This has become bible-like for recent parents we know and worked wonders for us with our newborn. Dr. Harvey Karp’s five s’s are great techniques for calming a crying baby. AlphaMom has some great videos featuring Dr. Karp over on Brightcove. You can get the DVD on Amazon.com.

Here’s something that should appeal to parents and kids -  a perfect blend of function and style. We’ve been using and loving Vessel’s Candeloo lights from the first night home after the hospital.

They remind me of little characters out of a Miyazaki movie. The most personality I could image from a pair of plastic inanimate objects. About $50, you can get them directly from Vessel or many online retailers. Here’s what we really dig:

• A touch-charge that automatically turns the light off when it comes near contact with the base station.
• Pull the lights out of their station – they automatically go on. Minimizes fumbling in the dark.
• Blue/green and fuschia/orange sets.
• Antennae-style handles – easy for little hands to grasp. Or put in their mouths (new thing in our household).
• Tough, durable plastic, and pretty tooth resistant.
• Long-lasting charge.
• Two lights in the set! You may not think you need two, but you really do. Trust me.

See for yourself in this Brightcove video we made with Aftermix.

Lots of our friends with kids in the year-or-less range are talking backpacks. Seems the Baby Bjorns are getting a wee bit tight and no matter how styly the stroller is, sometimes it’s just going to slow you down. Kelty, REI and Deuter all seem to have nice backpack lines (REI sells their own brand and several others). Some of the things I’ve learned from reading other reviews and trying on some carriers:

• Frames are bulky, but great. You can stand up the backpack while you seat and strap in the little stinker. Then it’s easier to put on.
• Second-hand backpacks – like strollers or car seats – are a mixed bag. Wear, tear and recalls are worth considering. That said, there are lots of Kelty packs on Craig’s List and eBay.

Anyway – we just put in our order for the Sherpani Wahoo in “Cayenne” shown above” over on REI-Outlet. It’s the predecessor to Sherpani’s Rhumba Superlight model, which retails today for about $165. REI-Outlet is having a 20% off sale on any single item. So we picked up the Wahoo and a $20 (usually $35) rain/sun hood. Subtract the 20% off, and $20 remaining from our annual divided, and we picked up the whole rig for about $90. Great deal, even without the dividend. We found some good reviews on the Wahoo and its successor. Frame based, yet compact – perfect for light trails and hiking. If we plan on a Yosemite expedition, we’ll get a bigger frame and pack. But for now this looks great. More analysis, and perhaps a video, after it arrives.

Most people are familiar with Phil&Ted’s creative designs primarily from their double-decker stroller. I think of this company as the babyware equivalent of Oxo, the smart housewares company that showed that there was room to innovate with a vegetable peeler, salad spinner, measuring cup, etc. This New Zealand-based company takes products we’re already familiar with and gives them a very fresh, innovative twist.

We love the MeToo portable high chair. It folds down to the size of (and comes in a box that resembles) a small pizza box. Easy to pack in a suitcase, leave in the bottom of your stroller or carry along in the car. In the past few months, it has come with us across country, to malls and to roadside clam shacks in New England. The seat has a strong steel frame and adjustable clamps that fit on table thick and thin. We’ve had problems with tables that are too thin and lightweight, and others that have barriers beneath that prevent attachment beneath. The seat itself is a heavy black nylon material – makes it stainproof and easy to wipe off. We prefer our MeToo seat to high chairs in restaurants because it gets the little guy right at the table – dangling feet and all. See for yourself in this video below.

We’ve gotten our Phil&Ted’s stuff (the T2 travel cot as well) at Magic Beans. It’s available as well through Amazon.com.

As promised, we’ve got a quick video tour of the Quinny Buzz. We’ll follow with more photos and detail soon. In the meantime -

We’re loving our new buggy. More importantly, the little man really digs it. Key features to see in the video:

• Amazing air-powered expansion. When you collapse the quinny, it compresses air. A flick of a hand or toe is all it takes to get the thing to expand. This is much, much easier than what we’ve tested with several of the other high-end strollers and a boon to parents who have only two hands.
• Frame collapses, and expands of course, with the seat attached (front facing only). Differentiator from the Bugaboo.
• Reversible seat.
• Turning radius is crazy.
• Smooth ride. Three-wheel configuration and the rear air-filled tires make for a smooth ride over cobblestones, pot-holes, gravel, grass and the typical bad urban environments.
• U.S. version does come with a storage basket – albeit a small one. But it’s big enough to store a few water bottles, some farmer’s market purchases (that’s basil near the front tire), rain cover and sweatshirt.

I edited this video with Brightcove’s new Aftermix editing and mashup tool, which is quite cool. It’s like iMovie but better, free and on the web. I have some invites left – just leave a comment and I’ll hook you up.