expanded into ante-natal as well. If I were you I would get in touch with them with any specific questions you have - they were a godsend for me, a stay at home dad with a new-born, 12000 miles from the nearest grandparent If you do get in touch with them, and come across a lady on their website called Susan Styles, remember me to her - she had a newborn at the same time I did and I was the only dad in their baby group so she'll (hopefully) remember me!

Jen_Elle

I'm glad you stumbled across my post Yorkieabroad, thanks for your reply. I was keen to get information from other expats about immunisation in Singapore, that it was safe and of a standard I would expect if it was given in the UK. Don't worry, I had my doubts about the UK when my eldest was born, all because of that damn study, and finding somewhere that would administer the shots separately was impossible. I am forever thankful that my eldest was ok after being immunised with the combination. Have found the immunisation schedule for Singapore, seems they don't immunise against Men C and Hib but I'm hoping I can still get them if I request them. Other than that, going home to Oz for Christmas so I'll have it done there.

Irrespective of how long ago you were in Singapore, you've pointed me in the right direction. I'm glad the centre is still there and I'll be sure to visit them when I arrive in June. If Susan's there I'll tell her you said hello.

Thanks again for the info Yorkieabroad, and good luck with the bike ride!

Yorkieabroad

With the doctors we went to, I never had any concerns about standards of practice. I did attend some of the local hospitals however as part of my job visiting seamen injured in the line of work. Some of the standards there were....interesting. There seemed to be very much a 2 or 3 tier system, ranging from "bordering on 3rd world" to "absolutely world class", depending on what you could afford.

With the MMR, my eldest was going to get them seperately as I said - he had the first 2 in Singapore, then we moved here (US) before he could get the 3rd. When we arrived, we couldn't find anywhere that would administer the 3rd on its own (can't remember which one it was) so he ended up having the combined MMR anyway.