Kids’ Travel Gear from Oompa Toys

Other posts by MountainMama

Oompa Toys is one of those feel-good companies I feel good about recommending to TravelingMamas’ readers.

Founded by mom Milanie Cleere in 2004, this online, specialty-toy retailer offers literally hundreds of well-made, environmentally friendly products — from dolls, musical instruments, and art supplies to stuffed animals, puzzles and finger puppets. Milanie (whom I feel like I know after watching her fun video blogs) scours the planet for high-quality items that are created by adults only (no child labor!) in humane working environments.

Here’s the travel tie-in: Oompa sells some darling children’s bags, backpacks and lunchboxes that can transition seamlessly from school to airplane.

Messenger BagMy six-year-old son has tested the Cool Kids Messenger Bag by Allerhand ($45) over the past couple weeks. He likes it because it is indeed, “cool.” (He had been coveting my messenger-style, Timbuk2 laptop bag, and was crushed when I told him he couldn’t borrow it for school use.)

In fact, Oompa’s Allerhand kids’ bag isn’t quite big enough for a first-grader to bring to school — its 12×12x3.5-inch dimensions don’t allow for his insulated lunch bag, mini-umbrella, sweatshirt, sunglasses and assorted papers/projects to fit without closing fuly. (A preschooler’s gear might fit just fine.)

But my son has stuck pajamas, T-shirt, shorts, underwear, a toothbrush and stuffed animal in it to bring to Grandma’s for an overnight. I like the included insulated hot/cold bottle holder and the extra strap that helps keep the bag securely slung over one shoulder.

My eight-year-old daughter brings her Ice Blue Lunch Bag from Skip Hop ($28) to school daily. It comes with a removable strap, so she could easily carry the bag over her shoulder. Or the strap can be thread through loops to turn it into a backpack — very versatile for active field trips or day hikes!

Lunch BagI love how the bag has a silver, NASA-like, high-tech interior, made of Thinsulate material. I typically make the kids’ lunches at night, store their bags in the fridge, and throw in an ice pack in the morning. After school, when I compare the condition of each child’s ice packs, my daughter’s is still ice cold (with a little condensation), where the one that was in my son’s LL Bean lunch bag is much warmer (with a lot of condensation).

As I’m writing this, I’m thinking that I don’t even need to bother tossing in an ice pack into the Skip Hop bag, since the manufacturer says it should keep her lunch items cold for up to four hours on its own. That might also prevent the wetness from the melting ice pack from discoloring the outside of the bag (or maybe the wet spots are from my daughter’s lunchtime water spills). The user information recommends not submerging in water; so, it could be, too, that the light blue color shows watermarks more than a darker color. If you do purchase this product, I’d recommend the Cherry Red or Jet Black.

Some of the other cute Oompa products for on-the-go include:

Eco-friendly Mouse Lunch Bag from Mimi the Sardine ($20)
Roll-along Florentine Luggage from Sigkid ($93)
Spaceship Shuttle Pencil Case from Haba ($16)
Polka Dot Coloring Purse (with crayons and colored pencils) from Tatiri ($20)

Have fun browsing the Oompa website; if you happen to live in Madison, Wisconsin, the company is scheduled to open a brick-and-mortar retail store soon.

I recognize that once again, I’ve highlighted some pricey products, but keep in mind that the holidays are coming up and sometimes family members ask what they can get the kids. Oompa sells quality items that do make great gifts. And, as I’ve mentioned more than once here, you typically get what you pay for!

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September 30, 2008 | Filed Under Travel Gear 

Comments

2 Responses to “Kids’ Travel Gear from Oompa Toys”

  1. DesertMama says:
    September 30, 2008 at

    Everything is super cute!

  2. Angelina Lucas says:
    October 20, 2008 at

    All the products are great. The cribs are too cute in white color. The toys are sure to interest the little ones especially the musical ones. The bath towels have beautiful prints which would really excite the little ones for a funtime bath.

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