There’s a great new resource for parents who want to check on the level of toxic chemicals found in their children’s toys. Healthytoys.org today released testing results for 1500 popular toys using an XRF handheld scanner to screen for lead, cadmium, chlorine, arsenic, bromine and mercury.

The pressure from parents and the media has led to some great changes in the toy industry and a more focused approach to testing and materials. And this website is an enormous step towards creating transparency for parents and helping them to understand exactly what is in toys and what the risks are.

Kudos to The Ecology Center for spearheading this important project.

But… I think it is important, as a parent, to take a deep breath here. The press release that went along with the debut of this information today was dramatic, proclaiming that one in three toys tested were fount to have high levels of toxic chemicals. I understand that with fear comes action - last year’s recalls proved that.  But it is important not to overreact.

Toys are a wonderful part of childhood, and great toys help children develop creativity, social skills, balance, coordination, and imagination. Toy manufacturers and distributors have been working very hard to understand the risks associated with certain chemicals and to source alternatives to make their products safer than ever. Most of the products we sell performed very well in this testing, and some did not. But if you are concerned (and I am), you need to take a close look at the testing results and understand the implications before you take action.

For instance, the Baby Bjorn Air Carrier is rated with a red “High” indicating a high level of toxicity. But look at the details and the story isn’t quite that scary. The fabrics showed some bromine in the white mesh fabric. The level was actually low - 1,066 parts per million - not high (from an industrial standpoint), which is considered anything over 5,000 parts per million. But according to the ranking information on the site, there is no middle ground for bromine - anything between 0 and 1000 parts per million would be classified as Low and anything over 1000 is classified as High. So for 66 parts per million, a very good product ends up with a frightening High rating. Hmmm.

Don’t get me wrong - this is a tremendous resource and it was a huge undertaking. But don’t freak out just because something in your playroom has a “High” ranking.

And I am first in line to get one. After watching my sister push hers around for a few months, I am head over heels in love with the newest member of the Mountain Buggy family. To see my review, click here. To get one for yourself, click here.

This was hardly a surprise, after a steady stream of recalls and other issues, but today, Regal-Lager announced that they will cease to distribute Phil & Teds in the United States, effective May 1, 2009. In a graciously-worded press release, both companies praise one another and wish each other the best of luck.

I can only imagine the stress, both emotional and financial, on Regal-Lager over the past several months, trying to handle one crisis after another. It hasn’t been easy for anyone - not them, not the retailers, and certainly not the frustrated customers. Hopefully this will create a fresh start for Phil & Teds here. From what I’ve been told, no one is anticipating any product shortages due to the changeover. Phil & Teds will take over distribution on May 1, and they have more than six months to get their ducks in a row. Regal-Lager will continue to be well-stocked in all Phil & Teds products right up until then. It should be “seamless.”

I am still a big fan of the Phil & Teds brand and I think their products have a lot going for them. I think they’ve made a few mistakes over the past year or so, and hopefully they know what those are and they’ve learned a few things from them. But they’ve also done some really good things with their marketing, their packaging and their product design. If they can get a tighter grip on their quality control and product testing, and if they recognize that good customer service is essential for their new US operation, they should continue to succeed.

I love my Orbit Infant System, but its biggest challenge is storage space. The cargo pod will hold a few essentials, but if you’re doing any serious shopping, you might be out of luck. But not anymore. Orbit has designed a pannier attachment for the stroller frame that is just as smart as you’d expect it to be. It is a collapsible basket that mounts effortlessly to the side of the frame. Each Pannier can hold one full-sized grocery bag, and they are sold in pairs (so you can use one on each side). There’s a patent-pending carry handle that allows one-step removal and carrying, and there’s even a “Rain Fly” that stows in a pocket to protect your cargo when storm clouds threaten.

The maximum weight is 8 pounds per Pannier, which is a decent amount for a quickie shopping trip. The Panniers will work with any attachment on the stroller frame. We are getting a test pair to play with and display in our Brookline store, and Orbit will have these in stock right after Christmas.

I am very excited to have a pair of these. I’m very curious to see how they affect the handling of the stroller. I’ve been amazed by the easy steering of the Orbit, and I’m hopeful that the full load won’t have a negative impact on the responsiveness.

After more than a year in the making, our new website went live late last night. Please go and check it out and send along your feedback. We are so excited. And a little tired too. Kudos to our amazing web team and our incredible partners at A Far Site Better.

The blogosphere is abuzz today with angry moms. The target of the smackdown is an advertisement for Motrin posted on the company’s website, purportedly to kick off a new ad campaign. The ad was intended to breezily poke fun at the aches and pains associated with babywearing. Unfortunately, the only ones feeling aches and pains today are the folks at Motrin, who hastily posted an apology front and center on their homepage.

Now, I’m an avid babywearer with an extensive collection of slings, pouches, wraps and other carriers. I’ve worn all three of my kids, and Zev spends a considerable amount of time in his wrap. I’ve watched the commercial several times, and while I think it’s a little ditzy and somewhat off-base, I’m having a hard time feeling offended. But a lot of these other moms are seriously pissed off. Am I missing something?

My biggest issue is this: if your baby carrier is hurting enough to send you running for the medicine cabinet, you probably need a different carrier. If you need some suggestions, I’m happy to help.

At the very beginning, during those first blurry weeks after birth, wet diapers are a breastfeeding mother’s best friend. They are the most reliable signal that your baby is getting enough to eat. But with the effectiveness of today’s disposable diapers, it can be really hard to tell whether a diaper is wet. I remember touching, sniffing, weighing, and still not being quite sure.

The morning after Zev was born, I discovered that the hospital diapers had a yellow stripe that turned blue if the diaper was wet. Brilliant. But then a nurse told me they aren’t available in stores.  “They’re just for us idiot nurses,” she joked. This made no sense to me. Even by the third time, I was far more idiotic than any one of these nurses, particularly when it came to diagnosing a wet diaper. If Pampers had this technology, why wouldn’t they share it with the people who needed it most?

I loved those diapers. The convenience of checking that little stripe instead of undressing, touching, sniffing, weighing… it was fantastic. When my hospital supply ran out, I scoured my local supermarkets and drug stores, but didn’t find anything.

It was in a Las Vegas supermarket that I made my discovery, completely by accident. Turns out they are sold as Pampers Swaddlers Sensitive, but the blue stripe “wetness indicator” gets a tiny mention on the package (I didn’t even realize what I’d found until I got back to the hotel and opened them up, having chosen that particular variety simply because it was the smallest package on the shelf).

I still haven’t seen them around here, but I order them online. You can get them on Amazon.com or Diapers.com (you can save $10 off your first order of $49 or more by using this code: spill!).

If I had invented diapers that could tell you they were wet with a single glance, I would be marketing the heck out of them, but maybe that’s just me?

What’s the latest trend in the “everything old is new again” department? Baby hammocks. At this year’s ABC show, three different companies were showing hammock models: the Hushamok, which has been available for about three months, the Miyo, which has just arrived, and the Amby Motion Bed, which has been around for a while.

Putting babies in hammocks to sleep is not unusual in many parts of the world. The practice originated hundreds of years ago with the Mayans in Latin America, and spread throughout Europe with the help of the Spanish explorers, but it has yet to gain popularity in the United States. The emergence of the hammock reminds me a lot of the migration of the sling. What started as an ancient practice first made inroads with the natural parenting crowd, and then finally became mainstream as celebrities made them popular and good design made them attractive.

The Amby reminds me a lot of my first sling, with not much grace or fashion sense. But the newer models are well-designed and will offer broader appeal.

Read the rest of this entry »

As part of a project called Bloggers Give Back, I was sent a new product to review - a Mrs. Goodbee dollhouse (I’ll get to that in a minute). I was also sent an identical dollhouse to give away to a family in need, with the instruction that my kids should be involved in both the product testing and the donation. It’s fitting, since the whole concept behind Mrs. Goodbee is the idea of, well, being good. And doing good.

The Mrs. Goodbee Dollhouse is produced by Learning Curve, the same company responsible for Lamaze toys, Thomas the Tank Engine wooden railway, The First Years, and other reputable brands for kids. It is an electronic, interactive dollhouse that encourages children to “share and care.”

Setting up the dollhouse was fairly simple, once we got past the packaging. The testing product we received had batteries already installed and the many, many stickers that decorate and detail the dollhouse and its components were already adhered in their proper places. The instructions allude to the fact that this is not always the case, so I’m not sure whether I was just lucky, or the manufacturer had a change of heart.

It is a plastic dollhouse that unfolds to be two-sided, with six rooms on each side, so both of my girls could play with it (ironically without having to negotiate sharing). It comes with three dolls - a girl, a baby and a dog. Throughout the house, different buttons trigger sound effects and singing. In the back of the house, there’s a Good Deed Garden, where kids can earn flower stickers. There is also an online component at caringcorners.com, where kids can register and log their good deeds.

My kids absolutely love it. My mom, a developmental psychologist, took one look at it and said “This isn’t the kind of thing you usually sell.” This is true. Talking dollhouses don’t usually make the cut, since we prefer to let kids guide their own play. But although Mrs. Goodbee can get annoying for the adults, she doesn’t really interfere with the creative flow of the play, and she definitely has kept both of my girls engaged and interested.

I like the clever design of the house and the furniture (available as add-on accessories) has some neat features - like a dining room table with place settings that flip over so you can set and clear the table, or a vanity table with a working lamp. Nonetheless, we haven’t committed to selling it in our store, so if you’re interested, try Amazon.com.

Now, our next step is to find a way to donate the second dollhouse in a way that will create a meaningful experience for our daughters. Anyone have ideas?

Survey says maybe. Out of more than 1000 nominations, Magic Beans was selected one of 20 finalists for The Cradle’s America’s Best Baby Boutique Contest. Wow! We’re honored. Click here to vote, and you’ll be automatically entered to win a $1000 shopping spree at the finalist boutique of your choice (Oh! Oh! Us! Us!).