Shopping - Mothercare

Mothercare - a popular store for infant/children's essentials, pregnant mommies have been in Singapore for a long time. Its also one of the very first store I hope over to when I found out I am pregnant.

Over at here, I bought plenty of rompers, the price tags are pretty friendly, you will get 7 pieces of them (great quality) at SGD 46.00 (without the mothercare membership discount of 10% off). I realize that the designs play a part on their prices, so I normally wait out a season before I get a new pack of rompers from Mothercare. Hence you may want to factor that in if you would like to save a little on your pocket as everything from the store looks wonderful.

I like the idea that practically whatever is needed in getting a newborn's nursery ready is readily available here. It ranges from rompers, mittens, booties, baby blankets, swaddling blankets, baby cots, prams, bath tubs etc.

Its also over at here, I bought Toddler's bath tub, body creme, toys, clothings (up to now infact!), hooded towels, bedsheets and other miscellaneous items.

I always tend to rely on their yearly Mothercare booklet that explains and have plenty of notes on the different items and also the price list. I will mark out what I will need and have them all tag up before giving the store I frequent a call to make reservation on them. Once they are all ready, the hub will head over to collect them and bring them home for me.

However there are also some minus points which I have taken note of:

The cots and prams over at here are not really readily available in stock, hence there is always a time where you have to wait for them to check with the suppliers before getting back to you. I.e, if you need to get the baby cot or pram in a hurry, its definitely not a wise place to head over to.

Prices over at Mothercare Singapore may not be competitive enough, hence its always good to wait for their sale or the annual one that happens in March every year before you get anything expensive. Infact a galfriend of mine Jac who was staying in London for quite sometime find the prices over in UK makes it a better deal!

Do also note not all items are actually applicable to the membership discount, items such as Pigeon products are tend not to be on discount. So do be aware before popping them over to the counter.

At times, I find the sales team not really knowing the product well enough, therefore its always best for you to do some research before getting them.

Other than that, I find them pretty convenient since there are quite a number of outlets around. The sales team at different outlets are always willing to help you in checking stock with other branches. That is a big plus for me as service quality is pretty important as it can easily makes or break my shopping mood for the day.

Shopping - Mothers Works

Motherswork - one my favourite stores where hub and I will tend to head to for prams, diaper bags, maternity wear and toddler's favourite plush toys - Jellycat.

The branch I frequent will be Tanglin Mall. Located at the 2nd level is actually the maternity store also known as motherswork Big is Beautiful,  over at here is where I get maternity clothings, diaper bags, Jellycat products (I like the fact everything is very neatly display and practically whatever I need is available - inner wear to clothings). The sales ladies are very helpful and knowledgeable. I bought my Petunia Pickle Bottom Boxy Diaper Bag in Afternoon Tea over at here after finding out Egg Maternity no longer carries PPB's diaper bags!

It starts with an enquiry phone call from me (regarding the diaper bag I wanted) to getting to really like the store. The sales lady told me that there was a 20% off for PPB Boxy Diaper Bag and is able to help me reserve it for a certain period of time. I was impressed with their service - true to her words, I head over a day or two later to collect the diaper bag (the discount was extended to me despite it was a day after the sale ended).

On the 3rd level at Tanglin Mall, you will find another Motherswork store - this carries mainly products such as prams, car seats, beddings, cots, high chairs, toys, infant / children clothes and the list goes on. Everything at this store is neat and you will be able to find the wide range of products carried is a good chance for everyone to do comparison of different brands and all. Hub and I bought the City Select over here after comparing and physically testing out the different brands out. I like their service here and give them a big thumb up as their sales team is well trained on the product knowledge and bothers to clarify / check out the different points I have raised.

The sales team also bothers to go through step by step assembly on the pram with us, letting us know what are the points to take note of, how to collapse the pram, tips on caring for it etc.

Over at here, I also realised the Jellycat range is slightly different from the ones at Motherswork Big is Beautiful (2nd floor) hence its a plus for me as toddler is always delighted to see what else she would like to add to her collection of bunnies. This keeps her occupied while I can get the real business done - ie getting rain cover for her pram, beddings sets etc.

For those who are always on lookout for different brands and would prefer a wide range of products, this will be a store worth checking out. But please bear in mind due to its unique branding and the different ranges of products they carries, it also comes with a hefty price tag. On one hand, you can be assured you will be getting quality products, however on the other the prices can at times turn you off.

Therefore please do heaps of reading up / research before jumping into the wagon!

Time for another?

With the new Baby Jogger City Select pram here and the move to a new place next year, the talk of having another kid is fast becoming serious between the hub and I. We have been seriously toying with the idea, discussing about the fit of a new born into our hectic lifestyle *reads as our part time studies, our toddler and not to mention our jobs*

I have been pretty blessed at the field of parents in law, hence its very likely that i need heaps of their support should the plan falls into place. It was intended that we will bring the topic up to them later part of the year so that all of us will have enough time to prepare the new schedule and all.

However, last night I felt some discomfort at you know where. I panicked as its not the usual pre / post menstrual cycle discomfort but rather something is definitely off. Hub is pretty concerned when I brought it up and we decided okay, we got to head down to the gynae this morning to see whether my contraceptive (IUCD) is still in place. I have a weird feeling that I will definitely be having it taken out.

This morning arrives and we head over to my gynae, Dr Adrian Tan from ACJ Clinic. Dr Tan confirms yes it has to be taken out immediately as an internal infection has occurred (which was causing me the discomfort).

It all happens very fast and within 5 mins, the removal process is completed. I feel odd (both physically and mentally), the numb sensation passed through me and in my mind, it suddenly came across to me that the possibility of the baby plan being brought forward is rather high. Infact it can happen anytime from now! I was caught really off guard and caught my dear hub grinning cheek to cheek. *Oh dear*

Looks like it really time and real soon.

- picture taken from Mothercare website, Jamestown Cot Bed in White

Quinny Speedi - Review

As per my previous post, I reckon that many would have known that I was previously using a Quinny Speedi for Toddler. This pram has last her through close to 3 years and its still working perfectly well despite the fact she has outweigh it. It has gone to my storage of course after a full cleaning up (we took the seat, canopy and tyres down for a full wash, dry and now wrapped up).

Back then, when she is a newborn - I was using the Maxi Cosi Cabrio Fix along with this Quinny frame. It was convenient as I do not need to transfer her in and out of the car seat or pram whenever we head out. She was happy in it, I was glad to have moments of peace.

The Quinny Speedi frame is much more sturdy as compared to the Quinny Zapp as it was easy to maneuver about the different terrains when I was jogging or strolling whenever she starts the crazy hours of non stop crying (colic baby). It has an emergency brake system right at the handle bar - which is a plus for me as I do not have long enough legs to really reach the brake at the bottom of the pram in time should there be a need to.

The fact that it was suitable to move about different terrains also means it has relatively big wheels. For this model, it required pumping. It works all right with a bicycle pump therefore considered convenient.

Other than that, I like the fact it has a large seat space - which is a good thing should napping space is a concern. There is a leg rest, which height can be adjusted to two levels, this works well whenever Toddler naps. It doesn't restrict her legs to be hanging down position. She is able to have her legs resting at the same level during her naps.

The basket below is a good size, I am able to fit my diaper bag in (note - my diaper bag is not relatively small considering the amount of things I am bringing along).

The pram collapse relatively easy and fuss free, it can be put into the boot without much trouble. However as the size of this pram is not relatively small, hence ample space in the car boot is needed. I am not petite hence I find the weight of this pram manageable. However for mommies who are of smaller built - they may feel the weight of Quinny Speedi too much for them.

A few points that I do not like about Quinny Speedi:

I find the canopy that comes with it rather short, it didn't really do its job of shading Toddler from the sun.

There is no peek a boo window for you to catch a glimpse of whatever your kid is doing,

The seat that comes with it can only be forward facing, hence if you are one who likes to have forward and backward facing, this pram is not going to work.

Despite the wheels are a breeze to maneuver about, you will always have to remember to do checks on the wheels (whether they are out of air) before your trips out, just in case you encounter an almost flat tyre on side.

When collapse, I find the handle bar touching the ground (this is a big minus) as I often find myself wiping the handle bar with anti bacterial wipes.

Again there is no perfect pram in this world that suits everyone's needs so we just got to give and take a little bit more. All in all, I still love the Quinny Speedi, it has serve Toddler very well and hopefully it will continue to contribute towards her other future sibling(s) in near future. *prays*

New Pram

Recently I encountered the classic issue of my almost three years old Quinny Speedi about to give way. It has been a good pram serving me pretty well until Toddler's weight exceeded the max limit of 15kg. The frame and all are still good but The Hub and I soon realised that the seat is barely allowing a 45 degrees sitting position whenever Toddler is on it.

With she being only 2 years plus and going to be 3 years old. I still struggle when I am out with her. There is always the moments when she gets tired of walking, needs a hug, needs to be carry and she wants to nap. The list goes on and I was getting really irritated at that one part of the point - I actually was considering no more half day or full day trip for her!

It has been a pain to get a pram for her as she is rather on the tall side. At this age of hers, we realised that she is coming to a metre tall. So Hub did some research and did more reading up and find out what prams that are available in Singapore that will be suitable. We rang a couple of stores, visited them and still find ourselves back to Mothers Works located at Tanglin Mall. *I dig that store - seriously - this will be shared in some other post*

We head over last weekend to compare between Bugaboo Donkey and Baby Jogger's City Select since they have the demo sets available at the store, both brands are able to seat 2 kids - which is an important point for us as we are seriously toying with the idea of having another baby next year.

At the end of the day, Toddler sat at both different prams and did a comparison by herself after we go through the two different prams. To my very surprise, she picks the Baby Jogger's City Select. It was amazingly comfortable for her, she didn't have the problem with the seat at all - she even tells us that she would like to seat with her future sibling in it.

With all smiles, the Hub picks the tab within 1 min flat when he knows thats the right pram for her. While the store assistant goes through on the details of the pram with him, my sister in law kept Toddler occupied at the store. I finally have a few free moments to take a look at some other stuffs that I maybe keen to get for her. So there's the new pram from Hub to her and I decided to get another Jellycat's bunny for her. Its a red one called Emily this time round, in additional to Henry. Now there is a pair for her and I can finally get to send Henry to the washer!