We had great luck visiting with family and borrowing (and renting on another trip) an Evenflo Exersaucer. For stretches of time, the saucer is a great place to let your little one stretch his or her legs. Plays with some toys, spin around, bounce up and down a bit. We also noticed somewhat of a, um, laxative effect. Better at home than on the go, right?

There’s a great overview of some of the novel exersaucers out on the market here at About.com. They’re all similar for the most part. The toys, colors, size and adjustments differ, but the exersaucer concept is always the same – baby can spin around in a central spot and access a perimeter of colorful and noisy toys. A better babysitter than a TV. Perfect for when you have to unload laundry or dishwasher, actually eat something, go to the bathroom or make a phone call.

While the classic saucer was great for us, we’ve been blown away by the more-expensive “Bright Starts Tropical Smiles Around We Go.” We discovered it in the “you might like” recommendations on Amazon.com (sold via Target) and can now wholeheartedly agree with the universally positive comments over on Amazon.

Don’t let the corny long name steer you away from this giant plastic monster that will take up more than corner of your room. It’s a marvel and a world above the standard old skool exersaucer. Here’s the breakthrough, if the picture weren’t clear enough – the kid sits on the outside of the saucer. That’s right. Rather than the center of the action, the little bugger gets to motor – Fred Flintstone-style – around an activity pedestal filled with all kinds of doodads. Frankly, our little guy doesn’t really care about the doodads, but he loves being mobile. Loves it to the point of crying when he had to use his cousin’s classic saucer this past weekend. He’ll sit in it for up to an hour at a time.

So enjoy. When your baby start getting active, we think the Bright Starts Around We Go is a great choice for exercise and activity.

Who knew? We’re about to drop a bunch of Avent and Dr. Brown baby bottles into the recycling bin.

We’ve heard about possible toxic “leeching” from certain types of plastic bottles. After learning more from this KCRW Good Food Podcast, and the linked Smart Plastics Guide report from the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy, we’re now making a big switch.

Turns out there could be problems (and why risk it) with several types of plastic – types 3, 6 and 7. Usually hard and clear plastic are indications of potential toxicity. Clarity bad, opacity good.

We picked up some Avent and Born Free sippy cups. And we’ve been using the Playtex bottles with disposable (and recyclable liners). We’ll probably get a few Born Free bottles to fill things out.

A more thorough explanation, and a fully-tested Sippy Cup Showdown can be found here, at Z Recommends.

We’ll have some photos and video coming soon. But we got our Sherpani Wahoo (the REI Outlet deal is still out there, btw) and have some first impressions.

• Nice styling. The colors, support legs and attention to detail are very impressive. Aesthetically, we like this better than the Kelty and REI brand packs we’ve seen.
• Very comfortable for the wearer. Nice placement of adjustment straps and a surprising amount of waterproof storage space, with a zippered section down at the bottom and some stretchy netting up top.
• No manual from REI and we haven’t heard back on our request for one from Sherpani. So we’re wondering – are those little hanging bags on either side foot stirrups or bottle holders? Our money is on stirrups.
• Adjusting the chest plate, straps and clips relied on a lot of trial, error, and screaming from the little man. I’m still not convinced we’ve got it set up optimally though.
• Little man loved riding high and checking everything out from up above. Pack was stable and comfy and should be great on trails and hikes.

As your bebe steps it up from milk and formula to purees and solids, there are some good books we’ve come across that are quite helpful.

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.

We’re stepping up and pulling the trigger on a new stroller, as we move out of infant stage and the little bruiser outgrows the infant car seat. After a ton, too much really, of research, we’re first in line for the Quinny Buzz as it arrives in the U.S. this month.

More on that later, when it arrives. Mutsy, UppaBaby Vista and Bugaboo, of course, all did a decent job meeting our criteria, but it was the lighter weight, compact fold and great unfold that sold us on the Quinny. Our criteria, in order were:

1. Reversible seat (so no BOB)
2. Smooth ride
3. Easy fold/unfold
4. Weight
5. Size (folded)
6. Style

Anyway, back to the topic at hand.

What we didn’t like about the Quinny (we don’t have it in hand yet), was storage area beneath, and lack of cupholder and snack tray. These are bonuses as well, as it reduces clutter. We planned on aftermarket for these options.

As I begin the research, I’m really digging the CarryYou accessories. Washable, portable, easy to attach/detach velcro. The Piccolo snack tray looks like an affordable winner, that will attach to the safety bar on the Quinny, or any of the others I mentioned above. Photo from the CarryYou site.