NTUC Youth Development Unit Director and soon to be father, Mr Desmond Choo, distributing New Dad’s Survival Kits to new fathers in KKH
In a bid to encourage shared parenting, NTUC U Family has put together a New Dad's Survival Kit to be distributed to 300 fathers of newborn children at KK Women's and Children's Hospital (KKH), Singapore General Hospital and National University Hospital over the next few weeks.
Soon to be a father himself, Mr Desmond Choo, Director of NTUC’s Youth Development Unit, distributed the kits to new fathers at KKH this morning. “Just like our wives, fathers of newborn children are entering a whole new world of multiple responsibilities. Fathers want to play an active role in parenting, while still pursuing our career ambitions. With the survival kits, we hope to encourage new dads and help them embrace their new roles with ease,” said Mr Choo.
“Fathers want to be a pillar of support to our wives and children. We feel the anxiety, and in fact, I feel butterflies in my stomach almost every day! It is ultimately a family effort to raise a happy family,” Mr Choo continues.
Designed to provide necessary aid and motivation for new fathers, the kit contains useful and fun items such as coffee sachets, energy bars, eye patches as well as pain relief patches, to prepare new fathers for the arrival of their child. It will also include a pamphlet that contains useful information on the different types of parenting leave, as well as a lyrics sheet of popular nursery rhymes.
NTUC U Family continues to advocate for shared parenting, calling for fathers to share caregiving duties together with their wives, enabling them to return to the workforce and continue to contribute to the economy. At the same time, employers play an integral role in helping fathers balance both work and parenting responsibilities more effectively.
Recognising that there is room for improvement in making shared parenting possible, Ms Toh Hwee Tin, Director of NTUC U Family, says, “Fathers are encouraged to find out more about the various options available, and be more proactive in discussing with their employers on possible work arrangements. At the same time, employers should also show their support for new fathers by being more transparent about such work and leave options, and work closely with their employees to achieve a mutually-beneficial arrangement. This way, new fathers will be given the reassurance that they can successfully pursue their career goals while being a highly-involved parent at the same time,” said Ms Toh.
Moving forward, NTUC U Family will continue to reach out to parents by partnering hospitals and service providers to encourage shared parenting. There are also plans in the pipeline to identify and grow a pool of fathers to be advocates at the workplace to help implement family friendly workplaces and to share the benefits of shared parenting with fellow colleagues.
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