Both my sister and my sister-in-law are pregnant and due in June. It’s the second baby for each of them, which means we’re talking about double strollers. A lot.
In 2004, I was starting Magic Beans while finishing my second pregnancy. All the research I’d done about double strollers was doubly important - for me and for the stores. I came to the conclusion that THE stroller to have was a Mountain Buggy Urban Double.
I got one and LOVED it. That stroller was a tank. I could push it up hill, fully loaded, with one finger. We used it all the time, and that stroller is still good as new, residing currently with friends who have twins.
But a lot has changed in five (almost six) years. If you want a double all-terrain stroller, you can still get a Mountain Buggy, but you’ll probably also want to consider a BOB, a Valco or a Baby Jogger. If you don’t need something heavy duty, you could go for one of the two Maclaren twin models, or you could look at the Baby Jogger City Mini.
Chances are, though, you’re probably looking closely at what I’m going call an “adaptive double.” A what? An adaptive double is a stroller that starts out as a single stroller and can then be - you guessed it - adapted to hold two children. Thanks to Phil&Teds, these are enormously popular — if you can figure out which one to get. Phil&Teds alone offers four different models, and now the UPPABaby Vista offers a Rumble Seat, and the versatile Baby Jogger City Select is hitting the market at the same time as a similar European model, the iCandy.
In other words, what used to be a fairly straightforward decision (Mountain Buggy. Done.) is now fairly complicated. And I may or may not have had a sneak peek today at yet another adaptive double stroller that will be a worthy contender when it comes out later this year.
Choice is good. But choice can be paralyzing.
A good customer of ours recently started a blog, Gear Mommy. She has two young children and has been using the phil&teds Sport stroller. She bought one of the first City Select models from us and has done an extraordinary review of the Baby Jogger City Select vs. the Phil&Teds Sport, comparing the two options side by side. If you’re in the market for a double stroller, I recommend reading this first.
We’re celebrating the Grand Opening of our Cambridge store this weekend in a grand fashion. Here’s why you don’t want to miss it:
1. The deals - we’re offering some exclusive deals you can’t find anywhere else. Like $50 off a Stokke Tripp Trapp. Or $30 off a Beaba Babycook. Or some other deals that are so good, I’m literally sworn to secrecy. You’ll just have to come over and hear about them in person. Oh, and best of all? These deals are available in all four stores!
2. The giveaways - if you loved our 31 Days of Giveaways, this weekend is basically a live version. Come and peruse all the items we’re giving away and enter to win. Our friends at RunMyErrand.com will even deliver your prizes right to your door for free (some restrictions apply).
3. The vendors - some of our favorite manufacturers are sending representatives to talk about their products. You can meet with Britax, Stokke, UppaBABY, Baby Bjorn, Baby Jogger, Bloom, Skip Hop, Go Gaga, Papa Products and Valco. This is a great opportunity to give feedback about products you’re already using and to learn more about products you may be considering.
4. The entertainment - we’re having an appearance by Elmo, crafts for little kids, games for older kids and a Sunday concert for the whole family with Vanessa Trien and Julie Rama Winslow.
5. The gift bags - we have a very limited number of baby gift bags to give away. Be one of the first 15 customers each day to spend $75 or more on baby products in the Cambridge store and receive an upgraded premium gift bag.
6. The grab bag - grab one free gift with any purchase.
Probably because it IS Robin Hood! This weekend, the Coolidge Kids Show will feature the 1938 Technicolor film, The Adventures of Robin Hood, starring Errol Flynn. This movie is incredibly entertaining for all ages, and a great way to introduce your Pixar-addicted kids to the glories of the old-time silver screen. Showtime is this Saturday (2/6) at 10:30am and tickets are $7 for adults and $5 for kids.
Bonus points if you recognize the musical theater reference in the title of this post…
Like most people, we were just at a total loss for words after the terrible devastation in Haiti last month. It is hard to imagine, especially from the comfort of our homes, what horrors the people of Haiti have endured these last weeks, but the children… well, the children are just heartbreaking. Our good friend, Christine Koh, editor of Boston Mamas had a beautiful idea. She decided to create Have a Heart for Haiti. This program partners with a number of small, mom-owned businesses in the Boston area who have pledged to donate a percentage of their sales between February 1-15 to relief efforts in Haiti. The proceeds will go to UNICEF, who has committed to absorbing all administrative costs so that 100% of every dollar donated will go directly towards helping the children in Haiti. Visit the page to see the complete list of participating businesses. Go shopping!
Our Brookline store will reopen today at 10am - one day ahead of schedule. Our construction schedule was only six days long, so that extra day is pretty amazing. To give you some idea of what went into this week:
On Saturday night, we closed the store and started packing up the merchandise.
On Sunday, we moved all the merchandise to the warehouse, one truckload at a time. The contractor’s crew came in and worked with our crew to demolish the carpet, the old playscape, and the flooring in the bathroom area.
On Monday, the contractor built the walls for the new playscape and stock corridor. They painted, too. The flooring contractor cleaned up the subfloor to get it ready for the new, beautiful flooring.
On Tuesday, they put down new, eco-friendly flooring all though the store.
On Wednesday, they finished the flooring. The contractor’s crew finished painting.
On Thursday morning, our team moved back in, scrubbing and cleaning to get rid of all the dust before the merchandise came back. The warehouse brought truckload after truckload of merchandise. The contractor finished up a few small things. A brand new eco-friendly electronic door-opener was installed. Magic Beans people came from all four stores, the headquarters and the warehouse and worked with an incredible energy and enthusiasm all day long and completely remerchandised the entire store. It was really something to see. And I scraped five years worth of Scotch tape from the back of the cash wrap with a razor blade and a whole lot of Goo Gone. We were done by 8pm.
Which brings us to today. I will post pictures later today, but if you’re curious, come and see it for yourself this morning.
Huge, huge kudos go out to SO many people (in addition to the contractor and flooring guys). Meredith, Mary Kate, the WHOLE Brookline team (you guys are so incredible), all those who came from the other stores and the office to pitch in, and especially Dustin, Doug and the crew at the warehouse. It was a huge job and you all rocked it. Thank you.
This Saturday, January 30 at 10:30am, the weekly Coolidge Kids Show is going to be really special. Tanglewood Marionettes present “Sleeping Beauty”, a classic tale that appeals to children of all ages. The story begins in King Felix’s great hall for the christening of Princess Aurora. The party goes awry when the wicked witch arrives and curses Princess Aurora, and you probably know how it goes from there.
In this retelling, a painted story-book opens to reveal each scene. The marionettes are hand-crafted and brought to life by a master puppeteer.
Founded in 1993, Tanglewood Marionettes is a nationally touring marionette theater that specializes in performing classic tales for groups of children.
Following in the footsteps of Maclaren, Cybex has announced a voluntary recall of their Gems series strollers - the Ruby, Onyx and Topaz models. These umbrella-fold strollers have a nearly identical folding mechanism to Maclaren, so this should come as no surprise.
According to the press release we received from Regal Lager, the US distributor of Cybex, there has been one report of injury - a fractured finger.
As with the Maclaren recall, if you have a Cybex, please don’t panic. Regal Lager has made a fabric hinge cover that, I assume, is very similar to the one fashioned by Maclaren. Once that is in place, the stroller poses no risk to you or your children. If you have one of these Cybex models, you can contact Regal Lager for a repair kit at (800) 593-5522 or visit regallager.com/recalls.
To see the official announcement from the CPSC, click here.
Since the news broke about Maclaren, a bright spotlight is shining on the mechanical design of strollers. The CPSC’s uncompromising stance on safety is coming face to face with the pinch hazards that are standard with any folding product. I don’t think this will stop with umbrella-fold strollers.
When I was in elementary school, a friend of my sister’s got her fingertip amputated when a heavy school door slammed on her finger. It was totally traumatic. But the lesson is clear - little fingers are delicate, and heavy, moving objects are hazardous. Whether there are more recalls coming down the pike or not, always use common sense when folding and unfolding your stroller. Keep your children out of the way and make sure you know how the fold works, so YOUR fingers stay out of harm’s way. (I’ve pinched my fingers more than a few times when demonstrating strollers to customers, always when I’m too busy talking to notice where I’m putting my hands.)
Everyone loves a makeover. So call us crazy (because we are, we’re crazy), but here’s what we’re doing: tonight, we’re closing our Brookline store temporarily to do a little sprucing up. It will be a fast race to the finish, with a few late nights and lots of work from our amazing team. But we plan to reopen by next Saturday with some great improvements, including a new floor, some fresh paint, and a redesigned Playscape. It’s like Trading Spaces Retail Edition or something. It’ll be one crazy week.
We’ll miss you, but it’s just a week, and it’ll be worth it. If you need something while the Brookline store is closed, why not go over to Cambridge? Or Wellesley? Or even Hingham? Or buy online and get the goods shipped right to your door.
We’re looking forward to showing off our new look. Wish us luck…
If you missed it earlier this month, Magic Beans is co-presenting the 2010 Coolidge Kids Show series, a weekly presentation of film and/or live performances for children. We’ll be updating our blog weekly with a description of the upcoming show.
This Sunday, January 24 at 10:30am, The Split Hares Traveling Troupe of Artbarn Community Theater presents its adaptation of Hans Christian Andersen’s The Nightingale, a tale about a Chinese Emperor brought closer to his people by a tiny bird and her humble song about the meaning of happiness. With original songs, this colorful story of nature and humanity is bought to life by this troupe of talented young actors.
Artbarn is a wonderful performing arts program for children from preschool through high school. The Split Hares Traveling Troupe is comprised of children in grades 1-5.
Tickets are $10 for adults and $8 for children, and they’re selling fast. If you’re planning to go, I recommend you preorder online.
If you’ve been reading this blog for a while, you already know that I use my vacations to test-drive new products.
This most recent trip, I got up close and personal with the new Hotslings AP.
I’ve always loved Hotslings for travel because they fold up small enough to tuck into a diaper bag. The new AP version offers adjustability without adding any bulk. Two small straps can be cinched tight or let out, depending on who’s wearing the sling, or even how many layers you’re wearing (like when you, oh, say, start your day in a tropical climate and end up in a snowstorm).
The Hotslings AP was just as comfortable as a regular pouch and did a good job distributing the weight of my slim 17-month-old. He was right at home and happy to ride on my hip, even after a delayed flight that had us trekking through the airport past midnight.
Adjusting the size is very easy, but it needs to be done before putting on the pouch, so there’s a little trial and error involved. This is a small price to pay for excellent portability and flexibility.
Both my sister and my sister-in-law are pregnant and due in June. It’s the second baby for each of them, which means we’re talking about double strollers. A lot.
Probably because it IS Robin Hood! This weekend, the 
Like most people, we were just at a total loss for words after the terrible devastation in Haiti last month. It is hard to imagine, especially from the comfort of our homes, what horrors the people of Haiti have endured these last weeks, but the children… well, the children are just heartbreaking. Our good friend, Christine Koh, editor of 
Following in the 
