Product Review: Udder Covers

Last Monday I posted a promo code which allowed the purchase of an Udder Cover nursing cover for just the cost of shipping and handling ($8.95). My cover arrived exactly a week later and I am happy to provide you with the product review I promised:

The cover I received is actually not terrible given the speculation that the entire Udder Cover enterprise was a scam. The fabric is cute and I love the stiff collar that allows mom to maintain eye-contact with their baby while feeding without feeling exposed. Of course, if someone is standing right over you, staring down your shirt, they'll see baby on your breast, which is true with all nursing covers that allow eye-contact.

The fabric is thin, but not see-through and, while pretty substantial in size, it can be folded up really tiny to fit into your diaper bag. The sewing is a little shoddy, though, which bothers me. (Couldn't the Udder Cover folks stop their frantic sewing just for an instance to fix a simple stitch?) That said, I'm pretty sure that the cover will hold up... unless I'm doing some wild, acrobatic breastfeeding!

So, is the Udder Cover worth the $8.95 ? For me, I think so. I definitely could have sewn a similar cover myself for less money, but I'm SO not in the mood these days to head out to the craft store for all the fabric and hardware. Also, all of the comparable nursing covers I have seen begin at $20 and up, so I'm pretty happy to have paid half price, shoddy sewing and all.

I guess my biggest problem is, however, that Udder Covers offers these "special" codes in perpetuity. (I just received another code in an email today.) I'm certain the "pay S&H only" deal is a great marketing ploy they read about in a book and is indeed bringing them a lot of business--I mean, we all jump on buying something that is "free"--but I think the company would garner more goodwill if they would just sell the darn thing for $6 with $2.95 S&H.

As it stands, we all jump on the deal, realize after the fact that it isn't really special at all, and start suspecting that something fishy is up with the company. Udder Covers, we'd respect you and your product more if you'd just give it to us straight!

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Product Review: The Shark Multi-Vac

I really wanted to like the Shark Multi-Vac, but, God help me, I'm about to throw it out the window! At first I thought having a vacuum with multiple uses (hand vac, upright vac, and canister vac) would be great, but changing from one configuration to another takes a degree in rocket science and a lot of energy. I'm generally a very tech-y girl, but I really don't want to be deconstructing and reconstructing a robot when all I want to do is vacuum the kitchen floor!!

Deep breath.

For ease of reading, I'll list the pros and cons (of which there are many):

Pros:

• Low Price: With one of those 20% coupons Bed, Bath and Beyond sends in the mail what seems like every day, I was able to buy the Shark Multi-Vac for about $80 at the BB&B on Queens Blvd.
  
• Small Size: Petite for a small home/apartment
  
• Powerful Suction: The suction was so strong it actually got hard to push on some of my carpets. (Wait, does that make the suction a con in this instance?)
• Back Saver Attachment: This attachment, used in canister mode, allows you to get under furniture without moving heavy pieces or straining your back. However, I couldn't even figure out how to convert the vacuum to canister mode and I strained my back with frustration anyway!
  
• Purple Vacuum: Need I say more?
  

Cons:

• Crazy Swivel Steering: I would have thought swivel steering would be a pro, but it is actually really hard to steer the vacuum where you want it. I had a hard time pushing the vacuum straight ahead and actually needed to lift it and replace it down on the floor a couple of times.
• Complicated Design: As I said above, it is difficult to transition from one vacuum format to another and putting the vacuum together out of the box was like building a spaceship (I exaggerate a little, of course). You also need to remove the entire hand vacuum from the stick to empty the dust cup, which is supremely annoying.
  
• Inconvenient Power Switch Location: Unless you have some serious monkey toes, you'll need to bend down to the bottom of the vac to reach the power switch, which out of multi-use necessity must be on the hand vac canister. This pregnant lady did not appreciate that.
• No Beater Brush: The upright vac does not have a beater brush, which means the vac won't kick up things and I had trouble picking up even a feather from our extremely low-pile carpeting. (I did have more success with the upright vac in our tiled kitchen.)
• Heavy: Despite being advertised as "light-weight," this Shark is actually a bit of a chore to push around. Perhaps this is an unfortunate side effect, however, of the difficult steering and super suction.
  
• Short Hose: Forget about cleaning your curtains when the vac is in upright mode. The most you're stretching this hose is two feet and it doesn't come with a long-reaching nozzle attachment.
  

The bottom line is that I must return this vacuum before it drives me crazy. I was blinded by how cool and gadgety the Shark Multi-Vac Looks, but I've learned a lesson that simple and dependable is generally the way to go with household appliances.

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Dr. Jack Kanarek in Forest Hills

I had my 35-week appointment with Dr. Jack Kanarek yesterday (so that I will be acquainted with him if my usual OB, Dr. Charnes, is unable to make my delivery) and I must say that he is superb! His bedside manner is warm and he didn't get angry with me at all for having gained 40 pounds at this point. (He actually said I was right on track.) It also doesn't hurt that he has great Anderson Cooper-esque silver hair!

I really wouldn't mind if Dr. Kanarek ends up in the delivery room with us next month. In fact, if it wasn't so late in the game, I might have switched to Dr. Kanarek as my primary OB--he really struck me as much warmer than his colleague. I do like Dr. Charnes, though, even if she is a bit prickly, and I tend to prefer a female OB/GYN, so I'm just going to count myself lucky that I have two doctors that I like on my side. It was tough going for a while there with my first OB in Manhattan!

Dr. Charnes and Dr. Kanarek can be reached at:

6905 Yellowstone Blvd
Forest Hills, NY 11375
(718) 544-8400

Oh, and if you go for an appointment at this office, you can check out some truly swanky homes a block or two north on 108th and 110th Streets around 69th Ave. I didn't know they made them like that in Queens!

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More about Udder Covers

So, after that promo code for Udder Covers went around yesterday (I received news of a code in an email from Planning Family), folks got to talking on The Bump about a possible Udder Covers scam. View the conversation HERE.

If you Google "Udder Covers scam" you'll see that lots of folks have been happy with their product, but others claim that their credit card numbers have been stolen from the Udder Covers website. I can't attest to the truth of any of this yet, but I'll be sure to keep you updated regarding the quality of the product once I receive it and any credit card tomfoolery. Just to be safe though, mamas, I would order this product using PayPal or a credit card with good fraud protection services (not your ATM card). We must always be careful when internet shopping... even when it is a great deal!

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