Product Reviewed: Star Wars™ FUNtainer™ Bottle from Thermos

Reviewed by: Cheryl, mom to Luke (3)

Description:

This stainless steel Thermos school cup is fantastic.  It has quickly become my toddler’s favorite cup.  Even our 8 year old wants to use it.  The boys like the Star Wars theme, but they also like to operate the push button lid.  Luke was fascinated with this for the first two weeks.  I love that it keeps cold drinks cold, really cold!  If I fill it with ice and water in the morning, the ice will still be there at the end of the day.  I also like the attached lid. I bought several other steel bottles for school this year and this one beats them all.  I want an adult stainless steel Thermos bottle for myself!

Overall Rating: A

This is a highly recommended buy, especially if you have kids and want to get rid of all the bad plastic. Plus it comes in lots of different characters, not just Star Wars. Your child will definitely want one of these!

Product Reviewed: Hooded Jacket by Elegant Baby

Reviewed by: Kate Hetrick, 26 year old mom and Lily Hetrick, 6 month old daughter

Description:

The Hooded Jacket by Elegant Baby is chocolate with pink polka dots. It is a size 6-12 months and is 100% cotton and machine washable. The jacket is so adorable and I love the color combination of pink and brown. The jacket fit my daughter but was a little big on her which makes sense since it is a size 6-12 months. So she will definitely be able to wear it for awhile. It is soft and really comfortable and I really like a jacket that has a hood and keeps my daughter’s head warm. I love this jacket so much and my daughter got quite a few compliments when she was wearing it.

Overall Rating: A

I would definitely recommend this hooded jacket to my friends. It would make a wonderful baby gift & it evens come in a cute coordinating fabric bag with mesh in the front so you can see the jacket. I love this product so much because it is cute, soft, and stylish.

Product Reviewed: Big Taggies Blanket by Taggies

Reviewed by: Melissa, mom to 5 ½ month old daughter Jill

Description:

The Big Taggies is an 18” x 18” fleece blanket with colorful taggies around the edges. The blanket is pink and has a flower design on one side and it is solid pink on the other side. The blanket is machine washable and can be tumble dried on the low setting. It is a small size, perfect for my daughter to cuddle up with and hold in her arms.

She loves all of the bright and colorful taggies that are around the edges of the blanket. She likes to grab the taggies and put the taggies in her mouth. The blanket is really soft and really cute. I think this product is great because it is not only a small blanket perfect for my daughter to hold onto but the colorful taggies are fun for her to look at and feel in her hands.

Overall Rating: A

I would recommend this blanket and I think it would be a great shower gift. I would tell a friend that this is more than just a blanket to keep your baby warm, it is a fun and entertaining blanket too. 

Product Reviewed: White Baby Carrier Synergy by Baby Bjorn

Reviewed by: Kate, mom to daughter Lily

The baby carrier synergy is in a white mesh material. The white color is nice because it is a classic color & both my husband & I can wear it. The carrier can hold a baby that weighs 8 lbs-26 lbs so you can use this product for awhile. It is getting really hard to carry my daughter in her car seat because she is getting heavier. The best feature of this baby carrier is that you can be totally hands free. I loved this particular carrier because compared to another carrier that I have, I really feel like my daughter is secure in it. I wasn’t worried that she was going to fall out or anything. This baby carrier is very supportive & I didn’t feel like I needed to put my hands around the outside of her.

The baby carrier also has padded straps and a back support which made wearing it very comfortable. My daughter was crying but as soon as we put her in the carrier she stopped crying & fell asleep. The baby carrier is so nice because most babies like to be held & feel the warmth of someone & since they are so close to you in the carrier they feel really safe & comfortable as well. It does take some practice learning how to get the carrier on but after a few times you get the hang of it.

Overall Rating: A

I love this baby carrier & would definitely recommend it to my friends. I definitely feel like my baby is secure in it. And I like my baby still being close to me but my hands are free so that I can do other things.

Product Name & Manufacturer:
The Princess from Tutu Couture

Reviewed by: Lydia, age 2 and her mom and dad

Description:
In preparation for Halloween,Lydia was going back and forth between being a queen, a princess or a dinosaur. The queen costume was a bedazzled and brand new hand-me-down former glower girl dress, the dinosaur costume wasn’t actually in our possession, and then this adorable little princess tutu arrived for our review.

Pretty in pink, with layers and layers of tulle, you can tell from the picture that this little number was destined for twirling! Lydia stepped in and started spinning right away…

                                        

She liked the accompanying magic wand (although not nearly as much as the tutu itself), and was interested in the tiara headband – until we actually put it on. A little top-heavy, and too big for her small noggin, the headband received a very firm “no thank you” – which worked out ok, actually, since the beaded part of the crown detached from the headband part pretty quickly. Had she shown more interest in the crown, I’m sure we could have fixed it, but as it was, the tutu and wand were successful enough on their own! She turned her dad into a frog in mere minutes, twirling the whole time.

Overall Rating:
The costume gets a “B” from us because of the headband, but the tutu proper gets an A+!

Final Thought:
The tutu was adorable… Pink and princess-y, with fairy or ballerina potential galore. It wasn’t itchy at all, and the waistband was stretchy enough to keep her twirling for quite some time to come. If you’re looking for a dress-up costume, this one’s a little pricey, but a great choice for your little princess.

Product Name:
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W120 Digital Camera

Reviewed by: Maria and Brad, mom and dad to Maya (age 1)

First a little history…
For the longest time, I resisted purchasing a digital camera. I was a fan of film, and I loved my Canon with a passion. It wasn’t until about 4 years ago that I finally succumbed to the charms of digital film, purchasing a Canon EOS Digital Rebel XT, and retired my film camera to a shelf. (It’s quite dusty at this point.)
I found myself attached to the new camera with the same commitment I had previously felt for the old one. When I got married, my husband tried to convince me that we should get something smaller, something easier to tote on vacations, but I wouldn’t hear of it. I couldn’t stand the lag time between pressing the button and actually taking the picture that I found when I used other people’s cameras, not to mention the quality of the resulting pictures, and swore up and down that I wouldn’t ever convert to those tiny little tuck-in-your-pockets.

I was sooooo wrong.

Don’t misunderstand. I checked out lots of cameras, and my husband and his Consumer Reports were always armed with factoids and reasons why I should downsize and upgrade, but I couldn’t get past my hang-ups (see the above paragraph). Until I met the perfect pink little Cyber-shot from Sony… This camera is fabulous!

•    First and most obvious, my Cyber-shot is pink. If you’re not a fan of the pink, that’s ok – it comes in blue, black and silver, too. But pink is perfect for me, and it always gets lots of compliments.

•    Second, the delay between pressing the button and snapping the shot is minimal. I almost always get the shot, and if you’re a mom, you know how important THE SHOT is.

•    Third, speaking of “the shot,” you know how your baby will be grinning from ear to ear, cute as cute can be, but as soon as you try to take the picture, they turn their head and you end up with 16+ pictures of them cross-eyed and looking down? Not with this camera. The Cyber-shot offers something called “Smile Shutter Technology” – but it should be called “Magic Pictures” – that allows you to always capture your child smiling. Don’t ask me how, because I have no idea, but it totally works! We even tried to fool the camera (we were bored, what can I say), and we couldn’t. It only snapped the picture when there was an actual smile. Priceless!

•    Speaking of priceless, this great camera (that takes video, too) isn’t even that expensive: around $200, and worth every penny.

Overall Rating:
This camera gets a solid A+.

Final Thought:
This camera rocks. I don’t think I would ever completely give up my Canon, but for day-to-day, throw in the diaper bag or tuck in your pocket, handy, look-how-cute-my-baby-is moments? The Cybershot is pretty perfect. Consider me a convert.

Product Name & Manufacturer: Solana Swaddle Wraps - Stretch Organic Solana Swaddle Wrap "Baby Tree"

Reviewed by: Nikki, Baby Max (2 months old) & Big Brother Jack (3 years old)

Description:

Stretch Organic Solana Swaddle Wrap is made from super-soft, lightweight and breathable 100% organic cotton. It’s really big (45” x 45”), so it was easy to wrap Max up nice and tight.  This blanket is significantly more expensive than my other swaddle blankets, but it’s much softer and bigger. 

We also liked that it was lightweight and stretchy, while still being soft against Max’s skin. It was also great for tummy time and it folded up so small it was easy to tuck in our diaper bag - which is already WAY too full!  The biggest problem was that once Jack discovered it, he wanted to keep it.  Unfortunately once he had it, the blanket got really dirty (boys!) and it can only be washed on the gentle cycle and line dried.

Overall Rating: A

This blanket was great and at a play date with my older son the other mother’s were jealous of my find. We look forward to having this blanket for a long time.

Product Reviewed: Temporary Language - Translation Tees

Reviewed by: Angela, mother to Drew

Description:

These super cute tees for boys and girls from Temporary Language are one of a kind as they capture your child’s funny little language he or she says by putting your child in the spotlight with at beautiful, custom graphic on a sturdy 100% high-quality interlock cotton shirt. They come in short and long sleeves and are white with subtle black neck and cuff accents.

Overall Rating: B-

I love the whole concept of these t-shirts and think they are very cute. I love having a shirt that I will be able to keep that reminds me what he used to say when starting out to communicate with us. It makes it very special for parents. The t-shirts are soft and comfortable. I also love that at the bottom they have the translation with your Child’s name on it. The only thing I was disappointed in was the quality and price of the t-shirt. I feel like the price is a little high with the actual graphic just being ironed-on to the t-shirt. I feel it would look nicer and give it a better quality if it were screen printed or if the price was lower. After several washes, I was glad to see that the graphic did not peel off. Overall, I like the shirt, and am happy to have it!

Editor's note:
After this review was posted, we received the following note from the manufacturer:

     We use a commercial heat transfer process to print the shirts. They certainly aren’t equivalent to a do it yourself home iron-on transfer. We can’t use a silk-screening process, as for each color in the designs, a separate screen needs to be made/purchased, which would be way too cost prohibitive, as each shirt is a one-off, with customized text. Stores like Baby Gap and Gymboree often use silk-screening, as they take one design and reproduce it in the thousands. While heat transfers are indeed different than silk-screening, there is nothing low quality about them. They are simply a necessity for us.

All things considered, I can only hope that a high-quality cotton shirt, with a unique illustration, and customized text at a price of $30 would be seen as a very fair price.

What do you think, Moms?

Product Reviewed: 3 Stage Super Seat by Summer Infant

Reviewed by: Kate Hetrick-26 year old mother & Lily Hetrick- 9 month old daughter 

The 3 Stage Super Seat is really three different products in one. The first stage is a seat (much like the Bumbo or Bebe Pod seats) with a supportive back that you can put the baby in when they are learning to sit up. What I like about this seat is that is has a safety belt unlike the Bumbo that I also have. So I feel more secure knowing that my daughter is belted into the seat & can’t fall out of it very easily. The second stage is an activity seat and it transforms into the activity seat simply by sliding on the activity tray.

The tray rotates 360 degrees and features several fun toys and two removable snack cups. I love this activity seat because I can put my daughter in it and it will keep her occupied enough so that I can still be in the same room with her but I can be getting something else done or eating dinner. The third stage is a booster seat that includes a removable soft foam insert. We haven’t used the booster seat yet because my daughter is not ready for one. She sits in a highchair at home. But this seat is perfect for when we are traveling because I just strap my daughter in and feed her while she is sitting in the seat.

I absolutely love this product because it offers three big features all in one product. Instead of having to take three different large, bulky toys when traveling, we just have to take this seat and it serves so many purposes. In fact we are going to the beach for vacation and we plan on taking this seat with us because it won’t take up a ton of space.

Overall Rating: A+

This seat is wonderful because of all of the different features in one product. My daughter enjoys playing in the seat and it is also safe with the included safety belt. My daughter enjoys all of the toys but her favorite thing on the entire seat is the removable snack cups. She plays with them more than anything. I love this seat, it is safe and provides lots of entertainment for my daughter. I have had the seat for several months and she has really enjoyed the seat the whole time unlike other toys where she only likes the toy for a couple of weeks.

(*One thing I will mention is that tiny fingers can possibly get pinched in the little ladybug mirror toy.)

Product Reviewed: Crocodile Creek- Kid Bib

Reviewed by: Sarah (mom), Grace (7 months)

The Kid Bib is a very cute and easy to use bib.  It has a Velcro closure at the back of the neck and is made to be wiped down at the end of the meal.  It also has a clear pouch at the bottom to catch runaway Cheerios.  This is the first time I have used a bib not made of cotton.  It was nice not to have to strip my daughter down and grab the stain stick to combat the carrots.  This is a great product and I will definitely buy more.
 

Overall Rating: A-

Overall, this is a super product.  My only issue was that my daughter ended up with a HUGE amount of food in her neck.  This seems to be because the material is slick and everything that she drooled out somehow ended up under her chin. 

Product Reviewed: Baby Be Mine Maternity's Bamboo Maternity Belly Band (in Black)

Reviewed by: Angela, mother to 14 month old son, Drew and has twins on the way!

The Belly Band holds your pants up, disguising bulky unfastened closures or over slightly big maternity pants to prevent your pants from falling down. The Bamboo maternity Belly Band is naturally breathable, keeping you warm in the winter and cool in the summer. It is anti-static, anti-bacterial/anti-fungal & 98% UV protective. The Belly Band is made from naturally grown bamboo (no pesticides and fertilizers).

Overall Rating: A

I love this product. It is so soft and even though it stretches it doesn’t feel like it’s tight on you. The best part is that I love that it is biodegradable!! The only thing I don’t like about this product is that the tag is sewn in and scratches my back, making it uncomfortable from time to time.

Product Reviewed: Personalized Ubby Blanket by My Ubby

Reviewed by: Kate Hetrick, mother to 7 month old daughter Lily

Ok, how cool is it to say that you designed your own daughter’s blanket and that it was custom made specifically for her? Well, I can say that and I absolutely love Lily’s “ubby”. The designing process on the website www.myubby.com is really easy to follow and it is fun. First you choose between a one or two-sided blanket. The blankets are approximately 35” x 45” which I didn’t really pay much attention to the measurements when ordering the blanket. But when I got the blanket I was so surprised at how big it is! It is perfect because I fold it up (of course in a way that the cute monogram is showing so everyone can see it) and use it to cover my daughter and keep her warm in her car seat carrier. But then I also lay it on the floor for my daughter to play on. And the blanket is big enough for Lily and I to cuddle up with when we are laying on the couch, which is our Sunday afternoon ritual.

 I chose the two-sided blanket and the next step is to pick from a variety of fabrics and colors for both sides of the blanket. There are not an overwhelming amount of choices but there are definitely more than a couple to choose from so it is nice. I chose the pink bubbles and pink fluffy fabrics. These fabrics are so soft that I totally want this blanket for myself (I’m sure Lily won’t notice if I borrow her ubby). The next step allows you to choose a color and either a satin or stitched edging and I chose the pink satin edging which is smooth and shiny. The last step allows you to either have an inscription (up to 54 characters) or a monogram on the blanket. And of course you can choose the color and font style for either one. I chose a monogram in brown. The monogram is on a corner of the blanket and the chocolate brown stitching looks so pretty with the pink blanket. Voila, the design process is super easy and the blanket came quickly.

It was packaged in a bag that had something adorable on the outside that said something to the effect that opening the bag is known to cause instant joy with side effects of giggles, very cute! Overall I love this blanket. I am very happy with the workmanship too. The blanket and monogram are sewn and stitched together really well. The fabrics seem to be very high quality and are really soft. The blanket is machine washable too.

Overall Rating: A+

I am definitely going to tell my friends to check out this site and have fun designing an ubby for their little one (or themselves). Actually I want to make a few more ubbies for my daughter too. The blankets are very high quality and it is a one of a kind blanket so what could be better than that? I love My Ubby!

Product Name & Manufacturer: Jazzy Toes Baby Socks (Variety Original Girls 0-12 mos.) by Jazzy Toes

Reviewed by: Kate, Mom to Lily, 8 month old daughter. 

Jazzy Toes socks come packaged in a cute little box (6 pair). Each sock pair has a different “shoe” design on it. The different designs are sandals, cowboy boots, loafers, sneakers, spectators (sort of look like ballet slippers), and mary janes. And the socks have fun and different color combinations including pink and white, chocolate and light blue, peach and brown, and kelly green and white. Let’s just say that there is a sock to coordinate with pretty much all of my daughter’s outfits!

 The socks are a size 0-12 months and they fit my 8 month old daughter’s feet well. They come up a little high on her leg (calf) right now but that just means she will have plenty of time to use them and won’t grow out of them soon thankfully!

These socks are absolutely adorable, I love them. The name Jazzy Toes & the size are printed on the bottom and the print is textured so that it provides a non-slip bottom. Right now my daughter wants to stand all of the time (with my support or holding onto something), and I like the fact that she doesn’t slip when she wears these socks. Also, I have a pair of socks from another company and they are red and black and even though I have washed them twice they practically stain my daughter’s feet if her feet get wet. But even with the Jazzy Toe’s darker colored socks, they do not stain my daughter’s feet at all, so that is nice! No more discolored feet, yeah!

Overall Rating: A+

These are the cutest socks ever and with this variety set there is a sock for every occasion! Whenever my daughter wears her jazzy toes we always get lots of compliments, so I am going to stock up on these sets for cute shower gifts!

Products Reviewed: Short Sleeve Onesie & Cargo Pants, Dream, Believe, Giggle Long Sleeve Sleep & Play, Lavender Organic Hooded Towel & Washcloth

Reviewed by: Kate, 26 year old mother to 6 month old daughter, Lily

My daughter wore the Baby Bam short sleeve 3-6 month onesie & coordinating 3-6 months cargo pants. Both pieces are organic & made of 70% Bamboo & 30% Organic Cotton. They are machine washable & can be tumble dried on the low setting. The pieces are both an off white color & the onesie has “the World Awaits” written across the front. The pants have a cute little Velcro pocket on one side. I think these pieces of clothing are different compared to most children’s clothing because they are organic and these were my first pieces of organic children’s clothing that I have. The pieces are super soft and their color and style are perfect for either a boy or girl.  

The long sleeve sleep & play is also made of 70% bamboo & 30% organic cotton and has the same off white color with the words “dream”, “believe”, and giggle” printed on the side and separated by pale blue hearts. I also love the unisex look to it and the words that are printed on the outfit are very sweet. The front snap closure was very convenient & it was easy to dress my daughter in it.

The lavender hooded towel has a baby girl in a pram with a heart on the outside of the pram stitched onto the hood & the words “Stinkin’ Adorable” are embroidered at the bottom of the towel. The coordinating washcloth is solid lavender. My daughter looked so cute wrapped up in the hooded towel & I love the lavender color. The pieces are thin (not too thin) but also not big & bulky so I really liked the set.

Overall Rating: A for all of the products!

Final Thoughts:

I would definitely recommend the Baby Bam line to a friend because the clothing is so soft compared to other children’s clothing. I also like the fact that it is organic especially since “going green” is a big trend now. I also love the sweet saying on the onesie. Also it seems that the organic cotton quality is great!  All the pieces washed well (machine washable) & did not pill or fuzz at all. They are so super soft which is very important to me when they are coming in direct contact with my daughter’s skin. I would definitely recommend the clothing to a friend because they are so soft and the simplicity of the designs are so sweet. They would make great unisex gifts. The cute embroidery on the towel especially the words “Stinkin’ Adorable” make it a great shower gift for a sassy yet trendy mother-to-be.

Product Reviewed: Baby Tracker by Time Too Inc.

Reviwed by: Erica, soon to be Mom (7 months preg.)

This is a colorful, spiral-bound notebook for keeping baby’s vital stats. It features a contact list in front (with room for information useful in an emergency—the kind of thing I’d fill out and leave for a sitter), complete with a consent form and insurance information.  The body of the book is a daily chart marked down to the half-hour, where one can record sleeping, eating, diaper, and activity habits, as well as checklists for medications, baths, etc., and a list of any new “baby needs” that may have come up. Inside the back cover is a space to record food allergies, meds, and immunizations. There is a handy pocket on the back cover for stuffing receipts, appointment cards, etc.

Overall Rating: A, as in "type A"

I am in no way anal enough for a product like this, and I don’t know anyone who is, though I’m sure they’re out there. I will never, ever keep a detailed daily log (every half-hour of the day!) chronicling every little move a baby made. I could see perhaps expecting a nanny to keep such records if I were a worrywart or if my child had some kind of condition that required extremely close monitoring. Come to think of it, this book does have more of a feel of being a nanny-log, because the hours available for obsessive recordkeeping are 7:00 AM to 7:00 PM. The back cover blurb mainly suggests that it is for mama but does mention that it is helpful for caretakers.