Baby Living

Dining in or out with baby can offer some challenges… and Kodak moments. When starting to shop around for a high chair, Ellabellakids.com can help. High chairs are usually utilized around 4 months when baby is starting solids. A traditional high chair with tray is used for a year or so depending on the child’s development. Convertible high chairs last much longer, well into youth. Check for specific features, how much you want to spend, how long you want the high chair to last, and the space of your dining area.

When purchasing a high chair for your kitchen, look for a 5 point harness restraint for safety and a chair that is relatively stable. Toddlers will start climbing at one point and you don’t want the chair to tip. These are main high chair safety concerns. Other things that will make life easier is, easy to clean padding, a dual tray that can be thrown in the dishwasher, reclining back, wheels for portability, and adjustability of the chair up and down for easy spoon feeding. Some high chairs fold up relatively flat while others remain bulky. Depending on the size of your kitchen space this may be an issue.

High chairs can be very inexpensive, or can cost and arm and a leg. Just make sure you look very hard at the features above to make the best choice. You start paying more for name brands, wood, and convertible features. Some of these features are well worth the price. A good value for a full featured high chair is the double tray, polly high chair by Chicco, for approximately 130.00. http://www.ellabellakids.com/chicco-2pad-highchair.html. The Stokke Tripp Trapp or Svan High Chairs (pcitured at the top of this article) are great wooden high chairs that convert into youth chairs. Prices for these chairs range from $199.00-$250.00. http://www.ellabellakids.com/02112-2.html

Don’t have a lot of space, so want a space saving solution? Chairs that are great for eating “out” are the travel table chairs. There are many brands, most providing the same features at a similar price. We really like the Chicco travel chair or the Zooper table chair. Both are around $40.00, fold up with ease, and attach securely to most tables or counter tops. This is a cleaner and more convenient option for restaurants or small kitchen spaces. http://www.ellabellakids.com/chicco-travel-hook-on-highchair-with-travel-bag-in-explorer.html

Don’t forget some great feeding accessories like splat mats, bibs, smocks, and anti slip table wear. http://www.ellabellakids.com/feeding.html

Posted by Alissa Wolbach at 08:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Britax recently released the new Diplomat Convertible car seat. The best way to describe the Diplomat is a mixture of the Roundabout and the Boulevard. All of you that love the true side impact protection of the Boulevard but can't fit it into your car, the Diplomat is your answer.

The Diplomat is good for baby 5-40 pounds rear facing and foward facing. It is equipped with an easy to use 5 point harness restraint, and a turn of the dial head piece. The head piece works just like the Boulevards. Turn the dial, and the piece moves up and down, adjusting the harness in the process. The Diplomat comes with the soft infant insert to make the seat more newborn friendly. 

The true side impact head wing is great for added protection for your child, especially in the incident of a side impact collision. It is non-removable and grows with the child. It should be centered on your childs head and should come up above your child's shoulder.

 Ellabellakids.com is an authorized dealer of the Britax Diplomat. It comes in various colors in including onyx and Taylor. email us a customerservice@ellabellakids.com with your questions or click here to purchase http://www.ellabellakids.com/britax-new--diplomat-carseat-onyx.html

Posted by Alissa Wolbach at 08:34 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

With winter upon us, parents have to take additional precautions to keep our young children protected and safe from the harsh elements. Ellabellakids.com has some winter weather information and tips to keep our youngest children safe and healthy during the frosty season.

Babies do not regulate their temperature as well as adults. They tend to need about the same amount of layering as adult to stay comfortable. Signs of being too cold are mottled skin or very pale skin. Signs of being to hot are rosy cheeks and perspiring around the back of the neck. Pay special attention to how you dress your baby during these cold months. Be sure to cover the head, hands and feet adequately. Be sure to change diapers frequently, especially cloth. Cotton gowns that cap the hands and enclose the legs and feet work well for newborns. Swaddling blankets or sleep sacks keep the baby warm, prevent the blanket from getting over the head, and help to regulate baby’s temperature.

For sleeping during the cool months, babies should be put into some sort of wearable blanket to prevent SIDS and help regulate their temperature. There are a few different brands on the market but ellabellakids.com likes the Sleep Sack by Halo or the Guardian Sleeper. The Guardian Sleeper comes in bassinet size and crib size. They work by attaching to the end of the mattress. The baby is put inside the blanket where there is a piece of fabric that prevents the baby from moving under the blanket. The blanket is equipped with 2 thick Velcro straps that work as a swaddle to keep baby secure and prevent baby from rolling into the bumpers or sides of the crib. The fleece Guardian Sleeper acts as a sleep sack, a swaddle, and a device to keep baby from inching into the sides of his sleeping area. A great product endorsed by doctors and midwifes everywhere. http://store.ellabellakids.com/guardian-sleeper-bassinet.html

Car trips and trips outdoors, call for even more time and preparation. There are things you as a parent can do to protect your baby while keeping life simple.  Car travel can be challenging in the winter months. Your newborn should NOT be wearing bulky winter gear in their child restraint because it prevents the straps from running securely over the child’s body. What to do? Bundle baby in the proper indoor attire and add a warm hat and a car seat blanket. A product called the JJ Cole Infant Bundle Me is a wearable blanket for the infant car seat. This is a soft, heavy, fleece blanket that attaches securely and easily to any make or model of infant car seat. It is 100% washable and very cozy with a zipper for easy access to the baby. JJ Cole even makes a cute shearling hat for baby’s unprotected, bald head. Check these products out at http://www.ellabellakids.com/jj-cole.html to purchase or to get more information.

Another great baby product to keep baby protected from the elements, is the NEW UppaBaby Baby Bubble http://www.ellabellakids.com/bubble-3-in-1-infant-car-seat-protector.html. The UppaBaby Bubble shields baby from sun, wind, rain and insects. It fits on most any make and model of infant car seat and just POPS up like a tent. It is completely see through and ventilated but has multiple layers of protection from all our seasons’ elements.

 Winter can be a pain but it can be made more simple and safer with the use of a few great products and some good, old fashion common sense. Email customerservice@ellabellakids.com with your comments or winter suggestions and we will be sure to post them.

Posted by Alissa Wolbach at 01:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The new Recaro Como convertible car seat has been a welcome addition to the Ellabella Kids car seat line up. The Como is really going to give the Britax Boulevard and Marathon a run for its money. The Como has an extremely plush, easy to clean, microfiber exterior with a supportive head piece for protection and comfort. The Recaro Como is top of its class for car seat safety, boasting true side impact protection, an adjustable head piece and a 5 point harness restraint. It is offered in multiple colors from blush pink, to sand to midnight desert and more.

The Recaro company is not new to safety restraints. Recaro has been making seats for the professional race cars as well as seats for air craft for a very long time. The Recaro company is an authority in making the safest car seat restraints on the market today.

The Como car seat is rear facing from 5-35 pounds and foward facing 20-70 pounds. The maximum height allowance is 50 inches. The child is restained in a 5 point harness for the duration of use. This is the safest mode of travel for any child, making the Como an exceptionally safe seat even for our older children.

These are some of the specs:

The Como has been a HOT seller at ellabella and on ellabellakids.com. It offers some of the most high tech protection offered on the market while also giving children a comfortable ride. Visit http://www.ellabellakids.com/recaro.html to order or for more information.

Posted by Alissa Wolbach at 10:09 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

If you have ever heard of Zoobies then you know they are a very cool plush toy with lots of different features. Our customers love Zoobies because they are plush stuffed animals that turn into a pillow and soft, fleece blanket. Zoobies pets come in all kids of fun, friendly animals. Our favorite is Kojo the crocodile. Kojo the Croc has a toothy grin and comes in a bright shade of green. All Zoobies are machine washable and make perfect, long lasting gifts. Check www.ellabellakids.com  to purchase Zoobies Pets.  http://www.ellabellakids.com/zoobies.html

Posted by Alissa Wolbach at 05:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

For all of you Uppababy fans out there, Uppababy is introducing some new colors November of 2007. The Vista stroller will now be offered in McKenna, a very soft, very nice looking lavender and the Alex, a great mandarine orange. The G-lite will now be offered in Brooke blue.

In addition to the G-lite's new colors, Uppababy will be adding a rain cover accessory to each G-lite. MSRP will shoot up a bit..around 119.00 but the new addition will really add value to the G-lite stroller.

The other new Uppa addition that the ellabella kids staff is really excited about is the new car seat Baby Bubble. This new car seat accessory is very cool and available now at ellabellakids.com. It is universal to most infant car seat brands. It fits easily over the seat with elastic and literally pops up over the seat like a bubble. The cover is completely ventilated with a screen for the UV and the rain. Easy access to baby with the side zipper. The Uppababy  Baby Bubble is one cool car seat accessory that every car seat carrier should have. 

Posted by Alissa Wolbach at 08:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Finally some new and cool colors from the Baby Bjorn company. Lets start with the Original Baby Bjorn infant carrier. It is now available in a  chocolate color, silver and a new Star fabric which is a satin material that is a bit more dressy looking.The Active carrier is now available in  black and silver and the reverse Bjorn Blue. What once was a very bright blue carrier is now navy trimmed in bright blue. This is a very good improvement. The Bjorn Original and Active carriers have not changed in function just colors. http://www.ellabellakids.com/baby-bjorn.html

The Baby Bjorn people finally got it right with PINK. Yes the bibs, and pottys, and feeding tools now come in a great shade of hot pink for all or our girly girls! Visit ellabellakids.com to purchase these new products. http://www.ellabellakids.com/baby-bjorn.html

A few great NEW products Baby Bjorn has introduced is the Baby Carrier Snyergy in white, black and Dark blue. It is a cross between the Baby Bjorn Active carrier and the Baby Bjorn Air carrier. At first glance it has the apperance of the air carrier but if you take a closer look it also has the lumbar support feature that everyone raves about.

In addition to the new carrier Baby Bjorn has also come out with a new and very improved Travel Crib Light. This little pop up sleeping solution literally just pops and back down in a flash. Extremely easy to use and very compact for traveling. This is one of the smallest travel beds I have seen. You can compare it in some wasy the the Peapod by Kidco or the Travel Cot by Phil and Teds http://www.ellabellakids.com/phil-teds-t2-travel-cot-in-navy.html. Price is a bit steep at $249.95 but it a very cool sleeping solution for the traveling family.

A  Baby Bjorn carriers to mention would be the Baby

Posted by Alissa Wolbach at 01:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

A great new bath product was just introduced by Prince Lionheart called the wash pod. It looks like a big bucket with a little cut out for baby's bum. Interesting idea that allows baby 0-6 months to be bathed upright in a contained, warm environment similar to the mothers womb. It has been recommended by many pediatircian and midwives. I think it is innovative and interesting. The Prince Lionheart wash pod offers another solution for bathing baby in a healthier way.

Posted by Alissa Wolbach at 07:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The New Chicco Key Fit 30 Car seat has finally arrived! The Chicco Key Fit retails for around $169.00. The Chicco Key Fit 30 Car Seat is available in the ever popular Red Race(only available in specialty stores or online sites with store fronts), Atmosphere and by the end of November? Adventure Green. http://www.ellabellakids.com/chicco-keyfit-30.html The new Key fit 30 accomodates your infant from 4-30 pounds without changing the size of the seat much at all. It is still fully equipped with the infant insert pillow for the low birth weight baby starting from 4-11 pounds. The seat is adequatly padded and the fabric used is Italian woven fabrics that are soft and completely washable. The Key Fit 30 car seat is extremely easy to install into most any vehicle with the LATCH system or seat belt. The car seat base and car seat itself fit very well together relieving the jiggling of the seat and your baby when trying to snap it together. Another special note is that the Key Fit car seat by Chicco is the only car seat on the market that I am aware of, that the handle bar can be left up when driving. Now that I have sold you on this great car seat you have stroller options as well that snap together with this seat.

 The NEW Chicco Trevi stroller is a wonderful mid size stroller that supports the Chicco KeyFit 30 Car Seat. http://www.ellabellakids.com/chicco-trevi1.html Just going off of memory, the Trevi weighs under 19 pounds. It is fully equipped with multiple recline positions, 5 point harness, cup holder for parents, and snack tray for child. The Trevi folds down like the Malcaren stroller (accordian styel). It is very easy to do and it locks with a carry handle for easy transport. The wheels are a bit larger than most other mid-size strollers on the market, being closer to 6" around. The complaints I have heard from customers are, the size of the basket isn't very big and the the hood isn't huge thus not giving tons of coverage. The Trevi retails for around $129.00

 The Chicco Cortina System is Chicco's overall best selling stroller. The Cortina is a full size stroller that now comes in the new great colors and takes the new Key Fit 30 seat. The Cortina stroller has a full basket that is huge, a great sun cover, a full recline with 5 point harness and "memory fold". Memory fold is when you recline the seat and close it up. When you open the stroller back up it remembers where you last reclined it and goes to that spot. It makes life a bit more effiecient. The handle bar on the Cortina stroller is adjustable so parents of different sizes will appreciate this feature. The Cortina is also fully equipped with a child snack tray that is removable as well as a full parent tray for drinks and so forth. The Cortina can be purchased alone or as a system with the Chicco Car seats. The Cortina Key Fit 30 System retails for about 299.00. The regular Cortina Key Fit System retails fro around $269.00. In my opinion price can't be beat for the quality and ease of use of this system. Way better than Graco!!!!! http://www.ellabellakids.com/chicco-cortina-30-system.html

Posted by Alissa Wolbach at 07:06 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)