Hello, I’m Rosie Jansen, founder of Tribe, the Ultimate Breed of Baby Bag™ and a mother-of-one residing in Singapore. Friends and family are always asking me about what it’s like to both raise a child and to be an entrepreneur here. In short, it’s great! 
Sometimes the year-round heat and humidity make life challenging as it means there’s often a time limit on outdoor activities, but it’s truly a fantastic city in which to raise children and to be a working mum. If you’re looking to drop by Singapore for a visit, or are new to the sunny island, here are my picks for top things to do with your toddler and family here.
Don’t forget to apply SPF, arm yourself with some insect repellent (Singapore is a tropical country so there are mosquitoes around), an umbrella to shield against sudden downpours (especially during the monsoon season) and plenty of water to stay hydrated.
Top Things to Do with Toddlers in Singapore:
1.Singapore Zoo: The Singapore Zoo is amazing and one of my favourite places to visit with kids. You can have breakfast alongside orang-utans as part of the Zoo’s Jungle Breakfast, and it has a great water park that’s always popular with the little ones. If you’ve got older kids with a later bedtime, there’s also the night safari which opens from 7:30pm onwards. You can hop on a tram or take a walking trail to get up close to creatures like leopards (behind their enclosures, of course), which is always great fun. Adults are also huge fans of the night safari so it’s always on my list of places to take visiting friends and family.
2. Jacob Ballas Children’s Garden at the Singapore Botanic Gardens: Like most urban cities, Singapore’s skyline is very much dominated by skyscrapers but the Botanic Gardens is a lovely part of the city where you can go to have a picnic, enjoy nature, and even feed the swans. The Jacob Ballas Children’s Garden is a haven dedicated to kids to enjoy some horticultural exploration. In addition to the flora and fauna, kids can work their way through mazes, play around in tree houses and enjoy feeding turtles. It’s a small wonderland.
3. Children’s Shows: Popular children’s entertainers like The Wiggles and Dora the Explorer hold shows at the theatres at the Singapore Esplanade and Marina Bay Sands (Singapore’s integrated resort) at various times throughout the year. There are also some great children’s entertainers like the Singapore home-grown group Toy Box who do a great monthly show.
4. Jetset to the Beach: Singapore is a small city country island. Whilst there’s no shortage of great things to do in Singapore, a major part of life in Singapore is travelling to surrounding countries for long weekend or short breaks. Phuket and Bali, popular beach holiday destinations, are only 2-3 hours away by air and are very family friendly.
5. The Great Singapore Sale: I love shopping for children’s clothes, particularly during The Great Singapore Sale which is held in June and July – there are always great bargains on offer. My favourite clothing brand is the French brand Petit Bateau so I’m always there with my son picking out clothing. Petit Bateau always has the prettiest window displays.
Petit Bateau is located at #02-31 Tanglin Mall.
6. The Better Toy Store: I’m a huge fan of old-school wooden toys and puzzles. The Better Toy Store has a really good selection of toys, which are big hits with children and parents alike. Most of the presents I buy for friends’ children are from this store.
7. Coffee and Cake: My favourite thing to do on my days off work is to meet my friends and their children for a quick coffee and cake. With the burgeoning café culture in Singapore, it’s easy to find some fantastic cafes, just like the ones in my native Australia which has a very strong coffee culture. My favourite café is a place called The Pantry – it has amazing sponge cake, scones, ginger bread and quiche. The best part is that it’s very children-friendly as it’s in a gated area so kids can play safely while their mums watch on with a cup of coffee and cake. If you head there on the first or third Saturday of the month, you can also check out the fresh home baked goods on offer at a small Farmer’s Market.
The other café I love is the French Hediard Café but it’s more for grown-ups with no children in tow.
8. Marina Barrage: The Green Roof Park is an expansive area, making it perfect for picnics and kite flying.
9. Playing at the Local Park: The great thing about Singapore is that there are plenty of parks and playgrounds around. My son loves the park in our neighbourhood and its sandpit, swings, activity set and big open spaces for running around. It’s nice to have a sense of community and to develop friendships with the parents of other children who are also regular park visitors.
10. Food, Food, Food: Singapore’s many cultures mean there’s an abundance of different cuisines to try, and it’s good to expose children to different foods particularly when they’re young and presumably more adventurous (my son’s quite the foodie and his favourite Asian dishes are Taiwanese noodles and Chinese dumplings). Give local Singaporean cuisine a go by starting with one of my favourites, delicious Hainanese Chicken Rice from Boon Tong Kee, which has several outlets across the island.
{Thank you Rosie, so so tempted to go… maybe beginning next year we will… }
