Be A Good Mom

As promised, a picture of how well the Kolkraft Contours Options 4 wheeler Stroller, the Graco Snugride car seat and the Lascal Kiddyboard go together.

I think this is a great option for a family that needs a higher weight capacity boogie board (stroller board) and a cool stroller that uses a Graco car seat. As you can see, because there is no parent snack tray in the way, Pookie is standing inside the handle bar. That means he is a bit farther out of the way as we step behind him pushing the stroller. I also like that his back is supported and he is less likely to flip backwards off the Kiddyboard.

When the baby is able to sit up alone, we will switch from the car seat to the included child seat that came with the stroller. It can face front or back so it will work just as well with the boogie board.

Click here and here and here for a summary of how long it took me to piece together this awesome combo! Well, actually, this will bore many readers, but I do get a fair amount of search engine traffic on this question, so someone might be interested in the journey we took to get here.

One thing I learned as a parent is to never say never. But this is one I feel comfortable saying.

My kids will NEVER wear wheelie shoes.

I hate them. Why?

1. They turn otherwise well-behaved kids into run-away freight trains careening out of control down the aisles in Walmart. Rude and inconsiderate.
2. When the kids are not wheeling, they walk on their tip toes with no bend in the arch. Bad for their feet.
3. Any parent who lets their kid roll thru the aisles of public stores and sidewalks on these shoes, darting between normal pedestrians, is not the kind of parent I intend to be.
4. They are not shoes. They are toys.

These shoes are banned at Pookie’s school (pre-K thru 6th grade), during school, after school, walking to school, etc…all the time. Geetle’s preschool (2-5 year olds) does not have such a policy, probably because they assume no parent of a 2-5 year old would send their child to school in them. Turns out they are wrong, Geetle knows exactly what these shoes are because “Eric” has a pair and wears them to school. But its OK, she tells me, because Ms Sofia just tells him to “turn off the wheels.”

BAGD and I went to the mall the other day. We were browsing at Steve and Barry’s University Sportswear when we were overtaken by a mop headed boy on wheelie shoes, darting in and out of the racks. His mother was trailing behind him. She passed me just as I said how much I hated those shoes and that the boy was rude. She gave me a look. I gave it back. I assume she saw my pregnant belly and that I had no kids in tow and assumed I was a first time parent. She probably thought, “Oh, just wait. You don’t understand at all.” Well, I do understand, whether I have kids or not. Those shoes are dangerous to me, as the person your kid races past and scoots around. Would you let your kid ride his bike thru Steve and Barry’s? Would you let him squirt me with his new water pistol? No? Well then, tell him to walk like a normal boy and save the recreation equipment for the playground.

OK! I have been promising to answer the last great unsolved question on the internet…and here it is:

What is the best stroller board and stroller combination to buy for a family that uses Graco Saferide carseats and needs a stroller board that can hold a preschooler who weighs over 40 pounds?

The answer is: A Kolcraft Contours Options 4 wheeler stroller and a Lascal Kiddyboard!

I finally have this whole thing figured out. I have it all assembled and its great. The Kolcraft stroller fits Graco carseats, so we can re-use the ones from the twins. Also, the Stroller has a strong rear axle to hold the stroller board (boogie board). The stroller does not have a parents snack tray, it has a cup holder that sits to the outside of the stroller, thereby allowing the preschooler to stand * in front* of the stroller handle (closer to the stroller seat) and lean back on the curved handle for safety and comfort. Also, the Lascal Kiddyboard, even though it says it only holds 44 lbs on Amazon, really holds 66 lbs, per the Lascal customer service department. Done and done!

I cannot wait to try it out. I have given Pookie and Geetle rides around the dining room. They seem to like it. The only thing is that we *might* have to put a counterweight in the front of the stroller, in the basket. I think the fact that we were wheeling around on carpet was probably what threw the balance off, but if not, we will just use a counter weight. A 5 lb dumbbell ought to do it.

So, there you go. I get alot of search traffic on this topic, and I did ALOT of research myself before I bought my items. So, I am glad to provide this important public service information.

I received my Kolcraft Contours Options 4 wheeler Stroller the other day and was all set to order my Lascal BuggyBoard.  I had it bookmarked on some website and I thought I was ready to go.  Should be compatible with my new stroller, and holds 66lbs, per the website.  But then I saw that this website had a poor return policy (must initiate return within 20 days and have it back to company by 30 days and pay a 15% re-stocking fee).  So, I got worried again.  I decided to try and order it from Amazon.com.  But when I got to the Amazon page the exact same Kiddyboard said the weight capacity was 44 lbs!  What!?  So I went to the manufacturer’s website…they said 66 lbs.

Pookie weighs like 44.5 pounds right now, so I really needed the 66 lb weight capacity one.  I was so confused.  So, BAGD, the voice of reason, said “why don’t you just email the manufacturer and ask them to tell you the real weight capacity and exactly which one to buy.”  Oh.  Yeah.  That would probably work.  So, I sent off an email to Regal Lascal of Kennesaw GA, the US distributor for this Swedish made product.  A very nice lady named Monica emailed me back and explained that all the Lascal stroller boards will hold 66 lbs.  Every single one.  She said the retailer websites say 44 lbs because that is the highest US standard test they have completed, but they hold more.  She said at the company picnic, they parked one wheel of a Cadillac on the board and it was fine.   Great!  Now which one do I order, the Techno or the Maxi?  I was confused again.  I decided to call the number on the letterhead and see if I could get some help.  Monica answered!

I explained what my current problem was.  She asked me about my new stroller and even viewed it online to see what the rear axle looked like.  She said I should definately get a KiddyBoard Maxi, not a Lascal BuggyBoard.  She said the only problem was that the KiddyBoard Maxi had been redesigned this year and the new connector might not be the best match for my stroller.  Then she offered to sell me one of last year’s models, which would fit better, for half price!  I can return it if it does not fit.

So now I wait, for my box from Kennesaw GA.   I am going to connect it right away and make sure its right.  But…I think…I finally have it figured out, thanks to Monica.

When we named our kids, we went for classic names, but not those that are commonly heard. We looked at ones like Caroline, Josephine, Claire, Theodore, Abraham, etc. I can’t tell you what we picked, in case my kids want a career in politics, I can’t have some reporter digging up stories about how they pooped on the couch or ate leaves when they were young. But, I can tell you that neither of my 4 year olds has ever seen their name on one of those personalized bike license plates or pencil racks at Walmart. And it bums them out, especially Geetle. Sure, I have taken puffy paint and written their name on sippy cups and spelled it out in wooden letters on the bedroom wall….but they seem to know that its not the same. They want to see commercial products with their names spelled out in bright letters.

Problem Solved! At Olive Kids, they sell cute personalized placemats (amongst other personalized items, bedding and decorative items for kids). Geetle would love the pirate placemat. Pookie would love the zoo animals or fish. They even have holiday ones. Island Review is giving away a chance to win a $50 Olive Kids gift card. I would have fun with that. I would get 2 placemats for each kid and another one for Papa, my Dad. He has a special spot that he always likes to reserve at the dinner table, but one of the grandkids always seems to beat him to it. If he had is own placemat, they would not sit there! Haha!

I would get Papa this one with the turkeys, because he always says its hard to fly like an eagle when you are surrounded by turkeys.

Have you seen this series of books? They are amazing. Do you see that the dock is a cutting board with cinnamon stick piers? Do you see that the Ferry is an upside down brush? Do you see the building made of Fig Newtons? Crazy! Check out this link for another view on Amazon. Hit the “Search Inside” button for a close up of a train which is actually made from a coffee pot, handcuffs, wrenches and soda cans. With a baby shoe on top! Whoa!

We picked this book up for $.59 at Goodwill. The kids said they did not want it, but I was intrigued. Now I cannot put it down and they love it too. We read it at bedtime, taking turns pointing out things we see. Geetle sometimes sees the abstract items (i.e. “hey, that carnival ride is made of scissors!”). But she is often fooled. She likes the game, however and is seeing more and more each time. They say there is 100 hidden items on each page. So far, we have not looked at the answer page; we prefer to discover a few more each time.

Surprisingly, Pookie is learning to see both the abstract and the concrete. One time he will tell me its a sidewalk, the next time he will say its crackers. Both are true! I worried that this book might fry his brain a bit, since abstract concepts are tough for him, but he seems to be doing well. He also likes a book called Baby Food by Saxton Freymann, in which fruits and vegetables are made into baby animals. When we read this book, he will tell me the pictures are of “banana giraffe” or “monkey kiwi.” I think both these books have helped him see how the concrete and the abstract are connected.

If you had a “Magic Eye” book 15 years ago and could not put it down… or wondered “Where’s Waldo”….you need to get a book from this series. Same addiction, new millennium.

If anyone knows where to order a stroller boogie board with a larger weight capacity, please let me know. I have seen alot of boogie boards on the internet, including this one from Leaps and Bounds, but they are all 44 lb weight capacity and meant more for toddlers than preschoolers. I would like one with a larger weight capacity; I think I saw one that went to 60+ lbs, but I cannot find it again.

When Taco Supreme is born, I know we are going to have alot of very tired 4 1/2 year olds who just can’t seem to walk thru the mall anymore. They are going to want a ride. I am also thinking that a Boogie Board will be a good thing for Pookie. He tends to wander a bit…on purpose. I won’t be able to drop everything and chase him any more. Right now, when I do have to chase him, I yell “come on Geetle!” and she trots along behind me until I catch him. I won’t be able to do that with an infant and a stroller. I am really hoping that between the Mamma’s Milk pouch sling I bought today, and a boogie board, I will be able to keep track of all 3 of my kids.

So, if you know where I saw this 60lb weight capacity boogie board, please leave a comment or email me. I would appreciate it. I don’t care which strollers it fits. I am willing to buy a new stroller if I need to. I really want a Boogie Board.