What Most People Don’t Know About Raising a Baby (No Help, No Maid, No Sleep 😵❤️)
- Jay Chua
- Jul 16
- 5 min read
Inside the Life of New Parents With No Support System—A Survival Story Fueled by Love
Part 1: The Hidden Hustle Behind Infant Care
Becoming a parent doesn’t come with a pause button. For families without extra hands—no maid, no grandparents—it’s a nonstop cycle of care. If you don’t have a baby, it might sound simple. But in reality? It’s intense. And it’s all day, every day.
👶 Daily Essentials You Can’t Skip
From dawn to midnight, here's what goes into basic baby care:
🍼 Feed the baby every few hours—yes, even at 3AM
🤱 Burp after feeding—every single time
📋 Track milk intake for health monitoring
🧼🧴 Wash and sterilize bottles—no shortcuts allowed
🛁 Bathe the baby gently and thoroughly
👶💩 Change diapers—sometimes 8+ times a day
👕🫧 Wash tiny clothes (and yes, babies go through many!)
It's relentless. But love keeps you going.
Part 2: Weekday Rush—The Infant Care Routine
Mon–Fri adds a new layer of challenge, especially when infant care is part of the plan.
⏰🍼 Prepare milk before heading out
🎒🧸 Pack baby’s bag with essentials
🚶♂️👶 Carry both baby and bag to infant care (it’s heavy!)
🕖💸 Infant care ends at 7PM—come late, and it's extra cost
💪❤️ Couples need to team up—no room for solo efforts
For low-to-median income families, hiring a maid? Not an option. And with grandparents working full-time too, support just isn’t there.
🗓️ Weekday Baby Care Routine (Mon–Fri)
# | Task Description | Emoji |
1 | Prepare baby's milk before leaving home | ⏰🍼 |
2 | Feed the baby every few hours | 🍼🥱 |
3 | Burp the baby after feeding | 🤱 |
4 | Record milk intake | 📋 |
5 | Wash & sterilize bottles | 🧼🧴 |
6 | Change diapers frequently | 👶💩 |
7 | Bathe the baby | 🛁 |
8 | Wash and dry baby’s clothes | 👕🫧🧺 |
9 | Pack the baby’s bag for infant care | 🎒🧸 |
10 | Carry baby & bag to infant care (heavy load!) | 🚶♂️👶💪 |
11 | Pick baby up by 7PM—late = extra cost | 🕖💸 |
12 | Handle evening cleanups (bottles, laundry, baby gear) | 🌙🧽 |
13 | Support each other—no maid, no parental help | 💔🙅♀️👵👴 |
Part 3: Evenings & Weekends—No Downtime, No Days Off
When others are winding down, parents are winding up.
📆 Weekend Baby Care Routine (Sat–Sun)
# | Task Description | Emoji |
1 | Feed, burp, change, bathe—same baby tasks all day | 🔁🍼🛁💩 |
2 | Wash & dry baby clothes | 👕🫧🧺 |
3 | Sweep and mop the floors | 🧹🧼 |
4 | Do adult laundry | 🧺👖 |
5 | Grocery shopping and meal prep | 🛒🍳 |
6 | Organize bottles and baby gear for new week | 🧴🎒📦 |
7 | Zero rest—but baby’s smile makes it all worthwhile | 🥹👶❤️ |
🌙🧹 Night routines: bottles, clothes, clean-ups
🧺🧼 Housework waits till baby sleeps
🧽 Weekends = deep cleaning + laundry + groceries
🥹 No rest, but every baby giggle makes it worth it
Part 4: Budgeting With a Baby in Singapore 💸👶
How do new parents stretch every dollar without cutting corners on care?
Raising a baby in Singapore isn’t cheap. Formula, diapers, infant care fees—it adds up fast. But families with low-to-median income still make it work, day by day, hour by hour.
🎯 Smart Survival Tips for Baby Expenses:
📦 Buy in bulk—diapers and wipes are cheaper in cartons
🍼 Compare formula prices across e-commerce platforms
🛍️ Join parenting groups for swap-and-save deals on baby gear
⏱️ Avoid late pickup fees at infant care (7PM = extra cost!)
🧾 Track expenses weekly to avoid surprise bills
🏠 Cut back on takeouts—cook simple meals at home
💡 Reality check: Without a helper or financial cushion, every dollar saved buys breathing room for the next emergency.
Part 5: What Infant Care Doesn't Teach You 🎢❤️
You dropped your baby off. You packed the bag right. So why are you still overwhelmed?
Infant care helps during working hours—but it doesn’t teach you how to navigate the emotional rollercoaster that comes with parenting.
😵💫 Things Nobody Warned Us About:
💤 Baby wakes up crying at midnight… again
😓 Postpartum emotions—unspoken, heavy, real
💔 Guilt for not “doing enough,” even when doing everything
😤 Conflict with your partner—fatigue turns small things big
😰 Constant worry—milk amount, sleep patterns, milestones
👥 You’re not alone. But you might feel like you are. And that’s what makes the journey so tough—and yet so deeply transformational.
Part 6: Survival Tips for New Parents With Zero Help 🛠️👩👩👦
No maid. No family support. No sleep. So how do you stay sane?
Real life hacks aren’t found in glossy parenting books. They come from tired moms and dads who live this every single day.
🔥 Battle-Tested Tips from Parents in the Trenches:
📦 Prep everything the night before—milk, bags, clothes
⏲️ Use timers for feeding and cleaning to avoid forgetting
🧺 Sort laundry by urgency—baby clothes first, adult clothes later
💬 Take 5 minutes daily to talk openly with your spouse
🧘♀️ Practice micro-self-care: 3 deep breaths, a quick shower, a cup of coffee
🙌 Celebrate small wins—“Today, I got 3 hours of sleep!”
And when you feel like giving up, just look at your baby's face. That tired smile? That gentle snore? That’s why you keep going.
Part 7 (Final): Why It’s All Worth It—The Silent Victories of Parenthood 🌅👶❤️
If you’re exhausted, overwhelmed, and constantly questioning yourself—you're not failing. You're parenting.
Every bottle washed at 2AM. Every baby bag packed before sunrise. Every day you carry your child to infant care, even with aching arms and zero sleep… It matters. More than anyone outside your home may ever know.
🔍 Here’s what rarely gets talked about:
😢 You cry quietly after your baby finally sleeps
🌀 You feel stuck between exhaustion and guilt
🔁 The routine never ends—but you still show up
🧠 You doubt yourself constantly
❤️ Yet, every smile from your child resets everything
✨ Silent Victories That Make It All Worth It:
Your baby’s first giggle at bedtime
Seeing them reach for you with sleepy eyes
That little grip on your shirt that says “safe”
When they fall asleep on your chest, and you feel peace
Parenthood without help isn't glamorous. But it’s real, raw, and extraordinary. The world may never see the work behind the scenes, but your baby does—and that’s enough.
Final Thoughts 💌
To all the parents with no help, no maid, and no rest—you are seen, you are strong, and you are doing something beautiful. This blog series is for you. For your everyday fight. For your quiet victories.
And for anyone reading this who hasn’t lived it firsthand—thank you for wanting to understand. That’s where empathy begins. 🙏
Comments