A New Year's Resolution That Benefits You & Your Baby

I saw something new on RESPs (Registered Education Savings Plans) the last time I was in Vancity. The BC government will give you an extra $1,200 over and above the federal government grants. I thought it might be useful to relate our experiences with this valuable financial aid.
We have two children in University now and I can assure that it will cost you between $10,000 (if they stay at home) and $15,000 per year per child when they embark on their post-secondary education.
The RESP is the Great Government Giveaway that anyone with a child can take advantage of. Open an RESP account any bank or credit union, deposit as much as $2,500 per year (or $100 every bi-monthly paycheque) and the government will give you $500. Invest this money any way you like. Any gains on your investments are not taxable until you begin to use the funds for education. Repeat every year. Do this for 18 years and you have $54,000, not counting any investment income. The BC money of $1,200 is available to you once your child has reached the age of 6. You could (if you wanted) choose to start your RESP account at that time.
When you take the money out, the grant portion (ie. the $500/year from the government) is taxable. Make sure you give it to your child who presumably is in a lower tax bracket than you are. The $2,500 you put in each year is not taxable if you give it back to yourself (after all you invested with aftertax income). Any investment gains are taxable, so once again, make sure you give those to your child to reduce your taxes.
Let’s say your child chooses not to go on to post-secondary schooling. No problem, just return the grant portions (the $500/year the feds gave you and the $1,200 BC gave you). Everything else is yours and the same tax rules apply as above.
We are really glad we have money to fund our kids’ education and we are really glad they will not have any student loan debt once they graduate.

What Car Seat Fits in your Car?

This is a pretty regular question from our customers and the quick answer is that car seats, when rear-facing, are the same depth. Yesterday, I helped install a Clek foonf into a Kia Forte and noticed that by using the "infant-thingy" from Clek for a newborn, the foonf is actually quite a bit shorter than any infant or rear-facing convertible seat.

The Kia Forte is particularly short in the back seat, much like the BMW X3 and all Audis. All of them are great cars, they are just not the greatest for rear-facing car seats.

Here is why:
A rear facing car seat has to be (1) properly secured; (2) properly angled to 45 degrees (so the baby's head does not flop forward); and (3) have space to react in a crash.

The back seat of any car or SUV is not flat, but rather inclined backwards towards the seat back. The car seats on display in our store are on a flat surface.

All infant only seats that we sell (the Peg Perego Primo Viaggio, the Maxi-Cosi Max30, and the UPPAbaby Mesa) all have a "bolster" built into their bases to allow the base to be properly angled to achieve the 45 degrees required. This makes getting the angle right easier, although in rare cases an additional bolster is needed. Our rear-facing "convertible" seats also have to be positioned so that baby is laying at a 45 degree angle. With the Britax convertible car seats, there are 7 different recline positions which generally achieves the purpose. With Clek seats, their rigid rebound bar combined with a tight latch belt fit allows you to put the seat at the proper angle. The Peg convertible invariably needs extra bolsters to get into the proper rear-facing position for infants.

The key point here about the angle is that it makes the rear-facing car seat longer, leaving less room for the front passenger seat. When I am assisting people to put in their rear-facing car seat, I always put the front passenger seat as far forward as possible. Once the seat is installed at the proper angle and tightness, I then have the front passenger moved back so that there are 2 fingers thickness between the rear-facing seat and the front passenger seat.

The reason for the space between the car seat and the front seat is to allow the car seat to react freely and DIRECT CRASH FORCES AWAY FROM YOUR BABY. So many people with good intentions ram the front seat back into the rear-facing car seat, thinking they are doing a smart thing. No, the car seat has to be able to move downwards in a crash and then back in a rebound, thus directing crash forces along the bottom of the car seat rather than into the cockpit where your baby is.

You can see in the picture above that the car seat is at the proper angle and that there is a space between the front passenger seat and the rear-facing car seat of about 1 inch (2 fingers).

What is interesting about the Clek foonf and Clek fllo is that when using the "infant thingy" (for babies up to about 6 months old), you remove the head rest, thus making the length of the rear-facing car seat slightly less than a standard infant only seat at the proper angle.

The video below shows an accurate representation of what would happen to a child seated in the forward facing position versus the rear facing position.

I will be writing a lot more about car seat installation and related items in the near future. Follow us on Facebook or Twitter to keep abreast of the latest blog entries.

Why we chose Bumbleride Strollers for Crocodile Baby

We are very picky about what strollers we sell. Every one of them has to have great maneuverability, great durability, and be backed by great after sales service from the manufacturer. We have just added Bumbleride to our list, with the Indie, the Indie twin and, coming soon, the Speed a lovely jogging specialty stroller. here are several reason why we have chosen this manufacturer:

The Air is Guaranteed.

Bumbleride is the only stroller company that provides a 1 year warranty on the inner tubes and tires on its strollers. This means that if you get a flat tire, you advise the company (we will give you their hotline) and they send you the replacement you need. Now practically, only a few people are going to ask for this and it will cost Bumbleride to provide this service. Therefore, they are providing inner tubes and tires of a higher quality that do not get flat. This is just a common sense thing for them to do. The benefit for the consumer is fewer flat tires and less time spent fixing an expensive stroller.

Green Fabric.

The fabric is made of recycled PET bottles and from bamboo based fabric. Both are ecologically sound things to do. From pop bottles to stroller fabric is worthy of Cradle to Cradle consideration. Using bamboo as a fibre base for fabric is also an ecologically sounder way than using cotton or a petrochemical based fibre.

A Lighter Stroller

The Bumbleride Indie is 25% lighter than its "active stroller" competitors. I know this because I took my trusty Luggage Buddy scale and picked up each of our strollers on display. While my device may be off as to the true weight, the relative weights of strollers is the right way to consider the "How heavy is the stroller?" question.

Made in Taiwan

Bumbleride's factory is in Taiwan, not China. This is not a really big deal but it is nice to know the strollers are made in a smaller, family-owned factory with a real interest in making high quality products.

Getting Even Greener

In early 2016, Bumbleride will launch its new running stroller the "Speed". Coincident with that, all of their strollers will use fabrics that have drastically reduced water consumption during the production process while improving the colour fastness. The process creates an 84% energy savings which results in 67% less CO2 emissions. How is this done? I understand it is due to the process dyeing the thread before it is made into fabric, much like the Crypton process waterproofs Clek seat fabrics. Is this a big deal? To have an idea about the importance of this, you may want to watch “Ju Dou” (Red Sorghum in English) a Chinese movie from 1990 starring the glorious Gong Li. The film won both the Cannes festival and the Academy Award for Best Foreign Film. You will see the tremendous amount of water that goes into dyeing fabrics and the potential pollution problems that could arise (and you will watch a really good movie).

Safety and Health

The fabrics used in all Bumbleride stroller are Oeko Tex certified, which means they have been tested for 110 toxic substances and none have been found. Other good products with this certification are Baby Bjorn carriers and all Stokke fabrics.

Please drop by any of our stores to see our Bumbleride strollers on display.

My visit to UPPAbaby

A few weeks ago I was invited to Boston to visit the Head office of UPPAbaby. I want to tell you about two new products they have and my general impressions of the company. First look at this movie – United Breaks Guitars – then come back to here.
New product #1 is a travel bag for the UPPPAbaby Vista stroller. Why get excited? Because the bag extends your stroller warranty! (the stroller has a 2 year warranty). It works as follows: If you have your Vista stroller inside the UPPAbaby travel bag and the airline damages the stroller or parts therein, UPPAbaby will provide a new stroller or parts under warranty, even though it is not a manufacturer’s defect. Either Crocodile Baby or a certified repair centre (Weston Luggage on East 1st) will put the parts on for free. Now you will not have to sing the same great song if your stroller gets trashed.
The bag itself is nicely padded with big carry handles and wheels so you can roll it around airports. All stroller travel bags create spaces around the stroller, so there is always room to pack additional small things into the various corners and spaces in the bag. Buying and using the bag is a bit like buying a travel insurance policy for the stroller, while making the transport of your stroller a lot easier. This new Travel bag is available now at our stores or at crocodilebaby.com.
New product #2 is the Cruz stroller. The concept was to create a stroller which is smaller than the Vista (and its competitors) without losing comfort for the baby, but bigger than an umbrella stroller, especially allowing for a big basket. The Cruz is aimed at the consumer who walks around the sidewalks and malls of cities, it is not designed for off-roading although it does have some very elegant shock absorbers built into the frame of the stroller. The seat is the same size as the Vista seat, so a child up to 40 lbs will easily fit in, but the frame is immensely streamlined so it is much narrower than a full sized stroller. As mentioned, the large basket has also been retained, comparing favourably to those small inaccessible baskets on umbrella strollers. In addition the Cruz (just call me Penelope) has a solid (rather than split) handle which makes it very maneuverable, and a flat fold that is easily executed. The Cruz should be in store in late March 2011.
UPPAbaby as a company is essentially a group of industrial designers with one strong woman insisting on certain Mom-friendly features. Their underlying theme is to provide what parents need in a stroller at a fair price. Effectively this means they have taken several features from the Bugaboo Cameleon/Frog (IMHO, the most revolutionary stroller in the last 20 years), re-interpreted them, and added a few of their own that improve usability. With the Vista, they have created a “workhorse” stroller with great maneuverability, a large basket and the ability to expand to carry 3 kids (with the rumble seat and wheeled board add-ons)

Some notable features of the Vista are: the stroller seat faces forward and back towards the parent – the latter affords the baby some protection from strangers reaching in to play with your baby and lets the parent and baby look at each other; the bassinette is included allowing the new baby to lie down in the stroller – this is extraordinarily important for the baby’s circulatory system and their ability to breathe, as well as creating the movement of picking up the baby from a car seat and placing them in the bassinette (this movement reduces flatheadedness!); a large basket for all the stuff you need to carry around; an extended sunshade on both the bassinette and stroller seat hood – this is just a really good idea that does not cost much to implement; and the ability to separate the seat and the frame for folding – this reduces the strain of putting the stroller in the car trunk because the pieces are picked up separately. In addition, the removal of the bassinette from the stroller frame is really easy for the UPPAbaby; no other stroller bassinette is this easy to remove. This is a huge benefit when your baby is asleep in the bassinette on the stroller and you wish to take them into the bedroom. There is no large “click” as you remove the bassinette from the stroller frame like in other models, nor any awkwardness as to how to carry the bassinette – the handle provides perfect balance.
The company went to some lengths to show me how important their customer serviceis. Parts are immediately available and the people on the phones are trying to get problems solved within 24 hours. This was impressive and allows us at Crocodile Baby to respond more quickly to customer service requests also, knowing the support we will receive from the supplier. Also, the Customer Service people sit right next to the engineers who designed the product so when there is an on-going problem, the engineers are right there to correct it. This proximity allowed UPPAbaby to correct their rear wheels on 2007 – 2009 strollers to the vastly improved 2010 model. We expect a continuous supply of high quality products from UPPAbaby, given the way they operate their company.
Gerry Lewarne, Owner, Crocodile Baby

A chiropractor comments on carrying a baby in an infant car seat

The other day a prospective customer into Crocodile Baby Store to look at a stroller and car seat for her first, as-yet-unborn, child. This is her reaction.

"Hi Gerry,

WOW!!! I was really impressed with your service, knowledge and advice! Particularly when you informed me what I really needed, not what you wanted to sell me.

I was especially impressed with your knowledge on the infant cars seats that detach and travel as a single unit. I am very concerned with this product and was worried I needed to purchase one because I have seen first hand the damage they can cause parents and babies.

Being a Chiropractor for over 10 years and specializing in pediatrics and pregnancy, I have become increasingly alarmed at the possible long term damage that can occur from these mobile seats. On a daily basis I see parents who struggle to carry these mobile car seats, and strain their bodies. I have also observed new babies who have been left in these seats for too long with their heads becoming flat on one side, dropped over to one side or forwards.

Neck, shoulder, rib cage, pelvis, knee and ankle problems can arise or aggravate old injuries from lifting a heavy load on only one side of your body repetitively. Similar strains occur when struggling to get the infant car seats in and out of cars.

Babies are very susceptible in early days of molding to their environment and a lack of movement results in decreased brain stimulation causing several long term effects. Basic neurology states that the Motor movement of the body drives the Sensory system which in turn develops the cerebral cortex(smart part of your brain). With the weight of a newborn's head on such a weak neck, lack of proper head support is very stressful on the nervous, skeletal and circulatory system. A newborn's cranium or head is sensitive to flattening when left for too long in one position. This is not just an aesthetic point, the brain is resting within this cavity and the cranial bone movement determines how well cerebral spinal fluid circulates and bathes the brain and cord. A flattened occiput (back of the head) has been linked to SID's, nervous system, respiratory, digestive, cardiac and behavioural problems. I work with babies with colic, sleep issues, ear aches, breast-feeding problems and more and they always have cranial and upper cervical problems.

It makes complete sense why we should be encouraged to keep babies moving and to lay them flat in a bassinet or cradled in a sling.

With all of the Physical, Chemical and Emotional stress that is on parents and babies these days it is nice to know that we don't all have to subscribe to the same products.

Products that are introduced to our western society may be very convenient or look good but what is the long term cost to us and our environment? We are now the sickest species on the planet.

Thank you for your time and insight!

Dr Amber Kirk"

Get a bassinette with that stroller

The other day a gentlemen, who represents one of our stroller suppliers, told me that Canada has a lot more “healthy baby stores” than the US does. In comparison to Seattle, Philadelphia or St Louis, Vancouver has many more “healthy baby stores”.

What he meant by the term "healthy baby stores” is stores that are concerned about the safety and health of your baby, focusing on the safest car seats, breathable mattresses, organic products and the advantages of a bassinette over a car seat on a stroller, as opposed to big box stores who simply display popular products.

As an example, this stroller supplier said that if he asked his Canadian stores what accessory should be added to his company’s line, about 90% would say a bassinette that goes on the stroller.

If the same question were asked in the US, about 10% would ask for bassinettes and about 90% would ask for more car seat adaptors (to fit a more varied number of car seats). We have been pushing the bassinette on stroller idea for as long as we have been open – in 1999.

Babies need to lie flat with their heads directly perpendicular to their shoulders, with no drooping of the head onto the shoulder. Why is this? To be really clear about this, new babies need as much oxygen in their developing brain as they can possibly get. Laying a baby down in a bassinette is better than having a baby in a car seat, where the neck could bend and the flow of oxygen-rich blood is slowed to the brain. Now some people say that this will cause flatheadedness in the baby. Any position the baby is left in for a long time will cause flatheadedness. You can cure this by picking up your baby every half hour or so, hugging her and cradling her for a few minutes in your arms. This causes the blood to circulate, changes the position of the baby so arteries and veins open up in a different way (You’ve done yoga, right?) and generally gives a good flush to the system. Then in the resting pose in the bassinette, a baby laying flat presents no crimps or resistance from gravity for oxygen-filled blood to flow to the brain.

While Crocodile Baby thinks we are unique with our product mix that features organic, sustainable and healthy products, there obviously is an ethos at work here where many Canadian stores focus on health in most things they sell. We have one supplier (not the same one), who signs their corporate emails as follows:
"Any baby that lies flat for the first six months of life can be up to 30% healthier and more intelligent than a baby that sits upright"
~Prof. Kita, Kobe University of Japan"

So, when you buy a stroller, be Canadian, eh. Get a bassinette to go with it.

Besides a lower price, what's the big deal with the Britax Car Seat Sale?

Crocodile is having a Britax car seat sale and, aside from a lower price, you may be wondering why this is such a big deal.
Simply put, Britax is the best car seat brand available to Canadians. All the seats are made in the USA in their Charlotte North Carolina location, where they also have their own crash test sleds. Car seats are made to order - so there are no old seats sitting around the warehouse to be foisted on the unsuspecting public. Both simple and complex technologies are employed to make the seat safe and easy to use.
One example of these technologies is the improvement to shoulder belt height. As you probably know, in the forward facing toddler seat, the shoulder belt has to be at or above the child's shoulder - but those kids just keep growing! Previously, you had to uninstall the car seat, un-thread the shoulder belts at the back , feed them out through the lower slot and then feed them back into a higher slot, then re-thread each shoulder belt onto the metal connector and finally re-install the car seat in your car. Now, the Advocate, Boulevards and Diplomat have a nautical screw at the back of the seat which is operated by knobs on the side that raise and lower the shoulder belts and the head protection. Therefore there is no un-installation and re-installation required so there is less room for error.
Another significant improvement are the air cushions on the Britax Advocate. A very significant impact can occur on these outer cushions without reaching the baby's head - previously the impact was onto the hard plastic shell which was easily transmitted into the car seat itself. Yes this is Britax's most expensive car seat, but we think it is also demonstrably the safest.
The prices we are going to be selling at on Saturday, June 5 are as follows:
Advocate CS on sale for $329.99 you save $70.00
Boulevard CS on sale for $309.99 you save $60.00
Boulevard on sale for $289.99 you save $50.00
Frontier XT on sale for $259.99 you save $40.00
Diplomat on sale for $244.99 you save $35.00
Chaperone Infant Car Seat on sale for $239.99 you save $30.00
Parkway SG on sale for $129.99 you save $10.00

You may be interested in what consumers have to say about the Britax seats so we give you these links that we have been able to find (hint: read the epinions review first):
http://www.consumersearch.com/car-seats?gclid=CNmY0KPb_6ECFReenAodsTREGA&ef_id=1953:3:s_1f43227f59ae958ec59a0050dfd363ae_3674131762:TAVrj9BbrmIAAAaqEU0AAARA:20100601202031
http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/babies-kids/baby-toddler/car-seats/car-seat-recommendations/booster-seat.htm
http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/babies-kids/baby-toddler/convertible-car-seats/overview/convertible-car-seats-ov.htm
http://www.babygizmo.com/mom/review/britax_advocate_cs_convertible_car_seat_-_opus_gray/e9l73p8.html
http://www.babygizmo.com/c/convertible_car_seats/britax/true.html
http://carseatblog.com/?p=4722
http://carseatblog.com/?p=2454
http://carseatblog.com/?page_id=401
http://www.consumersearch.com/car-seats/best-convertible-car-seats
http://babyproducts.about.com/od/carseats/tp/topconvcarseats.htm
http://www.epinions.com/Car_Seats--britax