Archive for September 15th, 2008
Sep
15
Posted by
admin on
September 15, 2008
Price : $14.99
Features
- Quickly and easily connect your toddler’s car seat to your rolling carry-on suitcase.
- Creates a travel stroller perfect for the airport.
- Slips easily into the pocket of your carry-on when not in use.
- Works with any rolling carry-on suitcase and LATCH, and top tether, equipped car seat
- Your toddler flys in the comfort and safety of their own car seat
Product Description
Whether flying on an airplane or traveling by train or bus, it is safest and most comfortable for your child to be in a car seat. But traveling with a young child, their seat, and your carry-on can be tricky. Not anymore. The Traveling Toddler strap allows you to attach your LATCH and top tether equipped toddler’s car seat to a rolling carry-on suitcase. Simply attach the LATCH and top tether straps from the car seat to the Traveling Toddler and adjust the straps so that the car seat is held securely on the suitcase. Once adjusted, the car seat can be detached and reattached to the suitcase in seconds. Lift the handle of your carry-on bag and you have a fun new stroller.Now there’s an easy and inexpensive way to take your toddler’s car seat and other gear on your trip. You do not have to buy a special seat or suitcase. As long as your suitcase handle locks in place, you can push it like a stroller. Your hands are free for check in and its simple to unhook for security. Keep your child safe and comfortable in their own seat instead of squirming around in a seat made for an adult, or worse, squirming around on your lap. The Traveling Toddler has been tested with most major car seat brands including Graco, Eddie Bauer, Cosco, Evenflo, and Britax, and a variety of carry-on suitcases and has worked with every combination. It is important that the telescoping handle of your suitcase locks in place. If not, it might not stay extended when you try to push your child in front of you, though you would still be able to pull them. If flying, make sure that your car seat is FAA approved before traveling. The Traveling Toddler strap is made from heavyweight polypropylene webbing that will withstand 900 lbs of force. When not in use it easily slips in the pocket of your carry-on. As with any other wheeled child carrier, do not use the Traveling Toddler on stairs or escalators. Car seat and suitcase sold separately.Patent pending.
Customer Reviews
Review date : 2008-09-07 
The thing about this strap is that it uses the latch system on the car seat. So you have to adjust for the suitcase. Then adjust for the car. Then adjust for the suitcase again. I am travelling alone with my son. There is no way one person can work this. So unless your going to be traveling with someone I do not recommend it at all.
Review date : 2008-08-23 
I used this to travel from Boston to Dallas. It fit great and I was very excited to have both my child and my suitcase rolling with one hand. However, it was SO inconvenient when going through security. I had to unlatch it from the bag and then re-latch after all the hoops they make you jump through these days while holding my 9 month old. Then, when I gate-checked it, they wouldn’t give me my bag back with the carseat when changing planes because "they aren’t allowed to return baggage". !? Maybe it was just the airline I flew (Midwest) but I imagine it’s probably similar on most airlines. So, I had to carry my baby through the airport. It would have been better to bring a real stroller and just check everything (which I did on our next trip).
So, don’t do this unless you know for sure you can have it back when changing planes. If you aren’t changing planes you still have to re-latch it after exiting the plane which is a pain b/c you have 200 people exiting with you and you want to bend down and configure a carseat onto a carry on bag with a baby/toddler in tow.
It was a real bummer.
Review date : 2008-08-11
I recently traveled alone with my 2 year old son. I knew I had to bring his car seat on the plane to keep him confined, but I wasn’t sure how I was going to manage him and everything else I needed on my own. This worked very well. Two problems I ran into were 1) I had to disassemble the cart seat and suitcase every time we went through a security check and 2) you need to be sure you have a durable suitcase with strong wheels and handle to support both the car seat and your child. I would reccommend this product. Happy Traveling!
Review date : 2008-07-31 
After researching different options in which to travel with a car seat, I came across anything and everything ranging from $80 to $160, most of them being an entire car seat with wheels rather than simply an attachment to use with an existing car seat. After finding this item and reading all of the positive reviews, we tried it out; can’t beat the price! Worked like a charm on our Britax Blvd. with our two year old daughter. I would suggest practicing the attachment at home and with the child before using it at the airport to alleviate any stress in figuring it out and it does need to be taken apart to go through security. We didn’t try using the suitcase and the seat attached when we boarded the plane after reading some other reviews that said it didn’t fit up the airplane aisle. Our daughter is on the tall end, so she did have to hold her legs up when we were pulling her and you do have to be careful with turning, doorways, and/or aisles remembering that there are appendages hanging off of your suitcase (i.e. child’s feet). She loved it, and we loved it as we were able to transport her car seat, use it on the plane, and not have to deal with a stroller in the airport! Amazing purchase and highly recommended!
Review date : 2008-07-14
I have to say who ever developed this product is a freaking genius and a rich [… too. I mean it is just 2 pieces of material and 3 D rings but it cost like [… bucks. All in all it was pretty easy to use even though out toddler didnt sit in it much. Atleast it make carring the car seat easier. I would definatly recommend this to my family and friends.
Sep
15
Posted by
admin on
September 15, 2008
The Easter Bunny carrying his gift basket of colored eggs, chocolate and jelly beans is a familiar symbol of the Easter holiday for many. But there is a movement down under to replace the Easter bunny with the native Australian bilby.
The rabbit was not originally native to Australia. It was introduced in 1788, but did not spread rapidly until two dozen rabbits were released in 1859 for sport hunting. The combination of no natural predators in Australia and their infamous ability to breed quickly resulted in the original 24 turning into a population of millions within 10 years. The rabbits ate much of the vegetation, causing food shortages for the indigenous species. The vegetation removal also caused significant problems with soil erosion. Despite many attempts to curtail the rabbit population, the problem continues today. Currently, the rabbit causes an estimated $AU600 million in damages per year. This widespread damage to the Australian environment has resulted in the rabbit being viewed unfavorably by the majority of the population. In most parts of Australia, it is even illegal to own a rabbit as a pet.
Because of the rabbit’s history in Australia, some Aussies decided they wanted a new symbol for their Easter celebrations. They chose the bilby, a native Australian animal and a member of the bandicoot family. Thus, the concept of the “Easter Bilby” was born. The bilby is similar in size to a rabbit, with long ears, long, snoot-like nose, soft grey fur, and a distinctive black and white tail. The idea for the Easter Bilby has been around since the 1970s. However, the idea has picked up momentum in recent years, as the bilby has become an endangered species (currently, only an estimated 600 bilbys exist in the wild). Just like the Easter Bunny, the bilby carries his basket full of chocolate eggs and delivers goodies to children everywhere in Australia each year. There are Easter Bilby songs, children’s stories, cards, stuffed animals, chocolate-shaped bilby treats, organizations, and websites, all dedicated to this new tradition. So if you happen to find yourself down under during the Easter holiday, don’t mention the bunny!
Bill Smith is the owner of
http://www.holiday-gifts-gift-baskets.com a website for year-round holiday gift ideas including Christmas, Valentine’s Day, Easter, Mother’s Day and more.
Sep
15
Posted by
admin on
September 15, 2008
Price : $5.85
Features
- Vinyl photo book introduces baby to family and friends
- Holds five 4" x 6" photos, plus one wallet size photo
- Water-filled teether handle soothes baby’s gums
- Colorful page tabs for easy turning
- Plastic flaps on each page help keep photos protected
Customer Reviews
Review date : 2008-09-07
This baby photo book is much nicer than the Sassy version, because it has more photo holders. It also has the added bonus of an easy to hold teether handle. Baby grandson loves looking at "his family photos" and chewing on the teether too!
Review date : 2008-09-02
Pictures are easy for an adult to take in and out — depending on which relatives are visiting. No, mom we did not take your picture out of the photo book after you went back home.
Review date : 2008-08-31
There’s nothing babies like more than pictures of babies! I gave this to a 9 month old family member with pictures of other babies in the family in it. She loves to look at it & giggle.
It is very well made. I wasn’t sure if the photos would be protected, so I printed my own photos out on photo paper but there was no need. It is very well constructed & your photos are protected.
The teething part is just genius! Obviously, a mother created this darling book.
Review date : 2008-08-10
My 21 month old son has had this album since he was seven months old, has played with it daily and it has survived in excellent condition. He chews on it, throws it, and sleeps with it; the photos are very well protected. The thing I liked best about this album was watching my son progress from pointing out the cute animals to learing the sounds they make as well as thier colors, and then to recognizing the people in the photographs. This has become my son’s comfort object. He sleeps with it, takes it to daycare, and had to have it during a short stay in the hospital. It is easy to clean and for that, I am very pleased.
Review date : 2008-08-04
My daughter loves it. My family lives out of town so it is a great way to let her see their faces and stay close. She loves to look at the pictures and smiles when she recognizes the faces. She also loves to slobber all over it — the teething handle is a nice touch. 
Sep
15
Posted by
admin on
September 15, 2008
Price : $84.95
Features
- Fits most bicycles on the market today
- Mid-mounted seat provides a better center of gravity and increased mobility for adult rider
- Features a three-point child safety harness system with quick attach/detach buckle with pivot lap bar for additional safety
- Better view for the child resulting in better protection from dust and dirt
- Improved positiong allows better communication
Product Description
The iBert safe-T-seat was designed with quality and safety first. The safe-T-seat places the child up front, safely between the parent’s protective arms. This evenly distributes weight over the bike giving a stable, safe ride. Kids enjoy the close interaction and the unobstructed view of the fun ahead. Mounted conveniently on the handlebar stem; the high, forward position allows you to pedal in comfort without ban your knees on the seat.
Customer Reviews
Review date : 2008-09-14
I found this seat when I was looking for away to ride my tricycle and have the baby with me. This seat is perfect for my tricycle and my son. He is 6 months old (on the large side)and he fits in the seat perfectly.
because of this seat I am still able to haul all things I need for a family outing in the basket on the back of the tricycle. We also found that this seat works much better with my vintage bike and my husband’s beach cruiser. It so much more stable then the backmounted seat we had for our daughter and way easier to ride with then the rickshaw.
Review date : 2008-09-08
My 9 month old son LOVES this seat and so do I. I still feel like I’m spending quality time with my son and I’m getting exercise. The only thing that I don’t like is that he usually falls asleep after about 5 miles and just ends up resting his head down on the bar across his lap…not ideal. I am still glad we got this seat instead of a tow behind or seat on the back.
Review date : 2008-09-06
The iBert Safe-T-Mounted Child Bicycle Seat is a great concept and our Grandson loves to ride on the bicycle. The only issue I have is with the straps. They will not stay up on his shoulders. I’m going to replace the straps with ones off of a car seat.
Review date : 2008-09-06
I spent quite a bit of time looking for an easy to install, yet very comfortable front-mounted bicycle child seat. After reading reviews on the various products, I decided to give the iBert a spin. The package got to me in time and in great condition (Thanks, Amazon). The instructions were very simple and in fact, my wife mounted it on my bike one evening while I was away. Having said that, it would have been nice to have a couple of illustrations or photos on the install instruction sheet to show what the installed product should look like, taken from a low front-wheel angle. My daughter loves it, it is very comfortable and affords her a front-seat view of our travels. We spend at least an hour every day on it, exploring various trails, parks and play areas. The seat doesn’t affect the balance of the bike and is generally very non-intrusive. My only comment is that one should check the couple of fasteners that bolt the seat to the stem of the handle-bar every so often to ensure they are still tight. I find that I have to tighten them by half to three quarters of a turn every couple of weeks. Other than that, simple great product that has provided hours of priceless (sorry, Mastercard) fun with my two year old. Way to go, iBert folks.
Review date : 2008-09-03
So much fun!!! It’s incredible how this seat changes your bike ride. With your child so close to you, it becomes more interactive for both parent and child. Easy to handle. Very cool.
Sep
15
Posted by
admin on
September 15, 2008
Four Critical Keys to Performing Magic for Kids
Children don’t understand many of the common cues in a live performance. Most children are raised in the age of television. Not a bad thing, except the laugh tracks prompt the children when to laugh. No laugh tracks and the children are left out in the cold. They are quick and will get up to speed in no time. But they need your help.
The same issue is even more problematic with applause. Children are not used to clapping. They don’t understand applause cues. Those wonderfully timed applause cues will leave you and your audience with a lot of uncomfortable silence.
What can be done? Everything. One of your most important tasks as a children’s magician is your opening. The beginning of your show must do four things:
- Establish audience control
- Teach the children to react to applause cues
- Set the tone for the show
- Introduce your performing personality
The audience needs to be warmed up prior to your magic show. It seems hokey and a waste of time, but it can make the difference between a great magic show and a horrible one.
Children love to have fun. Even in school children are taught to obey those in authority. For some reason, many magicians forget to establish authority early in the show. The result resembles a saloon brawl in the wild west.
When you step out for the start of your show, you have the perfect opportunity to establish the ground rules for the show. I don’t mean that you should bring out a list of house rules for the show. Instead come out with confidence and warm up your audience.
After you welcome everyone to the show, look out over the audience and say, This looks like a really great crowd. Let’s see how loud you can clap. On the count of three ONE. . . TWO . . THREE . .Not bad! Let’s try it again. On three . . After some byplay conclude by saying, What do we do when we like the magic? (pause) What do we do when we LOVE the magic? (pause and react strongly to the crowd)
Four things are being done by that warm up. You have taught the children to clap when they like the magic. It also trains them to react to the applause cues in the rest of the show. The warm up establishes that you are in control for this show. Finally, it sets a fun tone for the show. This is the first time your audience gets a sense of your performing personality.
The next article explains how your performing personality can put your magic show over the top with the kids.
Copyright ? 2005 J.L. Siefers, All rights reserved.
J.L. Siefers has been performing great magic for years. He has written extensively on many topics in magic. He has shown hundreds of people how to successfully learn to do great magic tricks.
Want to learn to do magic? Click now to get your FREE magic tricks! http://www.Learn-Great-Magic-Tricks.com
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Sep
15
Posted by
admin on
September 15, 2008
First off, let me say, I do not consider myself the greatest parent in the world. In fact, calling me a great parent, may even be a stretch. Sure, I have my shining moments as we all do, but I also have those moments when I think to myself, ?I have to be one of the most incompetent parents on this planet.?
The truth is, we are all on a journey. In every area of our lives, we are either increasing, decreasing, or simply maintaining. Hopefully, when it comes to parenting, we all find ourselves increasing in our ability, knowledge, and wisdom. Of course, that doesn?t happen on it?s own. I wish that when we had our first child that somehow, someway, through some supernatural impartation that we would instantly become ?Supermoms? and ?Superdads.? Unfortunately, that is not the case. If we are going to become great parents, then we have to determine to make it happen.
Key#1: Don?t Assume That Becoming A Great Parent Is Instinctive
I?m a male, so naturally I love to get different kinds of tech gear. You know the standard stuff. Audio/video equipment, computer hardware & software, power tools, cool kitchen appliances, etc. Of course, all these items come with a manual, which provides me with detailed instructions on how to operate each item. Now, since I?m a male, generally that manual is simply a waste of paper and ink. Nonetheless, the manual is available should I, at any point, need to refer to it.
Perhaps its just me, but I found it quite odd, that when my wife and I had our first son, we were pretty much left to our own to figure out how this new baby worked. I mean, besides the printed material we received on how to clean the belly button, and circumcision, there was not a lot of other information we received from the hospital on what to do. I remember holding our little one when he was young trying to figure out why in the world he was crying and how in the world do I get him to stop. I will tell you straight up, if there had been a manual, this is one I would have been willing to read.
Now, there are some things that simply come naturally to moms and dads, but not everything. There are some things that are just plain instinctive, and then there are some things that you have to learn along the way.
Key#2: Be Willing To Learn From Others Who Have Been There Before You
Ok, so your infant doesn?t come with a manual, but the truth is there are volumes written about parenting. I?m talking thousands upon thousands of books, periodicals, web articles, etc. written by others who have been down this parenting road before you. Take some time and sit down and read. Pick a trusted author and just glean from his or her education and experience.
There are 3 basic reasons why we don?t increase in a particular area:
1. We haven?t been taught
2. We refuse to be taught
3. We don?t use what we?ve been taught
The fact is, there are numerous teachers out there with material available for you. Don?t fall into the category of one who refuses to be taught. Invest a few bucks in some resources on parenting and I guarantee that if you follow that up with application, you?ll begin to see some instant improvement in your skill and ability as a parent.
Tim Stone is a veteran of youth ministery with over 15 years of experience in that field. He currently serves as youth pastor at Freedom Fellowship Church in Magnolia, TX. He is also the founder of EquippingParents.com, a website designed to inform and equip today’s parents. For more tools and resources go to www.equippingparents.com