I have this friend of a friend. She went to business school, where she developed a plan to start a business designing clever products for parents. After graduation, she followed her dream and got down to work. I met her a couple of times, and while I was very impressed with her, I wasn’t sure [...]
Archive for the ‘For Dads’ Category
Fussy baby? Put away the car keys.
Saturday, September 8th, 2007When you’re bleary-eyed in the middle of the night with an inconsolable, shrieking newborn, you’ll do practically anything to soothe the savage beast. Conventional wisdom has it that colicky babies often calm down with a ride in the car, or, in a pinch, strapped into a carseat on top of a running clothes dryer. Something [...]
Good Logic
Monday, June 11th, 2007When JJ Cole first showed me their Essentials Bag a few years back, I had one question: Where’s the changing pad? There wasn’t one. What was the logic? I can’t remember exactly how they rationalized it, but it made no sense to me. I liked the small footprint of the bag, and the skateboard-chic sling [...]
First steps made easier
Thursday, November 9th, 2006Any parent who has cheered on a new toddler surely remembers the weeks leading up to those first tentative steps. Chances are, you spent a lot of time hunched over, walking behind your baby as she grasped tight to your index fingers and tottered all around. Sound familiar? If you haven’t been through it yet, [...]
Running hot and cold
Wednesday, November 8th, 2006The new Digital Bath Spout Cover with Built-in Digital Thermometer (yes, that’s the product name; it’s trademarked) from 4 Moms is one of my most highly anticipated new arrivals for 2006. When I saw a demonstration of the product at the JPMA show in May, I was extremely impressed. But they were showing a prototype, [...]
Aging gracefully
Tuesday, October 10th, 2006This is the kind of “aha” product that makes you wish you’d thought of it first. How often do you find a half-full jar of baby food in the fridge and wonder how long it’s been sitting there. Instead of shaking, stirring, sniffing and reluctantly tasting the peas, now you can just refer to the [...]
What else would you do with an old billboard?
Saturday, May 13th, 2006Those creative guys at Dad Gear have put some old, recycled billboards to great use. They’ve hired professional artists to crop interesting and compelling sections of printed vinyl, then they’ve turned them into the front flap of their signature messenger bag. It’s a very neat effect, and the bags feel urban, funky and youthful, but [...]
Double the kids, double the bag
Friday, April 28th, 2006Almost from the moment they first hit the shelves, Skip Hop bags have been a smash hit. The Duo was their first design, and it was compact, stylish, and it ingeniously clipped onto the back of a stroller. Most parents loved it, but for parents who had more than one diaper-wearing kid, it wasn’t big [...]
Daddy doesn’t need a diaper bag anymore
Saturday, November 19th, 2005 The new Dad Gear Diaper Vest has finally arrived. This was one of my favorite items at the ABC Show in Las Vegas, where I dragged my dubious husband a half-mile through the convention center to try it on. But he loved it, and I think he won’t be alone.
Dad Gear is a brand [...]
