Late night feedings are no picnic, and certainly not made any easier with a blistered finger. I can remember the time I awoke in the wee hours one morning to the cry of my young daughter, and stumbled into her nursery. Like so many other times, I hastily filled an empty bottle with water, mixed it with powdered formula and set it in her trusty bottle warmer. I don’t know who found it more infuriating to wait for that bottle to warm: half-asleep me or my sobbing daughter. After what felt like forever, it was ready…or so I thought. Grabbing it too fast proved to be a mistake, as I silently chided myself for burning my hand. From then on, I made certain to keep a small towel nearby–a makeshift pot holder, if you will–to prevent future accidents. It’s moments like those that make me realize as a seasoned mother, not all bottle warmers come equal. If you or a friend is registering for baby gifts, be sure to check out one of the newer ones on the market: the Kiinde Kozii. As fun to say as it is easy to use, this device takes the guesswork out of warming breast-milk or bottle-formula to a comfortable temperature. A built-in time counts down until a bottle has fully warmed. Once the timer turns off, the warmer shuts off, reducing the risk of handling a too-hot bottle. Because Kozii can heat either plastic or glass, you can also use it to warm baby food jars. That means fewer accidents in the kitchen, too.

In a Nutshell: This warmer makes preparing baby’s bottle practically effortless, and worry-free.

Tags: bottle warmers, bottle-warming, Kiinde, Kiinde Kozii

When my older daughter was born, I received a gift of seven bibs, each one embroidered with a different day of the week. An adorable concept…if only the bibs hadn’t been white. Once she grew and moved on to solid foods, it wasn’t long before those beautiful bibs were permanently stained with mashed peas and peach puree. The “Friday” bib looked more like “Fdy,” while “Sunday” became just plain old “day.” (Easy for a sleep-deprived mom to figure out which bib to wear, but somehow I don’t think that was the point…) That’s why we can appreciate the Day-of-the-Week Bib Set from Petites Frites, a collection that is as pleasing to the eye as it is to the touch. Made from an ultra-soft, two-ply cotton blend and colored with baby-friendly dyes, these bibs come in two assortments–rainbow and cornwall–and are awash in a eye-popping palette that will stand up to spit-up, strained peas and everything in between. We’re especially fond of the mood monikers, a different one reserved for each day of the week. We can relate to “Foggy Friday,” and are optimistic for a “Sunday Funday.”

In a Nutshell: Pack a little punch into your baby’s mealtime routine with a variety of bibs that will get you through all those round-the-clock feedings.

Tags: baby bibs, baby shower gift, Made in the USA baby products, organic baby clothing, Petites Frites

Talk to any new mom, and she’ll tell you she doesn’t feed her baby with just any old bottle. If she considers herself an A-list mom who wants the healthiest/safest things for her little one (and what mom doesn’t?), she’s probably done her research and figured out which crib promises the best night’s sleep, which stroller has the smoothest ride and which bottle reduces spit-up and fussiness. Now, thanks to the advent of the Similac SimplySmart bottle, the homework has been done for you. The makers of the well-known powdered formula brand have taken their expertise in feeding and applied it to their first-ever baby bottle, designed to make feeding a more enjoyable experience for moms and their babies. At first glance, you’ll notice the SmartClose, a blue shield that takes the mystery out of determining whether or not the top has been properly closed (translation: fewer leaks). Inside the bottle you’ll notice a clip-on contraption, the EasyMix, which ensures that powdered formula and water have been properly combined (simply shake or swirl the bottle, and the EasyMix does the rest).  On top of the extra-wide opening for easy cleaning and extra-large, easy-to-read numbers (in ounces), we love the On-the-Go powder cap, which is sold separately and lets you take enough formula in a sealed cap that snaps right on to the top of the bottle. Similac was a brand I trusted as a new mom; I’ve no doubt the SimplySmart bottle will make an ideal companion to the formula line.

In a Nutshell: Bottle-feeding just got a whole lot smarter with the Similac SimplySmart bottle. Whether feeding on the go or right at home, this innovative bottle has all the makings of a smooth meal.

My 3-year-old’s new favorite fruit is the clementine. She can’t get enough of them, and I can’t say I blame her. They are sweet, incredibly juicy and easy to peel and eat. From a mom’s perspective, I like that they’re portable and pack easily when we’re on the go, and don’t result in sticky, orange fingers. In fact, theirs is a rather invigorating, citrusy scent that I much enjoy this time of year. Because I tend to buy clementines in bulk, I am forever experimenting with different brands and currently can’t resist Cuties Clementines. Bursting with flavor and packed with vitamin C, they are the perfect addition to lunch, snacktime or anytime hunger strikes. If you happen to have a resident cutie who also loves clementines, you’ll want to check out Cuties.com. On top of giving you the nutritional lowdown of this fun fruit, you can upload pictures of your little darling and enter to win daily and weekly prizes–everything from Cuties T-shirts and toys, to one extremely lucky grand prize recipient of a college scholarship valued at $150,000. A different theme contest runs every week, and next week’s is cutest dress-up. Time to grab the camera and start filming; your amateur video may just pay for your child’s future education. And that’s a lotta clementines!

In a Nutshell: Orange you glad you captured the time your toddler clomped around in Daddy’s shoes? Now it’s time to upload that footage and enter to win on Cuties.com.

Tags: clementines, cutest kid video, Cuties.com, kids' video contests, prizes for best kids' video

The first time we took my baby daughter on a long road trip, I dreaded the moment we’d have to pull over and stop to feed her. I kid you not, I must have spent the better part of the car ride wondering aloud if the bottle warmer we had just bought would actually work, whether it would fit into our car’s adapter outlet properly and how long it would take to heat up her formula. (Yes, you can feel sorry for my poor husband; I do, too–in retrospect.) As luck would have it, my concerns were right on the money: after sitting in a fast food parking lot for what felt like forever, the bottle was only mildly warmed. But, if we didn’t get back on the road fast, my ever-patient spouse warned, we’d get caught up in rush-hour traffic. Torn between giving my young daughter formula that was room temperature at best and heeding my wise husband’s sage advice, I fed her in a hurry…but without much success. She only drank a few ounces before turning her head away and letting out a disgusted cry. Believe it when I say I felt her pain–and it was a long time before we took another road trip. Today’s moms don’t have to wrestle with such aggravation when feeding their baby on the go,  thanks to Toasty Bottle. This baby bottle warming set that works without the hassle of batteries, car adapters or hot water is almost too good to be true. Simply remove the plastic packaging from the warmer and pull off one side of the adhesive strip. Next, wrap the warmer around your filled bottle and attach the adhesive to the warmer. Now, open the Velcro enclosure on the Toasty Bottle holder and place your wrapped bottle inside. The warming packets retain heat as soon as they are exposed to the air and stay hot for less than 30 minutes, giving your baby plenty of time to eat–and burp. Rest assured that the warmer packets use natural ingredients like iron powder and salt, so you don’t need to worry about any harmful chemicals coming into contact with your baby’s bottle. We can’t say the same for the high level of road pollution on the LIE, but that’s another story…

In a Nutshell: Get your baby to her destination safely and on a full stomach with this no-fuss, no-muss bottle warming system.

Tags: bottle warmers, bottle-feeding on the go, feeding accessories, Toasty Bottle, travel-friendly bottle warmer

To your average kid, milk and cookies is the ideal cure for the rainy day blues. Sinking one’s teeth into a chocolate chip-studded little number, washed down by a tall glass of ice-cold milk, can be just the thing to erase the pain of a forgotten library book or a silly spat with a friend. For grown-ups like me, my idea of comfort food at 3 p.m. doesn’t stray so far from the kid version, but I do like to think that my taste is a bit more refined than the store-bought variety (no offense, Keebler Elf). I admit that I’m not a tremendous connoisseur when it comes to cookies and other baked goods, so when I do choose to indulge, it needs to be the good stuff. Well, I think that I have finally found heaven in a bakery bag: homemade cookies from bakeshop. When I dove into a bag on this wet, dreary fall afternoon, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect, but the packaging alone piqued my appetite. Freshly baked cookies beckoned at me through the see-through window of a brown bag tied with–what else–bakery string (I relish details!). As I waited for my tea kettle to boil, I perused the back of the bag containing lemon butter cookies: nothing but all-fresh ingredients and a stamped date to let me know when they had been baked (2 days ago! I’d better get snacking…). With a steaming mug of tea in hand, I was ready to experiment. Suffice it to say I don’t know which part of me loved these mouthwatering cookies more: my salivary glands or my very satisfied tummy. They are unbelievably delectable with just the right amount of sweetness. Because every bag of bakeshop cookies is handmade in small batches, they taste like they just came out of the oven.  On top of the lemon butter cookies, there are plenty of other varieties–from waffle cookies to whoopie pies–along with brownies, marshmallows and sea salt caramels. And don’t even get us started on the Cookie of the Month club. We may just have to send that one to ourselves…Take that, rainy day!

In a Nutshell: With goodies from bakeshop, you can now say the words “cookies” and “grown-up” in the same sentence. And, if your kids play nice, maybe you’ll even share some with them.

My 7-year-old came home from the school the other day, raving about a fellow second grader’s in-class birthday party. “Mom, guess what everyone got?,” she enthused, salivating as she managed to get the words out. “Their own smoothie! Isn’t that awesome?” Yes, if you feel you can’t quite keep up with the Joneses when it comes to birthday celebrations for the kiddies, now you can really feel like your Mom of the Year award should be plucked down off the mantel. C’mon now, do you still bake those Duncan Hines brownies for class birthdays or, worse yet, pick up Munchkins on the way home from the office? For shame! Regardless of whether you work or stay at home with your kids, every mom likes to feel like a superhero in her kid’s eyes when it comes to their birthday. I say, if you can make your own culinary creation stand out from the masses, then go for it. I’m no whiz in the kitchen, but I do like to add a personal touch to whatever I’m cooking or baking. It’s why we love the new Edible Icing Cupcake Toppers from Hello Hanna. They come in thin sheets of decorative, gluten-free designs (safe for classmates with food allergies) that peel off and press right on. Just bake and frost your signature cupcakes like usual, and add these as a fun way to top things off. They come in plenty of designs and styles to appeal to everyone from princess-loving preschoolers, to robot enthusiasts of any age. So fun and festive. Plus, you get to add a candle and let the birthday kid make a wish. With a smoothie? Not so much…

In a Nutshell: Punch up ho-hum birthday treats with ever-so-memorable cupcake toppers that will have the kids vying for seconds.

Tags: birthday party treats, edible cupcake toppers, gluten-free desserts, Hello Hanna

Cats and kids are somewhat alike. Although from two entirely different species, each loves to nibble and gaze on multiple meals throughout the day. Our resident kitty is known to visit her food bowl no less than 4-5 times a day, much like my 2 kiddies who relish small snacks from morning til dessert. We’re not surprised then that Hello Kitty continues to be all the rage among girls big and small, and for this school year, she’s a big hit when it comes to lunchtime. The Hello Kitty 2-Tier Bento Container will have fussy eaters purring with contentment, since it keeps different foods separate in their own space (you know how particular girls can be about their stuff). They fit together easily and are easy to clean, making mealtime a snap. And because this bento container is durable, it’s designed to withstand lots and lots of lunches…maybe even nine lives’ worth.

In a Nutshell: Hello Kitty welcomes lunchtime with a delightful new companion that keeps food contained and kitties satisified.

Tags: back-to-school, bento boxes, Hello Kitty, kids' lunch boxes

There’s nothing more refreshing than a cold drink on a hot summer’s day…especially when you’ve been outdoors for hours. My 7-year-old takes a water bottle with her to camp everyday, but after so many refills, she craves something with a bit more flavor. Rather than load her down with sugary juice or lemonade, we thought we’d give coconut water, the latest fad in the beverage world, a try. But this isn’t just any coconut water, mind you. O.N.E. Kids Coconut Water with Fruit Juice is specially designed for finicky taste buds who need to rehydrate after a long day at play. Flavored with natural juices and no added sugar, this drink is packed with potassium and electrolytes to replenish growing bodies. We decided to put O.N.E. Kids to the test during a long, sweltering week at camp. The results? One happy camper. “It wasn’t so sweet, but it tasted really good and that made me want to drink more,” said our resident tester. Available in a medley of fruity flavors like apple, fruit punch, raspberry lemonade and orange, O.N.E. Kids Coconut Water with Fruit Juice is one drink your kids will go nuts for.

In a Nutshell: When lemonade and plain old H2O have had their day in the sun, switch over to this delicious, healthy beverage of choice.

Tags: coconut water, healthy drinks for kids, juicebox alternatives, O.N.E. Kids Coconut Water with Fruit Juice

It’s the age-old question for moms across the world–and one that never seems to produce a satisfactory response unless it’s “pizza,” “Chinese” or some form of take-out. Some nights, it takes all the strength you can muster just to open up a can of soup or microwave a frozen dinner. But when a sandwich just won’t cut the mustard in your house (as is the case in mine!), it’s time to scour the cupboard and rummage up whatever staple can be made into a meal. That’s when childhood comfort foods like Chef Boyardee come in handy. Believe it or not, a can of this stuff is a starter ingredient for an entirely new bunch of dinnertime recipes like Taco-roni, Ravioli Lasagna (shown here) and Cheeseburger-roni. To help you get started in the kitchen, The Talking Walnut is offering a Chef Boyardee giveaway: a lunchbag containing 2 cans of Beefaroni and recipe cards (valued at $15). We will select one random winner between now and 5 p.m. EST on August 1, 2011. Enter now to win. Bon appetit!

In a Nutshell: A kiddie food favorite is all grown-up with a handful of new recipes. Hats off to the Chef!

Tags: Chef Boyardee, dinner recipes, free stuff, kid-friendly recipes, product giveaway