Here’s a re-post about one of our best purchases to date. Two years later and this is still a toy we play with constantly. It doesn’t cause as many fights as it used to, but it is has been a favorite all the same. Sy drags it up and down the stairs for various games throughout the week.
We’ve had the Little Tikes Shopping Cart for about a year now and it still causes massive fights when there is more than one two year old in the room. I see this as a successful purchase. The little red cart has room for a lovie in the seat basket and lots of groceries in the main compartment. Sy and her pals love to pretend to go shopping, or just roam the house with the cart and stock pile whatever they can find. After play group is here, I often find the cart shoved in the corner of my dining room overflowing with myriad random toys, placemats and other unimportant items like my car keys.
The cart has been known to cause massive strife during playtime. I often think I should have an army of them waiting on the deck for play group to avoid the chaos and chorus of “MY TURN” that erupts as soon as someone under three feet tall grabs hold of the thing. But then I roll my eyes, roll up my mothering sleeves and explain for the 412th time that sharing is, in fact, a good thing.
This cart is by no means a showcase of modern toy design, rather it’s a cheerful, bulky mass of colorful plastic. But its sturdy constitution serves its purpose. It allows Sy to shop, roll with her lovies or take it for a spin around the block without toppling over. It also cleans up really well so when she and her pals are pitching it all of two feet off the back deck into the dirt, it is no worse for wear. We’ve clocked miles worth of afternoon walks with this bad boy and the only thing to show for it are some slightly scratched up wheels. I hose it down from time to time and that’s about as far as my maintenance plan goes.
Move over Snack Trap, there’s a new spill resistant infant and toddler snacking cup that is both BPA and phthalate-free and manufactured in the good old United States of America; Sonoma, California to be specific in town. Invented by a grandfather of six and manufactured by a machine he built, the Munchie Mug is committed to child safety and parent convenience.
The Munchie Mug when dropped or turned upside down does not spill any little snacking treasures inside out onto the carpet, couch, backseat of the car, grocery store floor, etc. It is made of 100% recyclable polypropylene #5 and all FDA food-grade approved materials. The Munchie Mug is dishwasher safe and baby safe. The soft fabric enclosure overlaps to keep snacks in, and it is soft enough to not irritate little hands trying to get snacks out.
OK. Sounds good, right? But let’s get down to brass tacks - did my girl like it?
Dear Learning Puppy,
I have some bad news for you. I think it’s time for you to move out. No, you are not going to be shoved in the back of the toy closet (again) only to be resurrected by Sy in a couple of months. I can’t take the break-up/make-up routine anymore! It’s more serious than that. I think it’s time you move to the consignment shop at the foot of the hill, because Puppy, it’s over. Do you hear me? O-V-E-R. I no longer want to sing and play games with you. I don’t want to hug you. I’m tired of hearing about your YELLOW FOOT! I just want you and your blinking dog bone collar out of my home forever.
Don’t get me wrong, we’ve had some good times together. I’ll never forget the time I gently tapped your nose and you said to me, “RED NOSE!” I felt like you really meant what you said. But as the years have passed, your once-charming ways have become one dimensional, almost superficial. I mean, how deep can you be when you are only surface washable?
My aunt, my father’s only sister, unmarried and without children, wound up with five nieces and nephews, and is currently Great Auntie to six (going on seven) grand nieces and nephews. Among her many cool attributes, Auntie C has distinguished herself as a very creative and personalized gift giver. She’s the one who ordered us the home delivery subscription of organic fruits, vegetables, and flowers after our first daughter was born. She has an uncanny ability to pick out books that match each relative’s interests and developmental stage. In turn, she asks only that we make a donation to a worthy organization and let her know all about it.
Last Christmas, Aunt C gave the parents of small children gift certificates to Maple Landmark Woodcraft, a folksy company that makes handmade wooden toys of the traditional variety.
We are very lucky to be the recipients of at least four different sets of hand-me-downs in the Super Cute Boy Baby Clothing department. Baby G has about 50 options each morning as Sy and I pick out his outfit. Lucky for Sy (she loves to do the selecting), G is a spitter-upper of epic proportions, so we change his clothes a LOT during the day. One of my favorite hand-me-down bibs is from babysoy, a company I’d never heard of before G’s arrival. It’s the softest damn piece of clothing I’ve ever felt. I try to keep it on him as long as possible (about two hours, given his spittyuppiness) because I love to feel it against my skin. I did some reading and found out that the entire line over at babysoy is made from soybean fiber. How cool is that? Eco-friendly, sustainable and soft as hell.
Dunno what soybean fiber is? Neither did I. Soybean protein fiber is a sustainable and botanical textile fiber made from renewable and biodegradable natural resources - the leftover soybean pulp from tofu and soy milk production. Its 16 amino acids are healthy and nutritional for our skin. It is a green textile fiber that possesses the superiorities of many natural and synthesized fibers.
And like all totally bitchin companies out there, it was started by a MOM who wanted to do her daughter right in this world.
This review just in from my pal AJ, mother of two, soon to be three (brave woman!). Thanks, AJ!
I embarked on the cloth diapering train to lessen the environmental impact we are making with our third kid on the way. We still don’t know what we will drive to fit three car seats, we have no idea how to pay for college for three…but, this seemed surmountable. The only flaw in my plan: I am trying out cloth diapering on my 37 lb, 21 month old boy who is old enough to complain, but not with actual words. He is the test project for G3, as we call the next installment baby.
I only know two girlfriends who use cloth diapers. When I queried my group of mom-pals after reading about Fuzzi Bunz on this site, I received some hilarious emails asking if that was something ‘special’ my husband and I were looking into.
Here is the answer for the curious and hesitant: Babyworks. This is a family owned company started by a mom of three, 18 years ago. They have an exhaustive downloadable catalog that covers everything from cloth diaper brands, cost breakdown as well as health, environmental and economic reasons for choosing cloth diaper systems. They have detailed instructions on how to handle your diapers at home, even specifics for those of us with front loading washers. You read this and you too will know the difference between Fuzzi Bunz and the ultimate Birdseye.
The best part is the Diapering Sample Kit. Each item in the kit is sold at it’s lowest discount price (e.g., the Bumkin is at the 6-or-more price), and each item is individually returnable. They choose the correct size of each product based on the weight and build of your baby (or newborn size if not here yet). The kit contains: 1 Fuzzi Bunz or Bum Genius pocket diaper with microterry insert, 1 Bumkin all in one, 1 Kissaluv fitted diaper, 1 Hemp Fleece Diaper Doubler, 3 Prefolds (1 Chinese, 1 Birdseye, 1 Hemp), 1 contour diaper, 1 Bummi Super Whisper Wrap, and 1 Poly Nikky or Niji diaper cover. As far as sizing goes, you can choose “Expecting/unknown size”, or within each weight range, choose petite (slim/smaller than average); “average”, or large (larger than average). They won’t send “girl” colors or prints unless requested. If you prefer girlier prints, all you have to do is call or email and they’ll be on it like ants on candy.
I have one of these kid-sized sling packed in my hospital bag to give to Sy when she comes to meet Version 2.0. It is designed to carry dolls, trucks, dinosaurs, etc. Sy spends most of her time trying to tuck her most beloved lovie into her shirt to carry it around, so I think Jo Jo will fit in just perfectly in this little sling. It’s made by Hotslings, so you could of course have matching slings if you so desired. And then you could get matching Laura Ashley dresses and really paint the town red. Do they still make Laura Ashley clothing for kids? Ah yes, they do.
Anyway, the cutie pie little sling is shoulder-tacked for easy use. One size. Fits toddlers and preschoolers best. I’ll let you know Sy and her lovie, Jo Jo, like it.
Not too bad at $15.00 in the “Gifts” section over at the Nurture Center.
Sy’s aunt got her this wicked fun teeter totter for her birthday. Part of their Naturally Playful® line, the little ride is made by Step2, the geniuses behind my favorite sand and water table.
It has two wide, contoured seats with easy-grip handle bars plus it can accommodate an additional rider in middle. The maximum weight 120 lbs, so (3) three year olds can easily take it on. We put it out at Sy’s birthday party and it was a huge hit. She and her pals have a three-person see saw at school, so they understand how to ride as a trio. But the great thing about this one is that it’s light enough so the kiddo can sit by themselves in the middle, and they can rock back and forth like a rocking horse.
I’ll start by saying I was not going to be the kind of mother who let her daughter watch Go, Diego Go or Dora the (Totally Irritating) Explorer. I was only going to buy wooden toys and never let her within 100 yards of the golden arches. And then I actually became a mother and lookee here! My daughter is still alive after her first (and not last) hash brown and has clearly licked her share of plastic toys. I’m still disappointed in myself that I ever let her lay eyes on Diego and Dora. Not because I think their message is horrible (Lots o’ girl power! Learn about endangered animals!), but mainly because whenever she watches one of those shows, she wants me to sit right on down next to her and enjoy it, too. It’s 23 minutes I’d, uh, rather spend otherwise, but let’s just say I’ve written my share of reviews for this site while sitting next to her as we chant “...This rough and tough adventurer is workin’ all the time! Diego…Diego…Diego…Go, Diego, Go!” Excuse me while I go hit my head against the wall.
That said, my kid has actually learned a lot about the rain forest from Diego. The other day she looked at Roger and said, “Daddy, iguanas keep their food in their tails.” And she was right on. I am pretty sure neither Roger nor I knew that iguanas stored fat in their tails for hibernation. Diego:1; Mom and Dad:0.
So when Micky got Kara the Loud As Hell Rescue Center by Fisher-Price, Sy just about went nuts. She begged me to go to her house pretty much around the clock so she could play with it. I have to admit, while it’s one big ass piece of plastic, it’s a cool toy. Don’t tell anyone I said that, OK?
We’ve had the Boon Frog Pod bath toy receptacle for about 2.5 years. I think it’s a mediocre device. Because it’s on the wall, it’s sort of out of sight, out of mind. I forget it’s there (even though it’s huge) and we tend to play with the same four cups and shark we play with every night at bath. Today I went in to get bath ready and the poor ol’ frog lay at the bottom of the tub. The stickum finally lost its stick. It’s pretty easy to get some new stickum, but I’m not sure I want to put it back up. The toys stack up and it startles our guests when they shower, although that’s the fun part.
Micky suggested her favorite - the Toy Hub Organizer Tray by One Step Ahead.
Here’s why she likes it:
Jenny was taking her girls for a walk the other day and and passed by another couple taking their baby out for a stroll with the grandparents. Only they were pulling the stroller backwards to keep the sun out of the babe’s eyes. Clearly, they needed a Kiddopotamus Rayshade.
Here’s what I like about my Rayshade: You can easily pull it over the top of your sun canopy (have to have one to make it work), and attach it with the hook and loop velcro straps. Insta-shade. The thing is HUGE to give your kid all the shade they need, so it takes a few spins around the block to figure out how much shade they need and how to achieve that and still allow them some sort of view out of the stroller. The first time I used it, as usual, I did not read the directions so I had a hard time figuring out how to attach it. It has four straps and as long as you have the front curve of the hoop facing out, you’re golden.
Sy is not a girlie-girl at all. She likes to pick her own outfits in the morning and they generally include stripes and spots and mismatched socks, sometimes with a dress on top for color. She usually looks like the pile from the bottom of the dryer, but I think it’s fabulous. The only princess she knows of is the Paper Bag one. But now, at the cusp of three, she is really getting into dress up. She clonks around in her plastic high heels and refuses to take off her “butterfly wings” that we have. They are a sad pair, those wings. Hand-me-downs like most of her girlie dress up gear, they are torn and limp, threatening to unravel at any minute.
I feel I owe it to her to get her a pair of really fluffy, girlie, pink wings for her birthday. But where to start? I grew up wearing black and listened to New Wave. I don’t know how to be a fairy princess or even where to look. So I called on Dawn from Pink With Sparkles to review her favorite fairy accoutrements for us. Her picks after the jump.
Someone mentions the word Spring and I am already daydreaming about Summer. So much for living in the present, eh? It doesn’t help that all you have to do is walk into a Target to be completely assaulted by rows after row of Summer! Fun! Specials! Either way, I’ve begun daydreaming of warm, lazy days and dusting off some of our outdoor gear. Sy’s all time favorite outdoor toy is her Step 2 Naturally Playful Sand and Water Activity Center. Dumb name, Step2, but a wicked cool device.
Sy’s school has these puzzles from Lakeshore Learning and they are often one of her first stops when she arrives in her classroom.
Here’s why I like these puzzles.
Sy’s rounding the bend towards three years old and her old Melissa and Doug puzzles are becoming a little too simple for her. The bigger, eight to twelve piece puzzles are a still a little daunting, so we needed something in between.
Like any self-respecting 2 1/2 year old, Sy is obsessed with the mail. Getting the mail, harassing our very kind postal carrier, sending the mail, checking out the mailboxes at the post office, ad nauseum. Ripping the important tax documents from my unsuspecting hands, running away gleefully and “mailing” them somewhere in the house has been her favorite past time this week. Sy’s her name, mail’s her game. She had been using the Learning Tower as her mail box, but it irked her a bit that her invented mail box had no real cover on it. Of course I should have just let her make stuff up, especially after reading that NPR article about the downfall of our kids due to all those thematic toys out there. But no, I’d been checking out the Melissa and Doug Mailbox and opted for that. Sorry about your brain, kid. Mama just got you a new toy.
