February 8, 2012

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Infant Carrier Review: the Britax B-Safe

November 3, 2011 By Whitney Leave a Comment

My dear friend Zareen is having a baby soon so we’ve been talking about infant products and looking at baby items a lot more lately.  I’m amazed (and jealous) at how many awesome products are available these days for newborns.

I used Britax car seats with both of my boys and I was interested to check out the latest infant seat from Britax, the Britax B-Safe.

Here’s some key info about this carrier:

Side Impact Protection distributes crash forces, shields from vehicle intrusion, and contains the head and body
Tangle-Free, Five-Point Harness distributes crash forces across the strongest parts of the body and provides a secure fit
It obviously has LATCH so it clicks easily into cars that are LATCH enabled, comes with the Click & Go Adapter system to work with Britax strollers.   And it holds a baby up to 30 lbs (that’s a big baby!)
As a Mom who has been there, done that, I have to say when shopping for an infant carrier you want safe and you want convenient.  Those are the top two most important things when you have a young infant you are trying to transport around and this car seat fits the bill for both!

It retails for $179.99 but right now you can get the Britax B-Safe on Amazon for $139.99 with free shipping.

Filed Under: Babies, Infant Car Seats Tagged With: , ,

Sleep on the go with Snoozeshade!

November 1, 2011 By Jen 1 Comment

My daughter is almost 5-months old, and we are in a pretty good routine now. As she is the third child, she pretty much has to go with the flow around our house, which includes transporting her two big brothers around from school to soccer to parties and more. As she gets older, this seems to be getting harder and harder, as she prefers to nap in her quiet, dark, room. But as the third child, sometimes there is just no choice!

One item that I have been trying out recently that has been helping me with my crazy days in transit is the Snoozeshade. This innovative product was developed by a mom in the UK who had a similar problem toting around her child during the day in her carrier never seemed to work too well. She created the Snoozeshade to help create a dark, un-obtrusive environment to help her baby sleep more soundly and comfortably.

Though my daughter generally doesn’t sleep well in her infant carrier, I tried out the Snoozeshade last week while toting her to preschool to drop off my son. The halls of the school were loud and crazy, yet my daughter was sleeping peacefully inside her carrier with the Snoozeshade on. I love the zipper feature that allows me to peek inside to see if she is sleeping or awake. The Snoozeshade helps with the various lighting changes from the transition out of the car in the bright sun to inside. The Snoozeshade accommodates almost all baby carriers and has Velcro tabs to help secure it to the carrier. It’s also available as a cover for your stroller or twin. It’s simple and easy to take on and take off, and is made of a breathable, washable fabric. As a bonus, the Snoozeshade has an SPF of 50+, perfect to guard your child from the harsh rays of the sun. It also helps to block out insects, too!

If you are a mom like me juggling multiple children, or you just have a child that gets distracted easily when you want them to sleep on the go, definitely give the Snoozeshade a try! Check out their channel on Youtube for more info!

Filed Under: Babies, Infant Car Seats Tagged With:

BuggyLove: Organic Stroller Cleaning Kit

October 27, 2011 By Whitney 2 Comments

While neither of my boys are in strollers anymore, it feels like just yesterday that I pushed them along in one.  And it’s not hard to remember how disgusting their strollers would get from a variety of baby-related things – spit up on the straps, crushed food on the seat.

Enter BuggyLove.  This Organic Stroller Cleaning Kit is ingenious.  I would totally invest in one of these if I still had a child in a stroller because I think it’s just such an easy convenient way to keep your stroller clean.  The Kit comes with FreshLOVE, PolishLOVE, FabricLOVE, WheelLOVE, Re-usable To-Go Bag, Wheel Scrub Bruch, and Re-claimed Microfiber Cloth.

You can basically use these products for air freshening in your car, to wipe down your stroller (and it’s organic, hence safe!) or even on the car seat for a quick wipe down.

I’ve already tucked away the spray bottle of FreshLOVE in my minivan.  Because even though this product’s intended for baby smells, I’m finding it works nicely on stinky soccer boy smell too.

Get the Kit for $49.99 on BuggyLove.com.

Filed Under: Babies, Infant Car Seats, Strollers Tagged With: , ,

Infant Carrier Review: Safety1st onBoard 35

October 18, 2011 By Whitney 2 Comments

Infant seats have come a long way since my oldest was a baby and it could not get safer than the onBoard™35 infant seat featuring Air Protect™ Side Impact Technology.

Here are some features on the onBoard 35:

  • Rear-facing 4-35 pounds and up to 32” in height
  • Featuring Air Protect™ revolutionary side impact technology - LEARN MORE
  • Immediately reduces side impact forces through the precise release of air
  • Extended use from a tiny 4 to a full 35 pounds
  • Additional leg room for baby’s comfort
  • Customizable insert and low harness slots make the seat ideal for preemies and adjustable for growing babies
  • Carry Curve™ Handle features ergonomic design
  • Base Belt Lock easily secures your vehicle seat belt during installation
  • One Click LATCH installation system

Here’s some important information from Safety1st:

1 in 4 car crashes involving children are side impact collisions. They are by far the deadliest type of collision for children, accounting for 1 in 3 child fatalities; nearly all of which are caused by head trauma. These are frightening facts, but Safety 1sthas been by your side for 25 years providing innovative products to help protect your child from becoming a statistic. It is in this tradition that we proudly announce Air Protect™ side impact technology.

Safety 1st engineers designed Air Protect™ using next generation testing methods that simulate the most violent types of side impact crashes, those with vehicle intrusion. Using this advanced methodology, Air Protect™ was engineered to defend your child in two vital ways. During a crash, the system immediately shields your child’s head from the impact. In a second layer of defense, Air Protect™ allows air to escape from the headrest: channeling crash energy away from your child, creating more ride down time. It is this double layer of protection that makes Air Protect™ technology unique.

Love it.  I know if I were putting my baby into an infant carrier today, I’d certainly want a double layer of protection.  I’d want to protect my baby any extra way possible.

Get the Safety1st onBoard 35 Infant Car Seat on sale right now for $169.99 at Safety1st.com.

Filed Under: Babies, Child Safety, Infant Car Seats, Kids Tagged With: , , ,

Maxi Cosi Piazzo Collection: Stylish, Comfortable and Fashion Forward

September 23, 2011 By afterthealter Leave a Comment

When it was time to start registering for baby items, we all probably thought first about the bigger ticket items that you would need. I remember being lost while walking through the baby stores, and feeling like everything was just so mismatched. How would that look in my home? Now, with the Maxi Cosi Piazzo collection you don’t have to worry about that anymore! With the new fashion-forward Piazzo Collection, which includes a travel system, high chair, and play yard,  you get get great products that all match and go together!

Maxi-Cosi is a well known European car seat brand, that is known for its stylish, comfortable and fashion forward designs. This summer, Maxi-Cosi is introduced the new fashion-forward Piazzo Collection which consists of The Piazzo High Chair($149.99), The Piazzo Playard ($189.99) and The Piazzo Travel System($299.99). All of the Piazzo products come in a modern red color scheme, which fits well into the design of many homes (and vehicles too), and can found exclusively at Babies R Us.

After trying all three pieces of the collection I was extremely impressed. Not only with the style of the products, but comfort and durability of them.

Although my son was too big for the infant seat, he LOVED the stroller! It was soft and comfortable and he fit nice and snug in the seat.

  • This cool travel system features the Cosi35 Infant car seat, which keeps babies rear facing longer with a 4-35lb weight range.
  • The travel system features premium fabrics providing not just comfort, but gives it a great style too!
  • The stroller is really lightweight and folds compactly.
  • The stroller also holds children from birth (with carriage mode) to 50 lbs.
  • It also features an adjustable parent handle, shoe friendly one-touch brake system.
  • To top it all off, the rear suspension system provides a comfortable ride for mom and baby.
  • It also has a convenient tray with cup holders for both mom and baby, and a media holder for my iPhone/smartphone/iPod.

The Piazzo Collection Playard is the perfect spot for your little one from birth to toddler years. All the pieces are easy to set up and put together including the bassinet, changing table and playard itself. With it’s carrying case it’s easy to bring it with you anywhere!

  • The Piazzo Play Yard has a great ergonomic changing station that gives parents easy access to their baby and actually mimics the experience of changing your baby on a changing table.
  • The changer folds down flat for storage and also sets up for use with just one hand.
  • Like the travel system, the play yard features the same tailored premium fabrics. This play yard would fit really well into the living room.
  • In addition to the changing station, the play yard includes a bassinet, parent storage area, cute toy mobile, as well as a travel tote and soothing music unit that features a nightlight and vibration.

The Piazzo Collection High Chair could fit nicely into any home. One thing I liked was the perfect feeding height, as well as the tilt function on the chair. That way when your little one is just starting to sit and eat you can tilt it back for comfort. Then, as they grow you can straighten it up!The other thing I like is that you don’t have to machine wash the chair. It’s foamy cushion is easily wiped clean, and that is extremely useful!

  • The Piazzo high chair has a wipeable, soft and easy to clean foam seat and seat cushion, which is great to have when your baby makes a mess at mealtime!
  • To make sure that baby doesn’t slip, the high chair features a quick fit harness system, which is also easy to clean!
  • The chair has 3 recline positions, 4 footrest positions, and 7 height positions for every stage of feeding and to make sure that baby is comfy.
  • The chair folds easily and compactly for storage.
  • In addition, the Piazzo high chair includes a washable insert tray and a seat cushion that is machine washable. The back of the seat also provides baby with proper head support.

All in all I found the entire collection to be a great addition to my daily routine. Each piece is both stylish and functional, and when it comes to baby items that’s exactly what you need.

I was provided with the Maxi Cosi Piazzo collection for the purposes of this review. As always all thoughts and opinions are my own.

 

Filed Under: Infant Car Seats, Strollers

Britax Boulevard 70 CS: Keeping Your Child Safe

July 21, 2011 By afterthealter Leave a Comment

The day has finally come where my son no longer fits in his infant seat. I put it off as long as possible, but since we are coming dangerously close to the maximum weight limit, I had to bite the bullet and find the right convertible car seat for my son. Normally, I go back and forth for days trying to figure out exactly what I want, but this time the decision was easy. There really was no other car seat brand for me to consider. I always knew that I wanted a Britax , and that was exactly what I was going to get.

If the Britax brand decision was so easy, the decision as to WHICH Britax Car Seat to choose was extremely hard. My son will be riding in this seat for years to come, and therefore I felt a lot of pressure to make the right decision for us. With all of the Britax car seats having so many great safety features I knew I couldn’t go wrong, but I still was looking for the perfect fit. In the end I chose the Britax Boulevard 70 CS (MSRP $339.99).

The Britax Boulevard 70 CS is a member of the Next Generation of Britax convertible car seats. The major difference between the next generation and the classic is that the new ones now can hold a child up to 70 lbs vs. the previous 65 lbs. What makes the Boulevard different than some of the other models is the True Side Impact Protection which offers a head restraint creating an extra layer of energy-absorbing EPP foam, keeping the head, neck and spine “in true” or aligned, and deep side walls lined with EPP foam to distribute crash forces, shield from vehicle intrusion, and contain the head, neck and body. That is what drew me to the Boulevard. I felt that I needed to protect my son as much as possible, and when so many crashes involve side impact I knew I had to choose the extra protection. My son was in his new seat for just a few minutes and right away enjoyed his new “winged” headrest to nap. A little added bonus of the side impact protection!

Britax offers a car seat for your child at any age (well at least any age that requires you to sit in a car seat!)

  • Infant Seats:  can be used rear facing only from 4 to 30 pounds, and are compatible with the BRITAX CHAPERONE and B-READY strollers and other major brands with the BRITAX adapter strap.
  • Next Generation Convertible seats:  can be used rear facing from 5 to 40 pounds and forward facing from 1 year and 20 pounds, up to 70 pounds, depending on the seat. High-capacity convertibles allow your child to stay in a five-point harness through the toddler years.
  • Classic Convertibles: can be used rear facing from 5 to 35 pounds and forward facing from 1 year and 20 pounds, up to 50 or 65 pounds, depending on the seat.
  • Combination Harness 2  Booster:  can accommodate children forward facing only in harness mode from at least 2 years and 25 pounds, up to 85 pounds. The seats can then convert to a belt-positioning booster and accommodate a child to 120 pounds.

I am very happy to be a part of the Britax family of car seats. We all spend so much time in our cars, and it is so important that we protect our child any way we can. Especially when we can’t always control what other drivers do. At least with my Britax Boulevard I can go about my day knowing my son is protected in a car seat I trust.

I was provided with a Britax Boulevard for the purposes of this review. As always all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Filed Under: Carseats and Boosters, Infant Car Seats Tagged With: ,

Creating Your Baby Registry with Britax #bumpmonth

May 12, 2011 By Whitney Leave a Comment

So I’ve been through two kids and two baby registries.  I still remember that overwhelming feeling when I entered Babies R Us the first time I went to register.  I was 20 weeks pregnant with Nate and had literally just found out he was a boy at our ultrasound.  Hubby had no interest in registering so my friend Susan (who was pregnant with #3 at the time) agreed to meet me to help me figure out what to register for.

We had made it about halfway around the store in something like two hours when I called it quits and said I’d have to return to do the rest the next day.  My head was spinning with information she was giving me about car seats, bottles, bottle warmers, bouncy seats and other random baby products I had never considered that I would need.

One of the things I registered for with both of my kids was a Britax car seat.  Both of my boys rode in Britax Marathons.  I registered for one for Nate the first time because Susan told me it was the top ranked car seat at the time.  I didn’t need to hear anything beyond that.

Britax Marathon

Here’s some info about Britax:

BRITAX has been a leader in mobile safety for more than 70 years, with a legacy of leadership in developing innovations that enhance the safety of child car seats and improve their ease of installation and use. Our uncompromising focus has made BRITAX the best-selling child car seat in Europe and one of the brands most trusted by American parents and caregivers since entering the U.S. market in 1996. Our commitment to improving child safety is unparalleled, as evidenced by the fact that our products undergo the most rigorous testing in our industry at five BRITAX testing facilities worldwide. We also work closely with vehicle manufacturers to encourage design improvements that enhance the performance of child car seats. In addition, we maintain an ongoing dialogue with consumers, child passenger safety technicians and other child safety advocates to ensure proper installation and use of child seats and develop new ideas to improve their safety and ease of use.

Britax B-Ready Stroller

Britax is continually a leader in safe, quality baby products.  They’re a great company to consider when planning your baby registry.

Lastly, Britax is releasing an infant carrier!  It’s releasing this month so check out all the specs on this new carrier which sounds great.

Britax's New Baby Carrier

For more info on Britax products, visit BritaxUSA.com

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Disclosure: This post is one in a series of posts sponsored by “All about the Bump Month” for the month of May. To visit the sponsor page please click here.

Filed Under: Babies, Infant Car Seats Tagged With: , ,

Diapers.com Releases Top 10 Car Seat & Stroller List

March 11, 2011 By Whitney 1 Comment

Having a new baby in the house can be daunting for about a zillion reasons, just two of which are picking the right stroller and car seat.

Diapers.com has made it easy on a new Mom by releasing a list of their top 10 Car Seats and top 10 Strollers from 2010 based on sales on their website.

The neat thing too is that the Car Seat list is broken down into categories.  They’ve got infant car seats, convertible car seats, toddler seats and boosters so you can see based on the age of your child.  The Britax Marathon was the #1 for convertible car seats, which I noticed is currently 20% off on the site if you’re in the market. (All Britax are 20% off, use coupon code 20BRITAX)

Strollers are broken down into the following categories:  lightweight, standard-size, jogging strollers, double & triple strollers and travel systems.   I was thrilled to see that my favorite stroller with my last son, the Baby Jogger City Mini made #1 for Lightweight strollers.

New Moms, be sure to check out the lists and find what’s right for you.  There are some wonderful suggestions on all of the lists and it can be tough to navigate the decision with all of the information out there – here you see what ranks top repeatedly over the course of a year and I think it’s invaluable information.

You can also have a Baby Registry on Diapers.com to list some of these great car seats and strollers!

This post is sponsored by BabyCenter in conjunction with the BabyCenter Blog Network.

Filed Under: Babies, Carseats and Boosters, Infant Car Seats, Kids, Nursery

Diapers.com: Beyond Baby Care & a #Giveaway for $200 Gift Certificate

December 8, 2010 By Whitney 49 Comments

My youngest child has been out of diapers for over a year now so buying diapers and shopping somewhere like Diapers.com has not been on my radar. Until recently, when I received a note about participating in a campaign for Diapers.com to purchase and use the site for more than diapers.

More than diapers at Diapers.com?  I was curious to see how the site had grown since my last child potty trained and was pleasantly surprised at how much their offering had expanded since the last time I ordered.

I placed a big order for several products, none of which was diapers!  I got toys for my kids for Christmas, clothes and skin care products for my kids.  In searching for various products, I was able to find everything I was looking for.  Check out the array of Legos they offer!  (My kids are so into Legos right now, I was impressed with their selection.)

I also ordered this adorable Tea Collection Lion Double Decker Tee.  Then I was out of hand soap so I hopped over to body care and ordered several bottles of Burts Beeds Hand Soap.  Bottom line being that their offering has moved beyond diapers and their prices are competitive.  (Free shipping over $49!)

Just to give you an example the vast assortment of products you can buy for your family’s needs, check out this random assortment of products you can buy on Diapers.com:

Bravado Designs Nursing Tank - $49

Fisher Price IxL Learning System - $89.99

Basq Cucumber Tea Eye Gel - $24

3-pack of EPT Pregnancy Stick Tests - $13.99

Lego City Seaplane - $9.49

Shipping is free when your order is over $49 and no joke, my order came in a day and a half. They promise 1-2 day shipping and I placed my order late one night. It came not the next day but early the following morning; roughly 36 hours.

Giveaway: One lucky reader from Mommies with Style will win a $200 gift certificate to Diapers.com!  Comment below to enter.

This giveaway ends after Sunday, December 12th – one winner will be selected at random after that time.

Disclosure:  I was given compensated and given a credit to spend at Diapers.com to facilitate this post.

Filed Under: Babies, Baby Bedding, Bath & Body, Bath & Body, Breastfeeding, Carseats and Boosters, Clothes, Clothing, Diaper Bags & Totes, Diapering, Family Travel, Feeding & Mealtime, Feeding Baby, For the Home, Giveaways, Housewares, Infant Car Seats, Kids, Misc, Mommy Time, Nursery, On The Go, Shoes, Strollers, Toys Tagged With: ,

Britax Chaperone Infant Car Seat Recall

November 2, 2010 By kate Leave a Comment

Britax Child Safety, Inc. announced a safety recall on its Chaperone Infant Car Seat. A problem with the manufacturing of the chest clip could cause the clip to break.  The recall includes Chaperone car seats with Model Numbers of E9L95P2, E9L95P3, E9L95P5, E9L69N9, (Sold in the US) E9L69P2, E9L69P3, and E9L69P5 (Sold in Canada)  manufactured between April 2009 and May 2010.

To fix the problem, Britax is issuing free replacement chest clips.  Click here for more details or contact the Britax information line, toll free at 1-888-427-4829.

Filed Under: Important Recalls, Infant Car Seats Tagged With: , ,

Great Trade-In Event at Babies R Us & Toys R Us

September 6, 2010 By debbie 4 Comments

Through Sunday, September 19th, Babies R Us and Toys R ť Us stores are holding their Great Trade-In event providing their customers with the opportunity to trade-in any used car seats, strollers, cribs, bassinets, travel systems, play yards, toddler beds or high chairs in exchange for a 25% off savings on the purchase of a new baby item, in any of the product categories from select manufacturers. Participating brands are: Britax, Babi Italia, Baby Cache, Baby Trend, Bergamo, Bertini, Carter, Chicco, Contours by Kolcraft, Cosco, Delta, Eddie Bauer, Evenflo, Graco, Jeep, Little Tikes, Safety 1st, Sorelle and Step2.

The Great Trade-Inť event places an emphasis on specific baby products, that due to safety concerns, may not be the best candidates to be handed down or resold. Beyond recalls, certain older and used baby items can be potentially unsafe for a variety of reasons, including damage or lack of compliance with recent advances in product safety standards.

You don’t need to have purchased the item you want to trade-in from TRU or BRU and no receipt is required. You can bring in multiple items and you will be given one 25% off discount for each item traded in. The discount must be used that day on another item from the participating categories and manufacturers. Trade-In items and purchased items can be from different categories.

Filed Under: Babies, Carseats and Boosters, Child Safety, Coupon Codes & Sales, Family Travel, Infant Car Seats, Kids, Nursery, On The Go, Play Time, Recalls, Strollers Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,

Added Protection with Safety 1st’s OnBoard 35 Air & a Giveaway!

June 26, 2010 By kate 91 Comments

Is there anything more daunting than that last day in the hospital? When all the forms have been signed, all tests have been completed, and mother and baby have been cleared to go home. You and your infant walk through those hospital doors and that feeling hits – Oh my gosh! They’re letting me take this baby home? Don’t they know I have no idea what I’m doing?! Perhaps your experience was different, perhaps you were more confident, more self-assured, but I remember that short 4 minute drive from our local hospital to our house as nerve-wrecking. Everyone seemed to driving so fast, so recklessly – couldn’t they tell what precious cargo we were trying to get home safely?

Which is why finding that ideal infant car seat is one of the most important decisions you’ll make – both for your baby’s safety and your sanity.

Safety 1st’s OnBoard 35 has been an excellent infant car seat choice for the last several years. With an incredible weight range of 4–35 lbs., a customizable head insert, a variety of harness heights and 17% more leg room than most other infant seats, the OnBoard 35 has been one car seat that will work well for preemies straight home from the hospital up to keeping 1+ year-olds rear-facing.

But now Safety 1st has gone and made the OnBoard 35 even better.

According to research, 1 in 4 car accidents involving children are side impact collisions comprising one-third of child fatalities with most due to head trauma. Though the OnBoard 35 infant seat has always contained a 5-point harness and energy absorbing foam to protect your little one, the new OnBoard 35 Air introduces Safety 1st’s new Air Protect™ technology which provides two levels of additional protection. First, the enhanced air-filled, side wings provide additional protection, support and cushioning for your child’s head during a crash. Second, during impact, the Air Protect™ system allows air to escape out of the side pockets, transferring the energy of the impact away from your child and reducing the potential for injury.

And that’s not all. The OnBoard 35 Air also boasts the following features:

• an ergonomically-designed handle for easier carrying

• easy installation via LATCH or seat belt

• lightweight but durable carrier (9 lbs. without the base; 16 lbs. with)

• 32” height limit

• two-position base recline

• harness heights from 5” to 10.75″

• good canopy coverage

• soft seat material available in 4 color choices as well as the SE model which includes premium fabrics with custom embroidery

Safety comes first when looking for an infant car seat, but Safety 1st goes above and beyond to make a seat that is not only secure, but easy and lightweight for parents to carry and comfortable for baby. The Safety 1st OnBoard 35 Air is available for $179.99 at various retailers online and in store, but special for MWS readers….

GIVEAWAY! Win a brand new OnBoard 35 Air in the color of your choice. A perfect choice for summer travels or an upcoming baby shower. To enter, visit the Safety 1st OnBoard 35 Air website and choose the color of your choice. Then come back here and leave ONE comment with the following two answers:

(1)  your color choice; and

(2)  If it’s your first child: “Besides a car seat, what’s one thing you’re packing for your delivery date?” OR

If you’ve already had kids: “What were your first thoughts when you left the hospital with your child for the first time?”

Only one entry per person. Entries due by 11:59pm, Friday, July 2nd, 2010. Winner will be chosen by random and notified via email.

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Note: Safety 1st sent a sample for this review.

Filed Under: Babies, Giveaways, Infant Car Seats Tagged With: , , , ,

Teutonia t-linx Stroller and Travel System Preview

March 31, 2010 By nancy 4 Comments

Image and video hosting by TinyPicI recently previewed Teutonia’s latest model, the t-linx in New York recently.  You can use it two ways, as the t-linx Travel System (with a car seat and the chassis) or the t-linx toddler stroller (the toddler seat and the chassis).  To use it as a Travel System, the chassis wil take Teutonia’s t-tario 35 infant car seat or Graco Snugride® 35 infant car seat (using an adapter). I absolutely loved this stroller – the fold, even though its 2 part, was very easy and I liked that you could either use their car seat or the Graco SnugRide. The coolest feature is the reversible handle — which you can flip in an instant, using one hand.

The chassis with the toddler seat retails for $499 and the chassis, toddler seat and the t-tario 35 infant car seat retails for $699.

Additional features

  • Multi-position one-hand recline
  • Easy-to-access storage basket
  • Front spring suspension
  • Seat fits a child up to 50lbs
  • Extra storage on seat back for cups, bottles and snacks
  • Canopy for sun protection with extending visor and mesh window
  • Canopy and exterior fabric offer UV 50+ protection and are water resistant
  • The chassis and the toddler seat weigh 25 lbs.

The t-linx is available now.

Filed Under: Infant Car Seats, On The Go, Strollers Tagged With: ,

Car seat review: Evenflo Symphony 65

February 17, 2010 By Whitney 4 Comments

Looking for a new car seat?  Evenflo’s Symphony 65 has been getting great reviews for both safety and ease-of-use.

Some of the specs:
-Evenflo’s SureLatch system, making install incredibly easy
-the Infiniate Slide Harness Adjustment System makes for easy height adjustment without having to rethread the whole strap
-Rear facing 5-35 pounds, forward facing from 20-65 pounds – and you can use it as a booster up to 100 pounds!

Other random notes:  while it has all of the necessary features, it seems a little bit smaller than some of the other 5-point car seats we’ve had in the past – which is really nice when you’re looking for a little extra room in the car. 

The straps also tighten/loosen very easily (a pet peeve of mine when I’m having to dig around to adjust)

Get Evenflo’s Symphony 65 on Amazon for $189 (retails for $199) plus free shipping.

Also – a little bonus for Toyota owners:  launched today from Evenflo, enjoy a $10 discount on Serenade, Triumph Advance, and Generations65 car seats at www.evenflo.com/safecarseat because the last thing you want to be concerned about during all of these crazy car recalls is whether your car seat is safe!
 
To take advantage of the $10 discount offer, Toyota owners should visit Evenflo.com/safecarseat through the end of March and input the model and year of their vehicle. They will then be offered a coupon in order to receive the discount on their purchase at retail. Offer is valid on Evenflo’s line of car seats including: Serenade, Triumph Advance, and Generations65.

A sample of the Evenflo Symphony 65 was provided to assist in this review.

Filed Under: Carseats and Boosters, Child Safety, Infant Car Seats Tagged With: , , ,

The Great Trade-In Event at Babies “R” Us

February 2, 2010 By debbie 3 Comments

greattradeinbruHave a used car seat/stroller/bassinet, etc. lying around? I have a few old car seats that are from my daughter and I don’t think they are safe to use for my 2-year old son. So when I heard about the “Great Trade-In” event, I was thrilled!

Through Saturday, February 20th, Babies “R” Us and Toys “R” Us stores are holding the “Great Trade-In” event providing their customers with the opportunity to trade-in any used car seats, strollers, cribs, bassinets, travel systems, play yards, toddler beds or high chairs in exchange for a 25% off savings on the purchase of a new baby item, in any of the product categories from select manufacturers. Participating brands are: Britax, Babi Italia, Baby Cache, Baby Trend, Bergamo, Bertini, Carter’s, Chicco, Contours by Kolcraft, Cosco, Delta, Eddie Bauer, Evenflo, Graco, Jeep, Little Tikes, Safety 1st, Sorelle and Step2.

The “Great Trade-In” event places an emphasis on specific baby products, that due to safety concerns, may not be the best candidates to be handed down or resold. Beyond recalls, certain older and used baby items can be potentially unsafe for a variety of reasons, including damage or lack of compliance with recent advances in product safety standards.

You don’t need to have purchased the item you want to “trade-in” from TRU or BRU. You can bring in multiple items and you will be given one 25% off discount for each item traded in. The discount must be used that day on another item from the participating categories and manufacturers. Trade-In items and purchased items can be from different categories.

Filed Under: Babies, Carseats and Boosters, Child Safety, Family Travel, Feeding & Mealtime, Feeding Baby, Infant Car Seats, Kids, Nursery, On The Go, Strollers Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,

We’re getting around with the Britax Chaperone Travel System

November 16, 2009 By julie 2 Comments

britaxOf course, I want the best for my baby. And when we think of the best in car seats, we’re going to think of Britax. They’ve worked hard to earn the reputation, and its no surprise to me that when it came to creating a new baby carrier/carseat and stroller travel system, they set their standards high, to meet our expectations.

The Chaperone carseat & base:

  • Longer than most, it fits a child 4-30 pounds rearfacing. Height is up to 32 inches. (this is a baby carrier seat, it does  not sit forward facing)
  • Comes with a base like none I’d ever seen before. It has an “anti-rebound bar” to stabalize seat in case of impact.
  • No rethread height adjustment: possibly my favorite part of the seat. The head restraint (below) holds the top two restraints in the 5-point harness. In this seat, as baby grows, move this area up to find the proper restraint height. This is much less of a hassle for parents (adjusting with threads is a PITA) and it ensures proper alignment of restraints with 7 heights (should be just below the shoulders when child is rear-facing.)
  • Side protection: extreme. With wing support around the head that provide extra protection and cradle head from wobbling and ensures proper alignment.
  • Includes both LATCH and seatbelt installation on the base.
  • 5-point harness is easy for mom and dad to attach and detach.

I’m certain my baby is very safe in this Britax seat. Its easy to carry and strap her in correctly. And installation in the car was simple. It also fits snugly in a single row of my pilot with 2 other carseats (Graco Nautilus and Britax Marathon).In addition to the safety (which, of course, comes first) baby seems comfortable. The “wings” (as I call them) of the side impact protection cradled her tiny head so nicely I was never concerned about her little head hanging to the side (I had to purchase and install cushions for baby’s older siblings). The cushion is also stronger than many other carseats. Not necessarily plush, but it seems more firm–so that she likely feels less of the hard plastic.  The Chaperone’s seat is simple to remove and wash (when necessary) and, while just as heavy as other seats, the handle makes it easy to carry. The canopy on the seat is huge, and protects her nicely in the rain. It stays up nicely, but when pushed back (as in, not in use) it sags and often falls under the carrier. I’ve found it simple to remove the canopy and do not have it on the carrier on most days. This is a large seat, and we had to move it to behind the passenger side of our car, as there wasn’t enough room for the driver to move his seat back and actually drive the car. Safety, of course, comes first, and I figure I get a tiny bit more exercise because I’m running from one side of the car to the other.

The Britax Chaperone Stroller:

Its been a long time since Britax came out with a stroller. This one is head turning. At least once a day I get comments like “I didn’t know Britax makes strollers!” and “wow! That stroller looks rather space-age. Nice!” (seriously, I’ve heard some rendition of space age twice. Separately.) 

  • without the carrier, the stroller should be used for kids 6 months to 55 pounds
  • Chaperone carseat carrier locks into stroller with ease. Canopys meet in the middle to totally cover baby. And you can still access the basket, even with the carseat locked in
  • basket is huge, really, huge. I can fit 2 fully packed diaper bags, and have room to spare. And (love this feature) the rim has an open setting, so that you can lower the back of the basket to load and  unload items and then fix it back to secure items inside
  • one brake pedal controls both brakes (need to press it firmly), its a pressure adjustment that you use with your foot
  • SIMPLE one handed fold: just pull the child tray out of position, then pull on the handle on the seat and it folds. Its almost too easy (so says the husband who, upon forgetting how to do it, commented that he keeps thinking it will be harder to fold, considering its so fancy)
  • snack trays for both child and parent (parent gets 2 cup holders and a little bin with a cover to hold things.)
  • Adjustable stroller handle height
  • 5-point harness
  • strong, large tires provide all-wheel suspension. Its hard to tell in the picture, but the back wheels sit wider apart than the front. (The front are also smaller). This allows for a greater turning radius and ease in pushing

In September, I joined a Stroller fit class at my gym. I have a jogger, but with baby in sleeping in the Chaperone carseat, I’ve been using the Chaperone stroller. We spend about half of our hour running and fast walking up and down an incline. I was a bit hesitant about using this stroller when jogging, but the stroller has turned out to be a faux-jogger. Its large wheels move smoothly over the hill as I pick up speed. And the thinner base at the front allows for faster, easier turning. Its turned out to be a great infant jogger. And on Fridays, when my 4 y.o. is at soccer, I have no problem pushing the Chaperone through the grass onto the field. Of course its wonderful in the mall as well. A very versatile stroller for all of my needs. The front wheels pop on upon installation. Make sure you lock them on (by listening for the “snap”) but beware that they do unlock if the button is hit. So that if your stoller moves around in your trunk and the release button hits something, they could unlock. For that reason, I have learned to put additional pressure on the front of the stroller each time I open it.

We’re very pleased with the Chaperone Travel System for our baby. Its the stroller and carseat we’ve been using since the day we brought baby home, without even a second thought that it wasn’t “right” for us. Which is a relief, because every mom knows just how hard it is to find a “right” stroller for your needs.

Thanks to Britax for providing a sample of the Chaperone Travel System for review. Buy yours by December 31, 2009 to take advantage of the $100 Mail-in Rebate Promotion. 

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Filed Under: Infant Car Seats, Strollers Tagged With: , , ,
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