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We’re essentially a network of family businesses
that’s developed around a developing stroller accessory
invention and patent – during this journey as well as the ongoing 4-kid
family adventure, we’ve discovered lots of very cool
strollers, stroller accessories, and by far the best products come from
actual parent inventors.
(Slingwheels LLC is now also an umbrella organization for many other businesses and Web properties our extended family operates, providing Technical Consulting and Computer Training, Online Marketing and Publishing, Website Management and Maintenance, Real Estate Services, Employer Recruiting and Resume Services, Home and Online Security Services, and much more. Contact us for more information.)
Perhaps it’s summed up best as follows:
Can’t Do Without Stroller Accessories
…an ode to stocking-stuffers for the
stroller aficionado
I’ve seen postings all over the stroller
message boards, asking primarily about strollers, but every so often
about the accessories. You know, the stuff you wish the stroller came
with (or your baby came with!), but the manufacturer declined to
include. Seat warmers, DVD player, satellite radio…..oops,
that’s my car, not the stroller. On the other hand, where
there’s a will, and a way….
http://www.rhettandlink.com/exploits_videos/view.php?id=04gcc_pimp_my_stroller.
For the not-so-mechanically inclined, the stroller
after-market’s quite healthy, satisfying the appetite for
those little extras that make the walk through the mall or to the beach
more pleasant for both the stroller pusher and occupant. Put it this
way; what do you think Batgirl’s stroller would have in it,
taking Bat-baby out for a walk? All the stuff she couldn’t
stuff into her utility belt, that’s what.
At a moment’s notice: WHAM! (whip out the
bottle, insert); SPLAAP!
(cover the baby with sunscreen spray and a bug net); BLURPP! (wipe up the
mess, and stow it freshly away); KACHUNG!
(power on the iPod, get the lights workin’, the meter
runnin’, and we’re stroller-cizing our way down
Lexington and across 72nd!).
So what do we need? Well, it is very much like the
auto market. The more expensive the pram, the more gidgets you get
– though nobody’s quite yet made the perfect
cupholder. And most people really don’t need an automated cry
analyzer, but there’s always somebody. What you need are
better bags, sacks, holders, hooks, hoods, covers, lights, wheels,
weights, wipes, handles, trays, shades and a nice selection of
first-aid, sunscreen, and ready-made drink mix products. Plus the
always-useful, always-satisfying, universally-quieting Ring-Pop (just
stick one in, you’ll see!....lasts at least 45
minutes).
The priorities are self-evident, just think
through the day. What happens when it rains? What do you and your
stroller look like at night? Where do you keep all the other bags, cups
and toys you’ve hauled out of the car, but can’t
hold or fit in your purse? What does your child do, or how do they eat
and drink, while you’re trying to understand why the salesman
thinks the Treo 700p is better than the Sprint PPC-6700? No, you
can’t have (since you’re not IN People, after all,
you just READ it) the ultimate stroller accessory, which is in fact a
“stroller-pusher” (i.e. the nanny).
What you can get are things like:
- Mother’s Third Arm
(self-explanatory!)
- MyLight waterproof, clip-on light
- Protect-a-Bub all-weather stroller canopy and
bug netting
- Sip & Stroll combination insulated
cupholder, cell-phone holder, bag hook
- Snack Sack to hold cheerios where your kid can
really get them
- Sippy Leash to corral that Sippy Cup
- Teeny Towels for anti-bacterial wiping when you
need it
- Fresh Sacks for quick and nice smelling
disposal of whatever needs it
- Strollometer to measure you miles
- StrolliRider for your toddler to ride along
with the baby, as you push
- Stroller Stretcher for you tall people, with
short strollers
And guess what? Many of these items are actually
invented by Moms and Dads like you and I! Not by super-secret,
highfalutin, mega-corporations with more patents than IBM, but by
parents who saw a need, figured it out, and spent the next 5 years
convincing friends and family to finance their temporary madness (but
are now paying off some college bills with the earnings!).
I’ve actually been trying to get an accessory invented (www.thisinvention.blogspot.com),
and am hitting the roadblocks hard – but have hope in the
fact that it’s actually been done, and done well by those
that came before.
So satisfy your accessorizing nature –
poke around, find things, try them out, pimp that stroller! If you need
help, this site is a home-grown compilation of links to see
and buy mostly universal, mostly parent-invented things that really
make sense (well, most of them do!). The list grows every week, let me
know if you see others that are worthy, and why.
Pimp that Stroller!
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