If I ask you to close your eyes and visualize a stroller, what image immediately pops into your mind? Is it a dainty pink and white baby doll carriage pushed by a little girl in the park (a pram/carriage stroller)? Is it a sleek, aerodynamic masterpiece of a stroller pushed by a dad during his morning run (a jogging stroller)? Or is it an empty, stroller being pushed effortlessly down the aisles of the grocery store by its intended occupant, who prefers driving over riding (a lightweight stroller)?

The beauty of today’s stroller market is that parents have a wide array of stroller products from which to choose. When you close your eyes and visualize, any number of stroller images can pop into your mind.

Now, let’s take a moment to demystify each of the stroller types. The major types of strollers are standard, umbrella, lightweight, travel systems, strollers for multiples (including doubles, triples, quads, quints and sit & stands), jogging strollers and prams/carriage strollers. Different types of strollers have different intended uses and features. You, as a parent, must ask yourself the following questions when deciding which type of stroller is best for you and your little one.

1) Where will I be going?

If you’re taking quick trips to the grocery store or the mall, you’ll need something light and easy that can comfortably navigate down narrow store aisles. If you’re trudging up and down subway stairs, child, bags and stroller in tow, you’ll need something that doesn’t require the strength of Hercules. Both of these tasks can most easily be tackled with the help of an umbrella or lightweight strollers. Umbrella strollers serve for many parents, as a secondary stroller for just this type of travel.

2) Who needs a lift?

If you’re toting twins, you’ll probably want a side-by-side double stroller with ample storage space. If you have a baby and a toddler, you might opt for a sit & stand stroller, which allows baby to stay snuggled in the stroller while big sibling hitches a ride on the platform behind whenever he or she tires of running circles around you. If you have a newborn baby, you’ll want to save a jogging stroller until your child reaches the age of at least 6 months.

3) Will I take my little with me one my morning jog?

With their shock absorbers and 3 big bicycle wheels, jogging strollers are specifically designed for smooth, comfortable rides over rocky terrain.

4) How big is my trunk or backseat?

Consider the portability of a stroller as you make your purchasing decisions. If you have little storage space in your vehicle, or want something that can even go in an airplane’s overhead bin, you’ll want something with a lightweight frame that is easy to fold. You’ll want something with wheels that aren’t so big as to inspire nightmares later. You’ll probably want a lightweight or umbrella stroller.

5) How many gadgets do I want?

Most strollers come well-equipped with features that parents have come to know and love. A canopy is a must for protecting your child from the sun and the rain. One-handed folding allows you to hold your baby and open or close the stroller simultaneously. A play/snack tray keeps your child occupied when you need it most. Adjustable handlebars make life easier for tall parents. The stroller most likely to have these and any other feature that you might dream of is the standard stroller. It comes fully-loaded and ready for action.

6) How important is it for me to transport my child from the car to the stroller with as little disturbance as possible?

If this is of great concern to you, a travel system is your best bet. A travel system comes with a matching car seat that locks into the stroller when it’s time to move from the car to the rest of the world.

Parents, be sure to keep all of these things in mind when you decide which stroller is best for you. Whatever your choice, also make sure that your stroller is certified by JPMA (Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association). Paying close attention to these factors will keep you and your child safe and happy.

Go to www.babystrollercentral.com to view corresponding images.

Article Source: EzineArticles.com

The Dunston Baby Language system “Teaches” you the language of your baby. Almost a decade of international research has found all newborn babies use 5 sounds to express their basic needs. Parents around the world are discovering the miracles of the Dunstan System; babies are more content, cry less and settle more easily. Your newborn has a lot to say and now you can learn their language.

Who would have thought ugly would be so cool? UglyDolls are sure to be one of the hottest toys for kids this Christmas. These gnarly little beasts will find a way into your kids hearts and maybe even yours. The dolls are made from super soft material, and liked to be used as a pillow. Check them out!

Looking for a hot gift for a young kids this Christmas? How about a pet that you never have to feed, clean up after or even walk? It sounds too good to be true until you check out the Perfect Petzzz’s family of toy animals.

These pets are so life like, you can actually see them breathe! Kids will be amazed – or fooled! – by these cute little creatures and no vet bills! Perfect Petzzz are sure to be one of the hottest gifts for young kids this year.

I love products that have the ability to change the way you live. Just as TiVo changed the way we watched television, the Apple TV has all but eliminated our DVD player. No more changing DVD’s or scratched discs, you just turn on the Apple TV, browse the menu for the movie you want to watch and press play. You and, most importantly, your kids will no longer have to wait for those annoying trailers that agonizingly prolong the start. Instant gratification.

The Apple TV is easy to set up. You connect it to your TV and/or AV Receiver and the Apple TV guides you through the rest of the setup. You manage the Apple TV through iTunes, much like you would an iPod. You also need to have some type of wireless or wired home network to sync and stream the content to your Apple TV.

The main obstacles that stand in the way of the Apple TV from gaining more than geek status is the availability of digital content (movies) and getting them on the Apple TV. The iTunes store contains a limited selection of movies and unlike importing a compact disc, there is no easy method to putting a DVD (one you own, of course) in your computer and converting it to a file that is playable on the Apple TV.

The lack of an easy conversion process is most likely due to the all mighty forces behind the major movie studios, but all is not lost. You can use software, like the brilliant HandBrake (available for Windows and Mac) to convert your movies into files that can be synched or streamed to the Apple TV. The process can be time consuming. On a fast computer it takes a little less than real time to convert a DVD, but the end result is worth the effort. Once your files are converted, the Apple TV grabs the movie and your set.

Besides movies, the Apple TV can sync or stream all your music and photos from your computer for display on your TV. You can watch the endless supply of YouTube videos and the screen saver alone can keep the kids entertained while you listen to music. Controlling it all with your TV remote makes it all even easier and more enjoyable. There are other products that do some of the same things – some better, some worse, but the Apple TV makes it very easy. Hopefully it is not too far ahead of its time. Buy today!

Starfall.com is a fantastic (and free!) website designed to help children learn to read. It’s primarily for first graders but I’ve found the site is appropriate and interesting for toddlers to children in third grade. Starfall.com is easy to navigate, even for children. It includes stories, games, songs, activities and movies all designed to teach children the essential skills necessary for reading. The four sections (ABC’s, Learn to Read, It’s Fun to Read, and I’m Reading) increase in difficulty beginning with letter names and sounds, then how to blend sounds and decode words and eventually on to fun stories at independent reading levels.

I would recommend this site to all parents for all children. As a teacher, I’m annoyed by how often educational shows and games mispronounce letter sounds. (Ex. the sound for the letter b is simply /b/ not buh.) This site correctly pronounces each letter sound and it appropriately first introduces short vowel sounds then separately introduces the long vowel sounds.

You will love this site and your child will enjoy it and benefit from it for years to come.

There are literally hundreds of different car seats sold in the US market today. Even though all the eats sold in the US meet the safety requirement in a crash test, it is still a good idea to buy a car seat with a better set of safety features.

We will help you go through 5 of the infant seat features that are important to your baby’s safety.

1. 5-Point Harness

There are two kinds of infant seats in the market: 3-point harness and 5-point harness. The 5-point harness usually straps the baby in better, and provide better protection against ejection when used properly.

2. Head Protection

Some infant seats come with a layer of EPS foam or similar materials along the sides of the child’s head. This layer of protection could improve side-impact crash safety.

3. Built-in Locking Clip

Many car seats require the use of a metal locking clip. This is to ensure the seatbelt holding the seat in place does not loosen over time. However, many parents do not use them correctly, and many others don’t use them at all! A built-in locking clip is easier to use, and more often provide a snug fit. It also eliminates the possibility that parents would lose the clip or simply throw it away.

4. Two-piece Chest Clip

A two-piece chest clip can minimize the possibility of ejection during a crash when used properly. It is also harder for a baby to reach the chest area, so there is less chance for the baby to loosen it.

5. Compatible Seatbelt Installation Option

Some car seats provide a few seatbelt installation options; others only the most common ones. Check your car to learn the seatbelt system (especially older models), and buy the baby seat that support that particular seatbelt system. Remember – a car seat that is not installed properly is an unsafe seat.

http://www.childseatcenter.com

Article Source: EzineArticles.com

Here’s an item we could not live without: The Snug Tuck Pillow. We first discovered it when we were searching for bed rail options when it was time to transition our oldest from the crib. He was a roller and loved sleeping snuggled up against the bumper of his crib. We were worried he would either roll himself out of bed or wake himself up when he rolled into the hard bed railings.

The Snug Tuck has been the perfect solution. The tubular foam pillow is as long as the bed and is secured by a strong elastic band and buckle that run under the mattress. There’s no need for a box spring and it’s extremely easy and fast to set up. (The foam is firm and breathes so it’s not a suffocation hazard or a dust mite magnet.) But what our son, and now daughter, love the most is how cuddly it is.

The pillow is also an excellent solution for co-sleeping families.

The covers come in dozens and dozens of colors and patterns and are easily washable.

There is nothing we don’t like about this pillow. It’s still easy to sit on the edge of the bed for nighttime stories and our children can still climb in and out of the bed in the morning.

We love this pillow.

Threadless Kids has cool baby and kids t-shirts with unique designs that are actually submitted by members of the Threadless community. Visitors to the site vote on the t-shirt designs and the highest rated are added to the catalog. Threadless sells most of the same designs in teen and adult sizes too. Keep the kids in style, check out Threadless Kids.