Product Review: Friendly Toys Little Playzone with Sound and Lights

As promised, here's my review of the Friendly Toys Little Playzone with Sounds and Lights!

I ordered this bad boy from Amazon.com for $99.99 (with free shipping because I have Amazon Prime) and it was totally worth the money. Our apartment is taking a super long time to babyproof because my landlord's home is old and the renovations they did somewhat haphazard, so we need a safe place for Andrew to play while we continue cutting carpet strings, sealing up random holes in walls, installing window guards, etc. (Grrr.)

A pack 'n play is great and definitely serves it purpose for travel, but I wanted a bigger area for Andrew to be able to crawl around in at home and I wanted to be able to climb in with him so we could play together. The Playzone is all that and more for us. Without an extension pack (available for additional $) the Playzone creates 13 square feet of safe play space which is just about all our tiny apartment can handle. If you have the space, though, you can add square footage with the extensions or even purchase two or more full Playzones (it seems full sets are a better deal for the money.)

Pros: The plastic of the Playzone is sturdy, but not hard so that Andrew cries when he bangs his head on it. It has a built-in activity wall that he loves, with a colorful piano that plays 7 full songs, a mirror, a detachable phone, and more. It also has a locking gate which I don't use at the moment, but which will be handy to leave open when Andrew is older and the Playzone is more of a fort he can go in and out of than a playpen.

Cons: We have our Playzone on top of a foam mat for extra cushioning and the walls seem to slide around a bit when Andrew pulls up on them. The movement is not enough to make him fall, but I can imagine that he'll be able to move the playpen around a lot more when he is older. (The playzone didn't move as much when it was directly on the carpet, but we definitely needed the cushioning.)

Also, two of our walls doesn't connect as tightly as the others. I don't know if this is a design feature for easy disassembly, but it will definitely get interesting when Andrew figures out how to disassemble it himself! Granted, the product packaging warns to never leave a child unattended when in the Playzone...

The verdict: The pack n play is still the safest place to leave your baby when, say, making a much needed bathroom break, but the Playzone is a lifesaver for a mommy who needs to keep an active baby occupied when she needs to check her email and he just won't get his legs in the darn holes of the jumperoo! We have a lot of fun playing in it together, and I don't have to worry that he'll fall over and hit a corner of the wall (we have many odd angles) or knock into the coffee table. Also, I think being able to stand on a solid floor is doing wonders for his standing skills (he pulls up, walks around, and sometimes lets go to balance for a few seconds.)

To put it short: I'm a fan!

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I am a bad, bad mommy blogger

Oh, my poor neglected blog friends! Has it really been almost a month since I posted last? Caring for my super mobile little guy, keeping up the house (er, tiny apartment), and doing my freelance gig has kept me busier than I thought it would! How do other stay/work-at-home moms and dads do it with such ease and grace? I take my proverbial hat off to you all!

I've definitely been popping over to your blogs from time to time to keep up, though, and I hope that you are all doing well. Andrew is getting bigger and stronger by the day and, as baby-proofing this disaster of an old apartment hasn't gone so well, I purchased a gussied-up playpen for him. Behold the Friendly Toys Little Playzone:

We definitely like it and I'll post a full review later, but I just wanted to say that its great because I can get into the darn thing and play with him, unlike with a pack n' play (which is great in its own way, of course.)

Anyhow, I'm just so glad that fall is on its way because I think Andrew and I will be able to get out to play more now that it won't be so hot. I'm still liking my City Mini single stroller for the most part except my front wheel keeps getting stuck in the locked position making it impossible to turn! Arg--I'll be calling up Baby Jogger tomorrow to see if they can send me a replacement wheel. I'll keep you posted on that hullabaloo.

Ahhh.... its good to be back! :)

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Product Review: Baby Jogger City Mini

I'm back to report on my City Mini! After having it for a couple of weeks, I think I've got a handle on the pros and cons of this nifty little stroller. And, when all is said and done, I am a fan, but it may not be as attractive to folks who live outside of a city.

First, and very importantly for my sanity (and aching back), the City Mini is super easy to fold one-handed and carry up our narrow stairwell. With just a pull of a strap on the seat, the stroller folds slimmer than my Snap 'n Go. And, at 16-ish lbs, its no trouble at all carrying Andrew in one arm and the stroller in the other. (Note: there is a set of safety straps under the stroller that you must unsnap from the stroller frame before folding and res-snap before strolling.

Also good: The stroller has the extra maneuverability of a three-wheeler, but it is still slim enough to fit into the tiny shops and bodegas in my Queens neighborhood. And, while it doesn't have the amazing all-terrain power of our larger Jeep Liberty stroller with its inflatable wheels, it is a breeze navigating the uneven curbs and sidewalks, even if I do need to pop a wheelie once in a while. I can actually steer the stroller one-handed, while talking on the phone or holding a drink, and opening a store door with my butt!

The sunshade is huge and amazing and keeps the sun out of Andrew's face at all times--though, when the sun is highest his toes and sometimes his hands get a little sun--and it has two open and close-able clear windows to check out what your little one is doing. Just be careful about leaving the peekaboo windows open in direct sunlight or sun will pour through onto your baby's head. Also, the seat fully reclines to accommodate a small or sleeping baby or serve as an emergency changing table.

Finally, I am just in love with the orange and gray color scheme of my City Mini. Andrew is traveling in style!

Now for the bad: The seat of the stroller has minimal back support, a little bit better than an umbrella stroller. This is a problem because Andrew ends up slouching in the chair (which looks uncomfortable, but he doesn't seem to mind) and throws off how I set up the height-adjustable shoulder strap of the 5 point harness. I hear tell that you can buy an additional support for around $8 from Baby Jogger, but I haven't tried to yet. Also, I had a bit of a hard time tightening and loosening the harness straps at first... but maybe I am just a spazz?

Also, the stroller storage basket could definitely have been made bigger (there's room for it), but as it stands I can't get even a medium-sized diaper bag into it. I have to hang my bag off the stroller handle, which you're not supposed to do, but which doesn't tip the stroller if it isn't too heavy. And if you want a parent console with a cupholder and a belly bar or child snack console it needs to be purchased separately. Boo!

And, finally, I wish the stroller handle telescoped out. I know that it is as short as it is so that the City Mini can accomplish its amazing fold-in-half feat, but the shorter handle means that even I at 5'4'' sometimes kick the axle when trying to look through the sunshade peekaboo window. My 5'10 husband hasn't pushed the stroller yet, but I have an inkling that he's going to be kicking the axle a lot (and yelling about it).

Wow... that seems like a lot more negatives than positives, but I do feel like the good points are so good for me that they outweighs the bad. I can live with a small storage basket, having to buy a belly bar, parent console, and back support because I really need a good quality stroller that is light, easy-to-fold, and maneuverable with an extended sunshade. If you don't live in a city, though, there are sure to be better stroller options for you.

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Product Review: BreathableBaby Breathable Bumper

We bought Andrew a BreathableBaby Breathable Bumper after we noticed he has started sleeping with his face pressed into the corner of his crib (eek!) Oh, how I wish that it worked for us, but I have to say it was a bust. Andrew is quite a rambunctious boy now (changing him is a full-body workout... for both of us!)  and the bumper just isn't padded enough to prevent him from slamming his head into the crib slats and crying. So we're back to getting up in the middle of the night and extracting him from the sides of the crib!

There are a number of positives to be found in the Breathable Bumper though. First, it is made of a squishy mesh that promotes airflow, lowering the risk of baby re-breathing his own air, and keeps baby's arms and legs inside the crib. It is relatively easy to install (only one tie in the back of the crib and some velcro), collapses to prevent climbing, and comes in a number of solid colors to match your nursery (white, cream, blue, green, pink, brown, mocha). Finally, it is not that bad of a price for a bumper at around $26 at most stores.

Like I said, I wish that this would have worked for us so that we could have some peace of mind, but if your baby is a mover and head-slammer like ours, you'll probably want to stick to a traditional soft bumper. I never anticipated the amount of worry that would come with Andrew being mobile! Its taking all I have to stop myself from putting him in a soft bubble. :)

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