fawn&forest

So there was a time in my life that I had a minor obsession with handbags. These days? Strollers. Strictly for product testing reasonings, I have accumulated quite a few. And while I don't currently own a Micralite Toro, it is one beautiful stroller, I must say! And it's next on my list....

The Micralite Toro is the sweet sister to the Micralite Fastfold. Both the Toro and the Fastfold are an inventive twist on umbrella style strollers, with a few more bells + whistles. And a lot more versatility.

Versatility indeed. Not only does the Toro accommodate an infant carseat but also has a Newborn Carry Cot (when purchased as the Toro Newborn System) in addition to the fully adjustable seat. While the sun & bug shield is sold separately, The Toro comes standard with a zip on rain cover and a foot muff.

And in case you want all four tires to be air filled, not a problem as you can now purchase the all terrain kit making the front wheels air filled instead of solid rubber. And the whole set-up only weighs 19 lbs.

You can view a short clip on how the Micralite Toro works on this You Tube video. 

I am totally intrigued by the concept of what these Joy by Mel Lim totes are made of: take 80% recycled cotton + 20% recycled plastic soda bottles and there you have it, a nice canvasy tote.   

I have been test driving the yellow Sweet Dream 3 tote bag for the past few weeks. it has given me the suggestion of total style while keeping me sufficently discorganized. Just the way I like it.  While I have been using the Joy by Mel Lim Tote as my everything purse turn toddler tote, it would also make a great library book bag or for quick errands when perhaps you don't need to bring diapers, O's and a toy Mini-Cooper Car. 

The Sweet Dream Collection is a bit odd, yes. Bunnies, unicorns and a flute playing girl. Totally dreamy.....! The Sweet Dreams are produced in limited edition, get em while they last.

Happy Monday! After doing loads of laundry over the weekend I am now fully convinced I should be using more bibs. Bib usage = cleaner shirts = less laundry. Hmmmm.....Baby Star?

We are now starting to add the Baby Star line to fawn&forest. I am totally loving the bib collection for both boys + girls. Plus they have some amazing new fabrics out for 2008.

Baby Star bibs add style to the basics, catch the drool and the mac + cheese. Made 100% formaldehyde free cotton fabric. Features decorative fabric on front and super soft corduroy on back with a velcro closure.

And would even fit a toddler at 10"x14! Yo!

I met with my Doula/s yesterday as I am due in a few weeks. A lot of fun, instant friends who love to talk birthing, breastfeeding + baby carriers as much as I do! Delightful, the three B's.

So I am thrilled to announce that fawn and forest now carries the full line of Mod Mum slings. If the fit is correct, a pouch style sling (such as Mod Mum's) is perhaps one of the most versatile baby carriers as it can comfortably be used from birth into the toddler years.

Mod Mum slings was created by two stay-at-home moms who designed their baby slings for optimum comfort, while their designer fabrics help every mom to feel hip and chic as she carries her baby.

Which, you know, C'mon. When you've been spit up on for the 80th time today or have had mushy bananas wiped on you, wearing your child in a pretty floral or colorful graphic patterned Mod Mum sling makes you at least look like you have a relatively clean shirt on. 

I am totally loving the greens of the "Madison" pattern, it has been put on my list! Shown above is  "Emily" (left) and "Chloe" (right).

Ahh, yes. The ultimate do-good toothbrush. The Kid's Preserve Toothbrush by Recycline.  

The Preserve Jr. combines thoughtful engineering with fun colors and shape to make a toothbrush that both kids and parents enjoy. Designed for children ages 2 to 8, Preserve Jr’s ergonomic, pea pod shaped handle makes it easy for young hands to grab on to while the soft bristles protect your child's teeth and gums. The Preserve Jr’s handle is made from 100% recycled plastic, including Stonyfield Farm® yogurt cups, and is recyclable when mailed back to Recycline.

The Preserve Jr. is available in 3 colors at $3 each or 3 for $8. Brusha brusha brusha.  

It's Mutsy Stroller time, kids. fawn&forest now offers the entire Mutsy stroller collection. And an impressive collection it is!

Mutsy Strollers can basically be broken down into 4 stroller styles: Mutsy Urban Rider, Mutsy 4Rider, Mutsy Slider and Mutsy Spider, with variation options within the Urban Rider and 4 Rider lines. Available in a wide variety of colors and with maximum versatility (hello seat + carrycot!), impressive tire options and deluxe maneuverability.  

Even if you decide to go the minimal route in baby gear, you will most likely have a bouncy seat on your list. Most are ugly + don't fold up and are just plain clunky. You know the ones. Thankfully, the Svan Bouncer is different. Made of bent birch plywood with a non-toxic finish. And that cushion? Totally wipe-able and PBDE free.

And it folds up nearly flat to look like a sled! The fully adjustable seat allows your baby to lay down for naps, sit up to observe their surroundings, or lounge anywhere in between. Rock that sweet child to sleep with a gentle tap of your foot or allow it to bounce with your child’s own movement. Available in 6 colorways. 

And, while there are no lullaby music options or moving plastic gizmos, a free set of Cloud B soft hanging toys will be included with your purchase through May 15th. That's nice.

As we are about to bring on 3 new stroller collections, I can't help but give a shout out to the Bumbleride Queen B. The Queen B happens to be a bit more urban than the rest of the Bumbleride collection. It weighs a bit more + is well fit for the Mom who walks about town rather than drives.

That being said, I have underestimated the versatility of the Queen B! So let's review: Air filled tires? Yes. Reversible handle (baby faces you or the world)? Yes. Five point adjustable safety harness + 4 position backrest? Yep! Smooth ride suspension? Oh yes. Infant car seat compatiable? Check. Spacious cargo basket and easy fold for storage? Yes!

Want a little icing on the cake? The Queen B comes standard with a foot muff, cup holder, safety belt for infant car seat and an air pump. You can also purchase optional accessories such as the bassinet and the toddler seat (shown above, left).

And about that toddler seat: it instantly transforms the Queen B into a double stroller. Wow. The Queen B is available in 3 colors: Bwana (shown left), Ruby (shown right) and a lovely chocolate brown called Koa.

Thank you to everyone who signed up for the twice monthly newsletter! Last month's newsletter sign-up giveaway contest for the FrogPod was such a huge success, I've decided to do it again! This month's giveaway is for a notNeutral snack set, pictured above in green+blue. 

The notNeutral snack set is made of melamine + is available in 2 color options: green+blue or orange+red. With all the information out now  about plastic safety, I was curious about the safety of melamine dish ware. While melamine has dozens of applications of use, Wikipedia states it has a similar acute toxicity level as that of table salt. notNeutral states the snack sets are made of the finest quality melamine and are produced in Thailand. From the bit research I have done, melamine dish ware is generally considered "non-toxic, non-allergic and safe in use", though melamine should never be microwaved.

While I am not a fan of putting hot food on any plastic, I have found the snack set very accommodating for my all-day, small-bite grazing toddler. The 6 piece set is dishwasher safe on the top rack + I find it's simplistic design refreshing.

Enter to win a notNeutral snack set of your choice by signing up for the newsletter. Contest ends April 20th, 2008. 

The Boon bath toys are vibrant, playful + a welcomed change from all those other random bath toys that end up in the tub. The Boon set includes fifteen bath appliqués, three balls +  two mini-scrubbies, perfect for little hands. And even though these designer bath goods leave the tub looking stylin', they are not exempt from the bathtub-sludge. 

I was fixing Eliot a bath the other day, and noticed a tad-bit of slimeyness on the toys. Uh, gross.  I am not so into the chemical cleanser genre and find good ol fashion vinegar often does the job. According to vinegartips.com: "White distilled vinegar is a popular household cleanser, effective for killing most mold, bacteria, and germs, due to its level of  acidity. Cleaning with white distilled vinegar is a smart way to avoid using harsh chemicals. You’ll also be glad to know that it is environmentally friendly and very economical."

Perfect! You can of course clean the Boon bath toys in the tub or sink, but a bowl works as well.  Fill a large bowl (tub or sink) with water, add a big splash or 2 of white vinegar and of course the slimey bath toys. You can add some dish soap as well, but it's not necessary. When you remember to rescue the toys from their bath, give them a rinse + air dry. 

Meet the all around most basic + simple to use sling, the Hotslings. Hotslings are a pouch style sling designed to carry your tiny newborn and wiggly toddler. As a first time Mom, I originally became a sling convert out of desperation. Due to acid reflux as a newborn, my son would relentlessly cry unless he was held. 24/7 for almost the entire first year. Needless to say, Eliot + I had endless hours for major bonding. I'm thankful and the Hotsling quickly became the most used piece of baby gear. Ever. 

Available in 2 designer prints (shown above right, top + bottom and at left), natural organic (shown middle) and 2 solid colors (chocolate + black) and in 3 sizes. As with all pouch style slings, wearing the correct size is important  and size chart is shown on each product page. If you need help, don't hesitate to ask.

You know what Eliot says now? "I cry, momma hold me." Indeed.

Making your own baby food is not time consuming, is actually quite fun + so simple, that once you have the basics down, recipes become inspiration. In addition to a pot + steaming basket, a few simple tools are needed:  a pureeing device (food mill, blender or food processor) and fresh baby food trays. Forget the icecube trays.

Fresh Baby's trays may look like icecube trays but oh, how they are not. They are made of FDA-approved food-safe plastic, #4 LDPE (Low Density Polyethylene) and #2 HDPE (High Density Polyethylene) + contain no PVC, Bisphenol-A, or Plasticizer. Not so sure you can say that about icecube trays?  And the fitted lids keep your baby food tasting like baby food in the freezer.

In addition to making 1 ounce single servings of homemade baby food goodness, you can also conveniently portion out your frozen breastmilk for the stash. This past summer I also had the bright idea to use the trays to make fresh organic raspberry popsicle-cubes; the perfect toddler portion. And yes, when you are all done with the baby food making times, you can use them as icecube trays.  

The Frog Pod is the ultimate bathroom scoop-it-up + store-it-pretty solution to wrangle all the bath toys + soapy bits. Enter to win your very own Frog Pod by signing up for the fawn&forest newsletter. You have a whole month to enter but go ahead + take 12 seconds and click here. 

The fawn&forest newsletter will cheer you 2 times a month. No spam + no junk. Happy Monday! Contest ends March 18th, 2008.

The P-Sling is a ring style sling that provides mom + dad ultimate flexibility and urban-dapper. A ring style sling is made of one piece of fabric and is fully adjustable because of the ring. Being fully adjustable not only accommodates the various carrying positions of a growing child but also allows for both parents use of the sling. If you are up for sharing.

Fostering a close relationships between parent + baby  is the vision of PSNY for the P-Sling, viewing it as a communication tool to use with your baby before he even speaks. And with the quality + variety of fabric options + colors, the P-Sling is all about wearing your baby love in style.  Each sling is sewn by one craftsman from beginning to end in Japan. The method of sewing used assures an even distribution of the baby’s weight as the 'pouch' where the baby is held, is designed to snugly wrap the baby in fabric to prevent him from jumping or falling out. Yes!

Available in cotton, linen and a bamboo + linen combination in over 50 colorways. My pick? The bamboo + linen (pictured above left) in sea blue.

Being a first time mom you are not quite sure what you will need. Every other mom you know seems to have her own sturdy opinions of must-haves + do-withouts. So much information can become overwhelming in a flash. Most would agree, however, you will need some sort of contraption to carry that sweet baby of yours. 

The Moby Wrap, shown above, is a wrap-style carrier. It uses both shoulders + your back to carry the weight of your baby and is 1 continuous piece of 100% cotton fabric, 18 feet long. The Moby Wrap is quite versatile as you are able to carry your baby in 9 different holding positions, including nursing + carrying twins (at the same time!) and is suitable for preemies up to toddlers (or 35lbs.). Available in a variety of colors.  The lovely gal + her baby in the images above show the Moby Wrap in chocolate (via Flickr). 

The new 2008 Bumbleride collection has made it's debut. The Indie + Indie Twin (new for '08), featured above, are two very sweet rides.

The biggest draw for an "urban style jog stroller" is maneuverability + the air in the tires. Air in the tires is essential for the smoothest of rides over any terraine.  The new additions to the color palette are amazing too: seagrass (green), spice (orange) +  the limited edition bwana (navy blue). Koa (chocolate) + ruby (red) have also carried over into the '08 collection. The colors alone are refreshing but it doesn't stop there. All the bells + whistles are included: carseat adapter, footmuff, cupholder and removable bumper bar. Plus a fully adjustable backrest and check it, the foot rest + handlebar height is adjustable too. 

You can even purchase an infant carseat cover for those who want their carseat to coordinate with their stroller to create your own version of a "travel system". I am due with baby no.2 in June + the Indie Twin in seagrass has my name on it.

The hold the one you love sale has begun here at growmodern! 15% off all slings + carriers thru the end of february. The go sling, featured above, is a no-fancy, no-frills, hold-you-tight version of a pouch style sling.

A pouch style sling does not have any rings, belts or buckles and is one piece of fabric sewn into a circular pouch. The puj go sling is unique as it is designed to hold your baby higher up + closer to your body in the 'hip hold'; for babies who can hold themselves up (roughly 6 months and older) and is small enough to store in your bag. 

Size + fit is important when choosing a pouch style sling as you will want it to "fit right" like a nice pair of jeans. The wrong size will result in the baggy draggies or so tight nobody is breathing correctly. The go sling is available in 5 fabric combinations + 5 sizes.