buga-boo-hoo : by jean

we were able to buy an almost-brand-new used bugaboo cameleon from a good friend of ours when i was pregnant.  a few weeks ago, my beloved sister went to pick up miles at the daycare for me.  she was fiddling with the brake since the button you push to release the brake sometimes gets a little stuck.  well, in the end, she broke the latch off.

she felt really bad.  the roommie and i think she's really strong.

broken break latch thingie

undercarriage sold for $299.95

so now we are researching how to fix this.  it's only the brake part so i don't want to have to buy a whole new frame , or as they call it, the "undercarriage" for $299.95 (!!!!).   yes, my sister is very sorry.  i can see why they won't JUST sell the latch part since there's a cable that has to be attached to it and all, but it seems rather simple.

a lot of forums say to try taking it to a bike shop.  BRILLIANT!  i mean, they fix bikes all the time, tighten the wheels, brakes, all that good stuff right?

they also said even if the warranty had expired, to try calling the the bugaboo company itself because they provide very excellent customer service.

so that's what i did first.  i called bugaboo, and they said to call their authorized repair shop, the stroller spa!  funny enough, they were 2nd on my list to call if bugaboo couldn't help me.  they came up in my google search while researching how to fix this.  they are the official service provider for bugaboo, BOB/Britax, mountain buggy, phil&teds, Peg Perego and Uppa Baby.

http://www.strollerspa.com

the great thing about stroller spa is that it started out with one mom who wanted to personalize her stroller and evolved into other moms wanting to personalize and troubleshoot their strollers.  they not only do repairs, but they also do cleaning and detailing of strollers and car seats, just like a car!  the moms (and dads) learn to fix, clean, and detail car seats and strollers.  it's a great service especially if you are using your equipment for multiple children, and want your equipment to last.

i made my appointment at the staten island location since i was passing through on my way to jersey.  because it was fairly an easy fix, i was able to drive around for about 30-45 mins while they fixed my brake.  before i even made my appointment, they were able to confirm the part that they needed (older parts are harder to find) and had it ready at the staten island location before my appointment.  they also offer pick up and drop off services at a little extra cost which is always helpful for us busy moms!

left: broken latch break. right: good as new!

so, if you are in need of a thorough cleaning or repair for your car seat or stroller, check out stroller spa!

brr it's cold! : by jean

are you guys cold?  i am!  hope most of you  in the tri-state are safe and with power.

now that winter is pretty much here, we are always looking for the best way to keep miles warm whenever we are out and about.  since we are NOT in the 'burbs, it's not easy to find the best way to keep miles warm since we're not always travelling by car.  but, when we are driving, our car seat is now set up with the bundle me so we can snuggle him in there going in and out of the car.

JJ Cole Bundle Me

on a regular basis, we are struggling to figure out the best way to drop him off and pick him up from daycare.  his daycare is about 15 min walk or a 7 min bus ride down the street from our place. normally, we like to put him in the bjorn and get on the bus if we see one coming.  when we have extra time, we take him in the stroller, but we prefer to hop on the bus to get home quickly in order to feed, clean, and do all of that other good stuff.

since it's been getting cold, we've been trying to bundle him up and cover him under our jackets while wearing the bjorn.  we realized quickly that it didn't seem to work so well.  his stroller, on the other hand, is completely decked out and ready for any storm coming our way.  we recently purchased the bugaboo high performance footmuff which was a lot more than i wanted to pay (and much more than the regular footmuff) but figured it would be worth it since we are always strolling around the neighborhood.

bugaboo high performance footmuff

so for the bjorn, i am looking into this cover.  i know miles will only need it for this season since we won't be using the carrier with him for too much longer, but has anyone used it?  is it worth getting or are there better solutions out there?

baby bjorn cover for baby carrier

what are some ways you keep your babies warm and cozy in the winter?