Pediped’s Spring Summer ’09 Collection includes sandals for every day and every occasion. Little ones will be styling in their Pedipeds which provide the comfort and support that many sandals lack. Check out the Addison style for little girls, pictured at right. If I could choose one pair for my daughter for this summer, those would be the ones…they’ll match almost everything and are too cute for words. The entire summer sandal collection is both attractive and functional – a perfect combination.

This new collection will be available in February from Pediped.com.

Until just three days ago, I was a mother of two children who had never puked. I’ve been initiated by the younger of the two and have now been barfed on more times than I care to count. At home, it wasn’t such a big deal. Gross, but not a big deal. Strip the kid, toss in tub, lather, rinse, repeat. In the car, however, it’s a very very big deal. Thank goodness I had a YakPack in my vehicle yesterday! The YakPack is a comprehensive puke & clean up kit that’s perfect for parents. Available online at www.TheYakPack.com, The YakPack is small enough to easily fit in a glove compartment or a diaper bag, or in the pocket in the back of a car seat. The YakPack includes a otion sickness bag and absorbent lap pad, vomit absorbent/odor neutralizer, scoop and scraper for rapid removal, antimicrobial wipes, heavy duty dry cloth and non-latex gloves for clean-up, a biohazard (heh) bag for removal and disposal and it all comes in a clear zippered bag for convenient storage.

The YakPack isn’t just for vehicles, though. The carpet under my daughter’s crib still smelled sour even after being cleaned. I have no idea what’s in the powder ior if it’s non-toxic, but out of curiousity I sprinkled the powder on the carpet and vacuumed it up a few hours later and the smell was gone. Whatever it is, it works!

A single YakPack is $8.00. Orders of six or more are $7.00 per pack.

Publications International, Ltd., has created a (relatively) new interactive product, Poingo to make books literally “come alive” for children. It’s a pen that senses locations on the pages of special Poingo books with a tiny infrared camera mounted in its tip.

“Children ages 3-7 will love using the pen-shaped Poingo to touch pictures or text, and bring their favorite characters to life with words, sounds and music. Almost everything on the book’s pages comes alive, engaging the child and making their reading, and learning, experience an unforgettable one.”

We were sent a Poingo starter kit to review and are totally digging it. Because it’s inevitable and is the first question I’m always asked when someone sees our Poingo…on with the comparison: There are currently several similar products on the market, with the Leapfrog TAG being the main competitor. We don’t have a Tag but borrowed one from a friend for comparison sake. There are a few major differences as well as some similarities noted when we used both for a few weeks. They both have their positives and negatives and, in our opinion, there is no clear winner. It’s all a matter of preference.

Our observations:

*Locally, the Poingo system is at least $15 cheaper at regular price for the starter kit. ($35 vs $50.) The price point of Poingo makes this cool technology available to more families.
*The Poingo sound is not as crisp nor as clear as the sound of the Tag.
*With Tag, you can point at individual words on the page and Tag will read just that word. Poingo only reads the entire page which is very frustrating for the child who is learning to read and wants help with only a few words. It took us a long time to figure this out, but the pages’ narration can be interrupted with another tap that the pace can be controlled.
*They both claim to have several books available but I can only find 2 books for the Poingo (Nemo and Cars – my son loves them both!) but over 20 for the Tag.
*Poingo looks all contain licenced characters but the Tag system offers much more variety.
*Both systems run on 2 AAA batteries. The Poingo’s 256 MB of internal memory is much larger than that of the TAG’s 16 MB, and it can store up to 50 books where the Tag can store only 6.
*For the Poingo pen, you have to go online to download more content by way of a USB port . I had no luck in doing this and received no response from the customer service (disservice?) reps after several attempts so we’re still just using what the system came with.
*The Poingo has two volume levels and a headphone jack. The Tag has a headphone jack.
*Both systems are targeted to a similar age group (preschoolers and early school aged children, 3-7 for Poingo and 4-8 for Tag) but the books rip incredibly easily. They should both be built much more sturdily and perhaps coated in something plastic or rip-resistant given their target audience. In my opinion, both systems should say 2-6 or 7 because my early reader loves his Poingo system at 2.5 years and anyone over 7 is likely going to think it’s a little “babyish” according to the 7 year old who played with ours.

While they both have their annoying features, I’d actually love to have both in my house because they also have their good points and the kids love them. The technology is very cool and there’s so much potential. I’m waiting for the Poingo and Tag v.2 to be developed and I want to try them!

Win it! We’ve got a Poingo system for one reader to try! To enter to win, leave a comment on this post before noon mst on February 4, 2009.

CONTEST CLOSED & WINNER EMAILED

Have you ever found yourself putting groceries in your car only to turn around and find the cart rolling away? It’s happened to me more times than I care to remember! I seem to find that one spot that has just the slightest incline and my cart won’t stay put. Oh and forget about the windy season…I lived in an area with really high winds that would blow the cart across the parking lot…it isn’t fun when you have your kid in the cart and you’re trying to chase it down when the wind is blowing! I got in the habit of hooking my foot around a wheel just to hold it in place.

Leave it to a mom to come up with a solution to the “run away cart” problem! Dyanne Houlihan put her son in a grocery cart and turned around to get her other son out of his car seat when someone yelled to her that her cart was rolling away. The cart hit a car that was waiting for a parking spot; thankfully her son was ok, but the cart could have flipped over or been hit by a car. That day she went home to find a solution and ended up developing the Cart-Stopper.

The Cart-Stopper is like having an extra pair of hands. It is very simple to use – it attaches easily with a suction to the side of your vehicle and the other end hooks through the cart. It’s small and light enough to store in your purse, diaper bag, or just keep in the trunk of your vehicle. At just under $10 it is definitely affordable and gives you that peace of mind. It’s nice to not worry about your cart rolling away with your child in it! -by Michelle

Win it! We’re giving away a Cart Stopper to one reader. To enter, leave a comment on this post before noon mst on February 3, 2009.

CONTEST CLOSED & WINNER EMAILED

The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) recently urged Americans to take extra fire safety precautions this winter in the wake of several recent multiple fatality fires: “These recent tragic fires have painfully underscored that we are right in the middle of the peak season for home fires,” said NFPA President Jim Shannon.

According to NFPA, December, January and February are the leading months for home fires. In 2007 there were an estimated 399,000 home fires resulting in nearly 3,000 deaths. Cooking is the leading cause of home structure fires and home fire injuries. Smoking is the leading cause of home fire deaths. Heating ranks second in home fire deaths overall, but in one- or two-family dwellings it is the leading cause.

Among other tips, the NFPA recommends the following key fire safety tips:

Watch your cooking Stay in the kitchen when you are frying, grilling, or broiling food. If you must leave, even for a short time, turn off the stove.
Have a home fire escape plan Make a home fire escape plan and practice it at least twice a year.
Install and test smoke alarms Install smoke alarms on every level of your home, inside bedrooms and outside sleeping areas. Interconnect smoke alarms throughout the home. When one sounds, they all sound. Test smoke alarms at least once a month and replace batteries once a year or when the alarm “chirps” to tell you the battery is low. Replace any smoke alarm that is more than 10 years old.
Install carbon monoxide alarms Install CO alarms in a central location outside each separate sleeping area and on every level of the home and in other locations where required by applicable laws, codes or standards. For the best protection, interconnect all CO alarms throughout the home.
Install sprinklers If you are building or remodeling your home, install residential fire sprinklers. Sprinklers can contain, and may even extinguish, a fire in less time than it would take the fire department to arrive.

Are you following these simple safety tips? Do you have a plan for fire safety in your home? Do you have a working smoke detector and a fire extinguisher on hand? If not, you owe it to yourself to visit Kidde, the world’s largest manufacturer of fire safety products. On Kidde’s website, not only can you learn about their products, you can read all about Fire Safety and Carbon Monoxide Safety . They even have a online product support page!

We were sent three Kidde products to review – I can highly recommend all of them.

The first was the Kidde FX210R Living Area Fire Extinguisher – White:  There are four classes of fire extinguishers (see link for details). The minimum recommendation for the home from the National Fire Protection Association is to have an ABC extinguisher in your home (living area) and your garage. According to my husband (a fire academy grad), this one from Kidde fits the bill perfectly.  Product Description: White Finish Living Area Fire Extinguisher, Fights Fires Common To The Home Living Areas Such As Wood, Fabrics, Furnishings & Drapes, Meets NFPA Recommendations For Primary Home Protection, 10 Year Warranty, Features Bilingual Name Plate & Carton, Features Include Pressure Gauge, Easy To Pull Safety Pin, Rust & Impact Resistant Nylon Handle, UL Rated 2A10BC.

Next up, the Kidde KN-COSM-B Battery-Operated Combination Carbon Monoxide and Smoke Alarm with Talking Alarm (3 AA batteries are required and are included!) Studies show that more than two in three children will sleep through the sound of a regular smoke alarm but will wake up to the sound of their parent’s voice. With two small children, I was excited to get this alarm. And what a great feature that the smoke alarm is combined with a carbon monoxide detector – now we have one on both levels of the house. Did you know that carbon monoxide is the leading cause of accidental poisoning deaths in North America? And because it is odorless, tasteless and invisible, a detector is the only way you have of knowing it’s in your house. And don’t worry about the alarm going off and trying to figure out what the alarm has detected because the voice warning system announces “Fire, Carbon Monoxide, Low Battery or Smart Hush Activation” – eliminating any confusion and clearly warns you and your family of a smoke or carbon monoxide danger, or if your battery is in need of replacement.

Finally we installed the Kidde KN-COPP-B Front Load Battery-Operated Carbon Monoxide Alarm with Digital Display (3 AA batteries are required and are included!) in our kitchen. Product Description The Kidde 900-0146 battery-operated carbon monoxide (CO) alarm uses the patented Nighthawk electrochemical CO sensor to help protect you and your family from the dangers of CO. Easy to install, the 900-0146’s backlit digital display shows CO levels in parts per million and updates every 15 seconds. When the unit is operating properly and hazardous CO levels are not detected, its green LED flashes every 30 seconds. In a CO emergency, the red LED pulses and an 85 db horn sounds at specific intervals until the CO threat is eliminated. Because it’s powered by 3 AA batteries, the 900-0146 is able to provide continuous monitoring of CO levels, even during power outages. – by CPA Mom

Win it! We’re giving away a fire safety kit valued at $100 from Kidde which includes all three of the above mentioned items. Our apologies…US readers only because of the chemical content. To enter, leave a comment on this post before noon mst on February 2, 2009.

CONTEST CLOSED & WINNER EMAILED – Congrats to Madeline – another winner with a blog!

It’s been a while since we’ve directed you to a great shoe source that served the bigger kids among us, and forever since we’ve reviewed any of the Vincent lines, but in the meantime be sure to check out the Big Winter Sale at TOP fave Vincent Shoes. They’re some of the most stylish shoes around, and when you can get ‘em half price they look even cuter!

Even here in the great white north, we get a lot of sun. Enough that our little ones’ noggins need protection, and wouldn’t it be a shame if that protection wasn’t fashionable?

How cute is this? A bandana for your baby! Not that my baby has any hair to keep out of her eyes, or works up much of a sweat in her Exersaucer, but she looks super hip with her baby bandana from Tsitah Threads on!

Tsitah Threads was founded by a new mom with a “desire to outfit her babe in comfort, happiness, and cheetah print”. This cute little bandana is 100% cotton and has a Velcro closure to allow for adjustable sizing. My daughter who is 7 months old not only looked adorable in her bandana, but had no trouble keeping it on. Just beware of the other children around that may try to snatch it from your baby’s head! Tsitah Threads currently makes these fashion statements for infants 0-12 months as well as a newly released toddler size. Organic cotton is available as well. They come in a variety of patterns and colors, so check at www.tsitah.com for your faves.

Be aware that the baby ones do fit a tad on the small side so if you have a baby with a large cranium or who is over 6 months old, you may want to grab a toddler size.

Tsitah Threads. Quality designs inspired by Earth & made in Canada. - By Susan

Win it! We’re giving away a baby girl bandana from Tsitah Threads on size 0-12 months. To enter, check out the Tsitah Threads site and come back to comment with your favourite fabric style. Contest closes at noon mst on January 30, 2009.

CONTEST CLOSED & WINNER EMAILED

If you’ve had a baby, you’ve experienced the post-birth look my friend likes to call the Grimace. It feels gross and it looks gross. Of course, it’s all worth it, but it never hurts to try a little something – anything, really – that is purported to make you both feel and look better. Belly wrapping has been around for centuries, practiced by many cultures around the world. Belly Bandit™ has put a modern spin to it by creating a soft, seamless and tagless wrap that helps new mamas by shrinking the uterus, reduce bloating caused by water retention and providing the back support and confidence you need to walk upright like the human you used to feel like.

I had my baby a couple of weeks before my Belly Bandit arrived in the mail but have been wearing it since I got it and it certainly seems to be helping. Not only does it make me feel better and more secure with walking post-cesarean but my tummy seems a little tighter each day than it did at the same time with my previous births. It also helps me feel more confident and to remember to sit upright when I’m nursing or rocking my little one.

The compression wrap can be used a day after delivery to help reduce swelling of the uterus and bloating from water retention. The stretchy Velcro bound wrap is available in three different styles, Original ($40), Couture ($50), and Bamboo ($60) and can be worn for six to eight weeks post-birth. Buy it online. – by Shannon

Win it! We’re giving away a Belly Bandit! To enter, go choose your favourite Belly Bandit style and leave a comment here letting us know which one you’d like to have. Once the draw is complete, you’ll be able to send an exact measurement to ensure it fits. Contest closes at noon mst on January 29, 2009.

CONTEST CLOSED & WINNER EMAILED

We love to eat out and I am totally one of “those moms” who brings a high chair liner and cleans everything in sight with Cleanwell before my kids touch it. Because, ew. Did you know that the numbers of bacteria on tabletops are 214 times greater than numbers of bacteria on placemats? And the number of pathogenic bacterial colonies is 100 times greater on tabletops than placemats. When I see people putting their kids’ food on tables in restaurants without cleaning them, it makes me want to puke. Or hand them a bottle of Cleanwell.

Elizabeth Kavanaugh, C.E.O of www.BebeChacha.com is the same way and when her daughter took up the sport of dinner plate Frisbee at a restaurant she invented a placemat that would keep her meal space clean and couldn’t be tossed to the floor. It’s got a full adhesive backing that holds it securely to the table, but peels off easily when the meal is over. A pack of twelve is only nine bucks so now if I don’t want to give up my Cleanwell I’ll just toss the mama a placemat.

Win it! We’ve gota twelve pack of Bebe Cha Cha Sticker Placemats to give away. To enter, leave a comment on this post before noon mst on January 28, 2009.

CONTEST CLOSED & WINNER EMAILED

Having a baby girl is such a joy for so many reasons. Not only do you finally get to buy cute little dresses and 101 pairs of pretty shoes, but you get to fill jewelery boxes full of beautiful accessories to adorn her in. Hair clips, elastics and headbands are lovely & welcome additions to your baby’s already perfect head.

When I opened my package from Cuckooboo I was struck both by the cuteness and the quality of the products. The little hair clips, the elastics, and the headband were used over the next week on both of my girls. The clips and elastics stayed in my 11 month old daughter’s hair all day, which is amazing as it seems that nothing will stay in that fine baby hair. My six year old daughter loved wearing all the hair accessories as well, and received numerous compliments.

There are a few reasons why I am so impressed by the accessories and by Cuckooboo. First, Cuckooboo is owned and operated by a work at home mom and I love supporting WAHM’s. Second, the accessories are made extremely well, all with non-toxic materials and methods. Third, they are so stinkin’ cute. And lastly, the price is right. It’s not every day you’ll find something of such good quality for such a good price.

Cuckooboo has a huge variety of items from clips to crayon rolls and everything in between, all beautiful of course. There are items for your little girls, little boys, and you too (I’ll admit it, I wore the clips as well). The beautiful accessories are available at the Cuckooboo website store along with other select locations like Twig and Cuckooboo’s etsy site. Go ahead, find bliss in accessories – without breaking your bank account. – by Andrea

Win it! We’ve got a gift pack from Cuckooboo to give away including some cute clips and elastics. To enter, visit the Cuckooboo site for some window shopping and come back to comment with your fave(s) before noon mst on January 27/09.

CONTEST CLOSED & WINNER EMAILED

There are baby blankets and then there are baby blankets. If you or your child has ever been the recipient of a high end one that didn’t come from a big box store, you know what I’m talking about.

Fill in the Blankie (by Sonya Bebeblankee) blankets are ultra personalized blankets that are perfect for giving as baby, christening, birthday or just because gifts. Fill in the Blankie blankets aren’t about to end up at the thrift store or shoved in a bin in the garage but are more likely to become treasured family heirlooms.

We gave my daughter a FITB for her recent first birthday and were thrilled with the results. The blanket is gorgeous & well constructed, the embroidery is great quality and, most importantly, she loves it. It’s a very usable blanket that she sleeps with every night and drags around to random places during the day and it’s machine washable.

The FITB company was launched in 2004 and is unique in many ways. While many shops, online and brick & mortar, offer personalization, it’s usually just a monogram or 20ish characters and takes at least a few weeks to reach the recipient. FITB blankets offer up to 200 characters per blankie and a 3-7 day turn-around. The FITB website is also brutally honest about what you’re getting when you choose a blanket with ratings on a scale of 1-10 for the cuddle factor and the quality of material and construction and lists the blanket weight (light, medium, heavy) and size. There are no surprises when you work with a company like Fill in the Blankie – except the surprised look on the recipient’s face indicating that you gave the perfect gift.

Order your Fill in the Blankie here – select your favourite style, choose a blanket color and click on “personalize & check out.” They’ll run you anywhere from $39 – $109 and every penny will be well spent. Prices include all personalization.

Save 10% at Fill in the Blankie with the code omom

You’ll find this code in the TOP Shops (linked under our header) where we feature exclusive discount codes for TOP recommended online stores.

Bitten by the shopping bug? Hit the TOP Shops first so you never pay full price!

Win it! (U.S. readers only – so sorry…) To enter, leave a comment on this post listing the blanket style and colours you’d choose if you win before noon mst on January 26, 2009.

CONTEST CLOSED & WINNER EMAILED (Congrats Tuesday! It’s so rare we have a winner with a blog that I simply had to take an extra moment to link to her!)

Yummy English Snack‘s “Cool Songs Collection & Times Table Fun” is a completely nontraditional set written by teacher William Avery. Inspired by his years teaching ESL in Taiwan, William wrote catchy learning poems and then set them to music. He makes learning delicious enough that my two year old sings his multiplication tables though he obviously has no idea what multiplication is. Listen to song samples here and buy it at CD Baby.

Win it! To enter to win your own copy, leave a comment on this post before noon mst on January 19, 2009.

CONTEST CLOSED & WINNER EMAILED

“When a saxophone-playing tadpole sets out to jam with the big frogs, he finds that making friends can be harder than making music.” “One Night in Frogtown” combines a colourfully illustrated book with a lively read-and-sing-along CD. Both the book and the CD are equally enjoyable on their own. Narrated by blues artist Curtis Salgado, it tells the story of Tad, a young tadpole saxophone player traveling the pond to venues such as the Toadstool Tavern and the Lily Pad Club in his quest to find his place in the musical world. Through his travels he learns to appreciate classical, jazz, R & B,,and hip-hop styles – a great metaphor for the value of cultural diversity. It sells for only $19.99 (autographed first edition!) from the Frogtown Central shop.

Win it! To enter to win your own copy, leave a comment on this post before noon mst on January 19, 2009.

CONTEST CLOSED & WINNER EMAILED

Gunnar Madsen is more than just a kids’ musician. He’s a screenwriter, playwright, and more. He originally made it big as the founder of the a capella group The Bobs (which earned him a Grammy nomination) but his kids music is evidence that he’s doing what he should be doing. It’s sometimes goofy, sometimes tender, and all the time fun. Cutest Little Guy is my son’s fave (I think he things they’re talking about him!) but I really liked Always on the Bottom for the way it pokes fun (gently) at type A parenting & reminds us to be happy when our kids are happily average.

I’m Growing is available at CD Baby.

Win it! To enter to win your own copy, leave a comment on this post before noon mst on January 19, 2009.

CONTEST CLOSED & WINNER EMAILED

Music for a Green Planet is the brainchild of Hayes Greenfield, a producer, composer, saxophonist, filmmaker, bandleader, and educator who has been active on the New York City jazz scene since the late ‘70s. The mission of his newest CD is one of the greatest I’ve seen. (How many CD’s actually have a mission aside from getting people to listen?)

* To celebrate, and raise awareness about green renewable energy.
* To create a consciousness of waste reduction.
* To inspire protectiveness of our world’s natural resources.
* To bolster resolve to decrease our carbon footprints, by committing to a mindset of reduce, re-use and recycle.
* To embrace the knowledge and responsibility that the Green revolution is to our time and future generations, what the industrial revolution has been for the last 150 years.

“We’ll Be a Part of the Solution,” sung to the tune of “She’ll Be Coming Around The Mountain,” is an anthem around our home now.

We’ll be cruising in our hybrids when she comes
We’ll be getting better mileage when she comes
We’ll be a part of the solution
Cause we’re making less pollution
We’ll be cruising in our hybrids when she comes

This is an awesome CD that is a joy to listen to and a great teaching tool for young and old.

Music for a Green Planet is available at CD Baby.

Win it! To enter to win your own copy, leave a comment on this post before noon mst on January 19, 2009.

CONTEST CLOSED & WINNER EMAILED

Sesame Street Playground from Putumayo Kids is a CD/DVD set featuring songs and music videos from Sesame Street productions around the world. It’s a new release representing a shared mission of Putumayo Kids and Sesame Workshop: “to reach children worldwide and help children learn about and respect other cultures.” The package includes a music CD with 13 songs featuring all of our favourite Muppets and characters developed to reflect the unique cultural and social development needs of children in each host country. You’ll hear familiar tunes as well as original songs from international Sesame Street shows in a variety of languages. The DVD features 5 music videos that visit distant locales such as Russia, South Africa and Mexico.

My two year old loves this CD (and has never seen Sesame Street or Sesame Workshop) and I love the memories that it brings back from my own Sesame filled childhood.

Randy Kaplan Junior‘s second children’s CD, Loquat Rooftop, has a sound like nothing I’ve heard in the kids’ tunes realm to date. It’s a combination of blues & folk with a little bluegrass tossed in for good measure. Randy has a unique ability to create awesome music out of everyday topics like laundry & fire engines, and his songs are definitely not just for kids. This was definitely one of my top ten albums of 2008.

Loquat Rooftop is available from CD Baby.

Win it! To enter to win your own copy, leave a comment on this post before noon mst on January 19, 2009.

CONTEST CLOSED & WINNER EMAILED

Will Thomas is the Spanglish Wrangler and a father of two. His CD, Spanglish Sing-Along!, is a great mix of bluesy performance & silly songwriting that appeals to the whole family. The songs are all very playful and the CD is full lof surprises like “Desayuno Boogie” which is a celebration of breakfast and “Broccoli” in which a girl’s love of the green tree leaves her begging for more. Spanglish Sing-Along is available from CD Baby. With so many families intermixing two languages, the Spanglish Wrangler is a welcome addition to the kids music scene.

Win it! To enter to win your own copy, leave a comment on this post before noon mst on January 19, 2009.

CONTEST CLOSED & WINNER EMAILED

It’s time again to share with you some of my favourites of the tunes that have been filling the air around here of late. As always, if we don’t like it you won’t hear about it here. At least one of the reviews each day this week will be a music review, and all music giveaways that are part of this week will end at noon next Monday.

Mama Doni is the stage name for New Jersey-based Doni Zasloff Thomas, a super hip (& Jewish) mom of two young kids. While I’ve never been and never will be Jewish, I am fascinated by all thing Jewish and was just as fascinated while listening to her CD “I LOVE HERRING (& Other Fish Shticks for Kids).” Whether you’re Jewish or not, there’s no way you won’t dig this CD. With tunes like Funky Gold Menorah, Jewperheroes & Fahklempt, it’ll have your whole family bopping right along. If your children are Jewish they, in particular, would likely love learning about their religion & culture from such a hip & modern chick.

The Chanukah EP and I LOVE HERRING are both available at CD Baby.

Win it! To enter to win your own copy, leave a comment on this post before noon mst on January 19, 2009.

CONTEST CLOSED & WINNER EMAILED

Most kids, at some point or another, have issues at the table. Whether it be manners, the picky disease, an inability to sit or a diet of one or two items for weeks on end. When you need a little extra something to make meal time appealing, check out the Trebimbi Puppet Club Table Set available from Goores for ~$45. (More product selection available from Amazon – lucky Americans!)

Each Puppet Club Table Set includes a child-sized spoon, fork and knife, eggcup, bowl and mug that are incredible visually appealing to little eaters. Made in Italy, each cutlery piece has a stainless steel body and a colored polypropylene handle. Each piece has a cute smiling face and the pieces can be locked together like a string of paper dolls for easy storage or mealtime fun! All items are dishwasher safe & recommended for kids aged two to six.

The Party Set sells for the same price at Goores and includes a funky plate, cup, knife, fork and spoon. In this set all items are also dishwasher safe & recommended for kids aged two to six.

Save 10% on any Trebimbi order from Goores with the code top10tre.

Win it! We’ve got a Trebimbi Puppet Club Table Set valued at $44.99 in orange with blue to give away. To enter, leave a comment on this post before noon mst on January 15, 2009.

CONTEST CLOSED & WINNER EMAILED

You’d never know it from the sight of my living room after Christmas but I’m not one for loud plastic kid paraphernalia. Kuster USA has a collection which, though small, is perfect for the choosy parent.

The bath toy store ($24.99) is the perfect solution to my bath toy storage issues. It consists of an outer basket similar to a plastic garbage can and an inner basket with holes in to designed to scoop and hold wet toys and allow them to drain free of water. It comes in three colours (pink/orange, cream/mint & blue/grey).

The Jelly Baby ($49.99) is a memory foam changing pad that is ergonomically shaped to fit your baby. It measures 69cm (long) x 8cm (high) x 43cm (wide) which is large enough to fit a toddlers upper body & butt comfortably but small enough that it’s not obtrusive and in the way. It’s soft and gentle, free from PVC, easily wiped clean and the special high tech material is always warm to the touch (even in the disgusting -30′s we’ve had here in the Great White North of late). It comes in cream, pink & blue and a travel bag is included.

Kuster products, including the above two awesome products and three super cool looking high chairs are available at Goores.

Save 10% on any Kuster order from Goores with the code top10off.

Win it! We’ve got a Jelly Baby change pad valued at $49.99 in cream to give away. To enter, leave a comment on this post before noon mst on January 13, 2009.

CONTEST CLOSED & WINNER EMAILED

The Canadian winter thus far has been less than enjoyable. With decimeters of snow (that’s kind of like feet everywhere in the world but in the US) and a wind chill hitting -50 C we don’t go anywhere without our skin covered. No matter the weather, though, a new baby loses a lot of heat through their head and needs it covered in all but the warmest of climates. When I had my first child, I had a lot of outfits with accompanying hats at the ready, but none of the hats fit. Luckily it was late spring so I was alright without one since he was tucked in a sling most of the time, but had it been any time between September and April I’d have been desperate for some Wee Hats.

Developed by Paige Brown, a mom of two, when she brought her second child home from the hospital like her brother before here with nothing to bedazzle her head but the tiny hospital toque, the Wee Hat fits a newborn noggin perfectly, is warm and has no scratchy interior seams or tags. They’re super soft, made of a cashmere-like 100% cotton sweater yarn and the colours & style are totally cute & stylish. The chocolate brown that comes in each set is too cute for words. Each set of three hats sells for $35 and is available from the Wee Hats site. They come in lovely gift packaging and would make an awesome pre-birth shower gift. I, for one, am pumped that my next child won’t don a hospital hat knit by well-meaning eighty year old women for more than the few moments that it takes for us to change him or her into a Wee Hat.

Win it! We’re giving away your choice of a Wee Hat three pack. To enter, leave a comment on this post with your colour choice before noon mst on January 12, 2009.

CONTEST CLOSED & WINNER EMAILED