Gear

The L’ovedbaby Arms-Free Swaddler has a horrific name. Really? You want that apostrophe in there? Huh. But despite the bad name, the swaddler is a genius idea. When babies are first born, a tight arms-and-all swaddle helps them sleep. But just a few months later, they start fighting to get their arms free and wake themselves up doing it. With the genius Arms-Free, their arms can wave around while their legs are controlled. Hey, anything that gets you 20 minutes of extra sleep.

L’ovedbaby Arms-Free Swaddler, $29.95

Delivering a baby is enough of a shock to your system. No need to sign on for any additional physical discomfort (translation: pain).

That’s where the new Puj Tub comes in. It allows you to easily bathe Junior in the sink and eliminates the need to contort yourself into unnatural positions in order to lean over a regular bathtub while holding a slippery newborn. The Puj Tub fits into any sink. So you just step right up and wash. The PT has medical grade, warm foam to cushion your little seven pounds of bliss. It’s non-toxic, antibacterial and anti-fungal as well as hypoallergenic. The sleek design of this modern bathing pod is, in and of itself, a work of art; it folds flat so you can hang it to dry.

This is one hot tub.

Available at pujbaby.com.

Word that stroller giant Maclaren was voluntarily recalling all its umbrella strollers sold between 1999 and the present hit the momosphere yesterday like a tsunami. There’s a lot of confusion swirling around, so here are the facts: Maclaren is not asking for the strollers back, merely distributing a free hinge-cover kit that corrects a defect in the stroller. Here’s where things get ugly: The Consumer Product Safety Commission has received reports of a dozen fingertip amputations due to the hinge. Parents are closing the stroller…the hinge pinches the tiny finger…you get the picture.

The models of stroller affected are Volo, Triumph, Quest Sport, Quest Mod, Techno XT, TechnoXLR, Twin Triumph, Twin Techno and Easy Traveller. If you have one of these strollers, visit Maclaren USA at maclaren.us, or call toll-free between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. EST, 877-688-2326. Both the site and phone lines have been deluged with requests; keep trying if you can’t get a response right away.

Flashback three decades or so to when you bought your first training bra. Many of you will remember feeling awkward and embarrassed (and just plain clueless). Shopping for nursing bras and breastfeeding accoutrements is no different. So a little discretion is in order.

Be thankful for the anonymity Internet shopping provides. The online counterpart to Yummy Mummy, a “breastfeeding emporium” on Manhattan’s Upper East Side, just launched. You can shop the company’s well-edited selection of nursing tops, bras and accessories from the privacy of your own home. YM stocks those hard-to-find, extra parts for Medela and Ameda pumps, plenty of creams and other concoctions for postpartum care as well as stylish lines of nursing shirts that will make you proud to be ditching your well-worn maternity wear. YM also carries Milk Bands nursing bracelets to help you keep track of which side is on deck next - right or left. The Belly Bandit, an abdominal compression binder designed to help you get your pre-baby body back, is also available at Yummy Mummy.

Milk it.

Visit yummymummystore.com.

Back in the 18th century, our relationship with the Brits wasn’t so hot - the whole American Revolution thing. But today we’ve got a lot to thank the UK for: Maclaren strollers, fax machines, penicillin, steel-ribbed umbrellas (a.k.a. bumbershoots), Burberry and Jude Law, to name a few. Now we’re getting some new hot wheels from across the pond.

Early Rider, already popular in Europe, is a light-weight, learner bike specifically geared toward toddlers and preschoolers. It’s got no pedals. Kids ride it Fred-Flintstone style, walking and jogging along, coasting when they feel like it. The point of the bike is to concentrate on learning to balance; kids can work on gross motor skills and gain self-confidence before throwing in pedaling. These British bikes weigh between seven and 11 pounds. All three versions of the Early Rider are made from Forest Stewardship Council sustainable birch, have an embossed flame and faux leather seat pad. Of course, with a bike this good-looking, Junior will need suitable headgear to match.

That’s when you turn to Nutcase, a Portland-based helmet company. They make a line for kids (toddlers to age 5) called Little Nutty. Each helmet is made from an ABS shell and with an EPS shock-absorbing liner. The helmets are one-size-fits-all and have a spin-dial fit system. One of the company’s co-founders was a creative director at Nike. No wonder these helmets have got such great visuals. The newest Little Nutties are Flower Power and Paint Fight (pictured), but you’ll also want to check out the 8 Ball, Dots and Urban Caution designs.

Ride, baby, ride.

Early Riders are available at earlyrider.com, and Little Nutty helmets at nutcasehelmets.com.

As the pumpkins surface, along with a few extremely premature Christmas decorations,it’s time for your annual winter-gear, search-and-rescue mission. Digging through piles of Pashminas past, you discover half a dozen gloves and mittens without partners. Why bother? Typically, after the 27-minute production of bundling up the bambino, you forget to take along your own cold-weather accessories in the rush to flee your overheated apartment.

Time to reinvent the wheel, or at least the mitten. One NYC mom did just that. Amy Sapirstein created the Mommy Mitten. It’s like a portable Snuggie for your hands. Just fasten it onto your stroller handlebar once and go. Lined with fleece, the “mitten” also features an insulating inner core plus an outer material that is water resistant. The whole thing is machine washable. The Mommy Mitten fits around any horizontal push bar, like the kind you see on the Bugaboo (Mutsy, Quinny, UPPAbaby, Phil & Teds, etc.) And standby. If you own a Maclaren or similar stroller with a set of two vertical handlebars, Sapirstein is working on a mitten contraption for you.

Now all she needs is a late-night informercial a la the Snuggie, and this fab invention could be equally famous.

Available online at mommymitten.com.

There’s a new version of the ABCs to learn these days, only it doesn’t have a catchy tune, is associated with plenty of health hazards and contains letter combos such as DEHP, BBP (phthalates) and PVC (vinyl). It’s hard enough keeping track of what these mean, let alone which products contain them.

Enter HealthyStuff.org, a new website from the Ecology Center, a Michigan-based, non-profit environmental organization. The site just released the biggest database ever of independent tests of toxic chemicals found in everyday products. It covers 5,000 consumer items, including toys from its two-year-old predecessor, HealthyToys.org. Car seats, cars, back-to-school products, pet accessories, even women’s handbags, were all put to the test. Researchers were looking for the presence of lead, cadmium, bromine, mercury and arsenic plus phthalates and PVCs. Each subject is rated - high, medium or low - according to the level of toxic chemicals found. Below are some highlights from the database:

*More than half of the car seats tested contained one or more hazardous chemicals.
*56% of back-to-school supplies contained PVCs and 22% contained detectable levels of lead.
*Lead was detected in 75% of the more than 100 plastic women’s handbags tested.

And don’t worry, for the non-chem majors, Healthystuff.org details the health risks posed by the various toxic chemicals for which it’s testing. One great feature of the site: You can nominate products you believe Healthystuff.org should evaluate.

Power to the people.

Take the word “air,” engage in a little free association, and phrases such as Air Jordans, Air Supply, air pollution (and, possibly even, the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air) may come to mind. Car seat’s not likely to make the list. Until now.

Safety 1st has just introduced the Complete Air Convertible car seat. It uses air to protect a baby’s head from a side impact crash. Not to be confused in any way with an airbag, the Air Protect system inside the seat’s side head flaps not only shields the head but also reduces crash forces. Side impact crashes have increased by 20% over the past two decades and are among the deadliest. One quarter of all crashes involving children are side impact crashes. Air Protect technology was developed in conjunction with Kettering University’s Crash Safety Center. The Complete Air Convertible car seat is for kids 5-50 pounds and has a five-position adjustable headrest.

Air you go.

Available at toysrus.com.

No matter how much we learn about an infant’s brain, no matter how expensive our strollers become, no matter how hi-tech the baby gear gets, science and technology seem to have no impact on one key aspect of parenting - the schlep factor. Traveling with baby is still one big exercise in inconvenience.

Short of hiring a staff to do your heavy lifting, your next best option is to rent baby gear at your destination (a good way to avoid all the airline baggage charges). The newly-formed Baby Travel Pros Association represents baby equipment rental companies across the country. Members must agree to adhere to various safety and cleanliness standards. The organization’s co-founder and president, Sarah Peters, outlines what you need to know and ask when renting gear on the go:

The real deal: Ask if the product you see pictured on the company’s website is what you’ll actually be getting. No bait and switch. Who wants a pack n’ play when you ordered a full-sized crib!

The recall loop: Ask point blank if the company regularly checks lists of recalled products. Also, inquire if they’re on the Consumer Product Safety Commission’s (CPSC) e-mail list for updates and recalls. Find out whether they register all their products.

Age: Inquire how old the equipment is and how often it’s replaced. Car seats should be no more than seven years old. No car seat should be expired.

Shape: Gear should be in “like-new” condition. It goes without saying that nothing should be broken or missing parts. Feel free to ask for the owner’s manual.

Specifics: Let the company know your child’s age, height and weight, and make sure that the equipment (in particular, car seats and strollers) is suitable.

Cleanliness: You may want to ask what kind of cleaning products they use on the rental items. Eco-friendly? Hypoallergenic?

A last word on car seats: All car seats manufactured after September 2002 should have the LATCH system and a five-point harness.

For more information, visit babytravelpros.com.

Paris Hilton has been supplanted by a new media “darling” that’s made of 100% polyester - the Snuggie. The “Blanket with Sleeves” first rose to prominence via television infomercials. This celebrity fleece went on to get mentions on Oprah, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, The Ellen Degeneres Show and Today. It’s no wonder 5 million of these things have been sold.

Now there’s a kid-size version available at Toys “R” Us. Snuggie for Kids is 54″ x 42″ and is suitable for a child up to five feet tall (a pretty tall child). It’s available in pink and blue and is perfect for reading, watching TV and just hanging out with the family. It could also prove its worth at the stadium come football season. Not exactly an item we expect to see gracing the pages of next month’s Vogue, the loose-fitting garb is chic in an Obi-Wan Kenobi kind of way. And because no member of the family should be left out, there’s now also Snuggie for Dogs.

May the fleece be with you.

Available at toysrus.com.