Seeking Advice on Baby Bike Seat

Yes, I know that I haven't done a post on this site in oh, about 4 or 5 months, but I'm seeking a bit of advice from Bronx parents and thought this might be a good way to reach out to everyone.

I want to get a bike seat for Pearl so I have another way of getting out and about with her. My husband has the rear-mounted CoPilot seat (pictured left) on the back of his bike. Pearl seems to like this, but clearly the view of Dad's back might get a little boring at times. I'm wondering if anyone has any experience with a front-mounted seat, such as the iBert safe-T-seat (pictured right). As many of the user reviews seem to indicate, I feel it may be easier to maneuver the bike with the front-mounted seat because it's closer to the center of gravity. However, when I stopped into a bike shop to inquire about the front-mounted seats, the worker looked at me as if I'd just asked him to bum a smoke for my kid. He was clearly not a fan of front-mounted seats and cited safety issues with using these as opposed to the rear-mounted ones.

So, do any of you Bronx parents have any knowledge on this matter?

Little BD Is the Most Boring Blog EVER.

Oh my God... How boring is Little BoogieDowner? Sorry folks, I really underestimated how much time I spend working on big BoogieDowner and just haven't really had much time to devote over here...

I've also been lax in posting because I've been working on developing Bronx content for another great NYC parenting blog, Mommy Poppins. They're in the process of redeveloping their site and I helped them pull together all the great attractions for families here in the BoogieDown. I'll let you know as soon as they unveil the new resources.

In the meantime, I did a little review on 'Chocolate and Vanilla Adventures' at New York Botanical Garden for them. You can click here to check it out.

~Erin

Beauty and the Beast at Riverdale Y

No matter how good well-behaved your children are, it can be incredibly stressful bringing them to live performances. The lights go down, a hush falls over the crowd, and your kid all of a sudden urgently needs to go potty.

Next weekend presents an opportunity to bring the little ones to a show created just for them at the Riverdale YM-YWHA. The Children’s Theater Company at Lehman will present a kid-friendly, “sketch-comedy” production of Beauty and the Beast, complete with musical accompaniment by the Bronx Arts Ensemble. Tickets for the show are quite reasonable at $8 for general admission.

When: Sunday, March 15th at 2pm.
Where: Riverdale Y’s Neuwirth Theatre at 5625 Arlington Avenue at 256th Street
More information: (718) 548-8200 or www.riverdaley.org

~Erin

'Political Playdate' Tomorrow

This is the perfect opportunity for Bronx parents to get together and discuss their hopes for improving the BoogieDown...

Tony Perez Cassino (Democratic Candidate for City Council) will be hosting a Political Playdate tomorrow, Sunday, 2/22, at Uptown Sports Complex (170 W. 233rd Street) from 10am to 2pm.

There will be a mini-carnival, a gymnastics center, batting cages, snacks and the captivating sing-a-long music of Suzanne Hockstein (performance at 11:30) for the kids. For the adults, it is an opportunity to come together and discuss common desires to improve our communities. The event is free, but you must rsvp to cassinoforcouncil@gmail.com or 718.280.8999. Click here for more info.

Good stuff!

~Erin

Shadowbox Theatre Comes to the BoogieDown Next Week

I just saw this listed in the New York Times, and it looks like a lot of fun for the little ones...

The Shadowbox Theatre, which is a multi-ethnic troupe that performs souped up puppet shows, is coming to Hostos Community College (450 Grand Concourse at 149th Street) next week. Their main theatre is based down on Bleeker Street, so it's exciting that they'll be performing up here in the BoogieDown.

They will be presenting "The African Drum" in honor of African American History Month. Here's the full description from the Times:

Shadow Box Theater's multimedia presentation of traditional African tales features characters that include a talking leopard, a wise loon and a turtle that is just as resourceful as the hero of "The Tortoise and the Hare." All are shadow puppets, manipulated behind a lighted screen.

They will be performing Tuesday (2/10), Wednesday (2/11), and Friday (2/13) at 10am and 11:30am, and tickets are only $7.50. The show is recommended for pre-K through 5th grade.

Click here to check out their website for more information. Call (212) 724-0677 to make a reservation.

~Erin

Dads Get All the Glory

I've been meaning to put a link up to this Newsweek article for a few days now...

The author, Tina Elmore, writes about her reaction to seeing that her daughter selecting good ol' Dad as her 'role model' for a school project.

I'm not surprised when I see Pearl's face light up when Lou (her Dad) walks in the room... He's the fun guy, the one who throws balls in the air and bounces them off his head just to make her laugh. And me? I'm the 'caretaker.' The one who's always cleaning her up, getting her food ready, handling baby-proofing, and just generally doing all the boring stuff. Basically, she sucks her thumb and whines around me and belly laughs around Lou - I guess that's just the way it goes.

It's worth a read - Click here to check it out.

~Erin

Hope For the Little Ones...

Happy Inauguration Day!

Pearl started clapping when President Obama stood to take the oath of office... Smart girl.

~Erin