Parenthood can be a daunting experience at the best of times, not least because of the myriad gadgets manufacturers would have us believe we simply can't do without. Rather than traipse from one specialist store to another, you can save time and, in some cases, money by going to any one of several 'baby supermarkets' that have sprung up around Hong Kong.
Selling everything from prenatal products to accessories for toddlers under one roof, they are a great way of comparing what's hot and what's not in the baffling world of childcare.
With its comprehensive range of products, Baby Mart (10/F, Wing Ming Centre, 15 Cheung Yue Street, Lai Chi Kok, tel: 2542 3231) offers one-stop shopping for safety-conscious parents. Popular products include the award-winning Angelcare Monitoring System ($1,230), which detects a baby's movements by means of an electronic sensor pad under the mattress and picks up sound via a bedside unit, and the Digital Pacifier Thermometer ($73) from Apex, a thermometer within a dummy.
Specialist baby items at the Eugene Club Centre (D3, 5/F, Hong Kong Spinners Industrial Building, 601 Tai Nan West Street, Cheung Sha Wan, tel: 2307-6833) include Original's Take Care Soy Protein Health Shake ($318/420 grams), an alternative to milk formula, and Aloe Vera diapers ($44 for 32) with a soothing skincare formula.
For older kids, there are some nifty products such as the Safety 1st Easy Learn Potty Trainer ($209), which has a removable adapter seat that fits onto standard toilets, and the C-MAX Mosquito Blind ($250) that covers your child's bed to stop insects getting in. Pregnant and nursing mums are well-catered for too.