Buying from USA: Ship for Me Service from 65Daigou

Hi everyone
I shared in my previous post that I had used 65Daigou as shipping agent for my Carter's purchase. I've done some research and 65Daigou is the cheapest, you can view their shipping charges here.

Recently I had ordered a Hello Kitty Kitchen Cafe play set from Walmart for my niece's birthday present and again, I had used 65Daigou service. The play set is not available locally, Taobao nor Qoo10. To my horror, the shipping charges came up to be about SGD$265.50 instead of SGD$81 as they charge by volume weight of 29.46kg instead of actual weight of 8.78kg (whichever is higher). There is no way I am going to pay $265.50 for shipping to Singapore. 

I contacted 65Daigou customer service. The officer was helpful and friendly. Luckily, they are able to stop the shipping to Singapore and they are able to help me return item to retailer for a handling fees of US$5 (I paid SGD$6.50). I had used the enquiry function to request for return. 65Daigou was very prompt in their reply has asked me to provide them with a prepaid return shipping label. 

I spent sometime googling how to get this prepaid return shipping label and I found out that some merchants will buy the prepaid return shipping labels and you can obtain it via their website when you return item to them. If the return label are not prepaid ones, 65daigou will have to charge the relevant domestic shipping fee. Luckily, Walmart's return process is quite easy and I managed to get the prepaid return shipping label and sent it to 65Daigou.

65Daigou processed the return fairly quickly and I have paid the handling fees. I'm still waiting for Walmart to credit the refund to my credit card, I shall update once I received the refund.

Lesson learnt: do not buy bulky product from overseas even though the product listed on Walmart website states dimension is 24.5 x 24.5 x 28.0 inch and weight is 10 pounds (about 4.53kg).

Meanwhile, I will recommend 65Daigou's ship for me services for USA purchases but only for small items eg clothes etc. Hope you will find this post useful if you are a noob online shopper like me for USA sites.

Updates: I have received the credit card refund from Walmart. I don't even have to follow up on the refund status. Thumbs up!

Love,
Sherlyn

Baby Full Month Party in Singapore

Hi Everyone,
Celebrating a baby’s full month will usually involve holding a party. It is common to cater a buffet for the guests, with traditional ‘auspicious’ treats like red-dyed eggs and ang ku kueh.

Here are some of the popular full month package:
1) Bengawan Solo 

2) Sweetest Moment 

3) Swiss Bake

4) Choz

5) Partridge Pear 

6) Gobi

7) Swee Heng

8) Melrose Bake House- no website.

9) You can order the ang ku kueh from Poh Cheu. Each ang ku kueh cost $0.90, their kueh is still very nice even if kept overnight.

10) E-Creative

I don't like traditional butter cakes, red eggs. Looks like I'll more likely to settle for Gobi or Swiss Bake.







Updates:
I ended up ordering mini cupcakes from Sweetest Moments, ang ku kuehs from Lek Lim Nonya Cake Confectionery as Poh Cheu is closed on Sundays.
 
Love,
Sherlyn

Shopping for #Bumptham at the Baby Fair

Hi Everyone
As mentioned in my previous post, I will share my loots for #bumptham at the recent Mummy Market baby fair at Expo.

1) Fiffy Baby Clothes (3sets for $20). I have bought 6 sets.

2) Fiffy Mittens and Boots (1 pack consist of 3sets for $7). I have bought 2 packs.

3) Puku Bean Pillow- $15

4) Puku Sponge Bottle Brush- $5. This came with replacement brush.

5) Babysafe Playpen Mat Cover- $28

6) KCA Diapers (4 packs at $42)
Wanted to get Mamy Poko due to many recommendations by mommies in forums, I had checked the price at NTUC. There is no savings except you will get a packet of wet wipes when you buy 2 packs.

As newborn required a lot of diapers, KCA was the cheapest diaper in the fair and the quality seem not bad. Hence, decided to give this brand a try.

7) Organic Story EcoForest 22 Baby Wipes. 70 sheets, 10 packs per carton (3 cartons at $86.70)
This works out to be $2.89 per pack and is selling like hot cakes. Ordered 3 cartons as it came with free delivery, delivery will be in 2 weeks time.

8) Moo Moo Kow Bamboo Towel- 3 for $39. Usual price 1 for $39.

9) Moo Moo Kow Changing Pad- 2 for $26. Usual price 1 for $26.

10) Bio Oil 60ml- $12 (usual price $15.50)

11) Medela Purelan 100 Nipple Cream- $15.44

Wanted to get Lasinoh as it was highly recommended by many mummies in forums but I could not locate the booths.

12) SwaddleMe x2- $15 each

Kiddy Palace and Mothercare is selling about $23.90 and $24.90 respectively.

Got another swaddle from another stall at $8. Quality is equally good.

13) Pureen Anti Bacterial Liquid Detergent with Softener (x2) and Liquid Cleanser for Feeding Bottles, Nipples & Vegetables(x1)- $25.50

14) Danrol Wash cloth (pack of 8)- 2 packs for $10

15) Danrol Blanket- $16

16) Carters Snap Up Pyjamas- $10 each. I have bought 2 sets.

17) Lots of Fruits tit-bits
Saw the bag that the snacks are from Wel.B Snacks. The snacks does not contain any sugar and it is vacuumed freeze. 

Would highly recommend the following:
a) Freeze-dried strawberry (6packs for $10)

b) Nu Snacks Fruit Chewy (6packs for $10)

c) Assorted Fruit Chips (8 packs for $10)

Despite the savings at the baby fair, the carpark charges amounted close to $20. We were stuck at the carpark for about an hour due to faulty gantry.

I am currently in my week 33, the next baby fair will only be in Jul. Till then.

Love,
Sherlyn

Surviving a Baby Fair in Singapore

Hi Everyone
Visiting a baby fair is very exciting, it requires proper planning, very energy exhausting. Here are some tips I've picked up on how to survive a baby fair:

pic credit: http://www.mummysmarket.com.sg/

1) Plan/ do research. 
a) Plan out the list of things you need to buy. Not all items are cheaper at the fair eg NTUC was selling Mamy Poko diapers the same price at the fair. The fair was giving out wet wipes for every 2 packets of diapers purchased. Imagine you lugging the cartons of diapers home, you wouldn't save on the taxi fare/ carpark charges.


b) You wouldn't save a lot on normal brands like Kodomo, Tollyjoy, Pureen etc. The massive savings are for premium brands like Mustela, California Baby etc

c) Some of the star/ must buy items are baby wipes, diapers, milk powder, baby cot, car seats, strollers.

d) Breast pump: eg Spectra breast pump, saw the ones on sale were the old models (S1/S2) and is more expensive. Hence, must do homework!

2) Bring a big bag/ luggage/ trolley so it's easier to put all your shopping together.

3) Usually, the organiser will provide floor plan/ guide. For better time efficiency and organisation, mark all the stalls you want to visit on the floor plan.

4) Go early around 11plus to 2pm or evenings around 6plus, it is less crowded. It is easier to browse and make payment. I have visited the fair on the last day previously, most of the items were out of stock.

5) Bring a bottle of water and wear comfortable clothes and walking shoes.

6) Bring plenty of cash for faster payment.

7) Be thick-skinned eg some stores have bulk buy at cheaper price, I approached a mummy if she want to share with me as I do not require so much. Hence, there's savings for both of us.

8) Some stores eg baby wipes, diapers offer free delivery with minimum purchase. 

9) When buying diapers, do buy in a variety of sizes as babies outgrow very fast.

10) Leave your kids at home. My friend brought her 2 kids along with her has to leave early as the child was getting cranky.

11) Tag team with your husband eg I went to grab the stuff while he waits around with the loots.

12) There's a tendency to go overboard on shopping/ buy stuff you might not even need. Hence, exert control.

13) Check the items thoroughly for defects, you won't be able to exchange.

Hope you find these tips useful. Probably I'll share what I've bought at the baby fair in my next post.

Love,
Sherlyn

SG50 Baby Gift Packs

Hi everyone
Below are some SG50 baby gift packs which you can redeem:

1) Free one year Mothercare membership

2) SG50 Baby Jubilee Gift

pic credit: http://www.todayonline.com/singapore/sg50-baby-jubilee-gift-unveiled

3) POSB Smiley Gift

4) Great Eastern Baby Gift Pack

5) AIA
Up to $200 of Robinsons gift card when you purchase Medisave-approved health insurance cover, AIA HealthShield Gold Max.

6) Motherworks 50 Brands Coupon Book

If you know of others, please feel free to share.

Love,
Sherlyn

Dilemma: Public vs Private Cord Blood Banking

Hi everyone
I guess each parent will go through this decision phase. I've read up quite a fair bit and also attended free parenting seminars on the benefits of cord blood banking.

What is cord blood banking?
Cord blood banking involves collecting blood left in your newborn's umbilical cord and placenta and storing it for future medical use. Cord blood contains potentially lifesaving cells called stem cells. source from http://www.babycenter.com/0_cord-blood-banking-what-it-is-why-consider-it_1362261.bc#articlesection1

There are 3 options which you can take:
1) Donate your cord blood to public bank ie Singapore Cord Blood Bank

2) Store your cord blood privately. There are 3 companies in Singapore offering this service.

a) Cordlife
Cordlife's differentiation is that there is no real need to store your baby's cord blood in different locations. Splitting the cord blood unit into multiple bags increases the risk of contamination and the number of stem cells harvested from umbilical blood is limited.




Price Plan:

Upfront Initial Payment (one time)	Annual Payment (age 1 to 20)	Age 21
$1,950	$250	FREE

Cordlife's marketing seem to be more aggressive as seen in their participation in baby fairs where they are usually sponsor/ have a big booth presence. They also have referral scheme where they give out Robinson vouchers and $100 voucher off their price plan.

b) Stemcord
Stemcord’s founders are renowned and experienced practising medical oncologists, hematologists and physicians with vast contributions in bone marrow and peripheral stem cell transplantation programmes in Singapore.

At StemCord, cord blood is collected with bag method and they store the cord blood sample in multiple cryo units.

Unlike Cordlife, Stemcord has flexible storage plan.

Standard Payment Plans (w/o) GST	Annual Plan	6-Year Plan	11-Year Plan	21-Year Plan
One-Time Enrolment Fee	$1950	$1950	$1950	$1950
1st Year Storage Fee	INCLUSIVE	INCLUSIVE	INCLUSIVE	INCLUSIVE
2nd & Subsequent Year Fees	$275 ($275/year)**	$1250 ($250 x 5)	$2375 ($237.50 x 10)	$4500 ($225 x 20)
Total Payable*	$1950	$3200	$4325	$6450

c) Cryoviva

3) Do nothing. The umbilical cord blood after the birth of the baby will be discarded after the baby’s birth. This is clearly not a good option.

 
After much consideration, I have decided to donate #bumptham cord blood for the following reasons:
1) It can help save lives for those in need and reaps good karma for #bumptham.

2) I was hesitant at first as I was having a lot of what-if deliberations eg what if my baby/ family members need the cord blood eg autism which is only detected at later stages. However, I believe in the law of attraction, I only want to think of the positive things that can happen ie healthy and happy family. :)

3) Even though private cord blood banking can be paid by CDA account, I wanted to put the money to better use eg send #bumptham to better premium schools.

4) I find the public bank procedures quite rigorous eg they will collect blood sample from the mother before delivery takes place used for evaluation of infectious diseases. This procedure is necessary to ensure that all cord blood units collected are free of all infectious diseases and safe for transplant.

I hope this article will be useful to all first time parents facing the same dilemma as me.

Love,
Sherlyn

Free Diaper Samples

Hi Everyone
Previously, I have shared free samples for mummies, link here. Today, I'm going to share free samples for babies. Here are some free diaper samples which you can request:

1) Drypers

2) Merry

3) Huggies
You may request 1 sample from Huggies Ultra or Huggies Total Protection Pants and 1 sample from Huggies Little Swimmers.

4) Goo.N

5) Bepanthen Ointment (Diaper Cream)

Upcoming baby fairs for you to stock up on diapers supplies:
- Baby Market 10-12 Apr (Singapore Expo Hall 5)
http://www.babymarket.com.sg/

- Baby Expo 1-3 May (Singapore Expo Hall 4)
https://www.facebook.com/babyexpo88

- Baby World 10-12 Jul  (Singapore Expo)

- SuperMom Bazaar 28-30 Aug (Suntec Convention Level 4)
http://supermom.com.sg/supermombazaar2015?gclid=Cj0KEQjw3M6oBRDnnIywo5i287ABEiQAXRm7S97wRmvwcyxj85nklrbe4HukeuCNwpMwUbGwjia49JwaAojY8P8HAQ

- Baby Market 9- 11 Oct (Singapore Expo)

I've received all the samples from the lovely companies, can't wait to let #bumptham try them. If you know of other free baby samples, please feel free to share. Thanks to all the generous companies. Happy sampling!

Love,
Sherlyn