Reviews
March 8, 2010
Guardian Angel Window Guard
Once you plug all the electric outlets and tied up all the window cords, take an even closer look at your windows. Do you know many children fall through window screens every year and are seriously injured or killed? It is a preventable tragedy. The window guards by Guardian Angel are easy to install for long term safety, but easy to remove in the event of a fire. They are worth every penny you will spend. I got them after I realized my second child liked to climb on the window sills. It has given me peace of mind to know that there is a layer of protection between my son and the window screen. Of course, he still needs to be supervised, but it is a comfort to know that those guards are there.
See window safety, child proofing your home.
October 27, 2009
Graco Quattro Tour Deluxe Travel System
I inherited a Graco Travel System from a friend who was getting rid of hers. She said she was giving it to me because she was tired of seeing me wrestle with another brand that I already had. She swore by her Graco stroller. It was so easy to maneuver. I have to say, she was right! I don't know why I spent so much time tolerating my other system. This one was so much more mom-friendly. It has a one handed folding and unfolding feature and the storage is so much more accessible. There's even plenty of space on the tray for toys, sippy cups, and snacks. I can appreciate that when I'm out shopping with my friend.
See Graco Quattro Tour Deluxe Travel System.
September 28, 2009
Hasbro Playskool Busy Ball Popper
What parent doesn't love to see their baby laugh? Get your baby going with the Hasbro Playskool Busy Ball Popper. After three kids, I didn't think I could stand another toy in the house, but we got this one as a gift and it was a sure fire hit. Ash loves the soft music and thinks it's hilarious when the balls come floating out of the tubes. When the soft music starts playing, he already giggles in anticipation of the balls coming out. It's so cute. This was definitely a great gift for a third baby.
See baby toys.
August 20, 2009
Fisher-Price Laugh and Learn Learning Piggy Bank
Ash got this for a gift and I thought it was cute. I really underestimated the value of this gift. The music is nice and the bright colors keep him interested. But I really love the way it encourages fine motor development. He spends so much time practicing putting the coins in the slot and taking them back out. That's a benefit I didn't count on.
See Piggy Bank.
July 8, 2009
Infant to Toddler Rocker
I got this as a gift for my second son and it was the best gift I could have received. It is now my standard gift that I give when someone has a baby. It is so sturdy that I am still using it for my third son, 4 years later. Bright colors and fun sounds keep your baby happy when he is awake and the soothing vibrator will help you and the baby get some sleep.
See Baby Bouncer.
June 29, 2009
Munchkin Two Snack Catchers
These Munchkin Snack Catchers are probably one of the best things I have bought since becoming a mom. Have you ever tried traveling with a baby who was carrying a baggie full of Cheerios? Not pretty. It's dangerous and messy. Now I just shove a few treats in this snack catcher and I'm good to go. It is strong enough to hold the food in and is soft enough not to hurt my baby's fingers. I'd say it's a definite must have.
December 30, 2008
Review: Step2 Easel for Two
Anderson received a Step2 Easel for Two from Santa last week. He's been having a blast with it ever since, and it has become one of his favorite presents that he received this year.
Continue reading: "Review: Step2 Easel for Two"
October 16, 2008
Review: Mrs. Goodbee Talking Dollhouse
Via our good friends over at Rookie Moms we received a Mrs. Goodbee Talking Dollhouse to review. Mrs. Goodbee is a the product of a new company, Caring Corners, that is designed to that teaches manners, sharing and other good behaviors, including being charitable.
We received the dollhouse in 1 relatively big box, and some accessories in another smaller box. Once we got the dollhouse out of the box, it required a little assembly. We had to attach the front steps, a chimney, and so on. The instructions were very clear on everything you had to do. The only thing that tripped me up was I didn't realize that I didn't have the dollhouse open all the way!
The dollhouse comes with a couple of small accessories: a computer chair, a baby, a puppy, and a little girl. We also received some additional accessories: a grownup "daddy" doll, a reclining sofa, and a TV. The dollhouse itself has lots of interactivity. As you can see in the picture above, the front of the house features the face of Mrs. Goodbee. Mrs. Goodbee's eyes can be closed, and will pop open whenever the doorbell rings. The doorbell is accompanied by Mrs. Goodbee singing a little song, or teaching a short lesson about manners, sharing, or other virtues. Other interactive items include: a crib that makes "cooing" noises, a tooth-brushing sink, a toilet that flushes, a refrigerator, a radio, and a doggy bed.
As part of its mission to teach good manners and charity, there is an online component to Mrs. Goodbee Talking Dollhouse as well. The product literature suggests that you:
With your child, pick some simple activites and responsibilities that she can do, such as: pick up toys, feed the pet, make my bed, brush my teeth, share my toys, hug someone. Whenever she does something that you wish to reinforce, allow her to choose a sticker from this booklet to decorate the back of the Mrs. Goodbee house. There's a surprise under the 'bug stickers!' Whenever she picks one of these, she will find a secret code underneath. Simply go to the Caring Corners website and enter the code.
The code will unlock a special game that's available at the website. As your child continues the good deeds she can do more and more fun games and activities at the website. Additionally, there is a key attached to the porch of the house that also has a special code. This code will unlock even more special games and activities such as:
- Creating her own friend - choosing hair, eye, skin color, and outfits.
- Planting seeds, nurturing her garden, and watching it grow!
- Playing games that reinforce acts of caring, sharing and preparing for real-life responsibilities.
Anderson has been obsessed with the dollhouse since we put it together. He plays with it for at least a few minutes every day, and many days for even longer. Its been a great toy because its really encouraging pretend and imagination play, something at which his other toys haven't been too successful. It may be a coincidency, but since we received Mrs. Goodbee, Anderson has been playing a lot more with the rest of his toys as well.
If you're interested in a new dollhouse, or looking for your child's first, you should definitely consider the Mrs. Goodbee Talking Dollhouse. And don't think that dollhouses are just for girls, even boys really enjoy playing with them!
October 12, 2008
Review: Arbonne Baby Care
We've got a friend who is an Arbonne consultant who let us sample the full line of Arbonne Baby Care products. We've used the Hair and Body Wash and Body Oil in the past on the recommendation of our pediatrician. This time we also used the Body Lotion and Herbal Diaper Rash Cream.
Arbonne products are specially formulated to be very gentle to your child's skin. When Andy was younger, he had a persistent rash on his face and arms, and he always had very dry skin on his legs. We started using Arbonne products and the rash quickly cleared up. Arbonne is much more gentle than the other hair and body wash products that we were using, which is very nice if your child has sensitive skin.
The nicest thing about these products is their smell. They all have a very similar fresh herbal smell, including the Diaper Rash Creme, which is a refreshing change. The Diaper Rash Creme and the Body Lotion were both a less viscous than what I was expecting. This made them both a lot easier to spread, but I accidentally dispensed too much before I realized this!
If you're looking for a line of products for your baby's sensitive skin, and don't mind paying a little bit more, then I definitely recommend the line of Arbonne products. You can buy them from your local Arbonne consultant, or online. To order online, please use Consultant ID #17508916. Let her know that you found her on "Super Cool Baby" and you'll receive 25% off your order of $25 of more.
September 16, 2008
Review: Munchie Mug
Sick of cleaning up crumbs from the crease in your car seat? Ever wish they made a "sippy cup" for snacks? Well, guess what, the folks at Witty Works Inc have answered the call with the Munchie Mug. They were kind enough to send us a mug so that we could review it for our readers!
- It's large. It holds 16 oz, which is important because your child has to stick more than just his finger tips into the mug in order to retrieve a bite. Besides it wouldn't make much sense to fill the whole thing up, since you have to be able to push the fabric opening aside.
- It works well. After a few days of usage, there weren't any spills to clean up.
- Easy to use. Andy was able to figure out how to extract his fish crackers and dried cranberries in no time. The website states that kids as young as 10 months have had no trouble using it, but its probably best for kids 18 months and up.
- Cleanups up great. Just stick the whole thing, fabric top included, on the top rack of your dishwasher. Obviously you want to let the thing dry out before you start using it again.
- It's made with safe materials. Witty Works got each component of the Munchie Mug certified as food-safe by the FDA. And it is made with Phthalate and BPA-free plastics!
The one drawback to the Munchie Mug is the separate air-tight screw-on top. In order to use it, you have to take off the fabric top and screw it on. I wish there was a way to have them both on the Munchie Mug at once, as it seems a lot less likely to get lost that way. But, if you do lose it, you can always keep your snacks in a separate container (like a ziplock bag), and pour some into the Munchie Mug when you're ready to eat!
The Munchie Mug is great for car trips. You can fit quite a lot of snacks in there, and you don't have to worry about them getting everywhere every time you go over a little bump in the road!
I heartily recommend picking up a few of Munchie Mugs. You'll find lots of different ways to use it, and who knows, when your child grows up, you can use it to store easily-accessible odds & ends!
June 4, 2008
Review: Combi Flare Lightweight Stroller
We finally had enough of our giant Graco stroller. It was such a pain wheeling it around small clothing stores. So the other day we went looking around for an inexpensive but high-quality umbrella stroller. We ended up deciding on the Combi Flare Lightweight Stroller in Mandarin.
What we like:
- Its appropriate for children from birth all the way up to 55 pounds. The seat reclines to nearly flat, and moves up to a position that Anderson finds very comfortable. On our last cheapo umbrella stroller, Andy was reclined a little too much so he hated it.
- It weighs 11.7 pounds. Compared to Andy, you don’t even notice the weight of the stroller.
- It has a carrying strap. After you fold it up, you can toss it over your shoulder and you’ll barely notice its there.
- The handle is nice and tall. One of our requirements was that I had to be able to push it without kicking the wheels. At 6’2”, its hard to find a stroller that fits the billing, but this one passes with flying colors.
- The safety bar in front. This was actually one of the factors that sold us on the stroller. We just like having something in front of Anderson when he’s in the stroller. That way we feel like we don’t have to buckle him in every time we use the stroller. With the safety bar, its quite a struggle for him to escape (which he has not yet successfully done).
What we don’t like:
- Two hands are required to fold up the stroller. Strangely enough, the sample stroller we tried at the store only required one hand. But when we got the box home, it was a two-handed version.
- The two-step fold is a little confusing. After you fold the stroller once, you sort of push the outside towards the center where it catches together. Yes, it does make the stroller very small, but it also took us a while to figure out how to do and undo this mechanism, and there weren’t really any instructions to speak of.
- The front wheels get “stuck” when turning sometimes. I’ve noticed that after you go backwards for a few feet, you can’t immediately push forwards. Instead you have to go in a little circle to one side first. Just a minor annoyance, and something we didn’t notice until we had Andy sitting in the stroller.
Andy loves this stroller. I think it gives him a nice comfortable and smooth ride. He’s even taken to asking us to open up the car so we can get it out for him. If you’re looking for a nice umbrella-type stroller, I can definitely highly recommend this one, even with the few faults that we’ve found.
June 2, 2008
Win a "Summer Essentials Kit" from Huggies Little Swimmers
Super Cool Baby is giving away two "Summer Essentials Kits" to our readers. These kits include some beach toys (a bucket, a little rake, and a beach ball), a dozen Huggies Little Swimmers swim diapers, a bottle of mango & coconut sunblock, a bottle of sunblock spray, and a box of 24 sun sensors. That's practically everything you need in order to enjoy your summer at the pool or the beach!
Anderson loves the beach ball. It's not his first ball, but its by far his favorite. He loves to pick it up and throw it, or kick it down the hallway. Its definitely been a big hit. We tried the different types of sunblock. We'd never used a sunblock spray before, but we definitely like it. Anderson will stick his arms out and let us spray him. It comes out as sort of a runny white lotion, but its really easy to rub in. There's one drawback though: when you spray, the lotion can go everywhere. This isn't a lotion that you'll want to apply inside. However, when you're already outside it makes for a quick and easy reapplication.
And reapplying sunscreen is an extremely important step of sun-safety that is often overlooked. To help us remember, Huggies Little Swimmers makes a product called "Sun Sensors". You put the sensor on clothing, a hat, or skin (just make sure, its clean and it somewhere that's not going to be shaded by your body). The sensor reacts to the UVB rays that cause sunburn, and when it turns a deep orange (and loses its pattern) you know its time to reapply.
If you'd like to win one of these kits, send an email to newstips@supercoolbaby.com or leave a comment on this post. We'll be announcing the winners next monday, June 9th.
May 29, 2008
Review: Twilight Turtle by Cloud B
We have had the Twilight Turtle by Cloud B for a long time now, and I'm glad I've finally gotten around to reviewing it. It is a night light, projecting colored stars onto the walls and ceiling. When we first bought it, we were worried that Andy needed a little extra light in his nursery. He was about 8 months old, and we thought he was becoming afraid of the dark. We quickly discovered this was not the case (he was probably just going through one of those baby jumps where he stopped sleeping for a bit but then learned a new skill). So we put the turtle away and didn't pull it out for almost a year. When we remembered we had it, we started using it at night when Andy would go to sleep. He didn't think much of it at first, but suddenly he's fallen in love with it. All we hear at bed time is "blue star," which is his favorite color. The stars can also be turned to orange and green.
The turtle has a hard plastic shell and a cozy body, so it's sturdy and strong and will stand up to toddler wear and tear but is still cozy. It turns on with a push of a button, and you can change the color by pushing the appropriate button on the shell. It is very easy to use. One of it's best features is that it stays on for only 45 minutes, plenty of time for your little one to fall asleep to it. You don't have to worry about draining the batteries or it being too bright in the room all night.
We really like it and think it's a good purchase. If you prefer, it also comes in a ladybug too.
May 19, 2008
Review: Lil' Rinser
Last week, I wrote about Lil' Rinser. The folks at Lil' Rinser were kind enough to send one our way so that we could do a hands on review of their product. Since we received it, we've been able to use it for a few baths.
The Lil' Rinser comes in only one size. It's super flexible, it even fit fairly comfortably on my adult sized head. (We had a great game of teacup head with it before bath-time). It has a flexible plastic lining that is soft and comfortable. This lining is what prevents water from leaking through and getting into your child's face.
When we used it, Andy wasn't too pleased with having it on his head. I'm not too sure why, it might just be his general aversions to having things on his head, or it might've tugged his hair a little when I slipped it on. We usually rise off with a bucket of water, so I had the Lil' Rinser in my left hand, and the bucket of water ready to go in my right. I slipped it over his head, pushed it on a little and poured the water on. It worked nearly perfectly. A tiny bit of water leaked through the front, but way way less than if we weren't using the Lil' Rinser at all. Even though Andy was unhappy about it, and fighting it a little, I was still able to get the Lil' Rinser on well enough for it to work. Since it was channelling the water away from his face, I was able to rinse his hair a lot faster than usual. After two bucketfuls of water we were all done!
The Lil' Rinser is definitely a product I would highly recommend to every family with children who need help bathing. The Lil' Rinser is available for $14.98 at the Lil' Rinser online store.
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