Giveaway and Review of I-Study T120 ergonomic table – mypreciouzkids’ biggest giveaway to date!

Without a doubt this will be the biggest ticket item you will buy for your soon to be primary 1 child (in case you missed my p1 prep post, link here). That said it is not absolutely necessary as the cost and space the ergonomic table consumed may not fit every one’s budget or space. You do not need to buy it straight away once the child start school, but I would advise to cater a designated area/table for the child to do the school homework and revision.

The single most important question for most parents, is there a need to spend on an ergonomic table?

For me personally, I see it as a long term investment, the ergonomic table and chair will see your child all the way to secondary school and beyond as the table and chair will “grow” with the child. I remember when my parents bought me a proper study table complete with lights and a folding desk (definitely there is no ergonomic feature whatsoever). I was over the moon and I was very motivated to study and complete my homework. In fact that very same study table is still in my parent’s home – its probably over 30 years old. I hope that with a proper and ergonomic study table, this will inculcate better habits and sitting postures.

The diagram below shows how an ergonomic table will help in creating a good and correct posture as compared to fixed height table and chair. Even if the table and chair is at the correct height, once the child grow, you will need to change another set else creating a wrong posture. This problem is cleverly resolved with ergonomic table and chair which height can be easily adjustable.

I am not expert in ergonomic tables, but 2 years ago, when big J started primary 1 both myself and hubby agreed we should invest in a proper table and chair albeit it being very pricey some even cost more than SGD 1k for both table and chair. At that point in time, there were a few prominent sellers which have their brick and mortar store in the shopping centres hence easy for viewing , touch and feel of the actual product. We finally settled with an ergonomic table and chair set from a German brand which burn a big hole in our pocket. We bit the bullet as we saw it as a long term investment and as we have multiple kids, they could take turns to use it doing their school work (all the way up to college!)

Fast forward 2 years later now that it is now big C turns to enter the world of formal schooling next year. As she is the only girl in the family, she also get to have her own room, and I thought it will be wonderful if she has her own ergonomic table so that she can do her work in peace and quiet away from the other boisterous and distracting boys. Even at this age of 6, she shows diligence and traits of a good student, and I am sure the table will be very much utilized by her when she starts primary 1.

I was blessed to come across a brand called I-Study in my recent search of ergonomic table. Their tables and chairs are manufactured in China using German patented technology for adjustable height table and chair. In the past, when I was comparing German brands and China brand, I often dismiss China brands as inferior in quality and make when I compared the tables at the brick and mortar shops 2 years ago.

I was skeptical of -I-Study’s table at first given that it was made in China but when I actually met Paul from I-Study and saw the actual product at the exhibition they were participating in early this year, I was sold. Being familiar with an existing ergonomic table that big J is using, I am better position to compare and contrast what I owned and i-study’s. Using high quality products and the German patented technology, the set is assembled in China.

Having to own a German brand for the past 2 years and comparing against big C’s brand new PINK ergonomic table and chair, in fact I preferred I-Study table much much more for its usability, ease of use and top quality finishing. To give an idea why I preferred the new set over big J’s current table, I will share the picture of the German brand table that we bought 2 years back.

Pardon the mess, but there is zero shelving, zero drawer and the only pull out compartment below the table has organisation sections. You will see later why I appreciated the I-Studytable much more later on it the blog, and price wise big J’s set cost $300-400 more than the I-Study table set.

The model big C is currently using now is T120 which is 1.2m long. It also comes in the 1m version called T100 which has all the wonderful features except that it is 20cm shorter in length.

At first glance

The table top is made of premium Formica laminate which meets stringent US and European standard. Even with permanent marker or highlighter stain on the table, it can be easily clean with wet cloth. Paul , from I-Study actually did a demonstration when I met him at the exhibition early this year where he used marker to draw and it was easily resolved with a damp cloth.

The legs and table frame are made from medium carbon steel , durable , strong and rust free. The whole structure will sturdy and strong and definitely not flimsy or light-weight.

The most two most important features of an ergonomic table is a tiltable table top (which is a German patented technology) and an adjustable table height.

The table top can be tilt from 0 to 60 degree to cater to different purposes. For reading you can tilt it at higher degree and for doing homework, you can tilt it at a lower degree of slant. The technology used is German patented premium hydraulic system.

The table height can be adjusted from 50cm to 70 cm good for kids from height 120cm to 175cm.

The chair is also adjustable in height good for kids from height 110cm to 188cm. The seat comes with a free seat and back cover which is of waterproof material and machine washable. ( I didn’t have that for my German set :() It has a self braking system where the chair will not move when there is weight on it.

Using it

It is pretty easy to tilt the table – your child would be able to do it on her own. If you are worried of hands being caught, there is a holder area to place your hand while the other hand uses the lever located at the bottom of the table. As for the table height and chair, you can do a one time setup during installation. Of course as your child grows taller, you will need to make adjustment yourselves.

There are no sharp corners, rounded edge to ensure safety for kids.

Loving it

To me, what I really like is that besides being an ergonomic table, it also has shelving and drawer compartments that will come in handy and keeping books and stationery organize. If you run a google on more famous ergonomic table brands in the Singapore market including the German brands, most do not have much shelving or drawer options. For those, you have to buy your own table organizer and magazine racks to do the organization which will add to the cost of the already very pricey table and chair.

My previous German brand ergonomic zero shelving or drawers. As we were first time user, we didn’t know that there is a need for shelving and drawers but as the days go and big J using it, I realise the importance of having shelves and drawers. Hence, I even had to buy plastic magazine racks from Popular to be placed on the table to create some book shelving and some form of organization for big J. If not all the books are just piled up vertically waiting to be toppled. So when I compare the German brand table to I-Study, I am all praises for all the additional shelving, compartments, drawers etc. It is so user friendly and there is even an area to run the table light cord through it so that it looks neat and tidy –really thoughtful design.

One night, I was lying on C’s bed and I spotted another wonderful fixture of the table – a bag hook, rather inconspicuous as it was below the main table ( I didn’t know it for many weeks) but another brownie point for I-Study! Big C can hang her bags from her enrichment classes etc or even her little handbags etc. Given that primary school kids bag in Singapore weighs a ton,I am sure it will also hold up well though I worry the bag’s handle will give away due to the weight.

The foot rest (SGD 29.90) and table light (SGD 39.90) can be purchased separately. For the bundle set, both the foot rest and table light will be given as part of the bundle set. The foot rest gives support to the kids feet for better blood circulation will improve the child’s concentration.

The T120 model comes with blue (with white), pink (with white) and gray (with woodgrain). Gray (with woodgrain) is a more gender neutral colour and maybe look like less kiddish when the kids get older and would have been my preferred choice but since its in the girl’s room and big C gets almost exclusive use – so she chose pink! All I-Study products come with free delivery and installation and 3 year warranty

I-Study are located @ Woodlands Bizhub, 190 Woodlands Industrial Park E5, #10-05 S757516.

At their showroom, do bring along your child to try on the different models of table and chair that they carry.Open Monday to Saturday from 10am to 5pm. Look for Paul at 9101-7370 for any non-obligation discussion.

Website

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Giveaway

Paul from I-Study has generously sponsored the same bundle set (colour of your choice) worth SGD 788 which includes a T120 Study Table with book shelf, Type F study chair with protective cover, foot rest and also the LED lamp.

1. Liked FB pages of mypreciouzkids.com and good.leh

2. Followed mypreciouzkids

3. Repost this visual on IG(tag 3 friends – on my IG post, one tag per comment) with hashtag #mypreciouzkidsgiveaway for the IG giveaway and liked and share this FB post (tag 5 friends) for the FB giveaway.

4. I will also need you to share an additional post which is my FB post on the primary 1 preparation as part of the giveaway as well.

Please keep your Instagram profile public or the Facebook shared post public (as indicated in step 3 and 4) in order to qualify.

I will be picking the 1 lucky winner using random.org. The giveaway closes on 20 August 2017 2359pm (Sun)

Winner: Honey C Javier

Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post. No monetary compensation was received. All opinions are my own.

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Giveaway & Review – Remescar Eye Bags & Dark Circles – mummies, this is a godsend!

As you all would know I am no beauty blogger. I was slightly apprehensive when I was approached to try and review beauty products. However, I have heard of the rare review of the Remescar Eye Bags & Dark Circles, a brand from Belgium which promises to see instant results upon first application, I knew I had to try this for myself.

However, if there is ever a product I truly need to cover my flaw, it would be definitely be a wonder product for my dark circles and eye bag. Even before I had kids, I do have very visible dark circles. Whenever I visit my facial therapist, she will never fail to mention my dark circles but with eye massage, eye mask etc, it doesn’t really solved it . After I had kids and all thanks to the lack of sleep, the dark circles becomes even more visible and concealer has become my bff.

So when I was approach to try and review the Remescar Eye Bags & Dark Circles., I truly want to see how effective is the products. The distributor even shown me youtube video (shared below) of how instantaneous the results ie within minutes.

It is a small tube and at every application you only need to squeeze the size of a rice grain. Firstly on clean washed face, you apply on the entire under eye area using 1 finger using gentle tapping motion. Thereafter, you should remain expressionless for 2 to 3 minutes for the cream to take effect.

It was amazing after a few second I felt the areas of my under eye area tightening (I guess that is why the eye bags can be reduced) . The effects on the eye bags are definitely more apparent compared to that of the dark circle. I wouldn’t say it has completely remove the dark circle but what I notice is there is a more even skin tone around my eyes. It is true that it is very effective from the very first application, hence I may not have to slap on concealers from now on as you can use it with makeup on.Those who wish to use it with makeup, you should apply your makeup first before applying Remescar. It is advisable to use it once a day.

You must be wondering what is the content of Remescar that allow this “miracle” to happen.

The product used a combination of clay minerals and bi-peptise complex which helps with the following:

Skin tightening: As the serum is absorbed into the skin, clay minerals attach themselves directly to skin cells to help form a strong network, giving a visible skin-tightening effect
A decrease in water accumulation: A specialised tetrapeptide has an effect on the permeability of blood vessels around the eyes, preventing an accumulation of fluid.
Micromuscular-pause: Fine lines are a result of an overstimulation of facial muscles under the eyes. The product has a specific multipeptide that blocks muscular triggers, decreasing muscular contractions for a Botox-like effect.

Remescar Eye Bags & Dark Circles is priced at $52 and is available at Watson, Unity, Guardian, SA SA stores, Healthscoop, Redmart and beautiful.me.

Remescar

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facebook

Giveaway

Remescar Singapore has kindly sponsored 2 sets to 2 lucky readers.

1. Liked FB pages of mypreciouzkids.com and Remescar

2. Followed mypreciouzkids on Instagram

3. Liked and share this FB post (tag 2 friends) and in the same FB post, let me know why you would like to win Remescar Eye Bags & Dark Circles.

Please keep your Facebook shared post public (as indicated in step 3) in order to qualify so that I can locate your entry.

I will be picking the 2 lucky winners using random.org. The giveaway closes on 30 July 2017 2359pm (Sun)

Winner : Ashley Tan and Rahama Tunnisa

Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post. No monetary compensation was received. All opinions are my own.

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Giveaway: Owl Readers Club – not your regular bookstore

After the previous post which was my most difficult blog review ever to date, having to review Chinese books, phew, now I can heave a big sigh of relief to review a beautiful set of English books.

I guess the month of July will be all about books (and of course prepping for p1) and most coincidentally, the next online book store that I will be reviewing curate her Chinese collection through Meiru’s Flip for Joy which I have reviewed here previously. So you can get the Chinese books from either website.

Owl Readers Club is not just your regular online book store, but one where they want to bring together like-minded book loving families to share and even exchange titles. They have a membership and reward programme which will be elaborate below.

But firstly, lets look at the beautiful books that I have ordered this time with small J and small C in mind. As Owl Readers Club curates books for kids aged 7 and below, so it is only fitting now to add to library for the younger books who normally only get the hand me downs from the older siblings.

I had a hard time choosing the books. I had it a bit easier as I had ordered my fair share of Chinese books from Flip for Joy previously (my review here) , hence, I didn’t really look at their Chinese book collection which I had gone through one round. Just by concentrating on the English book collection alone, I am amazed by the variety and genre of books that Owl Readers Club has curated, I had so many books I wanted to order!

Ordering online is a breeze, with a simple synopsis of the books and reviews from club members. For some of the books, they have also provided links to their facebook posts of their review and some even have video book review. However, due to the sheer amounts of books that they carry, they are slowly but surely adding the video review/page insert on each book online. They accept payment by major credit cards and free delivery for orders above SGD 60. They also have a price assurance policy whereby if you found the similar book selling at a cheaper price at the brick and mortar store in Singapore within 2 weeks, there will be a refund policy.

Finally, I narrowed down to a decent haul , and when my kids saw the latest loot, they were overjoyed. They went on identifying the books that have seen before in their child care etc.

It is no secret my kids adored Julia Donaldson and had a once in a lifetime opportunity to meet the author/ songwriter/singer (she is so talented!) earlier this year. You can read all about it here.
Small J is big fan as he recognized that his name has “Julia” in it and whenever he come across a title from Julia Donaldson he will tell me to buy it. I do have many Julia Donaldson’s books in kids collection but there are still many that I do not own. So I took the opportunity to add two more books to my/kids collection of Julia Donaldson’s books, these were to easiest to choose as I knew that my kids will love them.

A Squeeze and A Squash

The kids are familiar with this story as I had borrowed it from the library before and this story was also covered in the recent show by Julia Donaldson. Even though the kids had read and know the story by heart, I still think there is a need to keep a copy at home. This is one of those stories that the kids will request me to read over and over again. Even small J even though he can’t read yet, he is so familiar with the story that he can flip page for page and narrate the story. There is even a song for this as well. I have inserted the link below too.

The story of how a wise old man prove to the old lady there is enough room in the house when he asked a hen, a goat, a pig and a cow into the house and made the house a squash and a squeeze. Then she realised once all the animals were out of the house, she knew the wise old man was right and that she has no need to grumble and grouse.

The Smartest Giant in Town

George the Giant brought himself new clothes and proclaimed that he is the smartest giant in town. Along the way, he generously gave away his tie to a cold giraffe, his shirt to a goat, his shoe for the mouse, his sock for the fox, his belt to the dog which eventually made his pants dropped. He didn’t manage to get new clothes as the shop was closed but what he received in return was a card that proclaimed he is the kindest giant in town. It is a very heart warming story for the kids.

Draw me a Star

Another bestseller from a famous author, Eric Carle. I do not know of any kids who doesn’t know The Hungry Caterpillar or Brown Bear, Brown Bear , What do you See by heart. Frankly, I have not read this book from Eric Carle before, but small C is into everything about stars so I thought he will love this book and with all Eric Carle books, all books written and illustrated by him are keepers! And maybe passed on from generation to generation.

The book started with the artist drawing every requests -star, sun, tree,house, animals, flowers of different colours. Finally, the moon requested for the artist to draw the star which was illustrated step by step. It doesn’t really have a morale to the story, but it fuels the little minds with imagination and perhaps the ability to draw a star of their own.

Fish is Fish

I chose another famous author/ illustrator, Leo Lionni. My kids’ child care has a wonderful collection of Leo Lionni books and hence they are very familiar with his stories more than me. I got acquainted with his books through my kids as there was a month in school some years back that was themed after books written by him.

A modern fable of a minnow who wants to follow his tadpole friend, who becomes a frog and venture into the great big world and came back to the pond to tell his fish friend the things he saw – birds, cows, people. The fish decided that he also should go see the world and jump out of the pond. He couldnt breathe when he landed on the grass only to have the frog rescue him and came to realise his world is the most beautiful and that fish is fish. What amazes me about this book was the illustration where the birds, cows and peoples were illustrated in the shape of fish which can be a great talking point with the kids.

A Color of His Own

This was another book chosen with small C in mine to introduce to him the different colours through the beautiful illustrations by Leo Lionni himself, as we explore the different colours of the chameleon and his question of whether he could have a colour of his own. A pretty straight forward story for my 2 year old to appreciate the colour and for my 4 year old to appreciate the wonders of a true friend.

Cloudette

I am not familiar with Tom Lichtenheld but I was attracted by the cover of the book. It talks all things about a small cloud named Cloudette. Due to her small size, she couldnt do things the big clouds do like make a waterfall fall. One day a big storm blew her to a new place and made new friend. A frog needed a pond and hence, Cloudette grew into a big cloud and poured on to the puddle and which grew into a pond. All the frogs thanked her for the pond and made her realised that she has the ability to do important despite her size. This is the perfect story for the little ones to make them believe that there are important things that they can achieve despite being small and young.

Do the kids have a favourite among these books? They loved each and every book from my recent haul from Owl Readers Club. I recalled the morning after the books arrived at my home, it was a Saturday morning, and the kids were up early, so they were in their room, those who can read were reading through it, those who cant read, were flipping through or being read to. It was a very heartwarming scene all thanks to the beautiful books from Owl Readers Club and their pursuit to cultivate the love for books and reading to the very young ones!

As I mentioned at the start of this blog post, Owl Readers Club is not your average online book store. A little more of them and their initiatives….

Owl Readers Club

Owl Readers Club is a club specially designed to encourage families to cultivate good reading habits. With these beliefs in mind, we have created an array of features to allow families to embark on an engaging and exciting reading journey. Apart from curating quality children’s titles at competitive prices, organizing interesting reading-related events, providing opportunities to meet with fellow book-loving families and rewarding active club members, we are also constantly working to tie up with merchants to provide added benefits for our members. We are committed to creating a club where members will enjoy both tangible and intangible rewards of reading with their children.

Membership System and Rewards Programme

Basic and Paid members earn reward points which can be redeemed for purchases. 5 points are awarded for every $1 spent, redemption begins at 500 points which can be exchanged for $5 credit.

Basic Member	Owl Star Member (6m)	Owl Star Member (12m)
FREE	Usual Price $98	Usual Price $188
FREE	Promo Price $68	Promo Price $98
200 welcome points	200 welcome points	200 welcome points
	1000 reward points	2500 reward points

– Sign up as a basic member for free and start earning reward points (e.g. 200 points for sign up, 50 points for writing book review, 200 points for attending book club events and writing reviews)

– Upgrade to a paid 6 or 12 months Owl Star Membership to enjoy benefits (e.g. discounts off HUA language centre, BYKIDO, Annie+Alex, Liliewoods, Little Llama, bouncy castle rental, to name a few).

– Upgrading to a paid 6 or 12 months Owl Star Membership also allows you to earn double reward points for every dollar spent, as well as double reward points for writing book reviews, attending book club events etc.

Phone APP

Owl Readers Club has also develop their own application (Android version on Play Store and the iOS version)and its currently on beta launch. Apart from the sale of books through the apps, Owl Star members would be able to use the apps to connect with other members to exchange books or organise book related activities together! You will be given points as well upon downloading and using the app.

You can access more info at: https://owlreaders.club/blogs/benefits and https://owlreaders.club/pages/member

Owl Readers Club

Website

Facebook

Instagram

Owl Readers Club has kindly sponsored a complimentary 6-month membership (worth $98) and $25 credit (in the form of points to be redeemed) to spend in their online store.

Join Owl Readers Club as a basic member (free signup) and state your email address for the membership used in IG post for verification (or PM me separately)
Liked FB pages of mypreciouzkids.com and Owl Readers Club
Followed mypreciouzkids and Owl Readers Club on Instagram
Repost this visual on IG(tag 3 friends or more (on my IG post, one tag per comment) with hashtag #mypreciouzkidsgiveaway

Please keep your Instagram profile public (as indicated in step 4) in order to qualify so that I can locate your entry .

I will be picking the 1 lucky winner using random.org. The giveaway closes on 23 July 2017 2359pm (Sun).

Winner @iam_mswee

Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post. No monetary compensation was received. All opinions are my own.

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Preparing your child for Primary 1 -welcome to a new milestone for both child and parent

2 years ago when my first child, big J embarked on this milestone, I was all “excited” as it was a new journey for me as a mother to a primary school kid. I did have a p1 prep series on my blog covering mostly things I have gotten for big J for his primary 1 but as I was an inexperienced parents myself, I wouldn’t be able to elaborate on more intangible items which I will elaborate in this post as I have gone through 1 round with big J. Hence, I am better prepared as a parent as big C starts her journey next year. I wouldn’t say that I am expert p1 prep mummy but I have gone through one round, but by 2022 when my #4 small C enters primary 1, I will be an EXPERT!

After the excitement of the p1 registration was done and dusted 2 years ago this time, I went on a retail therapy to prep big J for his milestone journey (partly to counter my own anxiety as my first born enters his important milestone.. For this time round, I started much earlier in preparation for this blog series of p1 prep enlisting the help of some sponsors along the way and my own personal experiences. I hope that you will find this blog useful as you navigate through this milestone with your child especially for the next coming half year before school beckons in 2018.

Things to purchase

Ergonomic table – You can read about my review and current on-going giveaway (giveaway has ended) of the I-Study T120.
Ergonomic school bag – Ergo or non ergo? I believe this is what most parents will be asking. We grew up in the era where we have never heard of the word ergonomic and I think we all turn out pretty fine, though the loads that the primary school students carry today maybe be far greater than what we had carried during our time. I do acknowledge that ergonomic bags are much heavier than regular school bags due to its make and its spinal support, but I personally prefer to spend a bit more on a better structure bag especially as the child will be using it on a daily basis. There are many ergonomic bags which are in the range of SGD 100 plus and it probably can last 2 years or more. Some brands also offer trade in for the old bag for a discount for the new purchase. Big J has been using Impact’s Comfort Spinal Protection since start of p1. You can read my review here and 1.5 years old I must say it is still in pretty good shape despite being thrown everyday on the floor. There are many ergonomic brands in the market, Ergobag , SPI, Lego, Deuter, Dr Kong, Moonrock. My word of advise, do bring along the child when you try on the bag, what is pleasing to you may not be suitable depending on the child’s height and built. See review here for IMPACT IPEG 223 by Ergoworks.
Pencil case, stationery etc -I will not encourage to prep the child with the fanciest stationery like from Smiggle etc. They are bound to lose at some point in time. Also fanciful stationery will attract attention and take the focus away from class proper. Some school teachers do find it a huge distraction when pupils gather to “play” or “fiddle” with the fanciful gadgets or stationery. The best place to get the stationery will be from Popular School fair which happen every year end where I will go on a massive stock up of stationery of school. This time round, I also manage to do get a personalized school kit from Stuck on You for big C. See my review for the school kit here.

Name label, clothes label, shoe label – see my review from Stuck on You

Lunch box/snack box – with the implementation of snack break, there is a need to bring a lunch box to school . In the past when there is no snack break, J prefers to buy from the canteen during recess (coupled by the fact I do not have time to prepare for him) , hence there was no need for any lunch box per say. For the new mandatory snack break implemented by MOE ie healthy food and less messy food are to be consumed in the classroom. Big J’s preference is fruits which is easy for me. For big C, I will have to think hard on what to pack for her. I got her a cutesy my little pony lunch box (I cant remember where but was at some departmental store and check out the Stuck on You label. Do check out the latest and newest personalised bento boxes from Stuck on You , newly launched – big C will get her own personalised bento box from Stuck on You – see my review here

photo credit: Stuck on You

Wallet – I find the nicer one at Toys R Us or Smiggle and the elastic chain you can get it from Popular or the school’s book store
Water bottle – as the kid will get to refill it often at the water cooler, there isn’t a need to get a giant size one. Also no particular need for a strap as they normally placed the water bottle on the designated table before purchasing the food
School shoes and polisher – There are many brands such as BATA (there is a model which is lightweight that J particularly liked though it does not last very long – so far a pair last him half a year), the school uniform vendors also sell them especially for some schools which uses black school shoes instead of white . If you are making trips to Malaysia, the white shoes are generally cheaper in Malaysia too! White shoes are just more functional than fashionable at this juncture. As the feet grow in size and daily wear and tear, there isn’t a need to invest in a branded white pair of sports shoes (in my opinion those some parents may differ). There is also a brand called Raymax which seems to be a popular choice among students as well. http://www.raymaxscience.com.sg/
For girls – hair accessories in approved colours ie black
Name stamp or label printers (in substitute of of name labels) My mum actually used this for me during my schooling days! This is an alternative to pre-printed name labels. There are also printer labels from brands like Brothers or Dymo . See this for review of Brothers’ label printer.
Watch – big J didn’t have a watch in p1 and he survived through it. There is a wall clock in the classroom and school bells at the end of every period,hence there isn’t much need for a watch. However, if the child start attending cca outside school hours and when you think time management is a critical skill , you can invest in a rather inexpensive watch such as Casio. Big J started to wear a digital Casio in p2 to better manage his time and have some sense of time. Digital smart watch is currently in the rage, some are rather pricey and you require a sim card plan in order for it to function at its full capacity. It has phone calling and GPS capability. It is targeted who pupils who does not own a smartphone – an in between till they are officially allowed to own a smartphone. The prices of such high tech gadgets cost from SGD 60 to SGD 200++ This device will be useful when the child take public transport on his own and leave the vicinity of the school compound on his own – location tracking. If the child is either in student care or school, there isn’t a real need to do location tracking. Big J already lost a Swatch watch (not brought for p1 but his birthday present) in school , so no thank you for now, and I don’t feel the need for a smart watch at this juncture and more so for the p1. As in point above, the more fanciful an item that the child brings to school , there is more distraction created which is most unwelcome by the teachers!
Uniform – a tip – buy more PE attire than uniform, it is more comfortable. I cannot speak for all school but big J wears it every day because it saves me the trouble of ironing and more comfortable as well as he is in the afternoon session. The school’s general rule is on days of PE and CCA, they are allowed to wear PE attire. It may differ from schools to schools so do check with the school teachers on orientation day and gauge the correct proportion of uniform vs PE attire when you are about to purchase from the uniform vendor during orientation day.
Textbooks – most parents will purchase them lock, stock and barrel during school orientation day as it is all pre-bundled with exercise books, folders,book covers etc . However, if you have the book list you can also purchase the text book at Popular with some additional savings and credit card rebates, however, you will still need to purchase some school specific items like journal, exercise book etc (hence you still need to make a trip to the school book store) So in short, if you want to save the hassle (as the savings is not huge), do get it all at the school book store. Some school book store also offer delivery service saving the hassle of carrying it all home. Do remember to get the plastic book covers as well to save you from the hassle of cutting and wrapping their textbook.
Alarm clock – this is good to train independence, however if you have sleeping log like big J, the loudest alarm clock wouldn’t rouse him from his deep slumber

Skills to learn

Handling money – Money counting skill and most importantly how much to bring if the child eats in school and saving. Some preschools and child cares will also organize a trip to a nearby primary school’s canteen to let the current k2 the joy of purchasing food on their own. In this aspect, I am not too worried for big C as she often tag along her brother to buy “safe” food and drinks at the hawker centre but she hasn’t really learn to count money. Rest assured even if the child is unable to count money by the time they enter primary 1, the canteen aunty are always helpful to return the correct change to you, and it is a skill they will learn in no time. Its for the parent to gauge the correct amount of money to be given to the child in the initial periods. Some school canteens have electronic payment system whereby it can be deducted from the child’s preloaded student pass. A trip to the canteen on orientation day will give an idea the average cost of the food. Recently, big J’s primary school introduce healthy meal eating which has raised the cost of canteen food due to inclusion of healthier food such as fruits and multigrain rice etc. Some school also have a buddy system during the initial days at the canteen or some school will have parent volunteer to assist them in the first few days of schooling.
Cleaning own-self in the toilet – When I ask my fellow mummies what are the main concerns in primary 1, one common response – cleaning themselves after big business. I didn’t have an issue because big J never did big business in school (don’t ask him how he does it, but he only does his big business at home) but letting the child try on his own (with monitoring) and maybe bring along a Kleenex toilet tissue will ensure a cleaner wipe than regular toilet paper.
Reading analog time – This is similar to handling money, even if you don’t read time, with the school bells ringing at every period end, you will be able to survive p1. Then said, it is part of the p1 Math syllable but nearer to the end of the year. It will still be good to teach the kid to teach analog clock during the school holidays but do not stress over it too much!
Class of 40/30 kids vs a small size class setting in childcare or preschool – I was not prepared for this until big J started p1. I didn’t think it was an issue but it was for big J. His K2 class was smaller in size and he is often the one contributing in class etc. When he transited to primary 1 and in a class size of 30 (all strangers to him) he is unable to contribute as much as he wish to as the teacher would want to give every one an opportunity especially the more quiet kids. I do not have a solution to this for big C but I would have to mentally prep her that it is a much bigger class than her current k2 class with unfamiliar friends and teachers.
The school book store – Some kids discover this early, some not so. But as parents we have to navigate it carefully. This is similar to the snack store in school. First rule of them, do not give them excessive money – when there is no excess they will not be able to buy unnecessary items. Then again there are kids who skipped the meal entirely to buy unnecessary items or snacks. From the start of the school, parents have to be firmed on what the money can be spend on. If there is a need to buy something from the book store, ask for permission before purchasing it. Big J had been caught a few times buying country eraser and some fancy erasers from the bookstore. If all stern warnings do not solve the issue, then the most extreme measure will be cut away the pocket money entirely.
Journalling – the habit of writing homework, outstanding items etc . Most school will require students to purchase My FTGP Journal ie diary where the main purpose is to jot down notes, and most importantly school homework so that the child/parent do not need to rummage through the whole school bag to search for undone homework. Do not worry as the teachers will guide them through the initial weeks and they will be an expert in no time.
Being responsible for items required in school ie no helicopter parenting -School not allowing parents to bring missing items to school, I am totally for it. The child will need to learn to be responsible for his /her own items.
Adapting to student care – some student care encourages the p1 going child to join in Dec so that the child can get use to student care before p1 begins, you can explore this option with the student care when enrolling your child in the student care
Phone call – As the p1 are not encourage to bring handphone to school, if there is ever a need to call the parents, there is a coin telephone (ie your child need to remember the handphone of either parents or both) or the final resort will be to seek the assistance of the school office admin who will definitely have the parents’ phone number in file.

Knowledge to acquire

Hanyupinyin (“HYPY”) – There is heavy emphasis in HYPY in primary 1, even more so that the Chinese character recognition. It is best to expose them to some foundation before going to primary 1. I do know that most k2 syllable and Chinese enrichment classes which will touch on HYPY in K2.
Handwriting – I was shocked when I discovered there is hand writing book in p1 and even p2 called Stellar. It looks rather elementary to me but I had realize that legible and neat handwriting is very important and should be inculcated from a young age. Generally girls have neater handwriting than boys based on my general observation . That said, I realised big J has improved on his handwriting neatness so that hand writing book does help in a way.
English– you can check my review on some supplement material for your p1 going kids. I found this interesting write up on young parents on 8 things your child must know before he starts primary school from the English language perspective
Mathematics – you can check my review and here on some supplement materials which could be useful for your p1 going kid
I found a few articles on young parents website on the level of knowledge your child should have entering primary 1- English, Math and Chinese. That said, do not be overly worried as most schools will have remedial classes for weaker students as early as the beginning of primary 1 so that they can catch up with their peers. The articles’ content were mostly provided by enrichment centres hence expectations maybe on the high side. I also know some schools which practice segregation to cater to students of different learning abilities by class too.

Others

Silent reading books (most school do not encourage comic, even it is from general knowledge magazine like Young Scientist etc) . Personally I prefer a light thin books or books from the library, non hard cover etc as the school bag already weigh a ton! Especially for Chinese books, there are many suitable thin Chinese books from the Singapore collection that you can borrow for your child to bring during silent reading during assembly. For your home’s Chinese book home collection, I would recommend Flip for Joy to build your own library of Chinese books. See my review here.
Daily cleaning of classroom – since the 2017, students are tasked with different cleaning duties, be it at the canteen table, sweeping the floor in the classrooms . Parents are also encouraged to reinforce such good habits at home.
Have good personal hygiene– ensure they have proper hand washing technique and also when they should be washing their hands ie before and after meal, after toilet, after sneezing or coughing or after class duties
Being involved as a Parent Support Group (“PSG”) – I am a PSG myself though due to work commitments (signed up on the first day of school), I am not the most active but I do try my best to volunteer my time for school activities and the week –long programme. When your kid sees that their parents are involved in school activities, they will feel a sense of support and pride. PSG also allows me to know the parenting networks and the teaching cohort better.
Familiarising with the new environment – As compare to the childcare or preschool, the primary school compound maybe be intimidating to the child. Do take the child around the school during the school orientation day to familiarize themselves especially the important areas like toilet, assembly hall, canteen and office.
Helping your child develop a routine – As more and more schools are turning into single sessions should, it’s time to get the child to go to bed early and waking up earlier. Do try to develop a routine closer to school reopening so that the transition will be smoother. Pace year end activities – do not come back at the tail end of the school holidays so that the child will get ample rest before his big milestone. It would also be useful to help them develop an after-school routine/ time- table, such as setting aside time for homework and play.
Buy food and eat faster -To make the transition easier, you may to pack a small sandwich or snack for your child for the first 2 weeks of school so that they will still have something to eat if they find it too difficult to manage at recess time.
Guiding kids to make healthier food choice – no child can resist snacks or sweets especially when they have their own pocket money. As parents we should model and guide them on selecting healthier food and leave the snack and sweet treats for special occasion or rewards.
Do a Transport Dry Run– Whether you will be walking to school together, taking public transport, or using the school bus, it is always a good idea to do a dry run together –this is also to gauge the approximate travel time , though morning rush hours and traffic and bad weather will add on to the travel time.
Set aside time to talk to the child after school – often the teachers will relay informations for the parents tthrough the child. You will also be able to find out about his emotions, fears and and on-goings in school. There are kids who would just spilled everything once they reached home, others will be only say when asked.
Communication with teachers and other parents – the most popular will be an app called Class Dojo. This is a platform for teachers to communicate with parents (without divulging their phone number). For parents, there is the group whatapps chat group though they are two camps of thought on whether is it beneficial to join. Some parents do not feel the need to have the safety net of information if the child has missed out a spelling or homework. For myself, I use those reminder by parents as a reminder to myself more than that of the child as I have multiples kids in different schools, it is sometimes quite tough to remember it all.
Tuitions for parents – For parents who wants to be more involved and guide the child, and not so familiar with the requirements and MOE Syllable, Marshall Cavendish Education organises parents workshop for subjects like Math and English for the lower primary students. Recently I attended a workshop on comprehension, you can read my review here. I thought it was time/money well spent on a Saturday and if you have multiple kids like me, you will bound to reap the most benefits….well until the syllable changes.

Useful sources:

Here I share some useful links / videos that may be helpful to you and your child as you navigate to the “whole new world”

ISBN: 9789814765206

http://www.armourpublishing.com/product/timmy-tammy-guide-to-primary-one/

ISBN : 9789814765749

http://www.armourpublishing.com/product/timmy-tammy-saving-and-spending-money/

Last but not least, enjoy this milestone with your child. It may not be one that you are excited about (manage your own anxiety as your child will be able to feel it) but unless you going through the homeschooling route, you have the embrace the challenges ahead with an open mind and desire to learn this new journey with your child. For non first timer , I am sure you are like me, more confident to be able to guide the child as he /she navigate her way into primary school. And if there is anything that I missed out to make this list of mine more comprehensive, do drop me PM on my blog’s FB or comment on this post, I would be more than happy to include and make this list as comprehensive as I possibly can for future reference and sharing. Feel free to share this blog post with your friends who are going through this same journey as you -the 2011 babies and hopefully we can all help and support each other! And for all those still awaiting registration into the school of choice, all the best!

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Giveaway : Flip for Joy – time to build the Chinese book library at home!

I didn’t learn Mandarin as my second language and my ability to converse was all thanks from watching channel 8’s drama serials. I can recognize probably less than 100 Chinese characters and big J at p2 already knows more Chinese character than me now.

Our inability (including my husband’s ) to provide a Mandarin-speaking environment at home was my greatest fear that they will one day hate the language in school ( I often fear that I may need to migrate to another country if my kids struggle in their Chinese) Hence, the kids were send to Chinese enrichment classes the year they turn 3 and it is the only enrichment class that daddy was totally supportive of it.

So when it comes to sourcing for good Chinese books I am often at lost. I like buying set of Chinese readers books as it is easy to procure at once. it comes in 1 big set and it has naturally progression ie it gets harder and harder with more characters recognition. It is similar to the English readers like Peter and Jane. It helps them in learning to read and recognize the character but the storyline was simple. There is no imagination whatsoever or morale of the story. They are just very boring and repetitive stories to get the kids to recognize more and more characters are they go along. Those books lack interesting and imaginative storyline so after a single read, the books are “chucked” aside.

I recalled once I had a friend (who is super proficient in Mandarin) buy Chinese storybooks on my behalf as I do not know what is good and what is not and suitable at their level.

So for me, e-store like Flip of Joy is like a godsend. I cannot be always asking my friend to procure books on my behalf. The owner behind Flip for Joy , Meiru was ex-JC Chinese teacher who curates good Chinese books for the different age group and she is more than willing to share what is think its suitable for different ages for helpless parents like myself. There are many e-stores will carries children books at a competitive pricing but they normally carries more English books than Chinese books. Flip for Joy is probably the only e-bookstore that carries 100% Chinese books for pre-schoolers till lower primary school kids in Singapore.

The website has been made easy for buyers like myself (ie lost in translation) to narrow down suitable books for different age good. By using search words like bud (0-3 years), bloom (3-5 years) and 5 to 9 years (blossom), the e store will show Chinese books suitable for the different age categories.

The other way to search for books is by genre , fun, knowledge and love.

Flip for FUN books are highly interactive and a whole lot of fun.
Flip for KNOWLEDGE are insightful and have rich elements of story-telling.
Flip for LOVE books help children love the important values in life.

What I really appreciate about the e-store is that it comes with an English synopsis and also a few sample pages of the book. I never buy the books by the cover. I usually will try to look for sample pages before making my purchase decision. For eg if I were to purchase English books from Book Depository which doesn’t have sample pages, I will go to Amazon to look at the sample pages before deciding.

In my kids’ primary school’s silent reading session before assembly, Mon to Wed’s are for English books while Thurs to Fri are for Chinese books during silent reading before assembly. I do hope that there is a swap because as it is whenever big J goes to the library, all he brings back are English and more English books. He is pretty strong in his Chinese all credit to his enrichment classes and teachers since young but he still doesn’t read enough Chinese books (and it makes it even harder than I am unable to select /procure books on his behalf unlike English books).

As this post will be part of the blog series for preparation for primary 1, the books that were ordered from Flip for Joy were for big C in mind (of course the kids will be sharing) . Hopefully will be part of her silent reading Chinese books when she enter formal school next year. Do forgive me as my review of the Chinese books would not be as perfect as my English books review due to my Chinese language proficiency (lack of). I have even enlisted big J for some of the reviews as well.

图书馆狮子 Library Lion

This was the only book from my order which came with a small booklet in English and an audio CD (so thankful and hence the reason why this is the first book to be reviewed) . A small part of me hopes that all Chinese book will come with its English version and audio CD so that I will be a more confident story teller of Chinese books.This is an English bestseller but the translation has kept its essence of imagination when a lion visits the library. What I like about books from Flip for Joy, the books have stories and imagination are what is lacking in my collection of Chinese books (which are just readers and hence surely has made my Chinese book collection least favoured compared to my award winning /best seller English books.

This is a super heart warming tale too where the lion was allowed in the library if it abides by the rules of the library. However, on one occasion where the lion actually went against the rule (for the right reason), he was told to leave the library. I won’t create a spoiler on how it ended but it has a happy ending. This is probably the one with the longest story-line of this set that I had procure from Flip for Joy -which is actually good for k2 to lower primary school kids.

100层的巴士

This book was part of the series by Toshio Iwai, a renowned Japanese artist that big J enjoyed reading as we have the earlier 3 books. I think this is a new edition to this series and I knew I had to get it to complete the collection. Not only does this book fill the kids with imagination at each level, the book opens up vertically to give an extraordinary reading experience – even as an adult reading for the first time, I was filled with anticipation as the more and more level are being built onto the bus!

need i say more, this is what you cant get out of kindle

What I really love it how much the content fills the kids up with imagination. How is it possible to have a hundred decker bus and what make it more “real” is when the vertical page which opens up to show that hundred decker bus.

勇气 Courage

I do have one exception, I actually chose this book based on the cover as I have seen the cover vaguely , my guess it was a popular English book. The book explore the different kinds of courage and often than not, my kids are lacking in courage to try new things or new challenges. This book explores the different kinds of courage and celebrate whether is it a big or small achievement.

This particular book is bilingual hence it has both the English and Chinese text. It talks about all kinds of courage, normal one – ie everyday’s courage and also special courage too! There is one particular courage which speaks very closely to big C, the courage to eat the vegetable before making a face. Once she read that, she went in stitches…obviously it was talking about her! It is a very simple book and yet it is very relatable and definitely a keeper especially for age 4 and above where they can apprehend the concept of courage even though courage may not be in their vocabulary.

经典童话系列（三）(10册）

I love this series as big C would have know the stories in English and the books are thin and light , perfect to be brought to school’s silent reading sessions. Not too many words in 1 book and she will be able to finish 1 book in 1 sitting and light enough to be added to the “heavy” school bag. The set include classic stories like The Little Prince, Cinderella , Puss in Boots using clay figurines as illustrations. And the best part, it comes with hanyupinyin!

如果地球被我们吃掉了

Rarely can we find children’s book with message of environmental conservation. My kids in childcare have been taught to save water and not to destroy Mother Earth so I thought it was apt to add a book of this genre into their library. I don’t believe I have any English books which discusses about the environment as well. Coupled with beautiful collages, the book has simple sentences and it is not intimidating to young readers.

点 The Dot

This is another translation from the English bestseller by Peter H. Reynolds. It talks about a young girl, Vashti who didnt know want to draw on a blank piece of paper. Her teacher asked her to make a mark so she simply drew a dot .After finishing the dot, the teacher told her to sign her name on the paper. And after she saw that her painting was being framed up in the teacher’s office, she was further inspired to make different version of dots and goes on her own artistic adventure until she had her own art exhibition. During the exhibition, a boy told Vashti that he couldnt draw a straight line. So Vashti told the boy to draw and also sign on it.

This is an excellent book to motivate reluctant learners or kids who are lacking in self confidence, and this story line can be easily understood by 4 years old as it is not a wordy book and my kids loved this book very m

As you can notice from my selection of books, many of the books in the Flip for Joy e-store are bestsellers in its original languages and now translated to Chinese to retain the beautiful storytelling and illustration but to expose preschoolers or even the lower primary school kids to Chinese. I suppose it is easier to understand the Chinese language if the child had read and loved the English version before.

Flip for Joy offers free local standard mail for all orders and free courier delivery to your doorstep for orders S$50 and above.

Flip for Joy

Website

Facebook

Instagram

Do follow their social media as Meiru will recommend new titles and promotions regularly. And you can also ask her for her recommendation of books for the different age group and interest before buying.

It is really time for me to build their Chinese library at home to “counter the effect” of an English speaking environment and also an almost 100% English library at home.

Giveaway

Flip for Joy has kindly sponsored two of our favourite books to share with mypreciouzkids’ readers – 点 The Dot (FB winner) and 100层的巴士 (IG winner).

1. Liked FB pages of mypreciouzkids.com and Flip for Joy

2. Followed mypreciouzkids and Flip for Joy on Instagram

3. Repost this visual on IG(tag 3 friends (on my IG post, one tag per comment) with hashtag #mypreciouzkidsgiveaway for the IG giveaway if you would like to win 100层的巴士 or liked and share this FB post (tag 3 friends) for the FB giveaway if you would like to win 点 The Dot.

You can join both giveaways too if you can keen on either books.

Please keep your Instagram profile public or the Facebook shared post public (as indicated in step 3) in order to qualify so that I can locate your entry or BOTH to double your chances of winning.

I will be picking the 2 lucky winners using random.org. The giveaway closes on 16 July 2017 2359pm (Sun) (1 from FB and 1 from IG).

IG winner: @thornedsapphire

FB winner: Ng Mei Ping

Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post. No monetary compensation was received. All opinions are my own.

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Giveaway : Stuck On You – labelling has never been such a pretty affair!

I know the whole P1 registration process may be daunting for many first time parents or even some parents with kids of a different gender going to a different school from the elder siblings. Coupled by the anxiety of having the child going through a new milestone, it is a mixed of feeling of excitement, anxiousness , sadness, happiness all jumbled into 1.

I know the p1 registration will start in less than a month time and for many it is a daunting process if there is no affiliation etc, hence by virtue of calculated distance and some strategic play. I went through the same process two years ago with big J and it was an experience I do not wish to relive. That said big J did joined the school of my choice which was a co-ed school which makes it easy for big C this year round. I will not dwell on how to choose the correct school and the whole registration process is very much based on judgment and luck. Let’s put the mixed feeling aside and do the fun stuff!

Hence I have decided to spend time this time round on a blog on all the things you need to know to prepare your soon to be primary 1 – ie the fun part , ie the part where you can source for functional and fashionable stuff for primary school. I target to launch the blog post after the p1 registration but there will be reviews from now onwards on things which you may need for p1 (or to prepare for p1). Do drop me an email or PM on my social media if you are keen on any particular item and I try my best to include them in.

Kicking things off, would be name label for school by Stuck On You! There are many ways to label their belongings – stationery, books , water bottle, lunch box, clothes, shoes etc. The most primitive method will be just plain old marker/pen. Some will customized name stamps or purchase label makers. It is a personal preference but I am biased as I loved name labels. It just makes my day to see my belonging labeled with fancy stickers and good quality ones that doesn’t peel off easily.

There are many name label supplier in the markets – locally and also from overseas and Stuck On You has got to be the one with the prettiest design – boys or girls.

I came to know that Stuck On You is an Australian label that is currently found in 15 countries and have been operating for more than 20 years, hence labels ordered are printed in Australia as well. Their current range includes clothing labels, bag tags, shoe labels, height charts and the most popular has got to the their name labels. Even though Stuck On You are currently operating in many countries, all their designs are still created in-house at their headquarters in Geelong, Australia.

Name labels

Their name label range comes in a variety of sizes – large, medium, mini, small, dot. Design wise, it can be classic designs to very fanciful designs. For those who are looking at more fanciful name labels. Do check out their Gelati range or their kids designer range. As you can see, the designs are all so pretty that big C took some time to look through it.

I actually show big C the designs that they have and to no surprise she choose this. She is all pink and purple, fairies and princesses. Their website is catered to instant preview of name, colour and design. So you can get to see how it actually look like even before printing.

Based on my previous experiences, as I would need the Chinese name, I would need large/medium to include both Chinese and English name together for her Chinese text books. There are many font designs to choose from, but if you need to add the Chinese words, then you will be limited to choose the simplified chinese font

Those who wants to get a range of name labels including shoe labels and clothing labels can consider their value packs which gives greater value. https://www.stuckonyou.sg/label-value-packs-1

For this round, I have skipped the iron on clothes label and shoe label (they are useful for childcare but not so for primary school) as I did not utilized it much during big J’s time. So I will only concentrated on getting name labels to labels textbooks, belongings, lunch box etc for this time round (a bit wiser with prior experience). Well, from experience you do not need to label everything with name label. For exercise books, you can also write in pen/marker.

The name level comes in different design and colour scheme for 1 design, ie you dont get 20 similar labels. There are a variety in just 1 pack of labels – and you can choose the colour scheme of the labels too and view them before ordering.

Stuck on You proudly offers a 100% Guarantee on the quality of their labels. If during the first 3 months of your order you are not happy with your labels, they will gladly reprint them for free (Limit one reprint per customer)

School kits

As I was browsing through their website to check out their wide range of very pretty personalized products, I accidentally came across their school kits which I thought was perfect for big C too! . The school kit includes a personalized pencil case, 12 personalised coloured pencil and 10 personalised felt tip marker, 2 HB, sharpener, eraser, scissor and ruler.

During big J time, I did try to label the pencil with mini labels in my feeble attempt so that the boy doesn’t lose his belonging. But boys being boys, I gave up in labeling them after a few attempts. However, I am complete trust in big C being a girl and the most responsible child in the family she will take good care of her belongings.

the marker is a 2 way marker

I believe this is a best school kit to start her primary 1. This may not be something that you absolutely need for your child, but if you looking get a personalized gift for a primary school going kid, this is just perfect and very useful too!

Just a tip, some school teachers do not encouraged fancy stationeries like those pop out pencil cases that Smiggle carry as it creates “distractions” in class as the other kids will gather to “try out” the fancy stationery. Hence, I prefer that it is more functional and less fancy. This school kit comes with a zipped pencil case which is my preferred kind of pencil case as its light weight and if it ever dropped on the floor, it will not get spoilt so easily.

If you are ever at lost at buying birthday present, one of the best personalized gift are actually name labels or even the school kit! Stuck On You also carries a range of personalised backpack and lunchboxes too! They even have a range of baby gifts from personalised rompers to name blocks perfect for baby showers! As a mum, I would love to receive such pretty personalised gift too!

Stuck On You

webstore

facebook

instagram

Giveaway

Stuck on you has kindly sponsored 3 x SGD30 e-voucher to 3 lucky readers which they can redeem online.

1. Liked FB pages of mypreciouzkids.com and Stuck On You

2. Followed mypreciouzkids and Stuck On You on Instagram

3. Repost this visual on IG(tag 3 friends (on my IG post, one tag per comment) with hashtag #mypreciouzkidsgiveaway or liked and share this FB post (tag 3 friends).

Please keep your Instagram profile public or the Facebook shared post public (as indicated in step 3) in order to qualify so that I can locate your entry or BOTH to double your chances of winning.

I will be picking the 3 lucky winners using random.org. The giveaway closes on 9 July 2017 2359pm (Sun) (2 from FB and 1 from IG).

IG winner : sunbubble

FB winner: Jingrong Loh and Sonia Tsen

Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post. No monetary compensation was received. All opinions are my own.

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Giveaway: Beluga Kids by Baby Beachbums – the cutest neoprene thermal swimwear ever!

Trust me when I say I am an expert in buying swimwear as I have been buying TONS of swimwear for the past 8 years for my 4 kids. When my big J started “swimming” or entering the pool at a tender age or 4 months, he was crying and felt very cold. At the same time, I see Caucasian babies often with swim tops (just swim diapers/pants) frolicking in the same pool as big J happily. I am not sure if it’s the “body composition” of Asian/Chinese kids or just that they are not expose to cold water regularly that generally they are “layered” more in the public pools.

So after witnessing big J shivering and shortening his swim time due of cold, I went on a hunt for thermal swimwear to layer him. I bought him a neoprene thermal wear from a well-known local brand (it was a plai- coloured but most neoprene looks almost the same) which he outgrown very quickly and it didn’t really work. Thereafter, I even invested in the Konfidence swim jacket to layer in addition of the neoprene thermal wear. Well, I didn’t the layering help him but as he gotten older and more exposed to pool, he could stay longer in the pool.

Then I had big C , I avoided the neoprene thermal wear like a plague as it was really “UGLY” for a girl. I wanted pretty and cute swimsuit on the girl and I gotten the cutest bikini set , princess swimwear and my favourite fashion swim wear stall is Disney store online till this very day. However, all this fashion swimwear doesn’t help in keeping her warm, just very cute and on very hot days, she will be able enter the water, else she will just play by the side of the pool!

However, when big J and big C started swimming lessons proper which goes on for 1 hour (and many a times have to sit on the ledge for their turn), I need to get proper swimwear for them – ie neoprene full suit swimwear. As their swimming lessons are in the late evening, they often shivered and I do have a tip which work well to keep their body warm despite donning neoprene full suit swimwear. I bring along a flask of warm water in between their turns, they will come to me for a sip of warm water to warm their body. Of course, it was a matter of time before they are able to handle the temperature of the water for their late evening lessons.

Due to changes in schedule year on year , now big J swims on mid day when the sun is blazing hot, so I needed the swimwear to cover as much of the body so that he doesn’t get tanned. Maybe it is not so critical for the boy, but for the girl, I will avoid her getting tanned at all course. If there is a long sleeve and long pant swimwear, no matter how ugly she will have to wear it. It is no longer a fashion show but swimming lesson proper.

Recently I came across a local swimwear online shop called Baby Beachbums which carries neoprene thermal swimwear for kids from baby to 8 years of age. In a neoprene garment, the water is trapped between the neoprene and the skin is heated by their own body temperature. What caught my eyes and attention was they carry neoprene thermal wear range called Beluga Kids which has the cutest prints and even matchy one for boys and girls

Why have I not known of this….my older two has been wearing plain, uninteresting neoprene swimwear for the longest time. And sadly big J has passed the age where he will wearing cutesy print and is very happy with plain single-coloured Arena swim wear!

This was big C’s thermal wear that was passed down from big J. Really boring looking full neoprene thermal wear and it make her look boyish somewhat.

Warm Kinetic in coral star by Beluga Kids

I hope I have gotten you all excited by showing you the transformation from a boyish big C to a more feminine looking big C all thanks to Beluga Kids’ Warm Kinetic neoprene thermal wear.

I will be reviewing their own house brand –Beluga Kids. They also stocks other imported brands from US for different age group and even fashion wear swim suits. For their home brand, Beluga Kids ,they have enlisted the help of a US designer and have this range manufactured in China under stringent quality control.

Beluga Kids also have 2 range of thermal wear – Lil’s warmer (Fleece) for 3 months to 4 years old and also Warm Kinetic (neoprene) 1 to 8 years old , which is the one I will be reviewing for big C and small J. The Warm Kinetic range is made from high-quality UPF50+ 2mm neoprene core body panel and a light stretchy Lycra sleeves and side panels.

A fun fact about beluga, they are whales found in the arctic waters around Russian, America, Norway and Greenland. To protect themselves from extreme cold, they possess a layer of blubber that is 15 cm thick! I wasn’t very familiar with beluga personally but my kids are, as they have a children’s song learnt in childcare about baby belugas!

Baby beluga in the deep blue sea
Swim so wild and you swim so free
Heaven above and the sea below
And a little white whale on the go

Baby beluga, baby beluga
Is the water warm
Is your mama home with you, so happy

At first glance

For the Warm Kinetic range, the current range has 2 designs for girls and 3 designs for boys.

The light pastel colours on both the girls and boys with cute motif in the middle really set Beluga Kids thermal swimwear apart of the other brands that you see in the departmental store. If you are looking for a matchy prints for boys and girls which is what big C and small J are wearing, it has to be the coral star and aqua star. Otherwise, the shark reef and lavender whale are really cute on its own too!

I must say due to the 2mm thickness, the suit doesn’t feel heavy and bulky. Karen from Baby Beachbums informed me that even though thicker neoprene provides more warmth, thicker neoprene also means more buoyant, so it is not recommended by some swim instructors.

inner sewing

even the lycra sleeves are in matchy prints of different colour

But what attracted me and the kids most the pastel colours and the print in the middle. Compared to their boring thermal wear, their eyes pop up when they saw it. Its like opening their Christmas present. I guess they must have not liked their previous thermal wear and they loved they are wearing matchy wears too!

Big C is wearing size 6 – 8 years old while small J is wear size 4 – 6 years old. As they are on the smaller built (they are probably 3 and 5 year old in size) , their thermal wear may seems looser on the body. However, I preferred that they wear it longer (and more mileage too) than more snug. However, if you are looking for more thermal insulation, you should size down so that the swimwear shouldn’t be too loose to obtain the full benefit of thermal insulation.

Baby Beachbums also offer a Free Exchange Policy for sizing issues where they will reimburse customers for any postage incurred when they send the swimwear back for exchange so you don’t have to worry if you have gotten the size wrong.

Using it

No matter how pretty, fanciful or fashionable, neoprene thermal wear must be functional. It should be able to keep the child warm in the pool. So far after a few rounds of swim at the public pool, I have not heard them complaining about being cold in the water etc even though they are wearing a size bigger.

It is longer than most neoprene swimwear – ie cover the arms and legs more (mid-length) which is good especially on hot days when the kids will get tanned easier – so any extra coverage to reduce the “tanned area” is a plus to me especially for big C!

As it is not all all-body neoprene suits, there is more freedom in movement as compared to all-body neoprene suit and adding to the overall lightness of the suit.

Caring for it

Neoprene suit should be washed immediately after use with cool water and mild detergent (just a wee bit to remove the chlorine). It cannot be machine washed.

Do dry the swimsuit in shaded areas to prevent discolouration.

If there is anything to critic, it would be the back zip enclosure , I do hope that the back zipper has a more pronounced closure ie an extra velcro to close the opening. I didn’t quite like the lycra collar flipping out at the back. That said, it doesn’t create any discomfort or reduce the thermal insulation layer in any way.

Other that, I am totally in love with their new swimwear to their swim classes! I bet they have the nicest looking thermal swimwear in their swim class too!

Do check out their Beluga Kids range via this link

While shopping for the swimsuit, you can also add on accessories like goggles , swim care products. They have stocked my favourite swimcare products online too, you can read my review for Pout Care here.

Baby Beachbums

Webstore

Facebook

Giveaway

Baby Beachbums has kindly sponsored 3 Warm Kinetic (in the same design as worn by big C and small J) for 3 lucky readers!

1. Liked FB pages of mypreciouzkids.com and Baby Beachbums

2. Followed mypreciouzkids and Baby Beachbums on Instagram

3. Repost this visual on IG(tag 3 friends (on my IG post, one tag per comment) with hashtag #mypreciouzkidsgiveaway or liked and share this FB post (tag 3 friends).

Please keep your Instagram profile public or the Facebook shared post public (as indicated in step 3) in order to qualify so that I can locate your entry or BOTH to double your chances of winning.

I will be picking the 3 lucky winners using random.org. The giveaway closes on 11 June 2017 2359pm (Sun) (2 from FB and 1 from IG).

Winners:

FB : Linus Goh, Noor Fazillah

IG: @tammytng

Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post. No monetary compensation was received. All opinions are my own.

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Giveaway: Not your run-of-the-mill car cleaning workshop – EA Detailer terminates pest and sanitises the car (promo code included)

What do I know about servicing or cleaning of car? I only “use” the car to ferry the kids from point A to point B. I don’t even keep track about whether there is enough petrol , air in tyres or enough value in cash card for ERP or parking but I am very concerned about the appearance of little cockroaches in the car.

We had the same problem for our first car which lasted us 10 good years. During the final years when the car ferried 3 young kids, the size of the cockroaches were huge, we only do occasional vacuuming and the problem has never resolved.

When we bought our new car 2 years ago, we VOWED to take good care of it by reducing the instances of the kids eating in the car, however it is unavoidable sometimes when the baby wants his milk, he WANTS his milk. During our road trips to Malaysia, we cannot avoid feeding kids some food as it is not convenient to stop just to snack. Now the car is into its 3^rd year and little roaches have found its way and if we do not do something about it , the problem like what we had for our first car will appeared.

TIP NO # 1

Did you know that cockroaches will find its way into the car even if there is ZERO eating in the car. I was told by the representative by EA Detailer even if there no eating in the car, cockroaches are attracted by food smell if the passengers packed food home, or if the car is parked near garbage areas or basement car parks.

So a TIP for my readers, do have a tin of air freshener in the car, once you have taken the packed food out from the car,to remove the smell by a few spritzs of air freshener after removing the packed food from the car.

When I came to know the existence of anti pest fumigation for car, I am very intrigued. There are not many companies which deliver this service in Singapore , EA Detailer is one of the few. I have zero interest about polishing of car and servicing but I am deeply concerned about the cleanliness of the interior of the car as my kids are passengers of the car and how to improve and to put it bluntly, kill all the roaches!

So our family car went for a 6 hour “spa” treatment – not just for the exterior polishing shine but anti pest, anti viral and anti mold deep clean of all possible nook and corner of the car.

This was what greeted me when I reach the workshop – this is for first timer to ensure that we find the correct spot to park before a representative does an assessment of the car – take “before” photo of the car and to identify existing scratches and dents.

In the waiting area, there are NERF guns for those who came with kids and a comfortable plush sofa and an adult racing carseat for those who wish to kill time at the showroom. Else EA Detailer also provide ferry services to vicinity area for customers to drop off their car and to pick up the car thereafter.

This is the state of my car before the session. He told me that it is unusual for my car to have many scratches on the bonnet of the car – I do not have a single clue what could have caused this.

Even before the fumigation has started, we discovered these!!

4 stage stage purification (SGD369)

Stage 1: Bio fumigation – use non toxic mist , the mist is released into the closed interior of the car and kept in for 30 minutes. This process will ensure that 80% of the cockroaches will be exterminated. To do a full 100% extermination, they advise to come for another round of fumigation 2 weeks later as the car owners will witness the leftover cockroaches within the next 1 to 2 days after fumigation. The representative assured me that the fumigation mist use is safe for children and pet and there will be an ozonic process later which will get rid of the smell and purify the air in the car.

Stage 2: Hydro extraction vacuum , if you are familiar with Rainbow vacuum cleaner, instead of using the conventional dust bags vacuum clear. The Rainbow uses Mother Nature’s most powerful element, WATER, to trap dirt and odours, returning only naturally clean, water-washed air to your car interior. This unique water filtration system captures 99.997% (by weight) of typical household dirt. Remaining microscopic particles are caught by HEPA Neutralizer Filtration System. This two-stage filtration combination removes nearly 100% of dirt and contaminants.

steam and Rainbow vacuum cleaner

Stage 3: Sanitization, Using Hospital Grade Disinfectant- Legionella- X (a product from Canada) which has been certified by Singapore General Hospital, the disinfectant used is proved to be of 99% effective against viruses like HFMD .

Stage 4: Steam vapourizing – this stage using water at 65 to 70 degree Celsius to kill dust mites on fabric area of the car including the inner roof, floor board, car boot area and for car seats which are made of fabric. The most important benefit of vapouring is that no chemical is used in the whole process; the effect is achieved with boiling water only.

There will be a release of O3 ozonic treatment to purifying the air in the car especially important after fumigation and to purify the air that is coming out from the air-conditioning. So during this process, the air conditioning will be left switch on for 15 minutes during the ozonic treatment. Besides purifying the air, ozone kills germs, viruses including H1N1, H7N9,HFMD, E.Coli, Salmonella, MSRA, Staph, etc. This equipment is also used in hospitals, clinic, hotels and airplanes.

Besides that, all leather parts of the interior of the car will cleaned and polished using Sonax leather care foam.

TIP NO #2

For readers who want to try out the anti pest fumigation service, you should clear the car of all your belongings EXCEPT baby/toddler car seats. EA Detailer will also assist to clean the car seat by steaming and sanitizing the car seats as well. There is no point by cleaning the interior of the car but leaving the car seats untouched as the dirt/dust and insects trapped in the baby/toddler car seats will attract new colony once they are placed back into the clean car.

3-stage Exterior Glow (SGD 219)

These exterior cleaning stages will be more familiar to many daddies out there.

Stage 1 : Foam washing – the typical of what you see at run-of-the mill car washing workshop, this is done concurrently when the anti fumigation mist is sealed in the car for half hour

Stage 2: Claying – it’s a special cloth to clean away impurities on the car (to me it’s a bit like sandpaper but a more delicate kind, scrubbing if I want to put it in spa terms)

Stage 3: Compound polishing – there are 3 stages to this stage as well, starting with the heaviest cut using polishing buffer that you see at car polishing workshop, followed by the finest and finally a wax shine which is a coating of sealant. This coat of sealant is the one that give the sparkle and shine but it does more than looking nice. With the sealant, it will repels water beads and reducing water mark effects. However, this will only last 1 month or two. For car owners who wish to go for a longer term coating, they can look into glass coating which can protect the car from stratches and protect the car’s original lacquer/paint which comes at an additional cost.

They will also give the engine bay a wipe without the use of car or water as it may damage the engine.

And finally the tyres and rim will also be given a shine! There is no nook or corner which they do not cover, hence I guess that is why the term “detailing” is used and as part of the their brand name as well. And if you remember about the scratches on the bonnet of unknown cause, as they were not deep scratches , the compound polishing did its magic to clear most of the scratches.

For the car seat, they stripped the fabric and clean all the inner part and steam and sanitize the fabric. I am guilty of not doing this on a more regular basis on my own as I always have huge difficulty stripping and putting back the fabric on the baby car seat. There is no additional cost attached especially for big family of mine, I had 4 car seats to be cleaned at the same time!

Finally before handing over the car back to the client, the car will be driven into the air-conditioned comfort of the workshop where the representative will go through what has been cleaned and if there is any small gap or corner that has been missed out. All I can say is that I am very impressed by the level of service and details they go. They clearly are doing this for the benefits of family who owned cars in Singapore to ensure that they have a peace of mind by exterminating the pest and killing virus and bacteria.

This is a very lengthy 4 to 6 hours process of cleaning the car from car roof to car tyres. Most importantly for parents or mummies who do not know much about car and engines, the interior of the car where normal vacuuming would not be able to achieve that level of cleanliness and anti pest and anti viral state , this is one process I would like to see it done on a regular basis. The representative from EA Detailer suggest the interior anti pest cleaning should be done 6 monthly to ensure not recurrence of cockroaches in the car.

This was the very first time I actually contributed to the maintenance of the family car. This is the very first time I brought the car to a workshop as I am often intimated by all the jargons and engine parts. There is nothing complicated about the interior cleaning – it is a very specific and niche cleaning services to ensure that all pests in the car will be exterminated to create a clean and virus free environment. I am impressed by the many levels and many types of products used throughout the service. Even though I have explained it as a 4 stage interior and 3 stage exterior process, to me there are definitely more than 10 steps to achieve this!

The level of detailing is unparalleled. For most vacuuming done at regular car washing workshop, they only remove the rubber mat to vacuum. EA Detailer has also stripped the fabric mat before doing the steaming and hydro vacuuming on the floorboard. And what I had hoped to achieve, extermination of the cockroaches in the car! The picture below has to be shown as part of my review and the final picture of my review and the single sole reason for bringing the car to EA Detailer.

not to proud to declare but the bottom 2 stripes came was by my family car – there were definitely more than 20 of tem

Thank you, EA Detailer for giving me the opportunity to contribute to cleanliness of the family car to ensure the health and well-being for the VIPs of my car – ie my 4 precious kids.

PROMOTION

For first timer, there is a promotion price of SGD 108 for the 3-Stage Interior Cabin Sanitization which includes all the steps listed above with the exception of the steam cleaning.
Top up $90 to include 3-Stage Exterior Glow (process steps is also available via http://eadetailer.com/car-exterior-detailing-treatment/)

For the steam cleaning, there is an additional charge of SGD 150 which also includes Baby Seat Sanitization. For bigger size cars like MPV/SUV/Flagship Luxury and Large Vehicles, there is an additional charge of SGD 50.

For a SGD150 top up you can upgrade from 3-Stage Interior Cabin Sanization to 4-Stage Interior Steam Purification (process steps also available via http://eadetailer.com/car-interior-detailing-treatment/)

The process steps of the Baby Seat Sanitization is available via http://eadetailer.com/enhancement-addon-detailing-services/

You can make your booking through this link

Giveaway

If you have been thinking of giving this service a try, wait no longer, EA Detailer will be giving a lucky reader’s car a treat -3-Stage Interior Cabin Sanitization worth SGD219.

1. Liked FB pages of mypreciouzkids.com and EA Detailer

2. Followed mypreciouzkids and EA Detailer on Instagram

3. Repost this visual on IG(tag 3 friends in my IG post, one name per comment) with hashtag #mypreciouzkidsgiveaway and liked and share this FB post (tag 3 friends).

Please keep your Instagram profile public and the Facebook shared post public (as indicated in step 3) in order to qualify so that I can locate your entry.

I will be picking the 1 lucky winner using random.org. The giveaway closes on 7th May 2017, 2359pm (Sun).

Winner: Diana Wee

EA Detailer
Address: 51 Jalan Tua Kong Singapore 457250
Contact: 6635 7398
Email: enquiry@eadetailer.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/eadetailer

There are 3 more outlets throughout the island for those who don’t stay in the east. You can check it out on their website.

Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post. No monetary compensation was received. All opinions are my own.

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Sudio Regent – in the class of its own

I am never into headphone and earphone. I see it as as functional but never fashionable. Ever since I had my first Sudio Vasa Bla , my life has “changed”. Ok change is maybe a little too strong of a word, but I can’t imagine doing my evening jog without my Sudio Vasa Bla wireless earphones or when I am at the gym.

If you have been following my blog, you would have read my review for the Sudio Vasa Bla. One of my greatest pet peeve was my earphone cords always get tangled up. So with Vasa Bla, I would never have such a problem. At the point of that review, I was only using the Vasa Bla for my daily MRT commute to watch K drama. It was at the same point when I started using the Vasa Bla, I took up running on a more serious note especially after I was selected to join Great Eastern Women’s Run’s Run to Live Great programme to motivate non-runners like me to pick up running as a sports. My journey as a runner requires an entire blog post dedicated to my new hobby, however I will only do that once I have achieved a significant milestone. I have been running regularly for the past 6 months.

With my Vasa Bla, I can even watch K drama on the threadmill without cord dangling all over. I do jogs in the evening as running on threadmill and actual road is different, and I love having Spotify streamed while I jog/run. So the Vasa Bla is my running’s company especially on days when my husband doesn’t pace me during my evening jog. I also have Runkeepers apps stream to myearphones to track my distance and to remind me my pace and distance throughout my run.

I can’t really imagine my life without my Vasa Bla especially since I have been more actively working out. Sudio has played a big part of my “transformed” life.

And when the next beauty from Sudio launched in Dec 2016, I know I had to try it.

Wireless headphone with interchangeable covers…..

Wow…is an understatement.

As you know I am not an audiophile and unable to do any technical review about sound quality etc. I will review based on how Sudio Regent has benefited me and my other half.

Ok, I will be very honest, I was not the first person who used the Sudio Regent. My husband loves his music before his bedtime as a form to unwind after hectic day at work and at home (it gets a little crazy with 4 at home). He had headphones prior to Sudio Regent but they are all not cordless. So when I saw him using it, I knew he is a Sudio convert. The Bluetooth pairing is the same as the Sudio Vasa Bla. Just 3 buttons side of the headphone, 2 to control the volume and the middle button being the power button. It is really idiot proof – ie dont really need to read the manual to learn how to pair it.

Finally, I manage to pry the Sudio Regent away from my husband. Truth to be told, I have never really use headphone before and the Sudio Regent is my first. I do not have a point of comparison for this review. Besides being very fashionable , it is comfortable on the ears and the quality of the music streams to the ears is crystal clear. Just like my Sudio Vasa Bla, it is cordless, hence I won’t get into tangled cord position. It has a much longer battery life than the Sudio Vasa Bla, up to a good 24 hours. I am using Android-based smartphone, with Vasa Bla I am unable to see the battery life on my smartphone but I can see the battery life of the Sudio Regent on my smartphone though.

As part of the package, the Sudio Regent also comes with a cord for times when you need to use it when the battery runs low but this is not my preferred option as one of my greatest pet peeve is to have tangled cord and wire.

I must say music streamed from headphone and earphone is different. The music streamed from headphone is indeed more superior as compared to that of earphone. It has a more surrounded sound effec tjust like in the theatre. I believe the Sudio Regent is especially good for movie watching at home. Now, I prefer to watch my Kdrama at home using the Sudio Regent over the Vasa Bla due to the superior sound quality. However, I do find it a tad too big to be brought out for my MRT commute.

So, Sudio Regent will be my headphone for home and Sudio Vasa Bla for my commutes and my runs. I am thankful how the Sudio products have changed my quality of life. It started with my search for find cordless earphones which has lead me to be acquainted to the Sudio brand and how I have been a Sudio convert. And now my husband is a convert too!

Sudio Regent is available in two colours, black and white which retails at SGD 229.

Quote mypreciouzkids for a 15% discount (there is a instant 20% tax rebate on checkout) which adds up to a total discount of 32%.

For a limited time only, for every purchase of Sudio earphone, there is a free white marble handphone case, which is a matchy accessory with the Sudio Regent!

Its come with free shipping always which only takes 3 to 5 days for the beauty arrive in Singapore. Every unit comes with a 1 year warranty.

There are also accessories like caps to change the look and feel of the Sudio Regent. I had a hard time choosing between the white or black Sudio Regent. I even had a harder time using the caps to accessorise my Sudio Regent. It was a love at first sight once I saw my chosen combi –white Sudio Regent with the blue Selva Azurro caps. I guess whatever the combination, it is a fashion statement and yet a very functional headphone!

I had the privilege of bring the beauty on board my recently c0ncluded cruise, and it lasted through my 5 day 4 night cruise without needing to do recharge! That’s my #sudiomoment!

Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post. No monetary compensation was received. All opinions are my own.

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Super popular Korean multifunctional bags -Blessing For You now launched in Singapore

In the past,we rarely hear of baby products from Korean. Ok, there was one particular range of baby product which Koreans has dominated since the time I had my first child back in 2009 – playmats. The quality of Korean playmat are unparallel, except for discolouration, my soon to be 8 year old play mat is still good and very much in use and the ONLY baby product that has lasted so long and has such a long useful life!

When I had my first child in 2009, most products are from the US. However, in recent years, baby related products from Korean are the mainstay. From breast pumps , teething products, baby food, strollers etc, you can find very good and competitive priced baby products from Korea – functional and fashionable too.

I even invested in a Korean brand breast pump for my no 4 in when my US brand breast pump called it a day after serving me for 5 years as it was competitively priced and I have heard good reviews on it. Hence, I have not hesitated when it comes to buying baby related products from Korea.

Recently I also did a review for the another Korean talking playmat Yelly Mat , you can read it here.

So when I saw that there is anew range of diapers bag, adults and kids bags and accessories from Korea, I have no qualms on trying as I “knew” the quality will be good. Its just first impression but I shall have to try it for myself. Named Blessing For You (“BYF”), I was told that the brand of bags is very popular with the mothers in Korea and also featured in KBS Superman Returns. The bags and accessories comes in more than 6 different prints and more than 10 models including accessories.

It is currently exclusively distributed by my favourite baby products vendor – Thelittleonesinmylife.

For all the prints they have carrying, I am totally in love with Raccoon star – raccoon, maple leaves and trees. All the prints that they have I feel are gender neutral hence, your other half would not complain when they are carrying the bag.

I am so so lucky to be one of the first few mummies in Singapore to try the Bless Hub model in Raccoon star print. I have lost count the number of diaper bags that I owned before. I had a Kate Spade, Skip Hop and most recently the super popular JuJuBe bags. So I guess I have tried my fair share of diaper bags for 4 kids over 8 years to give this newly introduced Korean brand in Singapore an unbiased and fair review.

BYF have the same print for the different models of the bags and accessories they carry. I like to match everything up so I can to be pulling up similar print accessories from the main diaper bag. This concept appeals to me very much as I am love everything that comes in a series.

Compared to many years ago where diaper bags are merely functional and not fashionable, time has changed. Diaper bags are also fashion statement among the mummy communities just like handbags, there are mummies who only has 1 kids but numerous diaper bags – different prints and models for different occasion – fashionable and functional. Nowadays many of these bags have a second life lease of life after their days as a true blue diaper bags are done and dusted – just multifunctional bags for travelling or a full day out with kids. Gone are the days when diaper bags are being thrown to cold storage once we passed the diapering and milk bottle stage of the child.

The series from BYF aim to do just that. From first glance, you wouldn’t think of it as a diaper bag as it surely don’t look like one. One of the best ways to review a diaper bag is to have packing videos/photos. So here goes….

The outside

Made from oil cloth material (similar to apron ) it is waterproof and light weight. Dirt don’t get on it easier and if it does, it get cleaned very easily too. The padding on the back of the bag are netted hence it doesn’t feel hot from using it outdoor. The straps are padded as well hence, you will not feel that the bag and its weight is cutting into your shoulder.

The inside

The inner lining is made from polyester. With extra netted pockets surrounding all sides of the bags, there is sufficient compartment for all that you want to bring out.

There is also a key strap so that you will never have to rummage through your backpack to find the elusive housekeys!

Using it

At first glance it is a very boxy bag. After packing it up, it is a lot roomier than I would have thought. As the weight of the bag is very light, after packing it all in, it probably weight less than 1 kg with 2 full size water bottles and a full 350ml thermos flask.

My typical going out items are diapers, spare charge for my youngest, a jacket for my youngest, 2 water bottles (shared by 4 kids as I can’t bring 4 bottles out), wet wipes, milk bottle, flask, milk powder container, diaper changing mat and some snacks to “subdue” the baby if we are out for a long meal.

Here is how I packed it all in my latest diaper bag!

I had my milk bottle, milk powder container , thermoflask on the smaller netted compartment while my wet wipes pouch goes into the biggest netted compartment.

For the water bottles, there is a choice whether to place it inside the bags for an uncluttered look or outside for easy reach. I preferred that the older kids’ shared water bottle is on the outside so that they can easily help themselves with it while the baby’s bottle is inside.

I even pop a change mat that I owned at the “extra” compartment where the back pack shoulder straps are cleverly hidden”. I will show you more of that “extra compartment” later as it is my favourite feature of the bag. Instead of a change mat, you can easily pop into the ezpz mini mat or a thin book, stickers book etc.

On the two outside compartment , I have my extra pack of wipes and also my huge LGV20 handphone

What’s inside the matchy wet wipes pouch

I like to have an extra pouch where can pull out to bring along for diaper changes in 1 go. So small C’s 2 spare diapers, spare change and a small tube of diaper cream goes inside this pouch. As it is a 2-compartment pouch, the wipes has its own exclusive compartment with an inbuilt wipe lock. Ingenius, how lazy mummies like me do not even need to pull the wipes out of the pouch, just flip the lock.

The pouch also come with a detachable long strap so that the pouch can function as a small slingbag for short outings. So I also tried to packed in my super humongous wallet and super big handphone and it fits to the T. I don’t think there are bigger wallets and handphones out there than the one I carry 😛

I would have preferred if the pouch also came with a shorter strap to convert into a wristlet for a more versatile carry but that said this is the roomiest sling/clutch bag that i owned so I will be using this for my short trip out with or without the kids.

What I really love

I love that this bag is very versatile that can be carried as a shoulder bag or a backpack depending on the occasion and how much you have packed. If you have packed it to the brim, you have to use it as a back pack. The two shoulder pads can be cleverly hidden in the extra compartment at the back of the bag.

The size is made to suit the Asian frame as it is made for the Korean market. It is just nice for me , small frame and me being all 152cm tall. It doesn’t looking I am carrying an oversize back for my small frame. Hence, due to the compact size, it doesn’t feel that it is bulky or heavy. Check out the range at

Blessing For You

Do check out the many bag models and accessories by BYF. They even have the cutest baby bags, totes and accessories. So it is not just for the mothers who are still at the diaper bags stage but family with young kids.

Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post. No monetary compensation was received. All opinions are my own.

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My Preciouz Kids

Sharing the fun, the fashionable, the functional for kids in Singapore through the eyes of my precious kids!

product

Giveaway and Review of I-Study T120 ergonomic table – mypreciouzkids’ biggest giveaway to date!

Giveaway & Review – Remescar Eye Bags & Dark Circles – mummies, this is a godsend!

Giveaway: Owl Readers Club – not your regular bookstore

Preparing your child for Primary 1 -welcome to a new milestone for both child and parent

Giveaway : Flip for Joy – time to build the Chinese book library at home!

图书馆狮子 Library Lion

100层的巴士

勇气 Courage

经典童话系列（三）(10册）

如果地球被我们吃掉了

点 The Dot

Flip for Joy

Giveaway : Stuck On You – labelling has never been such a pretty affair!

Giveaway: Beluga Kids by Baby Beachbums – the cutest neoprene thermal swimwear ever!

Giveaway: Not your run-of-the-mill car cleaning workshop – EA Detailer terminates pest and sanitises the car (promo code included)

Sudio Regent – in the class of its own

Super popular Korean multifunctional bags -Blessing For You now launched in Singapore