* cababarant *

Wednesday, October 04, 2006

Baby gear round-up

So with kid #3 on the way in a matter of weeks (an October birthday), the gadget geek in me has been temporarily replaced with a baby gear geek. It's an easy thing to focus on, given where we live-- the Netherlands has a huge focus on well-designed (as well as expensive!) baby gear. Or, at least it's a distraction from the reactions of everyone we know: "Three kids!", with the expressions on their faces that say, "I didn't know people still had more than two kids". (Our environments are so different than where/when I grew up. I went to Catholic school in the Midwest where most of my classmates had at least two siblings, if not three. Seattle and the Netherlands are clearly neither predominantly Catholic, nor Midwestern.)

Anyway, Holland is a pretty sweet place for the baby goods. (And a good opportunity for us to avoid one of the most horrible U.S. superstores of all, the evil Babies-R-Us.) After all, this is the land that gave birth (so to speak) to the Bugaboo, the obnoxious chi-chi stroller that every B-list celebrity pushes around New York City and London. The temptation to get a Bugaboo is really strong (especially living here) but I'm trying hardest to resist because even with all the crazy cobblestone, I still can't bring myself to the conclusion that an 800 euro stroller is a reasonable purchase. (Yes, for those without children it's hard to believe, but some crazy parents -- many, in fact -- are willing to pony up to $1000 for a stroller status symbol). We already have a Quinny Zapp, which the little guy has already been using, and I think initially, we will just get a Cabrio carseat to set on the frame, even though there is no storage whatsoever, so forget parking the groceries in the stroller. I have a feeling that we will eventually end up with a beefier stroller, especially when the baby gets too big for the Cabrio carseat. Thankfully, there are lots of well-designed choices by Dutch companies like Quinny and Mutsy (which aren't generally available in the U.S.) as well as the British MicraLite. Any of these are worthy of making the design-conscious parent swoon.

The Zapp with a Cabrio carseat on it

I will rant about one that I see quite frequently here, though: the Stokke Xplory. This stroller makes me want to kick something. It is so ridiculous. It's like an office chair / pedestal with a baby teetering on top. And don't even get me started on the 900-euro pricetag. It makes the Bugaboo seem "reasonable". Doesn't matter. Stokke is after all a Norwegian company, so I can't really attempt to explain what they were thinking with this one. I guess I can forgive them though, because the Stokke highchair that I love (now renamed the Tripp Trapp) is a baby gear design classic.

Then there are the 'loopfietsjes' (little walking bikes, to translate directly), which are little pedal-less bikes designed for babies as little as one-year-old. These can also be purchased in the U.S. through companies like the German Likeabike, but they are incredibly popular here (and there are cheapy ripoff ones so you don't have to spend the equivalent of $250(!) on one).

Links
Daddytypes: Just another parent obsessed with the gear
Bugaboo: The one that started the stroller design revolution
Quinny Zapp: The easiest to manoeuver buggy around (in my humble opinion)
Micralite: Newer Brit stroller that is taking designerly parents by storm
Stokke Xplory: Stroller design gone kah-razy
Likeabike: wooden pedal-less bikes for babies (U.S. website)
Firstbike: aluminum pedal-less bikes for babies

posted by sheryl | 10:20 AM | comments (1)