Friday, December 8, 2017

Review: Combi Mechacal Handy Auto4Cas Stroller (Handy 4x) - Lightest Auto Swivel Stroller

Vern @ 22mo on the Combi Mechacal Handy 4x Stroller - May 2017


I am fortunate enough to be selected to review this awesome stroller - the Combi Mechacal Handy Auto4Cas (Handy 4x) Stroller.

I mean, I'm sure most of us here have at least heard of the Combi brand. It is one of the most famous baby brands out there, so I was ecstatic to be able to try out this newest stroller from Combi.

So for those who haven't heard of Combi. Here goes:



SO WHO AND WHAT IS COMBI

Combi was established in 1957 in Japan, the foundation took place for over 50 years. Derived from the word "combination", Combi hopes to create a relationship with all the destined people. It strives to ensure the work of primary caregivers is enjoyable and to make it easier for all family members to experience the happiness of baby caring.

Today, Combi is one of the largest and oldest specialist producers of baby products in the world today.



FIRST IMPRESSIONS AND PRODUCT FEATURES

The package was delivered to my home in a very large vertical box. The box was hardy and was in quite good condition when delivered to me. Not much dents on the box or whatsoever.

Opening up the top flap of the box revealed the contents inside. There were more cardboard pieces for more cushioning of the content. 
 

When I took the stroller out, the whole thing was wrapped in a large plastic bag. This is to further protect it from dust and moisture. Very good packaging indeed.

And then it was time to unwrap the plastic. In it revealed the Combi Mechacal Handy Auto4Cas (Handy 4x) Stroller in Garnet/Shine Black in colour.

It also came with a Dacco Seat cushion, which comprises of a Head Support and Hip Support. This Dacco Seat cushion is mostly used for infants, and it absorbs and disperses impact evenly.
This is a new design and is now machine washable, which makes cleaning more convenient.

And of course it also came with a manual. 

So let's see how the stroller looks like when free standing/folded.
These are the front view, back view and side view photos of the stroller. Love the colour. Looks elegant and neutral gender colour. Which means it doesn't matter if you have a baby boy or a girl, this colour is suitable for both genders.
 


I asked both of my younger kids to stand near the stroller, so you can kinda gauge how tall is the stroller. 
My youngest is 22mo and the other is 4+ yo. Both of them were happy to be my models. :)


Yes, as the tag says, this stroller is only 4.9kg, which makes it the lightest auto swivel stroller in the market for now.
This is especially great for petite mums who can't handle huge, bulky stroller, especially when out with the baby alone!
 


And this is how the stroller looks like when it is opened.
I noticed that the seat of this stroller is actually higher than the rest of my other strollers.
This model has a high seat position of 55cm. This position raises the baby above ground-based allergens.
Besides this, the baby also has a better higher view of what is in front of the baby, compared to just looking at people's legs and butts all the time. ;P


Let's now see how it looks like with little Vern strapped into it.
It has a One Touch 5-point harness, which means that with just one push of the button, the 5-point harness comes unlocked.
And with the harness being 5-point, it means Vern is very securely strapped into the stroller.
 

This stroller actually has 170 degree full reclining seat, making this stroller suitable for newborns.
We only use the full reclining function only when Vern fell asleep in it, as he is no more a newborn and prefers to be upright when awake. However, the many reclining degree makes it more comfortable for the baby no matter which position the baby is in.

It has a flexible front safety bar, like all their Combi strollers, which I love.
The safety front bar means baby can sit right up and look out of the pushchair while being adequately restrained. The material is soft, and this soft and flexible bumper means that baby will not get hurt if they bite or kick it. 
 

Look at how comfy Vern is while we went shopping?
 


It has a large canopy, which is really good as it is able to cut over 99% of ultra-violet ray in sunlight.
It can also help to protect against a light drizzle.


The canopy also has two mesh windows
The first is at the front where the baby can look out of the stroller
The other one is at the back, so that the mummy can peek into the stroller to check on the baby while pushing it. 


My boy likes to play peekaboo with me with the canopy as well. This proved to be rather useful when we sometimes needed to wait in queue so it had something to keep him occupied while being strapped into the stroller. 
 

There are also many other benefits in which it will show better if being demonstrated.
I'd put together a short video clip on some of the features of this stroller, especially the 360 degree automatic swivel wheels. 

Take a look at this short video clip:



You can see in the video, how easy it is to maneuver it even in 360 degree. The ride is smooth with its 360 degree automatic swivel wheels! Not only that, you can even switch to a front view steering by reversing the handle and enjoy the same smooth automatic swivel wheels!

And with its one-touch folding and unfolding, you can manage the stroller effortlessly and give you more confidence when you are out with your baby alone. You can fold the stroller with one hand while holding your baby on the other hand.

Just like how it was shown in the video, this stroller can be free standing when folded, which makes everything easier when you go out with your baby alone. You don't have to put it lying down on the floor, or find a wall for it to lie against. It can stand on its own.


And also the hand strap makes it easy to carry your stroller to the boot of your car etc. I love this.

There are also some of the other benefits are not shown on the video;

The material used in this stroller is actually designed on ultra-shock absorbent system and soft suspension. 
The ultra shock absorbent Eggshock pad and the wider wheels installed in Handy 4x absorbs the vibration and shock when using the stroller on different terrains, making it a comfortable and smoother ride for the baby.

I did try using it on the smooth floors of the mall, the rough tarred road, and also on the bumpy grassy field and I had no problems maneuvering this stroller with Vern in it! 

And also thanks to the new Air-through seat design installed, this increases the ventilation and comfort level of the baby. 
No problem at all pushing this stroller to the park even in our warm and humid weather. Baby is kept cool in the stroller.


However, I find this stroller not too suitable for people with small car boot space, as it does not fold too compactly as umbrella strollers.
But then umbrella strollers is another stroller category all by itself, so I guess this is not an apple to apple comparison.

Another is that it has a relatively short body, but then this stroller is meant for newborns until 15kg (which is about 36 months) so this stroller caters for newborn up to toddlerhood only.


But all in all, I still think this is an awesome stroller.
The best is that it is only 4.9kg, and its 360 degree automatic swivel wheels, which makes it the lightest auto-swivel stroller in the market for now!

It is really recommended for any parent, especially for mums who are usually going out alone with just your baby, as this stroller is light and easy to manage.

So now, let me end this blog post with a photo of my Vern happily sitting in his Combi Mechacal Handy Auto4Cas Stroller (Handy 4x) - the lightest Auto Swivel Stroller!




TO PURCHASE

Please visit Combi's Facebook Page to purchase.



* Disclosure: I received a Combi Mechacal Handy Auto4Cas Stroller for review purpose, but no monetary incentive was received. All text and opinions are of my own and represents my honest opinion of the product(s).

Monday, November 13, 2017

Khye's First Piano Recital

12 September 2017 - Khye @ 5yo

Just like his brother, Khye also started piano lessons when he turned 4yo. He had been going for Yamaha classes since end of last year.

And after much delay and postponement, finally it was their mini piano recital/concert in September 2017, just 2 days before he turns 5yo. (Yes, I am 3 mths late in posting this!)

Khye had been waiting ages for it! He had been practising hard for it.
And so I'm going to jot this memory down, just like what I did for his brother 3 years ago.

And since I super love Shern's teacher, I got the same teacher for Khye as well. And I had been dutifully sitting in classes with Khye every week.
I enjoy the 1+ hr I get to be alone with Khye and fully concentrate just on him. Khye calls it "Mummy and Yiu-Khye's time"! Very precious indeed!

This is my 2nd round (my 3rd year) sitting in for Khye and I think I'm a little bit smarter nowadays although I have no music background myself.
I now know how to listen to chords, what are cadence etc. Haha.

But I must say his teacher makes learning sooooo fun.
Khye loves going to class, where he gets stickers for good behaviour and good playing. lol #gettingstickersishistoppriorityinlife

This mini recital was actually just for the kids to experience what was it like to be on stage.
The audience was just the parents and siblings of the kids performing. Not too big a crowd. Just nice.

My handsome cute little darling Khye, all dressed up for his recital.



This is a short clip of Khye's first ever piano recital, him playing 2 short songs - Hush A Bye and Jingle Bells.
He was a little nervous but I think he did great! We were mighty proud of him!
I love how he introduced himself. ;)





Look at him fully concentrating on his pieces.




This was when he was introducing himself to the audience. ;)


After that, it was party time!

The teacher, as usual, being a "big kid" came with balloons and gifts for the kids and stickers too of course!

Here are Khye's classmates, but I blurred their faces coz I think the parents won't be too happy if they see their kids' photos here without permission. 


And this is his teacher, who told me he is too shy to be on the internet. ;)


Thank you teacher for all your guidance and dedication to the kids.
I always believe that choosing the right teacher is so important!

It was a great night!
And well done, Khye! :)



Photo Credits: The clearer pics are taken by my friend Aaron.

Sunday, November 12, 2017

Khye Taking the Best Reader Award In His Class!

6 Nov 2017 - Best Reader in English



While I was in Bangkok, hubby sent me a photo of Khye bringing home an award from school - Best Reader award!

If you can remember, he bagged the Best Reader in Chinese last year.
And so hubby went to ask, if this Best Reader award is in the English subject? The teacher told him yes, is in English.
And she mentioned that he also did very well for his Chinese, just like last year, but then each person can only take him one award and "must give people chance". Not sure if this means he bagged it too, but nevertheless we are #superproudparents! :D

Khye started reading rather fluently sometime beginning of this year, when he was about 4 1/2 years old. And since then, he has been reading most of the books his level with no problems.
He brings books home from school every week, and 90% of the time, he could read all the words in the book all by himself without help.

Reading to our kids every night before they sleep pay off.
Nowadays, Peter settles the reading bedtime routine with Khye. Either, Peter reads to him, or he reads to Khye. It depends on which books Khye chooses.

I think it is important that they kids get to choose the books they like to read, or to read to.
We, as parents, can guide, or narrow down the books. But ultimately, let the kid chooses.
Reading, after all, needs to be fun!

But, remember, each kid reads at their own pace! Just be patient!
Shern only started reading fluently at 6+yo, and  he is now a bookworm.


Congratulations Khye, we are very proud of you!
You are doing really well at 5 years old!




Thursday, November 9, 2017

Sabah With Kids: An Adventurous Day @ Kundasang & Ranau in Sabah

16 October 2017 @ Kinabalu Pine Resort with the Mount Kinabalu backdrop


We stayed in Kundasang for one night and it was one of the best decision ever.

We stayed in Kinabalu Pine Resort, which is a chalet/cabin type of accommodation, situated among beautiful pine trees.
But the main reason we chose this place is the magnificent view of Mount Kinabalu.

The wooden cabins built we stayed in are surrounded by beautiful, lush Pine Trees and have a magnificent view of the majestic Mount Kinabalu.

The price is quite reasonable too as the standard cabin can fit our family of 5 with an extra mattress. And it comes with breakfast and dinner too!
 
Source: Source: http://www.kakgojes.com/2016/08/homestay-hotel-dan-penginapan-di-kundasang.htmlSource: http://beautifulkk.com/2008/03/06/kinabalu-pine-resort
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The wind was howling the whole night as we were surrounded by trees and such. We all thought it was raining but it wasn't. Just the loud rustling of the trees in the surrounding.
It was super chilly in the morning. It was only 16 dC when we woke up at 7am! What a nice change from the usually hot & humid Malaysia. 

And so we whipped out our semi-thick jackets in the morning. 
Look at the view while walking to their humble restaurant for breakfast. Beautiful pine trees and the mountain behind. So beautiful right?



 
 


This is at the top terrace overlooking the nearby village, and again with the mountain view.


I think given another chance, I would have chose to stay there for 2 nights instead of 1 while we explored the nearby area. We loved it so much there. 

Upon reaching the Kota Kinabalu International Airport, our hired driver picked us up in his van and off we went straight to our accomodation in Kundasang.



RUMAH TERBALIK / UPSIDE DOWN HOUSE @ Tamparuli

On our way from the airport to Kundasang, we stopped at the Rumah Terbalik / Upside Down House in Tamparuli, Sabah.
By the way, we flew direct from Penang to Kota Kinabalu via Air Asia. 

The entrance fees were quite steep when compared to the rest.
There is the fee to go inside the Upside Down House and also a separate fee for the 3D Wonders Museum, or you can get the Combo package.  

The Rumah Terbalik is supposedly the first one in Malaysia, but to tell the truth, inside the house is nothing much. It is a guided tour and no photos allowed inside. (We think because if you know what is inside, no one would wanna go in haha). We finished touring in like 15 minutes or less. "_"
Yes, the interior of this Upside Down House. Skip it if you can. :P
 


But the outside of the house has a few booth featuring upside down stuff, like this one below.
But both the kids and adult had soooo much fun posing for it!
See how Vern also joined in the fun and clung onto my leg. 
As usual, our hair gave it away! lol


 And our favourite is the 3D museum.
We all spent a loooong time inside there. There wasn't much crowd so we had so much fun taking turns posing for the camera. I think we spent like more than 1 hour for this place.
I won't spoil it here with all the photos. Bring your kids there. I think they would love it. Just these 2 photos to let you see how they are like.
ok, we don't really know how to pose though. haha.



Rumah Terbalik / Upside Down House
Entrance Fees & Operation Hours


DESA CATTLE FARM @ Kundasang

After breakfast the following morning after our night in Kinabalu Pine Resort, our driver for the day came to pick us up at 7.45am. 
And then we headed straight to Desa Cattle Farm not too far away.

The main reason I chose to go there is because that place has my favourite view of the Mount Kinabalu as it is located at the foothill of the mountain. And with its fat cows and pine trees and majestic mountains views, we felt like we were in New Zealand. 
Weather also seemed like it was in New Zealand. It was windy and chilly so early in the morning.

See....New Zealand picture-perfect view right?



All of us donning the thickest jacket we bought.
It was school holidays so it was packed. Majestic mountain behind but ugly vans n cars in the photo. Blueks.

See how my hair was blowing away with the strong wind, and baby Vern holding close to me to shield from the strong wind. 

Ok, a more decent wefie of all of us with the mountain and the fat cows (without the vans).
You can't really see it here but the cows were all really fat.

One more of the 5 of us.

Desa Cattle Dairy Farm
Opening Hours: Open Daily, 8am-5pm
Adult: RM5, Child: RM4



PORING HOT SPRING (We skipped this)

After that, we went to Poring for the Canopy Walkway.
It is the same place as the famous Poring Hot Spring. You need to go through the Hot Spring to get to the Canopy Walkway and also to the Waterfall.

So therefore, you need to purchase the entrance fee of the Poring Hot Spring, which is RM3 for adult, and RM1 for child. Senior Citizens only pay RM1 too.

I did not choose to go to the Hot Spring because the last time I went, I was so disappointed with it. It was no natural hotspring from the ground, but is channeled via "taps" into a few different tubs.
A tub can fit 4-5 adults.
So it is basically turning on the tap for the "hot spring water" - no difference from the hot tub in my house.

And so we skipped that.
Here is a photo of it as we passed by, just in case you are still keen to go.

We just took a photo in front of this plague. ;)




PORING CANOPY WALKWAY 

Just walk past the Hot Spring and follow the sign boards that says Canopy Walkway. Our driver / guide also walked with us.

As you can see, there is another entrance fee for the Canopy Walkway, but it is reasonably priced at RM3 for adult, and RM1.50 for child. But the charge RM5 for per camera. 


It was about 15 minutes hike up mostly stairs and we see beautiful nature along our hike. 
So old and young all hiked up to the canopy walkway.
 
   


I was babywearing Vern up and you know him being such a big n tall baby kinda blocked my view. Thank goodness it was an easy hike. 
  


There were 3 hanging walkway suspended high onto the tallest tropical trees, and the last one was the longest and thus swing the most. 
It was fun for all, even for my dad who is scared of heights!
 

Hiking down was easier of course and it took us about 10 minutes to reach the intersection. We decided to hike up to the Kipungit Waterfall as well.

KIPUNGIT WATERFALL 

There is no entrance fee for this hike to the waterfall, so it was free.
The hike up this waterfall also took us around 15 minutes. But the hike was more gradual. Less stairs and less steep so it was a leisurely height.

I decided to backcarry Vern and luckily this time he obliged. And so it was a much easier hike for me although I'm carrying a 15kg baby on my back! But at least my view is not obstructed. :)
  
  



I have always loved waterfalls and surprisingly, it was not too crowded there.




 Even Vern was happy soaking his legs into the cool water.

The most fun is that we all had a mini fish spa at the water. The water was so clean and clear that mini fishes came to nibble at our toes and legs. Kids were really enjoying this.
 

We spent almost 45 minutes up there just soaking our feet and having mini fish spa. Then we hiked down.
Hiking down when all the kids want mummy only. ;)
A photo of me babywearing Vern on my back and Shern on my left and Khye on my right! 


I'm really proud that Shern and Khye hiked up and down both the Canopy Walkway and the Waterfall without any complains at all. :)
So it is time to arrange more hiking trips!



FISH SPA AND FISH FEEDING @ BOMBON, KAMPUNG MARAKAU

Next in our list is the Fish Spa.
This is by far our most favourite experience.

We paid RM3 for adults and RM1 for kids and each got a packet of the Fish Food.
 

What is so awesome about this is how huge and enormous these fishes are. And I couldn't imagine having those nibble my feet/legs. See the size of these fishes as compared to our feet.



The guides there taught us how to feed the fishes. By putting the fish food firm into our grip and then let these toothless fishes suck the food out of our palm. My kids got the hang of it real fast.
 
 


Look at how Shern is stroking and petting these fishes as if they were his pets? "_"
 

Vern sat nearby daddy and he also enjoyed feeding them, and also tucking his feet in and up if the fishes got too near him. lol.
He was hesitant initially but then got really brave too in the end. 
 

 

Here is a short clip of my kids feeding the fishes and enjoying their Fish Spa.




To tell the truth, it was a little bit ticklish especially when the fishes sucked so hard trying to nibble the food out of my palm.


But in the end, everyone had so much fun we didn't wanna leave.  

Bombon Kg Marakau Fish Spa
Adult: RM3, Child RM1



ARNAB VILLAGE @ RANAU

This was the last place we went for the day.

This place was quite spacious, and it was like a rabbit's sanctuary. 
It is built on a slope and so the rabbits had some exercise to do. There were tunnels and burrows and shades and etc. 



We liked that you could go near and personal to the rabbits. You could hug and feed them and stroke them. My kids certainly had fun doing all those.
 

My pet-lover son. He even smelled the rabbits as he fed them! "_"
 

Even Vern was getting really brave!
 

Arnab Village
Adult: RM3\5, Child: RM3, Senior Citizen: Free


After awhile it started to drizzle, so we left the place at about 4pm. And we headed straight to our accomodation in Kota Kinabalu. 

It was a tiring but really adventurous day we had. 
It was back to nature for all of us and the kids and even the adults had a marvelous time in Kundasang and Ranau.

So for all of you heading to Kota Kinabalu, please don't give Kundasang and Ranau a miss, especially if you have kids!
There are lots to do and see!

Stay tuned for the next part of our trip to Sabah........




***Our Driver for Kota Kinabalu-Kundasang/Ranau-Kota Kinabalu

I would recommend him because he was quick to respond Whatsapp messages, which made planning easier. He also helped to plan the route to optimize the time.
He also volunteered to take some group pics for us.
I liked that he joined us for the hike up to the Canopy Walkway and also to the Kipungit Waterfall, guiding and leading us the way.

For those of you interested in our driver/guide, you can contact him via Whatsapp him at +6014-9550124.
He also has a Facebook page : https://www.facebook.com/teksikotakinabalu.taxi
He has his own mpv to cater for smaller groups, or he can also hire a van for bigger groups.

I typed/spoke to him in Bahasa Malaysia, but he knows simple English too.





***Read about our other travelling adventures here in my Travelogue page. 





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