This page was purposely created to provide parents to be some basic tips when choosing items for their precious baby.
How to choose a suitable stroller or car seat ?
LittleWhiz.com always receive calls and emails from customer on how to choose the best products for their precious baby.
However, we create this page to provide some basic tips on how to choose the best products based on your lifestyle, budget, usage and etc.
A. STROLLER
There are many types of stroller in the market; Umbrella Stroller, Jogger Stroller, Lightweight Stroller, Sandwich Fold Stroller, Stroller Travel System, etc
1. How to choose a stroller ? Stroller is among the important product for parents simple because you will need it when you shop or if you need to move from one place to another. Below is some pointers on what to consider when choosing a stroller:~
a. Lifestyle - What do you need the stroller for ? i. Jogging ? ii. Walking in the mall ? iii. Frequent Travel ? iv. Running errants ? Choose it accordingly base on your lifestyle
b. Do you use the stroller often ? Daily, once a week ? once a month ? Rarely ? Some stroller is more fragile than the others. Choose one which is tougher !
c. Which one of will be using the stroller most ? Your parents ? In-Laws ? Wife ? you or maid ? Stroller which is too heavy or need more energy to fold will be a problem for people with lesser strength.
d. Do you have space to store and transport the stroller ? The space to store whether it is in the car booth or in the house is also a factor to consider.
e. Feature of the stroller ? There is always a saying, "Pay peanut get monkey". but in the case of a stoller, the more expensive does not mean that you will get more features. However, more feature may means more heavier stroller or more chances to have problems with the stroller.
f. Do you need more than one stroller ? This depends on your lifestyle, budget, and numbers of children you have and their age. Some will have more than one stroller based on their lifestyle, one for jogging, one for walking in the mall and etc. Of course, this will also ties down to budget. More ever, if you have more than one children aged less than 2 years old. you may need more than one stroller.
g. Affordability. This is the most important element of all for lots of people. You may want to buy a good one (could be more expensive) if you plan to have more than one child.
Well, there could be more than the above to consider. You will need to spend some time to do research to get the best stroller that suit your need without spending a lot. Happy Shopping !
B. CAR SEAT
Choosing a car seat is very important because it
involved the safety of your child. The most expensive car seat in the
market does not mean the best or the safest car seat. It could simple
be the quality is better or the brand is well-known. It also depends on
how proper the car seat is handled, best car seat will not perform to
its standard if not handled properly.
We sometimes receive
inquiry from parents whether the car seat is necessary? The answer is
definitely YES! None of us would like to think that we will meet with
accident but things happen, it's always better to prevent than cured.
There are too many types of
car seat in the market to choose from, convertible car seat, infant
only car seat, booster car seat, combination seat, and many more names
which I might not even heard of. Each type of car seat serve their
purposes, it all depends on how your lifestyle, your usage, budget and
many other consideration.
Types of car set and their usage:~ Infant-only seats/Baby carrier (GROUP 0)
* Are small,light and have carrying handles (and mostly come as part of a stroller systemor called travel system). * Are used up to 22 to 30 pounds or 12-14 months, depending on the model and size of the baby.
* Some come with a base that can be fixed in the car. The seat clicks
into and out of the base so you don't have to install the base each
time you use it. * Pro : Very useful for those who travel a lot. Light to carry, will not wake the baby up when he/she is sleeping.
* Cons : Only for up to max of 30 pounds or 14 months, need to change
to a bigger car seat. If there is not base, could be very troublesome
at time.
Convertible seats (GROUP 0+/1)
* Can be used
rear-facing then "converted" to forward-facing for older children. This
seat is more budget to lots of people because it can be used longer by
your child. These seat does not come with base and handles and much
bigger and bulkier. Normally fixed in the car sear permanently and does
not carry anyway. * Have higher rear-facing weight and height limits than infant-only seats, which makes them ideal for bigger babies. * Have the following types of harnesses:
o 5-point harness attach at the shoulders, hips, and between the leg o Overhead shield a padded tray-like shield that swings down over the child o T-shield a padded t-shaped or triangle-shaped shield attached to the shoulder straps
Booster Seat. (GROUP 1/2/3)
Booster
seats are normally for children more than 3 years old or more than 15kg
in weight. It was designed to raise the child up so that the lap and
shoulder seat belts fit properly. They do not come with harness straps
but are used with the lap and shoulder seat belts in your vehicle, the
same way an adult rides. Booster seats should only be used until your
child can correctly fit in lap and shoulder seat belts. Booster seats
typically include a plastic clip or guide to help ensure the correct
use of the vehicle lap and shoulder belts.
