Thanks Mom!

Just a little "thank you" to all the moms and Mr. Moms out there -

Visit us over Mother's Day and enjoy the great Phoenix weather with a FREE rental of any of our "Outdoor" items with orders of $100 or more. Choose from a hiking backpack, wagon, tricycle, picnic table, pool float, or a swim vest for a free rental up to 1 week long. As long as any portion of your rental covers Mother's Day, May 10th, you can save up to $30! Subject to availiblity.

Visit us online to book your reservation today! http://sweetpeababyrentals.com/.

More on Rental Car Company Seats

I was hunting down my own rental car seats at the Phoenix Rental Car center a few days ago and was led to the room where all the company's seats were stored. Let me reiterate once again what poor condition these seats are in! (Read here if you want more details.) Some were in plastic bags, although I don't think that meant they were necessarily clean, most had covers that were coming off, infant seats had no bases and looked to be of the absolute cheapest quality they could find. I didn't see any brand names on them so I'm not sure what they actually were, but I know it's nothing I've seen in stores in the last 5 years, which is when most car seats expire.

Most car rental companies charge $10/day for a car seat. Compare this with our rental rate of $11/day or $55/week for a top of the line Britax Marathon or Graco Nautilus, and you're not only guaranteed clean and sanitized seat, but a much better and safer one at that. Plus you're saving money if you're renting for more than 5 days! Our Graco Snugride infant seats are an even better deal at $8/day or $38/week.

AAP Recommends Rear Facing Seats for 2 years

A recent release by the American Acadamy of Pediatrics recommends children ride rear-facing in their car seats until the age of 2, not 1 yr and 20 lbs as previously recommended. Read the AAP press release.

Rest assured that your little ones will be safe in our Britax Marathon car seats that we carry in our rental inventory. They can accomodate a rear-facing position up to 35 lbs, typically around the age of 2, and a forward facing positon up to 65 lbs and 49" in height.

Phoenix Children's Museum

My 2 1/2 year old daughter and I visited the Phoenix Children's Museum today. I was really impressed by it and it definitely exceeded my expectations (and wasn't crowded at all, even for a Sunday). At $9 each, I didn't think it was too expensive and we even ended up buying a year membership at the end of our visit ($75 for 1 child and 1 adult). Infants under 1 are free but that's not to say there's nothing for them there.

The three-story museum is divided up into large themed play areas and smaller rooms each with a divided area especially for infants under 1. She especially liked the Market, complete with pint-sized carts, aisles of real looking groceries, two check out counters, and a stock room. This was right next door to the Kitchen, where stoves, pizza ovens, microwaves, and a stock of "food", aprons, and cooking utensils were plentiful. Moms, dads, and grandparents all sat in the surrounding restaurant while the kids prepared delicious meals. The Ball Room, art room, play area, and library all were great too. There's a lot to do for toddlers, preschoolers, and grade school aged children. Kids from 1-10 were all playing together and not toppling eachother over.

Parents are encouraged to leave the strollers in the car and there's really not a need for them inside. Sitting areas for parents are provided in most rooms and you are allowed to bring your own food in for a picnic outside or in the multi-use room. A small cafe is available to purchase drinks, snacks, and pre-packaged sandwiches.

If you happen to be in town on First Friday, admission to the museum is free! Read more about First Friday, the largest monthly art walk in the US! Our downtown streets are shut down, art galleries open up, and street vendors and performers are out from 6-10pm.

The museum is located on 215 N. 7th St (approx 7th St. and Van Buren, in the historic Monroe School building).