My daughter Jade is seven months old now — old enough to sit up on her own or in a high chair or in the buggy at the grocery store or the swing at the park, which is great, because it makes life so much easier for me, until she starts tasting the buggy handle or teething on the swing. When I saw the Cool Wazoo, I wanted to try it.
The Cool Wazoo is a multi-purpose pad/cover that must have been designed by a mom. It works as a diaper changing pad but can also be used to cover a swing, high chair, or grocery cart seat. I loved the cool design on it, and the beautiful fabric is also easy-to-wash and is water resistant. Plus, the material on the back reflects heat back to its source, so you don’t have to worry about popping baby into a swing that has been sitting outside in +30 degrees sunlight all day!
I tried the Cool Wazoo out as a diaper changing pad first. I loved the large surface of the change pad, especially now that Jade is getting big enough to roll around and wiggle a bit during diaper changes. The extra area for mom to kneel on definitely came in handy when I was changing her on the floor of a bathroom (why can’t more public places offer change tables?) or outside at a park with no washroom within walking distance.
Grocery shopping is definitely much easier now that Jade can sit in the seat by herself (instead of in her bucket carseat balanced on top of the cart), but then I have to worry about how dirty the grocery cart is. I don’t want her holding the handle and then putting her fingers in her mouth and I don’t want to hang her toys off the handle. So I was excited to try out the Cool Wazoo at the store. However, because the grocery cart is wider than a swing or high chair, I didn’t think the Cool Wazoo fit very well. Also, the holes for the waist strap were towards the bottom of the seat, while the straps on a grocery cart were towards the top. So it worked, but it was a bit awkward.
I’m an engineer’s daughter, so I tend to think I can figure things out without instructions. However, I had to look up how to fold the Cool Wazoo and how to use it in a swing/high chair. Once I’d followed the step-by-step instructions for folding, it seemed really easy (another one of those things that you, as a mom, figure out and can do in twenty seconds without thinking about it while everyone else is still standing around scratching their heads…). Like I said, it must be mom-designed, because the velcro is in all the right spots. Folded up, it’s about the size of a small purse and you could tuck a couple of diapers and some wipes inside for an easy, self-contained diaper bag.
I’ve made the Cool Wazoo a staple in my diaper bag, though I think I might use it less for diaper changes (in order to keep it cleaner) and more for a protective covering for seats and swings. The Cool Wazoo is available in three cool colours (all mildew-proof and PVC-free). To find one in a store near you, use the handy store locator on the Oyaco website.
Bonnie is a blogger and mom of three girls. She’s currently in her fourth and final year of a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Creative Writing (and attempting to write a novel). When she’s not blogging or writing, she enjoys playing board games with her hubby or reading stories to her girls. You can find Bonnie online at www.thekoalabearwriter.com.
This looks really, really handy, and fuss-free