Ok fine, Baby-fairing is not a real word and like all the stroller emails, i also have the same old “what to buy at the baby fair?” questions and because the baby fair is happening tomorrow, here’s some tips!
Here’s my previous post on the Baby Fair.
What i usually recommend getting at the baby fair:
Big & Bulky Items
Like Baby Cots / Mattress / Strollers
If you’re lucky, they’ll throw in free delivery or at least delivery is cheaper etc.
Wet Wipes
I also got myself 1 carton of Wet wipes cos it was cheaper. I used NUK previously and while it’s thick and soft, it’s not as watery as Huggies Wet Wipes. I love Huggies Wet Wipes. However, i wanna see how the Organic Story Wet Wipes fare cos they’re selling it at $29.90 for a carton of 10 packs and that’s cheap! If it’s as watery as Huggies, i’ll go get that. Else, i’ll get Huggies. Just to share, the 21 packs of NUK Wet Wipes i got previously lasted me for about 3months? I still have about 3 packs left so u can stock up on wet wipes since you’ll need it anyway.
Swaddles
If you’re looking at Aden & Anais, they sell it quite cheap at the fair. So it’ll be a good time to buy. Don’t buy too many though. I bought 2 packs only. So total i have 6 swaddles. They’re pretty useful even though i no longer swaddle nadya, i sometimes use it as a changing pad / blanket / Mattress liner etc.
Diapers
i know some people would advise not to get diapers but i think it’s pretty handy. Just make sure u know the brand and the cutting you’ll be buying. Goon diaper’s cutting is slightly larger than the others so Nadya was able to use the newborn size till she was 6 weeks old. After that we switched to Size S. At 11 weeks, she is still using Size S cos of the generous cutting, However, i’ll be switching her to Size M once i’m done with the rest of Size S i have currently. The previous baby fair, Goon had this Buy 4 packs of Goon Diapers at $xx.xx promo and you can mix & match the sizes so I bought 2 packs of Newborn size and 2 packs of Size S of Goon Diapers. However, i would advise you to buy 1 Newborn Pack / 2 Small Size Pack & 1 Medium Size Pack. Typically babies under 3 months use about 8 – 10 diapers per day. At least mine do. Newborns use even more cos they poop all the time!
Goon / Bosomi / Merries and all those Japan / Korea diapers are actually the more expensive one in the market. They’re known to be soft and most of the time, your baby rarely get diaper rash etc from them. Popular bands like Pampers / Huggies / Drypers / Petpet etc don’t have the same softness as those Japanese / Korean brands so if you’re buying these brands, i don’t suggest you stock up on them in case it is not suitable for your baby. Afterall, they are easily available in supermarkets. I’m not saying the Japanese / Korean ones are superior and if you buy generic brands, your baby will get diaper rash because i know some babies are fine with it. The Japan / Korea ones are more expensive because they are soft. U’ll get what i mean when you’ve touched all the diaper samples.
Baby Toiletries
Again, if you’re looking at the drugstore brands like Pigeon / Kodomo / Pureen, you might not see the big price difference. But if you’re looking at Mustela / California Baby or other organic range etc, i recommend stocking them up at the fair. Nadya have sensitive skin & scalp, prone to those little red pimple dots & cradle cap. Noticed that it will flare up when i use the Pigeon All-in-one wash on her so i’ve stopped using that. So i switched to Mustela Foam Shampoo and she no longer have those pimple thing on her head. I also use California Baby Calendula Cream to treat her cradle cap and this thing is a god-sent! You must buy this because it’s multipurpose. Whenever Nadya scratch her face or she has random bumps on her face, i apply thinly and it’ll be gone the next day. You know babies are prone to those heat rash etc? This cream removed all the heat rash thing on her face by the next day. I bought the full size one but i wish i bought the travel size one instead cos a little goes a long way. I think this full size one will probably last me till nadya turns 2 agaknya! lol
For bathtime, i use Jo Lauren Foamy Wash because Nadya can’t use the Pigeon one and also cos the Jo Lauren one smells so good! I also use the Jo Lauren Oatmeal Bath Bag for her sometimes as a treat cos she seems to like it or rather i seem to like it. Nadya don’t know all these. Hahaha
Point is, you don’t necessarily have to use all the organic products segala. If your baby can use Pigeon / Kodomo etc, then let them use it. I tried but seems that Nadya’s skin is a bit sensitive. I brought the Kodomo Travel kit to KL cos that was the only travel bath kit i had. She came back with spots on her body. So i’m never using these again. But if you’re looking at getting organic / sulphate free baby bath products, do get it at the fair! It’s so so much cheaper!
Baby Clothes
If you’re not a fan of online shopping, they sell some really cute Carters clothings for quite cheap! You just have to keep a lookout & compare cos there are various booths that do this. Do refrain from getting too much long sleeved rompers. Babies hate them! Buy plenty of those short sleeved ones. Even better if you can find those sleeveless one. Babies hate having to put their arms through long sleeves. They’ll cry bloody murder and you’ll get all flustered. #truestory.
Baby Gadgets
If you’re looking at buying a baby swing / rocker, buy it at the fair. It is cheaper and they’ll throw in free gifts. I got my Ingenuity Baby Swing and received a Playard for free! Don’t need to buy too expensive ones or yang canggih gila because i think they’ll outgrow it by the time they’re 6mths? If you’re lucky.
Nursing Bras
If you have normal sized boobs, good for you. Just buy your nursing bras at Qoo10. But if you’re a D cup and above, i feel you. It is hard to find a comfortable maternity / nursing bra and after so many stupid purchases, i only like the Annee Matthew Nursing bra. It is really comfortable, light and absorbs sweat. It is $39.90 on their website but they’re selling it at 2 for $39.90 at the fair. At least that’s what i got during the preorder. You can try your luck at the fair. It is really comfortable and cheaper than the Mark & Spencers one. Trust me.
Handkerchiefs
You’ll need lots of them. So buy them at the fair! Really, you need lots of handkerchiefs! Find those micro-fibre ones cos they absorb milk spit-outs better than those thin thin ones! I personally like the Mothercare ones but they are quite costly so the next best thing is from Spring Maternity, who’ll be at the fair.
Baby Beddings
If you’re getting a cot, buy baby beddings at the fair as well. Baby beddings are not cheap ok! It can come up to $100++. But i saw a few that were going at $40 – $50 at the previous fair so save save a bit lah. Oh, i’m talking about the complete baby beddings with bumpers etc. If you can, buy the Babysafe Infant Pillow. Think they’re having a good bundle promo. Nadya’s head shape is quite nice cos of the pillow. LOL
Baby Bottles / Sterilizer
Don’t buy too many bottles unless you are pretty sure you’ll be bottle feeding. Just buy maximum 2 first because sometimes your babies might not take a liking to the teats and you might have to do one big search, buying all the bottles in the market until u find one that she likes. You’ll need a sterilizer if you’ll be using bottles / expressing milk. Else, if you have time to boil your bottles, then don’t bother getting a sterilizer. I didn’t buy any but got one as a gift so i use lah. Lol
Don’t bother buying a bottle warmer. They’re pretty useless.
Tips for surviving the Baby Fair:
- Wear comfortable shoes. You’ll be walking around two big halls. Jangan jadi diva pakai kasut tinggi. You’ll regret it.
- Bring a luggage or a trolley. You’ll thank me for this.
- Wear light clothes. Chiffon would be the best. It’ll get stuffy at certain popular booth and some popular booths, the payment queues are damn terrible. Sometimes up to 2 hours long!
- Do your research. Not everything is cheaper at the fair. Sometimes, you can get it cheaper online like Agapebabies , Qoo10 etc.
- Bring your ATM Card and plenty of cash. Sometimes they have separate queues for Cash & Card Payments. The cash payment queues are always shorter.
I only go to the Baby Market Fair cos i feel they have the best deal. Nadya will be turning 3 months old next week and the next fair by them will be in October. By then, she’ll be 9 months old? For this fair, i’ll be stocking up on diapers and her toiletries mainly. But i’m also on the lookout for:
- Playmat (particularly the Parklon brand)
- Swimwear & Swim Diapers (cos Nadya will be starting her swim classes in May!)
- High Chair (Hopefully she can sit on it by the time she’s 6 months pls!)
- Cloth Books (Nadya love her current one so i gotta buy more before she gets bored of this one!)
- Food Processor (i’m torn between the Little Bean one or the Beaba one.)
The Little Bean Food processor is only $60 while the Beaba one is about $200. There’s a stark difference in price. I like the Beaba one better but i’m not sure if we will use it more than 3 months since Nadya will gradually start on semi solids so we shall see! Padahal anak aku baru tiga bulan dah pikir pasal makan. Dasar anak beranak pelahap.
With that, happy shopping! Go early if you can cos some things run out pretty quickly! If you’re lucky, they’ll stock up.
Deardyan 