Emily’s Faves: Top Products From ABC Expo
For those of you that aren’t familiar, the ABC Expo is the All Baby & Child annual show where brands come out and showcase their products for buyers and the media (that’s ME!) to see what they’ve got as well as what’s coming out soon! It’s a great time for us to get sneak peeks at what is coming out in the world of baby and children’s products and to let you, our wonderful readers hear all about them. If you were following us on Instagram, you got some fun peeks at a few of my favorite products, but I am here now with a list of all of my favorites from the show.
1. Good Baby Pockit Stroller
Everyone is posting about this amazing innovative stroller that will be a game changer for a lot of parents-a stroller that folds down to “pocket size”! Now, while it can’t actually fit into your pockets, it CAN fit into your backpack or diaper bag thanks to it’s tiny 35cm x 30 cm x 18 cm! This takes my first spot on the list because I can’t stop thinking about it! Just…WOW. I was in awe of the ease and quickness that it folded from a stroller to a compact package and back into a stroller! This is going to be such an amazing addition to the already wonderful offerings from GB and will be perfect for big city moms!
2. Skip Hop Explore & More Amazing Arch Activity Gym
We love Skip Hop and everything that they do, so it’s no surprise that they have won us over with their new activity gym! This wonderfully cute gym will stay with your baby from newborn to tummy time to sitting baby with a simple switch and has bright fun designs but my favorite thing and the reason it’s on my faves list?! Behind the mirror where baby will stare at himself, smile, coo and eventually giggle is a little pocket to hold your phone and record, take pictures or even allow for a video chat with long distance family! What a great idea for parents in this tech generation!
3. Kid-O-Bunk Sleep Cots
As parents of 3 boys who travel a lot, my husband and I are so excited about this product! Kid-O-Bunk cots are stack-able sleeping cots that make the perfect bunk beds while traveling! Camping, hotel rooms, Grandma’s house and even when friends come spend the night will forever be changed! A few simple adjustments also turn these bunk beds into either two separate cots OR a couch! We can’t wait to get our hands on these for our next camping trip.
4. Maxi Cosi Convertible Car Seat Shade
As I buckled my little guy into a convertible seat the day before the expo began, it occured to me that I hadn’t had a rear facing convertible seat for a bit and forgot how much sun gets in baby’s eyes! My guy is used to being in an infant seat with a sun shade and he was squinting the whole time. Imagine my delight when the very next day I came across one of Maxi Cosi’s new products: a sun shade that will fit onto their convertible car seats!! Oh so smart, and now that rear facing is suggested for a longer period of your baby’s life, it’s a great option to keep them more comfortable!
5. Ergobaby Nursing Pillow
There’s no wondering why the brand new Ergobaby Nursing Pillow won multiple awards at the ABC Expo this year. It was flawlessly designed to be the absolute best pillow for baby to feed and for a parent to use! I got the chance to speak with one of the designers and can’t believe the amount of thought and care that went into the design of their nursing pillow. From the shape to the foam they used to the cover material, they have thought of everything and I’m pleased to be able to share it with you too!
6. Austlen Entourage Stroller
You may not have heard of Austlen before but I have a feeling they will become more of a must have brand once more parents hear all about them! The Entourage is their very first product and boy did they come out the door with a doozy! This stroller is basically all I could EVER want! It can be a single or a double (my fave kind of stroller!!), can expand to fit a few extra items and expand even more to fit a lot of extra items (like a bunch of luggage!) It can hold up to 150 pounds! It comes standard with an adorable market tote that snaps onto the handle to become a parent console, can fit two car seats or stroller seats (rear or forward facing) and can even close with two stroller seats attached! It has the look of a high end celebrity stroller but the versatility and convenience you can’t find in any high end competitor!
7. Hatch Baby Smart Changing Pad
I love this product and am so pleased to tell you all about it! This changing pad is everything. Seriously. In those scary first months, we parents tend to want to know everything that is going on and sometimes the unknown is nerve wracking! This changing pad can help ease some of those fears, thanks to it’s ability to track baby’s weight, feedings, length, diapers, sleep and more! It connects to their handy app (which you can use without the changing pad as a baby stats tracker!) and you can see baby’s progress! Why is this one of my fave picks? Because I remember being a new breastfeeding mom having pumped my first bottle for baby and I had no idea how much I should give him because I had no clue how much he ate! You can weigh baby before and after feeding and the changing pad will tell you how many ounces baby ate…now that is peace of mind for a new mom!
8. 4 Moms High Chair
There’s not a product 4Moms makes that I don’t like. Their products are well thought out, ahead of the curve and modern so it’s no surprise that their brand new high chair is one of my faves from the show! Everything about this highchair was planned perfectly for parents and the kids who will be in them. Let’s start with the magnetic tray…let’s hear that again…MAGNETIC TRAY…that holds tightly to the magnetic plates and bowls as well as clicks into the chair using magnets. Genius. The sleek modern design is made with very little crevices and no creases- lots of curves. This allows for simpler clean up and wipe down. Can’t wait for this to come out!
9. Britax Car Seat Cover
While this may not seem like anything different, it absolutely is! Did you know that you are not supposed to put aftermarket accessories onto your car seat? Things like toys, head rests that don’t come with the seat and covers are not really supposed to be used because they compromise the safety of the seat. Britax decided that that’s not fair for all the babies living in colder winters, so they had a cover made that was tested and is safe to use with your Britax infant car seat! What a great thing from a great company, and this next year they are focusing on your children’s safety more than ever-wait till you hear all about it!
10. Doona Car Seat
The Doona infant car seat was introduced at last year’s ABC Expo but wasn’t available in the US until only a few months ago! It was one of the show darlings for sure and for a good reason: it’s AH-MAY-ZING. It’s an infant car seat (they unveiled some new adorable colors this year) that unfolds into a stroller. For real. When folded up, it snaps right into the base in your car no problem. I have three boys and sometimes taking out a carrier or getting out the big stroller is too much. I love the ease of popping the wheels out and we’re ready. I had the honor of using a Doona at the show (and ever since because I can’t get over how much I love this thing!) and I was stopped everywhere I went asking how I liked it and would I demonstrate it. And I did. I demo-ed the Doona all over ABC and proved that it’s not too good to be true-it is as good as it seems! I’ll have a full review very soon but it earned one of my fave spots from the show because it’s just that cool!
Only a few of these products are currently available, with the rest coming out later this winter or spring of next year. As they become available we’ll be sure to update you!!
