Tried & Tested: What We (and Our Kids!) are Loving This June

Team Sassy rounds up all the tried & tested things we’re loving this month, from eco-friendly snack storage, to fun pottery classes and gadgets to help kiddos beat habits like thumb-sucking and bedwetting

Team Sassy gets invited to try many products and services and attends media previews and tastings to keep on top of everything new and noteworthy in Singapore. Here we share with you our favourites and, of course, all opinions are our own. We are a diverse group of mamas who are shopping, eating, watching, and experiencing fun things with our families, just like you!

So if you’re looking for some quick pick-me-ups and inspiration, mama, read on to see what tried & tested stuff we’re loving this month. 

Click here to see our past picks!

Lead image sourced via Getty

I’ve been living in this part of the world nearly 10 years and I can’t believe it’s taken me this long to go to the River Safari! Our kids love the Singapore Zoo (and Bird Park) but River Safari given it’s a- river-themed wildlife park, offers a different experience and it’s more manageable to cover in a shorter space of time. The experience has mostly covered walkways so all is not lost when it’s raining or too sunny outside, and it’s very stroller friendly (and wheelchair friendly) too. Highlights were meeting the capybaras at the live show, seeing the manatees and getting up close to monkeys in the free ranging enclosure. We found discounted tickets on Klook.

www.wrs.com.sg/en/river-safari.html

My daughter was completely potty trained by the age of 3 so when my son was still wearing diapers at night at age six I became concerned. We tried waking him at night to pee, reducing liquid intake before bed, introducing reward systems and so on but after too many accidents and countless loads of laundry I decided to ask our paediatrician for help. She recommended we try a bedwetting alarm. After two weeks he was dry. It definitely required parental dedication and help, but it was worth it. I’ve been through it and I know it can really wear you down, if you’ve tried everything else and nothing worked, give this alarm a try. Good luck!

Purchased on Amazon for US$89

I recently completed the Basic Potters 1 course at The Potters’ Guilt, a gorgeous little studio tucked away in an artists’ enclave in Pearl’s Hill. The Basic course gets you familiar with using the throwing wheel, learning to make basic curved shapes (ie bowls!) and then moving onto cylindrical shapes. We also learned how to trim our pieces (this is my favourite part, and makes your bowls and cups look SO much more impressive), and finally how to glaze your finished piece.

I’m so pleased with what I managed to create in the 8 weeks, and it was really rewarding to step out of my comfort zone and literally get my hands dirty. I went with a friend, but we found it surprisingly hard to maintain a conversation as we both got so absorbed in what we were doing.

This studio is very popular so if you’re interested I recommend going on the waitlist ASAP! Contact [email protected] for more information.

195 Pearl’s Hill Terrace #01-03, Singapore 168976, Chinatown

www.thepottersguilt.com

(Image: Actual things I made in my Basic Potters 1 course!)

Read more: Fun Adult Hobbies & Classes in Singapore

I would say, as a general rule, that blondes don’t in fact have more fun in Singapore (fair enough!). Great hair salons specializing in blonde highlights are few and far between, and unlike at home in the US it’s impossible to find blonde shampoos at the drugstore. So when the super schmancy salon haircare line Kerastase emailed to tell me about their new Blond Absolu line, I was pretty stoked. It includes a shampoo, a conditioner, an anti-brass perfecting mask, and a post-bleach fortifying booster to keep hair strong. The line is particularly geared toward blonde hair needs, working to combat brassiness while also brightening tone, while also fortifying color-treated, extra fine hair that’s particularly susceptible to breakage. It’s ultraviolet in coverage and key ingredients include Hyaluronic Acid and Edelweiss Flower. I got to try out the treatment – including shampoo, conditioning, and mask – at Toni & Guy and as you can see from the berore & after photo, my color (and well worn highlights) looked shinier and more balanced. I’ve continued using the shampoo and conditioner and really like how my hair handles them whether blow-drying or out in the Singapore humidity – it never feels heavy or frizzy.

Kerastase Blond Absolu products are available at Kerastase salons across Singapore. See www.facebook.com/KerastaseSingapore for more details.

I’m a little embarrassed to admit, but after busting a tire on my bicycle more than a year ago it sat sadly outside our apartment, collecting dust and mainly being used as an umbrella rack. I simply couldn’t be bothered to schlep it to a repair shop (not to mention I didn’t even know where to find a bicycle repair shop!). Enter The Bike Butler (Mervyn Liew), a bicycle enthusiast who not only builds bicycles, but also provides a fab concierge service where he’ll pick your bike up, fix it up good as new, and then drop it back to your place in under a week. I was able to make all the arrangements over text message, and didn’t need to be present at pick-up or drop-off. For $150 my wheel was fixed, my bike was all cleaned up, and I was taking Tad for his first bike ride in no time. Well worth it!

The Bike Butler, email [email protected] or Tel: (+65) 9668 8934, www.thebikebutler.com

I have been obsessed with Stasher Bags since December. I started with two to test out and have since purchased lots more!

Stasher bags are reusable silicone bags that are an alternative to the typical single-use plastic sandwich bags. They are good for the environment and healthy for you too – free of BPA and other toxins. I love that they are dishwasher safe as well. It does, however, take a bit of effort to position them in the dishwasher so that the inside also gets washed to get a good clean. Stasher bags come in a variety of sizes and fun colors. My go-to is the snack size! Most of their bags are solid colors but they also have a few kid-friendly designs.

I use Stasher bags for just about everything from meal prep, snacks, lunch, leftovers, dog treats and more! They are perfect for picnics at Sunset Cinema and concerts at the Botanics. You can also use them in the microwave and sous vide but I haven’t given that a try yet.

Find Stasher Bags online at iHerb or on the Amazon Prime Now app. Prices start from about S$14.

This actually worked! After the dentist pulled up some Google Images of thumb-sucking-caused overbites online, my 7-year-old was determined, but still struggled to kick the habit. We finally bought this product online and after 1 week he was done! Apparently if used before 4 years old they may get used to the taste and carry on thumb-sucking, but if you have an older child who is willing to give it a try, here is one success story for you!

Purchased on Amazon for US$17

I recently discovered these Eco Femme cloth panty liners while looking for eco-friendly feminine hygiene alternatives in place of disposables. I never knew cloth panty liners were a thing until I stumbled upon them on local online store LiveLoveLuna! Suitable for daily use, they’re handmade with 100% organic Indian cotton with an all-in-one design which features three ultra-absorbent cotton flannel inner layers, a breathable PUL leakproof backing and a soft cotton flannel top.

They’re really easy to wash after every use and only require some sun every now and then to naturally ‘sanitise’. I love that Eco Femme is a social enterprise, whose founders started the project with the aim of providing jobs to the women in India.

LiveLoveLuna also offers Eco Femme’s range of cloth pads and other sustainable feminine hygiene products like menstrual cups.

www.liveloveluna.com