Jamison Rody: December 2012

Sunday, December 30, 2012

Throw A New Double Stroller Into The Mix

I know yesterday I told you how I thought for sure we were going to get a Baby Trend double stroller, quite possibly the jogger. But my wife made a brilliant observation. Women tend to do that.

Anyway, she said with the jogger the kids sit next to each other, which I said could be a positive allowing them in interact. And while I was right in my assessment, I overlooked one small (OK not so small) drawback. Side by side means a wider stroller. And in some cases that means it won't fit very well through some doors. Maybe not at all.

So we're back to getting one where the seats are in line. We really like the Sit and Stand, but as you know I also like Chicco products. And the Chicco double stroller has a lot going for it.

It's fairly lightweight and really easy to steer, and the kids can sit comfortably. But what I really like about this stroller is how the handles adjust.

I'm fairly tall, and most strollers force me to lean over to push. After a while that gets tough on the back.

But that's not the case here. I can actually raise the handle so it fits my size. No more bending over and no more banging my knees on the stroller as I walk the babies.

Women, if you have a tall husband, then you really need to take a look and see if the stroller you are considering has this feature. Some do, but not all. And you don't want to be the one pushing all the time do you?

Check out more of the features and benefits of this stroller at my new Squidoo lens.

Kids Love Castles

In our quest to get our home ready for the new grand kids that are due in February, we have to be careful not to neglect our current grand children. We certainly don't want them to feel left out as we continually purchase stuff for the babies. So we like to have new things for them to play with when they come over.

We've already expressed out liking for Fisher Price Imaginext products, so it should come as no surprise that the Imaginext Eagle Talon Castle is on our list of things we have put away to give the grands when they come over after the new babies are born.

This thing is really cool, and I'm pretty sure both boys and girls will love it.

First of all, it's huge. Turrets, drawbridges, towers, flags and ladders are all in there. And you can set it up in four different ways.

And there's so many accessories and figures that you can add later that we'll never be at a loss for what to buy next. Each time they come over we can add a new figure for them. An ogre, a dragon, or a catapult are among the many things you can add.

The realistic sounds are also another selling point that the kids should love.

If you want to see and learn more about the Eagle Talon Castle be sure to check out my new Squidoo lens.

Change A Diaper Where?

I have to admit, I don't like changing diapers. But then again, who does? Even the most maternal of people don't actually enjoy this chore that has to be done.

To make the job easier you need a place to actually change the diaper. A place that's safe, the right height, and holds everything you'll need. Basically you need to check out the many diaper changing tables available.

And when I say many, that's not an exaggeration. All provide the same basic function, so it depends on what you need. Do you need one that acts as a dresser to save room space? Do you need one with a hamper? Do you need one that matches the existing furniture in the nursery? Do you need one with an attached hutch? Do you need a diaper changing table that's portable so you can move it from room to room? There's so many questions you need to answer before you make your purchase.

Fortunately there are changing tables available to meet any criteria you may have.

This is not a decision that should be taken lightly. It's important to know what you want and what you need before you buy.

To help us out we carefully studied everything that is available. To help you out we've put all that information into our new Squidoo lens.

Check it out.

Saturday, December 29, 2012

Two New Grand Kids Means I Need A Double Stroller

No, my wife and I are not having twins, but with two grand babies due within two weeks of each other, we're going to need a way to transport them around. If we're watching both at the same time a single stroller obviously won't do. That's why we're getting a Baby Trend double stroller.

The question is, which one should we get.

We'll probably end up with the Sit and Stand stroller, but we're seriously considering the double jogger. We don't jog, but I've always like the way the single front wheel maneuvered. It always seemed easier to me than the traditional 4 wheel stroller.

But there's a lot to like about this one besides the easy maneuverability (although that's a big plus). I also like the adjustable canopy and the fact that the seats can be easily adjusted too. The fact that the kids sit side by side seems like a plus because it allows them to easily interact while out. That seems better than having one in the front and one in the back.

Although I'm realistic enough to realize that the interactivity between the two could potentially, given the situation, also end up being a negative.

So it's something to ponder as a wrote in a Squidoo lens on this stroller. Be sure to check it out.

The Beco Baby Carrier Is An Easy Way To Carry Your Infant

As the due dates for our grand kids fast approaches you can expect a string of posts on baby items. This one is on the Beco baby carrier.

Yes they had baby carriers when we were young parents, so I don't want to hear any jokes about our age. No we didn't take a blanket and wrap it around the baby and ourselves. On the other hand I wish I had known about these things when our kids were young.

Perhaps the baby carriers we used had all these features, but they certainly weren't advertised this way. The Becos are cool because they can be used to carry your baby on your chest, on your back, or on your hip. As far as I can recall ours only came with one option.

Then there's the ergonomic design that's supposed to distribute the baby's weight evenly. Again, perhaps ours did that, but ergonomics wasn't even a word then I don't believe.

And these are also made out of organic cotton. Of course when we were young organics was definitely around, but it was hardly a selling point at that time.

I always believed that a baby carrier was better than a stroller simply because it was easier. And I was aware that having the baby on your chest allowed it to hear the comforting heart beat of the parent.

In any case, Beco is one of the best selling brands out there for a reason. If my daughters don't get one, I'll be getting one for myself and my wife to carry around the child.

If you want to find out more be sure to check out my new Squidoo lens.

Sunday, December 23, 2012

Speaking of Little People - Let's Check Out The Taling Zoo

Kids love the zoo. And it's a fascination that never seems to go away. As an adult, I love it too. And taking my grand children to the zoo is a wonderful way to spend time with them in an interesting and educational environment.

Playing zoo can be just as fun, and it's something we've been doing a lot lately thanks to the Fisher Price Little People Zoo Talkers.

It's a large zoo to be sure. It weighs over 6 pounds so it's pretty tough to knock over.
And the handle on top makes it easy for parents to move when it comes time to vacuum the floors.

But what makes this zoo so special is not the zoo itself but the huge number of animals you can get for it. Children will learn what environment each animal lives in since you get four of them with the zoo unit itself.

That's great, but making it even more special is the fact that all these animals talk with the help of the zoo itself. There's a special post on the zoo. If you place the animal on it, it recognizes the animal and makes realistic animal sounds. And we're not just talking lions, tigers and bears. Monkeys, elephants, dolphins, kangaroos and many, many more are available.

There are literally dozens of them, and they are all purchased separately allowing your zoo to expand and grow slowly over time.

I loved the zoo when I first saw it, but then when I saw all the extras you can get I was really blown away. You probably will be too.

Check it out at my new Squidoo lens.

For Little People and Hands There's Fisher Price My First Dollhouse

Even as adults people tend to be fascinated with dollhouses. I'm not sure what it is that makes this so. Perhaps it's the alternate world we can create or the beautiful home we can create without being restricted by money and available space.

Of course kids love them too, but for little kids the small objects can sometimes be a little hard to handle. Getting those forming hands to move small objects into position in a small room can be tricky. That's where the Fisher Price My First Dollhouse comes in.

Like many other dollhouses, it's large. But there's a difference. It has 5 rooms, all large enough to allow unsteady hands to place the furnishings in with ease. And yet kids are not restricted with amounts of figures and options to play with. There's so many extras your child may never run out of creative ways to arrange and play.

Parents will love watching their little one create all kids of different stories with this dollhouse. Just sit and watch for a while and be amazed at the things you little girl will say and do. And be amazed at the wonderful things she'll be having the characters say and do as well.

All in all, its a great toy for young girls and one she'll be enjoying for years until she's ready to move on to something more sophisticated. But that day won't necessarily come. She may just be loving this one until she's ready to stop playing with dollhouses altogether. Of course that say may never come either.

If you're interested in seeing all that this wonderful dollhouse has to offer you can check out my new Squidoo lens on the topic.

Wednesday, December 19, 2012

Arrgh Mateys - An Imaginext Pirate Ship For Christmas

Yesterday I told you about how one of my grand sons is fascinated by all things having to do with outer space and introduced you to the Fisher Price Imaginext Space Shuttle and Tower. As is the case in all families, all kids are different. And while one child is interested in space another grand child is interested in pirates.

The good news is that Imaginext has that gift covered too with the Fisher Price Imaginext Pirate Ship. And there's a couple of options to choose from. My favorite from Imaginext is the Black and Red ship, although the Serpent Pirate Ship is pretty cool too.

Here's my dilemma. The ship is designed for children 3 and older, and my grand son is three so he's at the bottom end of the age scale. In a way, this is good because it is something he will likely enjoy for years, assuming it lasts that long. My guess is it will simply because it's from Fisher Price.

But I also think there are other Fisher Price pirate ships he will enjoy more now. However they probably won't be as enjoyable as he gets older. These other ships, like the Lil People Lil Pirate Ship and the Jake and the Neverland Pirates Musical Pirate Ship Bucky just seem more age appropriate for right now.

By the way, the Jake pirate ship is my personal favorite out of all of them.

The one thing I don't like about all of these is that they come with a very limited number of pirates. You pretty much have to buy the extras which I think should be included. Fortunately, the extra pirates are not very expensive.

Anyway, I'm not 100% sure which one to purchase.

What do you think? I've laid out the best features of all these choices in my new Squidoo lens.

Tuesday, December 18, 2012

Countdown To Christmas - An Imaginext Space Shuttle And Tower

In my last post I talked about a gift for one of my grand daughters. Now it's time to reveal one I got for a grand son.

He loves all things that fly and he loves outer space. So with that in mind the Fisher Price Imaginext Space Shuttle And Tower just seemed like the perfect.

As you may already know from a previous post, I really like Fisher Price toys, so that was selling point number one as far as I was concerned. But it goes well beyond that.

This one has lots of opportunities for interactive play. We'll start with the shuttle. Pop a couple of batteries in there and you have a lights and sound festival. The cockpit opens and closes and the shuttle itself can be closed in the tower or attached to it in preparation for liftoff.

Of course you also get the tower with a moon rover, a couple of figures with helmets and a console. There's a lot of ways for a young boy or girl (yes young ladies love space flight too) to play. You also get a satellite, and a ray gun, perfect for ridding the world of the enclosed alien.

Heck you could even land it next to the Imaginext Space Station, but I'll leave that for another post. In the meantime, be sure to check out this great toy at my new Squidoo lens.

My Choice For A Grand Daughter Is The Fisher Price Loving Family Dollhouse

OK, so it's time to run down some of the Christmas gifts I'm getting for the grand kids. For my 4 year old grand daughter the choice was easy. I'm getting her a Fisher Price Loving Family Dollhouse.

This Victorian style house is just amazing. First of all, it's huge. She can play with her friends or cousins and there's plenty of room for all.

But what I really like about this dollhouse (aside from the fact that it's made by Fisher Price) is that there is so much room for expansion.

I figure I've got little gifts covered for the next several years with this. After all, you can't live in an unfurnished house and there are room specific furnishings for every room.

And once all the rooms are filled, there's outside items too. Things like a BBQ, a doll house, cars and more.

And finally, there's no limit to the number of people that can live in this house. Fisher Price has all that covered too. There's mom and day, big sister, big brother, little sister, little brother, twin babies (who have their own accessories) and even a family dog. All can be purchased over time.

If you have a little girl on your gift list you really need to check it out. It will continue to be a treasured item I think even after that little girl becomes a big girl.

See my new Squidoo lens for more details on this wonderful toy.

Sunday, December 16, 2012

The Quest For The Best Baby Carriers

For obvious reasons, I'm looking for a baby carrier. And this seemingly simple task has become a lot more challenging than I expected, simply because there's so many of them to choose from.

Then if you ask 100 women what are the best baby carriers and you'll probably get about 75 different answers. Then if you ask them about a carrier someone else said was the best and they'll probably tell you they hated it.

My only conclusion here is that the baby carrier you get is really dependent on what you need. It also depends on your size. How tall you are. How heavy you are. How big your chest is etc.

All these things matter and all women are shaped differently.

That's why when you read reviews 90% of the women who try a particular carrier will love it and the other 10% may hate it.

So what's a mother or father to do?

I suggest starting with the reviews, then going a step farther. Consistently good reviews will be a great place to get started. But don't stop there. Ask other mothers and fathers you know too. You'd do better to talk with other people who are approximately the same size as you. This will help.

Then, if you can, try it out.

Knowing what you want ahead of time will help too. Do you want one that goes on your back or your chest? Do you want a wrap? A sling? There's lot of questions to ask and answer here.

Check out my new Squidoo lens to get a better idea of what you should be looking for.

Friday, December 14, 2012

Crib And Changer Combo

I found something really cool today for the new grand child. It's a crib changing table combo.

I really like this for a couple of reasons. When we had our kids these two items were separate, if we even had a changing table at all. Counter tops were the standard place to change the diapers on our oldest child.

This was especially problematic at night, when we would have to take the baby out of the crib (when the child was a little older and the crib was deep), then take her to another area, change the diaper, then bring her back to the crib and put her in.

All that movement and you can see how it was unlikely at best that the child would go right back to sleep.

The combo is really nice because it eliminates all this. And it makes it really easy for parents with everything in one place. Sure we could have placed the crib and table right next to each other, but that would have looked really ugly at best.

Which brings me to the second thing I really like about this combo. These look great! They are beautiful pieces of furniture for the nursery. You really need to see for yourself at the new Squidoo lens I just published.

Thursday, December 13, 2012

A Baby Travel Package From Chicco

Now back to our regularly scheduled baby articles.

I just discovered the most amazing thing for one of our soon to be born grandchildren. It's called the Chicco Cortina Keyfit 30 Travel System. It floored me when I saw all that it could do.

First of all, make sure you pronounce it right. It's KEE-koh. I said it wrong the first time and was quickly corrected. I has never heard of the company before, but now that I've been looking into their stuff I'm really impressed.

As for the travel system, it's kind of a stroller and car seat all wrapped up in one.

But that's really simplifying it big time. It's a lot more than that. You really have to experience it.

The stroller is lightweight and rolls over all surfaces easily. It's easy to pack too. The car seat attaches to the stroller so you don't have to mess with taking the baby out of one to put into the other. And that's just scratching the surface.

Here's my latest Squidoo lens on this so you can see it for yourself.

Badlands Backpacks Are Great For Hunting And Hiking

I've told you before that I love to crossbow hunt. In fact we've done a number of Squidoo lenses on different crossbows. It's kind of a hobby slash passion.

Of course when we go out I need to carry some kind of backpack. The last time we went hunting I noticed a buddy had a new backpack. He started showing me all the stuff it has, what it can carry, how comfortable it is and all kinds of other interesting stuff. Needless to say, I was impressed and decided I had to have one for myself.

So I asked him what kind it was and where to get it.

It was one of the many Badlands Backpacks.

Naturally, being me, I started doing a little research. Wow, I was blown away. These guys make so many models of backpacks, there's one for whatever it is you want to do. Going on a day hike? They've got the perfect backpack. Going hunting? There's several for that too.

Here's the thing. Now do I not only want one, I think I need two of them. One for hunting and one for hiking.

All this research I do is going to drive me to the poor house.

My first instinct as always was to put up a Squidoo lens to share what I found out. Check it out for yourself. But try to limit yourself to only one backpack.

Dog Joint Pain Relief

I know I told you I was going to get back to writing about baby stuff today, and I will. But actually there's three things I want to write about so I'll do it in 3 different posts. That must be some kind of a record for me.

Anyway, I want to start today by telling you about my dog. She's getting a bit old now and I can tell she's having trouble getting around like she used to. Kind of like me.

The fact is, her joints seem to hurt.

I'm not really into giving her too much medicine, but a friend recommended a more holistic approach. He said an herbal product called DGP really helped his dog. So I did a little research and found out that DGP supplements really do make a difference according to a lot of pet owners. So I figured we'd give it a try.

It's been a couple of weeks and I won't say she's running around like a little puppy, but there is a noticeable difference. I think if you have an older dog you may want to give DGP supplements a try. We're glad we did. So is our pet.

I think you will be too.

Wednesday, December 12, 2012

A LEGO Ninjano Christmas Request

Before I get back into the baby stuff tomorrow I thought I'd let you know about a Christmas gift request from one of my grandsons.

He wants a LEGO Ninjano Epic Dragon Battle set.

I of course know about LEGO's, but this Ninjano concept was new to me. Maybe I'm not keeping up with the times but after a little research I soon found out that this is nothing like the LEGO sets I had when I was a kid.

Not that that's a bad thing. Actually, I can see where a young boy would find this really cool. It's the classic good vs. evil battle with good winning out. And of course it's got tons of the famous LEGO building blocks that I've known since I was a kid.

I did some research on Ninjano stuff and found out what that was all about too.

For people like me who may be clueless about this stuff, and for people who might be interested in finding this fairly expensive set at the lowest possible price, I naturally have put up a Squidoo lens. You can check it out at the links below.

Tomorrow it's back to our regularly scheduled baby posts. I think. :)

Tuesday, December 11, 2012

A Backpack Baby Carrier

OK, here's another baby item I think is a necessity.

I like to hike, even at my age. Fortunately I live by some nice hiking trails. But have you ever tried to push a stroller along the trail. Impossible.

That's why a backpack baby carrier is necessary for all parents and grandparents who like to be out and about.

Ideally, you want one that can carry everything you want along the trail. Water and other items for you, and diapers, bottles etc. for the baby. You also don't want it to be too heavy. The baby is heavy enough.

Fortunately such a thing exists. And my new Squidoo lens will prove it.

Baby Time

I think I told you in a previous post that I'm about to have two more grandchildren in February. That will make 7 all together.

By the way, that's not twins, it's two different moms.

Anyway, as a result you'll probably start seeing a lot of baby posts here, talking about the latest and greatest ways to care for babies and reviewing the products.

In an effort to balance it out, I'll also be writing about my new tools, so all you men should remember to check back or subscribe as well.

But that's for later.

Today I want to talk about something that I think is an absolute necessity; a portable baby changing station.

When you're out and about and the baby needs a diaper change, what do you do? Personally I don't trust anything in a public restroom. That's why I like to have something easy to bring along.

This little portable baby changing stations actually folds up to look like a purse (not that I carry one), and is so easy to bring along. Check it out at my new Squidoo lens on the topic.

And see all the baby changing station options for personal or business use here.

Saturday, December 1, 2012

Another Christmas Gift Idea - A Chess Clock

Two posts in one day. I'm on a roll.

Here's what I've decided to get one of my sons for Christmas. A chess clock.

By the way, my family doesn't read this blog so if you're wondering... I'm safe.

Anyway, my son really likes to play chess. And he's pretty good too. Not world class good, but good enough to beat most people, and certainly good enough to beat me every time we play. Which, by the way, isn't very often now. I'm not much of a challenge.

I figured a chess clock would be a great gift for several reasons. And on a lower level it' a gift for me as well. See, he has the ability to think at least 6 or 7 moves down the road. Of course, this takes time. Maybe if we speed things up by putting a time limit on moves I'll be able to compete.

But also these clocks can be really nice. And of course they're needed to play competitively.

They can also be pretty expensive. Some of them are nearly $200. He's not getting one of those. But you can get a really good one for about $80 and really, high quality chess clocks can still be had for $30.

So that's his gift.

Here's more about what I found out about chess clocks.

Mother Daughter Rings - A Great Christmas Gift

I've done it. I've come up for the perfect Christmas gift for my wife and daughters.

I'm going to give them matching mother daughter rings.

Think about it. It's a great idea. They all love jewelry. And wouldn't it be nice to the girls to match their mom?

I know that usually this is something and a mom and daughter purchase together. Maybe they get little meaningful saying on the inside or outside. But I figure if they want to do that they can do that together later.

One caveat though if you're thinking of doing something like this and you're a man. Be sure you know what they all like. It's pretty difficult to get jewelry for someone if you're not sure.

And make sure you know all their finger sizes too.

I've been buying jewelry for my wife and kids for a long time so I pretty much know what they will like. But if you're going to try it you better be sure.

I'm just sayin'.

Anyway, my latest Squidoo creation will hopefully give you some great ideas on what to get.

Jamison Rody