Peter Rabbit skincare

The children’s classic book and well loved character, Petter Rabbit now has a line of organic baby products.  The Peter Rabbit branded baby products from Econatura includes baby shampoo and wash, baby conditioner, baby body oil, baby lotion and Intense Therapy Cream for Baby. The products have been developed from plant-based formulations, are hypo-allergenic and contain natural antioxidants, making it a great option for children and even sensitive adults.  Check out the ingredients here.
The Peter Rabbit Econatura line, which was awarded 2008’s “Best Baby Line” from Natural Solutions magazine, are available exclusively at Whole Foods.

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Goodies: Visit Econatura’s site to get a coupon for $2 off of Peter Rabbit organics.

Read this: Easter basket books

With the Easter Bunny hopping around this weekend, surely he or she might need some last minute alternatives to the 15 lbs. of jelly beans and ultra-glow Peeps.  It’s my thinking that if the Easter Bunny fills up our guy’s basket with cool books, that will only leave enough room for 5 or 6 Mini-Eggs. (The way I see it:  the less chocolate that find their way into the basket means less chocolate to find their way into my mouth.)  There are so many classic books for the Easter Bunny to choose from, but there are also some newer books to check out too!  Here are a few suggestions on some fun treats of the book variety.

Duck! Bunny! By Amy Krouse Rosenthal and Tom Lichtenheld
The eye-catching illustrations make Duck! Bunny! one of my new favorites.   With the use of fun optical illusions, this book debates whether the animal in question is indeed a duck or a bunny.  It’s a short and sweet story that kids of all ages would find funny.  Is it a duck or a bunny?  What do you think?
Check out Chronicle Books’ YouTube teaser for the book and you decide!

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Orangutan Tongs: Poems to Tangle Your Tongue By Jon Agee
Orangutan Tongs is a witty book filled with tongue twisters and play on words.  It’s a fun collection of phrases and silly subjects to entertain kids and parents alike.  If you love clever kid reads, how could you not be a fan with text like, you know New York’s unique, but did you know that unique New York’s also pretty chic?

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The Dumb Bunnies’ Easter By Dav Pilkey
The Dumb Bunnies are at it again!  This time, they’ve got their holidays all mixed up!  On December 24th, they’re cutting down their Easter tree–wait a minute!  Check out the Dumb Bunnies’ ridiculous adventures and find out why they’re for the Easter Bunny to drop eggs down their chimney!
Here’s the thing:  the Dumb Bunnies books by the same hysterical author that brought us Captain Underpants has a gift for making kids laugh with his book.  Some parents may not be fond of the “Dumb” descriptor for these silly bunnies, but c’mon, it’s harmless fun.  On his site Pilkey says it best:

The only thing that all human beings have in common is our endless capacity for doing dumb stuff.

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All in a Day by Cynthia Rylant (Author), Nikki McClure (Illustrator)
By the Newbery Medal-winning author, Cynthia Rylant, this book has a simple but very important message–to make the most of each day.   The illustrations, cut-paper art and text are equally appealing to both parents and kids, making it a perfect read for any age.  At times like this, isn’t it all about living life to the fullest while embracing what each day has to offer?

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Where are Baby’s Easter Eggs? By Karen Katz
Karen Katz’s books are a big hit in our house.  So much so, they’ve been read and flipped through so much, the pages have become so tattered from all the page-flipping excitement.  The colorful and sparkly surprises that can be found when flipping the flaps is what keeps these books at the top of our reading regimen.  Where could those Easter eggs be?

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Etsy find: MiaJoie Elena Organic Baby Shoes

As I was perusing Etsy, I fell in love with Jessica’s shop, MiaJoie. Jessica creates stylish, unique and eco-friendly shoes and accessories, with a penchant for sweet baby girl shoes. Problem is, I don’t have a girl. It’s a good thing that MiaJoie also has unisex shoes, too.

With Spring in the air, nature and newness comes to mind, which makes me love the Elena style so much more. This versatile style is made from two types of organic cotton. The poppy flower is made from reclaimed vintage satin and finished with ruffle toe and a tiny coconut bead. This sweet style comes in sizes 0-4.

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It’s no surprise that MiaJoie’s Peyton Cork Baby Shoes/Booties was recently featured in Pregnancy and Newborn Magazine.

For the love of the game

In our home, Opening Day of baseball reignites the April-October daily regimen of bonding over baseball. America’s past time is loved by so many, so it’s no surprise that these days, the love of the game extends beyond the game itself. From the littlest baseball fan to the aspiring ace, here’s a short lineup of fun gear in honor of opening day:

Topps recently took baseball cards to a new dimension–quite literally–when they unveiled 3-D Live. With a webcam, baseball card collectors can now view a 3-D avatar of players from select 2009 Topps trading cards on their computer screen. Rotate the card, and the figure rotates in full perspective.   Augmented reality is a combination of a real image with a virtual one.  3-D baseball cards?  Now that’s a brand new ballgame!

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We grew up in a cul-de-sac, so in our baseball games, we used car bumpers, manhole covers and curbs as bases and we mentally kept score.  But for the high tech set, Junk Ball has a pretty cool Ghost Runner Baseball that’s designed to remedy all that guessing.  The Ghost Runner electronically keeps track of runners on base and the score. And with lights and sounds, it also tracks innings played, team at bat and the number of outs in each inning. It automatically switches teams after three outs are recorded. Information is entered into Ghost Runner’s electronic home plate with the touch of a button/base.

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Learning to love baseball isn’t just a rite of passage reserved for boys anymore! The baseball greats might be rolling over at the thought of a Princess-themed baseball set, but who says girls can’t play too? Little Tikes has a T-ball set in pink that just might hone even the girliest girl’s budding ball skills.

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It’s never too early to start grooming them to play ball.  From an early age, tots can learn to perfect their swing to the tune of “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” and “Play Ball” with Playskool’s Swing ‘N Score Baseball.

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Baseball and Build-A-Bear

In honor of opening day, check out the fun selection of MLB-themed gear Build-A-Bear has to offer.  My fave, of course, is Curly Teddy in Mets gear.*

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Build-A-Bear Workshops has teamed up with MLB once again to offer a families another way to cheer for their favorite baseball teams with Build-A-Bear Workshop Day at various ballparks, in addition to new team-branded merchandise.  On Build-A-Bear Workshop Day at the Ballpark, fans will receive exclusive team-branded stuffed animals while supplies last. Each furry friend comes with a free virtual gift redeemable at buildabearville.com, the Build-A-Bear Workshop virtual world.


Check your favorite team’s website for dates and details, but here are a few scheduled Build-A-Bear Workshop Game Day Giveaways:

Pittsburgh Pirates
Sunday, May 17 at 1:35 p.m.
Sunday, September 20 at 1:35 p.m.
New York Mets
Saturday, August 1 at 7:10 p.m.
Kansas City Royals
Sunday, May 17 at 1:10 p.m.
St. Louis Cardinals
Sunday, August 2 at 1:15 p.m.
Chicago Cubs
Saturday, May 30 at 3:10 p.m.
Friday, July 24 at 1:20 p.m.
Cincinnati Reds
Sunday, August 30 at 1:10 p.m.
San Francisco Giants
Saturday, May 30 at 6:05 p.m.

Goodies:
Score your own Curly Teddy or get one for your little baseball fan with this $5 off coupon.  Expires April 19, 2009

(Fellow Mets fans:  the choking hazard warning to the right of Curly Teddy is referencing small pieces included with the toy–NOT the game 😉  It’s a brand new year, a brand new ballgame…and a brand new stadium!)

aden + anais sale, launch week and a giveaway!

Since I’ve been busy working toward officially launching The Next Kid Thing, I thought I would let everyone know that we’ll be having a launch week! While I continue to figure out the details for launch week, which is tentatively set for April 13-17, I will be doing a lot of cross-promoting on the 2 blogs. So, please forgive me on the occasional duplicate post, but with cross-promoting comes fun goodies!

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aden + anais is having a sale on their Winter Warmth and Dream blankets. I first spotted aden + anais, the makers of the gorgeously soft muslin blankets and wraps, at Buy Buy Baby. Their very cool packaging stands out, as do their beautiful blankets. You really can’t have enough soft, well-made blankets for your babe. Not to mention, how perfect are these for shower gifts! To find out more about muslin wraps and what makes aden + anais products so special, be sure to check them out here. Now, onto the sale…the prices are as follows:

Winter Warmth Swaddles on sale for $29.95 (normally $49.95)
Dream Blankets on sale for $39.95 (normally $59.95)
Visit adenandanais.com and enter promo code “wintersale” to receive the discount.


And lucky for you all, aden + anais is giving away one of their winter warmth blankets!

Want to win it?

Visit aden + anais and tell me what style you love. Click here to add your comment to my blog at Babyrific.


for additional entries:

1. Tweet about this giveaway and mention my this new site, the Next Kid Thing.  You can use the button below (2 extra entries)
2. Blog about the Next Kid Thing (2 extra entries)
3. Stumble this post
4. Sign up to receive my updates via email.

Contest ends April 13th at noon

Please add a comment for each of your entries over at Babyrific. Please note this contest is hosted at my other blog, Babyrific. Comments added here at Next Kid Thing will NOT be counted.

Jack Black on Yo Gabba Gabba

jbToday’s the day we’ve been waiting for…at least in our house!  Funny guy Jack Black visits DJ Lance, Muno, Brobee, Muno, Plex and Foofa in Gabbaland in today’s new episode of  Yo Gabba Gabba.  The all-new episode called “New Friends”, premieres on Nick Jr. today, April 3rd at 1:30pm!

Seriously, what other kiddie shows teach you how to beatbox and tout guitar solos AND have awesome guest stars like Mark Mothersbaugh, Biz Markie, Mates of State, The Shins, The Aquabats and the Ting Tings?

In case you can’t get over YGG’s obscure-looking monsters, check it out:  Yo Gabba Gabba has a cult-like following because of its eccleticism, music choices and especially its appeal to cool parents and their kids.  Hmmmm…post-punk musicians or the Wiggles?  It’s definitely a show that we’ve grown to love!
Break it down!

Goodies:
Yobloggablogga– Yo Gabba Gabba Blog
Yo Gabba Gabba friends, crafts and more!
Yo Gabba Gabba video

Nintendo DSi set to launch

nintendo_dsiIn just a few days, the third iteration of the ubiquitous handheld videogame among kids of all ages, Nintendo DS, is set to launch the the multimedia-savvy Nintendo DSi.  Nintendo says the new DSi features will give gamers the ability to customize, personalize and share their experiences with friends and family. This version features two built-in, interactive cameras.   It also features a sound application that lets people put their own spin on their music with the ability to play and manipulate sound files accessed from an SD card. In addition to the DSi launch on April 5, Nintendo will also launch the Nintendo DSi Shop, a new online storefront where users can redeem Nintendo DSi Points to download games and applications. Nintendo DSi will be available in Blue or Black, and will cost $169.99.