Mummies r u "brand conscious" for ur babies?

[jasobias]

Hi mummies,
was out today at Suntec n could not help noticing how many parents splurge on their little ones be it strollers,clothes n other stuff.No doubt sometimes certain brands do carry quality stuff but this is not true of everything.
At John Little there was this mum n dad with baby in tow looking at strollers.Daddy had decided on one light weight one but mummy's reaction was"eh,this brand never heard of b4 leh..pay so much then pple dont know gd one..waste money one,better buy brand pple got hear one".
Later when they walked away i checked out the stroller,cant remember wht brand lah,but it was pretty comfy n light weight with all the impt functions.
I have some frens too who wld dress up kids only in designer clothes,nothing less than Ralph lauren.

I on the other hand dont really care as long my baby is comfortable.U cld put rags on them n yet they wld feel comfy.N stroller can be any color n any brand as long baby is comfy they wld be happy.Even clothes i dont mind hand me downs.Help save environment too by reusing.My mum n sisters kept sending pressies for baby esp clothes n after 1 wear she wld have outgrown them.A waste really.

Even diapers,some pple r conscious even abt tht!!!I buy my baby sealer diapers,brand is not very known n its pretty cheap n gd quality but yet i get pple ask me"why u dont buy pampers?very gd brand one?"*sigh*

I wonder n worry abt my kids generation.Will labels become the all impt factor for everything?Even education has labels.I tell pple i took my son out of k1 coz i was on bedrest during pregnancy n cldnt send him to school n also his teachers were pretty lousy,they wld stare in disbelief asking wht he does at home.Watch tv n play lor..duh!!!hahhah:wewub:

Dear mums,pls share ur views!

 

[stonston]

I'm not brand conscious unless it's very good deal (less than S$10), which is possible when online stores having sale & you join sprees to save on shipping.

Stoller was $70, considered quite branded but it was ON SALE. This was a really good buy.
Diapers we buy NTUC or Giant HOUSEBRAND. Cheapest & good! & I only buy when there's OFFER. Will stock up during offers
Clothes we buy anything as long as it is comfy & looks decent (I'm quite particular about cartoons that look 'cheesy'). My mum usually buys my boy's clothes during her business trips to HK, China, Vietnam & Japan.

You are right about parents splurging on their kids. I have a friend who decks her girl in branded goods. So much that her hb can't stand the way she spends and divorce with her (there's no third party at all! He just can't stand her spending habits!)

The only thing I'm willing to splurge on is education (books, education CDs, enrichment classes, educational toys). But I still do alot of research and budget checking before I commit.

 

[jasobias]

hahha..ya i know those cheesy cartoon clothes.Most even have cheesy lines or wrong spellings on them!!
The only thing i wld spend on is gd medical care.My baby was hospitalised last mon after i brought her to KK A&E coz she was sounding wheezy.They decided tht she had to be hospitalised as they didnt know wht was causing it.We chose 1 bedder coz didnt want her exposed to other sick kids.The service was amazing.We were seen by all the senior drs n the nurses too were very attentive.A big diff to my measly hospitalisation which is usually 4-6 bedder.Amazing tht the levels of service can differ by so much in the same hospital just by opting for a different class.For kids tht why i choose the best med care.For education,i am still not placing much emphasis on it.If they r smart they wld excel no matter wht.If they r not so bright then..hahahhaha!hmmm..

 

[apollo]

stroller - capella... will not invest on those which cost $1k+... haha...
diaper - if on sales, will get pampers, huggies.. but normally will use cheaper brand during day time, if not i will go bankrupt... my theory is, as long as wont leak, wont cause ds's thigh to be reddish, means suitable for him...
clothes - i will NEVER buy branded clothes for ds!! his clothes are those carters romper pack or mothercare.. if u calculate, each only cost 4-6bucks.. i will not buy burberry or other highend clothes for ds cos baby outgrow very fast...

 

[stonston]

hahha..ya i know those cheesy cartoon clothes.Most even have cheesy lines or wrong spellings on them!!
The only thing i wld spend on is good medical care.My baby was hospitalised last mon after i brought her to KK A&E coz she was sounding wheezy.They decided tht she had to be hospitalised as they didnt know wht was causing it.We chose 1 bedder coz didnt want her exposed to other sick kids.The service was amazing.We were seen by all the senior drs and the nurses too were very attentive.A big diff to my measly hospitalisation which is usually 4-6 bedder.Amazing tht the levels of service can differ by so much in the same hospital just by opting for a different class.For kids tht why i choose the best med care.For education,i am still not placing much emphasis on it.If they are smart they wld excel no matter wht.If they are not so bright then..hahahhaha!hmmm..

Medical wise we've covered him very adequately with insurance. Covers all expenses (no cash at all) even in private hospital's 1 bedder ward. That's the MOST IMPORTANT!!!!

Education-wise, I've seen smart kids who do not have opportunities, end up also dun do well in school. If you talk to more parents with kids in pri/sec school now, they'll tell you it's worth it to send them to enrichments while they are young & do not have long hours at school. & the best time for kids to learn is when they are 2-6 yo. Their brain absorbs & retains fast!

 

[hui_ru_88]

In my situation, I got to be conscious in choosing brand. The reason for so is due to my husband and my age gap. They kept saying my husband is unable to support us. Worse is I am schooling now. In another words, everyone is monitoring how my family (my husband, maughter and I) are surviving. ​

Because of that reason, outsiders including my relatives keep comparing my daughter with their kids and etc. Due to that reason, we are under a lot of stress. ​

But one good thing is my husband sells adults clothes. Thus at times, he got free clothes from Zara, Espirit, Carter, Guess and etc as complimentary. Besides that, because of his job, he gets to know other people who sell branded kids’ clothing. In the end, we are able to get cheaper or free branded clothes from them. So far, the most expensive clothes I ever bought from my daughter was when she was about 6 months old, I got her a Guess romper that costs close to $50. ​

As to baby safety stuffs like stroller and car seat, my relatives and outsiders keep comparing theirs with ours. In the end, I always go online to look for reputable ones. On top of that, they got to be brand new and yet cheap. Even if we managed to get one good brand at a very cheap price, they will still compare the quality and etc. ​

Next is diaper. When my daughter was born, we bought pampers (red packaging) for her. Then, we realized the absorbent is not good. Then we changed to Fitti. But 3 months down the road, the quality of Fitti went down and we changed to Huggies (Red packaging) during day time and Mamy Poko during night time. Though is more expensive than Fitti, one good point is it is more absorbent and thus, able to help us to save money in another way. ​

As to medical wise, all the while my daughter is seeing a pediatrician as she got cardio problem. One funny thing is my relatives said that it is a must to see a pediatrician but why are we wasting money on this area. What they said sounds contradicting but please, which parent does not want to give their child the nest especially in medical wise. ​

The worse is they never understand that we are unable to get any insurance for my daughter due to her cardio problem and kept nagging about it. ​

In short, due to the situation I am in, I got to be brand conscious. ​

 

[redjn]

I dun go for brands, more to practical & cost

 

[meiteoh]

Lets be honest - having children CAN be expensive and the trouble with a lot of people is that they are competitive or care too much about what other people think of them. Not that these are bad qualities...

But like everything in life, it must be done in moderation.

I'll admit - I'm not a brand conscious person and hubby & myself are cheapos. A lot of people assume that just because he's white, that we're swimming in gold. But we're just like any other middle class working couple, if not worse off (because we're on one LOCAL income at the moment). And we dont't give a rats ass about what other people think.

We buy cheap whenever we can - our stroller (which is a travel system so it comes with a car seat - Group 0+) is an unknown European brand (Bambisol) and costs us around 120 euroes instead of a Graco or McLaren one which was going for 500 euroes.

Clothes? I buy preloved whenever possible but otherwise, I try not to go over $10 per romper.

Diapers? Whatever that's on sale really - I calculate cost per piece. People have suggested Pampers but it's the most expensive brand here and to be honest, Eva has never had diaper rash because I change her diaper VERY OFTEN which means I'll be throwing away cash like crazy if I use Pampers.

Toys? I buy as little and the cheapest possible (during sales) as babies outgrow toys very fast.

Music CDs? I download instead of buying - sorry.

Food? I'm breastfeeding her directly and the only gadgets I have are my breast pumps (which comes with two bottles) and my steriliser (which already comes with four bottles). And I dont't really use those two things - you could say I save a lot of cash just by BFing her directly.

Other stuff like baby monitors and what-not - I go on a need basis. If I dont't need it, I won't buy it. I've been holding out on buying a baby monitor for weeks because every time I get the itch to buy one, I ask myself - do I really need it when I can hear her squeek in the crib and I'm in the kitchen?

Educational material is probably the only thing I won't skimp on and even then, I'd check the price first - am not going to blow 100 over bucks for something that won't last more than 6 months!

Like I said, value for money in the long run.

It's not just with the baby that we're like this. Hubby and I dont't wear branded clothes, and we always go for what's cheap & comfy!

So we learn to put brand aside and go for "best value for money". You dont't necessarily have to buy branded items for your children in order for them to get the best. If you can find the same thing for cheaper, why not go for that even though it's unbranded? At the end of the day, what you're paying for is not just the product but the name and more often than not, you're not paying for its actual value - the profit goes to super rich CEOs who are already swimming in enough cash instead of the people who really matter like the workers who have kids of their own.

 

[chelle]

I am brand conscious only when it comes to things relating to medical & safetly!
Eg, visit PD instead of GP, carseat etc choose reputable brands.

As for clothings, i buy from EVERYwhere, frm Orchard to the market near my house!
For diapers, i choose the better brand (Mamy Poko) coz my poor BB had UTI when he was 1 mth old, so worry using cheap diaper might cause it again.

 

[Frenchkitty]

Clothes : At home, my son wears those cheap Kiddypalace singlets and tees with just a diaper on.
I only spend abit more on quality going-out clothes because mine being a boy, already not many choices to begin with.
Only GAP, ON, Mothercare, these handful only (and some various cha-pa-lang brands from United Square). Therefore it is more a problem with limited choices and not so much the brand that we're after.

Also, we've been really lucky thus far because our baby is the 1st of everything in both families - first son, grandson, great-grandson blah blah.. so we received many generous gifts.

Stroller - COMBI Miracle Turn retails at $600+ but I managed to get mine sale for $400+, which was really a steal for everything I want in a stroller so I bought it.

AVENT steam steriliser - gift from my bestie
Carseat, bottle warmer- gift from my brother.
Rocker - gift from my father in law
Highchair cum day-bed - The KP $179 one that I've been eyeing...My hubby bought cos we striked 4D
Luckybaby walker - gift from father in law cos he also striked 4D (whole family striked 4D together)


Therefore, yeap that about sums up our major purchases so far - either gifts or 4D $$. Never really spend much.
.
.
I do know of someone who recently just gave birth and she is an ostentatious person. Before she was pregnant, she is already a show-offy person bragging her material things like what carat size diamond she is wearing on her finger, what LV bags she bought, and according to her she only uses things with labels.. Including slippers (Birkenstock).

Needless to say, now that she just gave birth, her son uses Aprica stroller, and she always makes it a point to comment that her son is wearing Carters, or [insert brand]. And he will be wearing rompers with the brand written, which really scream "Look at me, notice me!"

 

[hakisumi]

i am a MTB soon

when i walk on streets, i realise how some parents 'help' those branded good to do some free advertisments.... like frenchkitty said "brand written, which really scream "Look at me, notice me!" <---- like tat.. ahhaa

i myself will start to wonder....

when i officially start to shop for stuffs, i den realise how expensive & branded, it can go for a start, if you want it to be.. but of cos i am those shop & save type..i do not have alot of Hand me downs so will need to buy some brand new..

me & hubby do like branded goods to a certain extend but we earn and buy, we buy on ocassion like bdays or xmas.. with a baby coming along, its more of a cut down, everything will be a saving for the little one, i dun wish my kid grow up with LVz & Gucci and thinks that everything come very easy.. nth fall from the sky, you learn to earn to/ and get it urself...den you will appreciate

i have a fren whose parents give him extra allowances.. so he can buy his own stuffs & also the kids stuffs... price/ money seems not a prb to him at all~ but i feel some education is money cannot buy de..

when visiting to their house, is like visiting a mini toys r u.. a doll house that cost $500!! $500!!! jus imagine.. how often will the daughter play? i rmber during my childhood days, with $500, you can buy alot of things from barbie dolls...i am brought up in a way whereby 'not everydae is xmas or bday' and i do agree kids outgrown the toys very fast, afterall i was once a kid.. the 3mins of flame...

education i wouldnt mind..like enrichment courses..if the kids like/enjoy it, y not? this part my sub-concious is abit kiasu..learn more things is good...but hopefully not pressuring too much...

clothes: hand me down plus a few new pcs...cant resist to buy.. very cute
diapers: going for cloth diapers.. save more~
stroller: gift from hubby's boys
baby cot: hand me down from hubby's colleague
high chair: gift from my dad
car seat: hand me down from hubby's colleague
steriliser: buy new, promotion deal from pigeon
walker: gotta ask my FIL to buy..muahhahaha

 

[hui_ru_88]

Therefore, yeap that about sums up our major purchases so far - either gifts or 4D $$. Never really spend much.

clothes: hand me down plus a few new pcs...cant resist to buy.. very cute
diapers: going for cloth diapers.. save more~
stroller: gift from hubby's boys
baby cot: hand me down from hubby's colleague
high chair: gift from my dad
car seat: hand me down from hubby's colleague
steriliser: buy new, promotion deal from pigeon
walker: gotta ask my father in law to buy..muahhahaha

I really envy both of you as your baby stuffs are either given by relatives or friends.

For me, I really got to buy everything except clothes.

 

[apollo]

i am a MTB soon

when i walk on streets, i realise how some parents 'help' those branded good to do some free advertisments.... like frenchkitty said "brand written, which really scream "Look at me, notice me!" <---- like that.. ahhaa

i myself will start to wonder....

when i officially start to shop for stuffs, i then realise how expensive & branded, it can go for a start, if you want it to be.. but of cos i am those shop & save type..i do not have alot of Hand me downs so will need to buy some brand new..

me & hubby do like branded goods to a certain extend but we earn and buy, we buy on ocassion like bdays or xmas.. with a baby coming along, its more of a cut down, everything will be a saving for the little one, i dont wish my kid grow up with LVz & Gucci and thinks that everything come very easy.. nth fall from the sky, you learn to earn to/ and get it yourself...then you will appreciate

i have a friend whose parents give him extra allowances.. so he can buy his own stuffs & also the kids stuffs... price/ money seems not a prb to him at all~ but i feel some education is money cannot buy ..

when visiting to their house, is like visiting a mini toys are you.. a doll house that cost $500!! $500!!! just imagine.. how often will the daughter play? i rmber during my childhood days, with $500, you can buy alot of things from barbie dolls...i am brought up in a way whereby 'not everydae is xmas or bday' and i do agree kids outgrown the toys very fast, afterall i was once a kid.. the 3mins of flame...

education i wouldnt mind..like enrichment courses..if the kids like/enjoy it, why not? this part my sub-concious is abit kiasu..learn more things is good...but hopefully not pressuring too much...

clothes: hand me down plus a few new pcs...cant resist to buy.. very cute
diapers: going for cloth diapers.. save more~
stroller: gift from hubby's boys
baby cot: hand me down from hubby's colleague
high chair: gift from my dad
car seat: hand me down from hubby's colleague
steriliser: buy new, promotion deal from pigeon
walker: gotta ask my father in law to buy..muahhahaha

sry to say that but i think ur friend is abit 'useless'.. how old is he alrdy?? got kid alrdy still taking allowances from parents?? i rather be someone who earn my own money and save wisely then someone who take allowances from parents and spend the money lik nobody's business :001_302:

 

[jasobias]

ya u guys with hand me downs r lucky.I am the only one in my family with kids n my hubby side all the kids r all grown up so sometimes no choice but to buy.I scour ebay for gd deals too.Ya things like walker..not like baby gonna use so long..n some r so ex..just saw one in mothercare yesterday shaped like a car..cute lah but wah piang so ex!!!
I dont have big group of frens as i am picky abt the pple i am with .My frens gave mostly ang paos which will go into babys savings acc.Some gave little gold items.

 

[hakisumi]

sry to say that but i think your friend is abit 'useless'.. how old is he alrdy?? got kid alrdy still taking allowances from parents?? i rather be someone who earn my own money and save wisely then someone who take allowances from parents and spend the money lik nobody's business :001_302:

ya .. at times i will have a devil thought like quite envy them..but...on another hand we save our hard earn money...i appreciate our parents giving us such education..its the hard & normal way but we will survive through, our kids too, so they would be 'useless' or cant survive through small failure ..
the allowances is his mum 'secretly' give him ... apple of the eye.. only son...plus they rich...big house.. big cars... his mum is those stingy on herself but give kids (my friend & his sister) alot those kind...

:wong19:

 

[hakisumi]

ya you guys with hand me downs are lucky.I am the only one in my family with kids and my hubby side all the kids are all grown up so sometimes no choice but to buy.I scour ebay for good deals too.Ya things like walker..not like baby gonna use so long..and some are so ex..just saw one in mothercare yesterday shaped like a car..cute but wah piang so ex!!!
I dont have big group of friends as i am picky about the pple i am with .My friends gave mostly ang paos which will go into babys savings acc.Some gave little gold items.

u got 3 kids.. doh-re-mi.. they learn to share share, no selfish.. big ll say small 1..and help u out too.. this is most touching part de..use also worth it de.. this is wat my mum taught me..

i also quite picky about the ppl i with.. later i havent got pressurised,, my kids will start to compare.. i scare... cos i undrstnd kids are very frank.. they dun lie... most imptly.. they learn n pick up things fast...

 

[apollo]

ya .. at times i will have a devil thought like quite envy them..but...on another hand we save our hard earn money...i appreciate our parents giving us such education..its the hard & normal way but we will survive through, our kids too, so they would be 'useless' or cant survive through small failure ..
the allowances is his mum 'secretly' give him ... apple of the eye.. only son...plus they rich...big house.. big cars... his mum is those stingy on herself but give kids (my friend & his sister) alot those kind...

:wong19:

dont say u, i also will envy of such ppl... but think back, what if one day my parents not with me? those assets will be finish if i only know how to spend and dont know hw to earn.. haha...

 

[apollo]

my hubby's aunt's daughter is ard 3yrs old and she gave us quite alot of things but i'm those v picky when comes to toys.. cos babies tend to drool and i only choose those can be wash and not those with battery and cannot be soak in water...

sometimes i hate ppl giving me pass down items cos they (actu is my hubby's aunt), she just throw everything to me! even those really cmi kind.. she just wanna get rid of those stuffs... even wan to give me nursing bra... i'm super yim jim type... haha... she once gave me a baby girl diaper bag and it's all dirty and torn!!!!!!!!!!!!!

for me, i gave some of the clothes which ds has ourgrown to my friend but i choose carefully, those with have stain, i keep it for my next kid.. only gave those those with are clean... since i dont lik ppl passing me 'rubbish', i also dont lik to pass ppl 'rubbish'... haha...

so far, ds has not wear any pass down clothes cos hubby's aunt gave one all got stain, torn if not 'qi mao' type.. my cousin has pass me a few slp suit in v good condition, will let ds wear when he grows older =)

 

[jasobias]

hahahha..ya i can imagine those kind pple everything also pass to others.I am very careful abt wht i hand me down also.Has to be in very gd condition lah.I gave away all my boys stuff when they outgrew it..most of their stuff was branded thanks to my family n in laws.In the end they buy so much,most clothes i gave away even had the tags on them still!!!Also toys.They had tonnes.Now give away everything must start fr square 1 also.Keeping my girls clothes to pass to my sis in law who is trying for baby.So fast some clothes cant wear already n some only wore once!!!No stains also coz i soak the clothes b4 wash.

 

[apollo]

hahahha..ya i can imagine those kind pple everything also pass to others.I am very careful about wht i hand me down also.Has to be in very good condition .I gave away all my boys stuff when they outgrew it..most of their stuff was branded thanks to my family and in laws.In the end they buy so much,most clothes i gave away even had the tags on them still!!!Also toys.They had tonnes.Now give away everything must start fr square 1 also.Keeping my girls clothes to pass to my sis in law who is trying for baby.So fast some clothes cant wear already and some only wore once!!!No stains also coz i soak the clothes before wash.

yalo, some ppl just wanna get rid of the clothes but dont know where to throw so everything throw to us.. haha...

i also keeping those clothes... those boy clothes will give my friend, if yellow or girl also can wear, will keep... LOL!!!