The Land Transport Authority (LTA) of Singapore requires that children below the height of 1.35m must be secured with an appropriate restraint device while riding in private vehicles for hire.
GrabFamily is an on-demand ride hailing service equipped with special seats for children aged 1–7 years old, below 1.35 metres in height.
There are 2 types of GrabFamily Rides: 1-3 years old (cars equipped with the IMMI Go car seat) and 4-7 years old (cars equipped with the mifold Grab-and-Go Car Booster Seat).
For more info: https://www.grab.com/sg/family
Although we are big fans of babywearing, one place that we hope parents would not babywear is in a moving car or taxi. The only safe place for a young child is in a car seat. We do know that car seats are generally heavy and bulky, inconvenient to bring around on taxi and private hire cars. Hence, we have compiled a list of the approved car seat options that are more lightweight and portable. Hope this would help those of you who take taxi and private hire cars with your children
FOR NEWBORN TILL 3-4 YEARS OLD
(these seats are installed using the vehicle seat belt, except *Immi Go)
Doona infant car seat stroller
– Suitable from birth to 13kg. Rear-facing only.
– Converts to a stroller
– Product weight: 7kg
– $639 from pupsikstudio.com, Motherswork
Infant car seat with/without a compatible stroller (i.e. travel system)
– Typically from birth to max 13kg, except Chicco Fit2 which goes up to 16kg (available on Amazon Prime Now). Rear-facing only.
– Look for those that installs with seat belt e.g. Maxi Cosi Pebble/ Cabriofix, Joie travel system at $359 from http://www.aprisin.com.sg/c-184-201-travelsystem.html
Cosco Scenera Next
– Suitable from birth to 18kg. Rear-facing and forward-facing.
– Compatible with several brands of strollers
– Product weight: 3kg
– $239 from taxibaby.sg, pupsikstudio.com, Motherswork (seat belt locking clip is included)
Urban Kanga
– Suitable from 9 months old, 9kg to 18kg. Forward-facing only
– Foldable, comes with a carry bag
– Product weight: 3kg
– $289 from taxibaby.sg, Motherswork
Immi Go
– Suitable from 12 months old, 10kg to 25kg, height 79cm to 132cm. Forward-facing only.
– Foldable, comes with a carrying bag
– *Requires ISOfix anchors for installation (not all cars in Singapore has ISOfix)
– Product weight: 4.5kg
– S$440 from taxibaby.sg
BOOSTER SEATS FOR 3 YEARS OLD ONWARDS
(these seats need to be used with the vehicle lap-shoulder seat belt)
RideSafer Delight Travel Vest
– Suitable from 3 years old, at least 13.6kg
– Product weight: 700g
– $229 from taxibaby.sg, pupsikstudio.com, Motherswork
Trunki Boostapak
– Suitable from 4 to 12 years old, 15kg to 36kg
– Doubles up as a backpack when out of the car
– Product weight: 1.5kg
– $119 from pupsikstudio.com, Motherswork, MotherCare
MiFold
– Suitable from 4 years old, 15kg
– Product weight: 750g
– $99 from taxibaby.sg, pupsikstudio.com, Motherswork, Mothercare
BubbleBum inflatable booster seat
– Suitable from 4 years old, 15kg
– Weighs 500g
– $99.90 from poshbaby.sg and redmart.com
All the above meet European or American safety standards and are approved for use in Singapore. Prices retrieved from the respective websites on 17/1/2018.
This article was contributed by Warabee, the authorised sole distributor for Hokkyoku Shirokumado in Singapore.
Hokkyoku Shirokumado (Shirokuma for short) is a manufacturer and retailer of babywearing products in Japan. Their wraps are comfortable for summer and suitable for babywearing. In order to ensure the strength of the wrap while maintaining the lightweight feature, threads used to weave the wrap are made up of two finer threads, intertwining with each other. This enhancement also further improved the appearance of the wrap, giving it a natural shine.
Website: www.warabeehs.com