We reviewed Brooks Pond buggy blankets and carrier covers earlier this year, and I'm impressed to say that the company has incorporated some of my suggestion into their new 2006 products that were released this fall (that's customer service). The new Perennial buggy blankets and Metro carrier covers now feature a wind and water resistent nylon shell that is quilted with Thinsulate insulation on the outside of the soft micro-suede interior. There are velcro straps added to the top of the buggy blanket to help secure it to strollers, as well as the original suspender clips and non-slip backing. The other big change that is exclusive to the Brooks Pond blankets is the addition of a removeable insulated liner that functions like a duvet - remove it from the zippered bottom when the weather is a bit warmer. It's been close to 70 degrees on Halloween, but the last few days have felt much more like typical Fall weather so I got the chance to try the buggy blanket out. I knew that our old stroller blanket would be too short this year, so I like how this one zippers on both sides to allow the toddler to have her feet hang out. The bottom of the Perennial blanket feature a boot guard and nylon boot pouch like the original to protect the inside of the blanket from dirt, mud and snow. I appreciate this little detail since I clearly didn't think about how dirty the furry, white interior of our old blanket would get (white, sheesh, what was I thinking). It took a little bit to figure out how to secure it to the Phil and Teds, and the square bottom doesn't fit as nicely as it might on our Maclaren since the footrest on the Phil and Teds is more triangular, but this would be true of any stroller blanket. Finally, the buggy blanket comes in a dazzling array of 14 color combinations (the green interior is more of an intense apple green than the yellow-green pictured on the site and is a nice pop of color against the black quilted exterior on the blanket I have). The toddler seemed pretty comfy snuggled in there on our way to class. Bottom line - this plush buggy blanket is just a really nice product. Check out the Brooks Pond site for more info on all their products, and Babygadget readers get 15% off their order through December 15th on checkout when they enter "BGadget". [...]
