The latest and greatest in gadgets, gear and goodies
Congrats to Madonna for winning the Glop and Glam products! Please email me your information so we can get these out to you.
Congrats to Natasha for winning the OnTray! And ditto, send me an email!
Please don’t forget to check out the Kooky USB and Funky Kidz cd giveaways that are going on right now! And of course, be on the look out for even more good stuff!
Happy Monday, everyone. We had quite an exciting music-filled weekend, and I can’t wait to share all about it. But in honor of yet another fun adventure with NKT in mind, I’m happy to announce another weekly editorial focus. Every Monday will be fittingly dubbed, Music Monday, and will feature music-influenced posts.
To start off the first Music Monday, how about some funky, jazzy kids tunes? I recently had the chance to check out Funky Kidz, which is a musical compilation performed by several artists from New Orleans and features covers of children’s songs. Including classic kiddie songs like “Hokey Pokey” and “Somewhere Over the Rainbow,” the award-winning CD includes musicians include such as Ivan Neville of the Neville Brothers; The Radiators; George Porter Jr. of The Meters; Bonerama, and more.
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Remember your BFF necklaces—those too cool half-heart pendants that you’d give to your best friend for evah? Well, the styles might have more bling, but those charms, like great friendships, are timeless. I’m loving this cool friends forever bracelet from Myzos:
Kooky Klickers, the crazy collectible pens, now have a USB flash drive counterpart. The Kooky USB flash drives by EMTEC come in a range of fun and bold designs, emulating the popular pens that have sold millions since they hit the market. The unique pens, known for their springy hair and often worn with a lanyard, have been a big hit with school-aged kids, especially tweens and teens.
At 2 gb, the Kooky USB flash drive can hold homework, projects, photos and other media. Just like the pens, the USB drive features its own take of the crazy hair and funky faces. An interesting change from colorless USB drives, the Kooky USB flash drive is just as portable as the Kooky Klickers, and even has a place where it can be added to a key chain or lanyard.
Sprout has launched its latest iPhone App, the Sprout Player, designed by The Studio at New Wave Entertainment. The Sprout Player is a video player application that streams podcasts of 3-4 minute Sprout shows currently available in Apple’s iTunes. The Sprout Player is available for download in the iTunes store for free.
Designed for parents with preschoolers on the go, the video player offers audio instructions voiced by Kelly Vrooman, one of the hosts of Sprout’s “Sunny Side Up Show.” With the Player, parents can view Sprout’s programming schedule and click on clips for upcoming events. Read More
His music is said to transcend genres, but with the recent release of B is for Bob, a collection of his most popular songs re-imagined for kids, Bob Marley’s influence is set to transcend even more generations. The album, which was executive produced by his eldest son, Ziggy Marley, debuted at #1 on Billboard’s Top Kid Audio and Reggae Albums Charts.
In eight of the tracks, including “Three Little Birds,” “Redemption Song,” “Bend Down Low,” “Jamming,” “Small Axe,” “Satisfy My Soul,” “Stir It Up” and “High Tide or Low Tide,” certain instruments were removed while others were added, creating a feeling of hearing these songs for the very first time, yet several other songs were left untouched.
I’ve joked before how, as kids, my brothers and I used to race to see who could get the most tan. In retrospect, it wasn’t the safest “game,” even with our darker complexions. It was the 80s, afterall—y’know, the decade of excess… But now, as a mama (with a very fair-skinned mestizo babe) naturally, like many other mamas, my perspective on sun safety has since changed.
According to Kidshealth.org, most kids rack up between 50% and 80% of their lifetime sun exposure before age 18.
That’s a lot of fun in the sun, which is also why my mom friends and I often compare notes on the best natural sunscreens for our kids. Kiss My Face, California Baby and Jason products are often mentioned, but since being introduced to TruKid products, I can’t say enough great things.
A small family-run business, TruKid was born as a result of a mother who sought to fill a void. After searching for safe, but effective skin products for her five active kids (now six), Jennifer Adams Bunkers created TruKids. TruKid uses natural ingredients and essential oils, and it’s no surprise that he Environmental Working Group has given TruKid’s entire line, 
(including the products I’m about to review) the safety rating of 0-3.
Just as I started this blog, TruKid was one of the first companies to reach out to me after a mention on my Toxic Tub post. Yeah, they’re that awesome. I’ve spoken highly of the Happy Face and Body Lotion in the past, (seriously, can’t get enough of that fun apple scent and I love the smell of my clean boy) but with another long and SUNNY holiday weekend upon us, I wanted to share a review about TruKid’s Sunny Days, which comes in a fabulous sunscreen lotion and super-convenient face and body stick.
The Sunny Days sunscreen lotion comes out thick and creamy, yet not greasy or oily. Because of its creamier consistency, with just 2 dollops, the boy is good to go. I’ve used much watery sunscreens in the past, and I feel like all I do is squirt, squirt and apply.
The facestick is definitely a favorite for us. We have it tucked away in our diaper bag, stroller pocket and even our beach/playground bag. About twice the size of a tube of chapstick, the facestick, is easy to apply with just a few swipes. It, too, isn’t too thick, but light enough to apply and smooth on with one or two swipes. Because the kid thinks the facestick is actual chapstick, I tend to wipe some on my fingers to avoid unnecessary sunscreen-licking.
It’s no surprise that car seat innovation and car seat safety will always elicit a lot of attention from parents. In our case, even though we rarely drive day-to-day, we do, however, drive 6-8 hour stretches quite regularly. (With our next trip slated for tomorrow evening.) Car seat safety, of course, is always paramount, as is comfort for driving long distances. That said, all families have different needs when it comes to the big ticket kid gear such as car seats.
What’s great about the juvenile products market is that it’s always evolving, especially to meet all those different needs while maintaining the highest safety standards. Dorel, the parent company of Safety 1st products, proves just that with its latest innovation.
Earlier this week, Dorel announced the launch of Air Protect, a new safety feature that was developed to protect children in the event of side impact collisions. Dorel brought in the big guns for their latest innovation: the company worked together with Kettering University’s Crash Safety Center to develop Air Protect, which, essentially puts a layer of air protection around the child’s head.
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Cariboo (yes, the same New Zealand manufacturers of that gorgeous bassinet that’s a hit with several celebs) has a collection called Kiwi Cot Collection. The high-end kids’ furniture line features handcrafted pieces made from sustainable Radiata pine with a biodegradable finish, available in either teak or espresso. The collection has a modern and European look, but the soft edges give it its timeless and classic appearance.
While shopping, some kids get bored, some get hungry and some just want what they can’t have. So, for those of us who try to get in and out of stores as fast as possible to minimize the chance of a public meltdown, an extra set of hands would be a big help.
And that’s where the OnTray would come in handy. The OnTray is the brainchild of Laura Hamrick, a mom who spent a harried grocery shopping trip handing out snacks one-by-one to her three small boys, while trying to look through coupons and fill the cart. We’ve all been there.
Hamrick then devised a way to occupy her little guys with a small tray that would easily snap on and off, allowing her to shop and multi-task a bit easier. The award-winning snap-on tray can also can be used to hold coupons, keys and cell phones, making it a helpful gadget for multi-tasking parents. On the safety front, OnTray is manufactured in the U.S. of FDA-approved plastic, BPA-free and it meets all new requirements of the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act.
If you’re like us and consider your stroller the shopping cart and a second “vehicle” I discovered that the OnTray is a great alternative to those snack trap cups! The OnTray snaps onto stroller handlebars, allowing toddlers to access snacks and toys easily.