So it’s been a while since I’ve blogged, but I have excuses! Halloween, Vacations, 1st Birthdays, Thanksgiving, OH MY! And with my son’s 1st birthday, I realized that it’s time for another edition of my favorite baby products, this time for the 9-12 month age range.
- Radio Flyer Classic Walker Wagon: I realize that there are a ton of walker products on the market, but both my son and I adore this one. It is well-made and the perfect size for him. He loves placing his toys into the wagon and then zooming it all around the house. He’s even been caught pushing our little dog in the wagon as well! I appreciate the bumper, so that as he is crashing into the wall, the slider, the furniture… there is no permanent damage.
- Munchkin Inflatable Safety Tub: Probably the best $10 I’ve spent in the last few months. We don’t use this daily, but we did bring it with us on a recent trip to Hawaii. Since it’s inflatable, it packed easily. Once we arrived, we inflated it, and then our son bathed happily in the little clean baby tub vs. the condo tub with who-knows-what-germs lining it. An added bonus? It suctions to the tub floor to prevent slipping.
- Baby Spring Float Sun Canopy: Another item purchased for our Hawaii trip, this turned out to be another favorite. Deflated, it folds and packs nicely in a small circle. Inflated, it is the perfect float for our son. He sits comfortable inside, shaded by a canopy, and well supported in the water. He had a ball splashing and kicking as we floated him throughout the pool.
- Melissa and Doug Longfellow Giraffe: This plush toy is my son’s BFF. Seriously. He carries this thing everywhere and I don’t think can sleep without it (I’m not brave enough to attempt to try). Quality materials, can stand up to rough kid play, and a long body make it easy to drape over himself and the crib. Easily drag-able all over the floor, and I had no problems throwing it in the washing machine (although I read, too late, that it is supposed to be surface washable only). Cute little guy – and always puts a smile on my son’s face.
- Embark Midsize Cooler: Until recently, I was able to go out and about with just a few bottles and maybe a tiny bit of food – and the chilled bottle bags I had were perfect for that. But once my son transitioned to sippy cups and bowls of food, there just wasn’t enough room. I was literally walking around with a baby bag + TWO bottle bags to fit everything. Enter this well-priced cooler. Now I can fit everything into one bag – cups and bowls of food along with bibs and spoons in the outside pocket. Up to a whole day’s worth of food, milk, and water! I’m even able to throw in a snack or two for myself. I also purchased some refreezable ice sheets and use those to line the cooler and top whatever I pack – and it works great! Even better, the hard plastic liner is removable, which I prefer, as it allows me to fit more in. Perfect size and easy to clean. Highly recommend.
- Kiscords Baby Safety Cabinet Lock Latch: Yes, we are at the age of babyproofing. And no, we are not even close to being done. What we’ve found throughout this process is that a lot of so-called babyproofing items are simply junk. We went through two separate sets of safety cabinet locks that we ended up throwing away. One was nearly impossible for adults to open/close, and the other broke as we were putting them on. That’s why I’m so glad to have found these. They are simple, cheap, and they WORK! Difficult enough that a baby can’t get them open, but quick and easy enough for an adult to loosen and open when needed. And aesthetically – they don’t look nearly as bad as some other items I’ve seen. An easy purchase.
- Table Topper Disposable Stick-On Placemats: Eating out is an entirely new experience now. My son actually sits in the high chair, wants to look, chat, touch, and generally just make a big mess. We learned quickly to distract him with pieces of cut up banana. What I couldn’t stand, though, is the fact that those pieces would inevitably get all over the germy table (who knows how well those things are cleaned) and ultimately end up in his mouth. I was complaining to our nanny about it, and she suggested these disposable placemats. They’re great! We now stick them on the table and litter them with banana slices and puffs. He can grab, slide, and push food around to his little heart’s content before shoving it into his mouth. An added bonus is clean-up: after several restaurant outings ending with me moistening napkins to clean up the mess my son left all over the table, now I simply unstick the placemat, fold it up, and throw it away. What could be easier?
- Brica CoverGuard Car Seat Travel Tote: We have the Britax Advocate 70-G3 Convertible Car Seat, and love it. It is sturdy, secure… And massive. Great for safety, not so great for traveling. So as we were planning a vacation involving airports and rental cars, I started looking at options for actually transporting the thing. That is when I came across the Brica carrier. The Britax Advocate 70-G3 fits nicely within the tote – a definite plus because most travel bags cannot accommodate this particular seat. It also has shoulder straps so that my husband can wear it comfortably like a backpack. Before gate-checking the bagged seat, we even had extra room on the seat itself to throw in jackets, blankets, etc. before zipping it up. And upon our destination arrival, the seat was delivered unscuffed and unscathed within the bag. I’m not sure how we could have managed the car seat without it.
Any products I’m missing? I’m sure I could write a lot about the products I DON’T like. 😉 Next list of product reviews will be ready around the 15-month mark!
35mommy 