The latest and greatest in gadgets, gear and goodies
It’s been raining non-stop here in the NYC area, but surprisingly the sun is finally shining this afternoon—at least for now. So, how appropriate is this shirt from Brooklyn-based Kee-Ka:
The lap tee comes in sizes 12-24 months is natural color and is 100% certified organic cotton. Craving even more sunshine? Kee Ka also has onesies, bibs and burpcloths in the You are My Sunshine design.
Fashionista mamas, take note: famed designer, Stella McCartney, will design a collection for GapKids and babyGap. The line is expected to launch in late 2009, and will be carried in select GapKids and babyGap stores in the U.S. and Canada, as well as online.
A few years ago, McCartney designed a highly coveted line for H&M that literally flew off the shelves. The affordability factor for McCartney’s designs that the H&M venture provided was, perhaps, one of the biggest selling points for that line. McCartney, a mom herself, said “I believe that kids clothing should be more accessibly priced, which is particularly important at the moment given the current climate.” I have no doubt this collection is going to be just as popular as the H&M collaboration, and I can’t wait to see what she conjures up!
Always on the lookout for the Next Big Thing for kids, I find myself researching incessantly, not only new products, but also news that’s relevant to parenting and kids. Even before I started NKT, I tried to keep abreast on topics pertaining to the environment and especially reports about BPA. With Chicago voting to adopt a ban on the sale of baby bottles and sippy cups containing the chemical BPA, and other areas moving in a similar direction, huge strides are being made.
As they say, necessity is the mother of invention, or in this case, innovation and ingenuity. Citing the growing need for more BPA-free products, Michael Ritterbrown and his wife, Shelley launched Green to Grow, a line of award-winning baby bottles. Like most modern parents, they sought safe alternatives for kid gear and weren’t willing to sacrifice sensibility, thus Green to Grow was sprouted to fill that void.
I initially spotted Green to Grow bottles at Buy Buy Baby and was immediately intrigued by the modern, yet simplistic appearance. Green to Grow kindly sent me a sample to review in detail; specifically, they sent the 5 oz. Wide Neck Bottle.
We have a blue rhinoceros hanging in our bathroom—a cute, blue rhinoceros to be exact.
We were recently sent a Flipper Toothbrush Holder to try out, and it’s been a fun accessory for our toothbrush-loving tot.
Our guy enjoys brushing his teeth so much, but he doesn’t get the importance of keeping the toothbrush sanitized in the bathroom or that you can’t clean the windowsill with it, either. In fact, he conveniently hides his brush in his toybox, or better yet, under the couch after he’s finished. (yuck!)
The Flipper has helped to remedy this problem. The animal-themed toothbrush holder wards off nasty bacteria, while the handy suction cups on the back provide an easy-to-find placement on our bathroom mirror. So, what was once a problem, the Flipper now makes for a fun addition to the little dude’s toothbrushing experience–no more playing “let’s find the kid’s toothbrush in the toybox” anymore.
Also, since we travel frequently to visit family back in Virginia, the Flipper is compact enough as a toothbrush cover, too. I’m all about multi-purposing gadgets!
The functional toothbrush holder works well with standard kiddie brushes, but we just so happen to use the Hasbro Toothtunes at the moment. Because that toothbrush is a little bulkier, the Flipper doesn’t close all the way, but it still holds well on the bathroom mirror! It’s fun, functional and a great addition to our toothbrushing routine.
I bet kids of all ages and their parents would enjoy the functionality and fun of the Flipper Toothbrush holder.
Flipper offers various animal designs, as well as several other functional products. The Flipper can be bought at stores such as Urban Outfitters, Babies ‘R’ Us, Target and Amazon.
Update: want a Flipper for yourself or your kiddo? please use the code “next kid thing” for a 10% discount on their site!
Real World Wonders has launched a line of plush toys that also educate about wildlife conservation. There are currently 16 different Real World Wonders plush toys that are inspired by real animals from the Amazon, Galapagos Islands, North America, Arctic and Antarctic regions. Each character in these “gangs” comes with fun facts about the species and their habitats.
I’ll always have a soft spot for stuffed animals, especially now that the little guy is becoming more cognizant of the many different types of animals. There are so many great plush toys out on the market, but Real World Wonders has a new take on things. My favorite has to be Ruby RedRed-Footed Booby. Say that 10 times!
Parents, did you know that a few years ago, the Senate unanimously passed a resolution declaring June “National Internet Safety Month?” Yeah, me neither, but it’s so good to know!
As a mom of a toddler, internet security and safety is already a blip on the radar. But as this digital savvy generation becomes parents/aunts/uncles, it’s comforting to know that educators, community leaders and volunteers are doing their part to safeguard our kids.
Key parts of raising awareness of internet safety are great tools and resources, namely user-friendly, innovative software that keeps you and your kids ahead of the curve, such as Kido’z. Kido’z is a plug-and-play application and web environment that’s specifically tailored for relevant, kid-friendly content.
Basically, after you download Kido’z, safe content geared to kids from 3-7 is at your fingertips. Just a few of the many Kido’z features include, a kid-friendly browser that’s easily personalized, a tv interface where Youtube videos among others can be viewed and a customizable, interactive game center. As parents should, there’s easy accessibility for monitoring usuage. The Parental Control Account is a password protected area where you can manage your child’s account and content.
Has anyone had a chance to try out Kido’z? I have yet to try it out, but it definitely looks like a colorful and helpful application that we’ll be installing sooner than later.
*Thanks to Mike B. for recommending Kido’z! Keep the suggestions coming–I love it!
Ruffles are a spring trend that’s overlapping into summer. Nothing says girly quite like ruffles; it’s no wonder ruffles are everywhere lately. And since summer is all about being fun and whimsical, these ruffle dresses from Baby Eggi certainly rocks this girly trend.
Looking for a little more edge? How about this butterfly dress featuring artwork by famed tatoo artist Mark Maloney and for the dudes, this Tee-Rex. (heh, get it? Tee-Rex!)
If you’re in the NYC area, starting tomorrow, Baby Eggi will be having a sample sale.
Baby Eggi sample sale
June 9-12
boys & girls 12 mos – 4T
Tues – Thurs 10:00am – 7:00pm / Fri. 8:00am – 5:00pm
141 West 36th Street – Suite. 1804 NYC
Prices: $3- $15
*A big thanks to Brett for forwarding me the Baby Eggi email and reminding me of the awesomeness that is Baby Eggi.
June 5th marks what would have been the 90th birthday of beloved children’s author and illustrator, Richard Scarry. Scarry made continues to make an impact on generations of children by creating more than 300 books that have sold over 200 million copies worldwide and been translated into 30 languages.
Today, in celebration of Richard Scarry’s birthday, Sterling Publishing Co. is holding a one-day contest. Just for today, they’re giving away 90 Richard Scarry books in honor of his 90th birthday. But the celebration doesn’t end there: for 90 days in June, July and August everyone is encouraged to celebrate Richard Scarry’s life and work by having “A Very Scarry Summer.” Check out their site for more giveaways and some downloadable Richard Scarry fun.
This is one of those times that makes me nostalgic for my books from my childhood that were thrown away or sold at yard sales. I treasured several of Richard Scarry’s books, but especially The Great Big Schoolbook. I’d flip through the giant, oversized pages over and over, studying each illustration, hoping to discover a new character or detail I might have missed earlier.
“I’m not interested in creating a book that is read once and then placed on the shelf and forgotten,” Richard Scarry once said. “I am very happy when people write that they have worn out my books, or that they are held together by Scotch tape. I consider that the ultimate compliment.”
Mr. Scarry, I am one of “those” readers. And clearly, I’m not alone.
Oh, and how fun is this? Richard Scarry illustrations set to one of my favorite songs ever!
A couple of weeks ago, while visiting our neighbor, I watched our kid from across the coffee table as he stared at our friend’s Blackberry.
He eyed it, then looked up at me.
Eyed it, then looked at hubs.
He knew exactly what he wanted, and nothing was going to stop him.
And then, he lunged for his electronic prey.
With the swiftness of a gazelle, I shooed his tiny paws and averted a would-be Blackberry disaster.
Like most kids, our little guy is absolutely fascinated by electronics. Cellphones are everyday fixtures and of course, mom and dad are both iPod devotees and laptop junkies. It’s no wonder he’s always trying to snatch up our expensive electronic gadgets the minute we let our guards down. All he wants to do is “play” like mom and dad. But unfortunately, his kind of “play” often ends with a cellphone buried in a bucket at the bottom of the toybox for 4 days.
But alas, leave it to LeapFrog: the forward-thinking developer of children’s products recently released a couple of toys that address the would-be electronic gadget disasters. In fact, they even commissioned some research to delve further into the topic.
LeapFrog recently commissioned a “Save Your PDA” survey, conducted by Harris Interactive, which found that when kids have access to their parents’ PDAs, shenanigans often follow. Kids apparently are dropping their parents’ PDAs into the toilet (7%) and garbage (9%). They are also changing settings (32%), smearing food on the keypad or screen (23%) or placing calls (51%) to folks parents may not be too thrilled to talk to unexpectedly–such as mothers-in-law, bosses or people overseas. For a little extra excitement, 16 per cent of these unwanted calls were to 911. A lucky 12% of parents, though, found out about new features on their PDA, thanks to their children’s “exploration.”
We identify with so many of these, but most notably, we’re part of the 12% that learned about new features. Not surprisingly, we can’t replicate those new-found functions!
As electronics like Smartphones and PDAs become a mainstay in our lives, LeapFrog designed My Pal Scout and Text and Learn with curious kids in mind.
My Pal Scout is plush puppy that sings and plays games with kids 6 months and up. Scout can be personalized with kids’ names and favorite items via USB connection.
Text and Learn is a kiddie version of a PDA that even boasts a Qwerty keyboard. While it might not be able to log on to Gmail or save data like the real thing, the Text and Learn encourages basic computer skills and preschool learning with games like letter matching and shape identification.
Check out my first video review to learn more about Scout and the Text and Learn.
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Thank you to everyone for entering the Probugs giveaway! Congrats to Vanessa for winning this awesome giveaway. I’ll be in touch to get your info. A big thanks to Lifeway for the great promotion! Everyone else, please stay tuned for the next giveaway to be announced later today!
