Bookmark
Rodi XR booster car seat
The Rodi XR booster seat is one of a number of fashion forward booster seats on the market. It comes in several bright color combinations that are likely to please young kids. As opposed to cheaper, more traditional seats like the classic Graco, this seat is meant to be enjoyed by a child as “his” seat, as opposed to just “the place where he sits.”This seat is built for kids 40 to 100 pounds and the back comes off for older kids. Like almost all seats of this type, the seat attaches using the regular three-point seat belt that goes over the seat and child, holding both in together. It weighs 13.8 pounds, which is about standard for this category.
MSRP $159.99 and on Amazon.
- Energy-absorbing EPP padding around head and shoulder
- Additional cup holder
- Unique reclining position for small and large kids
- Easy to use
- Difficult to carry easily. No real grip and cuts into hands in natural carrying spot. Easy to grab seat by catch that releases headrest, which results in seat falling to the ground.
- Seat only held in by seat belt. Must be strapped in when child is not in the car or could become a flying safety hazard.
Popularity: unranked [?]
Cloud B Constellation Nightlight
The Cloud B Sea Turtle is a fun addition to the nighttime routine. My kids say it helps them get to sleep because is has a soothing light. I like it because it turns their entire room into a planetarium, with choices of blue or green stars (and a moon). Stargazing has always been a special time for me with the kids and, while they can’t always figure out what I’m pointing at, they like the time lying on the grass staring up at the sky with daddy and talking about ’stuff.’ While the Cloud B Sea Turtle, and it’s other endangered animal constellation brothers, can’t replace that experience, it reminds of good times we’ve had and to come. The lights turn off after 45 minutes, which is usually long after they’ve fallen asleep.
Popularity: 1% [?]
A is for Atticus naming book
A Is for Atticus: Baby Names from Great Books by Lorilee Craker – If you’re looking for different names, you may want to check this book out for names with literary meaning. It’s up to date, even including Harry Potter references.
Popularity: unranked [?]
Ubimed Cleanoz Aspirator a good replacement for that gnarly rubber aspirator bulb
We had a chance to meet the inventor, Jose Bensoussan, of the Ubimed Cleanoz Nasal Aspirator Kit at the recent ABC baby and kids product show (2008) and he told a compelling story about this new device. The Cleanoz aspirator is meant to replace the rubber aspirator bulb given by hospitals to new parents. Many parents have been suspicious of the bulb since there is no way to really clean it out or sterilize it and it’s used inside the mouth and nose of very small babies. Better to leave it on the ground the next time it rolls off the changing table and use it as a dog pull toy. The Cleanoz does the job far better and easier using suction to gently pull mucous into a little balloon. After use, or the end of the day, you just throw away the balloon.
Popularity: 1% [?]
Baby Light and Clip – great gadget for fingernail-clipping dads
Baby Light and Clip – Nail Clipper for Babies If you’ve ever struggled to cut a baby’s finger or toenails, you’ll love this little gadget. It’s a very simple little tool that incorporates a basic baby fingernail clipper and a light so you can clip in the dark while they are sleeping. And, if you’ve ever cut down too close and actually cut your baby (yes, it does happen) because baby was struggling, or you couldn’t see, this clipper has finger guard so you can’t push in too deep. This may seem like just another gadget to some, but your kids will really appreciate it, up to eight years old. And the price is right at $14.99 MSRP and right now only $7.99 on Amazon (9/21/08).
Popularity: 1% [?]
If you need this Flippee Toilet Shield, it’s likely a miracle product
I o
nly have one boy (as a complement to his older sister) and must say, his aim and concentration in the pee-pee department has always been admirable. Without the aid of cheerios or other floating targets, he stays inside the lines, and rarely have I seen him paint the walls. However, I have known little boys who can barely stand still, and who likely unzip and let it rip, ricocheting their spray off the sides of the toilet. I imagine this is the everyday cleanup problem the inventor of the Flippee Toilet Shield had. Annmarie Vanini, the inventor, is the mom of three boys. I can only guess how wide of the target they must have hit before she took pencil to paper and invented this gadget.
At $24.95, and available from Potty Training Concepts and Flippee.com, you might be surprised at how simple it is. It’s lightweight and very flexible, but does what it says it’s supposed to do. If you need it, and you know who you are, this is probably a small price to pay. Necessity is the mother of invention, for strange, other-wise useless gadgets.
Now if we could only get my son to learn to be as self-sufficient when it comes to #2.
Popularity: unranked [?]
Product review – Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W120
Sony Cyber-shot DSCW120MDG/P 7.2 MP Digital Camera with 4x Optical Zoom with Super Steady Shot
$180 – Amazon
I love this camera! We just got the DSCW 120 for our summer holiday and I was hoping it would work well and replace our five year-old DSC V1. The two cameras have several things in common: a Zeiss lens and many manual over-ride features, but the new camera is far smaller and easier to use.
This is a great little camera and represents how far Sony has come in developing an interface that is easy to use. This is the first camera I’ve seen where an explanation of the icons shows up on-screen when you dial a selection. No more trying to remember what an icon of a tree or a mountain is. The explanation is there in big type for you.
The 2.5 inch screen is super clear. One of the main benefits of the camera is the “Smile Shutter technology,” but you have to make sure you dial to the smile icon first, or you’ll miss the feature. At first, I couldn’t figure out how to make it work. Once dialed in though, it took a great photo of my four-year-old who is notorious for NOT saying, “cheese.” The camera also boasts “face detection” to reduce facial glare, shadows, and red-eye.
The buttons all appear to be strong and well-placed, though don’t look for industrial strength materials here. While sturdy, I did not get the feeling that the buttons and dial will last a lifetime. This may not be an issue but should be noted. The case feels strong and solid. No buttons wiggle or feel poorly made.
My eight year-old daughter had no trouble operating this camera, but said she preferred something with fewer buttons and dials. I noted only 2 more buttons than her Kodak EasyShare camera, but other features like the viewfinder and extra dial settings confused her. This isn’t a reason to not choose this camera, but it is a camera with more features, which, for some, means more daunting choices.
While other cameras deliver more megapixels, I was more than happy with the 7.2 MP in this camera. At this point, extra megapixels seem to me to just mean bigger memory cards. In fact, I set our photos at 5 MP so I could get about a third more photos out of the memory. This trick is good, but only if you don’t ever plan to do much cropping or enlargements beyond 8X10. With a 1 Gig memory stick, I was able to get almost 400 photos, enough memory for plenty of photos and lots of mini-movies.
Probably the most enjoyable feature of the camera though, was the fast shutter speed. Set on “no flash,” I had very little shutter lag, and could take multiple photos in a row. If you use flash, however, you’re back to the frustration of long shutter lag common to most point and shoot digitals. This is where the “Smile Shutter” technology, which is not unique to Sony, really helps out, since you can catch those fleeting smiles that used to be lost to shutter lag.
The biggest frustration I had was the use of the Sony memory stick duo (not included with the camera). My wife’s camera takes an SD card, which also fits directly into a Palm Treo, so I was hoping to eliminate one memory card and simplify our lives just a tiny bit. Additionally, to lighten our baggage a little, I decided to leave the bulky and proprietary data cable behind in favor of a small memory card reader that could read both SD and Sony memory sticks. Unfortunately, the reader could not read the memory stick duo format, and I was unable to transfer photos off the memory stick during the trip. Luckily, a 2 Gig card was enough to get me through about 320 photos and a few small movies with plenty of room to spare, but I was unable to send any email photos home along the way.
One last recommendation: I got a geeky Sony (LCS-TWF/B) Soft Carrying Case to make carrying the camera easier. While belt holsters really aren’t my thing, I must say that this made taking photos a lot simpler than trying to get my camera out of a bag or even out of my pocket. This holster has a strong magnetic closure, is pretty lightweight, and holds the camera very snugly. I wish they had built a tiny tiny pocket into it to keep an extra memory stick or battery, but otherwise, it’s a very practical addition that I’m sure helped me take more pictures.
Strengths: 7.2 MP, Big clear screen with bright picture, 2.5 inch LCD, easy to read menus, Carl Zeiss 4x optical zoom (you can’t beat the images from these lenses).
Weaknesses: Uses the Sony memory stick duo, so less flexiblity, USB cable is bundled with video, so has proprietary plug. This makes it more convenient (one cord to store), but you’re out of luck if you lose it since it isn’t a common USB cable. Memory sticks seem to have more issues than SD cards for compatibility so there may be some issues with older card readers that can’t read your stick.
Popularity: 4% [?]
Jazz for Dads
Jazz for Dads (Concord Records) I don’t know anything about this, but saw it and had to take a look. It’s positioned as jazz hand-picked for dads. AS “Mr. Jim” says in his Amazon review: Jazz lovers will enjoy this album anytime of the year, but with “Dad” this CD touches the heartstrings. Highly recommend to all for an enjoyable listen – “Jazz For Dads” for your favorite person.We always plug it, but we have an iTunes mix of other good “dad music” available in iTunes.
Popularity: unranked [?]
Now this is cool – Eye-Fi wireless memory card ends cables to your digital camera
How many times has this happened to you? You get to a wedding or little league game only to find that your digital camera memory card is full. You then spend the next 10 minutes making choices on which photos to delete. Or this: You sync your SD memory card at home and forget the card in the reader. The next time you take your camera out you realize how worthless a digital camera is without any memory.
The Eye-Fi SD Card is definitely something dads need. 1000 to one, you’re the chief IT support in your house. And, if you have multiple laptops and desktops, mom probably expects you to download pix onto her computer before you empty the memory card. Along with all the other hassles of daily life, it’s never fun being the manager of the SD memory card.
This cool little gadget, $99.99 at Amazon, ends at least one of the minor annoyances of life. The Wi-Fi feature AUTOMATICALLY uploads the pictures in your digital camera to your Mac or PC, or GET THIS, to a photo sharing, blogging, or social networking site. And $99.99 covers a 2GB card – seems like I paid that much for a non-WIFI 512MB card just last year!
Popularity: 5% [?]
Loading ...
