Friday, September 20, 2013

Royal Tots Break the Bank

If the press and Facebook are to be believed there was only one baby born in recent times - Prince George Alexander Louis of Cambridge. As his royal parents proudly showed him off to the legion of photographers who had been camping outside the hospital for weeks, one thing became clear, the little dot wasn’t all that impressed by the proceedings. Pictured frowning in one shot and positively bawling in another, the little boy who has literally been born with a jewel encrusted silver spoon in his mouth has no idea how privileged he is and how fame and fortune are going to enhance his life.

It can be said with a fair amount of confidence that finances are going to be the last thing he is ever going to have to worry about. This got me thinking…how do the ultra-wealthy take care of their offspring and more importantly, what extravagant gadgets, nursery equipment and other baby requirements are available to those who want so much more for their little bundles of joy?


A quick search on the Internet quickly highlighted that buying ‘in’ baby and toddler equipment is all the rage and includes everything from extravagant nurseries and suites for toddlers to jewel encrusted dummies.  One Jeweller even went as far as making a 250gram platinum dummy worth in excess of a staggering R800 000 (used, one can only hope, merely for decorative use)

Then there were the cribs. I guess it’s never too early start your youngling on the path to luxury with pampered living. First up, we have the Intellicot which has as much gadgetry as your latest smartphone. This crib boasts automatic features such as a raising mattress to save your bad back, air circulation to keep baby at the right temperature and a video monitoring system so you can check on your bundle of joy whilst counting your money.

For those who want yet even more luxury for their precious little one, there is the Majestic Carriage Crib. It goes for around R100 000 and is available from the aptly named Posh Tot store. Needless to say, its solid cedar frame and frilly bits will let everyone know your baby is indeed a perfect princess.

Simply having an extravagant bed for your tot is never going to be enough, they must be rollin’ in style too. The techie stroller collapses with the push of a button and is ideal for those who need to make a quick getaway from the pesky paparazzi. Want to stroll around the neighbourhood after dark? No problem, this little treasure comes complete with headlights and a screen that indicates the speed that is being travelled. Warning this particular model is not recommended for formula one drivers or highly competitive parents.

However, if you want your lil’ pimp to have street cred, you should consider opting for the Aston Martin’s Silver Cross Surf Stroller. Sporting the same leather used in their cars, aluminium alloy wheels based the Aston Martin One-77 and an air-ride suspension system, this stroller really is a cut above the rest. There are only 800 available exclusively from Harrods, so you better hurry.

These luxury items are just the tip of the iceberg and there are literally thousands of items costing thousands of Rands available. Perhaps, however, it really is worth remembering that children who get to experience these fancy ‘toys’ are no more special than the thousands born into poverty every day.  Let’s take a moment to think about them and consider how their lives could change if they received the same amount of media attention as those born into a life of privilege.

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