This is a funny one . . .

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I’m always interested in things that make it easier to tote Pooky’s diapering items around (and also can’t wait for the day when I no longer need to do this). The Cheeky Changer from Cheekybubs is an all-in-one system that you can grab and go by itself or simply toss it into your bag. Available in a variety of beautiful fabric designs, it’s a rectangular mat that folds out to reveal three large built-in pockets - one for diapers, one for wipes, and one for a changing pad. It comes with a coordinating changing pad that’s machine washable, and a coordinating diaper case is also available for purchase.

It looks beautiful and is very well made. The changing pad is a good size (29×18) and thin, which means it’s functional but not bulky. If you do use a hard wipes case, expect it to be more bulky when all rolled up. One of the downsides of the Cheeky Changer is that the changing pad needs to be re-folded just right in order for it to fit back into the pocket, and it’ll take two hands for you to slip it back in. This is fine when you have plenty of time, but in public changing rooms, I find I can only release one hand at a time for things like this (with the other hand on Pooky). An oilcloth or other similarly slick surface for the inside of the pockets would help with ease of use. Another thought around this was to integrate the pockets into the changing pad and eliminate the extra rectangular mat. It folds up and stays folded with a strip of velcro which works fine for me, but I’m not very fond of velcro in general and would love to see an alternative way to keep it closed.

Overall, I found the Cheeky Changer to be a great concept with some things that could be tweaked a bit to make it convenient. Price: $39.95 and an additional $15 for the coordinating wipes case at Cheekybubs.

Your little girl will love spinning in her Twirly Dress from the Twirly Girl Shop. Lightweight and colorful, these dresses are reversible which means you get two dresses in one! Pooky loves playing dress up with her Twirly Dress. The biggest issue with this dress is deciding which side to put on her. Price: $70 at Twirly Girl Shop.

The folks at Rockin’ Baby sure know how to create hip and stylish baby carriers. The fabrics they use for their ring slings and pouches are to die for! I’m not sure if you’ll find more beautiful fabric combinations anywhere else. This is probably one of the reasons why celebrities like Gwen Stefani make sure their babies are carried in a Rockin’ Baby carrier.

The Rockin’ Baby Pouch is reversible and adjustable. The adjustable zipper feature means that you can get the right fit most of the time, and other people who aren’t your size can also wear your baby or toddler. Unlike some other pouches out there, this pouch is made with a deep seat which is perfect for getting your newborn in and settled easily. I did find, however, that the deep seat pocket also meant that there was a lot of excess fabric when carrying a toddler in the hip position. For the most comfortable wear, make sure the fabric around the shoulder area is spread out wide.

If you’re interested in being able to adjust the fit of your carrier even more, a Rockin’ Baby Ring Sling may be perfect for you. You can get the perfect fit every time by adjusting the fabric around the rings, and you’re also left with a flowy tail of beautiful fabric (which is great for discreet nursing). It comes in only one standard size which will work on everyone, but if you’re a shorty like me, you may want to hem the length a bit depending on how long you’d like the tail. I didn’t find the ring sling shoulders to be as comfy and supportive as others I’ve tried. If you end up feeling the same way, I’d recommend seeking the amazing service of Jan at Sleeping Baby Productions who can redo the shoulder style into one that’s super comfy (my favorite shoulder style for ring slings). Jan can also shorten the sling for you if needed (and all this for only $13).

If there’s a store around you that carry these carriers, I’d highly recommend seeing them and trying them on in person. I think they look even better in real life, and the weight of the fabrics used for each carrier design can vary quite a bit. Price: $92-102 for Ring Slings and $82 for Pouches at Rockin’ Baby Sling.

Special offer for Googababy readers: Through Aug 31, receive 10% off your order at Rockin’ Baby Sling. Mention “Googababy” in checkout.

Pooky has quite a collection of hair clips, but nothing quite like these adorable felt hair clips from Chloe In Style. They’re small, soft, and are available in simple, cute designs. We find that some hair clips tend to go a bit overboard with design frilliness, but these are perfect! They stay put in her hair (except when she pulls them out), and I’d recommend a few for every little girl. Price: $9 each at Chloe In Style.

Circle of Friends offer hair and bathing products that celebrate diversity and come in delicious smelling aromas. Their shampoos, bubble bath, lotions, and soaps come in tasty flavors such as chocolate, banana, root beer, and strawberry. They smell really good (and yummy!) and remind me of the scratch n sniff stickers I loved as a kid. Their “Little Docs” product line is fragrance free and especially created for babies and kids with eczema and sensitive skin. Each product bottle has a picture of a child character from a different country and includes a paragraph about the character and where s/he is from.

There are a couple of sets of videos that we sit down to watch with Pooky somewhat regularly. One is the previously reviewed Baby Signing Time series. The other is called Your Baby Can Read! As you might guess from the title, it aims to introduce your baby to reading. On their website and in the opening to the video is footage of 9-month-old baby Aleka responding appropriately to words on flash cards. For example, when she sees the card that says “head,” she touches her head. While it’s pretty amazing to see, Pooky has yet to respond so spectacularly. Then again, we’re not willing to have her watch the videos twice daily, which is what they recommend. Still, she loves to repeat the words in the lessons, and I think it has strengthened her vocabulary to some extent. While the production quality is a bit lower, it still grabs Pooky’s attention and keeps her riveted.

I’ve been skeptical in the past of baby products that claim to boost intelligence, and not without reason. While I don’t think most babies will show the same results as baby Aleka, I don’t lump these videos in the same category as, say, Baby Einstein. I do believe that these videos can be beneficial, as long as we remember that there is no substitute for, and nothing as important as, human interaction.

The set we reviewed also comes with flash cards and a dry-erase card with marker for practice. You can buy this set or choose from many other options at the Your Baby Can Read! website.

All these recalls make me a bit nervous purchasing things for Pooky. Here’s another one from Mattel which recalls another 9 million toys, including Polly Pocket dolls and Batman action figures:

Toy-making giant Mattel Inc. issued recalls Tuesday for about 9 million Chinese-made toys that contain magnets children can swallow or which could have lead paint.

The recalls includes 7.3 million play sets, including Polly Pocket dolls and Batman action figures, and 253,000 die cast cars that contain lead paint. The action was announced on the company’s Web site and at a news conference here by the Consumer Product Safety Commission.

Read the AP article
Read the Recall Notice