Children Audio/ Sound Book and Shipping from Taobao

It seem that audio/ sound books is very limited in Singapore. I've searched a few bookstores but the selections are really limited.

I managed to order these 3 titles from Taobao, which I also saw at Babyland Fair selling about $25 after 15% discount:

1)ABC 欢唱绘本, RMB72.25

2) 儿歌欢唱绘本, RMB72.25

3)童谣欢唱绘本, RMB72.25

As Taobao now offers direct shipping, I googled online for reviews. I have always use 4PX, some folks at hardwarezone forum mentioned that the cheapest shipping is from 65Daigou. I googled and true enough, the shipping charges is so much cheaper. This time round, I paid $19.50 for shipping by sea for my taobao loots of about 6.5kg, estimated 8-14days as the audio books are classified custom sensitive and cannot be shipped by air.

Here's a table comparison:

	First 1kg	Subsequent 500g	Total charges for 6.5kg
Taobao direct	RMB39 SGD$8.76	RMB11 SGD$2.47	$          35.93
4PX	RMB43 SGD$9.66	RMB12 SGD$2.70	$            39.36
65Daigou	SGD$3	SGD$1.50	$            19.50

using exchange rate of SGD$1 equiv to RMB4.55

Hope you find this post useful.

Love,
Sherlyn

p.s. I've ordered 2 more sound books from Taobao which I would highly recommend.

1) 圣诞儿歌谣音乐书

2) ABC欢唱歌谣

Review: Proby Eco Playmat

As my girl has started to flip and is starting to learn to crawl, I was googling for recommendations of Korean playmat in Singapore.

1) LG
2) Parklon
3) Dwinguler
4) Proby

I've gotten 2 LG playmats for my nephew previously and they are really expensive. It has been 4-5 years and the mats are still in good condition. Parklon and Dwinguler is only slightly cheaper than LG.

I have decided to give Proby a try as it's so much cheaper. I placed order with this Qoo10 seller based on the many good reviews. Seller is very responsive over SMS, has ready stock and is able to deliver the next day which is a public holiday. :) I got Funnimal in Size S (150x200x1.7cm), which cost $69.80+ $7.80 shipping. I didn't get in Size M as I think it might be too big. I would be happy if my girl will use the playmat till 1-2 years old else never fully maximise the value. Hahaha... I didn't get the 2.2cm thick either as reviews state that it is difficult to roll up.

Item came wrapped in clear plastic bag and it was in good condition. It's very lightweight compared to LG (though mat is thinner) but I think it's good enough. The colours are very vibrant and my girl love it. Would highly recommend this playmat to all parents.

Thanks for reading my blog!
 
Love,
Sherlyn 
 

Common Baby Sickness

Have not been updating the blog, was busy with house renovation and moving. :)

I shall share some of the baby symptoms/ illnesses, of which, I manage to clarify some with Pediatrician. Hope you find this post useful. :)

1) Baby has flaking/ peeling skin
It is perfectly normal as they are shedding their old layer of skin. My baby has flaking skin about 2 weeks after she was born. We switched her bathing to Sebamed bubble bath and applied Kodomo lotion after each bath.

2) Baby has rashes/ pimple outbreak
My baby has sudden rashes outbreak 1 week before her baby shower :(. However, it cleared up on its own. As my baby is on mixed feeding, not sure if it because I stopped taking red date tea which is supposed to be heaty after my confinement.

3) Baby has cradle crap
This is normal. You can apply baby oil 1hour before bath so as to soften the scalp so that it is easier to remove using wash cloth during bath time.

4) Baby hiccuping after feed
This is normal unless baby vomit.

5) Baby having spastic movement
This is normal and it's called Moro reflex.

6) Baby's poo is greenish
It will be a concern if poo is red, black or white.

I find this website very useful as it has a visual guide.

7) Baby has cough and flu.
I sent my baby to KKH Children Emergency on one Sunday morning as her breathing is noisy and congested, she vomited her milk and her milk intake reduced drastically. Most of the PDs were not opened on Sundays.

Baby below 6months can't take medicine as their organs are not fully developed. :( The doctor prescribed nasal saline drop (sterile eye drop) and Oxymetazoline HCI 0.01% Nose Drop. We also got the nasal aspirator to help draw out her mucus.

In case you are not sure if you should see doctor, you can call KKH Ask A Nurse. The nurse is really knowledgeable.

8) Bald spot at back of baby head
Noticed there's a bald patch at the back of baby's head. I read that this is due to baby's sleeping position or rubbing against the mattress. It is recommended to alternate baby's sleeping position and tummy time when they are awake. 

9) Excessive drooling
I read infants do not often develop full control of swallowing and the muscles of the mouth until they are between 18 and 24 months old. It often occurs when baby is teething.

Love,
Sherlyn

Baby Name Selection

It is important to have a good name selection for baby as it help to balance the 5 elements in the bazi. I find this website quite useful as it calculate the score of the name.

I have engaged Natural Geomancy Consultancy for my baby Chinese name selection. The charges is $128.

Here are the contact details:
Tel: 62999119
7500A Beach Road 
#16-303 The Plaza
Singapore 199591

You make the bank transfer and forward the personal data ie DOB, time of birth, place of birth and surname to natgeocy@singnet.com.sg. 

They will send you the name details for your selection.

They will schedule you to meet the Master Chiang (waiting time is about 2weeks), the appointment will take approximately 1/2 hour.

It is best that you bring along your own pen and paper to jot down notes as Master Chiang will rattle off. It is also advised that you prepare list of questions to ask Master Chiang eg things to take note of, luck period, education, health, suitable career choices, wealth luck etc.

Hospitalisation Plan for Baby

I came across an article by bumblebeemum on hospitalization cost. As a new mum, I have heard from my colleagues children fall sick easily and it is important to get a hospitalization plan or get your children covered under the company medical plan. Else, the medical bills will take you back financially.

As I shared in my previous post, you can redeem Great Eastern SG50 Gift Pack. The gift pack includes a insurance voucher gift (worth S$108 in value) which can be used to purchase a SupremeHealth A Plus Plan ("Insurance Voucher") for all newborns. You can view more info about the Health plan here. Unfortunately, you can't purchase the plan online, you will need to meet up with the Insurance agent and you can only buy 15days after the baby is born.

We are also planning to get a Savings/ Endowment Plan for baby University fees. The hubby advises to get a plan where premium is to be paid for 20 years and the plan to be under parent's name. Else, when the plan matures, we fear baby might not be able to handle such a big sum of money given her young age. Instead of using it for her education fees, she buys a car/ go travelling. I will share more on the plan once we have done our comparison among the various insurance companies.

A few of our friends recommend that for baby vaccinations, growth monitoring and development progress, we can do it at polyclinics. If you have an appointment and you are punctual, the waiting time is quite fast. Some of the vaccines are FOC or you can use Child Development Account (CDA) account to pay for enhanced vaccinations. More info is avail here.

Love,
Sherlyn

Feeling thankful and things they did not tell you about pregnancy

As I looked back at my pregnancy, I feel very blessed and thankful. I felt uncertain and a little fearful when I learnt about my pregnancy cos I wasn't sure if I was ready for parenthood. I wasn't sure if I'm ready to give up my lifestyle eg frequent traveling, new food hunt hopping and movies. However, the thought of a little life growing inside me, I knew I am going to be a better person so as to set good example to my child. 

I am really thankful for:

• not have any morning sickness or nauseousness throughout my pregnancy. 
• a very supportive hubby who would fetch me whenever he can, massage my legs frequently even when he's deep asleep whenever I scream out loud due to the sudden leg cramps, attend pre-natal classes with me and try to be home early to spend more time with me. 
• my mum who cook delicious and nutritious meal for us every Sunday when we visited her. Even though she's still working at 69years old and earning a menial salary, she splurge on bird nest for us and ensure Hubby and I drink a bottle each week.
• my in-laws for making sure I am well fed at home.
• my SIL, friends and colleagues for handing us lots of baby stuff ie clothes, play pen, baby cot, car seat, bumper etc so we can save a lot of money.
• my helpers as they make sure I get a personal bowl of hot soup when I am having dinner.
• my boss for being very supportive and understanding.
• my colleagues for being kind and always ask about my condition and look out for me.
• kind strangers who gave up their seats to me, offer help eg carry my shopping bags, ask me to be careful about wet floor etc.
• my gynae Dr TM Chua and the nurses at Jurong Women Clinic for taking care of my well-being for the last 8months.
• all the companies for the generous free samples for baby and mummy. 
• the recent house purchase. I strongly believe that our prayers to Guan Yin Ma were answered as we did find a house that we like the best after 1 year of viewings and the purchase transaction was quite smooth even though the price was above our budget. My BIL mentioned before if the house is meant to be yours, the purchase process will be smooth and we won't meet so many hurdles. I hope my baby will grow up in a nice and good environment. My nephew and niece can always come often to enjoy the condo facilities. All the kiddos will remain close when they grow up.
• my baby for being healthy and strong cos every little kick inside me makes me feel very happy.

Here are some things which they did not tell you about pregnancy which I learnt along the way:
1) I find I have lesser pubic hair :)

2) Skin darkening from the brown line around the navel, armpit and nipples. After my week 35, I develop big red patches on my thighs, back of buttocks.

3) frequent gum bleeding

4) thick dried nose mucus which contain blood traces sometimes.

5) thick vaginal discharge

6) I develop red itchy bumps around my tummy and chest area when I was at week 39, it itch like crazy and affect my sleep. I read that it's called PUPPP ie Pruritic Urticarial Papules and Plaques of Pregnancy. Doctor prescribe me betnovate cream 0.025% to help ease the itch. I find that having cold instead of warm showers help ease the itch.

The rashes disappear after the 2nd day of delivery.

7) I thought I was the few fortunate people that does not have water retention. Around week 35, my left feet started to swell more than my right and then I realised I could no longer wear my wedding band easily on my ring finger. The leg swelling seem to go away in the morning.

Very upset that I still can't wear my wedding band 4th day after delivery. Think I have water retention coz my fingers hurt even while I try bending it. Hope I can wear it very soon.

8) tailbone ache, frequent leg cramps and I can't breathe if I'm sleeping upright. I went for my first pre-natal massage at Jamu Wellness Jurong Point but was disappointed they did not massage the ankle or pressure points at the soles. I learnt that we cannot do foot reflexology during pregnancy as it might induce contraction.

9) you seem to be more clumsy with your bump ie lose your center of gravity while putting on panty, drop things more easily and you don't really feel like picking up during your 3rd trimester.

10) Temperature seem to be very hot. I can perspire in an air-con room. I set the aircon to 24deg, on the fan but I still feel very warm. My hubby was freezing away and he keep fidgeting with the aircon controller every night, he will be ticked off by me coz I will complain I can't breathe and there is no air circulation.

11) I have intense craving for iced milk tea, cakes and chocolates. I hope my weight gain is due to my baby and not these junk food.

12) Weight gain seem to stabilise during the last few weeks of pregnancy. When I did my final ultrascan, my baby is approximately 2.9-3 kg.

Baby was 2.96kg when she was born. :)

My Virgin Brazilian Waxing Experience @ Strip

pic credit: http://www.strip.com.sg/
 
I was in my 39weeks and I heard that most mums will go for brazilian waxing in preparation for labour. I don't know my vagina will be seen by how many people and I will be dead embarrassed if down there is untidy and bushy. If you are have C-section, I heard that the nurses/ doctors will shave the pubic hair for you when you are delivering your baby. It can be embarrassing as they could be males but when you are already at that stage, it might not even bother you anymore. As your tummy is getting too big, it is almost impossible for you to upkeep yourself.

I googled online if it is ok for late pregnancy to have brazilian wax as the skin might be more sensitive than usual. Anyway, my tolerance for pain is quite high, I went ahead to book an appointment with Strip @ Cathy outlet. My therapist was Elle.

During registration, I was asked to sign 2 forms, one of the form was to declare existing medical conditions, the other was Consent to use of personal data. I was passed a hygiene pack that I am to pass to my therapist. Elle opened the hygiene pack and passed me the wipe to clean myself with. After which, there was a towel for me to cover my lower body. Elle was quite professional and the whole process was quick and not embarrassing at all. I saw there were 2 type of wax- chocolate and strawberry pink colour. Saw that Elle was using pink wax most of the time. Elle applied the warm wax on the skin and then I felt the stripping effect which was swift and fast. When Elle was doing certain areas, she will ask me to take a deep breath as it was supposed to be painful spots.

The whole treatment process took about 10 mins. Elle told me each waxing can last up till 5weeks. Elle is quite thorough, she informed me that there could be some stubborn hair that can't be removed and I think she removed some using tweezer. On a scale of 1-10 (1 being not pain and 10 most painful), I would rate the pain factor as 3-4.

You can view Strip service package here and they are offering 35% discount if you are a first time customer with them. Strip also has package, if you sign up on that day, the treatment will be waived off.

I was told not to take hot showers and to exfoliate area from day 4 onwards. Today is already my 5th day after my waxing, so far so good, no bumps, inflammation or redness.
I will consider signing up with them on my next visit. I was informed that if I'm having natural delivery, I can only start waxing after 3months and 6 months for c-section.

Love,
Sherlyn

Free Parenting Seminar/ Websites in Singapore

Hi everyone
If you are a first time mummy like me, you might want to attend some parenting Seminar/ talks to better prepare yourself for the arrival of your baby. Most of the parenting talks are sponsored by the private cord banking ie Cordlife/ Stemcord, Thomson Medical/ Mt Alvernia, Abbott etc. It's FOC if you have a gynae card/ first few sign-ups or you will need to pay a minimal fees. You will also receive a goodie bag which usually contains some samples when you sign up. 

Here are some websites which I find really useful:
1) SuperMom Bazaar
https://www.facebook.com/SuperMomBazaar

2) The Asian Parent
https://www.facebook.com/asiaparent?fref=ts

3) Rise and Shine - for happier and healthier kids facebook

4) The New Age Parents
https://www.facebook.com/newageparents?fref=ts

5) Baby World facebook
https://www.facebook.com/babyworldfair?fref=ts

6) Maybe Baby Singapore
https://www.facebook.com/MaybeBabySG?fref=ts

7) Pregnant.sg
https://www.facebook.com/Pregnantsg?fref=ts

8) Abbott Strong Mums Singapore

9) Sassy Mama
https://www.sassymamasg.com/

10) Young Parents
http://www.youngparents.com.sg/

Happy reading! 

Love,
Sherlyn

Confinement Myths: To follow or not.

Hi everyone,
I read that confinement month is the fourth trimester and you will need to recharge yourself, else you may experience a lot of problems later in life. I read with interest some confinement myths:

1) You cannot drink plain water as it causes water retention or will cool down the body too much. If you really have to drink water, you must sip slowly while sitting down.

My take: I will drink warm water. I will also drink brewed longan and red date tea.

2) Cannot bath and wash hair for 1 month as contact with water will cause "wind" and rheumatism later in life.

My take: I am one that needs to shower twice a day and wash my hair daily as I have oily scalp. I have read in forum some mothers are using dry shampoo during their confinement period.

I will bath in warm water and use those Confinement Herbal Bath and dry my hair with hairdryer. I also read hairdryer is not recommended as you will introduce wind directly to your head.

3) Cannot be under aircon/ fan as this will cause wind to enter.

My take: I think it is perfectly fine to be inside a cool room but I will not have the fan blowing directly at me. I don't think my baby will like me to be sweaty and smelly while carrying/ breastfeeding her.

4) Consume alcohol and all the nourishing stuff

My take: I have read that if you are breastfeeding, alcohol may affect your breast milk which in turn will be passed to your baby. I have friends who take very nourishing stuff during their confinement until they and their baby break out in pimples. Hence, I would consume in moderation.

5) Others
Can only consume old ginger and not young ginger.

Can only consume hen but not rooster.

Here are some of the basic confinement herbs you will need to get:
- Daifonai herbal bath. Hock Hua is selling @$2.20 per pack, Qoo10 ($45.80 for 30packs) or Mummamia ($9.42 for 4packs). 

Mummamia's pack seem to be more hassle free as you will only need to soak pack in 1L of water for 3 minutes or hottest temperature of water heater for 10-15 mins. After which add in warm water. 

The traditional Daifonai requires you to boil the sachet with 18L of water for 10-15 mins. I bought 7 boxes from Mummamia given the amount of time saved.

My confinement nanny boil 2 packs of Mummamia herbal bath as I wash my hair daily. I then top up the herbal water with cold water heater water. The herbal bath smells great and it makes the skin and hair very soft and shiny.

- Red dates (seedless is more expensive)
- Black dates
- Unsweetened dry longans
- Wolfberries
- Black fungus
- Dan gui 
- Bei qi
- Yok chuk  

- Dang shen   
- So Hup Pills, $19.90 from Eu Yan Sang 
- Bak Foong Pill, $49.90 from Eu Yan Sang. Eat after when menstrual is cleared.

I got my herbs at Bugis next to OG Albert Complex. Here's a recipe for red date tea from pregnant.sg. Hope you find this article useful. 



Love,
Sherlyn

Best Chocolate Fudge Cake in Singapore

Yesterday was Hubby's birthday and he loves chocolate cake. For the past few years, we have been getting from:

Four Leaves Coco Exotic $41 for 21cm/ Chocolate Classico $38 for 21cm/ Blackforest $38 for 21cm

Rive Gauche Guanaja $48 for 14 by 19cm

Bakerzin Chocolate Amer $55 for size 6 18 by 18cm

Awfully Chocolate All Chocolate $68 for size 8

Hence, I thought this year I will get something different. I was comparing between Lana's and Vicky's cake. In the end, I got from Vicky's, it's $45 for 1kg. 


When I collected the cake, I was kinda disappointed that the cake is very old-school. The wordings were made of butter cream and they were packed in plain cupboard box with their company logo sticker. They didn't even have gel ice pack and I was worried the cake will melt as I will still be outside for the next 1hour plus. Luckily the weather was quite cool yesterday.

The family members asked where the cake was from as this was unfamiliar to them. Everyone was pleasantly surprised of how good the cake was. The cake was a bit saltish at first bite but this was the moistest chocolate fudge cake I ever tasted. The cake wasn't too sweet either. Will I be ordering from Vicky's again? A definite YES!  It was so good that I didn't feel jelak (overkilled) even after 2 pieces. Still thinking of the cake as I am typing this.

Vicky's also offer baby first month cakes which I might consider getting for #bumptham's baby shower. Found a hidden gem in the west.

Address:

833 Bukit Timah Road

Royalville

Singapore 279887 
Tel: +65 6466 4000

Love,
Sherlyn

Free OhBabynMe.com Membership and Welcome kit

Received a phone call from OhBabynMe.com earlier. I have forgotten I have signed up for their free membership on their website some time ago.

They have a welcome kit which has to be personally collected at their office. The Welcome Kit consist of:

1x Similac mum 900g

1x Similac mum insulating bag

1x Similac milk powder container

1x $10 Shopping E-Voucher to use at OhBabynMe.com

Feeling very thankful to all the generous companies for all the free samples, gifts for mummy and baby.

Love,
Sherlyn

House Purchase

Recently we have bought a house, after almost 1 year of house hunting process. We have been surfing propertyguru almost daily. Thanks to the rising SIBOR, price of house seem to soften. Even though the agents are still advertising at a higher price, some buyers are willing to accept a $50-100k below the advertised price. The sellers are affected mainly of the Total Debt Servicing Ratio (TDSR) ruling which affects sellers who own more than 2 properties. Rental market is also sliding, hence, sellers are becoming more realistic.

Here are some tips which I've picked up:
1) Go to URA Caveat to check the transaction price for the last 3 years. You can filter unit by size and floor number. You will have a gauge whether you are paying around market rate.

2) Propquest
This tool is very useful, you can find out how much did current owner bought the unit for. Eg if they are the first owner, they would have made more than half and prices are usually more negotiable.

- key in project name

- Select the stack number (eg if your unit is #05-01, please select stack 1), change the year from filter accordingly, click submit.
- Scroll down to Past Transactions, you will be able to download the csv file and do your analysis.

3) Singapore Real Estate Exchange
- Select X-Value TM for Real Time Property Appraisal tab
- Input the project name, unit name.

4) Get your bankers to quote valuation
We realised that UOB valuation is usually very high, which is advantageous to the sellers. Standard Chartered Bank seem to be more conservative.

5) Bring cheque
If you are really interested in the unit and want to offer a really low price, we realised that presentation of cheque usually works. Agents will check with the sellers rather than be the bottleneck that block us off.

Here are some of the fengshui considerations we take into considerations:
1) Door must not face Northwest that is when you are standing inside the house and you are looking outside of house. My husband is a sleeping partner of a business, we don't want to eat 西北风.

2) Main door should not face lift/ staircase.

3) Toilets should not be at Southwest sector of the house. This leads to financial loss and marital problems.

4) Kitchen should not be at Northwest sector of house. The family breadwinner could lose his job, lose his wealth, or worse, lose his health. 

5) Unit should not be east west direction else the house will be very hot due to the sun.
 

Hope you find these tips useful.

Love,
Sherlyn

Newborn Essentials Checklist- budget

Edit on 30 Aug 2015 in blue.

I am getting anxious as my EDD is closer and I have just start preparing for baby stuff. Here are some newborn essentials checklist which you might find useful. It does not include outdoor items like pram, car seat etc.

Clothes
Handkerchief (Danrol)
Mittens & Booties   
Short Sleeve Shirts and Pants- 6sets
Pyjamas- 2 sets
Rompers (it can be quite challenging for NB to put on Rompers, would recommend when they are bigger once their neck are stronger)
Parenting hack
Cap (bought from Taobao), here's the link

Bathing
Baby Shampoo (Kodomos)
Baby Bath (Kodomos). I use Sebamed Bubble Bath when my baby had flaking skin
Brush & Comb set (Pigeon)
Infant Nail scissors (Pigeon)- the salesperson recommend that newborn cannot use nail clipper, I nearly made a blunder.
2 small bowls (for cleaning eyes and buttock)
Bath Sponge (NUK) Wash Cloth is good enough, bath sponge is too coarse for baby's delicate skin

Bamboo Towels (Moo Moo Kow)
Laundry Detergent (Pureen/ Kodomos). Get the powder form as it make clothes smell nicer
Changing Pad (Moo Moo Kow) 
Bath tub (non-slip)- Ikea

Breastfeeding
Breast Pump (Spectra S2+)
Breast Pads (Pigeon Honeycomb)
Nipple Cream (Medela/ Lasinoh)
Breast milk Storage Bags (PUR)
Feeding bottles 4-6 
Nursing bib

Everyday
Steam Sterilizer (Pigeon Rapid Steam Sterilizer)
Bottle Warmer (Pigeon)
Bottle Sponge Brush (Puku)
Bottle Cleaner (Pureen)
Diaper (Huggies/ MamyPoko). I got a few packs of KCA initially coz it was cheap. However, the fit is not good and usually leaks.
Diaper Cream (Desitin Blue)
Baby Wipes (Organic Story EcoForest)
Cotton Wool Ball (Pigeon/ Mothercare as the size is bigger)  Get Watson Facial cotton, it's cheap and good.
Cotton Swab regular (Daiso) and thin size (Pigeon)
Cooling Plaster (Pigeon)

Sleeping
Blanket (Danrol)
Swaddle (Summer Time)
Bean Pillow (Puku)
Play Pen- passed down from my SIL
Mattress Cover (Baby Safe). I have read online that it is essential to get a new mattress for each baby as there are unknown reasons for cot death. It will also give you peace of mind.
Pillow (baby does not need pillow)
Waterproof Mattress Protector (ordered from Taobao), here's the link

Hope you find the list useful.

Love,
Sherlyn

Choosing a Breast Pump- Medela Freestyle vs Spectra S1+/S2+

Hi everyone
I have done extensive research on buying a breast pump as it is an expensive investment and a good pump is very important in ensuring good breast milk yield.

I have shortlisted Medela Freestyle which was highly recommended and Spectra S1+ or Spectra S2+. Many colleagues have swear by Medela Freestyle. The difference between Spectra S1+ and S2+ is that S2+ is non-rechargeable and is lighter at 0.99kg vs 1.12kg. You do not have to buy the 3 way connector for the upgrade version. To make it a dual pump, you will need to purchase an extra set of shield hose, back flow preventer.

One of the consideration factor was the price. Medela Freestyle was grossly expensive retailing at about SGD$799.

Another factor was Spectra is hospital grade pump and they have back flow preventer which prevent contamination of milk. However, Spectra comes in standard 28mm flange which might be too large for Asian breast.

Where to get it in Singapore?
Bingbling is the authorised distributor for Spectra in Singapore but their price is still higher and they are currently selling the old model of S1 ($379) and S2 ($333). However, their set already comes with 2 sets of breast shield set, hence, you do not have to purchase another set. It also comes with 1year local warranty by bingbling.

Baby Expo pumps are cheaper and they carry the latest model. S1+ is retailing at $339 and S2+ at $299. The set already comes with 2 sets of breast shield set, hence, you do not have to purchase another set.  It also comes with 1 year local warranty by Baby Expo.

I have found 2 Qoo10 retailers selling at a lower rate. It comes with 1 year warranty, however, you will need to pay the return delivery fee to Korea for repair. Battery is under 6months warranty.

BestGmall 
Spectra S1+

The set cost $275.50 after purchasing additional accessory like back flow preventor tip, extra breast shield set. Free Shipping via Express or $9 Fedex from Korea.

You can read more about S1+ here

Spectra S2+

The set cost $223.90 after purchasing additional accessory like back flow preventor tip, extra breast shield set. Free Shipping via Express or $9 Fedex from Korea.

You can read more about S2+ here

BabyJoa 

Spectra S2+

The set cost $218.90 after purchasing additional accessory like back flow preventor tip, extra breast shield set. Free Shipping via EMS from Korea.

I have decided to get Spectra S2+ as I do not think I will want to lug the "rice cooker" with me when I'm out. I might consider getting the Spectra 9+ for back to work pumping. 

Updates:

Very fast delivery. Placed order on 3 May and received the additional order via local registered mail on 8 May. Item was bubble wrapped with a note that breast pump will be shipped from Korea. Breast pump received on 8 May and it came in a brown box. The original box looks ok, no dents. I have tested the pump, seems ok but have not used it, hope it will not disappoint.

 

Breast Milk Cooler Bag

Spectra Cooler Bag
The Spectra Cooler bag retails at about $35 and it consist of gel ice pack. I find that the bag is not compact and sleek as it is meant to keep your portable breast pump too.

I like Medela Cooler set as it comes with contoured ice brick and 4 milk bottles. However, it is still quite expensive at about $59.90. Agapebabies is the cheapest that I can find.

Splurge!

Save!

I manage to find a similar to Medela Cooler bag from Tollyjoy. It retails at $29.90 but it does not come with milk bottle.

Guess I will be getting this instead. I will review the Spectra S2+ breast pump once I start to use it. Hope you find this post useful. 

Love,

Sherlyn