Category Archives: Blob

The growing up diary of Mad Ed r2. Timmy!

To ISOFIX or not to ISOFIX

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Timmy is about 7 months old, and at 9kg, very nearly reaching the usable lifespan of the Maxi-Cosi Cabriofix he’s been traveling in. We don’t have the Maxi Cosi ISOFix base, so I’ve been strapping him in and out the car using the belt. Group 0′s almost done.

Here’s what the groups mean:

Stage Group Approx Age Weight (kg) Weight (lbs)
1 0 Birth – 15 months 2 – 13 5 – 29
2 1 9 months – 4 years 9 – 18 20 – 40
3 2 4 – 6 years 15 – 25 33 – 55
4 3 4 – 10 years 22 – 36 48 – 76

(Source: Wikipedia)

So now we’re in the market for Group 1, or a Group 1-2 seat.

ISOFIX

Most seats are affixed to the vehicle using seat belts. But belts can stretch and fray, especially with the seat in place semi-permanently. ISOFIX is a 20+ year old standard that has vehicle manufacturers weld 2 hoops of metal behind the rear seat cushions. A child seat with the ISO attachment points allows it to be directly linked to the vehicle chassis, and simplify the installation process.

The caveat is that ISOFIX in its current form (and as I understand it) allows for it to hold fast (in a crash) 15kg of child seat, and 18kg of child – which is the limit of the Group 1 seat.

According to Britax’s catalogue, the ISOFIX equipped Group 2-3 seats uses the seat belt to secure the child to the car – so the ISOFIX and the seat belt holds them past the weight limit.

OPTIONS

Mothercare Singapore only carries 3 ISOFIX models – Maxi Cosi Pearl, PrioriFix, and one other. Prices start at $800 as of last weekend. I decided to explore importing a Britax through perhaps Amazon.co.uk and Borderlinx. This was the shipping quote I got. What the Fwoah!

A Britax Duo Plus front facing seat with ISOFIX and allows seat belt installation could be gotten at the local distributor. About the same prices.

The Britax TriFix is the latest model, due out this month (Feb 2012). It’s front facing, ISOFIX only and uses a top tether. Top tethers are typically on the back side of the rear seat, or the rear parcel shelf. On my car it’s on the trunk nearer to the rear bumper. This will significantly decrease the amount of boot space available.

REAR FACING

Some more reading on the internet revealed that rear-facing car seats are the safest. They are slightly more complex to install – and require tether straps and a foot prop. The Swedes recommend Extended Rear Facing (ERF) seats for children up to 4, or longer. CarSeat.SE will also globally ship a child seat for €75 Euro per seat.

So maybe Timmy will get to remain rear facing for several more years.

My current requirement?

  1. ISOFIX
  2. Seat belt installation – just in case I have to use the seat in another car.
  3. Combination front and rear facing
  4. Group 1 – 2 so we can depreciate this over longer

I’m currently drooling over the Axonkids Kidzofix, a relative newcomer to the car seat manufacturing scene, but run by very serious and experienced guys. Watch the video, its got tons of install options and clever features like automatic tightening tethers and automatic headrest height adjustments.

The worry of course is, its lack of support in this part of the world, I can’t touch it before I buy it and possibly the lack availability of spare covers and such. If I do my conversions right, yeap – about the same prices as purchasing locally. But for rear facing AND for ISOFIX. Not bad.

If we eliminate ISOFIX from the wishlist, then a Britax Multi Tech 2 would fit the bill.

If we eliminate ISOFIX and forward facing, then a Maxi-Cosi Mobi would be a go.

Hmmm. Still some time to think about this….

So wrong….

Status

Reply

I’m reading The Children’s Book of the Bible to Timmy – the old testament – the Book of Samuel, about how the Philistines took the Ark of the Covenent, then returned it because it was just too much trouble. Timmy starts crying cuz he’s hungry. Mommy comes in and exclaims, “Holy Cow!” So wrong on so many levels…

Merry Christmas & Norad Tracks Santa

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Merry Christmas one and all!

I missed Norad Tracks Santa last year, so this year made sure I caught it. A lot has changed since 1955:

The program began on December 24, 1955 when a Sears department store placed an advertisement in a Colorado Springs newspaper which told children that they could telephone Santa Claus and included a number for them to call. However, the telephone number printed was incorrect and calls instead came through to Colorado Springs’ Continental Air Defense Command (CONAD) Center. Colonel Shoup, who was on duty that night, told his staff to give all children that called in a “current location” for Santa Claus. A tradition began which continued when the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) replaced CONAD in 1958.

He visited Singapore at about 0019hrs; the family was asleep and I had cracked open a Hoegaarden for the big man.

Christmas morning right now and Timmy and Mommy are sleeping in…

p.s. Hey Norad, grammar for next year – it’s sight, not site. ;-)

Experiment: Water vapour in Medela tubing

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Wifey has been expressing milk for lil’ Timmy for a couple of months now. She’s using the Medela Pump-in-Style model – a hand-me-down which we were (again!) grateful to accept. The Philips Avent model we had purchased was really quite pathetic and we were truly thankful when the offer for the PIS came, along with a plethora of accessories all looking a little worse for wear. The only thing we’d re-use was the pump, all the other plastic and valve bits were purchased new from the shops.

The tubes it came with were yellow with age. The other set didn’t even fit the pump – it had plastic fittings on both ends. I cut the fittings off one end, and it was good to go. Over the next couple of weeks, mould (or mold) crept into the tubing and we visited the shops for a new set. $24!

According to the web, once mould has presented inside the tube, you could boil/clorox/vinegar it and that would kill the mould. Dead mould still looks bad, so it would be advisable to replace it.

Preventive measures include leaving the tubes connected to the pump and running for a couple of minutes after pumping. Tried it. The “couple of minutes” usually takes 45 in our humid weather. According to a sales lady at the shop, that would put undue wear on the pump (and that we should shell out for new tubes every 2 months).

Other preventive measures was to swing the tubing wildly at the end of each session and try not to hit anything/anyone including yourself. Try doing that at 2am.

Another one is to run some rubbing alcohol down the tubes to kill the stuff and to dry them out.

I decided to try my grubby hands on a DIY fix – getting the tubes connected to an air pump used for aquariums. I picked up a dual nozzle one from a market I was passing through and brought it home. The Medela tubes are smaller than regular aquarium air tubing. Some modifications had to be made. Disassembled the pump, broke out my trusty knife and scraped at the air outlets, then filed to finish.

The test: I connected some newly washed and shortened (cut off the mouldy portion and reconnected the plastic fittings) tubing to the pump and left for dinner. Came back 2 hours later, the pump is still working and our apartment isn’t on fire. The tubes were bone dry – no condensation in the tubes. Woohoo!

So moving forward, after pumping, wifey will disconnect the tubing from the Medela pump unit and fit it into the air pump. Turn the former off and the latter on, and let it run until the next pump cycle.

Yep $9 for the pump and some elbow grease to save… $24.

Update 29 February 2012

This (should) be my last update on this matter. The pump pictured above died after about a month of service. It had proven effective, so another pump was required.

This is a single outlet air pump, but I bought a 3-way valve for it. Apparently, this setup worked out of the box and no modification was required.

So if you buy the air pump with the correct size air outlet / nozzle / nipple, it is very effective for keeping mould at bay in the Medela tubes.

DE Head Shaving

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I’ve been sporting a bald head for a couple of months. To prepare for it, I had been going progressively shorter and shorter with some electric clippers much to wifey’s chagrin. On the day Timmy was born, I shaved my head for the 1st time. I had reassured wifey she would be too preoccupied with the newborn to want to bother with how I looked. I was right – partly.

I have been doing the deed with a Gillette Fusion, each cartridge lasting me a week or two each time. Let’s face it. With the cost of these things ($18.50 for 4 cartridges), you’d want to make them last. To lubricate, I have a can of Gillette foam. From what I found on the net, I’ve also been experimenting with regular bar soap (Cussons Imperial Leather) and baby oil. Aftershave is accomplished with Nivea Creme from a tub – love that smell.

The Gillette cartridge let me be as ham-fisted as I wanted, and to get used to the sensation and angles. In the spirit of wanting to play with new toys, and not spend too much money on my new look, I decided I wanted to try a double edge (DE) safety razor. I purchased a Merkur long handled safety razor (Model 180), a tub of Proraso shaving soap and a Tweezerman boar brush from Amazon. The razor never arrived, but Amazon was very good with processing the refund.

Looking for alternatives, I visited Mustafa and bought a Shogun (China-made) safety razor for $2.60, and a pack of whatever razors they had. I ended up with some Gillete Super Thin, Gillette 7 o’Clock, and Super-Max razors. Skipped on the Shogun blades. About $0.80 for a pack of 5 blades.

This was what I used for my 1st DE shave.

The ritual of lathering the brush was an interesting one, filling the bathroom with new smells, and a tingly feeling from the eucalyptus oils on my head.

I must say the overall first results weren’t especially encouraging. Although the shave was clean, I suffered burn and irritation. No cuts, fortunately. The brush wasn’t broken in and was prickly. Also, the Shogun piece started to show rust the next morning.

Read some more from the net that proper technique must be learned, and no downward pressure can be applied, that the tools used do play a part in comfort. Couldn’t wait to start shaving again that evening – even if it was day-old stubble.

That night, same setup, fresh blade. Paid attention to technique – no pressure, short strokes. Much better. There was still some burning. Instead of the Nivea, I took some of wifey’s facial toner to my head. Immediate relief. Starting to like this Gillette blade.

Third night, with a fresh Super-Max blade this time. Burning on the back of my head that wasn’t immediately relieved by toner water. I can only conclude that the Super Max is more aggressive than the Gillettes.

I’m taking a break from shaving tonight – and to write this. I’ve just ordered a Edwin Jagger DE89LBL from Amazon. I decided on this one over the mainstay Merkur HD that many people recommend because the Edwin Jagger is apparently very well made. It will come with some Derby razors and is expected to come in a week or two. I guess I’ll have some time to try the 7 o’clock’s.

I’m hoping that blades I can source locally will suit me. If these failed, I’ll probably try a sampler pack of blades, then buy the ones I like best in better quantities. I know, a blade every shave or 2 sounds decadent but these are metal and are completely recyclable. And 29x cheaper than the cartridges.

Can’t wait!