The Buzz: Latest Services & Products for Parents and Kids

EXPECT MORE
   The hugely popular What To Expect … book empire, which also has a website for parents, has just added a “Toddler Years” component. For ages 13 through 36 months, you can click on a specific month and learn — you guessed it — what to expect. Why toddlers make messes (at 15 months), the pint-sized perpetual-motion machine (at 20 months), how to tame tiny tempers (at 23 months). www.whattoexpect.com/toddler/index.aspx.

PJ MOUSE
   KN Karen Neuburger, known for their super-soft sleep clothes, has teamed up with children’s author Laura Numeroff and Felicia Bond of If You Give a Mouse a Cookie fame; the team had created holiday-themed ‘Mommy & Me’ pajamas.  And partial proceeds go to First Book, which provides new books to children from low-income families.  

COOL CARPOOL
   Next activity to be organized via web technology? Carpooling!  At www.dividetheride.com, you enter your kids’ activity schedules, then invite families you know to join your carpool. The website creates a carpool calendar, and pooling parents then receive schedules and reminders via email. The service is free.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT
   Bake and bond with Chit Chat and Chew, which sends frozen cookie dough or brownie mix with activity and question cards.  Against the tantalizing aroma of freshly baked cookies, parents and kids use the cards to ask each other questions and play games. A child might ask his mom, “What is the best thing about being a grownup?”  Or you can take turns naming a place, and in three sentences, describe what you know about the locale. While the cookies (including chocolate chip and oatmeal raisin, $24.99/three dozen) may not linger, the activity cards and questions can be reused on car or plane trips. www.chitchatandchew.com.

EVERY MOVE YOU MAKE
   Pregnant women can keep track of baby’s movements with the digital kickTrakT. The handheld device tracks a baby’s movement pattern after 24 weeks and can also be used to time contractions. Moms-to-be can use the counter to record movements; tiny footprints move along the LCD screen. $49.95 at www.babykick.com.

CLEANER RIDE
   Manhattan, where you can get just about anything, now boasts dry cleaning for strollers. Wayne Edelman, president of Meurice Garment Care, has two young daughters and realized their baby carriages could benefit from a thorough cleaning.  He developed a green cleaning method that removes food stains and worse, returning your stroller to pristine condition.  The overhaul is $125, which includes pick-up and delivery; you can also drop off your germy carriage at 31 University Place or 245 East 57th Street. Info: (800) 240-3377; www.meuricegarmentcare.com.