Baby Gear

Do you not want a typical Pooh or Mickey Mouse nursery theme? Are you looking form something more interesting then pink kittens or blue bears for your child’s room? Maybe you rent a home and cannot paint or wallpaper the way you would like to. Whatever the case, you should try wall decals.

Removable wall decals gives you a ton of options for a child’s room or a nursery. It is even terrific for playrooms or any adult room. It is a great alternative to wall paper and if you are sick of them, or want to change it up a little just remove them with no damage to your walls. This DottiLicious pattern would be great for a nursery, little girls room or even a teen.
Do you have a race car fan? This one would be perfect. Or reach for the clouds with this airplane and clouds wall stickers.

For a playroom these chalkboard circles would be perfect. Don’t let them draw on your walls, let them draw on these fabulous chalkboard circles that comes in four colors!
Are you looking for a border instead? Try this lamb border.

Or maybe you just want a splash of color. This would do perfectly even in your bedroom.
All of these ideas are a great way to transform any room into a cool room.

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Did you know that babies cry? Oh, you did? Maybe you weren’t aware how much they can and do cry. Babies can cry for hours a day, heck even my kids still cry about something at least once a day and they are four! There are many times you will be able to soothe your baby, and there will plenty of times where you can’t. If your baby is clean, fed and changed, why is the baby still crying? It can be frustrating especially for new parents.
Here are some tips for trying to calm a baby:
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What is more cute then a kid in mittens? I remember my favorite mittens were yellow and white with Woodstock on them. It had a matching hat that I was not that found of but I loved those mittens. I love mittens for kids of all ages and there are so many cute ones out there. Plus they are SO much easier to put on children then gloves!

While scouring the internets I found these handmade mittens. These handmade owl mittens look so warm and cozy. They fit most four to six year olds. Not a fan of owls what about stop light mittens or orange monster mittens. Any little girl would love these heart throb mittens.

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Many women are waiting longer to have kids. In turn sometimes they have kids quickly after each other. Irish twins as they are called. Maybe you just want to have kids that are close in age. When you have kids that are so close in age what else can you get but a double stroller for them?
Now there is something new.

Phil and Ted’s Sports buggy double kit. You have a sports Buggy for the first baby then you are expecting another, well just buy an extra seat and clip it on for the second baby!
With this second seat, the Sport Buggy offers four carry positions: newborn (lying flat), toddler (upright seat and recline for resting), toddler and baby (toddler on top and second newborn lying flat), and two toddlers (both riding in line). It also hold a great deal of weight, the maximum load single position is 55 lbs, the single & toddler is a total of 88 lbs.

The sports buggy comes in orange or charcoal. The buggy is $400 and the kit is $95. Perfect for a growing family!

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Just yesterday I was thinking about what we would need for this new baby. Being that we have twins and we have saved everything except L’s clothes which were handed down to my sister and Aunt, we shouldn’t have to buy too much. Then I started thinking about all the baby stuff that has come out since we had our kids, crib aquariums with remotes, miracle blanket swaddlers and the bumbo seat were all things that I would like this time around. Now the very popular bumbo seat has been recalled.

One million of these seats sold at stores like Babies R Us, Target and Walmart are being recalled because of twenty eight reports of young children falling out of the seats.
“Consumers should contact Bumbo to obtain new warning label stickers and instructions for the recalled baby seats and should never use the infant seat on a table, countertop, chair or other elevated surface, the agency said.” They will resell this product when they properly package it along with new warning labels.

I think part of this problem is adults leaving their child unattended while placing this on a table or countertop. I can see why you may place the baby in the seat on a table to feed them, but why would you walk away from your baby? That really is the hazard, not the seat.

These chairs are for infants six weeks old to 12 months or 22lbs. You can get more information on this recall here.

source

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Now that the holidays are approaching us at a rapid pace, I will be discussing great gifts for babies and ideas for the holidays. Today I want to talk about great baby gifts for kids under eighteen months that are under $10.00. Perfect for stocking stuffers, a baby shower or a gift to bring to a new baby.

Links- birth to 24 months. Perfect gift. My children loved to chew on these figure out how to put them together and take them apart. Mom tip- I put a few together and attached a toy or pacifier to the end. This made a perfect way to keep the toy with the stroller on outings. $4.99

Baby’s First Blocks-6 -18 months. All kids love blocks and these are so colorful. Babies can drop into the open bucket or through the shape-sorting lid, then dump it out and do it again. And again. And again! $9.99

Taggies books-6-18 months.
Babies love taggies and books. Put them together and you have a great gift for any baby. $6.99

Markers for babies-12-18 months. Perfect for the budding artist in your home. Easy to hold and make masterpieces with. $4.99

Wrist rattles-birth to 6 months. Secures to baby’s wrist and rattles when shaken. Get them to notice their hands and feet and learn for every action there is a reaction! $5.00

Pull along puppy-12 months and up. remember pull alongs from when you were a kid? Encourages babies to walk and is a fun pet that makes no mess. $7.99.

What are your favorite toys for babies under ten dollars? You can find more toys ideas here.

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What do babies love? Babies love to put things in their mouth, to look at themselves or other babies and to explore. That makes anything that can fit into their mouth or has pictures on it a great gift for any baby or toddler. Actually my kids are four and a half and they love to look at themselves as many times as they can a day.

That is why these custom books from mycustomstory.com makes a great gift. My Custom Story creates custom photo board books with photos of your child on every page. There are eleven story lines to choose from or customize your own.
Because we moved an hour away from all of my family and friends when I had the babies, we wanted to make sure they still recognized their family, so I bought one of these photo albums, filled it with pictures of family members and they loved them and still look at it. My Custom Story books are even better because they are board books that kids love.

They have fourteen storylines like adoption story, Christmas story, counting story, favorite things story and goodnight story. What a great way to announce your pregnancy to family, with announce pregnancy story! Don’t like any of the custom stories, then create your own book.
They are so easy to make too. Just pick out which book you would like, pay for it via the online checkout. Then email or mail the pictures you want to use. They will send you a proof and you will have the chance to make changes to the photos, text, font, colors, etc. After you approve the proof you will receive the book in about one week.

What a great gift for your baby or for your family!

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There are so many great children’s books out there now. We love getting some new ones to read before bedtime. Of course as an adult, you always have your favorites, maybe it is classics, favorites from your childhood or ones your children could hear over and over.
My children and I love all of Eric Carle’s books. I read all of them to my kids every week and I couldn’t believe it when I found stuffed animals from Kids Preferred in some of our favorite characters.

This Polar bear is so cute and from his book “Polar Bear, Polar Bear what do you see?’. “The Very Hungry Caterpillar” is my most favorite of all Eric Carle’s books and they make the stuffed animal just as cute as the illustrations in the book.
They also make Cuddly Brown Bear in mother and baby versions from “Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You Hear?” , the elephant from “Do you want to be my friend?”, the ladybug from “the Grouchy Ladybug”.

Some of the toys are very children and infant safe with fabric eyes and no removable parts. They each are $16.64.
They also have many other toys that children of all ages would love. They make everything from puzzles, soft books, sound blocks and stacking blocks.

These are all perfect gifts along with the books (to encourage the love of reading even in the smallest children!) for children for all ages and new babies.

Looking for a great baby gift? Are you trying to be more green and environmentally conscious these days? Check out www.greenkits.com. they sell reusable natural or organic grocery bags, environmentally friendly household products and fresheners. They have a ton of amazing items for you and your household to save money and help the environment.

They even have a baby green kit. Perfect for a baby shower or new baby gift, this kit is everything a new mom would need. It includes everything an ecologically aware parent needs to ensure that only pure, non-toxic ingredients touch baby. The kit includes:
Non talc baby powder- No talc means no danger to baby’s breathing
Baby shampoo and body cleanser- this tear free soaps are natural and sulfate-free
Calendula baby lotion- Made with sweet almond oil and organic jojoba oil
Diaper Cream- mineral balm with natural zinc oxide blended with organic almond and sunflower seed oils
Baby laundry wash-Plant based and non-toxic
Baby wipes-These do not contain alcohol or synthetic ingredients
Travel baby wipes

All this for the same price of $55.00. You can also get it placed in environmentally friendly gift packaging or placed in a personalized tote. Very cute, very earth friendly and a gift any new parent, new grandmother or new baby would love!

Do you use earth friendly products in your household? Do you think it is important to use plastic free, recyclable and green products around your children?

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Studies show that massage is not just terrific for adults but also for babies. We know how a massage makes us feel and we know massage promotes overall health and well-being. Baby Massage Snuggie Touch of Love is a long sleeve onesie that can help you with massaging your baby.

This was designed as a collaboration between a Pediatric Chiropractor and a clothing designer. This long sleeve onesie has colorful icons clearly mark pressure points making massage simple. Massaging your baby can help you bond and help your infant calm down and fall asleep especially when done as a ritual like a bottle, bath, massage, bed.

It comes with a instruction sheet to help you with the pressure points. It comes in a cute gift bag and is a perfect gift for a new mom or for a baby shower.

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Let’s face it, there are so many things you buy for a new baby that the either never use or use a couple of times and you wonder “I paid all that money for that? What a waste”. I am sorry to have to tell you this but many times the things you buy or have to have for your baby will not be used as much as you hope it will.
I love finding baby gear that is functional but also can grow with my child.

This Stokke Sleepi crib does exactly that. This is more then a crib, it is a sleep system that grows with your child. “Just like mommy’s tummy” is the motto for this crib and I can see why. First it will be a crib, then by adding pieces you can make it a larger crib to accommodate your growing child. Then it can be made into a bed with a drawer underneath and finally into two stylish chairs.
It can accommodate a child from birth to seven years. It is also fitted with wheels so it is easy to move from room to room, which would come in handy when you first have the baby.It is made from cultivated beechwood and comes in four colors, white, walnut, natural and cherry. It retails for $749 - $1,089, which maybe pricey for a crib but this would last your child for years.

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My daughter took to her pacifier almost immediately after birth. L, my son, hated it and never took to it. R, though, loved it. it helped her sleep, with teething and to sooth herself when she needed it. Three years later and she still had her pacifier habit. How were we going to get it away from her we wondered. Although she only used it at bedtime at this point, she was very reluctant to give it up and we had a tough problem on our hands. You can read about how we finally got it away from her here.

In Copenhagen Denmark though, they have a great way to get those lovies, bottles and pacifiers away from children. Much like the book The Giving Tree (which is my very favorite book) children and their parents go and “give” the tree their lovies. Children go to a public park, Frederiksberg Have (Garden) and was created 300 years ago for King Frederik IV, and donate their favorite things to the tree. Hundreds, maybe thousands, pacifiers hanging by ribbon, some lovies preserved in plastic bags, others hung with care makes for a very moving sight. Some even have letters written attached to them. Children can then go visit their treasures on the tree every time they go to the park. I think that this is such a lovely ritual and idea for kids as well as their parents.

You can see pictures from the tree at this Flickr set.

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What I hate about baby and children’s bedding it that it is very hard to find soft, well made bedding. Crib bedding is a little easier to find, but you will pay for it, with some crib sets going for upwards of $300 a set.
I stumbled across this site which offers eco-friendly comfy bedding.

Kukunest.com offers children’s and toddler bedding made from 100% Öko-Tex certified cotton, as well as wall art. All bedding is soft, 200 thread count cotton percale and is made to Öko-tex environmental standards. Öko-Tex is a European certification process which ensures that certified textiles do not contain chemicals harmful to human health. They have just awesome patterns meant to fuel children’s imaginations. They do this by “experimenting with fresh new color palettes and interesting themes, all manifested through uniquely modern and whimsical designs.”
They offer six different, unique patterns on kids bedding and two different pieces of wall art.

They go beyond Dora, dinosaurs and Elmo. Which, personally, I am sick of. Also most sheet sets I see for kids are infantile and do not match any decor I have in either of my children’s rooms. They are usually always made of poorly manufactured, stiff fabric that pills and is no more then 180 thread count.
They also use minimal packaging composed of recycled paper or reusable materials. They are helping out the environment while still making great products. That is my kind of company!

[tags] children’s bedding, toddler bedding, crib bedding, children’s sheet sets, eco-friendly bedding,

I am not a huge fan of high priced online retailers. Especially high priced kiddy items that I know I can find cheaper elsewhere. I, like many moms, cannot afford nor do not want to spend $100 on one outfit for my children, unless they can wear it for at least four years!

So I hesitated to even check out thesillywagon.com, but I did, just to check to see if they had something interesting and affordable for my readers. I am nice like that.
I came across this item, the Piggy Story Carry All Caddy. Lined with nylon waterproof material, the Carry-All-Caddy is perfect for outdoor or indoor use. They have suggestions for use such as gardening, for beach toys or just to carry toys around.

What first came to mind when I saw this item, that although it would be great for kids, I want it for myself. I think this would be perfect to tote around all the diapering stuff I will need when the baby comes. I have a two story home, so instead of carrying the baby up and down the stairs many, many times a day I thought I would keep a supply of diapers, wipes, cotton balls and creams downstairs and make my life slightly easier.

With a large inner compartment and six additional pockets it would be perfect for a diapering caddy, don’t you think? It would also be prefect to keep everything organized on the changing table itself. Cute and functional. I will have to order one ( or two!) before the baby arrives!

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Shoes are crucial for baby’s foot development and to help them when they are just starting to walk. Shoes before they walk are unnecessary but look cute and do keep the baby’s foot warm. My daughter loves shoes as much as I do and we are always looking for great, stylish, comfortable shoes for both of my children.

Umi shoes were named by Consumer Reports as one of the “Best Baby Products”. They were one of their top recommendations for a first shoe. Umi was recognized for their shoes’ flexibility and traction. They offer shoes for every stage of development.

Umi’s shoes are handcrafted and are as cute as they are functional. They have many styles to chose from and are no more expensive as buying shoes at Stride Rite.

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