More ?s... Car seats when you have no car? Cheap baby items?

[mrsli]

We aren't planning on getting a car and I just wanted to know how people do things here with a baby and no car.

So, if you buy a car seat for the ride home from the hospital, that's not a big deal, because you are just taking the baby home from the hospital and can lug all baby items into your place.

But what about when you take the baby to the doctor via taxi? Do you bring baby, car seat, stroller (if baby is too big for baby carrier), and diaper bag, and then lug all items into the doctor's office with you?? Or do people just not use car seats? Or people just don't use taxis and choose doctors within walking distance so you just put the little bub in his stroller and take him? Or do people use those baby bjorn-type things and just strap themselves into the car?


Another thing -- is Carrefour where you can find the best deals on baby items (car seats, cots, mattresses, etc.)? We've visited a number of shops and it seems like the best deals, but we've been staying near Orchard Road since we got here and done most of our looking here and I'm wondering if there are cheaper shopping opportunities farther from the city? Everything here seems so expensive compared to the US, I really miss going on target.com or babiesrus.com and reading all the reviews and finding the best prices for items.

Thanks for your help!

[sundaymorningstaple]

First baby huh!? Only 30% of Singaporean households have a car. The rest use public transport and most don't even use taxis. Doesn't seem to be much of a problem for them. They do it everyday without buying $2000 "Baby Transport Systems" so I'm not sure but they all seem to manage.

[ScoobyDoes]

First baby huh!? Only 30% of Singaporean households have a car. The rest use public transport and most don't even use taxis. Doesn't seem to be much of a problem for them. They do it everyday without buying $2000 "Baby Transport Systems" so I'm not sure but they all seem to manage.

But even if you look at those with cars and the number of kids you'll see jumping about in the back, or even standing up in the front without wearing seatbelts i wouldn't be in so much of a rush to make comparisons or hold them up as examples.

With regards those doing without cars and using taxis i believe the best approach is those carriers that sling around the parent and at least wehn the parent is belted in, by default so is the baby.

[durain]

First baby huh!? Only 30% of Singaporean households have a car. The rest use public transport and most don't even use taxis. Doesn't seem to be much of a problem for them. They do it everyday without buying $2000 "Baby Transport Systems" so I'm not sure but they all seem to manage.

well said. and that's why baby/child car seat are not widely available or the choice are very limited. i got no problems with doing the school run with a 1 and 4 years old on the bus, with their school bags, shopping (they wanted to go shopping before going home and got them durian!), etc. and this is during peak period where i had to stand on the bus holding my 1 year old.

[patsy_sg]

We aren't planning on getting a car and I just wanted to know how people do things here with a baby and no car.

So, if you buy a car seat for the ride home from the hospital, that's not a big deal, because you are just taking the baby home from the hospital and can lug all baby items into your place.

But what about when you take the baby to the doctor via taxi? Do you bring baby, car seat, stroller (if baby is too big for baby carrier), and diaper bag, and then lug all items into the doctor's office with you?? Or do people just not use car seats? Or people just don't use taxis and choose doctors within walking distance so you just put the little bub in his stroller and take him? Or do people use those baby bjorn-type things and just strap themselves into the car?


Another thing -- is Carrefour where you can find the best deals on baby items (car seats, cots, mattresses, etc.)? We've visited a number of shops and it seems like the best deals, but we've been staying near Orchard Road since we got here and done most of our looking here and I'm wondering if there are cheaper shopping opportunities farther from the city? Everything here seems so expensive compared to the US, I really miss going on target.com or babiesrus.com and reading all the reviews and finding the best prices for items.

Thanks for your help!

You could try baby hypermart or baby hyperstore in kaki bukit , not really sure of the exact address, think it's something like the shun li industrial park or something. or wait for Robinsons/Tangs to go on sale, they have pretty good sales. I do miss target and babiesrus tho

[joop]

Baby Hyperstore
69 Kaki Bukit Avenue 1
Shunlin Industrial Park
Tel: 68441123
Mon-Sat 11am - 9pm
Sun/ Public Holidays 11am - 7pm

Baby Kingdom just a few rows down.

[mrsli]

Thanks for everyone's replies -- we'll certainly check out Baby Hyperstore. And I suppose baby will be going home from the hospital in our arms then (by the way, we're pregnant -- due Oct.)... unless those toy rental places by chance rent car seats for baby's first ride home...

[cbavasi]

definitely check out the baby hyperstore - they also have a bunch of stuff in the 'back room' (i.e. discontinued models) that they will sell at a great price.
also check out the classified board at the mother & baby clinic 3rd floor at tanglin. you should be able to find a relatively inexpensive infant car seat 2nd hand. i gave mine to a friend otherwise i would have given you mine!!

i would recommend getting an infant car seat for at least the first couple of months. it's not recommended to carry the newborn in a baby bjorn - plus they are so light and sleeping all the time it's really easy to carry them around in the carrier to doctors appts. i also just stuck the infant seat in the shopping cart at the market. from about 3 months i started strapping the baby in the baby bjorn and putting the seatbelt through it on taxi rides. when she got too big for that (meaning she was eventually facing forward and the back of her head kept hitting my chin) i bought one of those moms-in-mind slings and again just strapped her on and put the seat belt through - i seriously used that for over a year and still do sometimes.

good luck!

[rodandhelen]

You can hire a car seat from http://www.toyrentalclub.com/carseats.html
Hope this helps you.

Good luck with the baby

Helen

[bruinbear]

If you take taxis, you are not legally required to use a child seat.

There is some legislation to make child-seats for young kids mandatory in private cars.

But from what I've gathered from friends, the enforcement appears to be very laxed. Nobody seems to have gotten cited for not having a child seat before.

[Blue Sapphire]

I bought the Maxi Cosi carseat and it was too heavy to carry around with the baby and diaper bag.

The Baby Bjorn helps for a quick trip to the doctor but as the baby gets heavier its abit of a strain on the shoulders.

[BabyNova]

You can consider a 2 in 1 baby car seat and stroller which will be convenient for you. like Citi SPS 2008 and Quinny Buzz.

The thing about baby carrier is that it is tiring for your shoulder and bad for your back.

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[durain]

i had the maxi cosi cabrio which can be a car seat and also click to the quinny buzz or zapp to become a pushchair.

[Blue Sapphire]

I had my Maxi cosi with the quinny zap, its great when you have your own car to carry it around and put it together at your convenience or using the MRT. But to take a taxi with it especially alone phew! The taxi driver got impatient.

My solution was getting an Aprica stroller. I can close it with one hand and put it at the back of the taxi myself while holding the baby with the other hand.

As for carriers, I discovered the Ergo baby. Its great! You can put the baby infront, on your side and behind you. Then you can roll it and stuff it in your bag when you dont need it. I use that now for my quick trips to the doc. Plus it takes its support also from the hips so less of a strain compared to most carriers. I dont see it in the shops though, got mine from a local online store. For new borns you have to buy this extra clothe like thing to slip them infront.
http://www.ergobabycarrier.com/

[thirdeagle]

The toy rental places do rent baby seats. And they are a great place to start before you make a big investment. Make sure you book one in advance though or they may not have one available when you need it.

Baby seats are heavy to carry around without a stroller though.

Travel systems where the baby seat snaps onto the stroller are good but if you're on your own you want to make sure you can easily fold it and put it in the trunk while handling the baby seat. As someone already mentioned above. I used to have a Graco where this was doable - but definitely not as easy as the lightweight stroller (without baby seat) that I now use. Also, this will only last you until the baby grows out of the car seat.

If you do go with a lighter stroller and use a sling or baby carrier in the taxi, I don't recommend putting the baby between you and the belt.

I tend to sling my little one but I do have an ergo which I got from metro in paragon. They sell a newborn insert that goes with it as well but the material is quite thick and I end up feeling like the baby is too hot in it in this climate. The ergo a bit bulkier than some of the other carriers that are available (like slings) but its definitely great for the back. I still carry my 3.5 year old in it.

When the kids can sit on their own, there are vests that you can use that keep them in a harness but uses the taxi seat belt as a restraint. Much more portable than a car seat. The toy rental places rent those too. I got mine second hand at a garage sale. I'm thinking of getting one of these for the older one to use occasionally in the grandparents car. http://www.safetrafficsystem.com/