In trying to reinforce my almost-three-year-old daughter’s potty training progress, I bought a few sets of these organic Hanna Andersson training underwear. She LOVES them and they have made saying goodbye to diapers much easier. This is a potty training tip that I wish I had heard about sooner!

From the Hanna Andersson website:

Our beautiful organic cotton in comfy training pants that are made with a durable four-ply crotch panel. Prewashed. Certified by Oeko-Tex Standard 100. Imported. Set of 3 pair $26.

Over Memorial Day weekend, my husband and I were admiring the new UppaBaby stroller that friends of ours just purchased for their newborn.  In many ways, it looked like the BugaBoo that we had purchased in 2007, but, unlike the BugaBoo, the UppaBaby has the potential to grow into a double stroller.

Completely trusting our friends’ market research and selection of the UppaBaby (our friends are more detailed in their research than we are), we didn’t perform any additional research on double strollers (though I had already looked into the Phil and Ted double stroller, which many parents seem to like), and proceeded to buy the UppaBaby Vista 2010 stroller along with the Rumble seat.

Other double strollers seem to have the two seats either side-by-side (which makes the stroller a bit too wide for our crowded City streets) or have one seat facing the back of the other (which seems like a depressing view for the child facing the back of the other seat!).

We were excited that the UppaBaby stroller allows the two children to face each other.  So that’s one of the key reasons we purchased it.  In addition, it has some additional flexibility.  A “piggyBack” may be purchased so that your toddler may stand, like in the image below.

The stroller comes with a bassinet (for the stroller) and a bassinet stand may even be purchased for your infant.  We actually used our Bugaboo’s bassinet as our first daughter’s bed for the first six months of her life.  This stand would have been a nice option!

You may find the video below helpful in showing the stroller’s key features:

Conclusion

We wish we knew about the UppaBaby stroller sooner!  Although the BugaBoo feels of higher quality (it feels sturdier, more stable, and has better traction), the UppaBaba Vista stroller has great versatility and is more able to grow with our family.  I highly recommend that parents consider this option!

Product Features

• It comes with a Cup Holder
• Additional 1.5 inches of headroom in the seat so you can use the Vista longer.
• One-touch parking brake is much easier to use.
• No flat tires with rubbery treads simulate the great performance of air-filled tires, but they never go flat.
• 4-wheel, shock absorbing suspension

Note as of February 16, 2011: I just read about a pretty cool double stroller that I haven’t seen in person but is worth taking a look at: The Kinderwagon.

If you enjoyed this post, you may also enjoy the content below:

• Glass Baby Bottles and Medical-Grade Silicone Nipples– My New Favorite!
• Potty Training Tip: Organic Training Underwear by Hanna Andersson
• Magna-Tiles: An Engaging Educational Toy
• Invaluable With Potty Training: Our Travel Potty Chair
• Breastfeeding Mothers: My Must-Have Top!
• Pool and Spa Safety (exclusive S File discount)

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We recently started potty training my oldest daughter and this travel potty chair has made leaving the house much more stress-free!  No matter where we are — park, City sidewalk, side of the highway, or shopping mall — we don’t have to worry about finding my daughter a potty when she needs to go.  This lightweight travel potty carries plastic bags in a compartment so that there’s an organized supply of bags to capture, and dispose of, the “business.”

It’s so lightweight and helpful that my daughter loves carrying it everywhere!

More details are below:

• Made for boys and girls
• Made from easy-to-clean plastic
• Two large storage compartments — holds potty training pants, wipes, bags and even extra clothing!
• This Travel Potty Chair comes with standard zip lock gallon-sized bags (includes four bags)
• Easy to carry: folds to the size of a small briefcase; carrying handle; durable and lightweight
• Not just for toddlers! For kids / children up to 70 Lbs.
• Open dimensions: 12 1/2″L x 10″W x 6 1/2″H; folded dimensions: 12 1/2″L x 10″W x 3 1/2″H
• Weighs only 3 lbs. Children will love to carry it (builds self-esteem)

Note as of February 16, 2011: I just read about My Carry Potty which looks like a fun option as well!

As I write this, my second child is 8 weeks old. While my first child was about 17 months old, I purchased the Sleepy Wrap baby carrier, after reading that this wrap would enable me to wear my daughter on my back. Maybe it was that my daughter was too old, or maybe it was that we tried it in the winter with each of us having too many layers, but my daughter did not like it (I think she got too hot in it with all our layers). Even though it’s a bit cumbersome to put on and take off, I really liked it. It distributed the weight of my daughter much more comfortably on me, compared to the five or six other carriers that I had used. I was curious to see how well it would work with my next baby during the infant stage.

As it turns out, the Sleepy Wrap baby carrier was wonderful for my second daughter, born December 29, 2009. I used the Sleepy Wrap all the time during the first six weeks, and then started alternating between the Sleepy Wrap and the ErgoBaby (since ErgoBaby is easier to put on and take off).

The Sleepy Wrap evenly distributes the weight of my daughter between both sides of my body (the slings I had tried pulled more from one shoulder than the other); I like that I can also use the Sleepy Wrap to discreetly nurse; I feel that my newborn is securely wrapped towards my body (I was always nervous that my daughter would fall out of the slings); and I believe that the Sleepy Wrap helps my newborn transition from the womb to our world during this “fourth trimester.” My only complaint is that it’s cumbersome to put on and remove, but I find the hassle completely worthwhile given the number of other baby carriers that I have tried. And, for the $40 price tag, it’s definitely a no-brainer!

Readers of The S File get a 10% discount until 2010 June 13.  Use coupon code “Sleepy10” at checkout.

Benefits of Babywearing

From the Sleepy Wrap website:

• Cry Less! (43% less overall and 54% less during the evening hours)¹
• Are Healthier! (gain weight faster, have better motor skills, coordination, increased muscle tone, and sense of balance)²
• Get a better view of the world! (babies pushed in strollers or lugged around in car seats only get to see the adult world at knee-level)
• Become Independent Faster! (making them more confident and less clingy)³
• Sleep Better! (they fall asleep quicker and sleep for longer periods of time)
• Learn More! (not overstimulated, but calm and alert, observing the world around them)
• And are just plain Happier!⁴

Click to read about more Benefits of Babywearing.

Related Content:

• Experience with Baby Carriers from Baby #1
• My Favorite Baby Carrier!
• Our New, Double Stroller: UppaBaby Vista 2010
• Baby Toothpaste
• “The Lost Hour”: Impact of Pushing School Start Time Back By One Hour
• “The Lost Hour”: Impact On Learning and School Performance
• A Parenting Must-Have: Infant CPR Video
• “The Inverse Power of Praise”
• Magna-Tiles: An Engaging Educational Toy!
• The S File’s Gift Guides: Health, Pregnancy, Household, and Parenting

Based on the really high volume and high ratings on Amazon, I purchased Fisher-Price Papasan Cradle Swing, and it was a sure way to calm and entertain our daughter. I just used it only for emergencies since I did not want her to get to used to the rocking. It was great though. This has 4.5 stars from 1,091 Amazon customers.

Based on the Amazon customer reviews, I purchased Summer Infant Day & Night Handheld Color Video Monitor 2.5″ Screen, which we have been happy with. This has 4 stars from 150 Amazon customers.

Strollers for Infants

1) Bugaboo Cameleon. Our knee-jerk reaction was to avoid buying the Bugaboo because everyone seems to have it. But, after trying several types of strollers, the Bugaboo seemed to be worth it. We got the Bugaboo Cameleon and used the bassinet as our daughter’s only bassinet / crib for at least her first 4 – 6 months. It was extremely practical for us since we could roll her from room to room as she slept soundly. It rides quite smoothely outdoors. Cons are that it’s kind of wide and harder to collapse as we go in- and out- of cabs. I would never think to take it on a bus either. When I do use it to run errands in the City, the area underneath my daughter’s seat carries a nice amount.

2) Graco Snugrider Infant Car Seat Stroller Frame. This can be used with the Graco Snugrider Infant Car Seat listed above. This stroller was very practical, especially when traveling. The storage area underneath where the car seat rests fits a good amount of stuff too. This became really handy in airports, when we’d put all our carry on luggage on it while we put our daughter in a Baby Bjorn. This has 4.5 stars from 131 Amazon customers.

We have three step stools for my 2.5 year old daughter and two step stools for the adults. This is by far the most convenient one because it collapses easily to lean against walls and is very light. My daughter is able to move this stool easily to any location she desires.

This is great for when the baby’s neck can support its own head.  I think I started using it once my daughter was at least 6 months old.  The seat very comfortably enabled my daughter to sit up, when she could not sit up by herself.  We eventually received a tray that snaps onto the seat, which was great during meal time.  The Bumbo Babysitter can be purchased by clicking on the image below, and it can also be found in The Store.  My daughter loved it and I loved the break it gave me!  It has 4+ stars from 6-7 Amazon customers, depending on the color.

1) Graco SafeSeat Infant Car Seat. We started with the Graco Infant Car Seat and I wasn’t thrilled with it as a car seat, though it’s quite popular. The benefit of the Graco is that it’s very versatile. In addition to using it as a car seat, it can be placed in a stroller (listed below) or on any surface area. It just doesn’t seem that comfortable. Infants don’t really notice though. It has 4.5 stars from 53 Amazon customers. (You may want to check out the Graco Snugride Infant Car Seat. It has 4 stars from 74 Amazon customers.)

In terms of chemical concerns, I recently read about concerns about PBDEs in foam that can be in car seats, furniture and under carpets. It reminded me of the fact that the Graco car seat cover was slipping over the foam underneath and my daughter had been picking apart the foam and sometimes putting it in her mouth. If I could do things differently, I probably would have still bought the Graco car seat for its versatility, but I would have purchased another car seat cover so that my daughter could not access the foam. Click here to read more about minimizing exposure to PBDEs.

1a) Graco SnugRide Infant Car Seat. This better secures the car seat to the car. If you get the Graco car seat, then I highly recommend this and the stroller frame down below. This has 4.5 stars from 172 Amazon customers.

2) Britax Convertible Car Seat. My daughter recently outgrew the Graco so we just purchased a Britax Convertible Car Seat and it’s fabulous!  The Department of Transportation installed it and said that it is among the safest and is very popular — a good choice.  It’s also much more comfortable for my daughter than the Graco.  It’s just a bit tall, but that doesn’t bother us.  This has 4.5 stars from 228 Amazon customers at the time of this writing.

FYI, I kept hearing that if a car seat was installed properly, then it was a real hassle to install.  The DOT will do it for parents, as do some police stations.

Please Note: All products with an image shown below can also be found at SHOP at The S File!, along with many other products not listed below.