• The Safe Little Walnut Archive

    It’s a jungle out there, especially if you’ve got little ones running around at home. When I’m making dinner, I swear there’s a stampede of elephants overhead–and not just two little girls playing. If you’re in search of a way to keep your playroom accident-free and spare newly mobile toddlers from acquiring more bumps and bruises than necessary, consider the Skip Hop Zoo Playspot. A refreshing alternative from the ho-hum hopscotch patterns we’ve seen in one too many kiddie gyms, this fashionable print may just bring out the wild child in your little monkeys. The adorable faces of a dog, bee, owl and monkey are so cute, they may be entertaining enough to coax your constant crawler into actually sitting still for more than five [&hellip

    Read More...

    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 [&hellip

    Read More...

    Happy (almost) 2012! If you’ll be welcoming a new arrival into your family this year, chances are you may be registering for baby bedding. And if this isn’t your first child, you may already be familiar with the potential health risks associated with crib bumpers. They may look pretty, but are deemed unsafe by the American Academy of Pediatrics with regards to SIDS prevention . That being said, any bedding set that can pull off the look of a complete bedding ensemble–minus the actual bumpers–gets a nod in our book. Skip Hop’s Complete Sheet Collection is just that product, offering a bold printed sheet whose design extends to the mattress sides and features a contrasting pattern on top. Finished with linen piping, the 100-percent cotton, [&hellip

    Read More...

    Yesterday I was shopping at a toy store on Long Island’s North Shore when I came face to face with some rather irate creatures. It was a window display filled with Angry Birds stuffed animals, keychains and other merchandise inspired by the well-known video game. My 7-year-old, of course, was in heaven, and my 3-year-old was waving–or should I say, “flapping?”–her arms wildly, much like a little bird herself. I can’t deny this trend any longer, even if I don’t admit to playing the game myself. And while these birds have soared beyond the handheld remote and into toy stores, they’re now joining the baby world with their own new arrival: SwaddleDesigns’ Angry Birds Ultimate Receiving Blanket. This gift is sure to delight new parents [&hellip

    Read More...

    My 3-year-old has a small scratch across the bridge of her nose–but that’s nothing. When she was a baby, she would scratch herself repeatedly and there was nothing I could do to stop her. While I consider myself a relatively self-sufficient mom, trimming my kids’ fingernails is one parenting task I’ve always managed to delegate. If you’ve got a budding scratcher on your hands (pun intended), there’s no need to resort to the socks-on-hands trick of olden days. Guavamitts are a fashionable way to minimize the chance of letting your little one’s sense of exploration go too far. Perfectly sized for little hands, these bamboo/organic cotton mittens will help keep your little one stylish and safe, sensibly. Available in a variety of prints, including gender-neutral, [&hellip

    Read More...

    It was right there as I rounded the corner, practically impossible to miss. As I pushed my shopping cart past the sunscreen display, spiral notebooks, ballpoint pens and pocket folders competed for my attention. That’s right: back-to-school shopping is nearly upon us and before long, school districts will be updating their Web sites with a laundry list of classroom essentials. But in this information age in which we are thinking twice before making any kid-related purchases, selecting which items to stock our kids’ desks is no longer a no-brainer. You’d have to be living under a rock not to know about toxic substances like PVC lurking in plastics, especially in kids’ products. To make your job as a conscientious consumer a little easier comes a [&hellip

    Read More...

    Kids are not unlike bugs: Sometimes, they are pesky, persistent and just won’t go away when you want them to. (Can you tell we are already a few weeks into summer vacation?) But unlike with actual bugs, there’s no real repellent which, with a simple spray, you can buy yourself some alone time. So for now, we’ll just concentrate on trying to keep those pesky, multi-legged critters at bay. At my house, we go through bug spray like some people go through water. OK, well maybe not that fast, but I wind up buying a few bottles over the course of the spring and summer. I’m more mindful about what products I’m using on my kids these days (yes, even if they bug me, I’m [&hellip

    Read More...

    On a humid and sticky day, I know the last thing my bike-riding daughter wants is a “hot hat,” as she puts it, but we insist that she wear her helmet…or else. Donning a helmet while biking is no laughing matter, but as is true for many of those trying parenting moments, a little humor can make a big difference. Perhaps this was the thinking behind the creatively designed bike helmets from Raskullz (the name alone is worth a smile). Their 3-D helmets, sporting a motley crew of wacky characters, are probably the coolest thing in head gear we’ve seen in a long time. Be it the Go-Rilla, Shark Attax or Brainy Bunny (shown here), each helmet is made from a soft rubber material that’s [&hellip

    Read More...

    As the school year winds down, that can only mean one thing…No, not you pulling your hair out because the kids are driving you crazy (already!). It”s time for that annual rite of passage: the family vacation. While gas prices aren’t anything to sneeze at, lots of people I know are still planning on hitting the road with the whole gang at some point this season. Some will be taking longer car rides across state lines, while others are looking into a few long weekend trips. If your car is anything like ours, fitting two kids in the backseat, let alone a third child, doesn’t allow much wiggle room–or rooms for all those travel toys. That’s why we are loving the Bubble Bum booster seat. [&hellip

    Read More...

    Got any bathing baby beauties in your house? Well, then you’re in luck. 4moms is getting ready to launch its Cleanwater Collection of bathtime products, and is holding a giveaway. Every day from now until the line’s debut on June 15, the company will be awarding a winner with this new product destined to make tubtime more enjoyable for both you and your little one(s). Each recipient receives one Cleanwater Infant Tub, one Digital Spout Cover and one bath sponge.  Both the Infant Tub and the Spout Cover feature color-coded digital thermometers that show the water temperature at a glance. What’s neat about the Infant Tub is that it lets clean water flow in while dirty water flows out, while the bath sponge adds support [&hellip

    Read More...