SINGAPORE - A total of 300 fathers of newborn children will receive "survival kits" from the labour movement's family unit, the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) said in a statement yesterday.

NTUC Youth Development Unit director Desmond Choo, soon to be a father himself, will be distributing the gifts to fathers at KK Women's and Children's Hospital, Singapore General Hospital and National University Hospital over the next few weeks, starting Wednesday.

Each kit contains items such as coffee sachets, energy bars, eye patches and pain relief patches, and was put together by the NTUC U Family unit. It also includes a pamphlet with information on the different types of parenting leave available as well as popular nursery rhymes.

"We hope to encourage new dads and help them embrace their new roles with ease," said Mr Choo in a statement.

NTUC U Family will partner hospitals and service providers to encourage fathers to share caregiving duties with their wives. It hopes to identify and grow a pool of men who will push for more family friendly practices at work and encourage colleagues to be more involved in parenting.

The unit's director Toh Hwee Tin also said there was room for improvement at the workplace. "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," she said.

"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."