Archive for September, 2008

Financial news got you feeling like hiding under the covers? Take the kids with you, curl up with a book and get lost in the world of make-believe.

Oscar and the Cricket (also Oscar and the Bat, Oscar and the Frog) by Geoff Waring
The series by a London-based graphic designer introduces young readers to core science concepts, with engaging illustrations.

Big Words for Little People by Jamie Lee Curtis and Laura Cornell
The bestselling team returns with a vocab lesson, teaching kids life-important words like responsibility and respect.

The Pencil by Allan Ahlberg and Bruce Ingman
The twosome behind The Runaway Dinner and Previously present the story of a pencil that draws a boy, and the adventure that follows.

Old Bear by Kevin Henkes
The newest title from this Caldecott winner tells the tale of a hibernating bear who dreams he is a cub again.

Who got up for the last pre-dawn feeding? Isn’t it your husband’s turn to give a bottle? Make the division of labor clear with these pillowcases from Spoon Sisters. If you’re the kind of couple that switches off alternate nights, you can switch pillows in the morning, or trade pillows each time you one of you gets up. Either way, you’ve never slept so sweetly as when your cheek is nestled up to that blessed “Off Duty” banner. If there’s any argument along the lines of “Isn’t this diaper yours?” just point to your pillow, turn over, and drift back to heavenly, guiltless sleep.

 Available at spoonsisters.com. 

Your infant loves music, but your head is going to burst if you sing “Itsy Bitsy Spider” one more time. He’s down with contemporary tunes, but you feel too guilty cranking “Soulja Boy” in the car.

Pop in a CD from Babies Go, which produces melodic reinterpretations of songs by popular artists like Sting, Bob Marley and Elton John — as well as kid-friendly scores from Mozart, Bach and Vivaldi. The lullaby-inspired renditions are soft enough to soothe a baby to sleep and sane enough to keep you humming along. Listen to sample tracks on the site before you decide if your baby is more ABBA or Aerosmith.

And save “Mary Had a Little Lamb” for when you really need it.

Available at babiesgo.com.

Boys will be boys — but just because he’s nonstop energy doesn’t mean he has to wear his Tasmanian Devil T-shirt all the time.

Bobinette’s fall styles for boys shout “Energy!” without wearing you out. These playful clothes aren’t play clothes, but will keep that free-spirited son sailing through school, family fetes and other autumn events. Items he must have: one green polka-dot button down (with blue buttons, nonetheless), herringbone skinny pants, and a mango-trimmed hooded jacket.

And let him be bold.

Visit bobinette.com.

That one hour at the gym is your “me time” — not to mention your get-my-body-back time. The baby sleeps so much, he won’t even notice you’ve ditched him for the elliptical.

But what to wear? You’ve got sports bras, you’ve got nursing bras, but never the twain shall meet. Until Bao Bei Maternity launched its Partum Me (get it?) sport bra, which is super supportive with a criss-cross front to make post-Pilates breastfeeding a snap (enough with the puns).

Now there’s really no excuse not to work out. Sorry.

Available at baobeimaternity.com.

Oh sure, we’d all like to be able to afford the Bloom Fresco Loft high chair. I mean, look at that thing — it so sleek and stylish it looks like you could start it up and drive it on the highway. A chair like that would class up your living room instead of bringing it down. But the $500 sticker price is pretty steep for something you’re only going to use for a year or so.

At around $180, the Nano (also made by Bloom), is a more affordable option. It’s not quite as groovy as the Fresco, which wouldn’t look out of place on the set of Barbarella, but it’s got a lot more style than your average feeding station. It comes in lustrous, lovely colors like scarlet and orange, and, like other Bloom chairs, folds utterly flat so it can be slipped into small spaces for storage. Though you may want to leave it out just to look at it.

Available at newbornmom.com. 

Maybe it is hip to be square — and being a geek could be just the formula for happiness and success.

Marybeth Hicks, author of Bringing up Geeks: How to Protect Your Kid’s Childhood in a Grow-Up-Too-Fast World, says today’s geek isn’t a social misfit. She’s just a good, wholesome kid who’s not so caught up in pop culture that she lets it define who she is. Hicks, a mother of four, advises parents on how to raise a genuine, enthusiastic, empowered kid (GEEK):

Who’s the boss?: Strive for obedience that says, “I’m the parent and what I say goes,” and teaches respect for authority. So as you move through the years from “don’t throw dirt” to “have the car home by 11pm,” you’ll get compliance.

Brainiacs: Feed your child’s curiosity. Show excitement about the things in which she’s interested — dinosaurs, space, ancient Egyptian mummies. For parenting purposes, being a brainiac is about an enthusiasm for learning and not IQ or performance (although they’re all likely to converge at some point).

Media filter: Make sure that the media coming into your home reflects what you value. You can’t control everything they’re exposed to in the outside world, but your home is your castle.

Friends: Friendships are fluid and will change throughout your child’s life. Your child’s first BFF can easily morph from a sweet, affable angel to a midriff-baring A-list wannabe oozing attitude. The key is not to judge but simply acknowledge that you do things differently in your house.

B&W: Using the words good/bad and right/wrong is OK. Some activities — spitting in another child’s face or slapping a sibling — are bad behavior no matter what the context. Authentic self-esteem comes from knowing you are truly good and exhibit proper behavior.

Visit bringingupgeeks.com.

– L.B.

With the frenzied playdate circuit and the stress of preschool admissions, your progeny needs to get centered.

Yoga Planet cards may do the trick. This deck of activities “for a greener world” is divided into the elements of Air, Earth, Fire, Water and Space. Each element inspires five kinds of activities: breathing, individual and partner poses, games and action. The series also includes kiddie tips for no-waste lunches and building focus, as well as ways to use “force and finesse” to deal with frustration.

Use it for more OM and less OMG.

Available at amazon.com.

– L.B.

Little things mean a lot with kids’ clothes. There are plenty of adorable things on the racks, but if it has detailing that makes the item too tight, scratchy, hard to put on, or otherwise unworkable, it’s going to molder at the back of the closet, unworn.

Like many three-year-olds, my daughter has tried on a lot of princess hats. And most of them she pulls right back off her head in disgust, because the elastic around the chin is too tight, or the veil attached to the top of the hat is too heavy and pulls it back uncomfortably. But when she tried on Fairy Finery’s Never-Ever Droop Princess Hat, she wouldn’t take it off. Sturdily constructed of ultra-soft crushed velvet and boasting a light-as-air floaty veil, the Never-Droop is fitted with adjustable elastic. Hooray, the perfect fit for kids both big and little. The hat is even more-or-less crushproof, returning to its original shape after being kicked around the playroom for a few months or years.

Available at thewoodenwagon.com.

Feel that chill in the air? Fall gives way to winter which gives way to…oh, you know.

Last year triggers memories of trying to strap a kid (and his big, bulky coat) into a car seat in less-than-favorable weather. But Babycapes fit over the harness strap, allowing you to slip a child into and out of a stroller or car seat without unbundling and rebundling. Plus they’re one-size-fits-all (or at least, infant to preschooler) and come into cuddle-worthy fabrics like Sherpa suede and “marshmallow minky.”

At least it cuts down on one step during the schlep.

Available at babycapesonline.com.