Jeep Overland Stroller

I know I've touched on this briefly when I was talking about the Ergo baby carrier. I said that I wasn't a fan of travel systems and that I wanted a stroller that was more than just a 4 small wheeled, sidewalk only, stroller. Nic and I live in an area that pavement is few and far between. Not really but dirt roads are plentiful and we thoroughly enjoy getting out hiking in the woods. We are determind to continue our active lifestyle and bring our son along with us as much as possible. It's important to us that he grows up as an active child that enjoys and appreciates nature. We both agree that having a couch potato kid isn't an option. So, armed with the criteria that I would like to fulfill, I went hunting. The research queen in me found 4 strollers that were within an affordable range. Mind you, some strollers can range as high as $400 or even $600! That just absurd! I wanted to keep this under $200. I compared, side-by-side, 4 jogging strollers. Jeep Overland, Bob Revolution, InStep Ultra Runner and Schwinn Free Runner. In many categories, Jeep ruled!

It has more storage, smaller folding dimentions, partial seat recline (for sleeping babies and toddlers), hand and foot brakes (the only one to include a foot brake as well), as well as a safety leash (just in case it wants to get away from me on a decline), 1 year manufactures warranty, adjustable handle height and best of all...an iPod with speakers!!! I'm in love! Oh and it as the only one that is JPMA certified. That's the Juvenile Products Manufacturer Association. They are an organization dedicated to enhancing children’s product safety. In a world where marketing and profit rule over safety, I think it's important to have a company that can review and report without bias.

Here are the specs...

Product Features:

• Lightweight Aluminum Frame
• Soft-ride 16” Air-filled Tires with Air Pump
• Smart Handle Adjusts to Multiple Heights
• Stands Upright When Folded
• Sun Canopy Adjusts to Block Sun
• Removable Weather Shield Blocks Wind & Rain
• Multi-position Reclining Seat
• Large Basket & 2 Cargo Pockets for Storage
• Water Bottle Holder
• Snack Tray with Cup Holder
• Speed & Distance Odometer
• Adjustable 5-point Harness
• Unique Rear Braking System for Quick Stops
• Safety Tether & Reflectors for Safety
• Features Music on the Move Parent Tray with Speakers, Amplifier & Jack
• Two Parent Cup Holders

  

Weight / Dimensions

• Height/Width/Depth: 29" x 22" x 36"
• Folded Dimensions: 21.5" x 37.5" x 36.5"
• Weight: 30 lbs
• Weight Capacity: 45 lbs.

  

Additional Information

• Wheel Size: 16"
• JPMA Certified: Yes
• Warranty: 1 year
• ASTM Safety certified: 1 year
• Recline: Partial
• Storage: Basket & 2 Cargo Pockets
• Adjustable Handle: Yes
• Brake: Foot & Hand Operated

I think our boy will love his stroller. Mommy already does. :-) The unfortunate part is that I originally found this product in a Wal-mart catalog. Ugh. I hate Wal-mart. The good thing is that it can be found at many other online retail outlets. Strollerdirect.com has it for $190.99. Target.com has it for $199.99. Babiesrus.com has it for $189.99. I'm sure a few more could be found with a good google search. I'm not sure which ones charge tax or shipping but I do know that a coupon could be found for babiesrus.com. They are always running deals.

Thanks for listening to my rambles.

This has been another installment of Kristiina's wishes and wants.

Armsreach Cosleeper

This is going to be an invaluable tool. I found this company right around the time I discovered the ergo baby carrier. This is the Arms Reach Co Sleeper. I prefer the original style over the universal or mini. It is a bassinet that attaches to the parents bed. It allows for the closeness and convenience of co sleeping without any of the dangers. Considering that I plan to breastfeed as long as possible. This will make our nighttime feedings much more convenient. Our son will be right by my side, within comfortable touching distance. I will be the primary care giver during the night to give Nic some downtime. Since I'll be staying home with baby as much as possible, I'm going to be up when necessary at night to eliminate Nic being tired while working all day. I know that he'll have plenty of bonding time between playtime, diaper changes and bath duty. I'm sure he wouldn't mind having a full night sleep. Also the convenience of having the baby in the room with us is that if he wants to be up with me while I lay in bed to feed, he wont have to fully wake up to feel like he's a part of the process. I was also a little concerned about this item being a unitasker. If anyone has watched Alton Brown on Good Eats then you'd know that the item would only hold one purpose in life. Not so cool. I want something to have many uses, versatility, extended life. This can also be used as a stand alone bassinet and a play yard. What's even better is that it folds up all nice and neat into a 10x10x30 carrying case. Since we have family all over the place, this will be very convenient as a travel bed too.
This will function as a play yard when he outgrows night time feedings too. It'll be something that we can have in the living room, out in the yard when we're gardening, or who knows doing what else.
Here is what it'll look like from my perspective. I'm sure I'll spend many hours watching our little guy sleep and coo.
This is more likely what it'll look attached to the bed with me watching over him. I doubt we'll have a sleep position-er but I haven't ruled it out yet. I need to do a little more research on that subject.
Oh and I love that there are pockets on all 4 sides!. Since a diaper change usually follows a feeding, it'll be convenient to have cleans on one side and dirties on the other, plus a pocket to hold miscellaneous things. Yeah, I think I have this all planned out. There's no need to get out of bed. :-)

www.Armsreach.com has the original sleeper that I would like to have for $209.99. This is an item that will be used for all of our kids in every part of our home. For that very reason, I would like to have something that is fairly neutral. I think that the Toffee/Short liner would fit that bill.

I found it in the Natural color on Amazon.com for $179.95 with free shipping. I found it in the Toffee color on Albeebaby.com for $169.99, shipping unknown. Babyearth.com has it in Toffee for $169.95 and free shipping.

This has been another installment of Kristiina's Wishes and Wants. Have a good day!

Cocoon 7000 Crib

First off, let me say this...Holy Cow I love this crib! It's called the Cocoon 7000. I had a really hard time finding a crib that I liked. There was just something about most of the cribs that I looked at that made them look cheap. I knew I wanted a convertible crib because it seemed the most logical financially. (Slightly more initially but it will grow with our little man) I don't like all the fasteners showing. Call me crazy, call me superficial...I just don't want to see them. I want this to look like a quality piece of furniture because it's the largest purchase for our son yet. It deserves to be quality. I want him to like it. I want to enjoy putting him in it every night for bed.


This is what it looks like in the crib set-up
This is what it looks like with the Toddler rail on it.

This is what it looks like as a full size bed.
I love that it looks sophisticated. I love that it converts all the way to a full size bed. I think it'll come in very handy and save us money in the long run that this bed will follow our son for many, many years. Of course I also like that it meets all safety regulations, has 3 mattress heights and doesn't look like a mini jail cell with a million slats/bars. I'm looking forward to setting this up in our nursery and can already imagine our sleeping boy in it. The thought makes me smile. :-D

Now, Nic thinks I'm crazy for wanting this specific crib primarily because of the cost. He likes the aesthetics but thinks that we can find something a little more reasonable. Eh, I think he's nuts. He hasn't looked like I've looked. I have scoped in person, online and scoured for coupons. No such luck. I like this one and don't feel badly for this splurge because it's our ONLY splurge. Normally, I'm the penny pincher but because we are cutting costs on just about everything else, I think we (and our boy) deserves something nice. We already have a dresser, nightstand and bookcase that we are refinishing (Huge savings!) We have inherited his Papa's rocker, which I love! (Huge savings!) We are also refinishing a lamp stand...and I'm having Nic build the changing table. (Huge savings!) I'm even considering sewing my own bedding (because I can't really find one that I love). So overall, I think we should get it. :-) hahaha Oh and I've even done some research as to which web site has it the cheapest. www.Hayneedle.com has the crib marked down to $511.99, down from $614.99. I also think that we should get the rails necessary to convert the crib to the toddler bed and the full size bed, now. I've heard bad things about moms waiting until those pieces are needed to purchase them and the item has been discontinued. So, the toddler rail is $47.99, down from $57.99. The full size rails are $117.99, down from $141.99. In total...$677.97 and shipping is FREE. The good thing is that it ships in 4-6 days. Most places like babies r us and target ship in weeks. I just don't have that kind of time. This baby is due in 16 weeks. That's plenty of time if I order it now and if he decides to cook til he's full term. I just can't procrastinate. I'm itching to get this nursery done!

Well, those are my thoughts for the day.

This has been another installment of Kristiina's Wishes and wants.

Carters 5 Piece Diaper Bag

Check out this nifty diaper bag. I think it's right up my ally. I was thinking that I'd want a backpack style bag because I just can't bring myself to make the hubs carry something foo-foo or girly. But, I also want to use the ergo baby carrier...a lot. I don't think a back pack would work out too well with a carrier, so, I went on the hunt again. This set up allows me to have 2 bags packed. Short jaunts. Long day out. Both easily a grab away. I doubt I'll be using the bottle holder for its intended purpose since I'm going to exclusively breastfeed but it might come in handy if I need to pump while I'm out...or even to carry the little odds and ends. I think it's masculine enough to be carried by a daddy or used for a baby boy. I like the fact that both the bags have zippered tops. That will ensure that nothing can spill out if dropped (which I'm sure will happen more than once). And with my cautious and non trusting nature, I like that nothing can be easily snatched/stolen while I'm trying to care for my son. Best of all (and this is where my thrifty nature comes to play), it's only $29.99!!! (on buybuybaby.com or bedbathandbeyond.com) Wowza! When a lot of diaper bags range upward of $75-100, this is a steal! I've never been a purse kinda chick and just can't justify spending that kind of money for something that's only going to be used for convenience. Especially when we have other things that are necessities like a crib, changing dresser, room decor, infant carrier, breast pump, stroller, car seat, yada yada yada. Having a kid certainly isn't cheap!

This has been another installation to Kristiina's wishes and wants. Have a great day!

I got my car seat!

Yea! It was delivered yesterday! This is the first big purchase for the baby. It's both exciting and eye opening. It's real. We're having a baby. Our home is going to be filled with many baby/kid products for many years to come. Of course it's real. Feeling him kick me, I know it's real. But up until this point, there hasn't been anything life changing other than diet and moderate safety.

As with every major decision or endeavor in my life, I've done plenty of research. That's how I roll. I decided to go with a convertible car seat for many reasons. One of the biggest reasons was that I'm just not a fan of travel systems. I've known for a while that I would like a jogging type stroller over a traditional 4 small wheeled stroller. Any travel system that I've come across uses a car seat base with a snap in seat that can be used both in the car and the stroller. I also didn't find it necessary to have a giant seat to carry around with me everywhere, especially since I plan to use the Ergo carrier. Another reason I wanted to get a convertible car seat was cost. It seemed silly to me to spend a fortune for an infant seat and then again for a baby seat and then again for a toddler seat. I've heard from many mommies that bought 3 seats for no less than $100 a piece. Wow!

Just because I was leaning towards convenience and cost doesn't mean that I was willing to sacrifice safety. After looking around for a while and reading quite a bit, I found the Truefit car seat on learningcurve.com. It received a 4 star rating with the National Highway Traffic Administration and has been side impact tested. It has a 5 point harness, easy adjustable shoulder straps (non re threading) and an adjustable buckle at the crotch. It can accommodate a baby from 5 pounds to 65 pounds. It can be rear facing or forward facing. It also has a removable headrest. This comes in handy for placement in the vehicle. It can be rear facing without the headrest up to 22 pounds or with the headrest up to 35 pounds. The easily removable pads and liners will come in handy when it gets soiled. (I'm sure that wont be hard to do.)

So without further ado, here it is. These are pretty much the color that I got but the chocolate is much darker in person. It almost looks like a charcoal or black.



Of course that is the toddler position, with the headrest, to be forward facing. This is the infant position, to be rear facing, without the headrest.



Look at all that padding! It looks so comfortable! I think it is a good looking seat. Not that it matters but pleasing aesthetics is always nice.



The yellow nob at the back is where the shoulder straps can be adjusted. The red lever looking thing towards the front is where the seat belt is secured. Of course I took the time to open, inspect and learn the first product that will be used most to keep my little man safe. I already know each lever, nob, and buckle. I spent at least an hour examining from every angle, undoing the snaps to see under the covers and figuring it out. Only a few more months before we can put it in the truck. I would say I can't wait but I can. I'm really enjoying my pregnancy and don't want it to fly by too quickly. I will say that I am eagerly awaiting my boys arrival and will feel very secure putting him in this car seat.

Oh and deals! Did I get a deal?!?!? I've been all over the latest and greatest deal websites for babies, kids, and parents. I found this one on kids.woot.com. Normally this would have set us back a whopping $190! Ouch! But...and this is a big but...I got it for $99. Brand spanking new, no parts missing, still wrapped in plastic, in the original box, kind of killer deal! Ahhh...I love finding a killer deal! I've also been frequenting babysteals.com and mambargains.com. These are deal of the day kind of websites. Only one item offered each day, all day until it's sold out. If you have kids, grand kids or friends with kids...go check them out! You wont be sorry!

This has been another installment of Kristiina's wishes and wants. This wish has been granted and want fulfilled! Have a great day!

Ergo Baby Carrier

Yes! Yes! Yes! I found this product before we decided to have kids. I found this product before we had plans to get married! I have had this product bookmarked for nearly 5 years! Now, finally, I get to have one! It's the Ergo baby carrier. There are so many reasons why this carrier is amazing. The mom that designed it really took mothers and fathers comfort into consideration when this was made. (Every strap is adjustable, shoulder and hip straps are heavily padded, chest strap keeps shoulder straps in place.) Primarily though, she took into consideration the physical and emotional development of the child. The way the child is situated into the seating area, the majority of the weight is distributed to the thighs rather putting unnecessary pressure on the spine. Also, it's not possible for the child to be outward facing. Either front or back. This is actually an advantage when you consider stimulation. When facing the parent, the kid and turn away from over stimulation or scary (to them) situations or people. It also allows much more eye contact and for them to read social cues from mom or dad. Wow! Something I probably wouldn't have thought of before I had my first little one. How many moms out there have had cranky kids from too much stimulation in a day! Uh huh. See how it's a good idea now?!

This is the carrier with the infant insert. This allows you to carry the baby before they have head control. This also allows the mother to breastfeed completely hands free while carrying the baby.



The carrier can be worn on the front or back or on the hip. I probably wouldn't wear it on the hip but I like the option.



Since the carrier can hold up to 70 pounds, it can come in handy with toddler that is too tired to walk. Or where a stroller cant go. Or a small child that feels like it's fun to be so close...sometimes. It can be found at ErgoBabyCarriers.com It's only $104 for the carrier and $25 for the infant insert. It might seem like a fortune for a carrier but considering that I would prefer to use this before a stroller, I think it'll worth it's weight in gold! Don't get me wrong, I'll have a stroller too but I'll be using this in most circumstances. Go have a look. There are all kinds of things to read on their website. Many testimonials too.

This has been another installment of Kristiina's wishes and wants.