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[check] Nowadays, two-income and single-parent families often wind up shuttling their offspring among grandparents, day care centers, babysitters, and any number of caregivers once maternity leave has run out and parents are back in the workplace. Whatever the reason, many babies are spending the last few years of the millennium in a seemingly constant state of transportation from one place to another. This, in turn, calls for a variety of accessories to travel with them. A number of companies have rushed to fill the need for portability and, in the process, come up with ingenious adaptations of the principle of synergy--combined action or application, according to the dictionary.

Versatility is the key, and the basic car seat has become the focal point of a unique interrelated system from Century Products Co., Macedonia, Ohio. Its Assura Premiere Infant Car Seat (about $55) features the SmartFIT base that comes with a level indicator for positioning the seat, an expanding harness that adjusts as baby grows from newborn to infant, and a one-hand release for harried parents juggling any number of other items. All of this would be marvelous even if the car seat were just a car seat, but--once liberated from the seat belt--its four-position handle converts the device into a carrier in which the tot can be rocked, fed, and moved from one place to another without having to dig out the carriage or stroller. It even adapts to shopping carts, freeing adult hands. For more leisurely days, the seat snaps into Century's 4-in-1 System Travelite (around $135), a lightweight foldable stroller with extra large wheels for easy riding, a roomy storage basket for diaper bags, groceries, etc., and a multiposition canopy to shield baby from sun and rain.

Evenflo Co., Inc., Piqua, Ohio, anchors its Medallion Car Seat with Adjust-a-Shield ($125) for the single purpose of moving baby via automobile. The versatility here is in the seat within a seat that snaps in to cushion an infant comfortably, then, as the child grows to toddler stage, snaps out to create the necessary room without having to buy a larger car seat. The swing-down shield holds baby safely in place, while the padded bar can accommodate snap-on toys to keep the tot amused and content during the trip. Once there, the Happy Cabana Portable Play Yard ($119) proves an ideal place to plant baby, as it doubles as a portable bassinet/crib and playpen. The "cabana" cover is a canopy that allows use outdoors on warm days without having to worry about sun exposure. The entire device folds up to about the size of a suitcase and has wheels and a pull handle for easy portability.

The normal expectation is to see a parent pushing a child around in a stroller. The sight of the latter being carried on the adult's back, therefore, comes as a surprise. Yet, that's the principle of Evenflo's Hike 'n' Roll ($75), which can be folded and slung over one's shoulders like a backpack. The youngster stays in the portable stroller, held in place by a net restraint system at the bottom. while broad, padded straps allow the lightweight vehicle to ride easily on the shoulders without cutting into them, and molded fenders protect mom or dad from dirty tires. This is a clever way to wheel the infant where you're going, then backpack him or her around.

As baby grows older, baby grows bigger. and transport must keep pace. For luxury sightseeing, Graco Children s Products, Elverson, Pa., offers the immodestly dubbed Ultimate Stroller ($110), which easily lives up to its name. Solidly constructed with a convertible canopy. fat balloon wheels. a sturdy removable arm bar. and capacious storage room beneath, this truly is the Rolls-Royce of strollers. A padded head support prevents the infant from being bounced around, while the reversible handle allows steering from in front for kids who prefer to see who's driving and don't like being pushed around.

Growing youngsters get that way from being fed. and Graco's ultraversatile Six-Height Highchair ($76) keeps pace with expanding gourmets By adjusting the chair's height on the wide-spread base, it evolves from a reclining posture deal for bottle feedings to a conventional high chair at the right height for strained succotash, pudding, and other treats right out of the jar to a chair that, with the tray removed, can slide under the tabletop when the kid is ready to dine with the big people. Combine the various chair heights with the two interchangeable trays--an extra wide one for meals, since babies invariably tend to get as much food around them as they do inside them, and a smaller one for snacks and/or playtime--and you have a wide range of positional permutations.

Gerry Baby Products Co., Denver, Colo., captures the same adjustable premise with its solid hardwood Play Top High Chair ($80), but growing down instead of up. Mount the chair on top of the square-legged base, and baby is perched at the proper height for feeding. Remove the chair and place it at ground level, snap the reversible top onto the base, and you have a play table to keep kids busy and out from underfoot. The play tabletop has a pebbled building block surface on one side suitable for snapping in Lego-type blocks and a smooth side for coloring and other activities.

Invariably, though, youngsters get wanderlust, whether they still are in the crawling stage, tottering around with newfound walking skills accompanied by the usual fall-down-and go-boom learning process, or tearing around the house with boundless optimism once walking and running have been mastered. There are too many hazards around--from bathrooms, kitchens, and other rooms an unaccompanied kid should not be exploring to stairways, whose dangers are readily apparent. Since you can't remove the attraction, cut off the access with the Gerry Walk-Thru Gate ($30). This safety barrier snaps into place securely with a firm pressure-mounting across door jambs, tops of staircases, etc., effectively sealing off openings 28-39" wide. Plastic mesh lets baby bounce off without harm, while denying entry to no-man's land. Adults, however, can bypass the barrier with the top-mounted one-hand release lever that allows the gate to swing open in either direction.

While it may be stretching the theme a bit, we simply can't resist Gerry's Turtle Tub Seat ($20), which makes bath time both fun and safe. Bright green with four turtle legs and an endearing turtle head, the seat sits flat on its wide base at the bottom of the tub. Slide baby in past the encompassing railing as you would with a highchair and you can be assured the slippery tyke won't be skidding out from under your hands and beneath the surface.