Parenting Made Easy with Combi

Some of the “problems” parents may encounter when dealing with babies would be that they find it hard to perform household chores (or just about anything else) with the little one awake. Sometimes the little one may insist to be carried too and it would be next to impossible to complete whatever you need to do. That could bring about some stress for sure. And even if one decides to do chores while the little one is asleep, one may also feel uncomfortable leaving the baby out of sight, especially if there are other young children around. You never know what kind of mischief the little ones are capable of! 

The first time that Starri got onto the BEDi and slept within minutes!

We had never even used any baby chair of any sorts even though we already have five kids, save for a baby high chair that was rendered useless shortly after we were blessed with it because it was inflexible, as well as uncomfortable for the baby. So I shall be really honest here to state that a parenting station is not exactly a need or must-have, since we had been placing the baby anywhere convenient all these while. After all, parents everywhere had been improvising and parenting with the use of common household items for the longest time. But on hindsight, we were really lucky that there were never any incidents. 

It come in the box already assembled like this, less the canopy and the food tray not shown here.

Leroy was present when I unboxed the BEDi from the carton box and the first thing that came out of his mouth was, “wah, why you buy another pram?”. It definitely looked like one, even to me! Everything came fully assembled, except for the canopy which I managed to fix on even without the need to refer to the instruction manual, so I can safely say that it would be hassle-free for anyone to start using it. I only needed to figure out what are the knobs to adjust it to the different positions. 

Pull this in to lock the rocking mechanism.

Pull and shift the backing to a suitable level, after turning the knob on top to release.

With the canopy cover, you can block indoor or outdoor UV and adjust it to the ideal darkness you want for your baby anytime, anywhere, so baby can have a good rest! 

This is the lowest it can go, and you can still rock the baby while you sit on the floor.

When I first ran my fingers through the material, it felt soft and comfortable, unlike the high chair we had previously. However I was also concerned with how easy it would be to clean any mess that babies are known to make. All the milk spills, pee and what nots! Thankfully all the covers and cushions can easily be removed and machine-washed, leaving the plastic body which then can be cleaned easily with a piece of damp cloth. 

All the washable parts are easily removable for washing!

The BEDi is meant for babies up to 4 years of age. For really young infants, the contraption can be lowered fully and it will function much like the hospital bassinets for newborns. And as the baby grows and start to get stronger and more curious by the day, you can raise the backrest to a higher position so that the baby can watch you while still sitting in comfort. Although the backrest can be fully adjusted upright for the older kids, such as my Louie, I doubt most kids can sit still or last long in the chair, or any chair for that matter. At most, maybe only during their mealtimes and that’s when the tray comes in handy. 

Even Louie can fit onto the BEDi which provided him with a comfortable seat for an afternoon snack!

The BEDi is really meant for parents to be able to keep an eye on the baby while performing their day-to-day activities. It surely looks safe with its 5-point harness systems, but one should never leave the baby unattended in it, or have the baby out of sight. Thus the 4 swivel wheels comes in so handy, allowing one to push the chair anywhere it is needed. I tried moving it around the house, with and without the baby and the movement is still smooth. Once you have it where it is needed, just need to remember to lock down the legs to secure the chair and you are all set. 

Push in to lock the wheels.

The magical thing about the BEDi for the little ones, would have to be the rocking mechanism! Starri did not take it too well when I placed her down onto its thick cushion, and she looked a little apprehensive. When she started to cry a little and wanted to be carried, I started gently rocking her back and forth easily (without much effort). Then the most amazing thing happened. She calmed down totally and fell asleep all within less than 5 minutes! This sure beats having to carry her and walk around for ages, or having to swing her in the cradle till my arm aches before she finally have some shuteye! Now I can rest her in the BEDi by my table when I needed to work on my laptop, or beside the sofa as I watch the television programs. I merely needed to first adjust the BEDi to a suitable height for me to comfortably rock Starri, and I am good to go!  

The sleep shell provided a dim environment for Starri and coupled with the light swinging movement, made putting her to sleep much easier. Not to mention, a better quality sleep for both baby and us parents!

 

The BEDi is definitely a great help around house and I will surely recommend one for parents who wishes to spend a little more for the luxury, for both baby and themselves! But just like a domestic helper, you definitely would not NEED to have one, but you know you would WANT the convenience it provides, and the extra free time it can free up for you!

Disclosure: Starri received a unit of BEDi from Combi for the purpose of this review. No monetary compensation was received and all views and images remains ours.

Full Day Family Fun on Sentosa!

[Media Invite]

I know Sentosa pretty well I would say, having worked on the island when I was in my teens, at WyWy Wonderland within Fantasy Island, and I even did housekeeping for Sijori Resort (Sentosa)! Have you even heard of these places in the first place? Lol. Anyway, even though we average at least one or two monthly trips to the island after having the kiddos, there were still many places on the island we have yet to visit. And we tried many fun stuff, for the very first time during the last family trip to the State of Fun!

---

The Merlion
Operating hours: daily, 10.00 am – 8.00 pm (Last entry at 7.30 pm)

Do you know that there are five official Merlions in Singapore? While the most photographed would probably have to be the one near One Fullerton, the largest at 37m tall resides on Sentosa island and is called the Sentosa Merlion for good reasons. It houses two viewing galleries, one at the head and another at the mouth and it offers a great view of the mainland as it was supposed to guard Singapore as well. Due to bad weather, we only managed to get to the mouth gallery unfortunately.

We always pass by the towering feline but it was our first time into the ticketed attraction itself. The full experience included a short introductory video touching on the Sang Nila Utama story and how the mythical Merlion came about. Following the presentation, the kiddos were kept busy with the interactive exhibits (such as coloring of an e-Merlion) as we walked along the passageway.

Highlight for the tour for the kids would have to be the gold prosperity coin one gets after inserting the Merlion card that comes with every ticket. As for the cam-whoring adults, the view from the galleries would be great for that Instagram or Facebook photo! You will of course have to walk through the mandatory gift shop, where all the colourful and cute merchandises beckons one to carry them home!

Promotions

From now till 31 August 2018, loca residents get 25% off for Sentosa Merlion tickets.

Sentosa Merlion Guided Tour at S$25 (Adult) and S$20 (Child), includes:

• Free Kaya/Butter Toast & Coffee/Tea at Merlion Café

• Cable Car Pin for locals

Tour Timings: 11.45 am, 1.45 pm and 3.45 pm.

Book online at http://booking.mountfaber.com.sg/escapade or in person at the Singapore Cable Car / Sentosa Merlion ticketing counters.

---

The Butterfly Park and Insect Kingdom
Operating hours: daily, 9.30 am – 7.00 pm (Last entry at 6.30 pm)

The visit also marks our first time into the park that is just situated across the Imbiah Lookout Entrance of Skyline Luge Sentosa on the island. We spent some time looking out for butterflies of various species within the enclosure and marveled at some of the very beautiful metallic-coloured chrysalises displayed.

It takes a great deal of effort to keep insects alive, not to mention the many different types required just to keep visitors interested. In any case, besides butterflies and insects (both live and specimens) that you get to see, you will get to meet a very tame green iguana as well as some colourful parrots within the animal enclosure. Many of the exhibits though, featured preserved specimens and you can even buy some of those at the gift shop at the end of the visit.

---

Wings of Time 
Showtimes: daily, 7.40 pm and 8.40pm

This show would be one of the best ways to end your day on the island, given the fact that the last show starts at 8.40pm, especially if you had never watched it before. There are only 2 shows every day, with the first show at 7.40pm. The last time we caught the show was 4 years back and the kiddos can still vaguely remember the presentation style.

I would advise that you get into the queue earlier so that you can get the best seats available, but don't fret if you are late, the views at the side are not all that bad too. You can catch a short avian show as well if you are early! The weird thing about our family catching this show, is that it was drizzling on both occasions. Since it is an open area, being prepared with some ponchos would be good.

This show uses a variety of visual effects such as laser projection, water, fire and even fireworks to tell a story of Shahbaz and two teenagers, through time and space. Be captivated by the colourful displays and visual feast throughout the 30 minutes.

Promotions

From now till 31 August 2018, local residents get 25% off Wings of Time (Standard / Premium) Tickets.

Book online at http://booking.mountfaber.com.sg/escapade or in person at the Singapore Cable Car / Sentosa Merlion ticketing counters.

---

Good Old Days 

Operating hours: daily, 11.00 am – 10.00 pm

I am definitely no food connoisseur, but I find the food at the restaurant really not too bad at all. I had the Chicken Biryani, and there are other delectable local delights such as Char Kuay Teow, Chicken Rice and even Chicken Satay and they all tastes good. However given that we are so used to hawker centre prices, the food at the restaurant costs twice as much, but then again this would be the norm for dining at such places of interests.

It can get really tiring and hot after a day on the island, and the restaurant can offer refuge from the searing heat. The restaurant is situated near the Beach Station and entrance 3 of Wings of Time, directly opposite iFly. It is so comfortable and relaxing inside the restaurant that we hardly wanted to move after finishing our meals. We also topped up our meals with drinks and desserts and ended our lunch on a sweet note, with chendol and ice-kachang that were delish!

Promotions  

S$12+ for Taste of Singapore Platter at Good Old Days (U.P. S$15.00+)

---

Tiger Sky Tower
Operating hours: daily, 9.00 am – 9.00 pm (Last entry at 8.45 pm)

The observation tower 131 meters above sea-level, fully air-conditioned and offers a great view of the island and even our neighbouring countries if you have good eyesight. No wonder it took us a while to get onto the ride, because the duration was quite long! The difference in ticket price between a single ride and the unlimited rides for the day is $5, so if you foresee your kiddos requesting for repeats, you may wish to consider that!

---

Cable Car Lines
Operating hours: daily, 8.45 am – 10.00 pm (Last boarding at 9.30 pm)

Although it is a mode of transport, the cable car ride in Singapore is an attraction by itself, much like the Ngong Ping 360 linking Lantau to Hong Kong or the Mao Kong in Taiwan. A must try, especially if you had not taken it before. Do you know we actually have 2 separate lines, the Mount Faber line that connects one from Mount Faber peak to Sentosa island, and another line named the Sentosa Line that is within walking distance from it? It is definitely faster and way more fun to fly across the sea than to walk across the boardwalk! You can also have a scenic bird's eye view of Siloso beach, as well as the bungy jump tower when you take the Sentosa line.

Promotions  

From now till 31 August 2018, local residents get 25% off Singapore Cable Car Tickets.

Enjoy a special price of S$53++ per pax (U.P. S$65++ per pax) for Singapore Flavours Cabin on board Singapore Cable Car! Indulge in a delicious bento dinner set featuring seven of Singapore’s favourite dishes, as you bask in the breath-taking sights of Mount Faber and the Harbourfront in a 1-hour cable car ride!

Book online at http://booking.mountfaber.com.sg/escapade or in person at the Singapore Cable Car / Sentosa Merlion ticketing counters.

---

Happy 2 Package

Enjoy 53% OFF Happy 2 Package @ S$48 (Adult) and S$39.50 (Child). U.P. S$101.90 for adults and S$84.40 for children. Guests will be given a Singapore Cable Car Sky Pass (which offers unlimited rides) and a choice of any 2 out of the 17 items as follows:

• Attractions: Sentosa Merlion | Wings of Time | The Maritime Experiential Museum | Skyline Luge | Tiger Sky Tower | Wave House Sentosa (2 tries) | Butterfly Park & Insect Kingdom | 4D AdventureLand Extreme Long Ride | 4D AdventureLand Journey 2: The Mysterious Island| 4D AdventureLand: Desperados in 4D | Gogreen Segway Fun Ride (500m) | Gogreen Bicycle Rental (2 hours) | VR Racing Experience at Madame Tussauds Singapore

• Dining: Good Old Days Dinner Buffet | Spuds & Aprons 2-course Set Lunch | Co+Nut+Ink Ice Cream

• Tour: Sentosa Island Bus Tour

---

Free Admission for 53rd Birthday Babies

Guests* who are 53 years old in 2018 get to enjoy free admissions to:

1. Singapore Cable Car (Adult Cable Car Sky Pass round trip)
2. Sentosa Merlion (Adult ticket)
3. Wings of Time (Standard seat)

*Applicable to Singapore citizens, Permanent Residents and those living in Singapore, including holders of Employment Passes, Work Permits and Dependents’ Passes and Malaysians. Redeemable at Singapore Cable Car and Sentosa Merlion ticketing counters.

---

Spend and Be Rewarded!

Simply SPEND A MINIMUM OF S$53 with One Faber Group and stand to win one of ten prizes in the One Great Escapade Lucky Draw. The top three prizes consist of: 

1. 6D5N trip for two to Switzerland worth more than S$7,000 Prize includes return flight tickets, accommodation in Zurich and a one-day Mount Titlis tour with cable car ride.
2. 5D4N trip for two to Hong Kong worth $3,500 Prize includes return flight tickets, accommodation and a 360 Fun Pass with Ngong Ping crystal cable car ride.
3. 3D2N staycation for two at Shangri-La's Rasa Sentosa Resort & Spa, Singapore and Cable Car Sky Dining worth S$1,800

Tollyjoy Baby Wipes

[Giveaway]

Wet wipes, especially the travel packs, are usually listed as one of the essential items for parents to have in their bags, and for good reasons. At times when one could not find any wash basins, these little pieces of wet tissues definitely comes in really handy. You can use it to wipe the hands and face of the little ones, especially after or before food, and of course to wipe their bottoms as well when you do a diaper change for them, so that they stay fresh!

Being a trusted local Singapore brand since 1971, Tollyjoy is committed to providing reliable, durable and value-for-money mother and baby care products. Their new baby wipes is no exception of course, with its 99% pure water content undergoing three levels of purification treatment including ultra filtration, reverse osmosis and UV sanitization. With absolutely no traces of contaminants, toxins or bacteria, I use them on Starri without worries too!

But that's not all, the wipes are free from alcohol, phthalates, lanolin and harmful preservatives such as parabens and MIT (methylisothiazolinone) but contains Aloe Vera extracts, which soothe and protect the skin, as well as Vitamin E, which nourishes and helps to maintain the skin’s oil balance. Having tried the scented wipes (in blue package) myself, it does not fray easily and leaves a light talcum powder smell after use as well. But if you rather have your wipes unscented, you can get the pink package one instead! For me, I simply love its resealable package, which keeps the moisture in without the need for any special box.

At the recommend price of $7.90 per bundle of two packs of 100s, each piece of wipe would cost you less than 4 cents, which is actually one of the cheapest around too. But now, you can even get to try them out for free in our special giveaway! All you have to do, is to complete the following steps before Wed, 01 Aug 2018 for a chance to walk away with 24 packs of Tollyjoy Baby Wipes (mix of scented and unscented) worth $94.80! We will be choosing 2 winners for this giveaway, so do not miss this chance to win for your little ones!

Giveaway Instructions

1) Like and follow The "Perfect" Father Facebook page;

2) Like and follow Tollyjoy Singapore Facebook page;

3) Like and Share this Facebook post (with the original text) publicly; and

4) Finally, comment in the Facebook post once steps 1 - 3 are done, and remember to tell all your friends about this!

The new Tollyjoy Baby Wipes are available in leading retail malls and shops, as well as online at Qoo10, RedMart, on Prime Now App, and Giant Online!

I Lost My Child

Cannot help but feel kind of ashamed having to blog about our ordeal last Friday, but I believe it may help others next time. The photo below of Stacci, could have jolly well been the very last photo we took of her. We always think that Singapore is a nice and safe country to live in (which it is), but that doesn't mean that bad things will not happen here. One of the most terrifying thing that could happen to any parent, happened to us last week. We lost our child. We lost Stacci.

We visited the Zoo late in the evening for an event and the very comfortable bus journey from Mandai back to Ang Mo Kio lulled the 4 kiddos to sleep. We did manage to drag them to Burger King at AMK Hub for a late dinner (or should I say, supper) and were happy to make our way to the bus interchange for our bus back home after that. The kiddos were not too happy since they were really sleepy by then. 

We made our way up this flight of stairs and walked towards our bus berth for our feeder bus after the meal. I was walking in front, with the assumption that everyone else was just right behind me (and they should rightfully be), when my wife suddenly asked where was Stacci. Confident that the lazy girl must have just been lagging behind since we were barely 20 meters from the entrance, I walked back to look for her. But she was nowhere to be found, and my wife got a little hysterical when she found me walking back without her. 

She asked if we should make a police report, to which I answered that we should still try to find her first. I must have seen too many dramas, to imagine that there was a 24hr requirement before a missing person report can be made, like in the movies. So we ended up walking back and forth over the same stretch of road from the stairway to the interchange multiple times. The logical me cannot reconcile the fact that she simply disappeared into thin air, when we still had our eyes on her barely minutes before. That was when all the bad thoughts of what could have happened to her came to my mind. I wasn't going to take any chances and I called the police at 11.39pm, providing them with whatever details I had. 

We also approached the mall security to request for them to check the CCTV footage because the customer service was closed by then, only to realize that certain coverage belonged to AMK Hub, while the others covering the interchange fell under the purview of the bus interchange. In desperation we also request help from the bus captains, who probably broadcasted the message out to the rest of the fleet. 

Now in what seemed like eternity, we felt totally helpless. From searching for her quietly by ourselves, I started approaching passerbys to ask if they had seen her, and finally ended up shouting her name out loud. I can feel everyone's eyes on us as we shouted like mad persons, but it doesn't matter anymore. We just wanted her back. Then it happened. First a young couple came forward and asked if we needed any help, and we exchanged numbers. They said they will walk around and help us search. We exchange numbers and I sent them a recent photo of her. They did not have to, but they did. Then another auntie walked up to me, and asked for more details. She gave me a tap on my shoulder and said she will look for Stacci as well. Yet another Indian auntie came forward, and advised us to approach the security to help, showing her concern as well. They needn't have to but they all did.

We continued to search around the vicinity to no avail, till a bus captain approached us and mentioned that a little girl had just been found one bus stop away. As I brisk walked to the bus stop with the bus captain, I cannot fathom how she made her way to bus stop on her own. I could already see a small crowd from afar as we approached the bus stop opposite Big Mac Centre. I was so relieved to find Stacci in the arms of a lady, who was cuddling her tight. Stacci was both tired and scared, and took a full minute or two before coming to the realization that it was me in front of her, and finally acknowledging me. It was then I found out from the lady and her family members that they had found Stacci looking distressed on the bus they were on. She was also unable to answer them coherently when questioned and that was when they approached the bus captain for assistance and decided to stay with her. 

As luck has it, 3 policemen were crossing the road, right in front of the bus and the bus captain honked at them to stop. The kind family alighted at the nearby bus stop together with Stacci, and reported the incident to the policemen. Meanwhile the bus captain went on his way, but not before reporting to his colleagues, who then pieced the puzzle altogether. By then, another 2 police cars pulled up and I was interrogated by a total of 7 policemen in a circle as I held her tight in the center. I was so happy that I wanted to take a welfie with all of them but understandably they declined. 

In any case what happened exactly was that as we walked along in the bus interchange, she went up the first (wrong) bus which had just pulled up a few berths before ours as she was totally tired and lagging behind! And that merely took just a few seconds when our eyes were not on her! It was a scare and on hindsight, what they say about taking your eyes off your kids for a few seconds is so true! I thought that I needed to write this to share with all of you on some of my thoughts on what you should do in the event of your child getting lost -

• Do not panic. Easier said than done, but it helps heaps!
• Check if there are any CCTV cameras around. Approach the right authority for help in reviewing the footages.
• Retrace the steps and do not hesitate to ask for help. Shout out your kid's name too. 
• Time is crucial, do not be like me. Call the police if you feel that something could have gone wrong. There is absolutely no time restriction on making a lost person report.    

The young man who helped with the search, who actually found a shoe belonging to someone else. Thank you!

I am so thankful to all the kind souls who came forward to offer help to us and I had also thanked all of them profusely. It is so amazing and heartening to know that kindness is well and alive. Being the recipient of such kindness by total strangers, I know how every little bit helps and the difference it makes. Thank you to all the bus captains who went out of their way, the couple and auntie who went round searching, all the policemen who responded that night, the family who stayed with her till I reached (and had to wait for the next bus) and to everyone else! Once again, if you are one of the strangers who helped on that fateful Friday night, please accept my sincere thanks! This imperfect father will promise to do better the next time!