Comfort & Gorgeous Colours at the Todbi Hipseat Launch

Move over, diaper bags and fancy strollers. Baby carriers have become the hot accessory for the infant set – and with good reason. For one thing, they make it so much easier navigating Singapore’s endless escalators and narrow shop aisles for busy mums on the go. For another, while babywearing has been around forever, its benefits – both psychological and physiological – are becoming increasingly apparent.

So far the only downside I’ve found to babywearing is the heat; I love snuggling with my baby at home or in an air-conditioned mall, but walking with her outside makes a sweaty experience for both of us.

So it was with great intrigue that I attended the Singapore launch of the Air Motion Hipseat Carrier by Todbi, Korea’s most popular premium baby products brand (Korea is already Asia’s trendsetter for soap operas, mobile phones and cosmetics, clearly baby gear is the next frontier).

Todbi was founded by Korean comedian and radio presenter (and mother of four!) Kim Ji-Sun in 2011. As a celebrity she was gifted all sorts of products, but says she generally felt “only 95% satisfied” with them, and most of the time they were expensive and from overseas anyway.

She wanted something functional, comfortable and stylish, and the result was her “Hipseat Carrier”, which provides a comfortable, ergonomically correct foam seat for bubs that redistributes their weight to help the carrier avoid lower back pain. A padded belt and shoulder straps also aid in this; the Air Motion is quite comfortable to wear.

The hipseat’s adjustable “air implants” can take up to 20kg of weight (generally kids through the age of 3 or 4), but the carrier is surprisingly sleek and not at all bulky. The implants can also be easily removed, for instance if baby is riding on your back (the carrier allows for all sorts of positions, including both face-out and face-in).

Extremely breathable (and cool!) cotton and mesh materials comprise the inner layer, and the polyester outer layer is water resistant and available in four gorgeous colours. Seriously, “Aqua Mint”, “Royal Blue”, “Indie Pink” and “Golden Road” are among the prettiest shades I’ve come across for any baby product, anywhere.

“The Tobdi hipseat baby carrier has been recognised as the first of its kind in the industry and in the world”, Kim proudly states. “And we continue to innovate our products that will make people go ‘Oh! I really needed something like this!’” Her children range in age from 5 to 10, so she’s just outgrown the babywearing stage herself, but still fondly recalls the freedom of being able to use her hands while cosily bonding with her little one.

There really is something quite elating about being able to hold your baby close while going about your day, whether it’s running errands, cooking dinner, or working on your computer (in fact I’m doing it right now!). The Todbi Air Motion’s style and breathable functionality make it an exciting addition to the Singapore baby carrier market, so get out there and enjoy your freedom, mamas!

The Todbi Air Motion ($299), 3D Style Plus ($299) and Fly-B ($239) baby carriers are available exclusively at Mothercare outlets across Singapore.
www.mothercare.com.sg