phil&teds has just raised the bar with modular strollers once again with their newest addition the Promenade.

The Promenade is more classy than sporty and is truly a versatile stroller that will grow with your children. With standout features such as toddler seats that transform into flat bed seat (like a stroller bassinet!) and a handle that telescopes out far enough that you will not kick the doubles kit, this is one stroller you need to take notice of.

Let’s start in singles mode. The seat accommodates up to 40 lbs and measure 12″ wide with a 19″ seatback and 22″ seatback to canopy measurement. While the canopy height isn’t very tall, you can slide the canopy up the frame of the seat to give more headroom for your taller riders. We found that the seat was roomy and a child up to at least 4 years old can fit in it comfortably. The adjustable, padded, 5-point harness keeps your baby safe in the seat while the hard-to-do buckle (for a toddler!) keeps them IN the seat.

The adjustable footrest is a unique feature for a stroller seat that transforms into a flat bed seat and the one-handed recline is fabulous! The seat reclines back into 2 additional positions, including fully reclined.

The most notable feature of the seat is that it transforms from toddler seat to flat bed seat by unbuckling 2 buckles. Just to clarify, phil&teds refers to it as a “flat bed seat” because it is not meant to work off of the stroller. Read: You can’t take this seat off and use it as a free-standing bassinet/carrycot. We aren’t crazy about the term “flat bed seat” so we are going to continue to call it a “bassinet”. Just remember it can’t be used off the stroller. It’s a stroller bassinet! Cool? That’s it – two buckles and you have yourself a bassinet! Not need to purchase one separately. No need to store the bassinet when baby outgrows it. The bassinet is the toddler seat and the toddler seat is the bassinet. Brilliant.

Like most luxury strollers, the Promenade gives you the option to reverse the seat. This one is a little different than most because you have a second set of adapters to use when reversing the seat to parent-face. The adapters are super easy to attach and we love that the seat/bassinet is raised higher and closer to mom when parent-facing.

We all know that canopy size most definitely matters. The Promenade is well endowed in the canopy arena. While at first glance it’s not huge, but unzip the zipper down the center and the canopy really opens up. It becomes a full-coverage canopy with a large mesh window for air to circulate through the seat and a peek-a-boo window to keep an eye on your little rider.

The handle bar telescopes out to accommodate a long stride and when you attach the doubles kit – it telescopes out even more. This handle bar really goes the extra mile for those long-legged parents to prevent them from kicking the frame or the rear seat.

With a huge basket underneath the seat, you will have a place to put all your baby essentials.  There is serious storage space under there but there has to be because the doubles kit does take up quite a bit of basket room.  Not to worry though because even with the doubles kit attached, there is still some basket real estate to spare for some loose essentials.

The stroller rolls on 7 1/2″ front tires and 11″ rear tires both being foam so there is no worry of a flat. The front wheels are swivel wheels for one-handed maneuverability around the tightest corners but can lock straight to tackle some all-terrain such as grass, playground mulch and gravel. The suspension system absorbs some of the bumps giving baby a smooth ride and the one-step, flip-flop friendly brake is a nice touch.

When it’s time to use the Promenade in doubles mode, this buggy really shines. A doubles kit (sold separately) attaches behind the front seat easily and quickly. The doubles kit is just as great as the main seat as it transforms from toddler seat to bassinet and can accommodate all the way up to 40 lbs. If that isn’t enough, the doubles kit also reclines into two additional positions including all the way back.

Versatility is the name of the game with the Promenade! It can accommodate a car seat to become a travel system or you can set up the seats/bassinet into 7 additional configurations.  With configurations such as two bassinets or a car seat and a bassinet, we highly recommend this stroller for twins.

The stroller weighs in a 28 lbs in singles mode and 35 lbs in doubles mode which makes it pretty average in the full-size, modular, all-terrain(ish) type of strollers. It’s definitely not light but isn’t going to break your back either. The doubles kit has to be removed when folding, so you will never need to lift the 35 lb double stroller all in one piece into your trunk anyway.

Folding the stroller is really very simple but you will need both hands. It folds into a rather compact package (not tiny – but will fit in a sedan trunk!). To make the folded package even smaller, just remove the bumper bar and pop off the wheels. 

Overall, we can tell that phil&teds really thought about mom/dad and baby when designing this stroller. With transforming seats, a handlebar that really telescopes to get the job done, a full-coverage canopy, and 8 different configurations to accommodate and grow with not only one rider but two, the Promenade is a winner in our book!  That isn’t to say that this winner isn’t pricey.  It is. Retailing for $849 in singles mode and an additional $149 for the doubles kit, you are getting a luxury stroller stocked with features for a luxury price.

To watch our full in-depth video review of the promenade, click on the video below:

The Baby Gizmo Giant Weekly Giveaway this week is the full-featured Simmons Kids Tour Buggy. Reversible seat? Check. Toddler seat that transforms to bassinet? Check. Adjustable handle, memory foam seat, adjustable footrest? Check. Check. Check. One lucky winner will win this fabulous stroller this week!

To watch our full video review of the Simmons Kids Tour Buggy go here:  Baby Gizmo Simmons Kids Tour Buggy Review

Lightweight stroller features 360 degree shock-absorbing 7″ swivel lock front wheels and oversized 10″ rear wheels for a smooth ride. The reversible seat with comfort bumper pad provides more strolling options. There’s a full multi-position recline with adjustable footrest for comfort and a five-point harness with soft shoulder pads for safety. Adjustable handle offers three positions, and the large under-frame storage bag is perfect for storing on-the-go necessities. Also features auto folding lock and one-touch back brake.

Yep, it’s Rafflecopter time again!  A blog comment is the only mandatory entry! Baby Gizmo friends don’t just stick with “mandatory” though, right? We are overachievers! So, there are additional (optional) entries you can get. But let us warn you – make sure you actually do the entries! If you click on “leave a blog comment” on the Rafflecopter widget – make sure you actually leave a blog comment. We check! If you don’t do the actual entry – it doesn’t count! You won’t win. We’ll both be sad.

*You can only do each entry method ONCE (besides the Twitter and Message Board post options which is once per day!) Please do not cheat and enter more than that! Doing each entry method will require a few different blog comments so don’t worry about commenting more than once. Just follow the Rafflecopter directions. Giveaway STARTS now and ends at 11:59pm EST on February 12, 2012. (US residents only!)


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Yesterday, I took my daughter and her two besties to The American Girl Place in Chicago for her 7th birthday. We made reservations at the Cafe for lunch and planned for her to pick out her very first “big girl” American Girl doll. Since we didn’t know what to expect from our visit to the Cafe for an American Girl themed lunch, we decided to take you with us. (Well, kind of. We made you a video and took tons of pictures to give you an inside look.)

You can watch our video spotlight of the American Girl Place here (or read and see our photos below):

The American Girl Place in Chicago is a two-level dream come true for a doll-loving mommy…er…I mean a doll-loving little girl! From the minute you walk in the door, you are bombarded with dolls, clothes and accessories around every corner. While there are many dolls in glass cases, there are plenty of dolls and accessories for the girls to touch and handle. It’s like a museum and toy store all in one!

Inside you will find a Photo Studio where girls can take professional photos with their dolls, a Doll Hospital, a Doll Hair Salon to fix ‘em up a new do and a Bistro for a quick snack.

American Girl Cafe

Our favorite part of the visit was our trip to the American Girl Cafe for lunch. This is definitely a special occasion lunch that a 7th birthday was perfect for. If you have a doll-loving princess, this is THE American girl experience.

We had a perfectly-pink table for four with room to dine with our dolls. Each doll was given a mini hook-on high chair and place setting of their own to join us at the table. Don’t worry, for those guests without a doll, there is a huge shelf of dolls to borrow for dining.

Lunch was a three-course meal. We started with an appetizer of soft pretzel balls, crisp celery/carrots sticks, fresh strawberries, cheese triangles and yummy mini cinnamon rolls for the table to share. Each guest had their choice of entree which included kid-favorites such as mac and cheese, chicken tenders and pizza. I was happy to see parent-friendly options as well, such as an entree salad and panko-crusted chicken sandwich. Dessert was what they call a “Sweet Surprise” which was a delicious flower pot full of moose, pink frosted sugar star cookie and heart shaped piece of cake. Obviously, the dessert was a hit! The entire meal from start to finish was delicious, hot and perfectly cooked.

The service was top-notch and every detail from the star-shaped fruit kabobs to the yummy shakes and smoothies were carefully thought out. To help celebrate my daughter’s birthday, they gave her a “Let’s Celebrate” hat to wear and led us in a round of “happy birthday” to make her feel extra special. Each girl at our table received a goodie bag (this is an extra charge) that included an adorable celebrate doll t-shirt, plastic balloon for the doll, a “Talk Time Questions” book and a mini American Girl bag of stickers.  For those who want to go the extra mile, parents can order a special cake for a celebration.

The American Girl Cafe is expensive as just a regular lunch but this is no regular lunch. This is an experience!  If you have a little girl who simply adores everything American Girl, this lunch is perfect for a special occasion.

Overall, our day at American Girl was fantastic! The girls all had a fantastic time and it may have just made me Best. Mom. Ever. (By the way, my daughter chose the new Girl of the Year – McKenna as her birthday gift!)

To find out more information about American Girl Place visit their website at: http://www.americangirl.com

*Disclosure: My daughter chose the American Girl Place for her birthday because as an American Girl Model, she is obsessed with everything American Girl!

One of my daughter's American Girl modeling shots.

*Disclosure: Thanks to American Girl Place for providing our lunch at the Cafe. As always, all opinions and statements are our own.

If you are looking for a great gift for a baby 6 months to about 18 months, the Fisher-Price Lil’ Zoomers Spinnin’ Sounds Speedway just might do the trick.  It’s not a quiet toy but it sure does keep our little baby testers busy. Take a look at our quick video review below:

SHOP Fisher-Price Lil’ Zoomers Spinnin’ Sounds Speedway HERE

It’s a BIG sale alert!  BabyLegs is having a 50% off ALL BabyLegs now through Monday, February 6 when you use the coupon code “NOFOOTBALL“.  That’s right – this isn’t a sale on select styles or styles you probably wouldn’t want.  This is a sale on EVERYTHING!!!  Yeah!!!

SHOP BabyLegs Sale HERE

Britax Marathon 70 is 25% off on Amazon today! Love this seat!  My 4 year old sits in one!

The Britax B-Ready is 24%-36% off today depending on your color choice!

The Stokke Tripp Trapp (another Baby Gizmo favorite!) is 23% off today!

Safety 1st On Board Air Protect 35 Infant Car Seat is an astonishing 29% off! (Lowest price we’ve seen in a while!)

Looking for a great sit n’ stand stroller? The Joovy Caboose is 34% off!  Great deal!

A new diaper bag is like a new purse! So fun!  You might want to grab this deal on the JJ Cole Mode Diaper Tote Bag for 37% off!

Happy Shopping!!

Bugaboo is adding three fun new colors for 2012!  Electric Blue, Jade Green and Coral Red will be available for the Bugaboo Cameleon, Donkey and Bee. Whatcha think?  Like ‘em or prefer the current colors better?

It must be a good time to stock up on baby shoes!  It’s another fantastic sale!  This time it is our favorite baby shoe company – pediped!!

They are having a sale with shoes for baby, toddlers and kids up to 60% right now!  The kicker is that it ends on Sunday!  Hurry!  Grab a few pairs before the sale is over!  You’ll be glad you did!

SHOP Pediped SALE HERE

After our recent family cruise, we had planned to stay an extra day in Fort Lauderdale before we headed home to snowy, cold Chicago. We wanted to take one extra day to unwind, possibly visit the beach, and just relax after we got off the boat but before the chaos of real life started again. I went online about a week in advance to search for a good hotel deal in Ft. Lauderdale. I wasn’t finding any earth-shattering deals that were too good to pass up. So, I decided to roll the dice and get a hotel on Bookit.com - a site I had never used before but thought I would give it a shot. Not only was I going to book a hotel through them but I was opting to book the “Mystery Hotel” for a cheaper price.  This means that you basically book and pay for a hotel in a certain area but you have no idea which exact hotel you will be getting. I was nervous as I booked it because in reality it could get really ugly booking a hotel for 5 people including 3 small kids without having any idea about the hotel.

Turns out that it was the best move I made that day!  Seriously. We were given the B Ocean Fort Lauderdale Hotel that was an oceanfront property for $159/night.  Let me say that again.  We got an oceanfront property in Fort Lauderdale!! Score.

I had never heard of this hotel before but it was a brand new hotel in a prime area of Ft. Lauderdale.

Lobby

The B Ocean Fort Lauderdale is a beautiful, modern, 4-star hotel that is located steps from the beach. The lobby walls were designed to look like ocean waves and the lighting changes to change the color of the waves. Every staff member from the valet to the front desk employees that we encountered were amazing! Very polite, good with the kids and accommodating.

We arrived at the hotel at 8:30am knowing full well that check-in wasn’t until 4pm. Since we had taken a cab to the hotel, I figured at the very least they would hold onto our luggage until check-in. The guy at the front desk said he would find out if our room was ready even though it was so early.  It was not. Fortunately, the manager was standing right next to him and overheard that we had just gotten off a cruise and maybe it was my antsy kids whining around me but she said “let me check and see what I can find for you.” After 30 seconds of her clicking around on the computer, she said, “you are all set. We have upgraded your room free of charge and it’s ready for you.”

What?!?!  Seriously?

Plus, I want to say that they had no idea I was intending to review the hotel for Baby Gizmo or anything.  We were just some family in off the street as far as they knew! I was already loving the B Ocean by this point!

As a huge bonus, they have free coffee (with to-go cups) in their cafe every morning. Love that!

Room

Our room was great!  It was sparkling clean and everything was perfect. Including the view! Seriously, our “upgrade” was to this amazing ocean view room! The view is definitely confirmed that I made the best choice by ending up with this “mystery hotel”.

Besides the view, we had two queen beds, a full desk area, dresser and arm chair in the corner. The entire room was white with blue accents. All the sparkling clean white walls, sheets, comforters, dresser made me a little nervous with my 3 little ones with their bags full of markers, crayons, candy and so on. I did have to keep the kids in check so they wouldn’t redecorate the room with a little more color.

Pool

The B Ocean pool was right off the lobby and was a decent size. Not huge but not super tiny either. The pool area was complete with comfy lounge chairs and fun cabanas. Since we decided to hit the beach across the street instead, we didn’t actually use the pool.

Area

Did I mention that the B Ocean is an oceanfront property?  It’s not technically on the sand but across the street which is like all the “oceanfront” hotels in that area. All you have to do is literally cross the street and you are on the beach though. Like a 1 minute walk. As soon as we checked-in, we took a walk around the area to check it out. There is a yummy pizza place next door, a fantastic ice cream shop where they make their own ice cream right behind the hotel and a few other shops and restaurants all on the same block.

Plus, there is a fire station just down the street with the friendliest firefighters that let my kids have an impromptu tour and let them climb all over their fire truck and ambulance.  I think it was the highlight of my kids’ day!  Yep, we just walked up and asked for a visit and they were more than accommodating!

A full grocery store is within walking distance for any essentials and a great harbor full of luxury boats to give the little ones something look at is also right down the road.

What we liked:

• The staff that was unbelievably accommodating.
• The view from our room.
• The modern decor.
• The beach across the street.
• Free coffee in the cafe.

What we didn’t like:

• Nothing. Our visit was perfect.

Disclosure: This was a personal stay and the B Ocean had no idea that we intended to review the hotel for Baby Gizmo. As always, all our statement and opinions  are our own.

Please share this with every child-bearing age women you know just in case!!

We LOVE babies but sometimes you want to plan for them or NOT plan for them!  That’s why this massive birth control RECALL is important for all women to see!  We’d hate for someone to miss it and…well…end up with a little “surprise”.

Here are photos of the recalled pills on the FDA website. Below is the announcement from the FDA website:

Pfizer Inc. announced today that it has voluntarily recalled 14 lots of Lo/Ovral®-28 (norgestrel and ethinyl estradiol)Tablets and 14 lots of Norgestrel and Ethinyl Estradiol Tablets (generic) for customers in the U.S. market. An investigation by Pfizer found that some blister packs may contain an inexact count of inert or active ingredient tablets and that the tablets may be out of sequence. The cause was identified and corrected immediately.

These products are oral contraceptives indicated for the prevention of pregnancy in women who elect to use oral contraceptives as a method of contraception. These tablets were manufactured and packaged by Pfizer Inc., commercialized by Akrimax Rx Products and labeled under the Akrimax Pharmaceuticals brand. This product is distributed to warehouses, clinics and retail pharmacies nationwide.

As a result of this packaging error, the daily regimen for these oral contraceptives may be incorrect and could leave women without adequate contraception, and at risk for unintended pregnancy. These packaging defects do not pose any immediate health risks. However, consumers exposed to affected packaging should begin using a non-hormonal form of contraception immediately. Patients who have the affected product (lot numbers are provided below) should notify their physician and return the product to the pharmacy.

These products are packaged in blister packs containing 21 tablets of active ingredients and seven tablets of inert ingredients. Correct dosing of this product is important in avoiding the associated risks of an unplanned pregnancy. Correctly packaged blister packs are pictured here.

Any adverse events that may be related to the use of these products should be reported to Akrimax Medical Information at 1-877-509-3935 (8 AM to 7 PM Mon-Fri CST) or to FDA’s Med Watch Program either online, by regular mail or by fax.

Online: www.fda.gov/medwatch/report.htm¹
Regular Mail: Use postage-paid, pre-addressed Form FDA 3500
available at: www.fda.gov/MedWatch/getforms.htm². Mail
to the address on the pre-addressed form.
Fax: 1-800-FDA-0178

Pfizer has responded rapidly to ensure that its products continue to meet the company’s high quality standards. The safety of patients who take our medicines is our first priority.

This recall is being conducted with the knowledge of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Lot numbers of affected packs of Lo/Ovral®-28 (norgestrel and ethinyl estradiol)Tablets and Norgestrel and Ethinyl Estradiol Tablets (generic) follow on the table below:

NDC	Product	Lot	Expiration	Configuration/Count
24090-801-84	LO/OVRAL® 28	E15678	08/31/2013	6 Pilpacks® of 28 tablets each
24090-801-84	LO/OVRAL® 28	E15679	08/31/2013	6 Pilpacks® of 28 tablets each
24090-801-84	LO/OVRAL® 28	E15686	08/31/2013	6 Pilpacks® of 28 tablets each
24090-801-84	LO/OVRAL® 28	E15687	01/31/2014	6 Pilpacks® of 28 tablets each
24090-801-84	LO/OVRAL® 28	E15690	01/31/2014	6 Pilpacks® of 28 tablets each
24090-801-84	LO/OVRAL® 28	E15698	01/31/2014	6 Pilpacks® of 28 tablets each
24090-801-84	LO/OVRAL® 28	E15700	02/28/2014	6 Pilpacks® of 28 tablets each
24090-801-84	LO/OVRAL® 28	E80434	07/31/2013	6 Pilpacks® of 28 tablets each
24090-801-84	LO/OVRAL® 28	E80438	08/31/2013	6 Pilpacks® of 28 tablets each
24090-801-84	LO/OVRAL® 28	F36908	02/28/2014	6 Pilpacks® of 28 tablets each
24090-801-84	LO/OVRAL® 28	F36909	02/28/2014	6 Pilpacks® of 28 tablets each
24090-801-84	LO/OVRAL® 28	F43915	03/31/2014	6 Pilpacks® of 28 tablets each
24090-801-84	LO/OVRAL® 28	F43926	03/31/2014	6 Pilpacks® of 28 tablets each
24090-801-84	LO/OVRAL® 28	F43927	03/31/2014	6 Pilpacks® of 28 tablets each
24090-961-84	Norgestrel 0.3 mg/Ethinyl Estradiol 0.03 mg	E15677	08/31/2013	6 Pilpacks® of 28 tablets each
24090-961-84	Norgestrel 0.3 mg/Ethinyl Estradiol 0.03 mg	E15704	01/31/2014	6 Pilpacks® of 28 tablets each
24090-961-84	Norgestrel 0.3 mg/Ethinyl Estradiol 0.03 mg	E15706	01/31/2014	6 Pilpacks® of 28 tablets each
24090-961-84	Norgestrel 0.3 mg/Ethinyl Estradiol 0.03 mg	E80440	08/31/2013	6 Pilpacks® of 28 tablets each
24090-961-84	Norgestrel 0.3 mg/Ethinyl Estradiol 0.03 mg	F16388	01/31/2014	6 Pilpacks® of 28 tablets each
24090-961-84	Norgestrel 0.3 mg/Ethinyl Estradiol 0.03 mg	F16390	02/28/2014	6 Pilpacks® of 28 tablets each
24090-961-84	Norgestrel 0.3 mg/Ethinyl Estradiol 0.03 mg	F22132	02/28/2014	6 Pilpacks® of 28 tablets each
24090-961-84	Norgestrel 0.3 mg/Ethinyl Estradiol 0.03 mg	F31330	02/28/2014	6 Pilpacks® of 28 tablets each
24090-961-84	Norgestrel 0.3 mg/Ethinyl Estradiol 0.03 mg	F36911	03/31/2014	6 Pilpacks® of 28 tablets each
24090-961-84	Norgestrel 0.3 mg/Ethinyl Estradiol 0.03 mg	F36913	03/31/2014	6 Pilpacks® of 28 tablets each
24090-961-84	Norgestrel 0.3 mg/Ethinyl Estradiol 0.03 mg	F43924	03/31/2014	6 Pilpacks® of 28 tablets each
24090-961-84	Norgestrel 0.3 mg/Ethinyl Estradiol 0.03 mg	F43925	03/31/2014	6 Pilpacks® of 28 tablets each
24090-961-84	Norgestrel 0.3 mg/Ethinyl Estradiol 0.03 mg	F43934	03/31/2014	6 Pilpacks® of 28 tablets each
24090-961-84	Norgestrel 0.3 mg/Ethinyl Estradiol 0.03 mg	F53238	03/31/2014	6 Pilpacks® of 28 tablets each