What is the best baby travel system for Singapore?

mizza · Post by **mizza** » Fri, 18 Jan 2008 12:35 am

My husband and I move to Singapore from London in March, and our first baby is due in May. I have spent a lot of time reading reviews and blogs about what is the best buggy/pram/travel system to use in Singapore. So far I gather that it needs to be narrow, and be good at navigating tree roots, and light to put on the bus/MRT etc. I am keen to get one with an attachment for a car seat, that also has a cot that can be fitted. Any suggestions?

durain · Post by **durain** » Fri, 18 Jan 2008 3:02 am

for newborn, quinny zapp (or buzz). with the quinny, you can get the maxi cosi cabrio. the two together is excellent; from car to the zapp (and vice versa) frame without waking the baby. the maxi cosi can be attached to the car and use as a rocking bed at home.

for mrt/bus, you will have to hand carry the maxi cosi (has a handle) and collapse the quinny zapp frame. once the baby is too big for the maxi cosi, turn the quinny zapp into a pushchair.

for the ultimate lightweight, portability and mobility pushchair, i highly recommend the maclaren volo. only problem is baby need to be 6 months old and above before you can use it. it's cheap too!

mizza · Post by **mizza** » Fri, 18 Jan 2008 6:36 pm

Thanks for your reply! Is it usual to have to collapse the buggy when getting on the bus or MRT? Also, what are the footpaths like etc? Should I be considering a buggy that is better with off road/uneven terrain, or is the Buzz ok for that?

durain · Post by **durain** » Fri, 18 Jan 2008 9:08 pm

unfortunately, you cant have a multi-purpose pushchair/cot/etc that is lighweight, easy to collapse and easy to move about.

for rough terrain, 3-wheels is good. the bigger the wheels, the better (like the buzz). but in singapore, most of the walkway are very good. i have a maclaren mac 3 (3 big wheels) and i can use it while rollerblading. perfect. but i wont use the maclaren volo while rollerblading!

the volo is for when using the bus/mrt/shopping. most of the time, i dont collapse the volo when going into the mrt station. if i see the train are fairly full, then i will collapse it. i am bound to get a seat; baby in one arm and a pushchair sling over my shoulder. it's the same with the bus.

so for singapore, you should be fine with a quinny zapp, maxi cosi cabrio and a maclaren volo. if you gonna do running or rollerblading with your kid in the pushchair, then look for a 3-wheeler.

familyof5 · Post by **familyof5** » Sat, 19 Jan 2008 9:07 am

we had our first baby in london, and i used the baby bjorn for the first few months, which was excellent. the only limiting factor was my baby's weight! she got too heavy for me after about the 5 month mark. then i was able to put her in one of the lightweight strollers, in a slightly reclined position. by then she was well able to sit with good neck control, so she was fine. if you use some sort of sling, or baby carrier, you can save yourself some money, and easily avoid purchasing one of the heavy duty prams altogether. I'm not sure what singapore is like in terms of accommodating behaviour in publi places, (i'm due to arrive in less than a week!), but i carried my little girl in the baby bjorn on the tube in London numerous times. People seemed to get out of my way pretty quickly, and allow meplenty of room, and give up their seats when i was carrying my girl like that.

though i can sympathise with the temptation of those big posh expensive prams. Along with my lightweight pram, i did have a bugaboo, and frankly, i loved it. it looked great and was a dream to push. it would have lasted the distance with me, however I made the mistake having 3 kids within 18 months, so now i'm mrs practical when it comes to transporting my little ferrets from A. to B.

anyway, good luck with the rest of your pregnancy.

in8mom · Post by **in8mom** » Sat, 19 Jan 2008 9:51 am

I was never a real fan of the Bjorn and I had the active model with lumbar support. I used a sling and an Ergo (soft structured carrier) and that was loads better than the Bjorn IMO.

As we don't have a vehicle here at the moment, there hasn't been any need for us to own a bucket (infant carrier).

We have the Volo which has been great in terms of getting around. It's lightweight, slim and compact. Getting on and off the bus has also been fairly easy. The MRT is not an issue.

Hope this helps.

familyof5 · Post by **familyof5** » Sat, 19 Jan 2008 1:29 pm

i have heard loads of good things about slings etc, so even though i liked the BB, i'd probably try a sling if i was mad enough to have another.

cinder · Post by **cinder** » Sat, 19 Jan 2008 1:30 pm

Sorry for a question that bit out of the main topic, and might sound silly for all of you here.. but where to buy Maclaren Volo in Singapore? Visited its website but somehow couldnt find any direction but the one in Kaki Bukit?

Far from having baby myself, but plan to get one for my first nephew in Jakarta.

in8mom · Post by **in8mom** » Sun, 20 Jan 2008 12:14 am

Mother's Work has them I believe..
Sorry, I bought mine in the US.

durain · Post by **durain** » Sun, 20 Jan 2008 2:56 am

not 100% sure, but try mothercare. you can locate their store at www.mothercare.com.sg. the maclaren volo is listed on their singapore website.

cbavasi · Post by **cbavasi** » Sun, 20 Jan 2008 7:53 am

If it's for your nephew in Jakarta - you may want to check out the prices there first (you can call Mothercare Seneyan City, Pondok Indah) as well as Debenhams and Sogo. We moved here from Jakarta and sometimes less expensive. Plus if you are going to fly to Jkt with the stroller it may get pretty banged up in transit.

mizza · Post by **mizza** » Mon, 21 Jan 2008 8:30 pm

Durain: I know, I am looking for the ultimate pram that doesnt exist! I think I would need 3 different ones! I have thought about the roller blading/jogging options, as I would be keen to do that, but what is the weather like? Is it too hot to be pounding the pavements in singapore? If its not too hot, then that may influence my decision and I may get a 3 wheeler. You said you have a Mac 3. Is that the same as the Maclaren MX3? that pram looked ideal on the website, as it's light, 3 wheels, takes a basinet and car seat etc, but I have only found 1 review of it on the net.

Family of 5: did you find the bugaboo easy to fold and quick to collapse on public transport? And congrats on being a super mum, 3 kids in 18 mths, very impressive!

durain · Post by **durain** » Mon, 21 Jan 2008 9:09 pm

mizza wrote:Durain: I know, I am looking for the ultimate pram that doesnt exist! I think I would need 3 different ones! I have thought about the roller blading/jogging options, as I would be keen to do that, but what is the weather like? Is it too hot to be pounding the pavements in singapore? If its not too hot, then that may influence my decision and I may get a 3 wheeler. You said you have a Mac 3. Is that the same as the Maclaren MX3? that pram looked ideal on the website, as it's light, 3 wheels, takes a basinet and car seat etc, but I have only found 1 review of it on the net.

Family of 5: did you find the bugaboo easy to fold and quick to collapse on public transport? And congrats on being a super mum, 3 kids in 18 mths, very impressive!

yes, the ultimate pushchair/pram doesnt exist. and yes, you will need 2 or 3 to fit the purpose. maclaren doesnt do the MAC 3 anymore. it was a brilliant 3-wheeler for jogging/rollerblading. a 3-wheeler with big inflatble wheels will be good for any type of terrain.

bugaboo is only for show or if you are gonna use it in shopping malls along orchard road. it wont be easy to cary about. easy to collapse and carry would be a maclaren volo. you can do it with one arm with a baby, shoulder with a bag for milk, clothes, water, etc and the other arm to collapse the volo and sling it over your shoulder.

so, my recommendation is a quinny buzz with maxi cosi cabrio. the maxi cosi cabrio can be use in the car as well. once the baby is more than 6 months, just use the quinny buzz. and if you think you need a super lightweight pushchair, then get a maclaren volo.

btw, not quite ideal, but you can still use the quinny buzz for rollerblading. you just cant go as fast

cbavasi · Post by **cbavasi** » Mon, 21 Jan 2008 9:10 pm

you have to gauge how much walking you think you will do here. i happen to walk everywhere - so i needed something that was sturdy and fit for 2. when i was living in london i had a bugaboo and was fantastic as i never broke it down and could fit on (handicap) bus as well as MRT. here i still took my bugaboo on the MRT but it is a nightmare to breakdown for taxis. you literally need 2 hands - but it's the best buggy i've had. i would have added a stroller board but like i said i walk absolutely everywhere so my eldest wouldn't stand for that long. when we had another child i needed something that would fit 2 so i opted for the phil & teds e3. love it! one sits on top - the other underneath in an attachment. i'm able to hold the baby and break it down with one hand if i need to hop in a cab. i've never taken it on the bus and frankly wouldn't think about taking my stroller unless it was an umbrella or super lightweight one - but on the MRT no problem. i've found all the lifts and ramps with no problems. i've never had a problem with the phil & teds being too wide. again, you really need to figure out if you'll be doing a lot of walking instead of always breaking your stroller down. just note that the import price on all these strollers is quite a lot. same goes for car seats - so if you are not already here - something to think about buying abroad.

cbavasi · Post by **cbavasi** » Mon, 21 Jan 2008 9:20 pm

ps - also agree about the quinny buzz. perfect b/c it has the car seat so you can get in and out of taxis easily and super lightweight. there is also a pretty good resale value here in singapore for durable strollers. we sold our bugaboo in one day - so if you need to switch later on you might find it easy to sell.

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What is the best baby travel system for Singapore?

What is the best baby travel system for Singapore?

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