Why I have decided to stop going to baby fairs. For now.

Don't get me wrong.
Baby fairs are great.
Especially for the new mom who needs to get all the baby essentials under one roof. I remember I was excited to visit every single baby fair when J was still baby-in-belly because the deals, I have to admit, are pretty attractive (we are  talking about ~ 20% discount and freebies. Only.). And shopping for baby items does make the arrival of the baby feel more real.

With the recent trend of massive baby fairs (with Star Buys at extremely low prices and pre-orders that can go up to 40-50% discount plus crazy crowds), that would mean even more savings. Especially on the $$$$$ items.
BUT only if you survive the fair.
Which, I didn't this time round.
*I saw this article on Facebook on how to survive a baby fair just less than an hour before I left home. I made the boo-boo of bringing my baby and the stroller but the Rise-and-Shine Expo is meant for kids, right? How can I leave my baby at home?

After my last experience with Baby Market in April, I thought I was smart to hit the SuperMom Bazaar (cum Rise-and-Shine Expo) on the last day, with a list of booths I want to visit.
Not quite.

• The crowd is still a little too much for me to handle. The stroller was a bad idea.
• We were late, so it seems like the milk powder has sold out. I guess most good deals would have too.
• The booths I wanted to visit didn't have the products I wanted to buy.
• Just minutes before leaving the house to get a hipseat carrier, I found out that my current baby carrier has pretty good reviews so I decided to hold it off.
• But I wanted to give the hipseat carrier a try anyway since we were there. It was crowded. And my stroller gets in the way if I wait. So I didn't.
• It is stressful. I am constantly looking out for people in case their shopping bags hit J accidentally. Or they walk straight into us without noticing. And I'm not even being paranoid, because it happened.

Then it dawned on me.

So, bye baby fairs for now!

*"For now" because the 'Rise-and-Shine Expo' looks really great for kids and I'd love to take J there if I can when she is old enough to try out the classes, or appreciate the stage performances. I believe it will be more manageable by then. Hopefully.

** I shop here now.

Amazon 

Since most products at the fairs are on 20% discount anyway, why not get from Amazon? 
Yes it takes longer, but if it's of no urgency, why not? You get to shop in pjs and the items arrive within three weeks, at your doorstep (unless you miss the delivery like I did.)

Ah. Yes. Addicted to the Amazon's GlobalSaver program because shipping is free.

Supermarkets

From time to time, Fairprice and Cold Storage hold their own 'baby bazaar'. 
The cheapest diapers I've got are from Cold Storage (just a promotion in-store, not even a baby 'fair') and the cheapest milk powder? Cold storage's baby bazaar. There's even free delivery with $200 spent. All these deals are as good, if not better, than the ones I've seen in the fairs so far. AND... no crowd.

*** Typo in picture. "Pre-orders don't work for me."

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.

Motherhood Exhibition 2014

Dropped by the Motherhood Exhibition 2014 today (Singapore Expo Hall 6) since I was going to take J for a dip.

Or was it actually the other way round?

I was expecting a huge crowd because wow.. Hordes of people walking from the bus stop to the halls! 

Turned out most of them headed to the food fair.

So that leaves Hall 6 nice and quiet, and spaciouson a Friday afternoon.

Remember my first baby fair experience of impulse purchase?

History shall not (and did not) repeat itself.

I went with a shopping list.

I am very focused when it comes to fairs now.

Freebies

Ha! Remember my 'freebie' brain? It seems that that brain of mine has grown quite a bit. 

A sweet staff at the Motherhood Magazine booth asked if I would like to sign up for the digital magazine (free for three months) and receive 2 sample packets of Merries diapers or a Motherhood magazine. I did since I only had to register my name and email address. Took the diapers of course. My pregnant brain subscribed me three years worth of magazines the last time.

There were a couple other companies (mostly cleaning companies) offering freebies like lunchboxes and games if you don't mind a product demo at your place. I'm not a fan of having people I don't know entering my house so I took none of those. (Yet another lesson learnt from other baby fairs.)

Diapers

I was looking for Huggies Ultra Pants at the fair because I seem to have difficulty getting J's size in the supermarkets. This current promotion is by Fairprice. The ultra pants (M) are at $0.36 per piece. Would have been a more attractive deal if they had free delivery with $x purchased or maybe, a free toy (like the Little Tikes Cupcake Kitchen last year.)

I overheard two other ladies saying that Redmart has the same promotion and they offer free delivery (with purchases of $49 for first timers and purchases of $75 subsequently). So we searched for the booth and I signed up for an account.

I didn't make any purchases then because I wanted to check out Cold Storage. (They had a pretty good deal during the Baby Market - left over Smartrikes from the previous promotions but I don't have luck with free toys as you can see.)

And...

Cold Storage Changi City Point does have a better deal at $0.34 per piece. A pity they didn't have any stocks for M- girls.

(What has motherhood done to me? I'm now comparing diaper prices by 'per piece'.)

Sippy cups

The Avent sippy cups are at 20-25% discount, which is pretty much the discounts going on at Kiddy Palace and Mothercare. (Probably Isetan too due to GSS)

Didn't get any sippy cups then since I have a bit of Capitaland Mall vouchers to spend by August.

Milk Powder

Now, this is a good deal.

Which is why I lugged 4 + 2 tins of milk powder up a crowded bus.

$109 for this bundle.

And a $18 voucher for $200 spent (redeemable on the spot).

Some quick math:

109 + 109 = 218

218 - 18 = 200

200 bucks for four 900g tins and two 400g tins is a very, very good deal, in my opinion.

BONUS

We managed to catch a talk on baby massage. Can't wait to try it on J since I pretty much ran out of activities to do with her.

And we bumped into a dear friend! 

Good move to visit on a Friday afternoon after all!


 

{Baby's Day Out} Takashimaya Baby Fair 2014 , ION (Part 1)

It's the Taka(shimya) Baby Fair again! :)

Baby fairs excite me. We have been more prudent in our spending ever since we became a one-income family so I see baby fairs as a legitimate reason to shop. Just saying.   ;)

I made a list of things to buy so that my goldfish memory won't fail me and I won't end up buying anything I do not need.

How disciplined, right?

Wet wipes
There were no Johnson and Johnson products at the fair. At least I didn't see any.


Pigeon hand and mouth wipes, $5.50 for 4 packs of 20s, and $6.60 for 2 packs of 60s


Teething Toy
I decided to wait for the husband to make the purchase. I'm not good with all the BPA-free stuff and all.

Stroller/ Diaper bag: OkieDog, $62.93

So, I mentioned earlier on that "Hey! I need no diaper bag!"
Then we went on a rather long shopping trip over the weekend and our shoulders couldn't take the weight of the existing 'diaper' bag. I tried hanging the Longchamp on the stroller but it blocks the way and retrieving stuff from the bag became a challenge.

We decided that we need to get a bag that fit the stroller.
Any bag.

I was eyeing Skip Hop's Dash because it's so cute. But the price tag is not too friendly to our wallets.
This OkieDog one is on sale and at $62.93, we thought it is a rather reasonable price to pay.

I didn't really pay attention to the inside of the bag because all I wanted was one that could attach to the stroller and allow me to retrieve things easily. So, I am pleasantly surprised when I saw that it has a bottle warmer and a wet bag included. (Yes. I realised it only after I paid.)

It also comes with a diaper changing mat. Love that it's tucked nicely at the back of the bag and is easy to retrieve. We used it shortly after and the mat is quite padded so I'd think it should be rather comfortable.

The inside of the bag. I require more compartments than the existing ones so I put my diaper bag organiser in it as well.

The front compartment of the bag is just nice for Momma-stuff like the wallet, and iPhone.

It hangs on the stroller! I can almost hear our shoulders rejoicing.

I've just used it for a couple of hours but I think that this is the best purchase of the day.

Diapers
I learnt from the husband that we should compare the price of the diapers (per piece) to know if it's a good deal.

Huggies (M size) are going at about $0.295 per piece.
Should have gotten it at the BabyCare Festival when it was going at $0.23.
I wanted to wait till the Taka fair to try my luck. I'm a sucker for freebies so I wanted to see if they give away free toys this time round. They do, but Lil' J already has the same toy so I didn't see a point in trying to spend $150 for the free toy.
(Dang.. Why no Cupcake Kitchen?)

I ended up not stocking up on the diapers.


Teething Pad, Ergo Organic Teething pad, $19.90

I never knew teething pads are this soft.


Rain cover for stroller, Peg-Pérego Rain Cover, $59.90
Splurge item.
Why did I buy a piece of plastic for close to 60 bucks?
I think I just wanted to play it safe.

And....

THE IMPULSE PURCHASE OF THE DAY

Tiny Love Rattle , $10

  

I really didn't want to get any toy for Lil' J, but she saw this and got really excited.

And the level of excitement was hilarious.

With eyes looking intently at it, her arms were just flailing everywhere in attempt to get hold of the toy.

There is also a red version of the rattle but she didn't want it.

We tried giving her other toys but she didn't display the same level of interest.

I got so excited about her being excited about toys, I went ahead and got her one.

I paid for the toy while my mum fed her milk. And once Lil' J was done feeding, I gave her the toy.

She wasn't interested in it anymore.

That's when we realised....

She might have mistaken this for her milk bottle!

Oh gosh!

I tried giving the toy again back at home.

She only tried to grab it when she was hungry.

(|||-_-)

*I wanted to write about ION but this post is already so long so I'm just going to separate it into two posts.

Baby Expo 2014

@Suntec Convention Centre 

I don't know if the scale of the Baby Expo is this small every year. It actually seems more like a flea market than a baby fair. 

I had wanted to get diapers and some sleep suits for Lil' J since she has outgrown most of hers.

They have pretty good deal for Carter's, with sleep suits going for $8 each, and 3 for $20. 

And that's about it. 

There was really nothing much at the fair.

I also learnt that diaper deals are not available at every baby fair. 

We finished the entire fair in less than 15 minutes because there was really nothing much. The (lack of) crowd on a Saturday afternoon says pretty much about the fair.

In my opinion, this fair is not exactly worth going unless you happen to be the area. Thank goodness this was in Suntec Convention Centre so we could do a little window shopping. Had it be in Singapore Expo as planned, it would be even more disappointing.

I remembered my friend's advice to me about baby fairs. "Go only to baby fairs organised by the radio stations or magazines. The others are not worth going."

I get it now.

Looking forward to the BabyCare Festival coming weekend. 

Preparing for Baby - Takashimaya Baby Fair 2013 (Jul)

THE Taka(shimaya) Baby Fair.

I've heard colleagues talking about it way before I got married.
And once I found out I was expecting, most advice from friends were
"Buy the big-ticket items at the Taka Baby fair. They've got pretty good deals. And freebies."
It's like the go-to fair.

The Takashimaya Baby Fair* (Jul) is currently ongoing (24 Jul - 11 Aug).
Being people who can't deal with crowds (I will feel sick, literally), we decided to hit the fair on the very first day, at 10am when it starts.

There was practically no crowd at 10 in the morning so it was a lot easier for us me to do our my shopping for baby essentials. I learnt my lesson from the Motherhood Exhibition and reminded myself that I will not fall for the freebies trap again. I prepared a list to things to buy and tried to stay focus. It's so much easier to do that without a crowd.
There were 4 "must-buys" on my list : cot bed, car seat, breast pumps, steriliser.
The big-ticket items.
I managed to see how the breast pumps work and find out more about the cot we were interested in getting while the hubby went on to search for car seats. This is the first time in 13 years we walked separately while shopping.

We came home with these.

 

 The cute daddy-to-be lugged 4 bags and still smiled so happily.

So we bought...

Baby cot bed: Bon bebe Vermont 4-in-1 (White), $419

There were 3 packages available. We took the cheapest one which included
- a 3" fibrelux (coconut husk) mattress
- 5 piece bedding set (full bumper, fitted sheet, 2 bolsters, 1 pillow)
and freebies like the
- Munchkin diaper change organiser
- Munchkin diaper change kit

The $469 package comes with a plushier bedding set (half bumper) and the above-mentioned freebies.
The $519 package comes with a 12 pc bedding set with removable covers, the above freebies and an additional freebie of a nightlight.
Packages for the cots in natural colour all cost $20 less.

We went ahead with the most basic bedding because I thought I might want to splurge a little on another set of bedding for Baby. Can't possibly have only one! :)

They had some purchase-with-purchase options. The baby mobile at $39 (usual $59) was really attractive. It took quite a bit of self-control to stop myself from buying that on impulse.
I haven't quite figured out the purpose of a baby mobile yet. After all, we grew up without one!


Breast pump: Ameda Lactaline Personal, $420

I managed to get the demo on the breast pumps at both the Philips Avent booth and the Ameda booth. I was still pretty sold on the Philips Avent Double Electric Pump ($550 bundle) because of the 'oh-so-soft' petal cushion. I decided on the Ameda because it is cheaper, and so much quieter.

 

This bundle comes with milk storage bags, breast pads and a cooler bag.
The $399 bundle comes with a manual attachment (for manual pumping) and 3 Gumdrop milk bottles (which I don't really fancy).
I later remembered that Isetan had an almost similar bundle to the one I bought for $399.


Steriliser: Philips Avent 3-in-1 steriliser bundle, $135

 

This comes with:
- the 3-in-1 steriliser
- one 4-oz Natural bottle
- one 9-oz Natural bottle
- bottle brush

They have another bundle that come with the Single electric pump going for $388. Really attractive bundle but I have been advised by many to get a double electric breast pump.
Again, I recall a seemingly better deal at Isetan's baby fair. I think that bundle ($199) consists of the above items, bottle warmer and a cute Moo Moo Kow diaper (in cow print!!).
But, then again, let's not splurge on items we do not really need. Especially when a friend offered to lend me her bottle warmer. (Bye, cute cow print...)


Laundry Detergent: Pigeon, $6.90
Wash cloth: Alex, $4.90

 That was the only laundry detergent we spotted and we were not picky about the wash cloths.


The other little things...
We were short of a couple of dollars to hit $600 for the freebie so we bought these as well, since we will need them anyway.

Nail clipper: Safety First, $6.32
Brush and comb: The First Years, $5.52
Nappy Changing mat (not in picture): Pigeon printed nappy changing mat, $18.50

and the impulse buy of the day: Pink cap and bootie set, $4.90

 

And we got more freebies!

With purchase of $350,
the Little Tikes 'Tap-a-Tune Xylophone' (pillows not included)

 

We didn't quite know how the fair works. The breast pump was our first purchase so we naturally went to pay for it first (so that we can collect out product). We later had that receipt that allowed us to collect this freebie.
I love xylophones so this was really one of the best thing we brought home yesterday.

And because we so happened to be the first 50 customers to spend $50, we received this goodie bag too!

The pink socks are a sweet surprise and the toilet bowl lock, who knew there's such a product?

With purchases of $600 (max 3 same-day receipt), this is the freebie

Our later purchases totalled up to $600.somecents and we got this adorable giraffe too.

Also with $30 spent, we could redeem a Mustela travel set  at the cashier on the 4th level (Baby section).
We had two separate receipts so, were given two sets.

Good for Baby to try out various products so that I know what suits her skin / what she likes.

I like getting freebies like this. It's like shopping for comestics and facial products in Korea. :)

And for the first time, we took part in lucky draws.
Both of us had never had luck in lucky draws so we hope Baby can bring us some luck. :)

 

This is the crowd at around 1 pm.
It's still not exactly crowded but I know I wont be able to handle this.
I'm glad we were done by 12.30pm.

We went home $1000+ less rich, arms full of bags, and legs that were about to give way.
But quoting the hubby,
"As long as Baby is happy, everything is worth it." :)





*Motherhood has opened my eyes to many fairs and sales.

I learnt that there are two Takashimaya Baby Fairs each year. One in March, the other in July. Because I had nothing better to do, I noticed that the Baby Fair in July usually starts on a Wednesday. At least it has been so for the past few years. I took special notice because fairs and sales at the Singapore Expo usually start on a Thursday.

Other than the go-to Taka Baby Fair, a dear friend also recommended that I should go to baby fairs organised by magazines and/or TV stations "because they are more worth going than other smaller fairs." There's the Motherhood Exhibition (usually in May) and the Parenthood Fair (usually in November).

** Car seat update: We figured it's probably not worth getting a brand new infant car seat (that probably lasts less than a year) especially if we don't go out so often. We contemplated getting a second-hand one but a dear friend offered to lend us hers.

Motherhood Exhibition 2013

Otherwise known as "The Day I Should Have Brought My Brains Out" or "The Day of Many Lessons Learnt".
(Long post ahead!)


Just a little bit about me and fairs.
I don't function well in fairs mainly because I get overwhelmed by the booths, the crowd and I usually end up with nothing but a headache after.

But this is the 'Motherhood Exhibition'.
It's my first 'mommy-baby' fair. And a pretty large-scale one.
I'll have to be there to experience what it is like.
Are the discounts great? Are the deals attractive?


THE DAY

The sweet sis had a day off so we had a good mummy-daughter bonding day with my mum.
It has been a long while since the three of us hung out together.
I'm deeply appreciative of these two wonderful ladies in my life.
I love them so, so much. ♥


In order not to spend too much time at the fair, I did research and shortlisted the booths I wanted to visit and the talks I wanted to attend. Remember that I don't function well at fairs?

This was my brain before I entered the fair.

And on my to do list:
1. Subscribe to Motherhood magazine. (Just one year at $50 will do)
2. Check out Cordlife. Get brochures and info.
3. Get the Theraline Pillow from Spring Maternity.
    (If there's a special promotion to get the Mom's card, get it!)
4. Listen to the talk on 'Caring for Newborn'. Hope and pray they'll talk about bathing newborns.
5. Go home!

Short and sweet.
We should be out of the fair by 3pm.


Alas, there is some kind of magic in such fairs. Mix that in with the "Oh! I'm a mommy!" brain, and you get this:

THE TALK:
The talk was pretty informative for me.
I'm glad I actually remember how to bathe a baby from watching my grandma and mummy bathe lil' bro 18 years ago. :)
There were a couple extra tips to take note of, which I diligently typed into my phone.
(I'd have taken photos or a video if my phone stopped acting like it was going to die on me. Then the hubby reminded me that I could have used my sister's phone.
Right... he could do with the video. *slams head on table*)

The lady brought up a good point about checking the mittens before putting it on the baby.
She mentioned a horror story about how a baby almost lost his finger because the loose thread got wound around his tiny finger, stopping the blood flow.
Should have seen our faces after she said that.

Lesson 1: Always update the phone's software and ensure that phone is in proper working condition.



THE SHOPPING:

Motherhood Magazine
I got a three year subscription instead. And ended up with something I probably have no use for.
After I did the Math, I wanted to shoot myself for being a Math major and yet, making all the mistakes I shouldn't make.

Lesson 2: Never ever let the "Sale and Freebies" part of the Brain take over the rational portion of it.




Spring Maternity

Source: Google Images

The Theraline pillow (it looks like a boomerang... teehee) is going at $116.10 from Spring Maternity.

It's the same price if you get at the store. The deal?
Mommies need to spend only $150 at the fair (instead of $200, though website states $400) to get the Mom's Card . Not bad at all!

I got an extra cover for the Theraline, and a couple more products just to make up to $150.
When preggie and unemployed (even though by choice), think like an 'auntie'.




Baby Kingdom
I wasn't planning to get any big-ticket items partly because Baby is playing along with the gender-guessing game and we also thought it might be a little too early to decide on the cots and strollers now.

But sweet sis being sweet sis, and the awesomest aunt in the entire world, gave Lil' One his/her first gift.

Source: Google Images

The Combi Rashule (dx) Parenting Station. ($359 before discount)
I love the mint green.
The sister is really an indulging aunt because she almost ended buying the Combi Roanju for the Lil' One.
Have I mentioned before how sweet sis is like a Santa Claus? (The gifting)

Almost all my friends have one of these for their babies and they swear by how wonderful it is. This must be the best purchase of the entire day.

There was a 10% discount, free delivery, a PVC cover to protect the cushion while the lil' one dines, and a 'mystery' gift. Pretty good deal!




SOME RANDOM THOUGHTS/OBSERVATIONS:

1. People do buy diapers in bulk.
    Bags and bags of Pampers.
    Cartons of Merries.
    Huggies seems to be giving away Little Tike's Cupcake Kitchen.
    Everyone holding on to the Cupcake Kitchen was holding on to two boxes of Huggies.

2. It was really quite an eye- opener.

3. There are so many booths which I've missed. All looked like they have pretty good deals.
    I was quite sold on one of the playmats because of its pretty drawings.
    And I am quite tempted to get the cots, strollers and breast pumps at the end of the day.
    The discounts look pretty attractive.
    Should we return during the weekends?


***

We left the fair for the John Little Fair at Hall 3.
Two fairs.
Four hours.
All our hands full.
I was dehydrated.
Despite the silly irrational moments of buying things I absolutely don't need, it was a good day.
It was a day well-spent with my loves.

For that, I shall be grateful.