Avoid Christmas Package Rage

On Christmas morning when we were kids we woke up and ran to see what Santa brought for us and of course to set about opening the presents under the tree. What was the most annoying part of Christmas (or birthdays for that matter)? Well for me at least it was opening that really super cool present out of its paper only to have to fight with packaging to actually get to the gift. It was as if it were saying "look how great I am, but you can't have me yet, hahahaha". Or it needed batteries, then those had to be found and inevitably someones gift would have to wait because there were only 3 C batteries and it needed 4. Ugh. For our kids today the experience may be even worse than it was for us because packaging is out of control and over the top. I swear some of those toy manufacturers could cut costs by a third if they cut packaging!

So fix this for your kids. Open their presents before you wrap them. Even if you put it back in the original box so that it wraps easier or so that they know that it really is new. Cut the cords, slice the tape, pull off the plastic and for heaven's sake put batteries in the thing! Christmas will be way more fun for you this way too. You can avoid the begging for you to open something or make something work EVERY time a present is open. So yeah it saves them frustration but let's be honest, it really saves us parents a little sanity, and we all know that we need all of that we can get!

Stocking Stuffer Idea #2

www.melissaanddoug.com

Is anyone else super ready for Christmas? Okay well I'm not physically ready but I am sure mentally ready.This is our first Christmas where Little Moxie will sort of get some of the festivity stuff and will hopefully show some emotion to her presents. I feel like a little kid who is waiting anxiously to open my gifts from Santa, but it's reversed and what I actually can't wait for is to see her open her gifts from everyone. In full disclosure, I am looking forward to playing with some of them too. Anyhow on with the idea right... so check out this kazoo from Melissa & Doug. This toy could not be more simple but it's well made and is such a great noise maker instrument. And not that I was fooled at first but just so you know, those blue circles are just painted on there and aren't really working finger holes, I'm just say'n. Additionally the kazoo's recommended age is 3+, but Little Moxie got this on her first birthday and figured out how to use it before her thirty something father. Just hum into it, that's it, like I said simple but very cool. It's also about $4 so you can't go wrong.

Stocking Stuffer Idea #1

How has it been so long since I last posted? I don't even have a good excuse. Well anyhow I am here now and I have some great stocking stuffer ideas to share. If you want to avoid stuffing those little socks with nothing but tooth rotting candy, try adding in some small toys that will add some fun.

I love this little car from Hape International and you can get them for $5! Stocking stuffers can really add up, but so it's nice that this is really affordable. It rolls really well, is made of wood and painted with safe paints. One thing that drew me to this car was the fact that two of the colors come with flowers on the sides. It's tough to find a "girly" car that isn't hot pink and plastic. This baby has even held up well outside in the sand and sun.

You can find them at www.babyearth.com.

GaGa Deals

For a while now I have been a huge fan of babyearth.com and especially of the GaGa Deal. During the work week babyearth puts one item on sale every hour and the price ticks down as time runs out. Once an item is sold out it's done until the next item is put up on the hour. It's truly addicting and I have gotten some super great deals. The fun part is deciding when to buy and I've seriously missed out on a product that I wanted so badly because I waited fifty cents too long (I'm still crushed by the way)! Anyhow I've added the widget to my sidebar because this is one of the best marketing strategies that I've seen and it totally works. It gets me to their site all the time and besides it's just plain fun. Hope you enjoy and good luck.

Refrigerator Magnets

 

www.melissaanddoug.com

So I'm working on Christmas presents and trying really hard not to get carried away, though I'm well on may way there already! I ordered some of these magnets from Melissa & Doug and received them yesterday. Obviously I had to test them out during nap time because I cannot wait until Christmas even if I make Little Moxie. I wanted alphabet and number magnets for the fridge but I have a bit of a fear about the traditional plastic ones with the small little glued magnets on the back. I have horrible visions of the magnets coming off and getting swallowed. Did you know that two swallowed magnets can rip holes in you if they find each other? Probably those magnets wouldn't be strong enough, but it makes me nervous anyway. Then I found these bad boys and my fears were resolved and I am soooo happy with them.

I'm Stuck on These Magnets
The best part of these magnets is that the magnet part is the same size as the number or letter, it covers the whole back. They are also sticky but not so much so that it's hard to get them off. The pieces are also made of wood, which is nice for the environment and probably healthier for the little ones as well. Each piece is a nice color and good thickness so that it can be taken off easily by little hands. Now, Melissa & Doug puts the warning about small parts on the package. I haven't busted out my choking hazards tube but I'm not thinking I'm too worried about it. To be safe I am holding back the lower case letters for now.Can I also just say that these are so much nicer to look at then the plastic ones. Not that it matters all that much, but really it is nice to have the kitchen look a little good right?

Melissa & Doug also make magnetic animals and dinosaurs. Pretty sure I'm (I mean Little Moxie) is gonna need the animals!

Buy them now: Melissa & Doug Deluxe Magnetic Letters & Numbers in a Box Bundle

Babysitter Balance

Usually I don’t like to post a review on a product from the same company twice in a row, but I’ve really had this chair on my mind this week and decided to break my own rule. The chair in the photo isn’t exactly the one I have; you see we got the older model then bam the new one was introduced like two months later. Oh well. And so you know, I can’t remember what they called it exactly when we got it, so I’m going with what they call it now: the Babysitter Balance. So here’s the thing: Little Moxie wanted nothing to do with this chair until about 3 or 4 months ago, yet I love it, and if I had a “normal” baby I think she would have loved it even as an infant. Having a bouncer that bounces with their energy is fun and soothing for babies and no batteries or wall plug-ins to worry about.

The Best Bouncer
The Babysitter Balance can be adjusted to three positions “play, rest and sleep,” basically low, medium and high. We had a friend over with her 2 month old who loved this chair in the medium setting because she could bounce and see what was going on. The security belt is super easy to use and nice and secure without being tight. The fabric is easy to wash, it slides off easily and machine washes and it’s Oeko-Tex Standard 100, class 1, which you have to love (not sure about the older model but the new ones for sure are). While on the subject of fabric, if you get the Babysitter Balance Air, the seat is mesh so that it’s super breathable. Living in the unforgiving heat of the desert this is the seat that I would get if I were to buy another one, and who knows if we have another baby we might, though getting the hubby to agree to that might be a tough sell. They also offer organic fabric now too. When a baby is sleeping in the Babysitter Balance their motions make the chair move so it soothes them and when they are awake they learn to bounce themselves, so fun to watch. Now that Little Moxie is older she uses it as her own little chair and loves it soooo much. I’m pretty sure she has found a few ways to use it that are not recommended by the manufacturer (like bouncing while standing on the seat backwards, and remember I’m not advocating this) and the seat is holding up wonderfully. It is really well constructed and the new seats are even easier to switch from one position to another, though I’ve never had a complaint about the old system. It also folds down really flat so it’s very easy to take with you where ever you go. When Little Moxie was 3 months we took it camping so that we could set her down once in a while, it was very convenient. Oh yeah and there is a toy bar that clips on, ours came with it but the new ones are sold separately, and I found it difficult to put on. The new bar looks like it’s more fun and easier to use. Each position has different weight limits but on the highest setting Little Moxie is sure to get at least another 6 months or so out of it. I would highly recommend this chair.

Baby Bjorn Travel Crib Light

When Little Moxie was six months old she learned to roll all over the house. It was so cool to see her move herself around. But that also meant new challenges. One such challenge was how to contain her when need be. You know, like when I’m in the shower and she rolls from the bathroom to the landing by the stairs, only feet away from tumbling to her doom. We decided that day that she needed a play pen of some sort, or “baby jail” as we affectionately call it. Since there has literally been about three hours out of her whole life in which she has slept in a crib we weren’t so concerned about using it for sleep but wanted the option in case she decided one day that cribs were the most fabulous invention ever (hasn’t happened in case you were curious). We were looking for something big enough to play in, small enough to fit in a bathroom and portable enough to take with us wherever we felt like taking it. We landed on the Baby Bjorn Travel Crib Light and it is perfect in every way I can think of.

It’s so Easy
With baby around, easy is the name of the game and this travel crib could not be any easier. Check out the video below (I put it down there because it didn't look good up here) and tell me if this doesn’t look super simple. We went for silver and it looks so nice, it’s not full of primary colors and silly patterns, again it’s simple. Like I said, she’s never slept in it, but the sides seem breathable and the mesh, of course, is great. I also think that it’s a nice size crib and it’s a rectangle instead of square like some of the play yards we looked at which makes it easier for us to get it through doorways from room to room. Here are the measurements: mattress: 24 x 42 x 1.6 in, base, inside: 32 x 44.8 x 24 in, folded: 24 x 19.6 x 5.6 in and it only weighs 11 pounds. It’s so light but it’s very very stable. The fabric zips off for easy cleaning and is Oeko-Tex Standard 100, class 1, so you know that it contains no chemicals that are hazardous to humans. The folding and unfolding is really the most amazing part. It could not be easier. Lastly, the mattress is nice; a good padded surface and nice and snug. Baby Bjorn also makes (really pricey) fitted sheets for the Travel Crib Light. I didn’t buy any because I read reviews of other people using regular crib sheets, so that’s what I did. That was fine for playing, but they did loosen up quite a bit so if I had a baby that was going to sleep in there I would want the sheet made especially for this mattress for sure, it would be a lot safer.

The sad sad end to this post is that Little Moxie can climb out now and I can no longer shower when she is awake, unless someone else is here to watch her. I actually shed a tear when this happened at 13 ½ months. Someone else I know was excited by what she had learned, but then HE wasn’t the one loosing the ability to take a much needed shower after the morning walk…I’m just say’n. IF your child will stay in the crib, the manufacturer says that it can be used through three years of age.

Get it now from Amazon:  BABYBJÖRN Travel Crib Light - Silver

Urban Baby Bonnets

modBonnet

Raise your hand if you have a hard time keeping a hat of any sort on your little one. Granted I can’t see into cyber space but my guess is that there are a lot of hands in the air right now. The answer is the modBonnet by UB2! What a lifesaver these adorable little pieces of art have been. Our fist experience with one was when Little Moxie was 3 months old and we went “camping” in a condo while the rest of the family was actually in the campground. If you camp with an infant props to you but I was just not into it and I wanted a real bed and shower (wimpy I know). Anyhow, we were at the campground most of the day times and needed something to keep the sun off of her face and something to keep her ears warmer and as it happened a bit of rain out of her face as well.While other hats stuck fear at the very sight, Little Moxie didn’t seem to mind this one, and as she got older we moved on to the skiBonnet for winter. This was the ONLY hat we could keep on her head, and with the exception of one other one (sometimes) it still is. She can’t pull it off because it snaps under her chin and unlike beanies, it doesn’t constrict her head, so I really think she’s more comfortable and doesn’t want it off as badly. Perhaps she likes that it’s wicked cute too, I know I do. Now that she’s 1 (eeek) she has two for this summer (which needs to end, I’m sick of the heat) and they have been real lifesavers. Now which one to choose for this winter? So many cute patterns to choose from, I think I'm leaning towards butterflies...

Hats Off (or on rather) to modBonnets

skiBonnet

UB2 makes both modBonnets and skiBonnets. The only difference is that the skiBonnets have fleece, making them ideal for winter while the modBonnets are simply cotton which is obviously better for hot summers. The skiBonnet can be used even if you don’t need sun protection because all you have to do is flip back the visor part and the rest of the head remains warmly surrounded by fleece. For all other times when you don’t need fleece the modBonnet is awesome, it seriously can’t be beat. First off, it’s reversible, so you have two adorable fabrics; important for the fashion conscious baby (and parent) of course. The visor is rounded just right so that the sun stays out of the eyes and can flip back when not needed. The flipping visor is so nice, go into the shade, flip it up, back to the sun and down it goes. There's no need to constantly be taking it off and putting it on again. It doesn’t bend out of shape and has a good amount of element coverage. I have washed our bonnets several times and probably not been as careful as I could have been and they are still perfect. They have gotten wet, muddy, stepped on, sat on and thrown in a bag and they still work (FYI - this obviously is not the recommended type of care they should receive). They do not keep sun off the back of the neck like some wide rimmed hats, but we just throw a little extra sun screen back there and it’s fine. Don’t let the price tag scare you ($34ish) because this is the only hat that you need. Buy one each time they grow and you can’t grow wrong. So far the size chart provided has been dead on and even when they are a little big they still work fine. Lastly, I should also mention that UB2 even has "boy" fabric, so these aren't just for girls!

For the complete line of bonnets head to the UB2 store at etsy: http://www.etsy.com/shop/urbanbabybonnets?ref=top_trail

SposoEasy Diaper

www.bluepenguin.biz

I’ve mentioned before that we use some cloth diapers and some disposables. If money grew on trees I would use nothing but the SposoEasy and skip the disposables all together. Made by Blue Penguin the Sposos are all-in-one diapers that you put on just like a disposable, no extra steps, no trying to get a squirming baby to be patient while you go through the steps of using separate pieces. Little Moxie is not known for her patience and these speed up the changing process over other cloth diapers immensely. They also keep her little behind from getting a rash because they breath so much more than disposables.

Tell Me More
These diapers are trim but absorbent. You know how many cloth diapers are pretty much huge? Well not these, they really aren't that much bigger than a disposable when they fit properly. If used a bit big then they are a little more bulky but they still blow the competition away. I think we’ve only had a leak like three times, and of course each time it could possibly (definitely) have been because I waited too long. No cloth diaper can absorb as much as a disposable and sometimes I just dropped the ball on changing often enough. If you want more absorbency you could use a doubler but I never do because I like the trimness.

We have found that we like the apix closure the best because they are slightly more adjustable than the snaps. The snaps were nice when Little Moxie went through the taking-her-diaper-off-every-chance-she-got stage because she couldn’t quite figure those out. Ooooh was she mad. I also don’t notice the red rubbing with the Sposos that she would get from some of her other covers. I hated to see little red rub patches, that can’t be comfortable. Lastly these are so easy to wash, in the right detergent of course. They have a little area where you tuck in the apix so that it doesn’t stick to everything else and then just throw them in the machine. In all honesty I try no to use cloth if I think she’s going to poo; I’m not a big fan of the toilet swishing. When she was 100% breast fed it was fine because it was okay to just throw it in the washer but with “real” poo you have to pre-wash… yuck. Props to all of you who can do it, but I try not to if at all possible.

We didn't get any size xs (I wish we did though) and the small didn't fit Little Moxie until about 6 or 8 weeks but following the size recommendations has worked for us very well. Oh I should also mention that these come in fab colors, which I suppose you can see by the pic, but still. White is a staple of course but the colors are nice for summer when really all they need to wear is a diaper around the house. Colors are also good with just a t-shirt or dress because they don’t “look” like a diaper so you can get away with wearing them out without looking like you forgot to get your kid dressed.

Check out the Blue Penguin website at www.bluepenguin.biz. You can also find these at some other cloth diapering websites like www.greenmountiandiapers.com (they also have a lot of great pics of these on babies) and see other reviews at www.diaperpin.com

Original Supermaze

www.hape-international.com

Here is another toy from Hape International that we absolutely love. For her one year birthday Little Moxie received this toy as a gift and it was certainly one of the very best things that she received. It will be used for many years as it is one of those things that they can always discover something new.

Unique maze
Who knows why kids like these things. Really if anyone has some great physiological insight I would love to hear it. All that really matters, I guess, is that they do like them. Beads on a wire that is bent and twisted… who’d have thought? This can entertain a kid for a long long time though. There are also many valuable things that the maze can teach a kid also. Cause and effect of course and the beads get pushed along and either have to go up or down or sideways. They fall and make noise so they can see what caused the noise to occur. They have to problem solve by figuring out how to get the beads to the other side, how to get their little hands in there to move the beads they want to get to and they get to check out why each set of beads is on it’s own track. This bead maze also has a few tracks where the beads are in a distinct pattern, i.e. blue-red-yellow-blue-red-yellow and cylinder-sphere-cube-cylinder-sphere-cube. As they grow the little ones can come to recognize patterns and you can discuss shapes with them as well as obviously colors. The maze has also served as something to push around the room and lift up and carry from one corner to the other (probably not what the makers intended but it seems to be fun.) It has also been a seat for her stuffed animals and a place to watch just about any other toy fall down in the middle of it. This toy will be around a long time as it is built so well. Some serious manipulation has been done to the wires and they haven’t budged. I’m not worried that they beads will come off or the wire will cause any harm. We really like this toy and will get tons of use out of it for years.

There must be a reason that these things are in so many pediatrician waiting rooms right? Why not have one at home!

Amazon has it here: Educo Original Supermaze

Nature’s Baby Organics Conditioner and Detangler

Last week I talked about the shampoo and I would be remiss if I didn’t talk about the conditioner as well. As Little Moxie grows so does her hair (thank goodness right) and it is curly. Super cute, but pretty wild at times. When I ordered the shampoo I decided that it was also time for conditioner. It is also sooooo very dry here Go that her hair was starting to get that stringy look to it, not cute. Another great product find and I am so glad that we are taking care of her hair and making it healthier.

Love it!
So this is a conditioner and a detangler so it can be washed out or left in. Most nights we shampoo then condition and rinse. After bath time when we read stories we comb her hair and have noticed a dramatic change in texture. Before we used this we were tugging at her hair to get he knots out. I’m sure that wasn’t super fun and certainly not relaxing. The very first time we used it Daddy noticed the change. Now it is so easy to get the comb through and she loves loves loves to have her hair combed and brushed. It comes in the same scent as the shampoo, Vanilla-Tangerine (or Lavender-Chamomile) so it compliments the shampoo instead of competing with it. Even with using two products on her head the scent remains mild and pleasant, not overwhelming at all. As a detangler I like it just as much, really it’s a baby beauty product in my opinion. By the end of the day her hair is usually sticky and pretty crazy, so when I want it to look nice I rub a little on my hands and run it through her hair then either fluff it or comb it. The curls regain some oomph and it overall neatens her appearance. Naturally it also helps to get rid of the tangles. A little goes a long way too so I anticipate the 8oz bottle lasting several months. Like the shampoo, this product is rated a 2 on the Cosmetic Safety Database meaning that there is a low risk of hazards associated with its use.

You can purchase this directly from the Nature’s Baby Organics website or from Amazon: Nature's Baby Organics Conditioner & Detangler, Vanilla Tangerine, 16-Ounce Bottles (Pack of 2)

Pound & Roll Tower

www.melissaanddoug.com

There are a few toys that every kid needs. One of them is a shape sorter like I talked about here and another is some kind of pounding-with-a-hammer toy. There are tons to choose from but for the pounding toy I would highly recommend the Pound & Roll Tower from Melissa & Doug. The tower says that it’s for ages 2+ but we gave it to Little Moxie when she was 13 months and she took right to it. Sometimes we help her by pushing the balls down a bit so that it doesn’t take as many whacks but she certainly picked up the idea of beating the heck out of them until they fall down the tower. I was afraid that because of the age suggestion this would have to go back in the closet for a while, but it has been great and tons of fun. From the look of other reviews I think that most people would agree that most kids don’t need to be two in order to catch on.

Pound on!
I like toys that do more than one thing. Not all toys are going to be all that educational, I get that, but if you can add education to the toys and have them still be loads of fun so that the kido doesn’t know that there’s learning involved, that’s ideal. The Pound & Roll Tower by Melissa & Doug accomplishes lots of fun while simultaneously facilitating learning. Each side of the tower is a different color; red, green, yellow and blue. There is a corresponding ball for each side so when putting the balls back up we can talk about matching the colors, love that. Then when a ball gets hit down it clacks down the tower creating an auditory association with the visual falling of the ball. As soon as the clacking starts she looks for it to come out of the side at the bottom. Of course the hammering of the balls is great for hand-eye coordination (you have to get them ready for video games somehow right!) Really though, it is very good to begin to teach them how to connect the front of the hammer with the ball that they are aiming for and they are rewarded by the ball falling, clacking and coming out the side. You can also have them aim for a certain color which helps with following directives. The toy is made of wood and coated in paint and a coating. The safety conformity report can be found online stating that all of their materials for this toy comply with all required safety standards. Lastly, the hammer will indent the top of the toy, but all it does is add character and show how loved the toy is!

You can find purchase this toy directly from Melissa & Doug or from Amazon at: Pound and Roll Tower by Melissa & Doug

Nature's Baby Organics Shampoo and Body Wash

www.naturesbabyorganics.com

Yes I have taken a small hiatus… I blame the crazy heat that we’re having here, I feel like it’s baking my brain. I’m back now. The heat certainly hasn’t subsided, but I’m slowly regaining neural function. So here I am writing about Nature’s Baby Organics. This is the first Nature’s Baby Organics product review but I can assure you that it won’t be the last. I seriously love this company!

What’s so great? Baby shampoo is baby shampoo right? Wrong. Not all baby shampoos are created equal, just like not all adult shampoos are created equal. Since Little Moxie was born I have been on a quest for the right shampoo, and everything we used was just okay. Nothing stood out as great, some better than others for sure, but still not great. Recently we were nearing the end of the bottle of the latest brand and I had no intention of re-buying what I had. After using the soothing stick and diaper cream with such great success (I probably should have written about those first huh? Oops. Anyhow…) I looked to Nature’s Baby Organics once again. I was looking for three main things:
1. Not too much scent
2. It had to be a 0-2 on the Skin Deep scale (more on that in a minute)
3. It had to work (duh.)

To say that Little Moxie is not a fan of hair wash time would be the understatement of the century. While I wouldn’t say that this shampoo cured that, it does seem better. It makes me wonder if it is less irritating to her head. As an added bonus, even though it doesn’t claim to be tear-free, it seems to be. I know that some of it has made it into her eyes (tilt your head back already!) and it definitely hasn’t irritated them. It has her seal of approval, even if it does mean that she has to get her hair washed.

How it measured up
1.    We have the Vanilla-Tangerine and the scent is heavenly! It is mild but sweet. When it’s cuddle time you can certainly smell it on her, but it is not overpowering or distracting. I am allergic to lavender (it makes it so hard to get natural products, ugh) so I haven’s smelled that scent but the Vanilla-Tangerine is fabulous and I would totally use it on a boy too, it’s not just a girly scent. Some of the products out there have so much fragrance that it is overpowering and annoying. It also seemed like the more scent there was on her body the worse she slept. It seems like her little nose is extra sensitive and I want sleep. This stuff is so nice it makes me wish I could do “scratch-n-sniff” on the screen because words don’t do it justice.
2.    The Skin Deep Cosmetic Database is a great resource for checking out the toxicity of pretty much any cosmetic product. They rate each product based on its ingredients and explain exactly why the product received the rating it did, ingredient by ingredient. Nature’s Baby Organics shampoos received a 2 on their scale, meaning that they pose a very low hazard to humans. For comparison other baby shampoos have gotten 5s signifying a moderate hazard. Many adult shampoos are in the 7s and 8s, so (my opinion) pretty much poison on your head. Good times.
3.    It works!!! It lathers up and you only need a tiny bit (depending on hair length of course) It gets out the catsup, pudding, peanut butter, blueberries… all the kid basics. Most shampoos do, I suppose, but this one seems to do it so effortlessly. I like it, can you tell.

I haven’t even gotten to the body wash part of the equation and it’s already such a long review. Well I’ll sum it up quickly. It’s genius. Basically all the benefits that I mentioned apply to it being used on the body. Even when it’s used all over the smell is still pleasantly mild and it works very well without drying out her skin but still getting that stickiness off her that comes from our sweltering, unrelenting and downright ridiculous heat (did I mention that it's hot around here?)

Buy this stuff, you will not be disappointed. I tried the 8oz. to start but will be getting the 16oz. next time! You can buy it directly from the company website or at Amazon: Nature's Baby Organics Shampoo & Body Wash (Vanilla/Tangerine)-16 oz.

Rainmaker

This is such a cool toy. We actually bought this for Little Moxie’s one year birthday. We got some interesting reactions from guests who simply couldn’t believe that we would be the ones to get the noisemaker. That is traditionally reserved for “well-meaning” friends and relatives apparently. My attitude is that as long as she’s happy and occupied I don’t really care how loud it is. I may change my tune if we have another one who needs to be sleeping, but for now it really doesn’t matter, and I find this toy WAY less annoying than most of her battery operated gizmos. It does, however, remind me that I live in a desert where there is never much hope of actual rain. Sigh.

Great Replica
If you know what a regular rainmaker is, then you have a pretty good idea of what this toy is too. It’s a very good replication of the traditional rainmaker. If you don’t know… well it’s basically a lot of beads falling down a tube, hitting plastic as they flow and making a noise that is reminiscent of a downpour. This toy has good sound and just the right amount of beads. It can get pretty loud if the little ones get to shaking the heck out of it, but it seems to crack them up so that’s fine. Seeing what makes the sound is the really cool part. It helps to teach the kids that what they see with the balls is what is actually making the sound; cause and effect. It connects visual and auditory; loudest at the beginning when all the beads are moving and quieter as fewer beads are left to fall. For music appreciation type lessons this is fabulous and not an everyday find (I challenge you to find one friend with this toy.) The quality is terrific and I feel safe giving her a tube of potential choking hazards because of how well it’s made. Hohner Kids also had the safety report for all their toys on their website. The Rainmaker was tested with the “most stringent use and abuse tests” and passed everything that they check for. Click HERE for the full report. I really respect a company that puts these reports online.

Like I mentioned, this toy is a little hard to find, but you can get it directly from their website at www.hohnerkids.com. I think Little Moxie may have to try some of their other cool instruments too!

Fresh Baby Food Trays

www.freshbaby.com

I have to be honest; jars of baby food kinda freak me out. Deep down I know that it’s just pureed food with some water and then canned basically. I know this, yet I sort of cringe. So of course I made ALL of my own baby food right? Not by a long shot, but I did try really hard! I made as much as I could, but my Little Moxie has never been a champion eater, so I got very frustrated in the beginning especially. I tried to make my own cereal, spent the time and energy and dishes, but when she only begrudgingly ate one bite, maybe two, I gave up. Boxed cereal to the rescue, and I got the healthiest whole grain cereal that I could, so I felt a little better. Of course meat has always been another toughie. How do you puree meat? I never mastered it. It was never soft enough, never moist enough, or too moist, and basically it never got eaten. Hello jarred meat! So out were cereal and meat, but what I could do was fruit and vegetables (well all but peas, I just never got those right.) Sweet potatoes, broccoli, carrot, peaches, blueberries, split pea soup, asparagus, pears, butternut and acorn squash, etc. etc. I was on a roll with the fruit and veggies. One of the things that made making my own food so much easier were the Fresh Baby Food Trays. I have four of these little guys and I only wish I had more! Just pour in your freshly pureed treasure, snap on the lid and pop them in the freezer. When the cubes are frozen, take them out and put them in a storage bag so that they trays are available for your next batch. Seriously easy! I still use these even though I don’t need to puree her foods anymore. Soups, fruit and vegetable pieces, left over sauces and broth all get frozen in these beauties.

Not Your Average Ice Cube Tray
Most make-your-own baby food sources say to use ice cube trays, which I know for many people is just fine, and I'm not knocking them (much...) You may have noticed, however, that I don't really do "fine," I want great, near perfection at the very least. I personally don’t trust a lot of plastics, I just don’t, especially ones coming in contact with my baby's food. I do trust the Fresh Baby Food Trays though. They are BPA and phthalate free, so I know that they are way safer than "normal" ice cube trays (again, not knocking them exactly). You've probably heard a lot about products being free of those chemicals lately (especially BPA) but if you don't know what they are check out www.healthychild.org (http://healthychild.org/issues/chemical-pop/bisphenol_a/ and http://healthychild.org/issues/chemical-pop/phthalates/) It's good to be informed, but I digress... back to the trays. They have lids, very secure lids that are still easy to remove. Lids are genius! They stack well in the freezer, saving loads of space and the food doesn’t get little bits of who-knows-what floating in on top, yuck. Oh and no foil or plastic wrap frozen on top that I had to somehow pull out of the frozen cubes. It was also very nice to pull out one veggie cube and one fruit cube and know that she was getting two servings, about an ounce each (not that she usually ate it all, but at least I tried right!) None of my trays ever stained, nor did they collect any odd odors as many plastics are prone to do. Lastly they are dishwasher-safe, so clean up is easy. I have been using these trays for about 8 months and they show no signs of wear, leading me to believe that they should easily last though the next baby and most likely well beyond.

Check out the Fresh Baby blog at http://freshbaby.typepad.com/ where they share lots of great recipes and advice.

To buy the Fresh Baby Food Trays at Amazon click here: Fresh Baby So Easy Baby Food/Breast Milk Trays or order directly from Fresh Baby at http://freshbaby.com

KidCo Center Gateway Pressure Mount Gate

www.kidco.com

Wouldn’t it be great if the little ones just stayed in the exact areas that we want them to and never wandered where danger might lurk? Oh to dream. I would love it if my entire house was childproof and just fine for Little Moxie to run around in. Unfortunately that just isn’t the case. Some doors just can’t be shut all the time but I don’t want her jamming a Q-tip in her ear or inserting her water bottle into the computer while I’m over in the kitchen making yet another snack. So we have a couple of gates in the house to make things a little safer for her and to help me maintain my sanity. We’ve tried a few. One was used for about two minutes before it went directly back into the car to be returned. Others are only good for short-term use, but The KidCo Center Gateway Pressure Mount Gate is our absolute favorite for long term use. I can’t really think of anything that we don’t like about this gate.

On with it!
One of the very best features about this gate in particular is that it can be opened in either direction (in or out… does that make sense?) Some gates don’t have that option, which I have to say just annoys me, it’s one of those convenient things that once you get used to there’s no going back. The other wonderful thing is that it’s pressure mounted. I was a little afraid that it wouldn’t be very secure, but it really is tight; barring a natural disaster that thing is not moving. Of course this means that there are no holes in my wall, so in the future when/if the gate (ever) comes down, there is no evidence left behind. There is a nice lever on top of the gate which locks the gate closed. Unless the button is pushed the lever will not release, then as an added bonus the gate has to be picked up slightly to actually swing open. This may sound like a pain but really it takes two seconds (I just timed it to be sure) and it takes one hand and it makes it all that much more child-proof. As a bonus it also comes in white, black or platinum so you can choose the color that looks best with the rest of the bright colored toys décor in your house. Kidco also sells extensions so this gate will fit pretty much anywhere, well up to six feet wide. We have one extension and the gate is still super secure. Oh and did I mention that it's metal? So nice; no cheap plastic here.You may want to note that when the gate is opened you do have to step over a bit of metal (like an inch). Little Moxie stubbed her toe a couple of times in the beginning but she's used to it now and it's never been a problem for me or any other adult that has gone through it.

This is not an economy gate so it will set you back a little bit, but I can’t imagine needing to replace them anytime soon and we’ve been using them for about 7 months. For the safety and peace of mind, I think that it was well worth the investment and hey you get what you pay for right!

Here it is at Amazon: Kidco Pressure Mounted Center Gateway Safety Gate: White or KidCo Center Gateway - Platinum or Center Gateway By KidCo Colors: Black

You can also get it at one of my favorite online retailers: www.babyearth.com

Planet Ultra Laundry Detergent

www.planetinc.com

Seriously? A detergent on a baby stuff blog? Heck yeah! This stuff is genius. My baby has fairly sensitive skin, always has. From the beginning I was hoping to cloth diaper, of course I’m not a fan of laundry so there have been some challenges. Basically we’ve always been a little cloth and a little disposables. If her bum ever gets a little red, we pop her back into cloth and bingo bango the red usually goes away very quickly, no cream needed. To do cloth diapering right you have to get the right detergent. Regular old detergent has all kinds of nasties in them (seriously do some research and it’s kinda scary.) Then I read that if you are going to use a good natural detergent that really cleans, you have to use it for all your clothes otherwise if you just use it, say for your diapers, it will clean out your washer every time, thus depositing yucky stuff left from the other detergent on your diapers. Good times. So that meant a search for something that we could use for every thing. We found Planet, ordered it, loved it and the rest is history. Once we ran out and I used another mainstream brand in a pinch. Not wise. The redness on her bum got worse not better and while she didn’t break out, her clothes seemed to itch her too. We re-ordered Planet immediately, and while we have always used the liquid, I now also keep a box of the powdered for back-up. Not that the powdered is bad but the liquid is supposed to be better for hard water, which we definitely have. We also have a top-loading machine and use the Ultra Laundry Detergent, I have not tried the 2X Ultra for HE machines (you know, the one in the picture up there) but imagine it to work just as well.

What I like
This stuff leaves no odor, really none. This is a good thing, no perfumes to irritate baby’s skin and you know that everything is really clean when all the smell is out, not just covered up with perfumes. Then there is the no-buildup thing. I have not had to strip any of my diapers even once in the last year that we’ve been using cloth. They absorb great and that’s because there's nothing getting stuck in them from the detergent. As for stains, Planet works well. Honestly I don’t care if my diapers get stained (which is good because they all are), and I don’t wash them quick enough to prevent stains no matter what detergent I use. For regular laundry however, Planet is very good at getting out stains (given you get it in the wash in a reasonable amount of time.) The bottom line is that Planet is great for our clothes and way way way better for Mother Earth too as it’s certified to be 100% biodegradable. It contains no enzymes, no fabric softener, no brightener, no scents and no dyes. Very pure. Very good.

Here are some recommendations from the company about which detergent to choose:

* Planet 2X Ultra Laundry Detergent, HE (for both High-Efficiency as well as conventional washing machines. It is concentrated so you use less.): Approved on many cloth-diapering websites. A powerful cleaner that is gentle on sensitive skin. This is the product that we most often recommend for cloth-diapering.

* Planet Ultra Liquid Laundry Detergent (the one I use): Approved on many cloth-diapering websites. A tried and true formula. Works great in conventional washing machines, a little too sudsy for the newer High Efficiency machines.

* Planet Ultra Powdered Laundry Detergent (I also have this one): Also approved on many cloth-diapering websites, this is a great cleaner. Make sure you rinse well, especially if you have a baby with sensitive skin, and especially if you have hard water. Powdered detergents can be more prone to residue issues than liquid detergents.

* Planet Delicate Laundry Wash: more often ordered online than found in stores, this is a fabulous cleaner for hand-washing your delicates like silk and wool in the sink. Can be used in conventional washing machines but too high-sudsing for the High Efficiency machines.

I did a lot of research before buying a detergent. I would always encourage you to do the same, hopefully that's why you're reading this review. You may want to check out this great chart put together by PinStripes and PolkaDots: http://www.pinstripesandpolkadots.com/detergentchoices.htm

One more side note…. I order it from Amazon. They have a very good price. I shopped locally once and paid double… no joke. Planet Ultra Liquid Laundry Detergent, Case Pack, Four 100 Fluid-Ounce Bottles (400 Fluid-Ounces) or  Planet 2x HE Ultra Laundry Liquid Detergent, 32-Loads, 50-Ounces Bottle (Pack of 4)

Shake'n Match Shape Sorter

www.hape-international.ca

I could not be more excited to write about Hape International’s Shake’n Match Shape Sorter for my very first review. We love this toy! Pretty much every kid needs a shape sorter right? I mean it just seems to be one of those standard things that every toddler has. Many families that I know have two or three different ones even. I wonder if that’s in an attempt to get a good one? Hmmm. Anyhow, this honestly is the only one that we will have and it will last us through as many kids as we want.

Tell Me About the Toy Already!
This is a six-sided wooden toy. Each block shape is filled with little wooden balls that make it rattle, and seriously show me one kid out there who doesn’t like things that rattle. Anyone? I didn’t think so. Additionally each block shape is a different color, which is great because then not only are the kids looking for the triangle but also the color red, for example. It helps on both the color and the shape front; two birds, one stone, or block in this case. Once put in, the blocks are securely locked in the hexagonal box with elastic cording across the openings. Now, I can see how some people might not like that, after all it does make it hard for little hands to get out the shapes on their own. Here’s my pitch: I love it because it makes this a toy that we have to play with together. I like sitting down and talking about the shapes and the colors and watching her learn and get a little better each time. Little Moxie comes shaking her sorter down the hallway looking for someone to play with and hey she’s seeking me out for something fun (not a new diaper, not food or because of another booboo) so really who could turn that down. Obviously there are times when independent toys are needed (or am I the only one backed up on laundry and dishes?), but at least for now this is a mommy/daddy and baby toy, and we like it that way.

Truly a toy that is played with every single day without fail. I would recommend this toy to anyone. Of course keep in mind that it is geared for the child who is 12months+ and I would agree that in our case, before a year any shape sorter was frustrating. I should also mention that this company has great customer service and this toy is reasonably priced for the exceptional quality.

To order this from Amazon click here: Educo Shake'n Match Shape Sorter