Photo Credit: Amazon.com
Comotomo offers an update on so-called “natural nursers” – baby bottles made out of silicone or a similar material, and designed to more closely approximate a mother’s breast. These bottles tend to resonate with folks who primarily breastfeed, and especially those who experience trouble getting baby to take a bottle.
Sporting a more compact, squishable shape, Comotomo Natural Feel bottles improve upon an earlier competitor – the Adiri Natural Nurser – in their smaller size and more flexible material, which make for a more intimate in-hand experience. A big benefit of the flexible silicone is the ability to manipulate the milk somewhat as you feed by squeezing the bottle, keeping air pressure more constant and presumably decreasing the air your child might take in through the nipple, especially as the bottle runs dry. It also looks to fit more nicely in the hand – Adiri bottles are quite wide, and can be less ergonomic for smaller hands.
Reviewers on Amazon have mentioned that it can be challenging to balance Comotomo bottles neatly on their bases – we can definitely see that in their exaggerated egg shape. But the shape also allows bottles to nest (when disassembled) in storage, which is a big bonus over nearly every other bottle on the market.
Photo Credit: comotomo.com
You can buy Comotomo bottles on Amazon in two sizes as well as multi-packs. A single bottle will run you a pretty steep $15.99 for 150mL or $16.99 for 250mL. As with other bottles, there are additional nipples (or “bottle teats” as they call them) available for $6.99 per two-pack, with variable flow based on the usual age ranges (0-3 months, 3-6 months, etc.) translating to slow, medium, and fast nursing styles.
Bottom line: Comotomo Natural Feel bottles are a bit expensive, but are also thoughtfully designed and even award-winning. They deliver both style and function, and are a great BPA-free option worth considering.
….
8/18 GREAT BUY ALERT: Comotomo Natural Feel bottles are featured for sale on design discount site Fab.com at a decent discount – $12-$13 for the bottles, and $5 for nipple packs.
Photo Credit: gadgetreview.com
Ruh, roh, family biking fans… We’ve covered Taga Bikes a bunch on GaGaGear, and recently learned that the convertible bike-to-stroller pioneer is not “currently out of stock” (as indicated on their web site) – they’ve hit pause as a business, awaiting new ownership.
From a partner at Taga, in response to our email: “Taga is not out of business. The company is changing owners and the production is currently on hold until the complicated transition is complete. In the meantime we provide support to our existing customers.”
That there is new ownership in the wings is most likely good news for Taga fans – certainly better than the alternative. We’re hoping new management brings their stroller-bike transformer concept out here to Portland Oregon! Portland would absolutely embrace these sort of bikes. Though recent U.S. economic news might mean some belt-tightening around the nation, you’d never know it from the popularity of bakefiets in our town. (Check out our favorite family cycle shop Clever Cycles, which just expanded its space for the third time in four mostly recessionary years!)
GaGaGear thanks The Rumor Mill for the tip, and the fine folks at Taga for the swift explanation. Good luck to all!
Photo Credit: gilt.com
This pirate ship deluxe set from KidKraft really is kind of arrr-some and totally puts the plastic stuff to shame. It has 28 different parts and about 35 screws for assembly (took us about an hour, with kids “helping”) but the directions are straightforward, and the pieces build on each other so you kind of get excited about doing it as you go. (Kind of.)
Unlike some playhouses, this Pirate Deluxe kit comes with 4 pirate figures, cannons, a treasure chest, a “gilded” throne and coffin, two sharks, palm trees, a rowboat and other accessories. All pieces are of good quality. The peg-legged Pirate (who our daughter dubbed “Sharkey”) doesn’t stand so well out of the box, but if you bend his upper body forward, you can get him reasonably stable. Characters are scaled so as to fit with other KidKraft sets – we also have a pink princess castle sort of thing, so our kids now like to play Pirates and Princesses.
If you’re not yet a member of higher-end discount aggregator Gilt Groupe, by all means use our referral link so we get credit! KidKraft items are on sale for a limited time starting today 8/3, with the Pirate Set going for $90 (sugg.retail $159.99) and “Aye!” it’s worth every penny. If you miss the sale at Gilt, ToysR’Us carries it regularly online for $129.99.
GaGaGear 