We recently tried the Homedics Restore Water Purifier and Sanitizer. Based on the included documentation, it’s a good choice if you have concerns about the cleanliness of the water in your area. At the same time, we found there was no discernible taste difference between water purified by the Biomedics model versus our old fashioned Brita filter.

The Homedics “machine” is a new water filter on the market and provides both Brita-style filtering of water as well as ultraviolet light sanitization. The Homedics unit is proven to kill 99.9999% of bacteria, 99.99% of viruses and 99.95% of microbial cysts every time with a special UV bulb that will always deliver the required kill rate and will not f ade over time. At the same time, water purification and sanitization are extra steps that require some dedication and may seem more bother than they are worth, again if your water supply is very safe. Purification requires pouring water into the reservoir and letting it go through the filter two times before the 8 cup container is full. Then, you need to flip a switch to allow the sanitization feature that cleans the water to work, after which you push another button to turn on the electric light which is plugged into the wall. All this is a bit of effort if you have a family drinking multiple quarts of water each day.

UV sanitization does have many advantages over chemical sanitization, as reported by the National Drinking Water Clearinghouse.

• Has no known toxic or significant nontoxic byproducts

• Has no danger of overdosing;

• Removes some organic contaminants;

• Has no volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions or toxic air emissions;

• Has no onsite smell and no smell in the final water product;

• Requires very little contact time (seconds versus minutes for chemical disinfection);

• Does not require storage of hazardous material;

• Improves the taste of water because of some organic contaminants and nuisance microorganisms are destroyed.

We found the system pretty easy to use and self-explanatory, with the following performance issues and questions:

1. The lid fell off onto the counter as we tried to pour the last few drops of water into our glass. This appears to be a design flaw.

2. While the manufacturer has gone way out their way to install a fail-safe system into the machine so it won’t appear to sanitize if the bulb mechanism is not working, there is no way to verify if each human operator has sanitized the water. If you did live where clean water is a significant issue, this would be cause of major concern.

3. The filter type is different than the Brita system with less distribution, so you’ll have harder time replacing the filters every few months. (Brita is sold by Clorox so has very wide distribution.)

At about three times more for the sanitizer feature (vs Brita) and the added hassle to make it worth it, you should weigh the value in your area.

Boon Snack Ball – Simple, but elegant, our kids fight over these little balls filled with goldfish or other snacks. I don’t put them in their lunches though, for fear of losing them in the crowd. The ball breaks in half for easy cleaning, but the orange (or pink) top also swivels open for easy open closed for snacks. $6 from Amazon and BabiesRUs.

We see a lot of baby gadgets, and mostly my wife points to the door and says, “out with them.” Though there are tons of things that dad might think are cool, moms seems to have a very practical sense when it comes to the big category known as gadgets. That is not to say they can’t be wildly impractical when it comes to over-priced linens and diaper bags, but that is another story.

In our house, however, the Combi Chop Stick Trainer was a hit, perhaps because my wife is Korean-American, but also because it does not attempt to do something for a child, but is actually a teaching aid to teach the child to eventually use the chopsticks in the correct way. And, dads incompetent at the local Chinese restaurant, might benefit from a little practice with them as well.

I love the added note Combi adds to their products: “Time spent with your baby is irreplaceable and we want to make it precious.” Well said.

We really like pop molds. They are great way to give the kids an ice cream-like snack, while letting us modulate the sugar intake. And, we make our home-made popsicles out of regular juices and yogurts, so it’s cheaper and greener since there is no extra packaging, say nothing to preservative my kids definitely don’t need.

Previously, we’ve said we like SiliconeZone Popsicle Mold. It makes popsicles in a cool castle-like shape. But, here’s another idea I like even more: Cuisipro Sailboat Pop Mold . Not only does it create a cute-looking popsicle that looks like a sailboat with its keel as a popsicle stick, but the deck of the “boat” also collects the inevitable drips. Only drawback is that these are plastic where we now prefer silicone.

Another simple product for catching ice cream and popsicle drips is the Dripstick for only $3.99.