{Guest Blogger}: Best Products for Little Ones

Erin from Cultivating Rosebuds is stopping by to share her wealth of knowledge about great products for kiddos.   Her previous job as a Product Manager in the baby industry sounds like a blast, and certainly gave much insight into the best and the worst out there.  Thanks for sharing, Erin.  I'm off to add some of these products to my "must buy before the baby comes" list!

As a young, newly married woman in my late 20s, I worked as a Product Manager in the baby and child industry. Let me tell you, working in the baby industry is SUPER FUN. We were constantly on the lookout for new and amazing products to make parents’ lives easier. We exhibited our products at trade shows twice a year, and I was exposed to the best and worst the industry has to offer. Since becoming a Mom, I have tried to keep my finger on the pulse of the industry, especially now that I can actually use the products. Here are a few of my favorite products I have found.

(Disclaimer – I am not being compensated by any of the companies affiliated with the following products. These are my opinions only.)

 
Svan High Chair – This high chair is so stylish and unbelievably functional. Designed in Sweden, the Svan Chair can seat your child from the time they first start to sit up until they are adults. The seat depth and height and footrest height all adjust to seat any size child. My first child, Miss H, is almost three and she still sits in her Svan Chair (minus the tray attachment.) Even though the price is a bit more than you would spend on a plastic high chair, the longevity of use more than makes up for that. Plus, it is beautiful to boot! I often hear remarks that my high chair looks like it came as part of my dining set!

Six month old Baby B in her Svan Chair

Learning Tower – If you have ever pushed a dining room chair up to your kitchen counter for your toddler or small child to help you cook or to do arts and crafts, this product is for you. The Learning Tower is a much safer alternative to having your child stand on a chair. It is so stable, and even small kiddos can climb in and out of it with ease. It has an adjustable floor height to allow for your ever-growing child. I absolutely love this product. Miss H spends countless hours in hers, especially at dinnertime when she wants to be a “big helper!”

Miss H in her Learning Tower watching Mr. Rose carve pumpkins

Lillebaby Everywear – In the three years that I have been a Mom, I have tried many different types of baby carriers including several types of slings, a wrap-type carrier, and more than one soft-sided carrier. The Lillebaby Everywear is BY FAR the best soft-sided carrier that I have used. The Everywear is absolutely the best carrier for my back. I carried my four-month-old Baby B around Disney World for three days in it – can you say lifesaver? The best part about the Everywear is that you can use it as a front carrier, hip-carrier, or back carrier! 

Baby B sleeping soundly in the Everywear.

Convertible Crib – One of my responsibilities as a Product Manager was to be the “safety expert.” Twice a year I would participate in meetings at ASTM International where we would develop voluntary safety standards for numerous categories of children’s products. These standards are the criteria used by the Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association (JPMA) to award their safety certification. During these meetings, I learned so much about the dangers associated with many children’s products.

One of the most dangerous products out there, in my opinion, is the drop-side crib. Many models of drop-side cribs have plastic hardware that connects the drop-side to the crib, which can break. This breakage causes a gap between the mattress and the rail in which a small child can become entrapped and suffocate. Since 2007, 2 million drop side cribs manufactured by Simplicity have been recalled. Generation 2 Worldwide and “ChildESIGNS” recalled 500,000 drop-side cribs just two weeks ago. The list of drop-side crib recalls goes on and on. The risk involved in using drop-side cribs is too great in my opinion, so my children have always slept in cribs with four fixed sides and that can be converted into a toddler bed and then a full size bed. The convertible crib’s inherent safety and longevity of use (anyone seeing a pattern here?) makes it one of my MUST BUYS.

Breathable Bumpers – One of the most fun purchases to make when preparing your baby’s nursery is the crib bedding. I scoured the Internet for the cutest baby bedding. I found the most adorable bedding for Miss H when she was a baby, but when it arrived I was appalled at how thick the bumpers were. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends keeping “pillow-like” baby bumpers out of the baby’s sleep area. These were not going to cut it. Then I found the Breathable Bumper. This product is a mesh fabric that prevents a baby’s arms and legs from getting stuck between crib slats, but allows for air to flow through them if your baby’s face were up against it. They also cannot be stood on like “pillow-like” bumpers can be, which is a fall hazard.

Beaba Babycook – Have you ever thought about making your own baby food? Have you ever TRIED to make your own baby food using every appliance in your kitchen? The Beaba Babycook makes baby food making a piece of cake! A few weeks ago I used mine for the first time. I peeled and diced one sweet potato. With the Babycook, I was able to steam and puree the sweet potato in one processor. The whole process took about 20 minutes, and it was delicious. One medium sized pototo made about 4 servings and I think I paid fifty cents for it. Can you buy 4 baby food jars for 50 cents? I didn’t think so.

So there you have it. As you can tell, I am all about products that will last a long time, even if I have to pay a little extra for it. I am also highly concerned with baby safety and I hope you have learned a little bit from my experiences. If you are concerned about any products you have or potential recalls, you can sign up for recall notices to be emailed to you directly on the Consumer Product Safety Commission's web site. Also, whenever you may be purchasing new products, look for the JPMA Safety Certification seal. This will let you know that the product has been tested and passed the safety standard developed by ASTM International. Just remember that this testing is voluntary and not every product category has a safety standard. You can read more about JPMA and their safety certified products here.

I you have enjoyed reading this post, I would be honored and humbled for you to come visit me at my blog, Cultivating Rosebuds. I write about anything and everything relating to raising my kids and just being me. I try to keep it light with a little bit of humor added in here and there. Thanks for reading!
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