Archive for July, 2008

It’s 8pm, and your child is fighting sleep. Your throat is dry from reading, your mind a million miles away. “Tell me a story, Mama!” your child begs feelingly. You would pay ten million dollars to hire someone to tell that story so you could do something else.

So enlist the help of the Smart-e toys from Intellitoys, a line of plush animals pre-loaded with software that allows the Smart-e-Bear, Smart-e-Dog and Smart-e-Cat to sing songs, tell stories, play games, call your kid by name, even answer rudimentary questions. It’s like Teddy Ruxpin 2.0. When your child gets sick of the pre-loaded songs and stories, you can go online to get updates you choose. Will it be Goldilocks and the Three Bears tonight, or The Gingerbread Man? Who cares? You’re not the one who’s going to have to tell it!

Smart-e toys will be sold at nationwide retailers starting in August. Visit smartebear.com.

Whether staying local or traveling cross-country this summer, safety comes first. We checked in with pediatrician and child safety expert Dr. Laura Jana, on tips she applies to her own life as a mother of three. “I don’t know any parent who wants to skimp on safety,” she says. Dr. Jana advises that safety is not an option or a compromise. Make it part of your family’s non-negotiable routine.

In Cars
Use a car seat as long as possible — until the child no longer fits within the weight and height limits of the seat. Look for a car seat with side wings by the head and a deep body on the sides, to optimize head and neck protection. Comfort is an added feature: If the child is content, he won’t mind sitting in it.

In Taxis
Remember that taxis are vehicles too, and holding a child on your lap does not provide magical protection. For an infant, opt for a car seat system attached to a stroller. Quickly click the car seat into place, and store the stroller in the cab’s trunk.

On Planes
Consider buying a seat for a child under age 2, and sit him in a car seat on the plane (if that’s not possible, look for flights that are not as busy and may have a chance of an empty seat). Front pouch carriers are OK, except for takeoff and landing. For lighter travel, the CARES child restraint is an FAA-approved harness-style child safety device for kids 22 to 44 lbs.

And remember to model good behavior for your child: Wear a seatbelt in the car, a lifejacket on a boat and a helmet on a bike.

Summer is usually when we let our minds wander to trashy beach reads and reality TV. But for kids, the season is a great time to learn something new.

Little Pim’s DVD series introduces little ones to vocab in Spanish, French and Mandarin Chinese, and also English for those learning it as a second language. Geared toward the window between 6 months and 5 years, when children are most receptive to learning languages, the 35-minute videos teach everyday phrases with the help of an animated panda.

Get immersed.

Available at littlepim.com.

What’s for dinner? It’s a question you ask yourself every day, as the challenge to come up with something new — and easy — casts a spell over the kitchen. Even opening a cookbook feels like too much work after the day you’ve had.

Relish menu planning service was founded by two moms who know the value of a good meal plan. For a minimal monthly subscription, you get access to healthy, kid-friendly recipes and their related grocery lists (think Chicken Divan instead of chicken nuggets). One section is devoted to freezer meals, for those defrost-and-go weekends.

Now if you could only find someone to do the cooking…

Visit relishrelish.com.

Fashion, even in a size 2T, is meant to express individuality. But sometimes it highlights what we have in common.

Take CommonThreadz, whose universal message is helping kips in need. For every T-shirt sold, a school uniform is donated to orphans and vulnerable children in developing nations. Even better, these tees are actually cool: Each limited-edition collection is designed by a well-known artist, and is based around a different social cause. Sizes range from 3 months to 4T, and adult styles ensure Mom and Dad aren’t left out.

Everybody’s doing it.

Available at commonthredz.org.

The handprint your kid made in pre-K sure is precious, but art it is not. After a few weeks on the fridge, you’re ready to send it to the big gallery in the sky.

Make something more permanent. DNA 11 turns DNA or a fingerprint into pop art. Select a color and size, then follow the step-by-step instructions in their painless “collection kit,” and you’ll end up with a digitally enhanced, customized representation of your kid’s chromosomes.

Show off your good genes.

Available at dna11.com.

Organic formulas may seem like the Holy Grail in infant-appropriate lotions and potions, but dermatologists are quick to point out that even the purest natural ingredient can potentially cause allergic reactions.

That’s why VMV Hypollergenics’ new Grandma Minnie Mom and Baby products make so much sense. From baby wash to boo-boo balm, the collection of sensitive skin essentials for pregnant and lactating moms and their offspring is the first to be rated VH-65, meaning they’re formulated sans all 65 known allergens identified by the North American Contact Dermatitis Group. They’re also fragrance-, paraben-, preservative, and pthalate-free, not to mention pediatrician-tested.

That’s something you and your wee ones can actually feel good about.

Available at vmvhypoallergenics.com.

Very firmly anchored in the trend for modern, un-nursery-like nurseries, Nurseryworks Goodnight Glider and Ottomon wins out over similar models because it combines sleek styling with magnificent colors. My favorite: luscious lime with white piping, available in both twill and canvas cloth. Though I wouldn’t kick the fuchsia felt option out of my child’s room.

Available at smallconcept.com.

Clothes can make the man, but when it comes to stylish dressing of little boys, there’s often a fine line between hot and not. Groovy designs inspired by adult wear but that are decidedly kid friendly? Hot. Mini-me versions of grown up clothes (think pint-sized suits and fussy bowties)? Not.

Fat Ties fall squarely into the former category. The cotton pocket tees (in white, navy and brown) mimic men’s dress shirts in that they feature plackets and cravats crafted from 100-percent vintage silk neckties. But unlike the real thing, Fat Ties are appliqued on so there are no annoying buttons to deal with or nerdy accessories flapping in the breeze. What’s more, the tie fabrics are specially selected so that only those that won’t bleed onto cotton tees are used — meaning they can be machine washed and dried along with junior’s other everyday threads.

Which is a good thing, because even the most hip wee dude is apt to get horribly dirty at times.

Available at gofattie.com.

Anyone who has tried to secure a hat on a newborn or slather an infant with sunscreen knows that safeguarding a baby’s delicate skin from that ball of fire in the sky is no easy feat.

Next time you feel outdoorsy, grab a Carasol Parasol. Depending on the fabric and color, these elegant brollies block 85 to 99 percent of UV rays, promising far more thorough protection for you and your baby-wearing wee one than even a wide-brimmed cap or high-number SPF. And the compact and lightweight design makes it a cinch to stash in a diaper bag.

Sure, walking around with an umbrella on a sunny day may seem a bit dorky, but with a tiny tot in tow you’ll appear not only exceptionally responsible, but more than a little cute.

Available at carasolparasols.com.