Advice living in Singapore with toddler

Hi, we are likely moving to Singapore at year end cos of husband's job. We have a 2 yr old girl and I wonder if anyone out there could give me any word of wisdom re singapore living with an extremely active toddler.


Is there a suburb or complex that you would recommend that is totally child friendly and convenient? My duaghter has severe eczema and reacts to heat/sweat so my number one priority is to stay somewhere with INDOOR playroom / clubhouse. Any recommendations?? My sister is staying in Simei area - anyone familiar with this area?


Also where can I get good organic supplies? and most importantly, is there an active stayhome mummy-kiddy social group around???? Would love to make new friends.



Many thanks, MB

hi MB1,


I don't know what living in HK is like. but in singapore, most expats (assuming your husband will be on an expat package) will stay in condominiums. these type of housing will usually have facilities such as swimming pools, tennis courts, gym, playground, etc. if you take your daughter to the pool or whatever often enough, i'm sure you will both make new friends.


unfortunately, i don't think condos have such stuff like indoor playgrounds, they are generally outdoors. but singapore does have many toddler gyms such as my gym, JWT gym and gymboree that you can sign your girl up for classes. or you can take her to the new non-structured (ie no classes, just pay for entry) indoor gym with cafe what not called go gobambini.


simei is in the eastern part of singapore, that is pretty far off from town but will be nearer to the east coast park/beach if that's what you are looking for.


organic shops are coming up in singapore, even in the suburbs. even supermarkets are stocking them these days. naturally marketplace at vivocity touts itself to be the largest organic supermarket in singapore. a popular organic food store with expats is called brown rice paradise at tanglin mall, a mall also popular with expats probably due to the supermarket (stocking more european stuff), gymboree and proximity to botanical gardens.


rents are going up in singapore but if you can afford it, i say go for places in river valley especially if you don't drive. lots of stuff that i mentioned are centrally located and river valley apartments such as aspen heights and valley park are very popular.


social groups yes, if you go out and make friends! i have a regular group...met via other people and also through baby gyms, etc. if not you can join the new mother's support group 9google for website) and they will match you to a playgroup based on where you stay.


good luck and have fun!

mummybee - you are leaving???? *sobs*

Moved to Singapore from HK in Jan and can say that Singers is a much better place for young kids than HK. In general I prefer the people and expats of HK and I had lots of fun there, but as far as my child goes, SP is the best place for him. There are lots of classes here in SP and they are generally cheaper than HK although I do think the classes in HK are more professional. There are many baby gyms (Gymboree, JWT Kids, My Gym) plus things like kindermusiK etc. There are lots if indoor play areas that cost a few bucks to use and lots and lots of mums staying at home. Most condos here in SP have full facilities including playgrounds, pool, gym, indoor playroom. Make sure your husband gets a decent rental allowance i.e. S$7-9K per month. However if you live on the East Coast it is a little cheaper. I actually prefer the East Coast as I find the expats are all very down to Earth and not concerned about keeping up wth the Jones'

i forgot to say and not sure how your daughter's eczema is affected by this but swim classes for tots are also very popular...learn water safety and a great way to tire them out! marsden swim school or aquaducks.


and unfortunately, i have to agree with mrs m on the rents. it's currently going sky high and east coast will be slightly cheaper than town although that's going up too. but beware when house hunting, there is a wave of collective sales for entire condos all over the country so make sure you're looking at those that are not affected. my current place has just been sold for a ridiculously amount of money and we might not see the end of the lease as it might be demolished by then!!

Hi Wheelymate, can you elaborate more the collective sale wave? as in governments are buying out the whole complexes and planning to demolish them? What is the logic there? I am considering two condos, Modena and Tropical Spring, in Simei and they were built in 2000. We have pretty much decided to stay close to family (and potential babysitters haha). How do I enquire if these complexes are affected? I know there is a sharp jump of condo prices in S'pore (probably due to the country opening up to casinos?) but Simei remains slightly cheaper. It is a MUST that we stay within walking distance to MRT.


Mrs Miggins, I wish hubby can ask for such high rental allowances! There is absolutely no chance we would (and nor do we wish to) stay in city suburbs. We much prefer East Coast - we are not city dwellers...and yes, I suspect the people are generally nicer and easier to befriend with.


Wheelymate, I am wary of my daughter's eczema flaring up in Singapore but cross our fingers. Pool water is not good in her case as she is allergic to chlorine or whatever chemicals they have in pools. I can't care less if condos have pool facilities! Saltwater is great on her, hence our wish to be close to the beach.

mb1,


collective sale - private home owners trying to sell the entire condominium estate above what they can usually sell on the market to developers to redevelop new condos. it's usually in the central and prime district areas where land is more expensive so simei is probably quite safe. have not heard of modena and tropical springs but since it was only built in 200, it's pretty safe...but double check with your agent.


rent allowance - my husband only got rental paid by company in his first contract. 6 years later, he's just started his own business. we stay in a very old (no facilities) but very spacious apartment near holland/bukit timah for 2.1k a month. it's next to the wet market and hawker centre, lots of friendly neighbours and 10 mins cab or bus ride into town. it's not everyone's cup of tea, especially for expats (old building, no pool, rundown) but we love it and we need to be in the western part of singapore because of hubby's work. we used to stay in river valley and orchard and have never paid more than 2.5k per month for a 3 bedroom. i think whichever part of singapore you plan to stay in, it's up to you to find your own piece of heaven. simei has the mrt, some small malls and your sister so it sounds perfect to me in your case!


the beach will be a nice place for walks and cycling and what not, but i have to caution you that i personally wouldn't swim in it. east coast waters is fairly polluted these days. pasir ris park might be quieter and less hectic although have not been in years.

wow, 2.1k is a good deal. How come we can't get that kind of rental in Simei?? All the ones we looked at (via internet mind) are going for at least 3k to 4k a month that is why we decide to buy and pay mortgage which works out to be on par to paying rent.

do you have a good agent to recommend?

we signed our lease last oct when rents were going up but not crazy yet. rents are crazy now, i've come across ads for units at our place for 3k recently, amazing! but 3-4k is probably the current rents for a say 3 bedroom unit suitable for a family?


and to think last year, we were thinking 2.1k is so much more than the 1.5k we used to pay before but now we don't dare to complain. but at the same time, this 2.1k is coming out of our pockets, not some company allowance so we feel it! but we would rather not pay anymore for a nicer place as we are hoping to buy somewhere next year when our lease runs out and if prices stabilises.


sorry, i have no agents to recommend, sadly my experiences with agents have been pretty disappointing!!