Brand spotlight: Let’s talk about Stokke!

Here at Magic Beans, we only stock the best items from the top baby brands – but we also know that not every product is the right fit for the lifestyle of every family. That’s why it’s essential for our staff to know every product on our shelves and in our showrooms inside-out, and training on both new and old products is constant, so our expert team can guide customers to the exact products that they need: not the stroller your neighbor, or your sister, or your cousin needs, but the one that YOU will love!

Accordingly, representatives from our top brands hold regular trainings at our stores, and in November, our Stokke representative came to our Boston store to provide our team with key info and updates. Fallon Migliorini, a Toy Whiz, Stroller Matchmaker, and Registry Concierge, wrote up an exhaustive summary of the training to share with the rest of our stores, and it was so full of great info that we decided to share it with you!

Ready to invest in some amazing baby gear from Stokke? If you’re in New England, visit Fallon at our Boston store at the Prudential Mall or any of our other convenient locations, or find any of these items here at mbeans.com.

First of all, you should know, above all, that Stokke is all about the child/parent connection and bonding time. They include the advice of child psychologists when they design their products, and one of the key insights they’ve utilized is that babies can’t see that far in the beginning. That’s why most Stokke products really focus on allowing babies a closer proximity to their parents, so they can clearly see Mom or Dad.

For example, this is why the Stokke Xplory and other Stokke strollers have very high seats – so babies can easily see their parents, and so parents can easily see and touch their babies. Even the Tripp Trapp typically is meant not to be used with a tray, because ideally, it’s supposed to be pulled up to the table with the parents. (You can purchase a tray separately now, though.)

Tripp Trapp High Chair

This is one of the best high chairs out there since the 70s. They adjust by height and depth to fit everyone from babies up to adults, and they will hold up to 300 pounds, so they are literally good for life! Plus they have a 7 year warranty…yes 7 YEARS! The biggest competition for Tripp Trapps in Europe are secondhand Tripp Trapps, because they last so long. Here are some important things to know:

• When you’re setting up and adjusting your Tripp Trapp, you want the child’s knees to be at a 90 degree angle. This will be the most ergonomically comfortable position.
• In order to move levels, loosen the black bolts with an Allen wrench on the sides.
• The Tripp Trapp is made of 100% beech wood and only uses water-soluble stains.
• Accessories are sold separately, including the baby set, cushion, and tray.

Xplory Stroller

The Xplory is Stokke’s original stroller, with a unique look that really makes it stand out on the street. As with all Stokke products, it’s all about bonding: it has a reversible seat, and the high seat keeps baby close to you! A few facts about the Xplory:

• You can use this stroller from birth onward with an insert, and then can take the pillow out of the insert as child grows larger.
• The seat does not recline all the way facing outward and for good reason. If a child is sleeping and wakes up to see nothing and no one they recognize, just a bunch of strangers hustling and bustling about the city streets, they are going to be scared. However, when the seat is facing the parent, the seat fully reclines, so when your baby wakes up, their mom or dad’s face is the first thing they see.
• The seat is table height. This means if you’re out at a restaurant, there’s no need to find a high chair, and then find a place to stow the stroller.
• Rubber wheels are used as a shock absorber.
• There’s a trick to the fold: first, remove the seat. Also, if you angle the handlebar forward, you can easily carry the stroller frame by the handle and the foot.
• When switching direction of the seat, don’t take the footrest off, just loop it around the handlebar to face parent. It is much smoother transition, and will make you look super suave!
• The Xplory Stroller comes with a 3 year warranty.

Crusi Stroller

This is Stokke’s full-size stroller with the adaptability of a 2nd seat. The Stokke “sibling seat” sits in the position of the basket of the stroller, and the original seat faces the parent. Here are some talking points:

• This is Stokke’s first stroller that can be used with a second seat!
• It has a smooth ride, with front-wheel suspension built-in, plus rubber wheels.
• It looks a lot like the Xplory, with a nice high seat, but is perhaps a touch less exotic-looking.
• The Crusi comes with a 3 year warranty.

Sleepi Crib Mini Bundle

The Sleepi is really one of a kind as far as cribs go: it converts from a bassinet to a crib to a junior bed to two chairs! Plus, it’s an oval. This section refers mostly to the bundle that includes the bassinet, but there are details about everything here.

• The Sleepi Mini is bundled WITH THE MATTRESS! This is huge! This almost never happens with a crib, and mattresses can be upwards of $150- $200.
• It also includes the canopy drape rod. However, the drape itself is sold separately. It’s really cute!
• The Sleepi Crib is made of beech wood with water-soluble stains, so it’s all very safe.
• There are 4 wheels on the bottom for easy moving through the house. During the bassinet stage, this is very important because no one wants to wake a sleeping baby! This is especially good if you’re keeping the baby in your room at night while she’s little.
• The crib has 4 mattress height options to keep babies from climbing out once they are able.
• The Sleepi Mini easily converts to the Sleepi Crib by simply buying the extension kit later on. (You can buy this on its own without having the Mini first, one would just buy the crib rather than the extension kit). Customers will also need to buy the crib mattress since the crib does NOT come with the mattress (even if you buy it as the crib without having the Mini first).
• To convert the crib to a toddler bed, just take out the front piece and lower the mattress again so the child can climb in and out of bed on their own.
• After the Sleepi Crib gets too small, it then can convert into a Sleepi Junior Bed with yet another conversion kit and additional mattress. This is the same length as a twin bed, just not as wide because of the curved mattress. This is going to last for up to 10 years! It’s a rare piece of baby furniture that will last your family a long, long time, so it’s totally worth the investment.
• THEN, once you are done with the junior bed, separate out the halves of the mini, buy the seat and cushion, and it becomes two beautiful Sleepi Chairs! How amazing!

Keep in mind while contemplating all these conversion kits that over the course of your child’s lifetime, you were going to have to purchase a bassinet, a crib, and a twin bed anyway, with the accompanying mattresses, so you’re not really buying anything extra. Plus, all pieces have a 7 year warranty, which is basically the lifetime of these products.

Care Changing Table

Customers don’t ask us about changing tables as often as other gear, but you do want the furniture in your nursery to match, right? Plus, this changing table has a lot of special features that you’ll appreciate.

• This is one of the highest changing tables we sell – remember, again, how Stokke emphasizes the parent/child connection.
• Different from other tables, the child’s legs face the parent. If you’ve ever changed a baby before, you’ll immediately see the advantage, because it can be pretty difficult to work at an angle when there is a poop explosion involved! This way you can also get a better grip on the child, and you don’t have to worry about them rolling toward you, because they are already facing you.
• The Care Changing Table also has plenty of storage space, with two caddies on the sides, a towel rod on one side, and two deep bins on either shelf, so you don’t even need to turn away from the table to grab another diaper or other necessities. Think of this as a safety feature: it can be scary to turn away from your wiggly baby for fear that they may roll off!
• You can adjust the height of the shelves on this changing table to transform it into a bookshelf, or even get a conversion kit to turn it into a desk! I love how committed Stokke is to lengthening the life of their products – I mean, they last forever anyway so why not make them convert to things adults and older children can use.

Flexibath Baby Bathtub

The Flexibath is designed to fold flat for easy storage, so you can just stow it in the linen closet in your bathroom. You can use it from birth with the Newborn Support, which clips onto the top edge and rests inside the bath. The flat base allows for use in the tub, or on the floor, and the plug in the bottom makes it easy to empty.

My Carrier

The My Carrier is especially suited for someone with back problems, with a lumbar support bar that goes all the way up the back of the carrier (and can look a little daunting, with a lot of snaps and clips), but it’s great for anyone, and once you get the hang of it, it’s terrific! Here’s the skinny:

• Can work from birth (7.7 lbs) with NO INSERT NEEDED. Perfect for the summer.
• Side clips adjust the height of the baby in the carrier. Remember, in the proper carry position, you should be able to kiss the top of their forehead without strain.
• You can choose to use or not use the lumbar support when using a front carry.
• Baby can front carry facing parent or outward, and can also ride on the back (three positions).
• This is one of the only baby carriers where you can easily put a child on your back without assistance: you can put the baby in the carrier (while sitting with the carrier and the child in your lap, holding the bottom of the carrier between your knees) and then put the carrier on like a backpack.

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