Yo Gabba Gabba at SummerStage…AWESOME!

by Jen Rabulan-Bertram

What’s up with that fuzzy orange hat, those cool beats and those funky friends, like the green striped monster?  Whatever it is, DJ Lance and his friends from Gabba Gabba Land have captivated legions of fans—parents and kids alike—with the crowds in NYC at last weekend’s SummerStage show to prove it.  In this first installation of the NKT Saturday Special feature, find out who got to fistbump DJ Lance, what was my favorite song of the set and what makes us love a show with songs like, “Party in my Tummy” enough to wait in crazy lines!

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When monkeys fly…

by Jen Rabulan-Bertram

Always a fan of mom and dad entrepreneurs, I can’t resist these shirts and onesies by eight3one. With their unique, but classic and cool designs, eight3one shirts definitely stand out in a crowd.

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My personal favorites are the Flying Monkey onesie and the T-Rex t-shirt, both of which received animated approval by my little dinosaur fan, as I typed this out! The designs are fun, modern and never too cutesy.

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Britax Chaperone Stroller in stores by August

by Jen Rabulan-Bertram

Britax recently unveiled the Chaperone stroller, which is expected to be in stores in August. The stroller, together with the Chaperone infant carrier is part of the Chaperone Travel Collection.

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The infant carrier features Britax’s True Side Impact Protection and can accommodate children between 4 and 30 pounds up to 32 inches. The Chaperone stroller can be used with the infant carrier or on its own for children up to 55 pounds. The stroller, which was designed with improving ease of function and more mobility for parents on the go, features a one-hand fold. For all of us juggling groceries, kids, errands, while navigating planes, trains and automobiles, that one-hand fold feature is worth its weight in gold.

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HiLo can you go?

by Jen Rabulan-Bertram

I first spotted this eye-catching high chair at the Big City Mom’s Biggest Baby Shower event a few months ago.  The HiLo High Chair by Age Designs is an innovative high chair that multi-purposes into a chair for bigger kids.

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The dual heights of the chair—its high and low seating features—are interchangeable with a quick flip.  The HiLo can be pulled up to the dinner table or kitchen counter, but when the time comes, its lower height is suitable as an alternative to a booster seat or desk chair for older kids. I like the molded seats in the simplistic, yet modern design and smaller footprint.  But ultimately, the allure of this chair is certainly its sustainability and multi-faceted function.  The HiLo High Chair, which comes in red, beige, green and orange, can be found online at Modern Nursery.

My Green Dollhouse by Green Lullaby

by Jen Rabulan-Bertram

Some kids love the cardboard boxes their toys come in, more than the actual toys, but the My Green Dollhouse by Green Lullaby is a new—and quite literal—take on cardboard-turned-toys.

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An alternative to the mammoth plastic version, this eco-friendly dollhouse that boasts pink and neutral hues, is constructed out of cardboard made from recycled materials.  Both recyclable and biodegradable, the My Green Dollhouse is easy to assemble and disassemble, complete with a carrying case.  Because all of Green Lullaby’s products are made with super sturdy cardboard, similar to the kind of cardboard that’s used for packing fresh produce, they resist moderate amounts of water. In addition to all paints, lacquers and adhesives being non-toxic, the dollhouse is treated with a non-toxic, non-hazardous fire retardant, making it a truly green toy.

For families like us, who don’t have much space to spare, a collapseable and sustainable dollhouse like this is the best of both worlds!  The My Green Dollhouse is exclusively available at giggle.

Let them eat cake!

by Jen Rabulan-Bertram

The famous one-liner, “Let them eat cake,” that’s often attributed to Marie Antoinette in response to the French people’s suffering is said to be an inaccurate translation of “Qu’ils mangent de la Brioche.” The famous phrase that was said to bring on the French Revolution might be a little lost in translation, and it might not have been said by Marie Antoinette, afterall.  But there’s no denying the impact of the French Revolution and the storming of the Bastille, which occurred on July 14, 1789.

In honor of Bastille Day, the national French holiday (and my birthday), how fitting is today’s Etsy Find?

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The Felt Cake Decorating Set by Punkidoo is an adorable playset that gives a new meaning to “playing with your food!”  The cake set, which measures at 8 x 4 inches, includes a piping bag, purple icing, two roses, 3 candles in icing, “Happy Birthday” sign, 3 whipped cream, 3 strawberries of varying sizes, 3 chocolate curls. The set, which is sewn completely by hand, is made of eco-fi, a polyester fiber that’s made from 100% certified recycled plastic PET bottles.

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How perfect is this for a preschooler’s birthday present?  There’s nothing cooler than playsets that encourage creativity and imagination—and a handmade, eco-friendly set at that!  The Felt Cake Decorating Set can be found at Punkidoo’s Shop on Etsy.  Be sure to check out the other amazing hand-sewn sets, too!

So, let them eat cake!


Getting Funky for Music Monday

by Jen Rabulan-Bertram

funky kidsHappy 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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New video site Kideos.com launches

by Jen Rabulan-Bertram

kideosAre you ever in need of something new, something fresh, something FREE to entertain the kids for a few minutes at a time? Thank goodness for videos, or shall I say, Kideos? Kideos, a web property of Earlier Media, is a recently-launched site for kids to safely watch videos online. Kideos features kid’s videos, from Yo Gabba Gabba to Dora, with a kid-friendly interface.

What’s interesting about Kideos is that unlike similar sites, they tout a Video Advisory Council, which is a group of parents and educators who screen content before it appears on the site. The site also gives parents their own personalization tools to limit videos shown to their children by selecting the appropriate age-based category.

Kideos has a colorful interface that will have kids navigating through videos on their own, just after a few tries.  New content, which includes tv shows, movies, educational shows, music videos and more, is added to the site daily after it is reviewed by the Council.

What I like about this site is that the videos are categorized into age groups—up to age 10. It has a simplistic interface with no frills, no ads and it’s free!

Breaking it down with the Imagination Movers

by Jen Rabulan-Bertram

viewmedia-6Music will always play a huge part of our lives, and so, as a fan to various genres, including kid music, I’d like to introduce NKT’s very first exclusive feature!

Just in time for the release of their latest CD For Those About to Hop, the Imagination Movers sat down with me and the kid to chat. The Imagination Movers, who hail from the New Orleans area and appeal to the preschool set and their parents, have been captivating kids on their hit Disney show of the same name. The former journalist, firefighter, architect and teacher break it down to the Next Kid Thing and tell us their favorite Police album and offer some insight to parents on getting their kids interested in music.

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