The latest and greatest in gadgets, gear and goodies
Happy Star Wars day, everyone! May the 4th be with you!
As a nudge to the iconic phrase from Star Wars, “May the force be with you,” May 4th is dubbed Star Wars Day. While many hardcore fans are celebrating with Princess Leia cupcakes and Hot Dog Lightsabers, I thought I’d share just a few of the latest Star Wars goodies, starting with some of Hasbro’s upcoming toy launches.
If you keep up with the news, then I’m sure you’ve heard by now about the McNeil Recalls involving OTC children’s medication such as Tylenol and Motrin. There’s no need for me to rehash what’s been already said, but as a quick synopsis:
McNeil Consumer Healthcare, the makers of OTC medication such as Tylenol, Motrin, Benadryl and Zyrtec, have issued a voluntary recall on a number of products because they fail to reach quality standards. Don’t want to wade through the long list of recalled products? Head over to Tylenol’s site and enter your bottle’s product numbers here.
WAIT! Before you throw out your bottles of Tylenol and Motrin that are included in the recall, save them so you can get a refund and/or coupon. According to the NY Times Bucks Blog, you have to call or email the company to get your coupon for new product. It’s advised it might be best to reach a representative directly 1-888-222-6036.
Honestly, at this point, with various recalls lingering, I’m leaning toward the generic route if I need to administer any meds for the kid, which is truly, really rare. (Note: I have no idea who makes it, but I like Target’s generic products) And back to McNeil, I’m one to try and push to get my money back in lieu of a coupon. If you do get through to the company, let me know how it goes!
US News and World Report listed some helpful suggestions for alternatives to medicine for kids.
Humidity. Humidifying the air is useful for cold symptoms because it helps the cilia, tiny hairs in the lining of the nose and sinuses, move mucus out of the nose.
Nasal irrigation and saline sprays or drops. Both saline sprays and nasal irrigation work by the same premise—decreasing the amount of mucus and crusting in the nose, which reduces congestion and obstruction. Nasal irrigation kits, including the neti pot and squeeze bottles, are sold over the counter along with packets of ingredients that can be mixed with water to create a saltwater solution to flush out the nose. Saline sprays and drops are also sold over the counter and can be sprayed into the nose safely, without irritating the nasal passages in children, according to the Mayo Clinic.
Nasal suctioning. Using a bulb syringe to suck secretions out of the nose can help clear nasal passages in babies, Tunkel says. Parents should gently push the bulb into the nose no more than a half-inch deep. For best results, put several drops of saline solution into the nose before suctioning, the Mayo Clinic suggests.
After a day of exploring fabulous toys, last night I had the chance to indulge in an evening of pampering at the Hot Mom to Be Handbook book signing event held at Paul Labrecque Salon and Spa in NYC. Written by Jessica Denay with a foreword by Trista Sutter, The Hot Mom to Be Handbook is described as being a fun, tongue-in-cheek guide to maintaining style and fabulousness while defying the stereotype that often goes hand in hand with motherhood.
I love getting dressed up just as much as the next girl, but as a mom who embraces working in yoga pants all day and opts for ponytails in lieu of fancy up dos, I could have used this book during my pregnancy as a reminder to keep the balance.
It might be raining and dreary here in NYC today, but I’ll be headed to Time to Play’s Spring and Summer Showcase, where Chris Byrne and Jim Silver, two of the biggest industry gurus, will be spotlighting this season’s hot toys. If you can remember way back to last fall, I attended the fall showcase, where we learned about their holiday picks.
Must Have toys from the 2009 Holiday Season
Even though I just did Toy Fair a little over two months ago (and am still reeling from all of that information), I am a big fan of the Time to Play showcase. It’s an intimate event where media representatives and bloggers can meet with publicists and company executives to discuss—what else—toys.
Earth Day has come and gone, but hopefully, the important lessons from the day continue to linger in your home, as I hope it will in ours, too.
There are so many fun and fabulous green toys on the market, especially now that the eco-friendly segment continues to grow as parents become increasingly more aware. But one concept of green toys I hope to see more of, are upcycled toys such as Makedo.
Makedo, a concept that I learned about at Toy Fair, is a connector system that enables materials including cardboard, plastic and fabric to easily join together to form new objects or structures.
Happy Earth Day, everyone! Many of us do our best to live greener and wiser, especially for our children’s benefit. Aside from the ever-so-important 3Rs–Reduce, Reuse and Recycle–there are a host of ways families can help Planet Earth.
Year round, I try to feature sustainable products that would complement our lives, but for Earth Day, I thought I’d showcase some innovative green and eco-friendly items that I’ve dogeared just for this week.
In line with our family starting a new chapter in the suburbs, we’re implementing quite a few sustainable changes to our everyday way of life. The kitchen and the way we eat has been an ongoing process, but specifically, I’m hoping to phase out plastics in the kitchen as much as possible.
The kid’s tableware and cups have taken over their own shelf. I just noticed that more than half of the plates, cups, forks and spoons are plastic, which concerns me. They’re likely full of pthalates and other elements that we just need to avoid all together.
When I was at Toy Fair, I fell in love with Dandeloin products, including their Natural Tableware Products.
These bright yellow forks, spoons and knives stand out among the crowd of plastic kiddie-sized cutlery. Dandelion’s line of tableware are constructed of corn—as in, on- the-cob.
That’s right…corn.
I like corn as much as the next person, but I’m not a fan of all the food that’s being processed and engineered with corn.
Dandelion ReUsables tableware thrusts the use of corn into a new light. According to the company, Reducing our dependency on both petroleum-based plastics and disposable ware in general, is an essential step toward a healthier future for our families and our environment.
Dandelion uses a unique corn (PLA) formula. Unlike conventional plastic, which is largely made from petroleum, our bioplastic is primarily made from corn! Polylactic acid (PLA) requires significantly less fossil resources, and generates far fewer green house gases than conventional plastic. And corn is a renewable and sustainable resource.
Dandelion ReUsables is sustainability at its best. Before grabbing a package of those convenient plastic kiddie forks and spoons, consider all the resources it took to get them on the shelf. Dandelion ReUsables is a fantastic alternative to the conventional options out there. When we move, I hope to replenish our tableware supply and minimize the usage of plastic by going the corn route.
In addition to forks, knives and spoons, Dandelion also has bowls, plates and soon, sippy cups. Dandelion ReUsables can be found online and I even saw a link to them at Kmart online. They range in price, but it looks like they are in the $6-10 pricepoint.
Last year, Michelle Obama visited Sesame Street to tout the importance of fresh fruits and vegetables. Later in the year, the First Lady cultivated her own organic garden at the White House to further emphasize the value of healthy eating and gardening.
Since then, announcing her Let’s Move campaign, which focuses on combatting childhood obesity, Mrs. Obama has made it her mission to educate families and kids about making healthy choices, including cultivating your own seeds—figuratively and literally.
So, when Sesame Street, together with Ferry Morse, introduced their new line of gardening products geared to kids, the marketplace area at the Annual Easter Egg Roll was an impeccably-timed venue to help even more kids learn about gardening first hand. The kid and I had a fun time learning how to plant watermelon seeds, or um, excuse me—wataaaahmelons.
The Muppets of Sesame Street can be seen on packets of watermelon, pepper, sunflower, pumpkin, garden beans and tomato seeds, for parents and children to plant together. The new product line also features Sesame Street-themed gardening totes complete with an activity booklet, seeds, tools, labeling stakes and stickers, a mini garden kit and a mini greenhouse with recipe card.
Sesame Street’s new gardening line is a perfect way to encourage kids to be green while going green. As part of Sesame Street’s My World is Green and Growing initiative designed to support children’s innate curiosity about nature, each product includes educational materials that teach children how fruits and vegetables begin with seeds and grow to become food for the table. Additionally, it compliments Sesame Street’s ongoing Healthy Habits for Life initiative, helping children develop healthy lifestyles they can practice forever through fun and simple every day activities. Materials include a booklet with activities for children, planting tips for parents and healthy recipes parents and children can make and enjoy together. The following items are available now:
“Research shows that introducing young children to the natural world is the first step towards helping them develop a caring attitude towards the environment,” said Maura Regan, Sesame Workshop’s Senior Vice President and General Manager of Global Licensing states.
Be sure to head to Lowe’s to grab a few gardening items for the kids. I found them at the back of the store, close to the garden center. Though I wasn’t too impressed with the plastic Sesame Street gardening tools (though, they’d be perfect for the littlest gardeners), the kits do look cool. Even if you don’t pick up the tote or kits, the seed packets are reasonably priced at $1.99. We’ve got some peppers, sunflowers and green beans to plant! Let’s hope they fare better than our watermelon seeds which didn’t make it back from DC in tact!
With Earth Week just upon us, BabyBjörn’s new offerings are a perfect segue to next week’s eco-friendly and sustainable goodies, gadgets and gear.
Last September, BabyBjörn went a little greener: three of its most popular products are now being offered in organically grown cotton, including the BabyBjörn Baby Carrier Original Organic in Walnut (below left) and the BabyBjörn Baby Carrier Active Organic (last one) and BabyBjÖrn Babysitter Balance Organic in Walnut/Khaki (below right).
Organic cotton is grown without chemical fertilizers or pesticides and from plants which are not genetically modified. BabyBjörn’s Organic textiles meet the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS). In addition, all fabrics that come into contact with baby’s skin are Class-1 Oeko-Tex certified, which means that they are absolutely safe and free from harmful substances.
In the baby days, I couldn’t have survived without our BabyBjörn Carrier Active. Not only are carriers wonderful for bonding, but when running errands, traveling or using public transportation, it was nice to have baby close and still have both hands to maneuver. For busy parents who are on the go, the Bjorn is a product to consider.
The main caveat I had with our BabyBjorn, was after our kid hit 8 months, it was difficult to wear him because he was so heavy. He was always in the 100 percentile, so after a certain weight, babywearing was tough with our particular carrier. I’ll have to check out the new carrier with more backsupport for our next kid. Also, I had to “settle” for our blue carrier, but if we had the option 2 years ago, I would have much rather gone the organic and natural colored route. If the organic option’s there and you can afford it, then why not?
BabyBjörn’s Organic Line is now available in department and juvenile specialty stores throughout the United States and Canada. In addition to the Organic Line, BabyBjörn will be introducing the Comfort Carrier, which is set to launch in May.
Beginning with Books, a literacy organization that promotes childhood reading, released their 2010 list of the Best Books for Babies. The list includes a lineup of colorful and interactive books, some of which may even be in your own babies’ libraries.
According to experts, it’s never too early to start reading to babies. In fact, regularly reading with babies and young kids encourages them to become enthusiastic lifelong readers, according to Beginning with Books.
Some people say baby blankets are some of the most over-gifted baby presents. But who can resist giving soft, fluffy blankets to newborns? Babies need blankets; and really, with all the laundry that babies create, you can never have enough high quality blankets.
Little Giraffe blankets have become some of the most photographed baby blankets. Why, you ask? Little Giraffe blankets seem to be staples for Brad and Angelina’s twins, and have been seen in the arms of other famous babes, including Gwen Stefani’s boys to Nicole Richie babes, to Jennifer Garner’s girls and Rebecca Gayheart’s newborn.
I had the chance to see what all the fuss is all about. And guys, I can now see why Little Giraffe blankets have become such popular loveys. Perfect for keeping baby comfortable all year round, the blankets are thick, yet not too heavy. They’re luxe, cozy and much softer than any baby blanket we own—and we own quite a few. The super-soft chenille blanket is generous in size and detailed with satin. The subtle yellow Little Giraffe blanket that I reviewed epitomizes Springtime and would complement any nursery or stroller.
Little Giraffe collection is comprised of the Chenille, Luxe, Diamond Quilt, Diamond Quilt Luxe, Lollipop, Safari Zebra, Retro 60s Florette and Retro 60s Blossom. The blankets, ranging in price, can be found online and at retailers like Nordstrom, Land of Nod and Petit Tresor.
For extra entries:
This giveaway will end 4/28. The winner will be picked via random.org and will be notified via email, so please be sure to include a valid email address!
