I don’t know about other dads, but I get tired of carrying things: blankets, diaper bag, diapers, snacks – everything that a kid will need for an extended outing. Well, my hands are full enough with everything else and I can’t carry everything! The Kids Original Canopy Chair solves part of that problem (now if they could only create a robot like Rosie on The Jetsons, I’d be all set).

The Canopy Chair by Kelsyus made day trips out to the park or picnicking a little simpler and, most importantly, safer too. The concept behind the idea is a folding canopy chair for children that’s easy to put together and easy to carry (for them, not for da-da!). I’m not quite sure how I grew up without one of these, but I literally called my parents and thanked them from lugging everything around by hand. Remember those lounge-style lawn chairs that tri-fold? Yeah, no one tells you you’ll carry those around forever and a day for little kids because sometimes they don’t want to sit on the ground. Now, problem solved.

Pros:

• Waterproof – which I’ve found out essentially means stain-proof as well!
• Canopy provides excellent coverage and shade from the sun
• It is easy to set up and take down with the canopy becoming the bag
• No tools are required right out of the box
• Two shoulder harnesses assure even weight on the back
• Only weighs 6.6 lbs
• Holds up to 125 lbs
• Sturdy frame

Cons:

• With shorter children, the folded up chair on the back and seem a little long and can sometimes him them in the back of the knees. This would only be a minor irritation.

I’m glad someone came up with something the children themselves can carry – it takes a small load off of me! But most importantly, it’s easy from their to carry, easy to set up, easy to take down, and a nicely built piece of outside furniture they can call their own.

This is a rather simple review; if you are familiar with booster seats, then the Safety First “Nature Next” Bamboo Booster Seat is nothing too radically new. It works as most booster seats do, with a selling point that it is made from the renewable resource bamboo.

Pros:

• Chair is made from a renewable resource
• Simple to put together
• Easy and intuitive to use
• Locks tightly onto chair it is situated on
• Harness holds baby well

Cons:

• When the box was opened, it smelled distinctly of industrial chemicals
• Sold exclusively at WalMart (sued repeatedly for pollution violations)
• Made in China (one of the world’s most polluted countries)

When all is said and done, I compared this booster to others – every one I looked at was made in China – so that is a pretty moot point. While I’m not over the moon about it being sold exclusively at WalMart, I am still impressed with the use of bamboo.

This rocking horse actually moves forward as the child (up to 130 lbs.) rocks. It works like popular inchworm. This is one cool pony for $350.

These are time out pillows made in the form of friendly monsters. We never used time outs very much, but I can see these adding a touch of warmth to the time out idea.

PS: we found out that they are not that fun after all. A menacing voice threatens to eat the child the next time he has to go on the time out pad.

Cribcandy.com has great items for doing just that. I love these couches shaped like Scrabble Boards. My sister-in-law, a real Scrabble fan, would go crazy over them.

We’re thinking of moving this into our little boy’s room just until November 1st. Nice design though:

$1850 at Sparkabilty.

This sounds like such a great idea. A fold up cradle that is easily recyclable after the short time you need it for a tiny baby. It’s flame retardant, safe per EU safety standards and dead-simple to put together. Everything a dad could love, until you see it costs $107! I’m saying $19.95 tops or wait for IKEA to make one. Available at Rose and Radish.

This Oval Animal Storage and Seating Bag from Boon Inc. is a great invention. It’s a beanbag chair where the “beans” are actually all those random stuffed animals you’re tired of tripping over. The bag has 3 mesh zippered windows so kids can easily see in and grab the ones they need at the moment. So, don’t throw out all those stuffed animals in the middle of the night, stuff in this beanbag chair. At $59.99, the price may seem high, but have you seen the cost of a beanbag recently?