I was immediately drawn to the Combi Coccoro Convertible Car Seat by its cool orange color and its unique modern styling. While color and style alone are not the best factors to consider in choosing a car seat, this seat has a lot going for it. One of its biggest selling points for families with multiple children is that it allows you to fit three car seats across in the back seat of most cars. I have one friend in particular who has been trying for several years to find a combination of car seats that will allow her to do this.

I am impressed by the safety feature which shows green or red to indicate whether the buckle is properly snapped. I love my Britax, but I have had it come unbuckled several times when I thought it was secure. This indicator would make me feel a lot safer. The seat is designed for both rear and forward-facing use, and from birth to 40 pounds. It comes in a number of shades, although I love this orange one (I’m just not sure we could keep it looking so pristine). This will definitely be on the short list of seats I’m considering for our baby when she outgrows her infant seat. You can purchase one for $199 at BabyAge.com.

These Training Teethers by Combi caught my attention. They are to be used in Stages 1, 2, and 3. Stage 1 (4 months) stimulates the lips and tongue, which helps with the transition from sucking to chewing. Stage 2 (6 months) stimulates front tooth development that helps get baby ready for soft foods, and Stage 3 (8months) enhances molar development and promotes cup-drinking skills. Being an infant is hard work and I think this idea of Training Teethers Stages is worth looking into. If you know a new mom who’s a little  hesitant about teethers or pacifiers, this might get her attention. It looks like these are really designed to help babies through a what can be a very difficult stage.

Visit BabyCenterStore.com to purchase this item. Each stage is sold at prices from just $4.99 to $5.99.

I could not have survived my son’s infancy without my vibrating bouncy chair. In fact, I had two, one for when my son was a little bigger and appreciated more stimulation (it had an overhead piece with ocean movements and sounds.)

The Pod Bouncer by Combi is much more stylish than either of the seats I own and it is certainly eye-catching as well. I like the colors (there are others available should mandarin not be your flavor) and the removable “friends” hanging just in baby’s sight range.  The design of this pod is genius; I can’t count the number of times we tripped over the legs of our bouncy chairs, as they protruded so much from the actual seat.

The canopy comes off, the sounds and vibrations are built into the pod, and there’s a storage compartment at the back of it. If the music included is not your cup of tea, there’s a handy MP3 feature. This pod strikes me as innovative design at its best and can be yours for $79.99 at csnbaby.com.

What an original idea!  Baby chop sticks.  Recommended for kids 3 and up, the Combi Chop Sticks involve 3 learning stages. The first is the learning how to grip and properly use chopsticks by using the orange training bridge, the second is the removal of the orange bridge, and the third is removing the yellow circle once the child is ready for chopsticks alone.

In my case, I’d have to teach myself to use them before teaching baby or we’d have to learn together, something that could both encourage fun and enhance cultural experiences. Teach your child the history of chopsticks or other such things to add education to the mix. Not only for worldly sorts anymore, chop sticks can be used by all! Get these learning chop sticks at csnbaby.com for $11.94.

If you are bored with traditional car seat designs, or looking to make your son’s old car seat look a bit more feminine for a new baby girl, you might want to look into these fun car seat covers. Many of the available fabric combinations weren’t quite to my taste, but I find this one to be quite attractive. It would certainly make your car seat stand out. The inner part of the cover is made of a pink and white minky dot fabric, which is all the rage in blankets these days. I love the bold floral print on the canopy and sides. Covers are designed to fit most car seat models from Peg Perego, Britax, Graco, Chico, and Combi. Each cover costs $234.99. While this is about what I remember paying for my car seat, you can think of it as a more environmentally-friendly alternative to purchasing a completely new seat. Matching accessories are also available. You can buy one at bundlesofblossoms.com.