I just saw this great news - the legislature in Massachusetts today approved a bill that will protect a woman’s right to breastfeed in public. We had talked about this quite a bit after my Amtrak debacle, and I know that many of you took up our call to reach out to your local representatives. Many, many people worked hard to get this bill passed, and as a mom, I am profoundly grateful to all of them. Congratulations and Happy New Year!

On the 6th night of Chanukah, my parents gave my 4-year-old daughter a Quadrilla set. These elegant wooden marble runs come with a variety of tracks and connectors to design unlimited configurations. Although I have played with the display sets on many occasions, Friday night was my first opportunity to actually build with Quadrilla.

We spread out all the pieces on our Nilo table (a perfect locale, since the raised edges contained the marbles nicely) and examined the instruction manual. At first, we tried including my daughter in the construction phase, but this was disastrous. Each time we would start making progress, she would accidentally bump something and the whole structure would come tumbling down. But once the kids were asleep, my little sister and I got down to work.

We built each configuration in the booklet, one by one, slowly learning how each of the color-coded pieces worked. Then we let the marbles loose again and again, marvelling at how, even as a teenager and an adult, we were totally enthralled. We left the most impressive structure for my daughter to find in the morning, when it was her turn to drop the marbles in the chute and watch them cascade down in all different directions.

Overall, three generations fell in love with Quadrilla this weekend. The pieces are solid and very easy to interlock using a connection system that reminded me of very large Lego pieces. The resulting structures are pretty sturdy (clumsy 4-year-olds notwithstanding). The color-coded connectors lend a brain-teasing, puzzle-like dimension to the construction, since different pieces affect the marbles differently. And as much fun as we had building the run, my daughter had just as much fun playing with it. Win-win.

Bonus! Right now the biggest Quadrilla set is actually on sale for just $118.99, through 12/31.

People are always emailing me asking what we’re giving our own kids for the holidays. This year, they each sat down with a copy of our new catalog (did you get one?) and a marker and circled the things they wanted. Well, in the case of my 4-year old, she also circled a few things she already has (but evidently has either forgotten or likes so much she wants multiples). Anyway, it made the gift selection process easier. A lot of our catalog items sold out early, but I was pleasantly surprised to walk through our warehouse yesterday and find plenty of great options, both from the catalog and from our general selection.

From beyond the world of Magic Beans, my husband wanted to make the girls a new Chanukah menorah using the characters from Super Mario Galaxy, Audrey’s favorite game on the Wii. I was initially skeptical, but was won over by the opportunity to do something creative with my hands. It came out great, but we failed to check on the flammability of Sculpey. Oops. So for now, it is a (slightly singed) decorative menorah while we figure out how to adapt it for use with fire.

On night 1: Audrey got a Vega 600 Telescope from Educational Insights. I somehow completely misunderstood the instructions and wedged a mirror where, it is now clear, it did not belong. So now it is a (basically useless) decorative telescope while I contact the company to find out what to do next. Mira got Illumino, a really wonderful toy similar to Lite Brite, but made in Italy with larger pieces and unlimited design possibilities (because it doesn’t use those paper templates).

On night 2: Mira got Pengoloo, a great memory game from Blue Orange and Audrey got Screwball Scramble (AKA Snafu, pictured above), a classic game requiring a good amount of patience and manual dexterity to maneuver a metal marble over a series of obsticles. We also remembered Zev and gave him a Sunshine Symphony, one of my very favorite toys for the under-6-month set.

So far, so good. The kids have remembered to say thank you, which is always nice. And they’ve been very gracious about the decorative status of a couple of their gifts. Six nights to go. Happy Chanukah, everyone!

If you’ve been following this story here, you won’t be shocked to hear that the CPSC has formally announced the recall of the Phil & Teds Dash strollers. You can read the bulletin here.

Why am I not surprised? Because the strollers were folding involuntarily, often loaded with children. Thankfully no one got hurt, but sheesh. This was just another embarrassment for Phil & Teds, who, in spite of their wildly popular product line and eye-catching packaging system, have had a storm cloud chasing them around lately. I do think they’ve learned a lot from their recent tribulations, and I’m really hoping this is the beginning of a new chapter for Phil & Teds.

We got word today that Britax has issued a voluntary recall for some of its Frontier car seats.  All Frontiers manufactured between April 1, 2008 and September 14, 2008 are affected.  Frontiers in the Sahara color are affected if they were manufactured between April 1, 2008 and September 17, 2008.

Britax has determined that after repeated adjustment of the harness straps one at a time, it is possible for the straps to become detached from the metal plate that secures them to the car seat.  To correct this potential issue, Britax will be sending a repair kit to every consumer who owns a Frontier that was manufactured within this date range.  The kit includes 2 rubber caps that were designed specifically for the metal plate on the Frontier, and once the caps are inserted on the plate, they will close off the gap that can allow the straps to loosen or detach.

If you have already registered your Frontier with Britax, you will automatically receive your repair kit and accompanying instructions.  Britax has stated that they will mail out the kits no later than January 7, 2009, and that the car seat is still safe to use during the waiting period if the harness system is still properly attached.  If you need to register your Frontier, or if you have any additional questions regarding the repair kit, you may contact Britax at 1-800-683-2045.  When you call, be sure to have the serial number and manufacture date handy. Both can be found on stickers affixed to the car seat frame. Britax is also setting up a website at www.frontierrecall.com that will provide additional details.

Any Frontier that was manufactured after the date range specified above has been equipped with the appropriate changes.

If storage space is tight, finding a place to keep your stroller can be frustrating. Metrotots has come to the rescue with the StrollAway, a new hook which hangs on the back of a door and keeps your folded stroller aloft and out of the way.

What’s great is the sturdy, forked design of the hook, which can accommodate a range of different stroller types. It also can adjust to nine different positions to fit almost any door size. The StrollAway was invented (not surprisingly) by an enterprising New York mom who couldn’t figure out how urban parents in shoebox apartments survived without stroller storage.

Having solved the city-dweller’s dilemma, MetroTots now promises to develop a wall-mounting hook, as well as a multi-stroller system. Excellent.

There’s a great new resource for parents who want to check on the level of toxic chemicals found in their children’s toys. Healthytoys.org today released testing results for 1500 popular toys using an XRF handheld scanner to screen for lead, cadmium, chlorine, arsenic, bromine and mercury.

The pressure from parents and the media has led to some great changes in the toy industry and a more focused approach to testing and materials. And this website is an enormous step towards creating transparency for parents and helping them to understand exactly what is in toys and what the risks are.

Kudos to The Ecology Center for spearheading this important project.

But… I think it is important, as a parent, to take a deep breath here. The press release that went along with the debut of this information today was dramatic, proclaiming that one in three toys tested were fount to have high levels of toxic chemicals. I understand that with fear comes action - last year’s recalls proved that.  But it is important not to overreact.

Toys are a wonderful part of childhood, and great toys help children develop creativity, social skills, balance, coordination, and imagination. Toy manufacturers and distributors have been working very hard to understand the risks associated with certain chemicals and to source alternatives to make their products safer than ever. Most of the products we sell performed very well in this testing, and some did not. But if you are concerned (and I am), you need to take a close look at the testing results and understand the implications before you take action.

For instance, the Baby Bjorn Air Carrier is rated with a red “High” indicating a high level of toxicity. But look at the details and the story isn’t quite that scary. The fabrics showed some bromine in the white mesh fabric. The level was actually low - 1,066 parts per million - not high (from an industrial standpoint), which is considered anything over 5,000 parts per million. But according to the ranking information on the site, there is no middle ground for bromine - anything between 0 and 1000 parts per million would be classified as Low and anything over 1000 is classified as High. So for 66 parts per million, a very good product ends up with a frightening High rating. Hmmm.

Don’t get me wrong - this is a tremendous resource and it was a huge undertaking. But don’t freak out just because something in your playroom has a “High” ranking.

And I am first in line to get one. After watching my sister push hers around for a few months, I am head over heels in love with the newest member of the Mountain Buggy family. To see my review, click here. To get one for yourself, click here.

This was hardly a surprise, after a steady stream of recalls and other issues, but today, Regal-Lager announced that they will cease to distribute Phil & Teds in the United States, effective May 1, 2009. In a graciously-worded press release, both companies praise one another and wish each other the best of luck.

I can only imagine the stress, both emotional and financial, on Regal-Lager over the past several months, trying to handle one crisis after another. It hasn’t been easy for anyone - not them, not the retailers, and certainly not the frustrated customers. Hopefully this will create a fresh start for Phil & Teds here. From what I’ve been told, no one is anticipating any product shortages due to the changeover. Phil & Teds will take over distribution on May 1, and they have more than six months to get their ducks in a row. Regal-Lager will continue to be well-stocked in all Phil & Teds products right up until then. It should be “seamless.”

I am still a big fan of the Phil & Teds brand and I think their products have a lot going for them. I think they’ve made a few mistakes over the past year or so, and hopefully they know what those are and they’ve learned a few things from them. But they’ve also done some really good things with their marketing, their packaging and their product design. If they can get a tighter grip on their quality control and product testing, and if they recognize that good customer service is essential for their new US operation, they should continue to succeed.

I love my Orbit Infant System, but its biggest challenge is storage space. The cargo pod will hold a few essentials, but if you’re doing any serious shopping, you might be out of luck. But not anymore. Orbit has designed a pannier attachment for the stroller frame that is just as smart as you’d expect it to be. It is a collapsible basket that mounts effortlessly to the side of the frame. Each Pannier can hold one full-sized grocery bag, and they are sold in pairs (so you can use one on each side). There’s a patent-pending carry handle that allows one-step removal and carrying, and there’s even a “Rain Fly” that stows in a pocket to protect your cargo when storm clouds threaten.

The maximum weight is 8 pounds per Pannier, which is a decent amount for a quickie shopping trip. The Panniers will work with any attachment on the stroller frame. We are getting a test pair to play with and display in our Brookline store, and Orbit will have these in stock right after Christmas.

I am very excited to have a pair of these. I’m very curious to see how they affect the handling of the stroller. I’ve been amazed by the easy steering of the Orbit, and I’m hopeful that the full load won’t have a negative impact on the responsiveness.