Cool and Functional Baby Travel Essentials
by Gabrielle Miller
 Traveling
with baby is hard. Traveling with the wrong equipment with baby is
impossible. Fortunately, there are a number of new companies that are
dedicated to making life easier with original, stylish and pragmatic
products. Skip*Hop is one of them.
Skip. Hop. Run. Do whatever you can to get any of the
fantastic Skip*Hop creations. These products, ranging from sleek and cool
diaper bags to clever bottle drying racks to original melamine dishware,
allow you to be as cool a person as you were b.d. (before diapers).
Skip*Hop is a New York City-based company, dedicated to
meeting the needs of today’s generation-web parents. In 2003, they were the
first company to introduce a diaper and stroller bag in one. Since then,
their products have followed suit by being attractive and practical.
Our son recently turned one, and we have already been
through four different inadequate diaper bags. Some of them looked great,
but were totally impractical—not enough pockets, no easy access, no bottle
area, wrong material, etc. Two of them were stylish and practical, but not
big enough to hold even a short plane-ride’s necessities. Skip*Hop to the
rescue!
I love my Skip*Hop diaper bag. I love it like a trusty
friend, always by my side, deftly opening itself up to my needs, and looking
good, when I am in blue jeans or an evening gown. (Yes, I took it to a
wedding recently, unashamed and totally prepared.)
 My
VIA MESSENGER bag has 18 pockets ranging in sizes for everything from a
wipes carrier to a pacifier. There is even an antimicrobial pocket, keeping
things germ-free. It’s great when I have just cleaned my son’s hands from
the playground and want to be sure the wipe doesn’t mix with his water
bottle. New Shuttle Clips attach the bag to my stroller, no more
heavy-hanging bag to trip on while strolling. Magnetic closures make getting
to everything simple—just the way it should be when your child is melting
from the sun and needs more sun block, water and his hat simultaneously.
Durable fabric, we chose black, making it a pleasure for my husband to
carry, too. He likes the comfortable padded shoulder strap and seems almost
more enamored with this bag’s practicality than I am.
 We
also use the insulated backpack—the Triple Bottle Bag with 3M Thinsulate. It
is summertime in the Northeast right now, and we have used it every day for
a few weeks. It can clip onto the stroller or be converted into a backpack
or shoulder bag which has been great for us. It keeps his milk cold—an
incredible feature when you are at the park in 95 degree weather. It easily
wipes clean and has mesh divider pockets.
Insulated bottle-holders, detachable totes, changing
pads/systems (The Pronto) and pacifier bags all come in great patterns and
sturdy materials. Their diaper bags come in a variety of shapes and sizes,
with a new line of ultra-stylish bags “City Chic”.
Lucky for parents, Skip*Hop has delved into designing
other products. All of their products have awesome colors, thoughtful design
and wonderful style.
 Their
dishware is colorful and fun, perfect for my one-year old to bang around on
the high chair. They have great tote organizers, an awesome baby food
stacker and bottle drying rack, funky bedding and nursery décor such as
interlocking foam tiles. Everything they make is upbeat and mommy and
baby-friendly—creative solutions at affordable prices.
Also, I just discovered that Skip*Hop donates a portion
of their profits to organizations such as the
Pediatric Aids Foundation. I don’t really need another reason to use
their products, but I am now even more impressed with this company. I look
forward to more stylish, innovative and useful products from them in the
future.
For more information on their products and where to
find products go to:
http://www.skiphop.com/
For more on family travel go to:
http://www.travellady.com/Special/family.htm | 