Stroller Couture

We have to admit that being a parent now is super-cool. Aside from the joy of just being a parent, there is so much out there that caters to kids and parents in a more sophisticated and dignified way. From room design to family vacations to nursing covers, options abound to express your style - and your child's - with nary a puppy dog, cartoon character or flower in sight.

Add stroller covers to that growing list of products. In our last post, we noted that a pediatric dermatologist advised that the best way to protect baby from the sun was to keep her out of it altogether. Bellah May LLC, out of Orange County, California, has a line of reversible sunshades for the stroller that will expose nothing but style. Okay, there is a dog or two in the mix, but they're featured in the modern (or totally retro) way that today's fashionable parents are accustomed to sporting.

We like that the shades are reversible. Junior can check out his ABC's on the inside while the world sees a gingham check outside. But what we really love is that the sunshade comes in its own also-reversible bag, which then hangs off the stroller to hold all that "stuff" that you'll inevitably have with you. The website has a cute and quick tour on how the sunshade and bag work. (Don't worry, it's very simple, but the owners must know that tired parents can be notoriously slow.)

Bellah May also says that proceeds from sales will go to a child-focused charity, meaning you can feel good about helping someone else's child while protecting your own from the sun.


Sunshade in Paige pattern
www.bellahmay.com
$80

Plane Retro

Do you remember the View-Master? The binocular-resembling toy in which you could insert a reel and view all kinds of cool 3-D images? Maybe you haven't thought about one of these in years, but now that you've been reminded, honestly - wouldn't it make a great attention-grabber on a trip?

We think so, and we happened to come across them for sale on Flight 001, a cool website that sells all sorts of travel-related items. Most of their wares are for adults (at least we couldn't see our daughter donning the sleep mask since she never even naps). But we saw the View-Master and had happy memories of our own lo-tech childhood and realized hey, today's kid could get a kick out of this too. Of course, we're not suggesting that a GameBoy kid will be staring at this for hours, but younger children might be enthralled enough for a little while, if only because it's new. The online store also sells several reels to go with your View-Master, all of them focused on different destinations around the world.


View-Master, $8, reels sold separately for $5

First Class Food in Coach

These days, ANY food in coach is a wonder, but good food is most likely not going to happen - certainly not on the airline's dime.

You're most likely accustomed to bringing at least a child's snack or two if you're traveling with children, but what about you? Are you noshing on Cheerios at 30,000 feet? If you travel out of Los Angeles area airports, there are far better options. Skymeals, a meal delivery service that will meet you right at the airport with your food, is changing how you dine in the sky.

Their meals are not inexpensive, but considering what passes for food on planes these days, they're well worth the cost, particularly for long flights (or long waits on tarmacs). A peek at the menu definitely gets the salivary glands watering: you can choose from entrees such as flash seared ahi tuna or shrimp & asparagus farfalle fra diavolo. There's also a nice selection of sandwiches, salads, appetizers and brunches, and even a SkyLight menu for those watching their weight (which we figure in LA is just about everyone).

Best of all: children are included! Yes, the little ones have their own menu, SkyKids, and it's not all junk. While you can never escape chicken fingers (delivered here as "crispy chicken strips"), they come with a healthy side of fresh fruit and broccoli & carrots. The kids' menu is small - 4 selections - but varied enough that you should find something on there that your child will eat. And since the company is actually a catering outfit and not just a delivery service, they'll also take special requests (within reason); if you or your child can't find something on here you like, they can work with you to create a meal you'd prefer.


A SkyKids Meal

Unfortunately, right now Skymeals is only operating in a limited area of California, so unless you live there or are headed there soon, you may not have the opportunity to sample their cuisine. But check back - the company's founders have said in the past that they'd like to expand, and we're hoping they do soon.

Private Nurse

No, we don't mean a nanny for the baby.

By now you may have heard about the incident in which a woman who was nursing her baby on an airplane was forced to get off, presumably because she wasn't being discreet enough.

We personally don't know any women who don't try to show some discretion while nursing - okay, maybe a brazen few, but they're the exceptions - but babies have a way of pushing aside whatever is covering their faces, to peer at you in glee as you hurriedly shuffle the cloth - and your mammaries - around. It's no easy feat - what do you use to cover up? The airplane blanket that's been God knows where? Your pashmina, which will undoubtedly slip off just as some teenage boy passes by?

Thankfully there is an answer that keeps your dignity and your sense of fashion intact. Bebe au Lait has a line of nursing covers in fabulous prints: you can either pick one favorite or, like us, go nuts and choose several to coordinate with your wardrobe. (The company used to market these as Hooter Hiders, and still keeps the name around for those who may remember it, but we, for one, appreciate the more upscale branding, since we've never in a million years referred to our own breasts as "hooters".) The covers are stylish, practical and inexpensive. Best of all, the design keeps the cover securely fastened around your neck while allowing you to peek at baby - something that may have been hard to manage when you were smothering her with a blanket...


www.bebeaulait.com
$35

For the Toddler Jetset

We're not going to judge you if you've flown with a baby on your lap instead of in a carseat, but once kiddo reaches age two, you've got to ante up the dollars to get him his own ticket. We don't know about you, but the first time we put D in a seat by herself she didn't look the slightest bit safe - we had visions of her either slipping right under the belt or breaking her neck with whiplash.

Thankfully, we can now feel a little bit more secure when we head for the skies. CARES, an FAA-approved harness for children, is a recent entry on the market and a must-have for those too big for a car seat but too small to be truly protected by a mere seatbelt. According to their website, CARES (which stands for "child aviation restraint system") has been designed for children 1 and older, weighing between 22 and 44 pounds. It fits all economy and business-class seats, and should fit all but the biggest of first class seats as well.

You've probably seen similar devices on the market, but CARES is the first product that uses the five-point harness that defines safety in carseats. More importantly, it's the only product to be approved by the FAA for all aspects of flying. (Other devices are not approved for takeoff and landing.) It's probably a hell of a lot safer than us throwing our hands across D's chest whenever the plane hits a bump, and the $75 pricetag is a small price to pay for her safety and our peace of mind.


www.kidsflysafe.com
$74.95

Peapod for the Wee Tot

Our iPods are filled with a wide variety of artists: Bob Marley, Tchaikovsky, the Black Eyed Peas, Coldplay, Billy Idol...

Then, of course, there are the Dora the Explorer hits.

We willingly filled up with all the tunes that D likes because, hey, she has her musical tastes too. But can we tell you how many times we've been home alone with the iPod on shuffle, reliving our teenage years, only to get a sudden blast of Dora singing "Celebration"? Talk about bursting your bubble.

Peapod Toys is coming out with the first mp3 player for infants and toddlers,which we can't wait to try out. Due out in May of this year, it will feature simple controls for toddlers and hold up to 2 hours of audio. The molded rubber construction will make it easy for toddlers or infants to grab and hold, and should also lend it some durability, although we haven't gotten our hands on one to know for sure. Included software will help you to manage the player's library on a PC, and also purchase and download music. As of today, the manufacturer hasn't responded to questions about retail pricing or iTunes compatibility (we're guessing a fat no to that one), so check their website for updates.



The only thing that makes this not so perfect for travel is that it uses a speaker instead of headphones. That, of course, is great for little ears - they'll be plugged up with headphones soon enough - but not so great for the ears of those around Junior on an airplane (or yours in the car, for that matter.) Still, once you reach your destination, your toddler should be pleased with his ability to perform his own dj duties.

www.peapodtoys.com

UPDATE: 2/20/2007

We just heard back from the president of Peapod, who says their mp3 player won't be shipping out for another 12 weeks, with a probable pricetag of about $99. The Peapod will be compatible with any music store with the exception of iTunes. Peapod also plans to have its own website for purchasing and downloading music, with a wide variety of music outside of the traditional children's genre (good call on that one). No word on where you'll find the Peapod yet, so check their website for updates.

Passport to Cleanliness

Purell is great stuff, and so are antibacterial wipes. But somehow we always forget to bring them along when we travel, even now that we're parents and should really own stock in that stuff. Maybe it's because the large sizes are too cumbersome and the small sizes are - well, too easy to forget?

We've come across something that we think we'll remember to bring along. These soap sheets at Horchow are made for travel, if the fun passport packaging is any clue. Each packet has 20 sheets, and they're sold in sets of 12 packets: 4 each in lavender, lemon verbena, and fresh linen scents, enough to keep the immediate fam fresh and clean for at least a few journeys. (Organizing a large family group trip? These are great pre-departure gifts to give out.) They do require water, so you might want to keep the antibacterial gel handy for those times when a bathroom isn't available. Still, we think these are quite cool, fun - and memorable.

www.horchow.com
$60