We have been using a passed-down stroller for Darius since day one. As he started to outgrow it with his legs sticking out, we thought it was time for us to get a bigger stroller for him.

And so we started our search for the right stroller, checking out Kiddy Palace and at the recent Takashimaya Baby Fair. We shortlisted a Bon Bebe and a Combi stroller, but there were some features that didn’t meet our expectations.

We had heard about wholesalers selling strollers in their showrooms in the Kaki Bukit area, and decided to pay the place a visit. After the Studio Loft’s photoshoot session last Friday (see Photography Session at Studio Loft), we drove down to Shun Li Industrial Park along Kaki Bukit Ave 1.

There were two main wholesalers there dealing with baby products, which are Baby Kingdom and Baby Hyperstore respectively.

We came across Baby Kingdom first and decided to drop in for a look, parking the car just behind their store. Tens of strollers were lined up in front of us, featuring strollers mostly by brands such as Combi and Bon Bebe. The prices they offered were not any cheaper than those found in the other shops such as Kiddy Palace, so price-wise there wasn’t much savings.

As we browsed through the various strollers, a salesgirl in the mid-twenties approached us. We explained what our criteria were: a longer leg space (so Darius’ legs won’t go out of the stroller when he is sleeping in it), umbrella-styled handles (i.e. strollers with two handles on each side that are not linked together) and a canopy that could sufficiently cover Darius from direct sunlight.

Initially she was still helpful with the recommendations but after looking at the third stroller, her attitude changed for the worse and she began to grumble and giving crude remarks such as ‘umbrella-styled strollers are already outdated’ etc. We had no idea what she was driving at but given her lousy service and attitude, we did not hesitate to walk off without buying anything from the store.

Before we headed to the Baby Hyperstore, it was time for Darius’ meal and so Catherine fed him first in the car. Fortunately he was cooperative and finished his food despite in a different environment. ^^

We then drove over to Baby Hyperstore, which was nearby but on the other side of the building. I’ve wanted to park at the vacant lots in front of the store, but apparently they had been ‘reserved’, occupired by stragetically placed strollers and car seats… -_-|

There were some strollers on display on the first floor, but the area was small and hot, without any air-conditioning. Seeing that their main showroom was on the third floor, we took the lift up and entered the air-conditioned showroom with numerous strollers on display.

Their brands were mostly high ended, such as Maclaren, Peg Perego and Maxi Cosi, with prices ranging from S$100+ to S$1000+. We had initially set our budget to be S$300, but judging from the high end selection, most strollers would have fallen outside our budget.

As we walked and browsed through the strollers, nobody came over to entertain us, though that might not necessarily be a bad thing since we won’t be feeling pressurised. After a while however, being overwhelmed by the number of strollers there and not sure where to start, we decided that we needed some help.

A chinese salesgirl walked over and we asked her for recommendations, telling her about our criteria and budget.

After listening to us patiently, she recommended the Maclaren Techno XT which was selling at a discounted price. Testing out the stroller and having Darius had a go in it, we were pretty comfortable with this stroller, though the price had exceeded our budget. Also, we had problem fitting our newly bought diaper bag into the small basket compartment.

She then recommended another Peg Perego stroller after I mentioned about the diaper bag concern. Although we managed to squeeze our bag in, it was not an easy task to take it out again. This Peg Perego stroller was very sturdy but at the same time, bulky. Besides its hefty price tag which far exceeded our budget, we also didn’t want to be carrying a bulky stroller with us. We had wanted one that could double up as a toddler stroller as Darius grows up, so the Maclaren’s seemed like a better choice.

So in the end, after much consideration, we decided to get the Maclaren Techno XT. Here’s a graphical comparison against our current stroller:

Initially, we felt pretty awkward using the new stroller but soon got used to it. As for the diaper bag issue, we decided to hang it at the back of the stroller instead, and making sure that the heavy items such as the thermoflask and water bottle are placed at the bottom to prevent the stroller from toppling backwards.

The rubber handles also felt somewhat uncomfortable on our hands, and I was looking for cushions/covers for the handles. We stumbled upon Daiso at Sembawang Shopping Centre over the weekend and managed to find something that matched my expectations. They were originally meant as chair leg covers but it wouldn’t hurt if we used them on the stroller’s handles instead.

They were also other door knob covers which could fit in, but the aforementioned covers suited our tastes better.

Somehow it reminded me of an elephant's trunk

As for Darius, he appears to be pretty comfortable in his new stroller with the additional leg and body space, though he does sweat quite a bit after sleeping in it, even in air-conditioned environment. Looks like the material used for the stroller is not good in dissipating heat. We resolved this by switching on the clip-on fan when he is sleeping in the stroller, taking care not to let the fan blow directly on his face.

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