About Infantgearlab

The Moment I Decided to Cut Through the Noise

I was standing in the baby aisle at Target at 8 PM, nine months pregnant with my first, staring at seventeen different baby monitors and trying not to cry. My registry was due the next morning. My mom friends couldn't agree on a single recommendation—one swore by her WiFi camera while another insisted anything with a signal would rot my baby's brain. And every product box shouted "EDITOR'S CHOICE" or "PEDIATRICIAN APPROVED" without telling me why it actually mattered for my specific situation.

That was ten years ago. Since then, I've had three kids, spent eight years working as a pediatric occupational therapist in early intervention, and helped hundreds of families navigate the mountain of gear that fills their homes during those blurry first months. Infantgearlab exists because I got tired of watching parents waste money on marketing promises that didn't match reality—or worse, buy unsafe products because the packaging looked medical-grade.

I'm not here to sell you the most expensive option. I'm here to tell you which car seat actually fits in a compact sedan, which baby carrier won't destroy your lower back during the witching hour, and which "smart" bassinet features are worth the ongoing subscription fees versus which ones you'll forget exist after week two.

About Claire Nguyen

By day, I'm a pediatric occupational therapist specializing in infant and toddler development. That means I evaluate how babies interact with their environments—how they sleep, feed, and move through space. I understand postural development, airway safety, and the subtle sensory differences that make one baby love a swing while another screams the second you turn it on. When I look at a nursing pillow, I'm not just seeing foam and fabric; I'm seeing cervical alignment, latch positioning, and whether the cover will survive weekly washings when you inevitably get milk and spit-up on it.

By night (and let's be honest, at 3 AM), I'm a mom who has cleaned spit-up out of every imaginable surface and has very strong opinions about which diaper bags actually wipe clean versus which ones just claim to. I've installed car seats in three different vehicles including a compact Honda Civic and a minivan, dealt with a reflux baby who needed very specific positioning to sleep, and learned the hard way that "portable" bassinets aren't always portable when you're recovering from a C-section and can't lift more than ten pounds.

This dual lens—clinical training plus the chaos of real parenting—is what shapes every review here. I don't just unbox products; I use them. I look up crash test data. I measure temperature fluctuations in sleep spaces. I check if the fabric is actually breathable or just marketed that way. And I tell you the truth about whether a $400 version does anything measurably better than the $120 one, or if you're paying for branding.

What We Cover

Infantgearlab focuses on the gear you actually use during the first eighteen months—not the trendy stuff that sits in closets or becomes a dust collector by month three. Specifically, we dig deep into:

If you're pregnant and building your first registry, if you're replacing broken gear for baby number two and want something better than what you settled for the first time, or if you're a grandparent buying for your first grandchild and need to know what standards changed since 1990—this site is written for you.

How We Test & Review

Every product review on this site starts with hands-on testing in real homes with real babies—not just in my clinic or a studio. I spend a minimum of two weeks with each item, usually longer for big-ticket purchases like car seats or cribs. That's long enough to discover that the zipper sticks when you're in a hurry, that the white noise machine has an audible loop that makes you insane at 4 AM, or that the "one-hand fold" on a stroller actually requires three hands and a foot.

My evaluation criteria include safety certification checks (JPMA, CPSC compliance, ASTM standards where applicable), developmental appropriateness (does it support natural motor development or restrict it?), and brutal practicality tests. Can you unfold this stroller one-handed while holding a car seat? Does this fabric pill after three washes? Will this monitor battery actually last through the night, or die at hour five? I take it apart, I put it back together, I read the manuals that nobody else reads, and I look for recalls or safety notices that haven't made mainstream news yet.

Some items I purchase myself. Others are sent by brands for review. Either way, I don't charge for reviews, and I don't let affiliate relationships change my scores. If a product is dangerous, poorly made, or overpriced for what it delivers, I'll say so—even if I could make commission on it. I make money through affiliate links, but only when I genuinely recommend a product. If I wouldn't buy it for my own kids or suggest it to the families I work with clinically, I won't suggest you buy it for yours.

Get In Touch

Questions about a specific product? Want to know if that European brand actually ships replacement parts to the US? Or just need to commiserate about 2 AM wakings and which bouncer actually works for colicky babies? Drop me a line at info@infantgearlab.com. I read every email, though with three kids and a caseload of tiny clients, it might take me a day or two to respond.

Questions? Reach us at info@infantgearlab.com