Baby Wipes ...

Cotton
(+) more cost effective to use lukewarm water to rinse - pinkdiamonds @Nov09
(+) big roll of cotton, pull out a bit and soak with water to wipe - cost savings & better for skin - angelwendy @Nov09
(+) preferred - shespice @Nov09
(+) using warm water and cotton - apollo @Nov09

Kodomo
(fern)
* recommened to buy during Watson's sale of $1.95 per pack of 70 pieces, buy 12 get 1 free
* the pieces may be a little on the smaller side, but it is often enough for smaller sized babies
* for the price, it is still more affordable when 2 pieces are used
* the pieces come out 1 at a time, a plus (different experience from diymummy)
(+) recommended - ashbaby @Apr10
(+) recommended - Ting @Nov09
(/) needs 2 hands to separate the wipes as sometimes 2 pieces stick together but quality better than Tollyjoy. Comparable to pigeon, just not as convenient - diymummy @Nov09

Huggies Wipes
(+) Wet, easy to tear and with cute bear design on tissue - temari @Apr10
(+) thick and good, but box cover always open - domique @Nov09
(+) thick and good & fragrance free - candy_ian @Nov09

Diaso
(fern)
* > 1 piece tend to stick
* small pieces, however it is $2 for 100 pieces
(+) recommended - ting @Nov09

Angel Wet Wipes
(-) not very wet - temari @Apr10
(+) cheap and good; thick and wet enough. free delivery to home - stonston @Nov09
(+) recommended - shespice @Nov09

Pigeon
(+) wipes are moist throughout - evenly spread. ! $9.50 for 3 packs * 82 pieces; $19.00 for 6 packs - satellite @Nov09
(+) recommended - chrio @Nov09
(+) recommended - snowbear @Nov09
(+) recommended - Juan @Nov09
(+) convenient - pinkdiamonds @Nov09
(+) Convenient 1-hand system, doesn't dry up fast and baby not allergic to it. diymummy @Nov09
(+) recommended. jxmummy @Nov09
(-) need more pieces each time, than huggies - candy_ian @Nov09

Tollyjoy
(-) not very wet - temari @Apr10
(-) towards the end, difficult to pull out - pinkdiamonds @Nov09
(-) those in blue container, difficult to pull, dry up fast - diymummy @Nov09
(-) whole stack come out together; didn't like smell (pink packagin) - apollo @Nov09

Johnson & Johnson
(fern)
* this is the brand which all maternity hospitals in Singapore is using currently
* the pieces are thick and big
(-) very wet but difficult to tear out and expensive - temari @Apr10
(+) textured and will clean poo easily with 1 swipe per area - kams @Nov09
(+) not very wet and comes out one by one - apollo @Nov09
(+) pink one - thick and good, stock up when 3 packs for $9.90 - jasobias @Nov09
(-) Baby allergic to it though using fragrance free ones - diymummy @Nov09

Pureen
(-) baby have rash - ratna @Apr09

Lucky Baby
(fern)
* 6*90 pieces for S$12
* nothing special about the wipes, but for the price, it is no harm buying
* > 1 piece tend to stick together

Farlin
(-) Expensie and the tissue side will stick to baby's skin - temari @Apr10

Toys

No idea on what toys are recommended for what ages? This online shop helps by categorising the toys...

- Lamkins

More online shopping for kids/babies ...

clothes & bags
- Mummy Angel
- singatots

party balloons
- terroronline
- kidzpartystore

cute stuff
- cute stuff

Confinement food...
If you are considering to cater confinement food...

Natal Essentials (also called Buffet Paradise)
- In microwave plastic containers
- S$1,588 for 28 days, exclude early bird disc of $128
(fern)
* portion big enough for 2 to share
* tend to be delivered early at around 11+am for lunch & 4+pm for dinner. Good for early eaters
(-) Tried for a week, veges don't feel fresh and kidney/fish stinks by instantoats @Dec08
(+) food's fine & portion a lot, soup is good by autumn82 @Feb09
(+) Soup is tasty, sizing large by candy_ian @Aug09
(+) yummy and not too oily, big portions by sugarcookie @Apr09
(-) taste only passable by snowbear @Apr09


New Baby (also called "Confinement Food Catering)
- In microwavable tupperwares, stored in transparent toyogo box
(-) oily by wawa @Jan09
(-) taste like normal economy rice by JazzJewel @Jan09, tried 1 trial meal
(-) soup diluted, food very little by Oppsgal @Mar09
(-) portion too little by mrswendykhoo @Jul09, tried 1 trial meal
(-) oily and fish not fresh by LynetteLoh @Aug09

i-Host
- In tingkats
(+) portion ok, remember to ask for less oil

Chili Padi
- In tingkats
- Tel: Stephanie 9238 3621; Patricia 9237 1718
- $1,568 for 28 days for lunch + dinner; trial @ $28

First Delight Catering
- Tel: 6348 2528

Online Shopping

Littlethinkies (include normal postage)
- Destin Creamy/Original Diaper Rash Ointment 4 oz, $10
- Baby Blanket Faces Sunblock Lotion for Babies SPF 45+, 3oz/ 60ml $12.50
- Baby Blanket Sunblock Lotion for Babies SPF 50+, 6 oz/ 177 ml $16.00
- California Baby Calendula Cream 2oz/ 60g $18 (c 14)
- Earth's Best Toddler Toothpaste 1.6 oz with gum brush $9.8 (6 mths to 3 yr old)
- Orajet Toddler Training Toothpaste 1.5 oz, $8
- Spiffies Baby Toothwipes, 20pc $11
- Vicks BabyRub Soothing Comfort for Babies Ointment 50g, $9.5
- Blue Egg Standard Breastmilk Storage Bages 25pcs, $10

x Sugar Bubbles (free delivery for orders >= $30)
(fern)
* emailed and no response. colleague tried to order but no response as well
- Fruit & Vege Wash 1210ml refill pack, $7.80 (bottle washer)

agapebabies
- Lansionah breaskmilk storage bags, 50 pieces S$19.70

How much milk to drink?

formula to calculate sufficiency of baby's intake of milk when on an all-milk diet...hee...just realise that such information can be found on the milk formula containers :P

Lower limit = weight (kg) x 150ml
Upper limit = weight (kg) x 200ml

Disposable Diapers...
Mamy Poko
* CK (the provision store...NOT tangs!) selling S$15.95 for NB52 i.e. 31 cents each
* NTUC promo (May10) selling S$19.95 for S72 (28 cents) & M66 (30 cents)
* good and comfortable looking. Tape is restickable and won't stick on clothes/baby. Cutting on the bigger end
(+) very good and can hold urine and poo well. chillychino @May10

PetPet
* looks comfy and leg gathers fits well, low price
* Cutting on the small side
(+) Good and cheap, value for $ but the tape is a bit strong and sticky. Chillychino @May10

Pampers
- Good absorbancy, thin and light, soft.
- Downside is that they're expensive. About $0.45 per piece

Nepia
- Has an indicator like Pampers but absorbancy is not as good
- The cut is bigger so if your baby is big, you can try this brand
- It's also sold in NTUC though can be bought from their online site and it was delivered to my doorstep. About $0.25 per piece if order online
(+) Similar to Pamper Stages, absorbs well, cottony soft & has blue indicator lines

Goon

Huggies Ultra
- Really prevents nappy rash
- Expensive
(+) Very good absorbency, thick and soft
(-) Too thick, afraid will be too warm

Huggies Dry Comfort
- Good absorbency
- Wait for promotion to buy. Usually promotion is at Cold Storage and Shop N Save where they sell 2 packs for $31+.
- If you need a bigger cutting, you can also try Huggies Pull-ups. Their cutting is slightly bigger and it's stretchable at the sides

Dryers
(fern)
* the sticky tape tend to stick on baby's legs, unlike MamyPoko which does not
* sticky tapes less re-usable, less convenient in checking if time to change nappies

Drypo
* attractive price of $9.95 for 64 pieces of S
* truly no frills, don't look as comfortable as MamyPoko
* need to adjust the diaper properly, otherwise urine always leaks
* sticky tapes less re-usable, less convenient in checking if time to change nappies

Fitti
(-) sticky tape is difficult to use and material isn't soft

Pureen
* S66 for S$11.99 i.e. each 18.2 cents
(-) so so only, chillychino @May10

EQ Baby
* S40 for S$8.15 i.e. each 20.4 cents

Pram/Stroller

Took me a while to figure out what's the difference between pram and stroller...

Pram is more for newborns and infants before they can sit. Stroller is for babies who can more or less sit up. Typically, what we see in the market are "prams which can be converted to strollers", however these tend to be must heavier and bulkier. Bought the yellow/orange one (-->) .

Think that later on will buy a stroller-only one..so that can get one at 5kg or lighter. The one on the right is 8kg by the way...heavy! But got it 2nd-hand from a super pretty young lady with a 1 year old son@ $100....her waist is only half the size of my pre-pregnant waist!

Buying a Stroller...

Safety:
For small babies , it is important to have a 5-point harness as the baby may slip from any direction.

Material:
Singapore weather can be warm for the baby. Check that the material is comfortable for the baby to sit on.

Washable:
It will be good if the pram can be removed easily, and machine washable. Quick dry material will also be useful, for some of the babies are extremely dependent on their only pram.

Single handed manipulation:
It will be good if you can push the pram with a single hand (and not sway in all different directions). Most of the prams with a single push bar can maneuver single-handedly. With a baby, you wished that you have 4 pairs of hands at times. Especially when the baby wanted you to carry, and you have only 1 hand left to push the pram.

Weight:
For most Singaporean small size mothers, weight may be a concern.

Easy to open and close:
Getting the pram in and out of the storage, or car, may be irritating. Ensure the mechanism for opening and closing the pram is intuitive and easy.

Shade:
Consider the size of the shade to cover the lights from the ceiling (of the malls) and the sun (especially if you like to take your baby out for a stroll in the sunset). Some prams can change the pushbar from front facing to backfacing. This will be useful to avoid the sun that shines straight into your baby's face.

Able to lie down flat:
Small babies sleep for a long time. Allowing the baby to lie down flat in the pram helps to ensure his comfort, for longer sleeps, and hence the parents' comfort too!

Leg rest:
Some babies have longer legs that may dangle uncomfortably in the midair. Choose a pram that has a good leg rest.