PRODUCT REVIEW: Orbit Toddler Car Seat

My daughter, who is now 1, will soon outgrow her Maxi Cosi Mico infant carseat. The natural option was to move up to the next model from Maxi Cosi until something kept lingering in the back of my mind. It was Orbit.

Before my daughter was born I spent countless hours researching carseats, strollers, toys, diapers, etc. you name it I wanted to know all about it. In the end my choices were narrowed down to 3. Peg Perego's Primo Viggo, Maxi Cosi Mico and the Orbit Infant Carseat. We first purchased the Peg Perego but quickly returned it --- it actually was too upright and hard plastic by her feet cut her heel. I am talking about bloddy marks everywhere. Horrible. The Maxi Cosi was the next option and she immediately loved it --- right when we put her in, she went to sleep. So, I never really got to check out the Orbit...until now.

Orbit is a brand which developed a smart infant system (carseat, stroller, bassinet and the infamous base which allows you to dock your carseat at any angle). I mean, their product is actually made of aerospace-grade aluminum. They now offer the Toddler Car Seat:



The carseat is priced at $360 and the base is $200. It will fit kiddies rear facing on the famous orbit base (which allows you to swivel the carseat in multiple angles} from 15-35lb. Forward facing you lose the orbit base (as well as the snazzy feature) and it will support toddlers from 20-50lb. The carseat weights 21lb and works with the stroller so if your little one is sleeping and you dont want to transfer them from carseat to stroller, just transfer the carseat to the base and...voila! no fussing with moving a sleepy baby from one seat to the next! I admit, the price is a concern but honestly this is for my daughter and for the next baby we will have so this is not just an item I will splurge on, to me it's an investment. I was curious to see what was in store for Orbit so I contacted them and they informed me that they will offer a double stroller in the near future.

For information on the Orbit Toddler Car Seat click on the links below:
Video demo of the car seat: http://www.orbitbaby.com/video/load/dm_tcs.html
General Information & Specs: http://www.orbitbaby.com/products/tcs.html
Customer Reviews: http://www.amazon.com/Orbit-Toddler-Car-Seat-Black/product-reviews/B0017VO89U/ref=cm_cr_dp_all_helpful?ie=UTF8&coliid=&showViewpoints=1&colid=&sortBy=bySubmissionDateDescending

Exploding Hearts and Other Side Effects of Motherhood

My daughter is the most perfect, most adorable, most precious being in the world. I can't take how much I love her sometimes, my heart feels like it's going to explode into a million itty bitty, bright red pieces. I have always loved my daughter, of course, but the feelings I'm dealing with lately are so intense. I worry about her when she's out of my sight. I worry about her heart getting broken one day. I worry about her losing someone (including me) important to her and it makes me want to call my husband on the phone and demand that he stop smoking, eating too much salt and taking too many advil at once. I worry about her making the wrong career choice, boyfriend choice, meal choice. I watch her sleep and make sure I am appreciative of every moment I get to spend being her mom. Being a mother is pure joy and pure torture at the same time. I want to protect my children and I want them to be happy all of the time, and I know damn well that in this life there are very few people that are truly happy - it's a tough world. I see her skipping and smiling 95% of the time as a 4 year old, and she is just so darn happy. I don't want that to end.

I think being pregnant with numero dos is really bringing out every maternal fiber in my body. I hope that when Troy gets here I continue to be this awestruck when I look at my children. I hope I continue to cherish every single moment that I get to spend with them.

"While we try to teach our children all about life,Our children teach us what life is all about".~Angela Schwindt

Running Errands Today

Hey, I'm Sam, one of the mothers that will be contributing to this blog. I'm currently an SAHM (stay-at-home-mom). I design and sell jewelry from home, and right now I'm still working on growing that business so I can continue and stay at home with my 20 month old until he starts pre-school in September '10. I also have a 6 year old daughter. You'll hear more about them (and definitely me) when I post my contributions to this blog.

Ever feel like a horrible mom? I've got a story that will either let you know that you're not alone, or one that will make you point a finger at me and say, "wow, I feel much better about myself because you suck WAY more than I do!"

Just now after running 10 errands with a willful 6 year old and a 20 month old who just took a 30 minute recharge nap, we were finally headed home. We walked out of the bank, got in the car and instead of buckling up my daughter was moving around in the backseat. I look down at her feet and she's stepping on my $1350 Louis Vuitton purse. I yelled, pretty much at the top of my lungs, "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING AND WHY ARE YOU STEPPING ON MY PURSE! THAT'S IT! YOU ARE *NOT* FINGERPAINTING TODAY!"

As I drove off I felt bad. My purse is NOT more important than my daughter. I'd run my purse through the shredder before I would let my daughter get hurt. But at that point I was on my last nerve and SO close to being home. Definitely not making excuses, but I know that I'm not alone in blowing up at the kids in a more severe way than necessary. And I will apologize to her. I think it's important for her to know that just because she's 6 and I'm the mommy/adult, doesn't mean that she doesn't deserve respect.

Till next time!