Baby Market April 2014

I found this post (April 2014!) sitting in the draft folder, so I thought I might as well publish it.
Double posts day!


I wasn't a fan of fairs since I couldn't exactly cope with crowds.
Then motherhood changed everything.
Now, I just want to go to every single baby fair in town in hope to get good deals for diapers.
And wet wipes.
And toys.
And pajamas.
And what-nots.

Contrary to the Takashimaya Baby Fair, I've not heard my friends talking about the Baby Market. I'm not sure when it started but I do notice many of my friends who are already parents liking the Mummy Market's (organiser of the Baby Market) Facebook page, and so I did when I was pregnant last year.

Following the Facebook posts and comments in the Mummy's Market page, the Baby Market seemed like a crazy huge baby fair where products (especially the Star Buys) are at ridiculously low prices. I mean it.

I had wanted to drop by the fair last October but I was too heavily pregnant so I didn't think it was wise for me to brave through the crowd. So this year, minus the belly and the fact that I can walk a lot faster, I made the husband hit the fair.

I thought I was well-prepared, making a list of the things I want to buy or check out, so that I can go to the booths straightaway. I had the intention of just checking out all the booths like I usually do at other fairs but I reckoned it's pretty impossible for this one (gathering clues from Mummy's Market Facebook posts and the comments. They are right.)


We arrived at Singapore Expo at 11am (the fair starts at 11) but had difficulty finding a parking lot after circling the carpark for 45 minutes. I decided that I should just go to the fair while the husband continues his quest to fins a parking space.
Just the walk to the Hall alone gave me a headache. Literally.
I know the fair is going to be crowded but I wasn't expecting such a turnout just one hour into the fair.
Baby bumps, babies and toddlers are just everywhere.
And a very long Philips Avent queue welcomed me once I stepped into the exhibition hall.
It was quite a sight.

I didn't manage to get everything on my list because the queues are either too long, or I simply couldn't get to the booths.
Like the diaper pavilion, for example. It's nice that all the various brands of the diapers are at one spot. But there was an extremely long queue just to get into the section, and thereafter, yet another long queue to make payment. It was so crowded and I gave up on the diapers.

I went home with the Lamaze shape sorter, the LG Playmat (a pretty good deal!) and quite a headache.


Some takeaways from the fair.

1. If you really want the Star Buys (which are at ridiculously prices), go early. Go very early. Else, see points 5 and 6.
2. Print out the shop listing and map prior to the fair. This is one fair that requires you to do a bit of homework so that you can...
3. ...try to go to the fair with a bunch of people, especially if you have a baby bump, big or small. They can double up as bodyguards (to safeguard the baby) and get into queues for you. Which brings me to the next point...
4. Get family members or friends to queue up while you shop. I accidentally got into a long queue and waited for one hour. I already had the products in my hands so I thought I might as well go ahead and pay. I wasn't expecting to take that long. I bumped into a friend who queued up two hours for milk bottles. And remember the Philips Avent queue? It's sheer madness. So get people to start queuing while you look for your items. They will most probably still be in the queue when you are done. Then let them queue to pay while you move on to the next booth.
5. The fair is good for new moms who are buying the big ticket items because there are pretty good deals. If you are going to just take a look, go on the last day. I read from Facebook that there isn't much of a crowd. Of course, no more Star Buys by then. The playmat was a good buy for me, else I would possibly...
6. .. check out departmental stores and places like Mothercare and Kiddy Palace. Most of the items and toys are the fair are at a 20% discount. Most departmental stores and Kiddy Palace would also run a fair for up to 20% discount. If you are not buying a lot of things, then the malls might be a better deal - less crowd!

A huge fair like this is a test of patience, coordination and perseverance.