Gear

If there was a bag genie granting wishes, you’d ask for a tote big enough to hold stroller toys and preschool applications yet chic enough to drag to a lunch meeting.

Liv + Co. heard your cry, and answered with a new collection of baby bags in totally grownup fabrics like quilted patent faux leather and crocodile embossed lambskin. Designer Olivia Ma Corwin wants you to look effortless, so the subtle details like a changing pad and detachable coin purse are camouflaged with trendy trims and autumn-appropriate shades of camel, orange, black and brown.

Be careful what you wish for — you may want two.

Available at livandco.com.

Just the thought of those black-and-white marbled notebooks is enough to make you nostalgic for the back-to-school season. But your kids aren’t as thrilled: September means lots of homework, which means bulging backpacks. Ouch.

Below, Dr. Sheeraz A. Qureshi, M.D., M.B.A., Assistant Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City, offers some tips on how to choose the right backpack for your little scholars.

1.Check the number of straps. Backpacks with two straps distribute the weight of the bag more evenly, placing less stress on the shoulders.

2. A backpack should have a strap that goes around the child’s waist to balance the backpack’s weight between the shoulders and hips.

3. Backpacks with wheels place almost no stress on the back and are therefore preferable to standard backpacks. However, some schools do not permit this type of rolling bag so check before buying one of these.

4. Wearing a heavy backpack can affect the way you walk. For children, wearing the backpack lower on the back seems to improve walking mechanics and may reduce pain.

Before a baby can sit up properly, feeding him can be a slumping affair, with Mama and Daddy hovering over a baby lounger with a bowlful of cereal. It sure seems like baby would eat more efficiently in an upright position, but he’s not ready for a high chair yet.

The solution: Prince Lionheart’s BebePOD Plus, a comfy upright baby chair with a sweet attached tray that makes feeding a cinch. Remove the tray if baby just wants to sit, or snap it on to catch drools or present an array of tiny items for baby’s early self-feeding experiments. Equipped with two removable placemats in sweet fruit designs that match the color of the chair, the chair is a snap to keep clean. And with an attachable toy included, you may even be able to make a phone call while Baby’s ensconced.

Available at princelionheart.com.

When packing for that trip to the hospital to deliver your baby, Santa-like, you make a list and check it twice. Nightgown that buttons down the front for nursing? Check. Soothing music? Check. Your own bed pillow? Check.

One more thing to throw in that bag: Ms. & Mrs. Labor and Delivery Survival Kit, a passel of incredibly useful objects packed into a cute little tote that can double as a travel diaper carrier once the baby is actually out. Zip the kit open to find lip balm, a head band, slipper socks, a stopwatch, a calling card, and other essentials.

Happy pushing!

Available at msandmrs.com.

Your friends have shared their must-haves, and the salesperson at your local megastore gave you a checklist. Still, with all the choices out there you have no idea where to begin when it comes to buying baby gear.

Look no further: Giggle’s new Guide to Baby Gear gives the 411 on everything you need for a newborn, infant and toddler, from carriers and cribs to sun protection and smoke detectors. Written by founder Ali Wing, the guidebook offers the easy-to-follow and fun-to-read advice that’s made this hip baby shop a favorite resource.

The choice is yours.

Available at giggle.com.

Danish architect Arne Jacobsen designed his famous Egg Chair in 1958, and ever since it’s been ripped off by designers who want a little of that space-age cool. But so far no one’s deigned to design a miniaturized model for kids. Until they do, we’ll make do with IKEA’s PS LÖMSK swivel chair, made of plastic and canvas instead of velvet and lucite, but that’s no reason not to love it.

The high points: the chair swivels all the way around, 360 degrees, and is equipped with a canvas pull-down shade that provides the child with privacy yet is translucent enough to let in light — no fears of being trapped in the dark in this chair. The PS LÖMSK comes in red with an orange shade or blue with a white shade, and either one make an excellent space pod, personal playhouse, or mini hidey-hole.

Available at ikea.com.

After a summer of car travel, you’ve realized that a portable DVD player isn’t so bad — in fact, it’s sort of a life saver. But there’s no way you’d give toddlers free reign over your expensive electronics.

Get them their own. Fisher-Price’s new Kid-Tough DVD player is designed to withstand drops. Plus the kid-friendly features, like dual grip handles and digital anti-skip buffer, make the Disney Princesses viewing that much smoother.

Your road trip will be easier, too.

Available at amazon.com.

Summer birthday parties are a snap — if there’s a sprinkler and ice cream, the kids are in heaven.

Theme-wise, you’ve already done dinosaurs, Dora and dragons. So make this year’s agenda the environment: Little Star Creative Parties provides all the eco-friendly supplies for a birthday backyard bash, from banners and tablecloths to wrapping paper and party favors. Pint-sized guests will think it’s cool to eat cake from bamboo plates and blow out the beeswax candles.

Party on.

Available at littlestarcreativeparties.com.

Whether staying local or traveling cross-country this summer, safety comes first. We checked in with pediatrician and child safety expert Dr. Laura Jana, on tips she applies to her own life as a mother of three. “I don’t know any parent who wants to skimp on safety,” she says. Dr. Jana advises that safety is not an option or a compromise. Make it part of your family’s non-negotiable routine.

In Cars
Use a car seat as long as possible — until the child no longer fits within the weight and height limits of the seat. Look for a car seat with side wings by the head and a deep body on the sides, to optimize head and neck protection. Comfort is an added feature: If the child is content, he won’t mind sitting in it.

In Taxis
Remember that taxis are vehicles too, and holding a child on your lap does not provide magical protection. For an infant, opt for a car seat system attached to a stroller. Quickly click the car seat into place, and store the stroller in the cab’s trunk.

On Planes
Consider buying a seat for a child under age 2, and sit him in a car seat on the plane (if that’s not possible, look for flights that are not as busy and may have a chance of an empty seat). Front pouch carriers are OK, except for takeoff and landing. For lighter travel, the CARES child restraint is an FAA-approved harness-style child safety device for kids 22 to 44 lbs.

And remember to model good behavior for your child: Wear a seatbelt in the car, a lifejacket on a boat and a helmet on a bike.

Anyone who has tried to secure a hat on a newborn or slather an infant with sunscreen knows that safeguarding a baby’s delicate skin from that ball of fire in the sky is no easy feat.

Next time you feel outdoorsy, grab a Carasol Parasol. Depending on the fabric and color, these elegant brollies block 85 to 99 percent of UV rays, promising far more thorough protection for you and your baby-wearing wee one than even a wide-brimmed cap or high-number SPF. And the compact and lightweight design makes it a cinch to stash in a diaper bag.

Sure, walking around with an umbrella on a sunny day may seem a bit dorky, but with a tiny tot in tow you’ll appear not only exceptionally responsible, but more than a little cute.

Available at carasolparasols.com.