The Chariot: A perfect Father's Day gift for active Dadas

Ok, to be fair I see lots of dads these days unabashedly toting their tot in an Ergo or a Baby Bjorn, and even the occasional sling (like my hubby). But let's be honest, most things baby are not terribly manly. Enter the Chariot! The Chariot is the Swiss Army Knife of strollers. With simple kits you can quickly change the Chariot from a regular stroller, to a jogging stroller, bike trailer, or ski trailer, and even harness it to yourself for hiking. Available in both single and double with three different levels of performance, the Cheetah, Cougar, and the CX (for serious athletes), Dada's most difficult decision will be "what activity should we do today?" Many weekends my husband will take Pooka for a morning run and then an afternoon bike ride. And in the winter he hooks up the skis and harnesses the Chariot around his waist for a cross country ski or snowshoe adventure (that's him with Pooka in the pic below).

We have a Cougar Double because we are planning on popping future siblings next to Pooka in the Chariot, but unlike many systems the harness can be shifted to the center to keep the Chariot balanced when she is in there alone. Plus, the system is a pretty big investment so we wanted to make sure that we'll get plenty of years out of it. Luckily for us my husband found a 2007 Chariot on Craigs List so we were able to pick ours up for cheap. The previous Dada had barely used it and it was in pristine condition. It came with the bike trailer kit and we have added the jogging kit and ski kit. It's hard for us to imagine that this sweet rig was barely used because ours is used several times a weekend, but this should also serve as a warning that the Chariot is not a good gift for the faint of heat-rate. And lest I be sexist, the Chariot is great for athletic Mama's too. It's very light and I use it for serious walks, and even tried it on the cross country tracks this winter even though I no longer consider myself in the athletic mama category)! So if your husband's idea of a fun filled day involves a triathlon than the Chariot may just be the perfect gift for him this Father's Day!

April showers bring decked out babies: Big City Moms Spring 2010 Biggest Baby Shower

The Big City Moms always put on a wonderful event, and their Spring 2010 Biggest Baby Shower was no excception. This time the venue moved from American Girls Place to the spacious Park East ballroom. Products filled the two ballrooms from dozens of vendors. On display were new products from some of our favorite vendors including Orbit Baby, Momma Couture, Zoli Baby, Maclaren, Skip Hop, Bugaboo, Boon Inc., and Oeuf to name a few. Also on hand were fab newcomers like Simplisse Breast Feeding Products, Stride, Hop Pop, Tomee Tipee, and the amazing Taga Bike and Luxury Stroller. Expectant moms had the opportunity to test out multiple brands of strollers, check out furniture, diaper bags, and the latest in all things baby.

Guest speakers included Dr. Alan Greene (see this post to learn more about Dr. Greene) and the wonderful Carley Roney from The Knot empire. Roney spoke about her favorite essential gear for new moms. These included some of our personal faves like the Orbit Baby stroller , which she highlighted as the "Sunday Brunch" stroller thanks to Orbit's patented technology that allows you to pull the stroller up to the table and spin the seat so baby faces you! She also talked about Momma Couture's clever Stinky Bum diaper clutch (another of our favorites and a previous "Fab Find"). Roney pointed out that no matter which stroller you chose, having only one stroller will never fulfill all your strolling needs. She suggested getting a lightweight umbrella stroller for traveling onthe subway on in the airport. Her picks were any of the strollers in the Maclaren line or the Uppa Baby G-Lite. Roney praised the ubiquitous Baby Bjorn carriers for babywearing, and spoke about The Bump's new iPhone app called Baby 411 (see my other favorites in this post).

Finally, Roney, a serious career mom, gave some fantastic advice on being a new mom:

1) Get OUT of the house and take lots of walks!
2) Make sure to network with other moms and build a support system
3) NURSE in PUBLIC (my personal fave!)

Roney explains that breasts are very portable and make it easy to feed on the go and to find places in your neighborhood where you can comfortably nurse such as baby boutiques and department store lounges (Saks has a great one on the fourth floor). Don't hesitate to meet with a lactation consultant if you are having any nursing problems. Other key advice Roney imparted on the expectant moms was to relax, trust your instincts, and give yourself plenty of time to learn this whole motherhood thing! She is truly and inspiring women!

As always, the gift bags far exceeded expectations. The overflowing (and heavy) bags had far too many items to list them all, but some standouts included the new Uppa Baby Car Seat Bubble (universal to fit dozens of car seats), a Bugaboo Stroller Blanket, gorgeous mittens from Oeuf, Robeez shoes, a Company Store Kids crib sheet, a Naturepedic Organic Piddle Pad, a set of Boon Benders utensils, bottles from MAM Baby, Prince Lionhart, Born Free, and Tomee Tipee, and multiple coupons for everything from strollers to nursery furniture. And that's just scraping the surface of the booty moms received in their gift bags. Add to that the individual gifts the moms won in the Baby Bingo Raffle and it almost tops the shower your friends and family throw for you!

Pimp My Ride: Our New Orbit G2 Toddler Seat

So it has been nearly a month since the big box housing our new Orbit Baby G2 Toddler Seat arrived, and our love for it has grown everyday. See, the nice thing about the Orbit Baby system is that it grows with your child, from the infant car seat to the toddler car seat and separate toddler stroller seat. And the even greater thing is that even when they come out with a whole new system, they design it to integrate with your current setup so you won't have wicked stroller envy. So what, you may be wondering, do I adore about our new toddler seat? The hard question is where do I start? The new seat still has the same patented spin technology that allows you to move it 365 degrees, but now the seat also reclines so your wee one can get sleepy and nap completely horizontally. Pooka has already tested this feature many times. It fact, she seems to fall asleep much more easily then any other stroller she's been in. My next favorite element of the new seat is the amazing sun canopy. It has three positions, and when fully extended it blocks any rays from hitting your wee one. The seat also has a great bumper bar that has an attachable bento box that holds snacks and a sippy cup. We haven't used it too many times yet because Pooka has a tendency to grab entire fistfuls and shove them all in her mouth at the same time. Then she realizes she can't eat so many at one time and spits them all out. So until she has a better mastery of her snack situation I just gaze at the bento box and dream of its usefulness to come. Oh, I also really love the soft fleece snuggler and matching shoulder pads that come with the seat. It's removable when your child grows, but it's still working great for Pooka at 17 lbs. There is also an extendable footrest that grows with your child. And did I mention that all the fabric on the new G2 is Orbit Green Certified, which means all fabric that comes in contact with your child is Oeko-Tex 100 certified to be free of 100 harmful and toxic substances. It's an industry first for strollers and car seats! You can even feel good about the rain cover because it is PVC-free. Another industry first! Finally, the seat now has awesome ventilation thanks to a panel that zips open to reveal mesh that makes the seat nice and breezy. There is nothing worse than peeling your sweaty child out of their seat on a hot summer day! And I nearly forgot, but there is a new color on offer besdies black or mocha...an absolutely gorgeous Ruby Red (my favorite color)! I went for the Ruby Red seat, which works smashingly with a black cargo pod on the older models. It is a really snazzy set up!

Of course we are using the new G2 seat on our old stroller base, for for those of you who are going to buy the whole system there is a newly designed stroller base. It is a fab powder-coated white so it will be sure to stand out in the stroller world. It also incorporates new foam filled tires (no more pumping them up or changing flat tubes) and a QuadShock system to give your wee one a cloud-like ride. The double cup holder has changed to a single cup holder designed to accommodate more drink sizes and also gives a place for keys, lip gloss or even your phone. The cargo pod is also more user-friendly with inside pockets and a better shoulder strap. And as with the older version, the fold is beyond amazing, and the stroller takes up much less room in your car than pretty much all of its competitors.

I also added the Panniers to my Orbit Baby and wish I had them from day 1! Now I can do a full trip to Whole Foods and between the Panniers and Cargo Pod I don't even have to hang a bag from the handles. They are brilliant! Oh, and people ask me about those all the time too. And while I don't have it yet, I plan to order the Green Edition Foot Muff for next winter. I was so jealous this winter when all the other strollers had their made to fit foot muffs and I was struggling with a bulky 7 Am Enfant Evolution. To read more about the Orbit Baby system see this previous post. For us it's been a love affair from the start, and the romance keeps get better and better!

Watch those fingers! Maclaren Stroller Recall and Alternatives to their Strollers

By now you have probably seen the recall alert on all Maclaren Strollers made since 1999. It turns out the hinges are quite sharp and have amputated the fingers of 12 wee ones (yes, total shock an horror is an appropriate reaction!). Maclaren is offering a repair kit for all owners to fix the hinge problem. We have a Triumph that we love for its quality, durability and ease of use and will continue to use it once we receive the kit. For those of you yet to buy a light weight stroller or want to replace your Maclaren there are some great options out there. Just walk into any Babies R' Us and the selection will astound you, but here are a few of my current favorites.

First on that list are the offerings from Cybex, recently arrived from Germany. I had the chance to check these strollers out at Big City Mom's Biggest Baby Shower. I was impressed with their quality and design, and they are comparable to the Maclaren line in price and weight . Actually they are nearly a model to model match with their Ruby, Onyx, Topaz and Callisto strollers lining up with the Maclaren Volo, Triumph, Quest, and Techno strollers. They have some features that many might find superior to Maclaren strollers such as a one-hand adjustable harness, an insanely full recline, a groovy two position foot rest and car seat compatibility (with Cybex's Atom car seat) on all except the Ruby stroller. Cybex also has great color schemes that will set you apart from the typical light weight stroller, and I dig the white chassis (rather than the typical chrome finish). I'm sure it won't be long before these babies flood NYC sidewalks, especially after Sarah Jessica Parker was spotted with one a few weeks ago.

For Uppa Baby lovers there is the G-Light and G-Luxe lightweight umbrella strollers. Both strollers stand up when folded, and require only hands to fold (no foot action needed). The G-Lite is similar to the no-frills Maclaren Volo in that it is super light-weight at 8.3 lbs but offers no recline option. Their new G-Luxe, which Uppa claims is the lightest full-size reclining umbrella stroller on the market, weighs in at 11 lbs, offers a full recline and even comes with a cupholder. It is a Babble Best for 2009. I also appreciate that Uppa Baby is committed to being eco-friendly by recycling strollers, donating strollers to charity, and making efforts to reduce their carbon footprint. A sign of this commitment is the organic lining that comes standard on their full size Vista Stroller model. Yeah for organic as a standard rather than a costly add on!

Quinny offers the Zapp, by far the coolest looking light weight stroller out there. With an incredibly compact fold (Quinny claims its the smallest in the world), a weight of 13 lbs, and car seat compatible (with Maxi Cosi car seats) the Zapp is the perfect travel system for quick getaways at a fraction of the cost of many luxury travel systems. It has the added bonus of including the travel bag as standard. If I lived outside the city I might consider this for my full time stroller. The only drawback is that there is no recline feature for napping babies!

So while I hate to throw Maclaren under the bus, this is an alarming recall and it's good to know there are other choices for high quality light weight strollers. I like Pooka's delicious little fingers right where they are! We plan to get the repair kit for our Triumph and keep rolling but I can't say some of these other strollers aren't very tempting!

NHTSA gives Orbit Baby all clear on safety!

Many of you may have followed this debate between Orbit Baby and the negative review of their infant carseat by Consumer Report. I posted each new communication as the event unfolded starting in late August (post on 8/31, and 9/2). We are loyal Orbit Baby parents and were very disturbed by this turn of events, but wholly confident in their product. Below is the conclusion of this debate. The NHTSA has cleared Orbit Baby carseats of any safety concerns, and once again Consumer Report is looking less than credible in their evaluation of the safety of a baby product. I think many Orbit Baby parents had already come to this conclusion based on our personal experiences, so this won't be a shock to them!

Dear Orbit Baby parent,
Update October 26th, 2009: We had promised that we would update you on the situation with Consumer Reports’ testing of the Orbit Baby Infant Car Seat. We are pleased to let you know that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has sent Consumers Union (the publisher of Consumer Reports) a letter officially stating that no further inquiry is necessary because our product meets all federal safety standards.

NHTSA reviewed their comprehensive database of the safety history of the Orbit Baby Infant Car Seat on the road, and did not find any reports of injuries, seat separations, or other safety risks.
NHTSA conducted its own tests on the Infant Car Seat. All tests passed, and no separations occurred in both sets of tests:
Crash testing according to the official Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS)
Research crash tests to match the non-compliant procedures that Consumer Reports’ magazine used in August
You can read NHTSA’s official letter to Consumers Union about Orbit Baby here. We have also provided more information below in an effort to further clarify the situation.


Though Consumer Reports has repeatedly tried to raise what they felt were safety concerns with our Infant Car Seat, their concerns have been refuted by every subsequent test and piece of research conducted by regulatory agencies and independent labs. (You can read more about our past statements, and learn more about how Consumers Union improperly conducted its simulated compliance testing, here.)

Based on a comprehensive inquiry, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has now issued an official statement that it "believes that no further action is currently warranted" in researching the safety of Orbit Baby’s Infant Car Seat.
In its inquiry, NHTSA reviewed their database of over three years of comprehensive real-world reports from consumers, safety personnel, and NHTSA's Early Warning Reporting system with NO reports of deaths, injuries, car seat separations, or complaints. NHTSA does not solely rely on lab tests, like those conducted by Consumer Reports, when evaluating the performance of a safety product. At Orbit Baby, we have always emphasized the real-world safety that families face out on the roads, and we are proud of the fact that our track record of safety is a key factor in NHTSA’s conclusion.
NHTSA conducted the official Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 213 tests that are required of all US car seats, and as expected, our Infant Car Seat passed this testing, and no separations occurred. In addition, NHTSA further conducted research tests to simulate the non-compliant test conditions that Consumers Union conducted. These tests were all done at the same lab that Consumers Union originally used, and were attended by three Consumers Union representatives. NHTSA also reported no issues or car seat separations on these tests.
In NHTSA’s recent letter to Consumers Union, it confirmed that the magazine’s original tests of the Infant Car Seat deviated from their official government test procedures and were NOT configured correctly according to FMVSS No. 213. We believe the improper test set-up Consumer Reports’ used likely contributed to their inconsistent results, and you can read our original response to their mis-testing of our product here.
We have always tried to put the concerns and safety of our consumers first, and have tried to do our utmost to research this issue independently as well as cooperate with NHTSA at every turn. Even though NHTSA has directly told Consumers Union that the inquiry into Orbit Baby’s Infant Car Seat safety is concluded, Consumer Reports maintains its assessment that this seat poses a safety risk. We believe that Consumer Reports’ decision unnecessarily confuses parents, and believe that they should reconsider their recommendations.

As an Orbit Baby parent, please continue to take advantage of these helpful resources on our website to ensure that you, as well as the caregivers of your children, are educated on proper car seat usage.

View Car Seat installation videos
Download Orbit Baby product manuals
Visit the FAQ's section
Read Orbit Baby's position on car seat safety
Email us anytime with any further questions at support@orbitbaby.com
Thank you once again for your support of Orbit Baby.

Best,

Joseph, Bryan, and The Orbit Team

Photo of Pooka by Hannah Hardaway Photography

Homemade Halloween costumes for the craft challenged: Etsy to the rescue!

I consider myself one of the lucky ones because my mom can sew and I have fond memories of trips to the fabric store to pick out material for my Halloween costumes (and later prom and holiday dresses). I vividly remember being Raggedy Ann, and a beautiful butterfly, and a rather creepy Harlequin clown. Luckily for me my mom will also make Pooka's costume this year. Don't have the sewing skills or crafty family member to make a costume for your little pumpkin? Don't let that keep you from having a unique handmade costume. If you are a regular reader you will now that I love finding great handmade baby gear on Etsy (see this post), and Halloween is no exception. Here is just a sampling of the items you can find and many are still available for delivery before October 31st.

Candy corn is an often neglected icon of Halloween, but these designers have featured it front and center. Got a seriously wee one who's not ready for a costume? Try this absolutely ridiculous (I mean that in a good way) Candy Corn Bunting by Dahlhart Lane. I love these candy corn onesies by Bambinamia and Little One Boutique. Speaking (or writing) of onesies, I'm also a big fan of the I Love My Mummy onesie from Baby Grin and the Woooo Halloween Ghost onesie by Chloe's Ruffle Butt.



Need a full costume for your little man? What could be easier than a onesie costume? Make him a superhero with the Boy Wonder Onsie with Detachable Cape from Trusty Sidekick.Not into tights? Try the masculine Brown Tool Belt Onesie or sedate Corduroy Vest and Tie Onesie from Rock n Rags. Does your baby have a little more edge to them? Look no further than the Tuxedo Long Sleeve Romper or Punk Rock 80's Romper (think CBGB) from Lowleepop. Girls can get in on the Lowleepop action too with the Punk Rock Dress.



There are plenty of options to choose from for your baby girls. You could go traditional with this gorgeous Little Red Riding Hood or Snow White costume from Lover Dovers Clothing. I really love this sweet Pirate Girl costume by Rae Gun, or the Bumble Bee dress by April Scott. And don't forget the tutus! There are literally dozens of vendors making tutus for all occasions on Etsy, but some of the best for Halloween are offered by Polka Dots and Paisley, The Magic Tutu Shoppe, and Lil Southern Girl (if you are thinking along the lines of fairy or ballerina).


Still haven't seen something you like? Try this less traditional Rainbow Sprinkle Costume from Not The Kitchen Sink, or the spectacular Round Little Pumpkin costume from Dahlart Lane. And some other options for the less mobile little ones are the Sweet Swaddle Blanket Pumpkin by Tisha Too Designs, or the innovative Flower Cart Stroller Cover by Kikis Thing's for your Maclaren! One of my favorites by far though is Pinkadellic Industries Make Your Own Gnome hat. Make sure you read the seller description when you check out the hat, it will crack you up!

Already have your dear one's costume? Click on these links anyways because pictures of babies in costumes are always good for a smile. Seriously, doesn't that baby in the gnome hat above make you crack up?

Final word on Orbit Baby safety: We're sticking with them!

Hopefully this is the last chapter in the Orbit Baby vs. Consumer Reports debacle. It appears Orbit baby has won a decisive victory! Consumer Reports should be ashamed of themselves for neglecting to follow manufacturer guidelines and then failing the product. I can't even begin to imagine the panic this caused among thousands of Orbit Baby parents, including myself. Yesterday I spoke with the manager of my local baby gear store who shared that CR's baby department is a complete joke that regularly wreaks havoc in the baby gear industry. After this performance I have to agree. The good news is we don't have to give up our much loved Orbit Baby Infant travel system, the thought of which nearly brought me to tears!

Dear Orbit Baby parent,
As I mentioned in my last letter to you in regards to the Consumer Reports testing of the Orbit Baby Infant Car Seat, we referred this matter to NHTSA, the government agency responsible for car seat safety. I am pleased to share the following information:

Update September 1, 2009: The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) tested the Orbit Baby Infant Car Seat for compliance with all crash testing requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 213. NHTSA confirmed that the Infant Car Seat passes these tests.

NHTSA also independently verified:

The middle shoulder harness slot is the appropriate slot for the size of the official CRABI 12 test dummy.
The knob on the car seat Base should be turned to engage the StrongArm™ tightening mechanism to achieve the regulated seat belt tension for compliance testing.
Therefore, our Infant Car Seat not only passes our own tests in independent labs, it also passes tests conducted by NHTSA, the government agency that regulates traffic safety.

Orbit Baby maintains that Consumer Reports did not properly follow the Infant Car Seat instructions when they conducted their tests. (Our full response can be found here.) As an Orbit Baby parent, I believe that this issue highlights the importance of following car seat instructions, as well as the need for parents to educate grandparents, babysitters, and other caregivers on proper car seat usage.

Please be sure to take advantage of these helpful resources on our website:

View Car Seat installation videos
Read the Orbit Baby article on "The Correct Harness Position for Rear-Facing Car Seats"
Download Orbit Baby product manuals
Orbit Baby’s position on car seat safety can always be found here
Email us with any further questions at support@orbitbaby.com
Thank you for your support of Orbit Baby.

Sincerely,


Joseph Hei

CEO and Co-founder of Orbit Baby

The Orbit Baby Debate: CEO Joseph Hei faces off with Consumer Reports on failed car seat tests!

You all probably know how much I love my Orbit Baby Infant System, but I recently received an upsetting email from Orbit Baby CEO Joseph Hei. It appears the car seat failed Consumer Reports' safety testing. Below is the email all Orbit owners received. As for our family, we are still using our Orbit system, but rechecked the strap settings and the base station in the car. Ironically, I had been planning another post to extoll more virtues of the Orbit, such as having the only non-PVC rainshield available on the market and being Oeko-Tex 100 Certified, which no other car seat on the market is.

You can also get more info from Orbit and check out Joseph Hei's video response to the Consumer Reports testing.

Dear Orbit Baby parent,
Thank you for being a loyal owner of Orbit Baby products. I wanted to send you this email to address a recent piece of news about Orbit Baby car seats.

We were very surprised to recently learn that when Consumer Reports tested the Orbit Baby Infant Car Seat, two out of six units failed their safety test. Our extensive and regular car seat safety compliance testing program completely contradicts this. Our tests are conducted in the exact same lab that Consumer Reports and NHTSA (the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) uses. In all of our compliance tests, we have never seen the failures that Consumer Reports has reported.

Since safety is of top priority to us, we immediately ran more tests as soon as we learned about Consumer Reports’ results. We ran multiple tests in the same laboratory that Consumer Reports used, with various testing criteria, including the exact criteria Consumer Reports used. All of these tests passed. We also receive reports of real-life accidents from Orbit Baby parents, and we have never had a report of a separation or injury with an Orbit Baby car seat. Because we make products for children, we understand how important safety is. I have two daughters, and they use our car seats and our strollers. For me and for Orbit Baby, absolutely nothing is more important than the safety and well-being of children.

We are concerned Consumer Reports did not follow multiple aspects of our product instructions when they ran their tests. Safety regulations for car seats make clear that all testing should be conducted according to the product’s instructions. Consumer Reports’ tests are therefore not an accurate reflection of the safety of our Infant Car Seat.

Not following a car seat’s instructions can result in unpredictable test conditions, and we believe this is reflected in Consumer Report’s inconsistent results. Our greatest concerns are that they used a harness position that was too high for the size of the dummy, and that they did not turn the Base’s knob to engage the StrongArm™ self-tightening mechanism. In addition, we are alarmed that Consumer Reports showed an incorrect installation of the Infant Car Seat without the Base in the press video that they released to the public; they have acknowledged their mistake and have since edited the video. This further suggests they had not been properly following our Infant Car Seat instructions.

As many parents understand, a tight and properly fitted safety harness for their child is critical to the safety of a car seat. Consumer Reports themselves recommend that parents diligently follow all product instructions, so we are very concerned that they did not follow their own advice. We want to take this opportunity to emphasize again to parents how important it is to follow all product instructions in the real world. Please do revisit the product manual, and I encourage you to contact us directly if you have any questions.

We have already proactively contacted the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), to inform them of the Consumer Reports test results and to share our own data and investigation. NHTSA is in charge of enforcing car seat safety laws in the US, and we will work cooperatively with NHTSA should they have any further recommendations for us.

Your child’s safety is of top priority to me and the team at Orbit Baby. Please visit this web page to find out more information about Consumer Reports’ testing: http://www.orbitbaby.com/support/safetystatement.html. Again, please do not hesitate to contact us at 1-877-672-2229 or support@orbitbaby.com with any questions or concerns.

We appreciate your continued support for Orbit Baby.


Joseph Hei

CEO and Co-founder of Orbit Baby



Consumer Reports released a follow up to Joseph Hei's statement's on August 27th. As an Orbit owner I find it disturbing that Consumer Reports did not use the patented Strong Arm to tighten the safety belts. Our base station is impossible to even wiggle in the car with the Strong Arm employed, but that is not the case when the Strong Arm isn't used. I find myself agreeing with Orbit that Consumer Reports' testing was flawed, and find it hard to believe that they recommend using the car seat with only the seat belts. It appears there is no safety issue with the design of the seat itself. If you link to this latest release you will find many knowledgeable individuals condemning the CR testing, particularly because they ignored the manufacturer's installation instructions. We will be watching carefully to see what the NHTSA rules and how this issue will be resolved, but in the meantime we will continue to use our Orbit car seat with base station.

Don't forget to pack...Last minute items you might need on vacation

What do you bring on your first vacation with the new addition? I always wanted to be one of those parents who traveled light. The idea of filling the whole cargo space of the car with baby gear made me cringe. And yet here I am, wondering how will I possibly be able to see out the rearview mirror over the pile of junk stacked in the back? Of course there is the obvious like diapers, wipes, clothes, bottles, pacifiers, and blankets. Don't forget to add the towels, wash clothes, bath gear (we are bringing one of those blow up tubs) and burp clothes. There's also the baby wash, diaper cream, baby lotion, sunscreen, and bug spray. We need some toys and books too, and we will be bringing the play gym and bouncy chair (it's 10 days at a rental cottage by the beach and we're driving there). Pooka will be sleeping in a portable crib by night (the Phil and Ted's Traveller), and lounging in the Kwik Cabana by day. And then there is Pooka's transportation, which means car seat and stroller (luckily the Orbit Baby is both), and her Baby Hawk Mei-Tai carrier. Oh, and we can't go anywhere without the breast pump. OK, we are probably overdoing it, but that's easy to do when you are traveling by car. Now I understand why people put those pods on the roof!

There are, however, a few things you might not think to pack until you need them. We will be vacationing on an island, and while there is a grocery store there are some things we can't rely on them to have. We have packed our MedBasics Infant Safety Travel Pack for quick reference, as well as the nasal aspirator and saline drops, a thermometer, a medicine dispensing pacifier, Infant Tylenol drops, and alcohol swabs and gauze for minor cuts and scrapes (or when I cut her finger with the nail clippers again). And don't forget the grooming gear like nail clippers and files. Pooka's nails grow like gangbusters, and she just entered the phase where she likes to pinch. And I'm also including baby laundry detergent , and stain remover because poop happens even if it is vacation. These items may be difficult to find where you are staying, particularly if you need them in the middle of the night.

Alas, the days of traveling light seem to have disappeared for a while, but I am confident they will return. Each trip I will hone my skills at choosing exactly what is needed and what is extraneous. And some day I may just achieve this goal. Until then I will have to use the side-view mirrors when driving!

Most commonly asked question...who makes that stroller? Orbit Baby Stroller Review

Hardly a day goes by without someone stopping me to ask about our stroller. And to be honest, I have no problem gushing about it. It has fit seamlessly into our life, fulfilling the majority of strollering needs. I say majority because there is never a single stroller that can do absolutely everything, but the Orbit comes close. For those of you who don't live in an urban area a luxury stroller may not be a necessity, but in NYC babies spend more time in their strollers than they are ever likely to spend in a car during the early years of their life.

So what's so special about the Orbit? The biggest thing is that it is an incredibly simple travel system. Pooka's car seat IS the stroller. It is attached and detached from the stroller base using a simple lever, and the base can be fold in half and stowed in the car with one hand. It still takes up a bit of the cargo space, but less than many of its competitors such as the Bugaboo and Uppa Baby. The car seat/simple fold of the Orbit would also make it a great choice for the burbs, because it only takes two minutes to pop the base open and put the car seat on. We take it with us to CT on the weekends and use it out there as well. In fact, the stroller base stays in the car all weekend so we are ready for a walk wherever we end up during the day.

The other cool feature is the round base which allows the car seat to spin on both the stroller base and car base. This innovative round base is where the Orbit gets its name. Peoples' eyes nearly pop out of their head when I demonstrate this feature, even people who don't have kids. I have found three great advantages to this system. First, it greatly eases putting the car seat in and taking it out of the car. Unlike a traditional car seat that must be placed in rear facing, the Orbit can be placed in with the seat facing you as you get the baby situated, and then spun and locked into the rear facing position. And all this is accomplished with pulling a simple lever incorporated into the seat's handles. This spin feature is also useful in two other situations: restaurants and sun/wind exposure. In restaurants, we are able to park the stroller next to the table and spin it so Pooka can face the us. In sunny or windy conditions, we have rotated the seat to face away from the exposure and keep her protected.

Other features we love are the ample sunshade (we haven't needed one of those extra-large sunscreens you see added to many strollers) and the paparazzi shield. My husband found the shield particularly useful when Pooka was very little to keep curious people from sticking their heads or hands into the stroller to see the baby. Anyone who lives in an elevator building will appreciate this feature. It is also a UV shield, which can be useful when the sun can't be avoided.

Alright, enough gushing for now. Strollers are a very personal choice, as every family has different needs. If you are like us, and spend the week walking in the city and the weekend driving in the country it is hard to imagine a better choice. The Orbit has been worth every penny! By the way, did I mention the two built-in cupholders? Oh, and the system grows with you, so you can graduate to the Toddler stroller and car seat when the time comes, and there is a bassinet for the early days (which we didn't get). And there are many more great features that I won't list, so check the Orbit website!