What The World Needs Now Is More Cool Stuff

Just 'cause he's cute.

Last week I blogged a little about the Biggest Baby Shower event in NYC and getting to listen to a seminar by Dr. Sears on the value of Omega-3s for pregnant and nursing mothers. Remember? Those were good times huh.

As soon as Dr. Sears had finished up, I made a bee-line for the sponsor area. I LOVE a good sponsor area. I look at it like speed dating mixed with antiquing: at each table you get to chat up a very attractive PR rep for a product you may or may not be interested in, and then you get to handle the products themselves and start the haggling process in your mind, “Now how am I going to convince them to give me a couple more samples?”

After the jump, a few of the new-to-me products I can see giving a whirl in my parenting arsenal (and a few that had me going, “Are you fer rills?” in my best Utah accent).

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THUMBS DOWN: Bumbo Cover

Seriously, the Bumbo only works because of how incredibly simple it is. It's a foam seat . . . for your kid . . . to sit in. Please don't try to sell me a wildly colored cotton cover that I will have to wrestle with to get it on and off, and which also requires washing machine rotations. The point of the Bumbo is its friendliness with a bleach wipe, am I not correct in this assumption?? (Thumbs up, though, for the Bumbo tray attachment doohicker. Duh, that's genius.)

What have been your THUMBS UP/THUMBS DOWN parenting gadgets?