droolicious : bassinet

The Office's Dwight Schrute Crash "Tests" An Orbit Stroller

Chris Ford — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 06:52:00 GMT

Wondering what kind of stroller Dwight K. Schrute abused so unmercifully on tonight's episode of The Office? Well, for one it's not just a stroller, it's a total "Infant System." And it's actually a little cheaper than the $1,200 price tag that set him off on the show. At least the part he was running over with his car.

The Orbit Infant System is a modular stroller/car seat system, designed to adapt and grow as your baby grows. With the infant system (the part Dwight was "testing" on the show) you get an infant car seat, a base and a stroller, all for about $900.

The Orbit Bassinet and Cradle was also shown on the show (in the conference room while Dwight was in the parking lot running over the stroller with his car). The Bassinet attaches to the stroller, as well as a Rocker base that can swivel and lock, allowing your baby to rock either front to back or side to side. That part sells for around $280. And eventually as your children grow up, you can buy a regular stroller seat and a regular car seat from Orbit as well.

The Orbit is definitely one of the top stroller/car seat systems out there, and it was cool to see it featured so prominently on The Office tonight. And for $900 (minus the bassinet), it's still cheaper than Dwight's bomb shelter.

Check out the Orbit Infant System at OrbitBaby.com (and find a local or online retailer here).

Or check out the official web site for The Office at NBC.com (and don't miss Dwight's official blog, Schrute-Space).

Also on Babble.com - The Sensible Stroller Purchased By The Scranton Branch On The Office

20 Best Baby Deals on eBay – Save Thousands, Really!

SunnyChanel — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 02:05:00 GMT

In these days of stock turmoil, credit crunching and good old -fashioned recession style, saving a buck has never been so prudent and, sadly, necessary. If you have a newborn or a bun in the oven, it’s a bit late to “reschedule” that recent or impending birth for a more auspicous era. So although the future financial forecast includes rain, cloud and scattered storms, if you don’t do the standard baby shower route, don’t fret, you can get a significant discount on pert near everything you need for your baby.

Below are 20 baby necessities (not all of them are must haves, but all are popular with the parental units) that are in regular rotation from everyone’s favorite auction site eBay.com. You can get items that are brand spanking new or “gently” used and your savings can, seriously, be phenomenal. Let’s say you bought everything on this list,if you got it all at the retail sticker price you’d pay $3459.39. If you wisely went to eBay and got a mix of used and new items, you could pay as low as $1320.52 for all of it, I mean everything, saving more than $2000! Now that’s a recession friendly deal.

Petunia Picklebottom Diaper Bag
Regular Price = $175
eBay with a range from $36 used to $137.50 new

There are a lot of choices for diapers bags out there. Why did I pick this one? Because I had one and loved it. It has a zip out changing station, two generous sized side pockets, is easy to carry and also tres chic. There are lots of different styles, colors and patterns to choose from .

Medela Breat Pump - In Style with Bag (don't worry it's new!).
Regular Price = $350.99
eBay price range - $260.50 to $200

Yeah, this is something that would probably be best bought brand new. You could always save even more by renting one but if you know you'll get lots of use out of it, you might as well just make that investment.

Baby Bjorn Original Carrier in City Black
Regular Price = $89.99
eBay: $1.04 (used) to $84.99 (new)
The always popular and utterly classic Baby Bjorn is the go-to carrier for both moms and dads. It’s practical, safe and makes multitasking with a baby plausible and possible.

Native Baby Sling
Regular Price: $54.00
eBay: $8.07 (used) to $34.99
For those of you who prefer to sling instead of Bjorn (or perhaps you play both sides of the baby carrier field) there are many options in slings out there and almost all of them are listed on eBay. I picked the Native Baby Sling since that is the one I used with my daughter and we both loved it. Simple, no straps, buttons, or zippers. Just cloth, baby and me.

Britax Marathon Car Seat New - Various covers
Regular: $279.99
eBay: $92.74 to $279.99

Your newborn won’t be able to cold chill in the Britax Marathon Car Seat right away, but one thing about those kids, they grow quick. So having a car seat ready to go when they suddenly grow out of their infant seat is a good thing to keep in your basement. I’m a fan of the popular Britax Marathon Car Seat. Not only is it sturdy and safe, but it comes in many interesting patterns and hues.

Mobile -
Regular: Wide, wide range
eBay .81cents to $69.00
(one pictured above is $39.99)
When my daughter was a baby, I was convinced the mobile was what was keeping her up at night. So I pretty much immediately tore it off her crib. Other parents swear by them. There is an extremely wide range of mobiles from modern to Mickey.

Fisher-Price Butterfly Garden Papasan Cradle Swing
Regular: $160
eBay: $36 (used) to $129.99
The Fisher-Price Papasan series of swings are a great way to cradle and keep your baby safe so you can do crazy things like brush your teeth, make a meal or just sit down and space out for a couple minutes. Babies grow out of these pretty quickly so getting one in good condition on the second hand market is a pretty easy feat.

Graco Quattro Tour Travel System
Regular: $239.99
eBay: $49.99 (used) to $239.99
The Graco Quattro Tour Travel System will take your baby on their first car trip home from the hosptial to strolling them when they're a big-ole toddler. The set comes with a car seat base, infant car seat and the "tour "stroller (which the car seat easily snaps into). The above pictured unit is in the Kasbah pattern but there are a variety of hues and patterns to choose from .

BebeSounds Flat Screen Baby Monitor:
Regular: $200
eBay: $127.50
Things have certainly gotten high tech in the world of baby monitors. Instead of just listening for your baby's cries, you can peek in on your little one with a petite video monitoring device, and via a flat screen at that. When you don't need to watch them in their crib anymore, just put the camera next to the cookie jar.

Huggies Diapers Jumbo Pack
Regular: $12.92 (56 diapers) to $62.00 (220 diapers)
eBay: $5.50 (56 diapers) to $26.11 (192 diapers)
Yes, you can even buy diapers on eBay. There are a variety of brands, styles and sizes. Although you may take a toll on shipping, but even so the price may be much better than at your local drugstore.

Prince Lionheart Diaper Warmer
Regular Price: $23.00
eBay: $2.99 (used) to $21.99 (new)
If you choose to warm up those wipes for your baby's bum, the Prince Lionheart will keep them moist and warm.

Baby Trend Diaper Champ
Regular Price: $29.99
eBay: $8.99 to $19.50 (new)
There are several disposable diaper contraptions out there. But my favorite is the diaper champ since you can use whatever bag you want and don’t have to buy any kind of special replacements. You can risk buying a used one, but you risk also purchasing some lingering smells. I’d splurge here and buy new.

Stokke Tripp Trap Highchair
Regular Price: $249
eBay: $128 (used) to $227.50 (new)
If you’re fond of the convertible furniture pieces, than you may be a fan of the simplicity and multi-aged usage aspect of the Stokke Tripp Trap highchair. You can get padding to cradle the youngin’s and you can adjust the chair to grow with them. Plus, it’s just so damn Swedish looking.

Bugaboo Cameleon Stroller
Regular Price: $899
eBay: $355.55 (used) to $835 (new)

Yeah, this is the big ticket item on the list. But if you’ve lusted after the celebrity style of the highfalutin Bugaboo, for god’s sake, don’t buy one for $899. Seeing one recently sell for $355.55 almost makes it affordable.

Baby Einstein Activity Gym
Regular Price: $49.99
eBay: $3.25 (used) $41.00 (new)
The activity gym is another great item to keep your immobile kid active and interested. It’s soft, colorful and portable. Mine used the Baby Einstein one and loved it. But it is another item that has a short lifespan in babyhood, so picked up a used one isn’t a bad idea, just look for one sans spit-up.

Fisher Price Zen Collection Luxury Gliding Bassinet
Regular Price: $219.99
eBay: $170 to $219.99
An attractive peaceful place for your baby to lay their pliable little head. The "Zen" provides a smoothing enviroment that features music, nature sounds, and even womb sounds and has a smooth gliding motion to rock the baby to sleep. Man, I think I need one of those for myself.

Dwell Studio 3-Piece Zoo Crib Set
Regular Price: $79.99
eBay: $14.99 to $41.00
Who doesn’t love Dwell? I know we at Babble sure do. Their simple, modern designs are pert near perfect for any nursery. And with their line for Target, the beddings were finally affordable. Add eBay into the mix and it gets darn right cheap. The above pictured set is in the Zoo pattern and includes a fitted crib sheet, comforter and a bumper pad.

Graco Pack 'N' Play Portable Play Yard
Regular Price: $179.99
eBay: $35.00 (for a simple used one) to $129.99 (for one like the item above)
I personally didn’t use a Pack N’ Play but I know many, many parents who swear by them. If you travel, bring your kids places where the environment may not be baby proofed or if you just need to put them down for a second, the Pack n’ Play seems to fit the bill. There are oddles of styles on ebay from old-school versions for dirt cheap prices to ones with all the bells and whistles.

Boppy Nursing Pillow
Regular Price: $34.99
eBay: $2.99 (used) to $19.99 (new)
If you nurse, then you bop. The breast feeding pillow, like the above Boppy Nursing Pillow and the My Breast Friend, makes nursing a much more comfortable affair for both mom and the baby. There are lots of Boppy covers out there so if you don’t like the cheap Boppy you found on eBay you can always buy it and then bid on a more stylish cover.

Fisher-Price Rainforest Jumperoo
Regular Price: $89.99
eBay: $20.50 (Used) to $79.95
Yes, yet another tool to occupy your baby. Personally, I’m fond of the Jumperoo, they get to strengthen those leg muscles, get their wiggles out and pretty much just jump for joy. And I prefer the stand alone version rather than the kind that just fastens preciously from your door frame. And seeing the bidding wars for these on eBay, it looks like I’m not the only one who is a fan.

ABC Kids Expo 2008: Bloom Alma Collapsable Mini Crib

Chris Ford — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 16:37:00 GMT

Like I mentioned before, Bloom had a lot of cool stuff at ABC, not the least of which was the "Alma," a collapsable mini crib or bassinet. It's kind of hard to tell from the picture above, but the Alma is a crib that, when you take the mattress out, folds up into a much smaller footprint. It's not exactly portable, but it could easily be tucked away into a closet.

The Mini Crib / Bassinet is designed for babies 0 - 12 months and even has a plastic rail for chewing babies. The ability for it to fold up is what's really cool about it, and it would be perfect in a home where space is an issue, or even a place where the baby sleeps part-time (i.e. Grandma and Grandpa's). It is a custom size though, so you'll have to buy the mattress from Bloom too. The frame will cost $450, and the simple mattress for $80, and coil mattress for $160.

It's not available yet, but you can still check out the Bloom web site at BloomBaby.com

The Mutsy Slider Stroller: Discount and Giveaway!

editors — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 16:33:00 GMT

The Mutsy strollers have been tooling around the Netherlands (where stellar design is a way of life) since 1935 and now their modern incarnations have made their way across the pond. The newest in the urban stroller line is the Slider which is as versatile as it is traffic-stopping (available in silver-white, red and green – brown coming in ‘09). The package retails for $759 and includes the chassis, seat and bassinet so your stroller goes from baby to toddler seamlessly. And when it’s time to stow and go, the one-click technology takes this bad boy down to compactness not previously seen. You can even remove the sidewalk-ready rubber wheels with one click if you’re looking to minimize stroller bulk in your home/car/overhead luggage compartment. If you’re toting the car seat, the Mutsy Slider also fits the Graco SnugRide®, Safe Seat® car seats and the Maxi Cosi™ car seat. So . . . how can you win and/or buy one of these beauties? Enter the Babble Playground Photo Contest: Serious Face here, and submit your baby’s best brood today! Or head over to Barebabies.com where they are offering Babble readers a 10% discount on any Mutsy product when you enter the code BAB10offmutsy. - April Peveteaux

Get it at Barebabies starting at $569.

Jessica Alba Baby Shower "Gifts"

Chris Ford — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 22:24:00 GMT

If you haven't heard yet (and if you haven't, then you really should be reading FameCrawler more often), Tyra Banks just threw Jessica Alba a baby shower on her television show (because really, if there's one person who needs free kids stuff, it's the Fantastic Four's Invisible Girl). Apparently the Tyra Show got together with MomLogic.com and came up with a bunch of new products that every new Hollywood mom must have. After the jump I'll list them (along with some of my own snarky comments).

The Cariboo Classic Bassinet ($359.95) & Cariboo Activity Gym ($159.95). A beautiful, expensive bassinet that she'll use for about six months and then get rid of.

Cariboo Puretec Blankets $99.95 - $159.95. A baby blanket for $159.95 doesn't even deserve a comment.

Lillebaby Euro Tote ($119.95). Baby in a bag! We've been talking about these for a while on Droolicious.

Svan High Chair ($249.95). Even at that price, it's hard to make a snide comment about a beautiful high chair. Even though if you so much as cut a piece of pizza on it you'll dramatically reduce the resale value. OK. It wasn't that hard.

Svan Scooter ($119.95). For the right age group (i.e. not Jessica's impending infant) this is a really cool product.

Svan Bouncer ($119.95) For a hundred and twenty dollars it better take care of the midnight feeding too.

Yo My Booties Baby Booties ($50). If you can't put your infant in Uggs, super-furry baby shoes are probably the next best thing.

Yo My Booties Zebra and Cheetah Sweaters ($85). Expensive, but these look pretty cool.

Yo My Booties Pom Pom Hat ($50). Isn't a baby hat for $50 the definition of conspicuous?

Valco Baby TriMode All Terrain Stroller ($425) with Infant Bassinet ($150). No comment. I'm a Bugaboo man myself.

Lautrec Toulouse Diaper Bag ($236), Mommy Chic Diaper Bag ($395) & Femme Chic Diaper Bag ($360). Any one of these would be way too much money, but three? If you're worried about your kid crapping on it, it's time to get a new diaper bag. And if you don't care about your kid crapping on a $395 diaper bag? More power to you.

Lil Safari Girl Pre-Walker and Lil Dino Boy Pre-Walker Shoes ($34.95). A new Robeez ~~competitor~~? [Reader Laura correctly points out, Robeez is also owned by Stride Rite, having a virtual baby shoe monopoly. -mdd] I'll have to check them out.

Sleep Sheep, Sleep Sheep on the Go, Lavender Lab, Baby Sheep Rattle ($6 - $24). Finally. A baby toy.

Bel Bambini Gift Basket ($500) and Gift Certificate ($1000). Oh. I guess there wasn't enough free crap. Now she can go pick out some more herself.

So there it is. And the grand total of all the free swag Jessica Alba is getting? About $4,861.50 by my calculations.

Check out more about it at Mom Logic.com (including a clip of the show).

Photo of the Tyra Show source: Pagesix

The Babble Review: Lilly Gold Nap-Sac

aprilpeveteaux — Thu, 08 Nov 2007 19:30:00 GMT

Putting the Lilly Gold Nap-Sac through the ringer made me realize how awesome it would be if someone carried around a bed, snacks and a fresh outfit for me for a change. In the absence of a super strong butler, we’re going to have to settle for making a little one’s life more luxurious, yet again, at the schlepper’s expense. The Lilly Gold Nap-Sac is not compact, but it is lightweight enough to throw over your shoulder (even better, go for the backpack option to reduce the number of things hanging about your thighs). But it does fold up to a manageable size considering that the Nap-Sac can easily hold a change of clothing, enough diapers for two cross-country trips, bottles, books, toys, your Grandmother’s china you’re bringing back home and the baby. You have to unfold for the baby part, but if you’re flying and are lucky enough to get the bulkhead, the Sac could act as a bassinet-on-board. The waterproof nylon makes cleaning up accidents a snap, and since the pockets really can hold everything, the zebra print blanket can be thrown on for more comfy napping. If you were the type who could travel international style with one carry-on bag and now hyperventilate at the thought of one more baby item to lug around, this is not for you. If you, however, are someone who wants all your baby business in one place, consider the Nap-Sac your new travel buddy.

Buy it here - $69.95

Droolworthy: Ooba Nest Bassinet

Meredith Broussard — Fri, 12 Oct 2007 14:15:00 GMT

This elegant Eames-influenced bassinet is an inspired addition to any ultra-modern bedroom. Keep baby cozy and within arm's reach while avoiding aesthetic insults (like that mesh co-sleeper that initially seemed like a good idea but ended up functioning as an unnecessarily expensive nightstand).

The Ooba Nest bassinet has a plywood shell that's available in either birch or walnut wood veneer; legs are chrome and the slipcover is 100% cotton. Set includes slip cover, mattress pad, cover, and two fitted sheets. A conversion kit is also available ($250) to turn the bassinet into a play table or a toy bin when baby is bigger.

Bassinet available for $600 at 2modern.com.