ABC Kids Show 2012

This past week happened to be one of my favorite times of the year! The All Baby and Child (ABC) Show was happening in Louisville, KY and I was fortunate enough to be able to attend. It's the largest industry trade show in the US, put on in conjunction with the Juvenile Product Manufacturer's Association (JMPA), and features manufacturers running the range of Graco, Dorel, and Fisher Price all the way down to mom inventors of very interesting products.  All told there were over 3,000 exhibitors at the 4-day long show this year.  There were tons of great new products unveiled this year, and here's a few notable favorites.

Uppababy Mesa infant car seat
We love our Uppababy over here and the Mesa car seat is a great addition to it's line up. It fits the Cruz stroller with no adapters and will also fit the Vista WITH an adapter.  The European belt routing path will give it a very easy and secure seatbelt installation, but the LATCH system is amazingly easy.  Simply click the connectors into place and push the base toward the seat. Its self-tightens as you push which eliminates the need to climb into the base to get the right angle to tug at the strap.  An indicator turns green when you have the level correct as well.

Clek Foonf
Long awaited, the Foonf is a high weight limit car seat just coming on the market this month. It's specs are rear facing 20-50lbs, forward facing to 65lbs.   It features an anti-rebound bar rear-facing, a unique built in REACT crumple zone, and Green Guard certified fabrics that provide protection against stains, moisture and bacteria. 

Ergo Baby
New prints from Ergo, including this great Zebra stripe

BuggyLOVE organic/natural gear cleaning products
I am always on the lookout for great cleaning products that are safe for your little ones (and ours!) I was very excited to find BuggyLOVE and even more excited when my first order showed up today, just a mere 4 DAYS after we placed it at the show.  I promptly tested out FabricLOVE on dried on milk and sunscreen on a black stroller, both of which came right up with absolutely no problem in about 5 seconds! I can't tell you how happy I am about the sunscreen issue!  I have a feeling this will get used on all kinds of our gear from now on.

Fall is upon us!

It's finally starting to cool down here in Phoenix. And by cool down, I mean it's under 100* and we can open our windows at night! So, that means it's time to get back to outdoor activities that don't involve swimming or water.  Here's two fun outdoor things to do this week. We just published our fall specials so reserve soon if you're coming to visit!

McCormick-Stillman Railroad Park - still a favorite of ours and it's fun on the cheap.  Ride the miniature train, carousel, have a picnic, and play at one of two large playgrounds.  We love visiting this park because it's so much fun for the kids (and adults too!) Admission is free, children under 3 ride free with a paying adult. Ride tickets are just $1. The train ride is 2 tickets and carousel is 1 ticket. You can't go wrong with a train ride for just $2! Our daughters enjoy long ride around the park's playgrounds and the sound of the train's whistle as we cross the sidewalks.

 Out of Africa Wildlife Park - Another one of our favorites. They say, "don't call us a zoo!", and they are definitely not in the typical sense.  It's about an hour drive north of Phoenix, but if you have time, it's definitely worth a day trip. You can get very up close and personal with lots of animals. The included safari ride is amazing as is the Tiger Splash show, where the trainers get into a big pool with multiple tigers and jump, swim and play with them.  These are photos I took with my own little camera!

New Items!

Wow, I didn't realize it had been so long since my last post! Here's some new items we are now carrying for rentals!

• New Foundations full sized cribs. ALL rental companies, hotels, and child care facilities have until the end of  2012 to update their crib inventory to comply with the new CPSC crib safety standards. This is more than just drop sides. It also involves beefed up hardware and testing. Virtually all cribs manufactured before June 2011 DO NOT comply.  If you are planning on using a hotel's crib, double check that they are aware and ask if their inventory is updated. Specifically, as to speak to the housekeeping supervisor as the reservation agents do not generally know this information.

• New Summer Infant Super Seat. With the recent recall of Bumbo chairs, I felt it was best to remove them entirely from the inventory. We now feature a similar option (and with more toys!) in the Super Seat.

• Ergo soft infant carrier. This is one of my indispensable baby items that I use almost every day and figured it would be a great addition to the inventory. It's great for vacations when you're out and about but can't always have a stroller with you. We like it for hiking and places where a stroller doesn't always work well.

• Puddle Jumpers swim aid.  As my little ones get older, I discover great products that need to be added. This is wonderful for a curious swimmer that doesn't want to be held, but needs that extra help in the pool. ALWAYS supervise your children in the water of course!

Anything else you'd like to see? Just ask!