Online sale of baby beds

N

nyctohk

Registered User
Hi everyone,
We are relocating from New York with our twin girls (18 months) early August and will start in a temporary apartment. Two questions:
1. Where can I buy online baby travel beds and high chairs (so they are delivered in advance of our arrival). Is there an equivalent of amazon.com in HK?
2. We are still hesitant between Midlevels and the South Side. Midlevels would be so much easier for us parents, but can children of that age have a decent life near Central (playgrounds/parks, kindergardens, etc.).
I will likely have many more questions and am very grateful for your input.
Best regards!
 
Hi, hi - online shopping isn't fantastic here, especially for furniture... well, it might be if you read Chinese, I don't know, but isn't in English. There's shop in HK on this site but I'm not sure they do furniture.

If you're looking at travel cot type things and travel high chairs maybe you could buy them there, put them in a suitcase and send them airfreight to arrive before you. If you're talking actual furniture then you could try phoning bumps to babes or mothercare directly and seeing what they can do - they could tell you what brands they have and you could look on the company websites.

If I were you I'd look at staying in a hotel for a couple of nights or doing without initially then you can pop over to ikea or one of the baby shops, pick out what you want and get it delivered to the apartment - delivery is often pretty quick here if you check that they have it in stock first. You can also get it assembled for you.

Maybe someone else can come up with a better plan or a good online shop?

In terms of where to live, of course children have a decent life in Central (what a question!) there's loads of other kids, playgrounds, HK park (not grassy but with animals and stuff to see) and kindies and other social stuff but if you perceive living in for example, the middle of Manhattan as too built up and busy for kids then you might veer towards Southside, which can be more open, greener and beachier. It depends also on what kind of apartment block you go for, somewhere with a pool and play area in Central/Mid-levels might feel like enough facilities without being further out.

Personally, I couldn't live on southside as I like being in the middle of things and I get car sick so couldn't stand to be in a cab on that windey road every day but each to their own, it's so hard to tell till you get here.

Best of luck.
 
When you say 'temporary apartment", is it a serviced apt? If so, the housekeeping/concierge service should be able to help you.

If not, check out Mothercare - nursery furniture, pushchairs, car seats, baby clothes, toys & gifts and Bumps To Babes Mother & Baby Superstores. You can't shop online, but you can get the phone numbers and ask them about their stock, and see if you can pay in advance by credit card, and get the stuff delivered in time. Good luck with getting them to understand you at Mothercare. At Bumps to Babes, call the Ap Lei Chau number and ask to speak to Mike - the rest of the staff are as much use as chocolate teapots.

Alternatively, you could contact Mothers of Multiples in HK (can anyone with twins give a contact number), and see if someone will lend or sell you the items in advance.

BTW. I live Southside and love it!! Midlevels is definitely not for me - and pushing twins around in a stroller in Central or Midlevels will not be an easy experience, that's for sure.

best of luck
 
As the others suggested, calling Bumps to Babes, Mothercare, and also O/3 Baby (has great cots and high chairs - none made in China, but cots are all 120x60 size, smaller than standard American, high chairs are mostly Peg Perego I think). I bought a cot from 0/3 Baby - the store model - and even then it took a week to be delivered, so make sure you give them plenty of time. I wouldn't risk IKEA. If they are not in stock they will take a long time to deliver and even their website says they will deliver within the MONTH - not ideal for you.

For your place to live, I don't live in either, but still have an opinion:) I honestly hate going into Central and Mid-levels with my baby (and I only have one). It's really congested, the roads are narrow, it's hilly and there are tons of steps instead of slopes. Driving in a car or taxi would be fine, but on foot, not so. Of course that is where many of the HK playgroups, schools, activities, etc are so it's really a toss up. Depends on what your means will be and if you are used to living in a real downtown area. Another positive is that it's really nice and pretty. Southside looks pretty cool to live in, beautiful, close to beaches but fairly far removed from the rest of HK. Again, you'd be more comfortable there if you drove.
 
Also try Eugene Club for cots etc although not sure you can order online. I have a beautiful Touchwood Cot which I bought from New Zealand and have just seen that they have a stockist in HK where it looks like you can order online (www.mother-organic.com).

For places to live, I am a total Discovery Bay convert! Having lived in Midlevels for 5 years, we moved to DB earlier this year as we now have 2 kids and it is excellent especially for our toddler. I was skeptical but the facilities are amazing (pools, parks, indoor playroom) and its a 25 min ferry to Central (although my commute to work is more like an hour door to door - bus to ferry in DB, ferry and then a 10 min walk from ferry in Central to my office). We were finding it a struggle to entertain our 18 month old in Midlevels - the traffic is frightening when walking with a toddler, it is so not stroller friendly (with one stroller let alone a double one for twins), parks are right by the road eg: Caine Road one and Conduit Road one (other than the Policemans park on the Peak which is great) and we seemed to be travelling distances just to take him somewhere for entertainment (eg: Cyberport for a run on the grass - 15 - 20 min drive or Belchers/Playtown 15 min drive). Now in DB, everything is within a 5 - 10 min walk or a short bus ride. I like the Southside but I am with others who have commented that the narrow - one lane each way roads would not be ideal for me.
 
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