The thought of bringing your new baby to church can be an incredibly nerve-wracking one. What if you forget something? What if you can’t make Baby stop crying? What if, what if, what if…
Well, I’ve lived through this—I brought my 6-month-old son Rey at the start of December and it’s been nothing short of a rewarding experience for us both. The CHC Nursery is one of the most well-equipped, baby-friendly places you’ll ever experience, and every parent is well-supported by the amazing team of volunteers headed by Aunty Shirley Yeo, who has been looking after CHC babies and their parents for decades.
Still, I understand it can be intimidating for first-timers. So together with CityParents, I’ve put together an easy guide for parents contemplating bringing your precious baby to City Harvest Church.
- What to bring: what you would normally bring when going out with baby
- Extra set of clothes and diapers (how many depends on long you will be out for and how often your baby makes a poop)
- Sweater (or you can dress him up in long sleeves and long pants)
- Wet wipes and soft tissues
- Burp cloth
- Diaper change mat (optional)
- Socks or booties as the nursery can get cold
- Nursing cloth. There is also a designated nursing room at Baby Room 1; other facilities include a fridge, hot water and diaper changing stations.
- Hand sanitizer (optional; for poopy diaper changes since I can’t always go wash my hands)
- A few small plastic bags in case you need to change baby outside of church (during dinner) and you need a bag for the soiled diaper (we have these in the baby rooms too) formula feed items (if baby is on formula)
- If driving, park at Lift Lobby A at Suntec Convention Center. The baby rooms are in Hall 605 so it would be the quickest way to get there.
- You will be given a green nursery parent card upon registration at the entrance located toward the back of Hall 605 (behind the Tree of Life).
This card facilitates your access into the nursery area should you leave your baby with the nursery helpers. Due to security reasons, the area is guarded and nobody can pick up a baby without a parent card.
- Choose your experience:
- Go to Baby Room 1 or 2 and view the service via the live feed on TV.
- Ask a nursery helper to help babysit while you attend service (just take note of your baby’s feeding time or leave the milk with the helpers for feeding)
- Attend service in the main hall with baby at the special nursery area in the hall (via entry nearest to the baby rooms). At any time, you can go to the baby room for feeding / changing or other assistance.
- More tips:
- You can park your stroller outside the baby rooms or at the back of the specially allocated nursery area in the main Hall 606.
- Feel free to approach any of the nursery staff or helpers should you need any assistance.
Overall, I was very impressed by the Nursery volunteers. They were so attentive and great with the way they handled Rey. This really puts first time mums like me at peace.
Be prepared for the sensorial stimulation that your baby will experience during the service. He may cry, fidget or not be able to sleep so don’t worry if the first outing is less than successful—it can only get better from here on!
