Thinking of taking advantage of the Great Trade-In promotion? Here are a couple of tips from Joan Muratore, one of our expert baby and child product testers (and she’s a mom—enough said!):
Q: What do you tell your friends when it’s time to shop for a stroller?A: You’ll probably need more than one stroller (a heavy duty one for trips to the amusement park, mall, etc) and a more light-weight stroller for errands to the grocery store, etc. But don’t worry—you don’t have to spend $800 to get a good stroller. Graco tends to get it right—I don’t always love their fabrics, but they make good strollers and their prices are reasonable.
Q: What’s the scariest child product you’ve ever tested?
A: Avoid drop side cribs. So many drop side cribs have been recalled in the past few years. In the worst cases prompting such recalls, babies have been killed or seriously injured when drop side hardware has failed, causing a gap between the drop side and the rest of the crib, in which the kids have been entrapped and asphyxiated. Buy a crib with stationary sides instead.
Q: How do you stay on top of recalled products?
A: Sign up for the mailing list from the CPSC. (Check here for more tips on what to do with a recalled product.)
For more information, check out our sister blog, Babies and Kids, for more information on the Great Trade-In program. The program lets you trade in used cribs, car seats, bassinets, strollers and travel systems, play yards, and high chairs at Babies "R" Us and Toys "R" Us for a 20% savings on a new baby item from select manufacturers.
Let me know if you end up finding some good deals!
