INSIDE & OUT : Oh, Baby!

Through the eyes of a child, the world is a different place. A few of the items adults have created with infants and toddlers in mind

Ceramic Imprints

No impression is more lasting than the first.

Just ask Pamela Cominetti, owner of Lasting Impressions by Pamela in Corona del Mar.

Using hand and foot imprints from babies as young as a day old, Cominetti creates porcelain keepsakes that can be displayed on a wall or shelf.

To make the imprinted plate, Cominetti, who has a background in ceramics, presses the baby’s hand and foot onto pre-rolled porcelain clay. The clay is then fired and glazed in one of her two studios, which are in San Diego and Corona del Mar.

The plate, about 5 1/2 inches in diameter, also has the baby’s first and middle names on the front.

Cominetti got the idea for the plates while pregnant with her first child. When he was born, she made a footprint, then put it away for safe-keeping. After losing her job in sales with an employment agency about five years ago, she reassessed what she wanted to do with her career, and the plate idea came to mind.

Before her business took off in earnest, Cominetti had given away many plates as gifts, so her work had already had exposure in Orange County. Three years ago, Mission Hospital in Mission Viejo offered her a contract to make the plates as thank-you gifts for the women who delivered babies at the hospital. So in addition to her studio customers, Cominetti and her staff make plates for all the babies born at Mission, “about 250 a month and climbing,” she says. Cominetti gives each mother “bedside service,” imprinting the babies when each is a day old.

Of course, your child doesn’t have to be a newborn; Cominetti makes plates for all ages. The prices of plates vary, but typically are about $30 to $35.

For information, call (714) 760-0909.

Deluxe Throne

If you want your toddler to sit up and take notice during toilet training, the Sturbridge Yankee Workshop potty chair just might be what you’re looking for.

Made of pine, the unfinished chair has an attached book rack to hold your child’s favorite reading material. And an attached holder is just the place for junior’s private stock of paper.

A removable plastic bowl is included, and the traditionally styled chair (about $55 plus shipping and handling) is paint-ready. It measures 20 inches wide by 11 inches deep by 21 inches tall.

To order or obtain a catalogue from Sturbridge, which is based in Portland, Me., call (800) 343-1144.

Bathtub Safety

Bath time will turn into a baby elephant walk with these three products offered by That’s Our Baby, a catalogue company started a little more than a year ago by Ismael and Maureen Anda of Long Beach.

With the help of Tubbly-Bubbly the elephant, splish-splashing in the tub will be good clean fun.

Created by Kelgar Inc. of Dallas, the Tubbly-Bubbly faucet protector (about $13) provides protection from injury and lures reluctant bathers into the tub with its bubble-bath dispenser.

A further safeguard to bumps and bruises are the drain valve covers (about $7 each) adorned with Tubbly-Bubbly’s mug. They can also be used on walls, sliding glass doors and any place else in the house where protrusions could pose a problem.

The Tub Temperature Mat (about $17) takes the guesswork out of getting the water just right. If the water is hot rather than warm, the words “Too Hot” will appear on the non-slip mat. The heat-sensitive bubbles turn blue when the water is a baby-comfortable temperature.

To order the Tubbly-Bubbly products or obtain a catalogue, call (800) 400-2229.