Blog posts of '2018' 'April'

We will be updating this near the end of 2023 - there have been some new seats as well as some older products have now left the mix.

We think the infant carseat is one of the most important purchases you will make during your first year of child rearing.  We have discussed carseats in general here: “Straight Talk about Carseats”.

The stunning Nuna Pipa infant carseat has become the infant carrier carseat of choice throughout the United States in the last few years and there are actually now three different versions of this car seat. For many consumers the differences are confusing, so we want to help by explaining the three seats and their independent features.

Nuna Pipa Car Seat – the original revolution

The Nuna Pipa Infant Car Seat was released a few years ago and was a revolutionary piece of safety equipment because it combined several safety features found on other products into this single seat.  This essentially created one of the safest seats on the market. Specifically, the Nuna Pipa incorporated both a rigid latch installation with a load leg (both of which were not in widespread use) into a single seat; blowing away the competition. By adding additional features like the Okeo-Tex textiles (for a certified clean fabric component), the ‘Dream Drape’, and out of the box compatibility with a range of strollers the original launch of The Nuna Pipa was a revolution.

Nuna Pipa Lite Car Seat

We have detailed the launch of this seat with our review, “New PIPA Lite by Nuna - the 5 pound wonder!”. The major take away on this product versus the Nuna Pipa is that the weight of the carrier has been reduced a whopping 2 pounds without sacrificing the safety or aesthetically pleasing nature of the seat. Additionally a complete second seat liner in an GOTS certified organic cotton is included with this seat.

The one caveat to mention is that the standout cost to this innovation was the removal of the seatbelt pathway on the carrier portion of the seat. On the Pipa (original) there is a belt path on the carrier allowing the car seat to be installed without the base for emergency situations and for use in public transportation (Uber, Cabs, airplanes, etc) so you do not have to carry the heavy carseat base with you. For most families this is a non-issue because they are not utilizing public transportation on a regular or occasional basis (or plan not to during the first year of this new baby’s life). If, in fact, you utilize public transport on a regular basis it might not be the right fit seat for you.

Lastly, noticeably absent on the Pipa Lite is the presence of the Dream Drape that so many families love for the breathable sun protection.  We recommend these breathable muslin magnetic closure car-seat canopies from Little Unicorn as a replacement for the ‘Dream-Drape-less’ Pipa Lite.

Nuna Pipa Lite LX Carseat

The last and most fantastic of the three versions is called LX (for Lux). This overall function and construction of the seat is the same as the Pipa Lite (rigid latch, load leg, 5 pound carrier) However there are two distinct additions to provide that LUX moniker. First, the DREAM DRAPE makes it’s reappearance adding that coveted built-in canopy extension, beloved by most consumers. Second, and more important to many people, is the use of Merino Wool as the seat fabric. Wool is naturally cooling in warm weather and provides some warmth in those cool months. Wool is also one of the few natural fibers that boasts an inherent flame retardant property.

How do I choose which Nuna Pipa is right for my family?

We have a series of questions that can help:

1. Do you use or plan to use public transportation more than rarely over the next year? - if you answer that you use local public transportation (Uber, Taxies, Ride Sharing) on a weekly basis OR if you plan on Airline Travel with your child multiple times in the next year – We recommend sticking with the Original Nuna Pipa
2. Do you or any primary care persons have severe back, shoulder or neck injuries/limitations that will be affected by lifting a carseat? – if the answer is yes, we recommend one of the Nuna Pipa Lite or Lite LX
3. Are you a proponent of Organic and Natural fiber usage as an exclusive approach to your lifestyle? – if yes then we recommend the Nuna Pipa Lite LX

Browse and Shop all NUNA PIPA Car Seats

As you most likely know I am a huge fan of Cooks Illustrated and when looking for a base recipe for chocolate chip cookies I found their chewy chocolate chip cookies to be a great launching point for these loaded melt in your mouth goodies.

A few points of interest: Melting the butter before mixing with sugar helps these remain chewy and I consider this a must! Also the strange approach to forming the cookie by pulling apart a rounded ball and reassembling as a craggy topped sphere seems a bit weird but creates such a nice appearance of a artisan looking cookie I just had to include it as well.

A note on ingredients: butter butter butter – use a European style butter – not land o lakes or some no name American brand. There is higher proportion of butter fat in the European style butters and creates a nice smooth taste. I use unsalted and you should too. I am not a fan of the Irish brand, Kerrygold, because it has a bit too much fat and turns these cookies a bit greasy. My butter of choice is the amazing Plugra brand butter, which is a European Style but actually made in the USA. It has the perfect flavor and just the right amount of fat. Delicious! I am using dried Montmorency Cherries that are just a bit tart but rich in cherry flavor (I like this brand from Publix). These can be purchased at local grocery and my chocolate chip of choice is Ghiradelli 60% Bittersweet Chip (these are large chips and just the right amount of bittersweet to combat this sugary batter)

Ingredients:

• ¾ cup pecans (whole or pieces)
• 12 tablespoons UNSALTED butter
• 2 1/8 Cup all purpose flour
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• 1 cup dark brown sugar
• ½ cup white sugar
• 1 large egg PLUS 1 large egg yolk
• 2 ½ teaspoons vanilla
• 1 5 oz bag dried Montmorency Cherries
• 1 10 oz bag Ghiradelli 60% Bittersweet Chocolate Chips

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 250 degrees, place pecans on baking sheet (I recommend using some parchment paper as well) Roast pecans for 30-40 minutes until fragrant. Remove and let cool. Chop medium (pencil eraser size). Roasting brings out a buttery and rich toffee flavor to pecans.
2. Increase oven temp to 325 Degrees
3. Melt (gently) the butter in microwave or on stove top – do not over heat because it will pop and or burn. Does not need to be melted to the point of separating… just melted.
4. While butter is melting and cooling down: measure out flour, salt and baking soda into small bowl and whisk well to combine. Measure out two sugars into large mixing bowl. Mix melted butter into sugars and stir to combine, continue stirring until lumps are removed. You might see a bit of separation of the butter fat from the sugar mixture (this will be resolved with…. Add the whole egg and 1 egg yolk to sugar/butter mixture. Mix well until a uniform creamy mixture is formed and egg is completely incorporated. Add vanilla and mix until completely incorporated.
5. Add flour to sugar/butter/egg and mix UNTIL JUST BARELY incorporated – you do not want to over mix – it causes the cookies to be tough (you only want to mix until the flour streaks disappear). Add chocolate chips, dried cherries and chopped pecans. Mix gently until thoroughly dispersed (again you are not whipping these together…. Just gentle mixing with a wooden spoon)
6. Forming cookies – this was a bit weird to me but is so pleasing in the result I recommend doing this. Using ¼ cup handfuls (more than a golf ball and less than those little tangerines that are all the rage right now – you can measure with a cup the first couple of times if that helps). Round the dough into a sphere. Take the sphere and break it in half and then reform a new round ball by squishing the two halves’ back together so rough torn part is on top (see photos). Place sphere craggy side up on parchment lined cookie sheet. I can get about 9 on a sheet spreading them out well. (you will need to cook two sheets worth from this recipe – approx. 18 cookies
    

   

   form smooth ball of dough

   

   split apart ball of dough

   

   reform ball with craggy top

    
7. Bake at 325 degrees for 13-15 minutes – cookies should look just a bit under done in the center. Remove from oven and cool ON THE COOKIE SHEET – do not use a cooling wire rack – cooling on the sheet helps keep them moist and chewy.
8. Store in airtight container once completely cooled or gobble them up when they have cooled to room temp!