The laws governing how you transport your children in cars are about to change - later this year (September 18), children under 12 or under the height of 4'5" will have to be in car seats, on booster seats with backrests or booster cushions when travelling in England or Wales.

However, research commissioned by Toys R Us has revealed that less than a third of parents have the required car or booster seats. The toy store is working with Britax to make parents aware of the changes - and shift some merchanidise no wonder.

If you're concerned, pop down to your local store where advisors aer on hand to conduct safety checks and and help parents with concerns throughout July and August.

Top tips for car safety:

1. Don't buy second-hand - the seat could have invisible damage and may be unsuitable for your car.

2. The WEIGHT and HEIGHT of the child are more important than the age
of the child - which is only to be used as a guide. So always go by weight
recommendations rather than age when buying your car seat.

3. Ensure the car seat you choose is compatible with ALL the cars it
will be used in. Or consider purchasing separate seats, especially if your
child regularly travels in another car other than your own. Ensure that
anyone who takes your child out in a car knows how to fit and secure the
child seat and monitor its use.

4. Make sure you ask the sales assistant to show you how to fit the car
seat into your car. They will remove the seat from your car and ask you to
refit it, if you are unsure, don't be afraid to ask them to show you again.

5. Always check the tension of the adult seat belt after fitting and
make sure it is as tight as possible, this will minimise the seats forward
and sideways movement.

6. Always check for 'buckle crunch' where the seat belt is bent around
the seat frame.

7. Check that your baby is secure in the car seat harness and
comfortable before you set off.

Mostly common sense, but anything making car travel safer is a plus in our book.

Tags: Dad Baby Jack Black

Belt up - it is the law! originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Mon, 17 Jul 2006 15:17:29 +0100

Whilst casually browsing youtube (honest) the dadblog came across the following video.

Toilet Training

We'll never look at toilet training in the same way again. Wait until the end of the clip for the "dancing bean" moment...

Tags: Dad Baby Jack Black

Japanese toilet training freaks out children originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Thu, 06 Jul 2006 11:07:22 +0100

The dadblog product testing department has doubled in size overnight, with the birth of little Harry. Weighing in at 7lb 3ozs he lists his interests as "food, sleep and whatever Daddy wants, but is not yet allowed to have".

As the male element of the product testing department he is keen to try out the xbox360. He's just waiting for Microsoft to see sense and send him one.

Over coming weeks he'll be assessing a number of dad friendly products. Please join the dadblog in welcoming him to the firm.

Tags: Dad Baby

Product testing department doubles workforce originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Fri, 02 Jun 2006 22:14:52 +0100

Congratulations to Brangelina on the birth of their daughter.

Hot on the heels of yesterday's news that good old Gwen had named her child Kingston, Brad and Angelina have gone one better and announced that they too have given their child a stupid name: Shiloh Nouvel Jolie-Pitt.

We're sure it has hugely spiritual meaning and will result in it being blessed by vestal virgins the world over, but come on.

We suppose if you have the money the child never needs to mix with the riff-raff, avoiding the painful playground taunts.

We'd like to exclusively announce that the second dadblog product tester will be named sinkplunger radion jiggerpush. We'll let you know how long the emotional scars take to heal.

Tags: Dad

Playground taunts rife at celebrity highschool originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Sun, 28 May 2006 07:55:07 +0100

Gwen Stefani and Gavin Rossdale have become the proud parents of a baby boy - Kingston James McGregor Rossdale, delivered by caesarean section at celeb's favourite, the Cedars-Sinai Medical Centre in LA on Friday 26th May.

Kingston weighed in at a respectable seven and a half pounds and a spokesman reported that both mother and child are doing well.

Gwen joins the other recent celeb mother, Geri Halliwell, in sporting a caesarean scar - let's hope they made a tidy job so she can get back into her low slung trousers ASAP.

Tags: Dad Baby Gwen Stefani

Baby Boy for Gwen Stefani originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Sat, 27 May 2006 13:58:23 +0100

Cool potties are already becoming a bit of a favourite on the dadblog and this one is certainly up there in the design stakes.

It also appears, on first inspection, to be the ultimate in function as well, with a number of nifty elements built-in to make the initial potty training and the subsequent potty usage a pleasure, rather than a messy chore (potties and pleasure? Maybe not, Ed.).

Included in the design are special storage areas, a loo roll holder and splash catchers all neatly fitted into a bench capable of withstanding the weight of a 20 stone adult.

It's still patent pending, but we think it's got all the elements to be a modern classic of the potty world.

Available from Boon

Tags: Dad Baby

Five-star potty luxury for the design conscious originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Thu, 25 May 2006 09:12:22 +0100

Bathtime has long been a challenge for parents the world over. An unhappy child, a slightly harassed parent and gallons of water can often end in disaster, especially if your child doesn't like having its hair washed.

Addressing this problem is Flo, aimed at transforming your bathroom mixer tap into a gentle waterfall (or even a gentle bubble bath waterfall). Flo attaches to the bath mixer with a spring-activated grip, meanging there's no assembly or special installation. When the water is turned on, it’s diverted into a stream that extends up to 12 inches in front of the taps, creating a gentle waterfall and making rinsing hair easy. The soft material on the front edge of Flo helps protect against injuries caused by bumping or scraping against the taps.

Parents can fill the bubble bath reservoir and let children dispense bubbles into the water by pressing the button on the front

Via Sparkability

It's shipping in late June in the US, but it can only be a matter of time before it reaches our shores. We can't wait.

Tags: Dad Baby

Just go with the Flo originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Wed, 24 May 2006 08:55:45 +0100

Big Brother is arguably the reality TV phenomenon of the past decade. As we approach yet another summer marathon, this little jem of a story crossed Pocket-lint's desk.

It appears that the concept of 24 hour monitoring is being applied to one particular baby in an effort to unravel the process by which children learn to talk. The child has been monitored by a plethora of microphones and cameras, one in each room in the house, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

Deb Roy at MIT's Media Lab, US, devised the unusual project and even volunteered his own family as its guinea pigs. Since his newborn son left hospital 9 months ago, Roy's whole family has been monitored by 14 microphones and 11 1-megapixel "fish-eye" video cameras, attached to the ceilings of each room in their house.

By capturing a continuous stream of data about his son's experiences, Roy hopes to better understand the early development of language.

Referenced to the New Scientist

Tags: Dad Baby

Baby Brother is Watching You originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Tue, 16 May 2006 13:27:38 +0100

I remember well the moment I first saw the Omen. It was one of those defining moments that imprinted itself so vivdly on my mind that I can still recite great trenches of dialogue from the film. The relevation that evil was alive and well in the world, signified by the 666 really hit home.

So you can imagine my horror when, like many other potential parents, I realised that my first born could appear on 06/06/06. If everything goes pretty much to plan, there's a high likelihood of that happening.

Whilst I'm not overly superstitious, I'm thinking about giving the child a middle name of Lucifer, just to appease. I'm also putting a call into Paddy Power to see what odds they're taking on the number of children named Damien being born on the auspicious date...

Tags: Dad Baby

Children of Satan reside here originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Sat, 06 May 2006 12:46:10 +0100

It's slightly scary to think that, as parents, you may have three children at the same time who require a buggy. It's even more terrifying when you think that, on occasion, you may have to look after all of them at the same time!

With parents increasingly leaving child rearing until later in life, there's less time to cram in the family - which means that your children tend to be closer together.

Mountain Buggy have been busy coming up with a aid to solve this particular challenge - the urban triple being the end result.

We're slightly concerned that the buggy may be deemed a public nuisance, as innocent pedestrians are forced to scatter from its path, but as a practical solution to triple transportation it seems to do the job. However pushing up to 150 lbs of screaming child is hardly something we'd want to do often.

Mountain Buggy

Tags: Dad Baby

Mountain Buggy triples the fun originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Wed, 03 May 2006 10:13:48 +0100

This cot has to truly be the ultimate in luxury. Not content with a traditional format, designers behind the Intellicot Cot have really gone to town.

The cot carries some nifty features including automatic rocking, cool air circulation, a built-in lifting system and an integrated video monitor.

Due to go on sale in 2006, we're pretty sure the Intellicot with come in with a hefty price tag, but what price can you put on your child's comfort?

For more information visit intellicot.com

Tags: Dad Baby

Designer cots get the thumbs-up originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Fri, 28 Apr 2006 12:19:49 +0100

We're not really sure if this is for real, or if we're just the victim of a belated April Fool's prank.

However, we found this so amusing we felt it worth sharing. A company has spent many man hours devising a way of protecting some of the most delicate of fruits from unnecessary damage and come up with the BananaBunker.

Ideal for stopping kids from damaging their packed lunches, the invetors claim that the BananaBunker will protect the delicate product from bruising when placed in backpacks etc. whilst at the same time protecting everything else from those squelchy banana in the iPod moments.

We're not sure what to make of the BananaBunker, but anything that contributes to less clearing up of mess is good in our books.

BananaBunker

It's not the first time time has been spent on creating a protective case for the humble banana however, Lazyboneuk.com sells a device called a Bananabox that is just that - a banana shaped box for your banana.

Tags: Dad Baby

Banana Splits no more originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Thu, 20 Apr 2006 16:26:37 +0100

The baby clothing market is massive. Think of any item of baby clothing and it's likely there will already be 20 versions available from newborn upwards.

However, in our experience they're invariably twee, often involving cute little kittens or lolloping bunnies. Hardly the image you want to create if you're an aspiring Gene Simmons.

Refreshingly, help seems to be at hand. We stumbled across the following website, who sell incredibly exclusive and rather cool baby clothing. The rocker boots come in at $24 and can be shipped internationally

Check it out:

Rocker boots

Tags: Dad Baby

Rock Gods start at and early age originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Wed, 19 Apr 2006 11:03:08 +0100

"You've paced the room, and rocked the cradle, you've tried feeding, burping and changing - but the baby is still crying and one of the most distressing aspects, especially for first time parents, is that you just don't know why."

The above was lifted straight from a website that claims to be able to help in the indentification of root problem.

WhyCry®, the baby cry analyser claims to offer a solution. The company behind it says that this "unique" nursery aid can analyse a baby's cry, giving you an indication of the cause of the crying itself.

At £65.99 a unit it's a hefty investment. But, for parents at the end of their tethers it might just be the answer. I've often thought my own mother might be a little more useful (who will of course be on 24hr call-out), but I'm willing to give anything a try for a quiet night.

Waaaaaaaaaaahere

Tags: Dad Baby

The electronic solution to bawling babies originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Wed, 12 Apr 2006 08:44:22 +0100

I've seen some bizarre products in the run-up to fatherhood but, to date, this one takes the biscuit. Now, thanks to the joys of modern technology your child is able to learn how to use its potty on glorious widescreen technicolour.

A special DVD has been produced. Currently only available in the US, priced $19.95 we're sure it won't be long before it makes it over here.

Developed by the Duke University Medical Center, this DVD is said to make toilet training fun with child actors, simple terminology and sing-a-longs.

The manufacturers state:

"It's Potty Time, shows all the steps of using the bathroom in a delightful way that children love to watch again and again. Proven effective ... join Mr. Penders and Bobby as they make toilet training fun! Before you know it, your child will be saying, 'I did it all by myself!'"

And who said the age of hands-on parenting was dead?

It's potty time

Tags: Dad Baby

It is Potty Time originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Tue, 11 Apr 2006 09:29:19 +0100

Dads are increasingly responsible for the care and upbringing of their offspring if a survey, commissioned by John Lewis, is to be believed.

The retailer asked nearly 1000 women who would be the primary carer in the first year of their child's life. Debunking many of the stereotypes, 1 in 4 respondents claimed that the Dad would be looking after the child between 75% and 100% of the time.

An indication, if nothing else, that the role of father as primary carer is not just in the minds of men!

Tags: Dad Baby

Dads left holding the baby originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Fri, 07 Apr 2006 09:59:05 +0100

An enterprising american outfit has come up with the "flanker diaper bag" - a unique storage and retrieval system that helps guys pack and locate items necessary for the care of their child.

Split into "zones", each with a separate function, the bag promises to make you look like the business, even when carting baby paraphenalia around.

The “Guy Zone” provides easy access to your mobile, car keys and MP3 player. The “Comfort Zone” locates the dummy and bottle holder on the outside of the bag to give quick access to the things you need fast and often.

Other zones include the “Baby Zone” for toys and clothes, the “Changing Zone” which puts the changing pad, nappies and wipes all in one area, and the “Neutral Zone” which provides extra space so you'll always have the room you need. “Zone Defense Technology” gives you the winning edge to handle the challenges of being a dad.

It's currently only available in the US and priced at $115. However, we are lobbying hard to get them over here.

Guys Infant Gear

Tags: Dad Baby Bags

Man Bags that you'll actually want to own originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Wed, 05 Apr 2006 10:58:47 +0100

Children who eat meals whilst watching TV, eat more food than they need - according to a recent study anyway. The researchers worked with 24 children and their mothers, feeding them lunch over 4 days. On two of the 4 days a cartoon was played during the meal.

The lead researcher on the projest suggested that TV viewing may distract children from normal fullness cues which can lead to overeating in children as it may in adults.

It's American research, so might not bear out in the UK, but somehow I suspect it will. So the secret is - make children concentrate on enjoying their food and not on the TV at meal times.

Tags: Dad Toys

TV makes kids fat originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Tue, 04 Apr 2006 20:43:33 +0100

In the past few years I've become slightly more interested in the budget - normally to find out how much more it's going to cost to fill my car, or how much more I would have to pay for my booze. Today however, with impending fatherhood on the cards, my attention has been caught by the bits in the budget for the family.

Here's a quick breakdown of the relevant sections:

- Child tax credit - will raise by 14% over the next few years.

- The Child Trust Fund will now be enhanced, with children getting £250 (or £500 for poorer families) when they reach 7-years-old.

- Child care vouchers will go up by £5 a week to £55

- Personal tax allowance will rise from £4,895 to £5,035 - so, more money in your pocket if you're paying taxes. Just think of all the extra nappies.

Of course, there are elements of the budget that are designed to set things up for the bigger things in life:

Need a bigger house to fit in the baby equipment? - The exemption on stamp duty will be raised to £125,000 (from £120,000)

And for (hopefully) much later in life, the level at which inheritance tax begins to be paid will rise from £275,000 to £325,000

As a final note, duty on English sparkling wine has been frozen, so at least wetting the baby's head won't cost an arm and a leg.

Tags: Dad Baby

Will Dads benefit from the budget? originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Wed, 22 Mar 2006 14:15:04 +0000

Over dinner one day a rather more seasoned father than myself introduced me to the concept of baiting your child, giving them nuggets of information that are plainly untrue, but which add hours of endless amusement for the parents.

Trawling through a number of "essential" child rearing texts I came upon an invaluable source - all from "Great Lies to tell small kids" by Andy Riley.

Here are just a few gems which which to mislead your children:

Rain is Jesus' wee-wee
Wine makes mummy clever
Policemen grow from helmets in a single night
It's unlucky not to name every ant you see, for your whole life
It takes the brains and beaks of four real penguins to make one penguin biscuit
If you put a slice of ham in your uncle's DVD player, it will play a short film about pigs
One in ten fish are afraid of water
Men don't go bald naturally, they just like getting their hair cut that way
Mice collect dandruff to eat as cornflakes
Scatter drawing pins next to an ant's nest, then wait until it rains - they'll pick them up and use them as umbrellas

Brilliance.

Tags: Dad Baby

Bait your kids - Part 1 originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Tue, 14 Mar 2006 12:50:02 +0000

It appears that political correctness pervades into every element of our society. In the US a men's group is calling the feminist movement's bluff with regard to “reproductive choice”. They say that if women have the “right” to terminate any pregnancy without a man's consent, the same right should exist for men who want to opt out of fatherhood.

The National Centre For Men is soon to file a suit saying that the law is unfairly slanted towards women without regard for the “right to reproductive choice” for men.

It seems that the idea has stirred up quite a hornets nest, with the suit being cited as yet another opportunity for men to run away from their resposibilities as fathers.

Whatever your views, surely if you made it, you should have a responsibility to keep it?

Tags: Dad Baby

Burn your boxer shorts originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Mon, 13 Mar 2006 10:28:39 +0000

Those of you that have been following this section from its outset will have already seen how amazingly complicated I think the task of shopping for baby hardware is. In my mind, one of the most terrifying exercises will be in choosing the appropriate car seat for the sprog. There's such an array of information available and such a range of gadgets and gizmo's that of all my soon-to-be-made purchases, this daunts me the most. Will it be safe enough? Will my child end up with a permanently curved spine? Am I getting too carried away?

Luckily, help appears to be at hand. John Lewis, reinforcing their reputation as a quality retailer, has introduced a cracking service for all expectatnt parents. Nursery Advisors are available at all its stores, offering free personalised appointments to give all parents-to-be impartial guidance on buying all manner of baby hardware, including the best car seat for a new baby.

By booking an appointment with the Nursery Advice team the company claims that parents-to-be will receive impartial advice and the most up-to-date information on the most relevant products to suit their lifestyle and household needs during personalised consultations. With advice geared towards the budget as well as the lifestyle needs of expecting parents, the Nursery Advisors at John Lewis will use their expert skills to guide expectant parents to the right car seat for them.

I'll be trying the service out in coming weeks and will be sure to report back. As Stuart says, it's all in the stats...

Tags: Dad Baby

Nursery advisors put you back in the driving seat originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Wed, 01 Mar 2006 09:18:06 +0000

That first baby scan is a great moment. It's the first opportunity you've had to see the sprog in its human incubator and the indicator that you've reached a stage when it's possible to start telling people you're about to become a father.

The only problem is that sharing those first pictures is a massive problem. And, to date, sharing a video can be even more problematic.

However, Babybond have come up with a solution. Pioneers of 4D scanning, the company has grasped modern day communication tools and is offering parents the opportunity to have a short video made of the scan, that is then compatible with the latest generation of mobile phones and video iPods / iTunes 6 digital jukebox.

The clips are sent directly to your mobile phone and email address for you to share with all and sundry.

All you need is MMS enabled or 3G mobile phone and you could be sharing your
scan images with friends and family around the world. Since pretty much every phone sold nowadays can send and receive picture messages, that's a lot of places to send the clips!

You'll still need to provide information on what exactly the recipient is looking at (the head is on the right, and no, that's not its willy), but this is certainly an interesting way to tell people some great news.

Have a look at a full demo on the Babybond website

Tags: Dad Baby

Video Messaging 4D Baby scans originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Mon, 27 Feb 2006 13:50:47 +0000

My wife sends me lots of emails. Mostly they're asking me to pick up some food on the way home from work or showing me links to various pieces of furniture she'd like to buy. Mostly they're pleasant, even innocuous, but she's also a master at dropping email hints. Today a massive one landed in my inbox.

There are many things a man has to be aware of during pregnancy, most of which can be handled with a strong shoulder, good ear and patience (allegedly - ed). This however no longer seems not to be enough - it appears that a token of love is expected when babies are born, something sparkly, round and preferrably expensive.

A link to the following site arrived on email this afternoon - rings, rings, rings

An eternity ring for the first baby? I have a horrible feeling that this is the product of a vicious rumour invented and aggressively circulated by women. An eternity ring when you've been together an eternity? A little more like it.

As a result, the Dad Blog is launching a campaign to revolutionise gift buying at birth. Out are rings, gold watches and necklaces and in are DVD players, Sat-Nav and Super Soakers. We'll keep you updated as to whether it catches on.

Stuart has been a bit sneaky and suggested buying his wife a maternity ring. I wonder how long it'll take her to realise that in Stuart's world that sort of ring is made of plastic...

Tags: Dad Baby

Show them your love and depleting bank-balance originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Fri, 24 Feb 2006 10:22:43 +0000

Another piece of over-proctectionism or a really good idea? Baby Alert, a US-based company, has designed a local area tracking system for your children.

Just attach one part of the device to a buggy or car seat and the other to your keyring. Then if you should stray more than 20 feet from the little darlings the device will erupt into a cacophony of alarms.

No longer will absent minded parents leave their children in the fruit and veg aisle of Tesco's (as is my recurring nightmare). As yet we've no idea whether this will reach the UK, so in the mean time you might want to just leave a note on your car's dashboard, reminding you that you have a child...

Source Gizmodo

Tags: Dad Baby

Now where did I put that baby? originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Wed, 22 Feb 2006 22:38:40 +0000