I admit that I’m not much of a personal shopper, but when it comes to kids’ clothes, I can’t resist. This time of year, our mailbox has been stuffed with catalogs ranging from Growing Up Garnet Hill , to crewcuts. I love every minute of paging through the glossy spreads and perusing the frilly frocks, sweet sundresses and tons of stylish warm weather items. Maybe all these clothes remind me of my own teen years, as I lay sprawled across my canopy bed with magazines like Sassy, Seventeen and YM checking out all the back-to-school possibilities. Or maybe it’s because checking out kid stuff is so much more satisfying than all those women’s swimsuit catalogs that quickly find their way into the recycling bin (thanks, [&hellip
Feeding the Little Walnuts Archive
Eight-plus years into the parenting game, and I still feel like I don’t know what I’m doing. Whenever I think I’ve finally figured things out with my 8- and 4-year-old, WHAM!–they go and pull a fast one on me. The younger one lovvvves Double Noodle soup? I stock up at the store…only to have her tell me she “no longer likes the noodles ’cause they’re too long.” The older one showing signs of being more independent? Suddenly she can’t go 15 minutes by herself without wandering into the kitchen to “find out what you’re doing.” (Laundry, kid. It’s just not that exciting.) I know I should feel like a pro after this many years on the job, but I continue to live and learn…and take [&hellip
When I want my hot tea, I want it fast. As in “5 minutes ago…but (insert big sigh) now will do.” But when you’re talking about your baby in need of her bottle, that’s 5 minutes you just don’t have. And if you happen to be in transit with a little one during feeding time? Well, you get the idea. Getting moms and dads out of tough situations like these is an ingenious new baby bottle that puts basic models to shame. The Mixie is a self-contained, formula-mixing bottle that is waiting at the ready for the hungry child. By taking the convenience of a snap-on formula container one step further, it holds the formula compartment at the base of the bottle. Unscrew it from [&hellip
I label practically all of my kids’ stuff. Water bottles, backpacks, lunchboxes…you name it. If I’m not busy folding endless loads of whites and darks, you can probably find me perched over some object, Sharpie in hand. Of course, none of the labels I’ve been using have been able to stand up to standard wear and tear or my dishwasher. I’ve tried everything from official-looking file folder labels, to the clever now-I-don’t-have to-do-anything-but stick-them pre-printed return address labels. But nothing will stay put. How incredibly psyched I was to stumble upon Kidaroo Crew’s Sippy Grab. Designed by a mom whose own experiences of keeping her kids’ gear labeled once and for all, these incredibly write-on, slip-on labels fit right over any standard sippy cup, baby [&hellip
Today while grocery shopping, I saw the cutest kid sitting in her mom’s shopping cart, happily munching a breakfast treat. It didn’t matter that there were more crumbs on her cheeks than in her mouth; only at that age can you still get away with looking absolutely adorable, even with food smeared all over your face. It reminds me of a photo we have of my younger daughter, who proudly “wears” rice cereal after her first feeding. Remember the games your mom would play to get you to eat your food? (Well, she needed to trick you somehow into consuming that awful-tasting stuff!). My mom cried “open air” as a spoonful dove into our mouths. For me, it was a choo-choo train riding down the [&hellip
Show me a 6-year-old boy, and I’ll show you a house littered with Legos. While I myself don’t have sons, every mom of boys that I know tells me how their home is practically taken over by those unmistakable building bricks, forcing them to find creative ways to organize and contain those pesky playthings. Don’t get us wrong; we love Legos just as much as the next kid, and the Lego Friends line has already found a place on my daughter’s Christmas list. If you have a Lego fan on your holiday shopping list this year, but are unsure of what he does and doesn’t have (and don’t want to add to his mom’s madness!), then we’ve got the perfect gift for you. LEGO Lunch [&hellip
No, it’s not quite the “Monster Mash,” but with Halloween just around the corner, we’ve been giving a lot of thought to healthy eating for the kiddies (got to counteract that sweet tooth somehow…). While I know quite a few moms who started out making fresh baby food for their first child, they never quite followed through with their second (or third, etc.). And who can blame them? Trying to find time to keep up with laundry, and manage a shower every now and then, is enough of a chore without the pressure of preparing pureed veggies from scratch. Well, even those wonder women with the best of intentions can now shrug off that guilt like yesterday’s yoga pants. A new baby food maker has [&hellip
When my now 8-year-old was a toddler and we went out to eat, I always kept my bag stashed with crayons, coloring books and the requisite bag of Goldfish (in times of desperation, I’d break out the snacks before the art supplies, rebel that I was). When a colleague sent me a pack of tear-off, stick-on activity place mats, I went through them almost as fast as a bag of Goldfish! I always meant to order more of them, but never got around to stocking up. Wouldn’t a reusable mat work wonders for the time-crunched parent, the one who only realized she’d forgotten the Crayolas and paper after leaving home? (Yup, I admit to that being me on at least a few occasions…) Enter Jaq [&hellip
The supermarket aisles have been overflowing with Halloween candy since August, and I refuse to fall victim to their relentless beckoning. Milky Ways and Nestle bars may tantalize me with their colorful packaging, but so far, I’m not budging. Maybe it’s because I’m desperately trying to make smarter choices when it comes to snacking. Even with Halloween right around the corner, I’m striving to find something sweet that’s not necessarily bad to eat. My search may indeed be over. The just-released UNREAL line of chocolate candy is just what I’ve been craving. Made with all-natural ingredients like cacao beans, organic palm oil and dairy from free-range cows, this brand is proof-positive that candy doesn’t have to pumped with artificial sweeteners to taste delicious. We put [&hellip
When my younger daughter moved from her high chair to a booster seat, it was a memorable moment. Not only could she now truly join us at the dinner table, but having her in our company literally put her at our same level–and judging from the look on her little face, it meant the world and more. If the transition from baby to big kid chair is looming in your child’s near future, consider your options carefully. While some seats claim to make the move a smooth one, not all offer the extra comfort and security your toddler still needs. We’ve got our eye (and our bum) on the latest booster seat to hit the market. Safety 1st’s Sit! Booster gives a much-needed lift to [&hellip