A car seat, also known as an infant safety seat or child restraint system, is designed to protect travelling children from injury or even death in an event of a car accident. And of course, car seats are bought and installed in the cars by the parents, because the large majority of new cars do not necessarily come with a car seat when it is purchased. In the United Kingdom, just like in all fifty states in the US, the law requires children under the age of seven to be secured in car seats made for children. As a responsible parent, you should provide your young children with such.

Therefore, buying proper car seats for infants is essential to keep your baby safe when you are going out on car rides. Here are a few tips to find a good one:

• You can choose between car seats for infants or convertible car seats. Infant car seats are small with handles for carrying the baby. On the other hand, convertible car seats are quite bulky,
• Keep in mind your baby’s height, weight, and age when buying the car seat.
• Take note of the features you want in the car seat.
• Make sure that the car seat you choose will fit and can be installed properly in your car.
• To save a few dollars, you can compare the prices of car seats in stores and from online retail websites.

When you look for car seats for infants online, you will encounter a lot of brands. Here are a few you can choose from:

Graco Snugride Infant Car Seat

The Graco Snugride Infant Car Seat features a 5-point harness, EPS energy absorbing foam, and a stay-in-car base. It ensures a comfortable care ride for your baby because of the infant head support and the 180-degree rotating canopy. It also serves as a baby carrier because of the uniquely-designed carrier handle. It also has an easy-to-read level indicator which will tell you if you have installed it properly.

Specifications:

• Top rated for both safety and ease of use by leading consumer magazines
• 5-point harness
• Convenient stay-in-car base
• EPS energy absorbing foam
• Crash tested

Britax B-Safe Infant Car Seat

The Britax B-Safe Infant Car Seat has side impact protection and energy-absorbing foam liner which will protect and shield your baby in a car accident. It also has a 5-point harness, removable seat pad, and extra large canopy to provide safety and comfort. It is also easy to install, remove, and carry because it features an ergonomically-designed handle, a built-in lock-off, and push-button lower LATCH connectors. This car seat is also ideal if you already have a Britax B-series stroller because of the click-and-go adapter system.

 Specifications:

• Side impact protection distributes crash forces, shields from vehicle intrusion and contains the head and body
• Tangle free, five-point harness distributes crash forces across the strongest parts of the body and provides a secure fit
• Energy-absorbing foam liner absorbs and distributes crash forces
• Stroller compatible design-integrated click and go adapter system works with Britax “B” series strollers
• Lightweight and engineered for vehicle and stroller compatibility

Maxi-Cosi Mico Infant Car Seat

Included in your choice of car seats for infants is the Maxi-Cosi Mico Infant Car Seat. It has a lightweight design that features side impact protection, a 5-point harness system for security, and a Cozi-Dozi infant insert for added comfort.

Specifications:

Car Seats for Infants: Security Comes First is a post from: Essentials for Baby

Having a baby does not mean that you have to stay indoors all the time to take care of your baby. As a parent, you still need to make sure that your baby is well exposed to the outside environment, aside from the fact that you will have other responsibilities requiring you to go outside the house (grocery shopping, errands, a cup of tea with friends, family lunch). From the moment your baby is born, you will need quality baby strollers and car seats to meet the mobility and safety needs of your tiny tot.

What to Look for in Baby Strollers and Car Seats

There are a lot of different types and models of baby car seats and strollers available in the market. Given a lot of choices, it is important to narrow down your search by looking for specific features that will help you best.

• Safety belt – The safety and security of your baby is the most important thing that you need to consider especially if it involves movement. Look for strollers and car seats that have durable and secure safety belts. It would also be an advantage to look for one that is adjustable. Make sure that the harness or belt can safely secure or hold your baby in place.

• Washable fabric – Sometimes it is simply unavoidable that your baby will have slips with diaper leakages and other stains from food and drinks. Getting a stroller and a car seat that has a washable fabric will make it easier for you to clean it.

• Height and weight specifications - Get a stroller and a car seat that allows you to have optimum size and weight specifications so that when your baby starts to grow, the stroller and car seat will be able to sustain your baby changing height and weight. This will also allow you to save money on replacements.

• Comfort – Since your baby is still very delicate, choose baby strollers and car seats that would bring the most comfort for your baby. Check the fabric, material, and padding among others. Make sure that even when your baby starts moving around, he or she will still be comfortable.

These are some of the things that you first need to consider in looking for strollers and car seats. If you want to get the best out of the best, try searching for pushchairs from McLaren, Chicco, and Bugaboo. When it comes to car seats, get your hands on products offered by Britax, Masi Cosi, and Graco. These companies offer convenient, comfortable, and high-quality baby strollers and car seats that would meet the needs of your little prince or princess.

Chicco Liteway Stroller: a favourite among parents

In Kiddicare Lite Way is considered a best buy due to good balance between quality and price. Described as “ultra light and compact stroller that combines comfort for the child and functionality for the parents”, positive reviews generally outline its practicability since it is a good match to use in different situations. Take  a look at the specifications:

FEATURES:

• Umbrella folding.
• Back rest has 5 positions and can be adjusted with one hand.
• 2 position leg rest
• Rucksack/storage basket
• Swivel front wheels.
• Rain-cover included.
• Suitable from birth – 3 years
• Open dimensions – 46.5 x 87.5 x 103 cms
• Folded dimensions – 29 x 29 x 105 cms
• Weight – 7 kg

Chicco Liteway Stroller – Garnet Specifications

• Age Range: Birth – 3 Years
• PACKAGE DEAL: NO
• Colour: Red
• Folded Dimensions: 29 x 29 x 105 cms
• Footmuff: Yes
• Open Dimensions: 46.5 x 87.5 x 103 cms
• Reversible Seat: No
• Weight: 7 Kg
• BRAND: Chicco

• CATEGORY: Pushchairs

• PRODUCT REVIEW NAME: Chicco Liteway Stroller – Garnet
• REVIEW RATING: 4.5
• NUMBER OF REVIEWS: 14

Baby Strollers and Car Seats in the UK is a post from: Essentials for Baby

A good baby nasal aspirator or unidoses of physiological serum, two items so difficult to find in London?  Baby Physio has the solution. We just opened an e-shop on www.babyphysio.com:

When baby is ill he needs to get as much oxygen as possible. But when the mucus obstructs the upper airways, it becomes very difficult for the oxygen to arrive to your baby’s lungs.

Baby starts loosing appetite because he can’t breath while eating and he cannot sleep properly because of this discomfort.

Therefore, before feeding your baby, you must clean the upper airways and repeat this operation before sleeping times, to let baby breath better, eat better and sleep better and longer to recover faster.

A good and efficient baby nasal aspirator is not easy to find in London, that’s why we opened an e-shop with french baby products for mothers living in the UK to have access to the best products available for their babies.

After trying many items, we chose the baby nasal aspirator / vacuum/ baby nose pump called  Physiodose
• It has a powerful capacity of aspiration.
• The tip is ergonomically design to protect baby’s nose
• It is easy to clean and sterilise the tips (it comes with three) to re-use them

To blow your baby’s nose, you will need to use physiological serum which will liquefy the mucus so it can be sucked out easily.
Physiological serum can also be found on our e-shop.

You can find those products go on www.babyphysio.com at the bottom left of the menu.
James Turgis, BabyPhysio, Chartered physiotherapist

Presenting BabyPhysio eShop is a post from: Essentials for Baby

The Bumbo Baby Sitter official site states that it “is ideal for babies between 4 months to 1 year old”, but if you have a big baby I recommend you buy it quickly because it can become a bit tight for chubby legs. If you have a very skinny baby, be advised that she might keep toppling out. It is best if you guide yourself according to the weight suggested on their website: 9-22lbs or 4-10kgs.

When to get a Bumbo baby sitter

Like it or hate it, this chair is ideal for weaning (because it’s easy to clean), the Bumbo baby sitter can be used anywhere (since it is light) and helps the little one sit upright and learn how to interact with toys placed in front of him. Just be careful because some babies tend to try and lean backwards or forwards out of it.

Unfortunately I only heard of this product when my daughter was already five months old, so we didn’t use it that much. But she did love her Bumbo Baby Sitter (in blue) and luckily she learnt to sit quite quickly since I don’t think she would have fitted in it for much longer!

Anyway, if you would like to try the innovative Bumbo Baby Sitter and form your own opinion, you can find it at Boots or Mothercare:
Bumbo Baby Sitter in Boots

Bumbo Baby Sitter in Mothercare

Another plus is that these Bumbo Baby Sitter hold their value, so you can always sell it afterwards or pass it along to a friend of yours

Bumbo baby sitter is a popularity phenomena is a post from: Essentials for Baby

As we had mentioned before, more than one million Maclaren Techno XLR were being recalled since November 2009 in the USA due to safety concerns caused by several cases of children with finger injuries and, in the worst cases, even amputations.

Now, according to the Times Online, “many of the children, who were aged between one and eight at the time, lost part of their finger joint when the buggies were unfolded, and needed operations to reattach the joint or a skin graft”. The newspaper adds that “others suffered broken bones or deep cuts which left scars, and in some cases permanent loss of feeling or disfigurement”.

The same source explains the company has already been sued by angry parents, noting that some of the accidents included in the compensation payout occurred as far back as 2003. If parents are willing to sue, it is expected that compensation payments for injuries caused by the MaClaren Techno XLR could be in the range between £2,500 and £10,000 for children with ages between one to eight years old, depending on the severity of the injury.

MaClaren had already issued safety kits that can be ordered free of charge. The free safety kits can be ordered on Maclaren customer services on 01327 841320. More information about the Maclaren Techno XLR can be found on the company website here.

MaClaren assumes liability for MaClaren Techno XLR defect is a post from: Essentials for Baby

Given that every single parent around the industrialized world has (or should) have one pushchair to move the baby around, how hard can it be to choose one for a newborn baby? It’s easy, right? To help you answer that question, take a look at this article published in the Financial Times about the Maclaren baby strollers and after that, to put a bit more of sensation on top of it, take a look at the headline of the Daily Mail about the same subject.

What it states, essentially, is that the US Consumer Product Safety Commission says that the popular “[Maclaren] baby stroller’s hinge mechanism poses a finger-tip amputation and laceration hazard to the child when the consumer is unfolding/opening the stroller”. And as a consequence, 12 children suffered amputations from getting finger tips caught in the hinges in the USA. It’s easy, right?

Should I still by MaClaren baby strollers?

I happen to be one of the customers in Britain who have bought one of those Maclaren baby stroller models (a Techno XLR) but, together with my wife, we still decided to use it because, as far I’ve read until now, the risk is low (12 children affected for one million units sold over 10 years) and requires a reasonable degree of lack of attention and bad luck for something so terrible to happen. I am not paranoid and I certainly don’t have the litigant spirit of the American people, so for me this news, although very disturbing, serves only to emphasize even more that every single detail counts in the first months of a baby’s life.

Here’s the criteria I used to choose this MaClaren baby stroller:

Safety and confort. The baby’s well being is the primary and ultimate goal. This pushchair looks spacious, comfortable and has a 5 point harness for added security. The BBC program “Watchdog” considered it to be one of the safest pushchairs in the UK market, last September.

Use. Living in a second floor without lift means I will have to carry it up and down the stairs every day. Also, I don’t have a car so I’ll probably use public transports often, so it was important that it was compact and lightweight. The Techno XLR weights 8kg.

Price. There are strollers for practically every budget. I looked for something in the middle range that could be good value for money.

Duration. Ideally, I intend to use the stroller for as long as possible, unless it proves to be strictly necessary to get something different for different ages. The age range is from birth to 3 years.

Customer reviews. I searched online, compared prices and read reviews. Most of them about the Maclaren Techno XLR are very positive, with ratings usually ranking an average of 4 points out of 5.

Reputation. I never paid any kind of attention to Maclaren’s baby strollers until my wife was pregnant and, until this incident, I heard nothing but good things about the Maclaren brand. I have to assume this is still valid. And every baby shop (Kidicare, Mothercare, Bambino Direct, etc…) sells them.

Style. Looking good is not my top priority, but of course I want my baby to travel with style!

What about you? Will you still buy a Maclaren baby stroller for your newborn after what you’ve read here?

Is something wrong with the Maclaren baby strollers? is a post from: Essentials for Baby

Looking on the bright side, all the sleepless nights and hard work are incredibly rewarding work, both before and after the birth. But while we try to adapt ourselves for the little one, the problem is that the time-consuming household duties, the home-to-work-to-home commuting routine, preparing dinner, shopping for the baby (and the parents) and other little things will still remain an integral part of our daily life’s.

So, the question is how do we manage to fit all of this into our new daily lives? How can we find a balance between the commitment to the enormous responsibility of raising a newborn and at the same time keep the chains in motion in the household, career and personal life?

Unsurprisingly, the short answer is: buy your baby products online, buy your household goods online, shop for your clothes online, go to the supermarket online, pay your bills online, do everything you can online.

On a critical time like the beginning of parenthood and motherhood, that kind of convenience and flexibility is simply golden. Its well known, of course, that buying baby products online has obviously many advantages as it allows us to check prices, compare offers from different brands, search promotions in different websites, read other people’s reviews of the products we need, obtain detailed information about products, investigate compliance of safety norms, etc…

And not only that, as it is very common for online shops to have special discounts and targeted Internet campaigns with better prices than on the physical stores. In that sense, we should thank Tim Barners Lee for creating the Internet 20 years ago and for allowing us, today, to comfortably searching online for what we need, placing the orders on our PCs and simply wait for the purchases to arrive at our doorstep.

Bearing this in mind, I am referring a few online shops which I am currently using for my own price comparisons and where I buy baby products online. Since I live in London, UK, I usually try to take a walk to one or two reference stores (like Mothercare or Babies R Us ) and check some of the most important products with my own eyes, but I then buy almost everything online. Here it goes:

Boots.com	Mothercare	Toys R Us
Kiddicare	Bambino Direct	Babies in Amazon

A sample video demo of a Mothercare Spin Pushchair

Why expecting parents should buy baby products online is a post from: Essentials for Baby