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It was hard to choose between the Lamaze Freddie the Firefly and the Lamaze Jacques the Peacock, so we decided to review both toys. Both offer similar features and are available for 10 dollars from Amazon. Both toys are from the range of Lamaze Play & Grow characters.

The Lamaze Freddie the Firefly is a great toy that can be used in a number of play situations and is not relegated to just the cot or car. It can be hung on the stroller or in the car when out and about.

It is larger than the Lamaze Jacques the Peacock, with a long soft body with a number of large wings that offer a range of textures, squeaker, and crinkles. A mirror is also included on one of the wings.

Key Features

• Soft velour body and busy wings
• Features a peek-a-boo mirror, textures, squeaker, and crinkles
• Comes with a Lamaze link to connect easily to any Lamaze toy or play mat
• Lamaze Play & Grow Character
• All Ages

The Lamaze Freddie the Firefly also includes a number of features for the older baby. Included are clinking rings on the bottom, tethered ladybug teether and a knotted antennae for teething and chewing.

The Lamaze Freddie the Firefly is available for 10 dollars from Amazon. This represents another great toy from Lamaze, and we (well, our son !) are enjoying reviewing their range of toys.

Highly Recommended

The Lamaze Jacques the Peacock is one of those convenient toys that has many uses. It can be used when baby is playing on a floor mat, or hung from the stroller when out and about.The toy features a central peacock that has a number of large feathers. Each feather provides either a different sounds or textures. A mirror is included on one of the feathers, and what baby does not love a mirror to play with ?

Key Features

• Features multiple textures and sounds to keep baby entertained
• Comes with a Lamaze link to connect easily to any Lamaze toy or play mat
• Lamaze Play & Grow Character
• All Ages

The toy can be used from birth, as it does not have any hard plastic or corners. As it does not provide any sounds when it is shaken, it may not be babies favorite toy after his first birthday, but we can vouch that it will be his favorite during that year !

The Lamaze Jacques the Peacock is such a great toy, it is recommended to all parents. It can be purchased for less than 10 dollars from Amazon.

Highly Recommended

There is such a vast range of rattles available, it can become hard to choose a good one. The LeapFrog Baby Curious Crab Rattle represents great value for money at only 4 dollars. It can also make a great gift or stocking filler this Christmas.

Key Features

• Clear bead filled claws
• Names of colors on fabric legs
• Graspable handle
• Color and tactile exploration

The claws contain colored beads that rattle around when the toy is shaken. Each of the 6 legs of the crab contain ‘crinkly’ material, and have their color written on the leg. The crab’s mouth is very easy to hold, even a young baby.

Strengths

• A great stocking filler this Christmas
• Great for the diaper bag or car
• Cheap price, but well made

Weaknesses

• Nothing at the price!

The LeapFrog Baby Curious Crab Rattle is available for 3.99 dollars. At this price it represents great value for money.

Highly Recommended

The Munchkin Mozart Magic Cube is both a fun and exiting toy for your child as well as providing musical education. The cube allows your child to play along to the included Mozart tunes from a range of musical instruments. There are 5 instruments to play along to 8 Mozart tunes. Each side of the cube represents a different instrument, with an image and the name displayed. These are a Harp, French Horn, Piano, Flute, and Violin. The final side allows you to switch between the various Mozart tunes.The included tunes are as follows.

• Ah! Vous Dirai-je, Maman (Twinkle, Twinkle)
• The Marriage of Figaro
• Country Dance #5
• Come Sweet May
• Der Vogelfanger (from The Magic Flute)
• March in D
• Landler
• Là Ci Darem la Mano (from Don Giovanni)

By pressing the “orchestra” button you can hear all the instruments play together. As each song plays, each selected instrument button flashes to the beat of the music. The sound is not orchestral quality, and is similar to the style of music adopted by Baby Einstein. However, the sound quality is not that great and can sometimes sound quite artificial and tinny. The jury is out on wether they should include the correct compositions, rather than the artifical sounds most toys seem to provide. I guess that it does not matter for such a young child.One disappointment with the cube was the lack of a volume control. The cube can be quite loud, especially in quiet environments, and it would have been nice to be able to reduce the volume.The cube itself is very durable and looks like it can take a lot of punishment. The corners are rounded, offering a safe play toy.Operates on three AA batteries (obviously not included !)Strengths

• Durable and safe

Weaknesses

• Not great sound quality
• No volume control, as can be loud in quiet environments
• Batteries not included !!!

The Munchkin Mozart Magic Cube is available for 20 dollars with free shipping from Amazon.
Highly Recommended

If you do not want, or do not have the space for a separate high chair, a booster seat can convert an existing chair into a safe and convinient feeding chair for your baby. The Fisher-Price Healthy Care Booster Seat is the best booster seat we have used, and offers the features and convinience to make feeding times less hectic. It has 3 height adjustments to support a growing child, and a 3-point harness keeps your baby secure and comfortable. The adjustable straps should fit just about any chair, and we had no problems fitting it to a wide range of different chair shapes and sizes, even chair with arms.

One feature we particularly loved was how easy to clean it was. There were no hard-to-clean areas and the snap-off tray can be cleaned in the dishwasher. We seem to spend a long time cleaning our high chair, having many little gaps and slots that are hard to reach and clean. The tray includes a cup holder that is handy to keep a cup in place whilst feeding, being deep enough to stop it being accidently knocked over.

The seat folds down and includes a shoulder strap for easy travel. This makes it handy for use out and about, such as on a park bench or at a friend or relatives house. It is small and light enough that it can easily be put into the trunk when going out.

Unlike a traditional high chair, the booster seat takes up hardly any space and can remain permanently attached to a dining chair. Where space is at a premium, it offers a great alternative to a high chair. It you are tired of constantly cleaning your high chair, it only needs a quick wipe to clean after a feed.

The Fisher-Price Healthy Care Booster Seat is available for around 22 dollars, currently with free shipping from Amazon.

Highly Recommended

Travel systems have become increasingly popular over the last few years, as they include both a stroller and a car seat. The Graco Quattro Tour Deluxe Travel System is one of the most popular selling travel systems. It sits in the middle of the Graco Travel System range, providing a range of features comparable with more expensive models. The stroller is very strong and is comfortable over rough surfaces. The handle bars are at a nice height and it feels very sturdy and not easy to tip over, even when shopping bags are hung from the bar. The LATCH equipped car seat accommodates infants up to about 1 year of age, before you move them into a larger car seat. This can negate the requirement to purchase an expensive convertible car seat. As the car seat is designed for the 0 to 1 year age group, it supports a full recline allowing the baby to lay almost flat (convertible car seats are inclined a few degrees in comparison).

Stroller Key Features

• For infants and children up to 4 years and less than 50 lbs. Rear facing for infants 5-30 lbs and less than 32″
• Has one hand gravity fold
• Included baby tray
• An aluminum welded frame
• A tuck away sun visor
• Front swivel wheels with locks and suspension
• Has a combination 3 or 5 point harness
• 4-position flat reclining seat
• one-touch brakes

Car Seat Key Features

• 5 point harness
• 2-piece chest clip
• Removable infant head support and cold weather boot
• Stay-in-car adjustable base
• LATCH equipped for fitting in most modern cars

We only used the Graco Quattro Tour Deluxe Travel System for a short time, but were very impressed with its sturdy construction and included features. The stroller on its own would be worth the cost and it compares well to similarly priced strollers. The inclusion of the infant car seat only adds to the value.

There are a number of Graco Quattro Tour models available in a wide range of patterns and colours.

The Graco Quattro Tour Deluxe Travel System ia available for$195.

Highly Recommended

Schwinn was founded in 1895 and is famous for its range of childrens scooters, bikes and strollers. The Schwinn Free Wheeler Jogging Stroller is one of the best selling jogging strollers. Jogging strollers are becoming increasingly popular over the last few years, with parents looking for a more rugged strollers than typically available. Where strollers were starting to introduce larger wheels and suspension, this strollers takes it a step further.

Key Product Features

• Secure and comfortable ride
• Lightweight aluminum frame with adjustable handle
• Swivel front wheel for improved maneuverability
• Removable and washable padded seat
• 50-pound maximum weight capacity

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Following our previous five star review of the Kids II Baby Einstein Discover Play Color Blocks, the manufacturer has announced a product recall.

Kids II is voluntarily recalling our Baby Einstein Discover & Play Color Blocks in cooperation with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission because our expanded testing detected lead traces that are higher than the Federal limit. The recall only applies to the Blue block included with products that contain certain date codes, which can be found on the sewn in labels attached to the Green block.

For further details, please refer to the manufacturers Web site. Many thanks to Upset Parent for spotting this.

The Quinny Zapp Stroller is the cheaper of the two available Quinny baby strollers. The more expensive stroller, the Quinny Buzz Stroller is available for 500 dollars. This review will not concentrate of the differences between the 2 models, rather we wish to concentrate on the Quinny Zapp and how it compares with other similarly priced baby strollers.

We love visting Europe and seeing all of the designer strollers that are available. It is now good to start to see them being being introduced into the US. Perhaps this is due to their popularity in Hollywood, or just that we are starting to enjoy the uniqueness of the designs. Bugaboo, Quinny and Stokke are the leading European brands that are now breaking into the US market.

The Quinny Zapp provides a complete baby stroller solution from around 6 months to 4 years (up to 40 lbs in weight). The stroller itself weights about 13 lbs, a similar weight to competitive strollers. When folded, the Quinny Zapp is the smallest stroller in the world. However we are not sure how true this statement is (the statement comes from Quinny!), but we can say that it does fold to a very small and compact size.

The Quinny Zapp Stroller is available in a range of colours, examples of which are shown in this article.

• Mandarin
• Capri
• Pink
• Lime

The stroller combines traditional European styling with modern construction and safety features.

The Quinny Zapp is a very popular stroller in Europe. However, the US model is different in a number of key areas. Firstly, the European model only has a single front wheel. Secondly, there is no basket underneath. Having tried both strollers, we can say that we actually prefer the US model. The extra wheel provides additional stability when maneuvering and the included basket, even though it is quite small does provide a handy space for small shopping items. However, the additional wheel does make the stroller look more ‘traditional’ rather than the individual design of some European strollers. If you are looking for a truly individual look, we recommend you take a look at the Stokke Xplory® Complete Stroller System. However its price of $950 dollars will put off most people.

Key Features

• A lightweight full size baby stroller with ultra compact 3-D fold
• Highly maneuverable, lockable front wheels that can rotate 360 degrees
• Stain resistant and durable nylon fabric
• Five-point padded harness
• Includes a canopy, rainshield, travel bag, and adapters for use with the Maxi-Cosi Mico Infant Car Seat

A 5-point harness provides adequate support, and the removable and adjustable padding on the harness offers a supportive and comfortable fit.

A popular feature is the inclusion of adapters for use with the Maxi-Cosi Mico Infant Car Seat. For parents looking for a complete travel system, they now have the option of a system more trendy than the rather plain and dull travels systems that are available.

We were particularly impressed with the easy braking system. You only need one pedal to lock both of the back wheels. The stroller is very light, but this can also be a disadvantage. You always need to use the brake when stationary as the stroller can roll and tip easily as the centre of gravity is quite high.

One feature we were disappointed with (and carried over from the European model) is that the seat only has one position and does not provide any recline. This can leave child in a slumped over or slouchy position and can become very uncomfortable. This is more noticable on younger and smaller children, who have less control of their neck and tend to lean or slouch forward.

Another area of concern is how the seat attaches to the frame via zippers and velcro. When you wish to attach the car seat adapters, you need to unzip the seat. However, this is not a simple task, and can be a pain in itself, as the zippers were really difficult to open and close. The zippers can easily collapse and are then impossible to close.

The set of included accessories is very comprehensive. A canopy and raincover are included to protect the stroller and your baby from the weather. A travel bag provides handy storage for the folded stroller and is made from a strong fabric. Please see the photos below for examples of the raincover and travel bag.

Strengths

• Included car seat adapter
• Very small size when folded
• 5-point harness
• Comprehensive included accessories, including travel bag and raincover

Weaknesses

• Lack of a seat recline
• Zipper not easy to open and close when removing seat to attach car seat adapter

The Quinny Zapp Stroller is available for $240 dollars.

Recommended

Additional Images

The Quinny Zapp is a neat and stylish stroller.

The included rain cover fits very snuggly. Visibility is not reduced, so your child does not feel enclosed.

The Quinny Zapp folds very very small, and can easily fit into small sedan trunks. The folding mechanism is a very clever design.

The included carry bag is made from a strong fabric.

We were reading an interesting article from Sydney, Australia. One of the issues facing parents is the rising cost of childcare fees even when your child is sick. More and more parents are placing their children into childcare, and with the increasing mortgage and rental costs, it is only something that we see will continue.

An Australian insurance company is offering an insurance policy that will cover the cost of full or part-time childcare fees if your child is sick and cannot attend. The policy will cover a child if they are sick for more than three consecutive days of childcare.

The policy costs between 50 and 75 US dollars per year. The policy, Kids Cover is offered by the Altiora Insurance Brokers.

As the cost of childcare is increasingeach year, this may be of help to parents. However, as it seems that childcare is to blame for many of the illnesses, perhaps the childcare centers themselves should not be charging us on days when your child is ill.