Strolling Along

We know you will be as excited as we were to learn about Valco’s new mid-year release!  It is a fabulous Valco snack tray that can be used with the Valco Twin Trimode or the Single Valco Trimode.  Best of all, you can use two, count them 1, 2, on the Twin Trimode so you have one for each child.  No more fighting over who got more pretzels from the snack bag when each child has their own!  The only bad news is you can’t use them when the single or twin trimode toddler seat is on the stroller.

We know you’ll want at least one to increase the functionality of your favorite Valco Trimode stroller!

We are constantly being asked for the perfect stroller for New York City.  While of course there is no perfect stroller for every person, finding the right stroller for true living can pose a bigger challenge for many.  Recently New York Magazine rated 10 of the top contenders for best single stroller for New York City parents. 

Their ratings and specs are concise and to the point.  Best of all they catalog many of the urban living moments that many parents will recognize and sympathyze with (such as when a pregnant woman has to help you get your stroller onto the subway).   Overall I found their analyses to be pretty on target.  I would probably disagree most with the Orbit analysis since I have found it to have quite good one-handed steering but that is a small point.

Their big winner?  Depends what you want to be doing with your stroller?  For urban transportation, the Micralite Toro came out as a true favorite.   If you walking alot and pushing your little one over bumpy urban terrain, the Bugaboo Cameleon and Quinny Buzz seemed to be the victors in this category.  We wish they had also road-tested the Baby Jogger City Elite which as a great urban fold and air tires.

Definitely an article worth checking out for those looking for the perfect city stroller for one. . . we’re waiting for them to analyze good urban double strollers next!

Okay I admit in the beginning I was skeptical.  I thought how hard is it to remember when you last changed a diaper? Last fed your newborn. . . then I became a mom of three!  Now I was suddenly so tired I could no longer remember what all three of my kids’ names were, let alone how long it had been since I last fed the baby. 

Itzbeen timer to the rescue! 

This ingenius little device is the brainchild of similarly sleep-deprived parents and now it can be their savior.  With a new baby in the house, there is so much to remember, so much to do, and so little brain power with which to do it.  I love the Itzbeen timer because not only does it keep track of when my newborn last ate, or how long she has been sleeping, but I can set little alarm reminders so I never let her go too long without a feeding during the day (thus encouraging her to sleep longer at night.)  The reminder setting is very flexible and can either beep at you or silently flash it’s light so when you look over, you know it is time to wake the baby for a feeding yet again!

The Itzbeen timer comes with 4 timers (and optional alarms) that count up so you know how long it has been since your little one last fed, has his/her diaper changed, or has been sleeping.  The last one can be used for timing medication, your new exercise routine, even how long your toddler has been on their time-out! Equipped with a belt clip to easily take with you, the Itzbeen timer also has a helpful display backlight as well as a flashlight for nighttime use.  

I am truly grateful for and in love with this new device which can help parents everywhere to feel more sane and on top of their newborns earliest needs and beginning routines.  I highly recommend getting the Itzbeen timer BEFORE you have the baby so you can use it from the very beginning, especially nice if you are trying to get used to nursing a new baby and making sure they are fed enough.

The only addition I would love to see on the next generation is a counter - perfect for keeping track of how many wet diapers you have in the beginning or later for counting “Exactly how many times have I asked you to clean up this room?”

As every new mom knows, once you have children, they are always on your mind.  Whether you are remembering the cute hug they gave you that morning, or stewing over what you could possibly feed your picky eater for dinner that night, our children are our top priority and our biggest loves.  That’s why we love our current find, the Mommy Necklace.  It is a very simple and chic way to keep your children close to your heart, whether or not you are actually with them.  Not only is it the piece of jewelry I get the most comments and compliments on, it is also, understandably, my children’s favorite.

From a young age my second son “got” that I was wearing jewelry with his and his brother’s name on it.  He would often point to my necklace tag with his name, then smile and point to himself.  He loved that Mommy wore his name around her neck.

Recently I gave one to my sister-in-law as a birthday gift and she has started giving them as new mom/baby gifts.  It made me realize what a fabulous way it is to mark a new mom’s passage into parenthood. . . by helping them proudly display the name they just agonized over for 9 months!