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We tried it: Zoocchini organic training pants
Who tried it: Amy Jamieson, writer/editor PEOPLE.com
Why she did it: Because potty training is hard and this mom welcomes all new ways to succeed at it.
Pros: Potty training in the dead of winter can be deadly. Besides dealing with a child that’s learning to have control over his or her own bowels, you’ve got the layers of clothing to reckon with.
Zoocchini
We tried it: Petidoux Pima cotton pajamas
Who tried it: Amy Jamieson, writer/editor PEOPLE.com
Why she did it: As a mother of two girls who are very picky about their nighttime attire, this tired mom is happy to try any and all options available.
Pros: The other night, I put my 2-year-old daughter to bed wearing ballet-themed footie pajamas. They’re about a half-size too small, but she refuses to let them go in the “giveaway pile” for sentimental reasons (one battle I’m too tired to fight). So, hours later, when I went in to check on her at midnight, she was wearing nothing but a diaper and was wrapped in a cocoon-like fashion in a lightweight fleece blanket that usually lays askew on her bed.
Courtesy Petidoux
We tried it: Burley Solstice Stroller
Who tried it: Anya Leon, Babies Editor
Why she did it: Trying to go for a brisk morning walk with a toddler in tow can be painstakingly slow without the right stroller.
Pros: Before the Burley Solstice came into my life, I had no one to make me accountable for morning walks. You know, that exercise buddy who motivates you to go the extra mile? But once I put the stroller together, I suddenly had no excuse to write a rain check: I had found my new workout partner.
Setting up the stroller was quick and easy: Just pop the tires in place until you hear a click. (The tires come off just as easily with a push of a button.)
Courtesy Burley
We tried it: GB Qbit Travel Stroller
Who tried it: Rennie Dyball, Senior Editor
Why she did it: Anything that promises to make travel with a toddler easier is worth a shot.
Pros: Now that my baby has morphed into a headstrong 2-year-old, my travel needs have changed. I greatly miss using a carrier, but with a 28-lb. toddler, it’s no longer the easiest option for me while schlepping around an airport.
So it’s time for a travel stroller, and the GB Qbit has many selling points for families on the go. It has the simplest fold/unfold I’ve seen in a travel stroller (two buttons on the handle push in and to the side to fold, then a one-handed lock; undo the lock and then a flick of the wrist pops it back open).
Courtesy GB
Courtesy FirstBIKE
We tried it: FirstBIKE
Who tried it: Anya Leon, PEOPLE.com writer-editor
Why she did it: I have a 3-year-old who refuses to pedal a bike. Enough said.
I also have a secret. I’ve never really believed all the hype surrounding balance bikes. Honestly, I thought it was one more cute kid product to add to the already long list of maybe-not-so-functional items on the market.
In fact, I had considered buying one as a Christmas gift for my little guy last year, but figured it would make a momentary splash before being pushed to the back of the garage. (Spoiler alert: Nowadays, it’s definitely being pushed — all over my house!)
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Courtesy Regan Stephens
We tried it: Baby Jogger City Mini GT
Who tried it: Regan Stephens, Contributing Photo Editor
Why she did it: For city dwellers, a stroller is often your little one’s primary form of transportation.
And after two and a half years of ours taking its fair share of winter abuse (snowy streets and salty sidewalks) and summer’s sticky popsicles, it was time for an upgrade.
We decided to go with the City Mini GT because it promises ‘Go Anywhere with AllTerrain Mobility.’ And after traversing countless city miles and a few jets and jaunts, we put it to the test.
Pros: Perhaps the biggest ‘pro’ of this stroller is the ease in which it folds down.
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Courtesy Dyson
What: Dyson 65 Upright Vacuum Cleaner
Who Tried It: Julia Wang, Features Director, PEOPLE.com
Why She Volunteered: Cleaning has become a “hobby” now that I’m a mom of two to a 6-year-old and a 9-month-old
I used to think I was really good at keeping house. Then I had kids.
Kids teach you so much — about love, innocence, patience … and how much dust, grime, glitter and all manner of detritus wind up everywhere.
There’s my free-spirited older child, who routinely snips construction paper into pieces of confetti and leaves a trail of tiny plastic toy parts around the house.
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