Did you know that September is Baby Safety Month? Like most of these "awareness months", it should be baby safety day every day. But that being said, it is a great time of year to remind families of key safety issues.

This year, the "official" focus is on car seat safety. It's a great year to focus on this category for a number of reasons. One reason this interests me is that for the first time since Kelly was born (6+ years ago), there are many more options on the market including the out-of-this-world Orbit seat and the latching Clek booster seat.

I personally am a huge fan of the convertible car seats that go from 5 pounds to 40-80 pounds. Thinking green? There is nothing more green than buying one car seat, instead of two.

My brand of choice for baby is Britax. I have to confess  I used an infant car seat for the first few months with both of my kids, and now regret it. The convenience was clear, but I do have concerns about the effects of 'baby in a bucket' (keeping your baby in a prone position instead of laid flat, which some say limits oxygen saturation).

Now that we are in the 'big kid' phase with Kelly, we have been really enjoying our Clek car seat. It clicks in with ease and has a much more comfortable seat (foam instead of a thin cover on hard plastic) that Kelly loves.

NOTE: Many states require booster seats at least to the age of 8 years old, depending on height. The age limits seem to be going up, so relying on your friends' advice might not be good enough. Here is an NHTSA link on booster seats: http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/people/injury/childps/ParentGuide2005/index.htm

If you are looking for more information on baby safety, here are a few other links that I think you'll find helpful:

JPMA September 08 Release on Baby Safety Month

NHTSA Car seat Safety Tips

CPSC Household Safety

When you look at all of the baby and child carrier options that have hit the market in the last five years, you have to assume that one really does it all without compromising look, feel, and function. Not true!

With all the options out there, I had not yet found a carrier that can do front, hip and back with comfort and style in mind ... until now. lillebaby has launched the world's best carrier that hits on all of these points.

Most Americans don't know it, but Norwegians are known as the inventors of the world's best backpacks. Lisbeth, the designer of lillebaby has channeled her genetic gift to apply Norwegian design to create the ultimate baby and child carrier  the EveryWear!

We are so excited about this amazing carrier. We officially unveiled it at the ABC Show in Vegas on Sept. 7-11 and were thrilled that it was a finalist in the JPMA Innovation Awards. It's at a great price point ($99.95 MSRP!)and we've received amazing feedback from all of our retailers and mom testers.

The EveryWear will be available in October at giggle.com and in giggle stores, and available nationwide in November.

We have a national obsession with the issues of Phthalates, BPA, Lead and more. And understandably so, because it affects what goes into our children's bodies from their bottles, mattresses, and even the air. But, before these issues surfaced, I had my own personal obsession with corn syrup. From everything I read and saw on TV, you would think that High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS)was one of the worst ingredients we can give ourselves and our kids.

I embarked on a crusade to eliminate it from our lives, but quickly found that you can hardly avoid it without going 100% organic (at significant expense). I went through every granola bar, fruit strip, and cracker on my grocery store shelves and found very few options. I even discovered that almost all ketchups have corn syrup as a key ingredient. I did find a few key products that have become staples in my kitchen including Organic Heinz Ketchup, Archer Farms Fruit Strips, etc.

Then I decided to write a blog article about my attempts to avoid of HFCS and went to do some research online. To my surprise, I couldn't really find any evidence to support what I have been hearing all these years. Here are a few pieces I found online:

A Wikipedia posting, which cites some of the anti-HFCS studies, most of which have been refuted.

The conclusions of these articles basically say that HFCS is not worse than the "natural" sugar it replaces. In fact, since it is made from corn, it might be as natural as sugar or honey, just less expensive to make. In fact, taking it a step further, you might even say that it is better for the environment because it can be produced locally in most places.

The conclusion might just be that it is just that sugar, in general, is bad for you,not HFCS specifically. Wow. This makes me re-think my hunt for non-HFCS foods.

And then, the other night, I came across a campaign from the Corn Refiners Association. They pointed to this website: www.sweetsurprise.com. I know you have to consider the source, but facts are facts and, in this day and age, I can't believe that any association would make themselves liable by posting inaccurate information.

So, in the end, maybe this posting is less about sharing my great finds and more a cautionary note to do your research before jumping to conclusions about things.

If you have more information on HFCS, I welcome comments and input!

So, you all now I am a huge fan of the Micralite Toro and was well-before we started carrying the line. I love that it is the do-everything stroller that I needed when I bought the five, yes five, strollers I have: One Full-Sized Pram, one Travel System, one for Off Road, one Light Weight, and one for airplanes. (Okay, so the Toro does not convert to a carseat on an airplane, but I can use the GoGoBabyz to convert my carseat to a stroller!)

The Toro has it all: o Full-sized stroller function with pram option. o Adaptors for carseat carriers  Graco, Peg Perego (coming soon), and MaxiCosi. o Big wheels and an all-terrain kit option for off-roading. o 18-pounds, yes 18-pounds! o Not to forget  all the 'glam' a mom could want

Now for the news... the Toro is finally living up to its namesake and coming in RED. Bright, gorgeous, fun, brilliant, Toro RED.

Charge Ahead! And GET GOING!

Since the JPMA trade show ceased to exist this year, the JPMA Innovation Awards Ceremony was moved to the ABC Show in Las Vegas last week. The ABC Show also marked an important milestone for us, as this marks the fifth year anniversary of our launch of Scandinavian Child and the Svan High Chair. For each of the past five years, we have always submitted a product for the JPMA Innovation Awards. And for five years in a row, our entry did not win. This year, we had two products selected as finalists for the Innovation Awards  the lillebaby EveryWear and the Beaba Babycook.

The first year that we didn't win was really hard on me because I truly believed that the Svan High Chair was going to win. I knew it would be a trend setter for wooden and 'modern' high chairs. Five years later, there are several wooden high chairs on the market and several modern high chairs that make the Svan Chair look traditional. In other words ... I felt robbed. (I have since learned more about the stringent criteria the judges use to determine the winners and fault the process at the time, which allowed very limited information to get through to the judges. The feedback I received? The judges thought a child could not fit in it! It was so much smaller than the oversized plastic high chairs we are used to.)

Do I sound bitter? Okay, maybe just a little. But this year we finally did it! WE WON an Innovation Award! And it was well-deserved.

The winner is .. the BEABA Babycook, the Original Babyfood Maker! I must have looked like a fool, grinning from ear to ear as I approached the stage to receive the award. What a wonderful feeling! The Babycook is both a trend setter and tool for making life easier. It has been available through William Sonoma for a few months and will go into wider distribution through juvenile stores like giggle.com and others over the next few months.

What's so great about the Babycook? Here is my personal opinion  it is amazing! I did not make homemade baby food for my kids, but this would definitely have made it possible. It is incredibly easy to use for both steaming and chopping food in one bowl. It can even reheat frozen food and be used to mix several ingredients together for more complex feedings. More information will be on our site soon as well as at www.BeabaUSA.com, which will launch in early October. Check out this innovative award-winner; you and your baby will be glad you did!

We are about to launch product, after product, after product and I can't keep it a secret any longer! Check back here over the next several weeks for sneak previews of these great new products.

First up, the Cariboo Kiwi Cot Collection. It is finally (almost) here ... the product Cariboo has always needed - a crib!

I fell in love with this crib line when I was in New Zealand last summer. The concept is so fitting for Cariboo because it is both environmentally conscious and design conscious at the same time. Like their amazing bassinets, the Cariboo Kiwi Cot Collection is made from local wood and manufactured in New Zealand ... which explains the price tag ($1595 for the crib!). The finish is an eco-finish and the crib has optional conversion kits to turn it into a toddler bed or a sofa. Plus, you can get bassinets and a changing table that attach to the crib itself. What a space saver.

The matching dresser is a stunner and you can always pair it with the Cariboo Classic Changing Table or the Cariboo Folding Changing Table. Finally, our Cariboo dreamers are realized: you can create an entire Cariboo nursery suite!