CARE BOOM: Infants with the Babies Inc Staff. The MCYS foresees demand for such services to grow.

Between 2004 and last month, the number of centres offering care for children aged between two and 18 months shot up from 38 to 114, said the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports (MCYS).

The service they offer is popular among dual-career couples, although some housewives are also using it.

Mrs Maimunah Mohamed, a 37-year-old housewife, has been sending her 20-month-old twin sons to Babies Inc, an infant and childcare centre, for a year. They boys moved up to the toddler programme early this year.

She said: 'The teachers there are stricter in teaching them habits such as feeding themselves and picking up after themselves. As a parent, you will always be more lenient with your child.'

For Mrs Lynette Ong, 34, a regional manager at a courier company, the infant-care centre answered a childcare arrangement need.

Said the mother whose 12-month-old daughter has been at Babies Inc for 10 months: 'Her grandmother was not keen on taking care of her and I didn't want to leave her at home with a maid, as she would be bored. There, she is read and sung to.' Mrs Ong also has two sons, aged 10 and 12.

A typical day at a centre stretches from 7am to 4pm. The young ones have their breakfast, lunch, snack and nap at the centre, in between activities such as singing, dancing, reading and gym lessons.

Most owners of the 10 centres contacted said demand for infant-care services picked up from August 2004, when the Government handed out subsidies to parents of Singaporean babies aged between two and 18 months.

The maximum monthly subsidy is $400 for a working mother and $75 for a non-working one.

The subsidies build upon the seven-year-old Baby Bonus Scheme, which was designed to bump up the country's birth rates through cash gifts and co-savings accounts for those who get on the parenthood track.

But even with subsidies, the fees at infant-care centres can be steep. MCYS said the average monthly fee for full-day care is now $1,165, nearly 10 per cent more than the $1,063 four years ago.

The fees are higher than those at full-day childcare centres, which charge an average of $672 a month now, up from $588 in 2004.

But despite the high fees, the programmes are so sought after that parents are plonking down a one-month deposit to secure a place six months in advance.

Ms Lina Ong, the founder of Babies Inc, said: 'I had parents placing deposits of $1,600 early this year to reserve places for their babies in September. If you request a place one month in advance, you won't be able to get it.'

An MCYS spokesman said the ministry foresees demand for infant-care services growing, with the rise of dual-income households here.

She said: 'We anticipate that more childcare centres offering infant care services will be needed to better support parents in their childcare arrangements.'

Ms Jeanette Tan, who holds a child-development graduate diploma from the University of Melbourne and is the founder of infant and childcare centre Del-Care Edu Centre, does not think that a two-month-old is too young for childcare.

She said: 'Working parents will have to send their children somewhere. Instead of leaving them with maids or busy grandparents, why not choose a centre with trained professionals who can be held accountable?'

ameltan@sph.com.sg

jasonhau@sph.com.sg