Yay! Congrats to:
Erica for winning the Diaper Dekor!
and Brett for winning the BornFree products grab bag!
Ladies, I’ll be in touch later today to get details!
Tag: News
Hasbro will be one to watch
…quite literally, perhaps.
It was reported last week that Hasbro and Discovery Communications are partnering up to launch a new tv network and website, built around toys that many of us—and now, our kids—have grown to love. New programming will be based on shows, toys and games such as Romper Room, Trivial Pursuit, Cranium, My little Pony, G.I. Joe, Transformers, among others.
Discovery Kids Channel, which currently touts shows such as Bindi the Jungle Girl and Hip Hop Harry will be replaced by the yet-to-be-named channel that is set to debut in 2010.
Moms and dads, what are your thoughts on this new format?
Got Milk? Toys “R” Us Might
Toys “R” Us announced that they’re adding some new inventory. In addition to Barbies and Thomas the Train, the retailer will now sell snacks, beverages, paper goods, laundry detergent and cleaning supplies. Just a few weeks after announcing their discount shop concept, Toys “R” Us will be adding the “R” Market to the front of 260 stores. While the new concept may not offer the same variety as a grocery store, the “R” Market aims to accommodate shoppers with the convenience of one-stop shopping.
According to an article in Time, the prices at “R” market weren’t as competitive as other big box stores. Convenience is the keyword here, so expect to pay more for the accessibility to your Annie’s Cheddar Bunnies while shopping for Polly Pockets. Ok, so they won’t have a full blown dairy aisle, but it seems like they will have a lot of good stuff to offer.
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Retro Tees from Sandbox Threads
With temps hoovering in the high 80s today, I can’t help but look around for some summer duds for the boy. We’re your typical t-shirt, shorts and flip flops kind of family in terms of summer attire. We have several t-shirts with catchy sayings and ones with our favorite surf shops logos, but I always love a few retro tees thrown in the mix. So, when I came across this expansive collection of cool logos, I was immediately drawn to Sandbox Thread’s Joystick design. How appropriate!
Sandbox Threads specializes in original toddler t-shirts and baby onesies, and also offers organic options, as well as a variety of big kid and adult sizes, too. Since
Sandbox Threads is literally a pop operation, each shirt is unique and handmade. It doesn’t get any better than that. Whether you’re on the market for a funky shirt or retro cool onesie for your babe or as a gift, be sure to check out Sandbox Threads’ spectrum of cool designs.
If you’re not into geeky retro like me, how about some Lloyd Dobler or Molly love?
It’s time to Shell-abrate!
The Tribeca Film Festival is set to kickoff this weekend in NYC, with all kinds of kid-friendly activities to boot.
But one highlight caught my attention: Tribeca Film Festival will screen the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles film to celebrate…wait for it….25 years of Turtle Power.
In addition to tonight’s screening, the Turtles’ year long celebration began when they flipped the switch this morning atop the Empire State Building. The Empire State Building’s lights will go green in honor of Leonardo, Donatello, Raphael and Michelangelo.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990), directed by Steve Barron, was selected as the Drive-in movie feature at the Tribeca Film Festival. The outdoor screening is scheduled for tonight at 8:15 PM at the World Financial Center Plaza (200 Vesey Street). Open to the public, pre-activities starting at 5:00 PM include a pizza party, face-painting, photo opportunities with the Turtles, dancing, and martial arts demonstrations with the TMNT and The American Taekwondo Association. And of course, The Turtles’ pal, April O’Neil, will join in the fun.
25 years, really? I officially feel old.
BornFree unveils Eco-Friendly recyclable bottles
BornFree products just got a little greener: the company now offers a new line of Eco-Friendly Recyclable bottles. Back in December, I had the opportunity to participate in a panel of moms to weigh in on one of the brands that I consider synonymous with eco-friendliness and BPA-free baby products.
BornFree gained popularity in the mom community just a few short years ago as the research and BPA findings in baby bottles 
became more rampant. As with any tried and true product, I saw moms in my circle of friends and family spread the word about BornFree and soon, many families replaced their existing bottles with BornFree products.
So, what exactly is the Eco-Friendly bottle? Essentially, the Eco-Friendly Recyclable bottle is the same as the original bottle, but in addition to being Pthalate, PVC and BPA-free, the bottles can be recycled when you no longer have use for them. When you’re done with the bottles, you can just send them back to BornFree for recycling into their other products lines. Ingenious!
Happy Earth Day!
Happy Earth Day, all. The sun is trying to peek out over here, but they’re calling for rain later in the day. But alas, if I finish my to do list, it’s my hope to get out and enjoy Earth Day with the little guy.
Next year Earth Day celebrates 40 years. What does that mean exactly? Well, for starters, I believe that environmentally speaking, we’ve become more aware. But with the effects of global warming obviously becoming more apparent, it’s clear there’s so much more to be done.
So, as many of us already follow suit, it’s so important to be more conscientious about the Earth year-round, not just on April 22. Not just for us, but especially for the kids, and their kids and their kids. We might not be able to undo the damage that generations before us have done, but we can certainly foster sustainable and healthier habits that will go a long way.
As we usually tell people, we’re not over the top eco-freaks. But, for our kid’s sake, we do what we can to make the right choice. We might not be able to afford all organic groceries, we might not have the capability to compost or cloth diaper full time, but we hope to make up for it in other ways. Perhaps one of our greenest choices to date was to ditch the SUV and buy a more fuel-efficient car. Not only is it cheaper for us gas-wise, but it’s a much better choice all around.
As our choices get greener and greener, I can absolutely see it rubbing off on the kid already. At the playground just last week, Jack found an empty plastic water bottle on the ground. He instinctively picked it up, mumbled his jibberish and grabbed my hand, as if leading me somewhere important. I asked him, “Does that go in the trash?” He mumbled back and led me to the trash and recycling containers at the other end of the park. He obviously doesn’t know which container was which, but the fact that he knew it didn’t belong on the ground and in a container somewhere made me pretty damn proud.
Here’s to everyone making greener choices everyday, not just on Earth Day!
originally posted at Babyrific
graphic via innoko
Silikids giveaway winner
Thank you everyone for participating in the Silikids giveaway! The winner, picked at random via Random.org, is comment #4 from Elizabeth. I’ll send you an email later today, Elizabeth.
Everyone else, please don’t forget the other great giveaways going on this week —>
And tomorrow, I’ll have a pretty cool giveaway in honor of Earth Day!
Happy Earth Week!
As Earth Day approaches this Wednesday, The Next Kid Thing will be focusing on green kid topics all week. When Earth Day began 39 years ago, times were much different, but the environmental movement as we know just started to gain momentum. The first Earth Day led to the creation of the United States Environmental Protection Agency and the passage of the Clean Air, Clean Water, and Endangered Species acts. Today, Earth Day is celebrated worldwide.
As the Earth Day celebrations continue to grow, as does the environmental awareness. It might be easy being green one day a year, but 365 days of green-living make much more of an impact. What’s even more important is fostering our kids at an early age to be more socially responsible. Stay tuned for lots of ideas on how kids can help protect Mother Earth and ways to go green too!
(photo via mlumograph17)
Get your green on at Go Green Expo
Even though being green should be a year-round mentality, it’s always nice to see Earth Day celebrations grow bigger every year. Just in time for Earth Week, the Go Green Expo in NYC is opening its doors to consumers this weekend. The boys and I are headed in to the show to explore and learn.
The Expo, described as an eco-focused, green-living showcase, will feature earth friendly products, services and ideas. Speakers like Mariel Hemmingway and big name exhibitors such as Dell, Honda and Home Depot will be worth checking out. While Disneynature, a division of Disney, will preview the new film, Earth. There’s a whole lineup of family-friendly activities, panel discussions and exhibitors on the agenda, but the Kids Zone, which is sponsored by Disneynature, is something I’m sure we’ll be checking out and talking about later this week! I have all kinds of green goodness and yes, giveaways for Earth week, so be sure to check it out!
Go Green Expo – Open to the Public
Saturday, April 18th – 10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.
Sunday, April 19th – 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
The Hilton New York
1335 Avenue of the Americas
New York, NY 10019
Tickets:
Adults – Weekend pass for Saturday & Sunday, April 18 & 19 – $10
Children under the age of 12 – Free
Senior citizens (65+) – Free