Friday, September 28, 2007

New Baby joggers

Check out this movie on the new baby joggers for 2008! It's by Baby TV: http://www.babytv.com/videos/ABC-Baby-Jogger.aspx

Thursday, September 27, 2007

Dreamer Design Park Avenue Single Stroller

I just got this in and at first look, I really like it. It's not refined like say a Mountain Buggy or a Baby jogger - but it definitly an awesome stroller for the price. First - it's adorable. I have the camo one - which is great. You always see cutesy girl prints, but never any boy prints - and I think this one will be a big hit in the boy department! The red & blue also have great prints.

To summarize - this stroller - which retails at $299 - comes with a chassis w/ a swivel or pivot wheel, an adjustable handle bar, a stroller seat that can reverse, it lays flat enough for a newborn, has a newborn insert, and a graco carseat adapter! That's a lot of bang for your buck!

Here are the photos: (my model - who was sick today with some weird viral bumps - was NOT too happy to be sitting in it... but I swear... it looks very comfy!)









Plenty of room for a child on a board even with it in full recline facing backwards!


Plenty of storage room


Carseat adapter! Included!


the fold is not small... but it would be smaller if I took the seat off, and turned the handle in more - but at least you don't have to take the seat off to fold it.


Now - knowing Dreamer Design - who also distributes the Fisher Price Infant to Toddler "bugabooish" stroller ($150 retail)- i'm sure they borrowed parts for this. The seat looks extremely similar - however I do think they increased the seat back height. I had the Fisher Price one back in January - when the little guy was like 8 months old - and he already looked too big for the FP one. He does have headroom growth - about 2-3" above his head. And the canopy is descent coverage. The seat is 21" tall and 8" deap. It's not huge - but my 26lb 1.5 year old fits nicely with room to grow.

Wednesday, September 26, 2007

The Bob & the Cielo


The Bob Dualie Revolution & The Mia Moda Cielo


These are two VERY different strollers - but in my line-up, they are used the most.


First - the Bob. The Dualie is a great piece of equipment. The fabric is easy to clean, the seats recline (new for 2007) and can be used with an infant (non-jogging until 6 months), the wheel can be fixed or swivel - but I generally keep it in swivel mode, it fits through all average doors, you can push it with 1 pinkie finger when there are two 30lb kids in it, it has an adjustable suspension that my husband is even impressed with, it's just an awesome stroller.


If I had to give it some negatives, it's that the seat backs are not as tall as I would like (my peanut of a 4 year old still fits under the hood - but barely. And that I wish it had an adjustable handle - now this may be some sort of requirement to satisfy it's 'jogging' stroller category - but it would be nice to be able to adjust it up and down.


But that's it - and I can even attach a Kiddyboard to the back of it... so when I have two little ones, and my big guy - everyone can hitch a ride. Beats a triple any day of the week!


To own this stroller you really do need an SUV, min van, or wagon. It folds very easily - but it is big. I have no problem in our Audi Wagon or our Saturn Outlook SUV - but my sister cannot get this in her passat sedan with taking off all three wheels - and even then it's a tight fit.


This is a great stroller if you plan on doing some trail walking - it handles it with ease.


You can add a carseat adapter - which doubles as a tray for either 1 or 2 kids. You can also add a Bob Dualie Console - which works nice - but won't work when you have a toddler step on the back of it.


You can check out all the bob equipment at http://www.bobgear.com/ - and of course, Baby On the Go At Home sells them! ;)


The next stroller in the photo is the Mia Moda Cielo. I love this stroller. It just stays in my car. it takes up a spot that's about 1.5' x 1.5' x 1' folded. In my Outlook - it fits PERFECT in the rear cargo area with the third row up - which is tough to do with a non-umbrella stroller.


The fold is a little tricky - and sometimes I feel like I'm going to break it when folding it - but it's meant to be handled that way. It feels sort of like you're folding a paper airplane when you're folding it up! Opening it up is easier - but you have to make sure the crotch strap is not in the way, and that you hear the click on both sides of the seat.


The Basket is a nice spot for a wallet/keys - but this stroller is not meant to be a big storage stroller. It pushes very easily - although it does feel a little "plasticy" - but I hear for 2008, they have added some sort of suspension or somehow tightened up that push feeling.


The seat looks very comfortable - kids seem to like the freedom it gives. The recline is nearly non-existent - although I have pushed my sleeping 1 year old in it for over an hour while shopping - and he didn't seem to mind one bit. I would NOT recommend this for a say 6 month baby - I think it just doesn't do everything that some of the reclining umbrellas do - but for a 1+, it's great. I've also heard for 2008 that they will be adding arm rests and increasing the recline - so hopefully this will improve a stroller that's already fantastic. The color choices are great too! You can check it out here: Mia Moda
I would highly recommend this for someone who wants to just keep a single in their car permanently. It's a great stroller for those quick trips in and out of stores (once you figure out the fold!)


Wednesday, September 19, 2007

Baby Blogging!

Not sure why I've been obsessed with what I've been pushing around or carrying my kiddos in... but I think it must come from some genetic link - my Dad was obsessed about cameras, watches, and jackets... somehow that transferred into strollers, car seats, and general baby gear for me!

I love trying out what's new, hearing the latest & greatest items soon to come to the market, and I most of all love helping folks out with information about the products I've tried. Because of this - I teamed up with Baby On the Go out of St. Joseph, MO - which is a boutique baby shop.

Now how you ask - How did she find a boutique baby store in St. Joseph? Well - my stroller obsession was sort of exasperated by a yahoo group called "Stroller Swap" and that is where I met Michelle - the owner of Baby On the Go.

With Michelle's amazing willingness to try something new, and after some talks with the manufacturers - she agreed to try this adventure called "Baby On The Go At Home." think "Avon" or "Creative Memories" - but baby gear. While the concept of a home "party" isn't really our main drive of sales - the Mom to Mom communication is.

I belong to a Mom's club locally - The Sandwich Moms Club - and us moms are always asking for advice from our fellow moms. After dishing out lots of information, I started thinking... gosh... I should be able to make a living doing this! ;) (I'm always teased about how much information I give out to the group...). I initially thought of starting something on my own - but frankly - the manufacturers just don't want any more "Internet" sales companies - they want brick & mortar companies.

So that's where Michelle came in. I emailed her my idea out of the blue - and she digged it. And that's how this journey all started.

So Baby On The Go At Home currently has 5 consultants around the US. I'm sure we'll add more as we continue along on this journey. We are basically Michelle's Mobil force of information givers. We are bringing the information we know, our personal stock of strollers ("samples") to other local moms, and we're helping other mom's sift through all the junk information out there regrading car seats, strollers, high chairs, baby carriers, and more... ;)

I hope this blog will be yet another way that I am able to show my fellow mom's some of the products Baby On The Go At Home can offer them. I'm sure I'll throw in other bits of information here and there. There will be lots of photos for sure. So stay tuned!