So, here are the slightly abbreviated reviews for today:
Sony Babycall Monitor
This monitor is AWESOME, especially for the price - $45.00! I got the model that only has one receiver, because I am used to carrying gadgets around with me from room to room anyway (cell phone, iPad, kindle, etc) so it's not like I needed a second receiver. In fact, if I don't want to actually carry it around the house with me, there is a belt clip that allows me to WEAR the monitor with me.
The 900 MHz transmitter is more than adequate in our 2200 sf house. There are 27 possible channels to transmit/receive on, so I don't have to worry about interference from neighbors' baby monitors. The sound coming through the receiver is so clear, I can literally hear the nursery clock TICKING when I have the monitor on. If I don't want to hear noises loike that, I can switch to the 'voice activation' mode, which saves the battery on the receiver - but I am comforted by the ambient nursery noises, because that little 'tick tock' of the clock tells me that the monitor is still working. If I am doing something loud, like vacuuming, I can watch the light display for any change in the noise level in the nursery.
I love the fact that the receiver is rechargable, and so far it seems to last me a couple weeks without needing to re-charge (though I will confess, I don't use it as much as I thought I would, as it is really REALLY hard to tear myself away from this baby....I spend a lot of time just holding him)
Arm & Hammer Diaper Pail
I have to say, I LOVE THIS DIAPER PAIL!
And that statement carries a lot of weight, considering the number of diaper pails I have used over my two decades of mothering, and two decades as an early childhood professional.....
I think I have literally changed more than 50,000 diapers. Seriously - I just did the math, and just my own children so far are responsible for at least 22,000 diaper changes - but an hour working in a toddler room at a preschool can easily include 10 more diapers - so, yeah, 50,000 might be a low-end estimate.
This diaper pail is not like the diaper genie (which was revolutionary when I first got one, years ago, but turned out to be a bit of a pain, and not necessarily all that effective in the end). This one uses a single bag, which so far holds about a week's worth of our 'upstairs' diapers.....if I change a diaper downstairs, I tend to just throw it away in the kitchen trash, and when his diapers start to stink more, then the downstairs changes can just go directly out to our outside trash bins. If I threw away every dirty diaper in this diaper pail, I would probably go through two or three liners a week - so factor that price in if you are considering buying this diaper pail.
The bag/liner is part of what makes this pail so great: it clips into place at the top of the pail, and has a gathered design that lets the pail's teeth-like flaps close it for an airtight seal in between changes. When the bag is full, the plastic ring that holds the bag in place also folds in half to seal the bag shut - so you don't have to smell the contents of the bag while carrying it out to the garbage bin. Closing the lid also sprinkles a little odor-killing dose of Arm & Hammer Baking Soda at the opening from the little dispenser built into the lid. This dispenser is refillable, so you don't ever have to go buy a new cartridge or anything - just open it like a jar, pour in some baking soda, and twist the cap back into place inside the lid of the diaper pail. Simple and CHEAP.
I also love that there is no 'perfume' smell to this. I have a pretty sensitive sniffer, and have always hated the heavily perfumed room deodorizers. I can tolerate the fruity scented ones, but prefer a clean and natural smell overall.
The diaper pail sells for around $35, and the liners are $5 to $6 for a box of ten. Look for coupons and stock up when you can, and if you have a multi-level home, you might consider having one pail for each floor.
