Moving to Singapore, anyone got any tips?

[cosmicglittergirl]

Hello,

I was hoping there were mnetters in Singapore who could give me some advice/tips regarding moving there.

My husband and I have two small children, aged 19 months and 7 weeks, so I'm approaching these questions from that angle primarily.

Is Singapore an easy place to travel round with two small children?

Did you find a good network of parents to meet with during the day? ( I am currently a SAHM). And is there a choice of groups and activities to attend with children?

Are any particular areas good to look at to live in?

I'm not so worried about schools as we would likely be back in the UK by that point, but if anyone has anything to say about nurseries (cost, waiting lists) I would be interested to hear it.

I have visited Singapore, but many years ago and not with the mind to look at it as somewhere to live. I liked it very much as a city, but really appreciate some more up to date views on it.

Thank you very much.

[GonePenguin]

Travelling is so so easy - taxis (when you can get them) are ridiculously cheap (although, I'm a Londoner, so anything's cheap in comparison) and the MRT is safe and efficient.

Lots of expats with families live in and around Holland Village. The younger expat scene would be Club St.

[GonePenguin]

Buses out there are also air-conditioned, so the humidity should be easier to tolerate, which you and your DC are bound to appreciate!

[annieowl]

There are several active Singapore threads in the Living Overseas section (under Homes and Gardens)

[cosmicglittergirl]

Thank you everyone.

Didn't realise about the Living Overseas section. Will ask for thread to be moved.

[Bambambini]

There are baby groups you can join through FB expat groups. Just google. The Hollandse Club used to run a mum and baby/toddler group on Tuesdays. East Coast also had a group. There are several dotted around. I'd recommend a car with two little ones but they are very expensive but give you so much more freedom and you'd have your fitted car seats and able to load all your stuff easier.

All areas are good but some more leafy and cheaper/more expensive than others. Depends where your husband will be working and if your children will be going to nursery or school.

East Coast area is lovely for families with some nice parks and cheaper accommodation. Bukkit Timah, West Coast/Clementi area.

Most expats also have a maid/ helper which makes life with young children so much easier - if you get someone who fits with your family.

[cosmicglittergirl]

Thanks Bam, my husband will be based in the financial district, I haven't driven for years so would prefer to use public transport, (I currently live in London and use PT).
Suggestions of areas is really helpful.

[MyFriendsCallMeOh]

Have a look at new mothers support group which was set up 25 years ago for expat and local mums and mums to be to get to know and support each other. Lots of events, a few hundred members, cheap to join and I made lots of friends through it. You can also join the committee if you fancy putting in a few hours a month volunteering (I used to run the group when I lived there).

[Hophop987]

Taxis and mrt are cheap and easy when you have kids. I find buses more difficult as you have to fold the buggy before you get on it.
It is fairly easy to make friends in here. Join meet up for mum and kids groups. We chose river valley area as we don't have a car and really like it so far. Easy to get around, can take DD on a scooter along the river etc. when looking for condos (if you decide to live in the apartment) make sure that it is full of families. I made a nice group of friends and so did my DD.

[Honoroaky]

We've been in Singapore since early November last year. We moved with our then two year old daughter, and I was pregnant. I now have a three year old and a 2 month old... Hope the below gives you a few ideas of what to expect... Feel free to pm me if you want to talk further!

Travel: taxis extremely cheap but not overly practical if you want to travel safely with your children (ie in car seats). Lots of people use taxis without car seats but you might struggle with two... Cannot get a taxi for love nor money if it's raining. (Which it does, a bit!)
Buses are super cheap (I'm a Londoner) but yes you do have to fold buggies. For this reason lots of people have umbrella buggies for toddlers and wear smaller babies in slings/carriers so you have hands free.

MRT- cheap and efficient. Accessible with buggies. Good for central travel IMO.

Cars- I wish we had one! But expensive. We looked in both the East and West of the island for accommodation and I felt that if we
lived West we would have wanted/needed a car. We ended up East (just off East Coast Road) and have many amenities to hand meaning that we don't need a car for every day living (although I'd still
love one)....

Nurseries/pre school- there's a huge choice of local and more international nurseries. Our daughter attends White Lodge which has a mix of children but is undeniably more 'ex-pat'- she loves it. It's not uncommon for people to send even quite small children to school on the school bus service, and this can eliminate further the need for a car (and might make it easier with a baby at home).

Meeting others: this has been probably the easiest thing about settling here. We chose a family friendly condo with lots of pool type facilities and have met loads of other families. You can join Facebook groups like 'Singapore Ex Pat Wives' or ones more specific to your area (I'm in an East Coast one). There's also the 'meet up' website which is great for finding activities with other parents and children.

Activities wise there is little for free in Singapore... I miss my local community centre and sure start etc! Water playgrounds are a good free option and lots of malls and tourist attractions around the city have them. There are some good blogs which will help you plan activities which don't break the bank such as:
Thechillmom.com
Littledayout.com

My biggest challenge has probably been adjusting to the heat and humidity and having to plan going out around this. Putting on sun screen everyday; taking water and hats everywhere; staying out of the midday sun etc; toddler not being able to walk far in the heat; generally getting uber sweaty wearing a baby/pushing a buggy etc! So pace yourself...

If I think of other things I'll come back

[Yayapapaya]

My tips:

Plan where you are going to live VERY carefully. Especially if you are going to be car-less. I say this because with kids who are both going to be both buggy-dependent, if I had the chance to do it again (or the sense to start off with) make sure you are walking distance from an MRT or failing that, very near lots of shops and amenities. My big mistake was being wooed by a beautiful condo and putting that before transport links. We have a regular shuttle bus but then you are bound to that schedule and have to fold the buggy all the time - imagine that with two kids, one of which needs to be held all the time, and add a couple of shopping bags, not to mention sticky, sweaty weather all the time.

A shuttle bus is fine if travelling alone but can be tiring with kids. Ditto problem with relying solely on even regular buses - 99% of the time the driver insists you fold the damn buggy, even if the child is fast asleep, or even if you prefer them to be strapped in so you don't have to hold them, or for safety reasons. I understand if the bus is full, but it happens to me all the time, even on an empty off-peak bus and drives me wild. I try to get round it by telling the driver yes yes, I'll fold it in a sec and then don't, but it all makes for a needlessly stressful experience. Plus you need hands for your bus card that you tap in and out with like a London Oyster card - you'll find you run out of hands very easily. I've had to train mine now they are slightly older to do the tapping for me.

Anyway your alternative is taxis, as they are affordable but again without car seats, to restrain two young kids is not fun either as they are too small for even seat belts.

Oops, I didn't mean to put you off, seriously. Just please bear all this in mind as I wish someone had told me.

There are gazillions of beautiful condos with similar amenities so try to view as many as you can (if you have freedom of choice) and place location high on the list of priorities.

Anyhow to give you the pluses: very easy to make friends and meet people if you have small kids, one of the easiest ways I'd say as you always have the kids in common and a good starting point. Condo living is extremely sociable and you'll inevitably make friends around you. In fact for the car-less this is how friendships blossom I think - you don't have much choice haha! I would recommend the meetup.com website to find local toddler groups etc. There is also SingaporeExpatWives on facebook but I find that lot very scary so tend not to get involved in all that

Lots to do with small children, great splash parks galore in all these places: Gardens by the Bay, Sentosa, Jurong Bird Park, some shopping malls, but also some local pools have amazing facilities and toddler areas etc. with entry for only a couple of dollars.

Let me know if you need any more specific info.

[cosmicglittergirl]

Thank you everyone! This is all really helpful, especially about transport, I think we will try to be as near the MRT as possible when we look. I feel reassured that I will be able to meet people and take the children out. Thanks for the offers of PMing, I'm getting excited now!