Baby Implements

Do you know there are checklists on what to buy for your baby? Actual checklists. Implying the fact that there are more than, say, 10 things you’ll be needing. In fact, some of these lists we found span pages long, double sided, in small fonts.

And for those of you considering buying baby things closer to your due date, well, then, use the extra time to do a lot of research. Cos unless you wanna spend loads on buying completely impractical (but branded!) items, there are so many to choose from that I’d have completed my Masters in this field.

 Picture from http://www.hiren.info/

So, I thought it might be useful if I put together a list of all the stuff that we’d bought so far, along with the criteria we had to consider before getting to our final decision.

According to me, baby implements are categorised by their size (and cost, too). “Big ticket items” refer to the ones which cost a lot, need to be delivered, and will take up a lot of space in your apartment. “Everything else” refers to everything else that remains on that checklist (designed to taunt you into buying things you don’t really need).

BIG TICKET ITEMS

Pram
noun /präm/  /pram/  
praams, plural; prams, plural

1. A flat-bottomed sailboat
2. A small, flat-bottomed rowboat for fishing

None of the above, actually. What dictionary is this anyway???
What I’m referring to is something like this.

 Picture from www.combi.com.au

This is the Combi Miracle Turn DX. There is a pricier version called the Miracle Turn Premier, but let’s not go there.

When I first started my search for the pram / buggy / stroller, I was flabbergasted. Kinda flabby at the time too, so maybe I was flabbygasted. There were thousands, literally thousands of options to choose from, ranging from around $50 bucks to $2,000. You got the four-wheel drives, the interchangeable handles, the non-sweat, non-stick, breathable material, and even ones which did nothing much, but cost thousands anyway just because they were branded.

Yes, the default option for those who have given up, and decided that because it is expensive, and because it is branded, it has to be good.

Nope, not for us. I scoured the forums, the mummy blogs, sites for prams, Google – spending hours and days researching the best one within our price range. Things we considered important were:

• Weight – Mainly the Hubs’ idea, this one. He didn’t fancy the thought of me lugging around a 20kg pram going up and down the stairs / MRT / elevators, and so one of the main criteria he insisted on was that the pram be light enough to be handled by one person, even while carrying Bubs. Weight range – between 5kg to 7kg.
• Foldable – Had to be foldable for obvious reasons. We live in a small condo so needed as much space as we could have. Also, when taking the bus / MRT / any mode of public transport, the last thing you needed were dirty looks from people when your pram took up precious space.
• Ease of use – Some prams can be folded up and opened again with one button. Some can only be folded with brute force, while some require a basic degree in Engineering before you can figure out how to use them. The one we bought had to be manual-free, for those occasions where we needed someone else to use the pram too.
• Convertibility – Some prams cater only for newborns, some only for toddlers. As we wanted something which would last quite some time without having to have a collection of prams, it only made sense to have one which was convertible from newborn to toddler years.
• Price – We chose what we considered to be mid-range pricing. Not too cheap (not the house wine), and not top of the range either (there isn’t an engine in this pram, is there?) So, we decided on something between the $500-700 range.

With all this in mind, we settled upon the Combi Miracle Turn DX as shown above (in mocha). It fit all the criteria above, being (shamelessly copied from the Combi site):

• Lightweight (6.3 kgs)
• Easy open/fold
• Double fold makes it super compact
• Multiple seat recline (this means it can be converted from a flat surface for newborns to an incline for older babies)
• Reversible handle
• Constant front steering
• Orthopaedic seat cushion
• Four-wheel suspension
• Huge sunshade
• Seat ventilation system
• Size (Folded):100H x 47W x 32D

The next step was finding out where we could get it at the cheapest price. Now, after searching high and low, I found out that Combi items are price-controlled. This means that no matter where you search, you probably won’t find it cheaper than 10% of the RPP. We originally wanted to buy it from BabyKingdom (good showroom, friendly sales assistant) but when we turned up, it was under renovation. Then, one of my friends informed me of the Baby Fair at Takashimaya, and that was where we found it at the discount price of $566 (already less 10% from original price).

Car Seat

This is essential by Singapore law. For those who are clueless about what this is, it’s basically a small little seat which you put at the backseat, strapped on to the seat, in which your little one is then further strapped on during a car journey. Among the things which had to be considered were:

• Size – Our car is a small-sized car so the car seat had to be proportional to the size of one of the seats. Wasn’t much point buying one of those ginormous car seats which took up the whole back seat, as not only would that leave us with no room for anything else, but it would mean that the seat wouldn’t sit properly within one actual car seat itself.
• Convertibility – I think most car seats are convertible in that they usually come toddler-sized, and have a little insert which will fit snugly with a newborn.
• Material – For the warm, humid weather that is Singapore, we needed something which would be comfortable for the little one, so the material had to be breathable, plus able to be washed in the washing machine.

And so we selected the Combi Coccoro which is sold in these lovely, pastel colours. Never quite figured myself to be one for pastel colours (they remind me of medication), but since getting pregnant, I’m all for pinks and delicate shades of delicious colours.

 Picture from Combi

The one we bought is the orange one on the top-right of the picture. Called “carrot cake” (Western version, and not the Chye Tau Kway version). Again, as this is a Combi product, prices are controlled. We got this together with the pram (and another Combi product, detailed later – we like Combi, what can I say) at the Takashimaya Baby Fair, and got the 10% discount, making it a total of $299 for this. I think it was being sold a little cheaper than what I’d seen it being sold for elsewhere because they were launching a new colour series for it, so the “carrot cake” was considered an older model.

Note: All the Combi products we bought from Takashimaya were sold by Tai Sing, which is located on North Bridge Road. I’m not sure if you can get the 10% discount if you buy directly from them, but worth a try I guess.

High Chair

Before pregnancy, if you said “high chair”, I’d imagine one of those chairs you put babies in when you’re in a restaurant, or when you’re feeding the baby at home. These days, high chairs refer to these really useful chairs which convert from a newborn baby station, to an actual feeding chair. Like, how amazing is this? Why did it take so long for someone to invent something like this?

Picture from Combi

See how it converts from one mode to another? Plus, it’s foldable. Key word in any space-tight apartment.

This is the Combi Rashule which is described as a day bed, high chair, rocker and booster chair.

Again, we bought this from the Takashimaya Baby Fair at the discounted price of $296 (after 10% discount). We bought the orange version, as I’m not much a fan of pastel green, but there are many other models from Combi similar to this one with other colour choices.

Crib

There is a difference between a “crib” and a “cot” (and I don’t mean in the MTV sense of “crib”).

Note, however, that definitions of these in the UK and in the USA are kinda different. What you might call a crib in the US is actually a cot (full-sized) in the UK. Where as a bassinet in the US is what you’d call a crib in the UK (with varying sizes to make things even more confusing). The definition that I use is the UK standard, since we bought it from Mothercare which comes from the UK:

• Crib – A smaller cot usually for newborns up to around 6 months old (or when they start pulling themselves up). These sometimes feature a rocking or gliding motion, and due to the size, is suitable for parents rooms which are smaller.
• Cot – Probably what you’d imagine, and seen on TV, as being the traditional, larger variety of babies’ beds with the railings to the sides, and are convertible from being suitable for newborns to toddlers, and even to cot-beds.

As we don’t have much space in our condo, we decided on getting a crib first, and then getting a cot later on when we know more about what we’re doing. Surprisingly enough, I couldn’t find anywhere in Singapore which did cribs online (perhaps they do them in real shops but who has the time to traipse from one shop to another), with the exception of Mothercare.

 Picture from Mothercare

I had a good look online before going to the showroom at Harbourfront Centre, where we saw the same version, but it looked so nice all decorated with the sheets, blanket, etc. Bought it for $228, and added a FreshFX mattress for $128, plus the set of bedding for $99 (you need crib measurements as the ones sold for cots are too big for cribs).

Play Pen

What is a Play Pen? Usually used for toddlers when the parents want the kids to play in a confined area, these days, play pens can be used for day naps, as changing stations, and even as newborn nappers. The most well-known brand for all Play Pens (even though I don’t usually go for brands, but they literally are THE brand) is Graco.

 Picture from Walmart

This is the Graco Pack ‘n Play Playard with Cuddle Cove Rocking Seat. From the picture above, the little comfy looking thing on the left of the Playard is the Newborn Napper (does what it says on the tin). The item on the right is the changing station which again, is used for changing nappies. There is a layer below which allows for baby to sleep on, and that can also be removed to allow for the most bottom layer to be used as the actual play pen for toddlers.

We bought this mainly because it is foldable (that word again). Why? Because we thought it might be useful for travelling as it folds into something smaller than what a tent would look like when folded. Some of the blogs which I found helpful when making this decision was this one, and this one.

Taking this along with us would mean that we have somewhere familiar for baby to call home, and I don’t really like the cots provided at hotels because I’ve seen how they store the mattresses when not in use, and I’m not impressed.

Bought this from the Takashimaya Baby Fair (busy day) for $399 (supplied by Aprisin).

As none of the items have been delivered yet, I can’t actually say how easy they are to assemble or use, but hopefully, once we’ve managed to do that, I’ll provide an update on how they fare.

Hope this has been helpful!