Quick answer
Keep two calendars. The health one: vaccination visits at 2, 4, 6 and 12 months and the developmental check-ups in the Child Health Booklet. The work one: infant care takes babies from 2 to 18 months, and popular centres often have 8 to 12 month waitlists. Each parent of a Singapore citizen child under 7 gets 6 days of childcare leave a year.
The useful number: 6 days of childcare leave a year for each parent of a Singapore citizen child under 7.
What matters most in the first year?
Sleep, feeds and clinic visits fill the first months. Then the return to work brings care, leave and money decisions. Logging feeds and naps helps when carers share the night, and the Child Health Booklet is the record to bring to every visit.
Which decisions and deadlines are ahead?
- 2 months: the first vaccination visit after birth, with more at 4, 6 and 12 months. Book each one early.
- Check-ups: the Child Health Booklet lists screening touchpoints at 4 weeks, 3 or 4 months, 6 months and 12 months. Bring your questions and discuss them with your doctor.
- Before leave ends: secure a care place. Infant care takes babies from 2 to 18 months, and popular centres often have 8 to 12 month waitlists (a typical range, not a rule).
- Back at work: each parent of a Singapore citizen child under 7 gets 6 days of childcare leave a year: 3 paid by the employer and 3 paid by the Government.
- CDA: save up to your child’s co-matching cap. Existing caps apply until 30 September 2027; all caps become S$5,000 from 1 October 2027.
- April 2027: the first S$2,000 Child Credits payout for children turning 1 to 16 from 2026.
Which tools and downloads help?
- Baby sleep & feeding log: one tap per feed, nappy or nap, kept on your phone. Read How do I keep track of baby’s feeds, nappies and sleep?.
- SG vaccination schedule tracker: every visit dated to your baby’s birthday.
- Milestone checker: a short list to raise at the next check-up, never a score.
- Growth percentile calculator: where a measurement sits on the WHO chart, in plain words.
- Starting solids planner: the start window from baby’s birth date, first foods and an allergen log on your phone. Read When can my baby start solids, and what comes first?.
- Preschool waitlist timeline planner and Childcare subsidy calculator: the care place and what it costs after subsidy.
- Childcare leave entitlement checker: each parent’s days this year.
Print the Vaccination record card and the Caregiver handover sheet. When you visit centres, take the Preschool tour checklist; members can track replies with the Waitlist follow-up tracker.
What should you check elsewhere?
Our health tools never diagnose or grade a child. Your clinic and the Child Health Booklet record what is given and measured, and anything that worries you is for your doctor. Each centre runs its own waitlist, so no tool can promise a place. At the National Day Rally 2026 the Government announced more childcare leave for parents of Singapore citizen children aged 12 and below. It is 8 days a year with one child, 10 with two and 12 with three or more. The start date is not yet set, so today’s rules still apply.
Printables for this guide
Vaccination record card
Every visit on Singapore's National Childhood Immunisation Schedule, from birth to Secondary 2. Write in the date, clinic and next appointment.
Caregiver handover sheet
A daily sheet for parents, grandparents, helpers and centres: meals, sleep, mood, medicine and what comes next. Plus an About Our Child page for new carers.
Preschool tour checklist
What to look for and ask at each centre visit. Tick boxes for up to three centres, and a page of questions to fill in on the day.
Waitlist follow-up tracker
Each centre's waitlist status, last reply and next follow-up date on one page. A contact log records who said what, plus fees paid and offer deadlines.
Starting solids planner
HealthHub's timing after 6 months, readiness signs and local first foods like rice porridge and pumpkin. Includes a two-week tracker for every carer.
Start with your own details
Each tool works from your own dates and numbers, and child details stay on your phone.
Date your baby’s clinic visits →Frequently asked questions
When is my baby’s first vaccination visit after birth?
At 2 months, after BCG and hepatitis B dose 1 at birth. Try the SG vaccination schedule tracker to date every visit.
How much childcare leave do I get in Singapore?
Each parent of a Singapore citizen child under 7 gets 6 days a year: 3 paid by the employer and 3 paid by the Government. Try the childcare leave entitlement checker.
When does infant care become childcare?
At 18 months. Infant care covers babies from 2 to 18 months; childcare starts from 18 months.
When are the baby check-ups?
The Child Health Booklet lists screening touchpoints at 4 weeks, 3 or 4 months, 6 months and 12 months, and later ones in the toddler and preschool years.
Keep this guide for the next big decision.
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Sources & assumptions
- Communicable Diseases Agency — Vaccinations ↗
- HealthHub — Parent Hub: Child Health Booklet ↗
- ECDA — Overview of the infant and childcare subsidy scheme ↗
- MOM — Childcare leave eligibility and entitlement ↗
- LifeSG — SG Child Support Package ↗
Waitlist lengths are typical parent experience.