My Top Four “Baby Gear Worth The Dough” List

Welcome to 2010, folks! I thought I’d start the year off with a few fabulous products you might consider to make life with your baby/toddler easier for everyone. Why are these products fabulous? Because they have lasted for five years in my household and have not fallen apart yet! That’s why these baby items are worth the dough, in my opinion.

bob-jogger#1 – BOB Sport Utility Stroller – This is one of the best items we ever purchased because it is sitting in my garage right now and works perfectly. We’ve blown a few tires over the years, but that’s about it. The suspension system, handling and even the fabric is un unbelievable condition. My oldest child is five and we bought this BOB jogger when he was six months old. Yes – worth every penny. Retails for $299 at BabyEarth.

TIP: Get a pedometer so you can total up the miles you put on it. I wish we had b/c I trained for 10k races with ours and would love to know that magic number.

joovy

#2 – Joovy Caboose Stand-On Stroller – We bought this dream vehicle when my youngest was about six months old (he’s two now) and it still looks wonderful. We have used it so many times for a variety of activities. It has been the perfect stroller solution when we need to get around with both kiddos. It’s not the most luxurious or the most comfy, but in certain instances it has been a lifesaver. Now you can get the Joovy Ultralight which weighs quite a bit less. It retails for $160 at BabyEarth.

tripp-trapp#3 – Stokke Tripp Trapp – I’ve read both pros and cons about this chair and my feeling is it is worth the money. I’m not sure how sensible it is for babies, even with the cushion and infant seat, but it works great for toddlers. It looks cool, it’s easy to clean and easy to climb into for youngsters. I love the way it adjusts to different heights and fits under every kind of table perfectly. I’ve had this for about two years and still love it, as do my kiddos. It retails for $250 at BabyEarth.

britax1

#4 – Britax Car Seats – I know it’s hard to fork out this kind of money when you have to buy multiple car seats, but it’s worth the moolah. It’s just hard to beat a Britax car seat for so many reasons. In addition to all of the impressive safety features, these seats are easy to install – and easy to install correctly. There is one for every age and every weight category. Gotta give them high grades. You can find a huge selection of Britax car seats at BabyEarth.

Toddler Car Seats: Not Pretty, But Necessary

I won’t argue the harness vs. lap belt debate. Let’s just say I will keep my children strapped into a car seat for as long as possible. I would like to make them wear helmets or have a HANS Device too. Anyway, due to the size of these car seats, some parents just want a more streamline option. I do admit, the booster seats are prettier.

Let’s look at some of the toddler seats with 5-point harness systems:

orbit-toddlerOne of the bestsellers, according to BabyEarth, is the Orbit Baby Toddler seat. In fact, they are currently sold out. It’s sleek, sophisticated, safe and goes up to 50 pounds. Retails for $360 at BabyEarth.

graco

Next on the list is the Graco Nautilus 3-in-1 Car Seat and it is a much better price. You can get all of the safety features minus some of the luxury, for about half the cost as this car seat retails for $160 at BabyEarth. It holds children up to 65 pounds.

recaroAnother good-looking, popular model is the Recaro Young Sport Car Seat. This is one is intended for toddlers, but as they grow into the 30-80 pound range, it is recommended that you use a lap belt. If you want to use the harness, it goes up to 40 pounds. You can find this beauty at BabyEarth for $249.

britax-frontierThe last one I’m going to mention is the Britax. You can’t do a list of car seats without mentioning them! This is a hulk of a car seat otherwise known as the Frontier. It is big! It weighs 23 pounds by itself!  But it also holds a child up to 80 pounds in the harness. You can use it as a booster too. Retails for $229 at BabyEarth.

Meet The Revolutionary, Borosilicate, Baby Bottle

coddletime

It’s time for a little science lesson… Do you know what borosilicate glass is? It’s the exact same type of glass used in laboratories due to its superior strength, durability and resistance to exploding into a zillion pieces. (It helps if you picture a mad scientist laughing maniacally.) It’s also much lighter than the glass typically used for baby bottles.

The smart folks at Coddletime have created baby bottles using this borosilicate glass. Tada! These award-winning bottles are the ‘next big thing’ in feeding since WeeGo. The list of benefits is pretty impressive:

  • Extremely resistant to high heat and breakage
  • Lightest glass baby bottle on the market
  • Anti-colic
  • Soft, wide and stretchy nipples mimic breastfeeding action, preventing nipple confusion
  • The semi-transparent food grade silicone bottle wrap protects from scratches and allows for easy viewing of contents inside
  • Non-toxic, BPA, lead, PVC and Phthalate free
  • Microwave and dishwasher safe
  • Winner of iParenting’s 2009 Best Product and 2009 Hottest Product awards
  • World’s first borosilicate glass feeding bottle
  • Packaging is made with eco-friendly mat

Go see for yourself at BabyEarth. One bottle retails for $10.

The Britax Chaperone for Babies on the Moooove

britaxMommyQ is a huge fan of Britax car seats. While not every car seat we have is Britax, we do have two that are and I’m constantly impressed by them. I blogged about the new Britax Advocate Convertible Car Seat earlier this month and want to mention the new Britax Chaperone Infant Car Seat.

In addition to the fun ‘Cow Bay’ print – yes, I’m a fan of all types of animal prints! – the list of features is impossible to ignore. This is why Britax is one of the leading car seat manufacturers around:

  • Tangle Free, 5 Point Harness with 7 harness heights and 2 buckle positions for a snug and secure fit
  • True Side Impact Protection shields from vehicle intrusion, contains head and  body, and keeps head, neck and spine aligned to limit injury and distributes crash forces
  • Anti-Rebound Bar stabilizes child seat by minimizing rotational forces associated with front and rear collisions
  • Ergonomic Carry Handle allows comfortable carrying of child in carrier by contouring to forearm and body
  • Extra Large Canopy protects baby from rain, harmful UV rays and blocks wind
  • Front Harness Adjuster provides easy front adjustment when loosening the harness system
  • Easy to Install Seat-to-Base design self-guides carrier into proper locked position

This is just a partial list! Check out all of the features at BabyEarth, where you can buy a Britax Chaperone for $230.

Nursing? Expecting? Enter Milkscreen Giveaway

If you’re breastfeeding, you already know all of the wonderful benefits it provides for both you and your baby. But what if mommy wants to indulge in a drinky-poo? In the past, we’ve had to “pump & dump” to be sure we weren’t passing any alcohol along to baby. Thanks to the innovative folks at UpSpring Baby, you never have to pump your precious milk and dump it again!

Click here to enter the Milkscreen Giveaway on Babble! Contest ends on Wednesday, April 22, 2009. Good luck!

Retro-Inspired Playful Playpen

The majority of today’s playpens/playards come with LOTS of bells and whistles. Not to mention they require a zillion batteries. If you’re looking for a simple option that is reminiscent of the playpens of yesteryear, yet much much safer, take a look at this treasure from Sorelle, the Soft N Play Playpen.

The colors are bright and cheery with cute little sun and flower decorations, as well as soft animal friends. There are grippy handle in the plapen so your little one can grab on and stand up easily. Other helpful features include washable cushions, a removable mat cover and padded rails. When it comes to keep baby safe and entertained, the Soft N Play Playpen is a great option. Retails for $199.

Sneak Peek: Piggy Paint, A Non-Toxic Nail Polish

Once upon a time a stay-at-home mom decided the highly toxic and flammable polish she was using on her sweet little girls was way too dangerous. She took it upon herself to invent a new, non-stinky version, safe enough for the tiniest toes. Introducing Piggy Paint, a polish that’s as natural as mud.

MommyQ is such a huge fan of great ideas and Piggy Paint is no exception. This is one for the books. Not only are the products non-toxic, odorless and kid-friendly (including the nail polish remover!), but the marketing is just adorable. Bravo, Piggy Paint! MommyQ wishes you wonderful success.

Moms with fancy little girls, grab your Piggy Paint while it lasts. What do you think of this great new product? Let MommyQ know.