We love the bright colors and imaginative characters on every piece of Baby Einstein equipment. From the Discovery and Play Activity Center (an infant essential) to books and teething toys, this brand has gotten infant toys right.
From the age of five months until she was over one year old, my daughter loved her Einstein activity center. there are a few options, with varying price points, but we went for the standard/basic model and we definitely got our money’s worth. She bounced, spun, and wiggled in it every day. In fact, at 2 years old, she still tried to climb into them when she sees them at friends’ houses or at our neighborhood playspace.
We also dressed up our infant car seat and stroller with various teething toys. (We had a handful and swapped them every few weeks to keep things interesting.) She loved the textures and cheery smiling faces. The crinkly animal ears and squeaky wings were just as entertaining as the nubby feet were delicious.
Bonus: they’re durable enough to hang on to for baby #2. Should that ever happen.
We all like the idea of the baby food pouch. It’s easier to take on-the-go. It’s easier to store. Plum Organics is, as you can tell from the name, organic. What’s not to like? Well, up until now, the fear of “pouch squeeze.” Similar to the unfortunate “juice-box squeeze,” the pouch problem occurs when said contents are forced out of the container. On to you. And/or the baby you’re trying to feed. It stinks. And with grabby hands, it’s virtually impossible to avoid.
Fortunately Boon has partnered with Plum Organics to offer a screw-on food-dispensing spoon. It creates a controlled flow of baby food and makes one-handed feeding a breeze (for all you multitaskers out there). Now your pint-sized gourmet can enjoy flavors such as apple-carrot, pear-mango, and pumpkin-banana. (You’ll love this baby food, btw: It’s contains no high fructose corn syrup, no trans fats, no artificial ingredients, and comes in BPA-free packaging.)
It’s dishwasher safe and recommended for 6+ months. See, now everyone’s happy!
You can’t deny it: a baby in a romper is cute. When the rompers themselves are adorable, and then you pair them with a chubby little girl, it will melt you. Little rolls spilling out from a bubble of fabric? Absolutely irresistible. This summer, Baby Gap rompers are absolutely beyond adorable. The fabrics are light and airy, the shapes are easy, and the patterns and colors are a sweet-stylish combo. Here, a few of our favorites.
Floral smocked one-piece, $27
Sunburst Printed Romper, $25
Metallic Striped Bubble Romper, $23
And let me tell you: When your little one had long outgrown these summer pieces and you find them packed away after a year or two, it’ll make you want another. I recently visited my father’s house, which has become the repository for all outgrown clothing. And every time I visit, I go through it. I love remembering. But when I get to that summer wardrobe, I want another one asap–not another romper, another child. That’s just how powerful The Romper can be!
Sure, Dora is great. But do you really want her splashed all over everything? There is a time and a place for “the Explorer,” and we happen to think the bedroom is not one of those places. We like to think of a girl’s bedroom as a quiet, serene space. Which is why we immediately think of Serena & Lily when our friends ask for decorating tips.
Serena & Lily Scallop Queen Sheet Set
Serena & Lily Penny Dot Sheet Set
The design aesthetics are to die for–strikingly adult patterns in soft color palettes–that we wish we’d had as kids. And as expected, the thread counts are way up there, the quality is top of the line. These versatile sets even pinch-hit as guest room bedding if last-minute guests come calling.
Serena & Lily Mosiac Sheet Set
We can see bedding sets like these as the kind that grow with your little girl, stretching into teenage territory. Because Dora’s just a phase…hopefully.
When we heard that high-end fashion designer (and mom) Stella McCartney was designing a children’s line for Gap, we got all excited. Gap’s clothing is great to begin with; add an awesome designer and who knows how good it could get. Well, we found out last fall, with the arrival of little band jackets and tulip dresses. Almost everything sold out immediately. McCartney added a spring line, and it has been equally sweet and stylish. But fortunately for us, a number of pieces have been placed on sale. So while we didn’t love the kind-of high price tags that originally accompanied the line, the sale prices make it worth it. The sale items make the beautifully constructed pieces totally worth it.
Here are a few of are favorite pieces and deals for both boys and girls, tots and babies:
Anchor Sweater Dress is 50% off: now $40. She will be beyond cool.
Raglan Tee is 11% off: now $25. For that awesome little boy in your life.
Crochet Shift Dress is 56% off: now $30. So adorable.
Sweater Leggings are 29% off: now $20. Save up for next fall!
Shop for Stella McCartney on sale at the Gap.
Now that the nice weather has finally arrived, daily outings will become part of the routine (hooray!). Pack your bag full of easy to transport, healthy (and in this case, all organic) snack options that will make being nutritionally responsible a snap. Here, a few of our favorites.
Revolution Foods Mash-Ups are a no-mess way to pack in those daily fruit servings. Pureed fruit is super fresh, full of flavor, and easy to toss in your diaper bag.
Plum Organics Fingerfuls “I Heart Strawberries” are, in addition to being good for your child, just plain adorable. A mix of freeze-dried strawberries and oaty hearts make for a great mix of sweet and savory.
Sneak calcium every way you can. Happy Melts Yogurt Snacks are, simply, addictive. Prepare to watch your toddler devour the entire bag. Luckily, they’re also super healthy.
If you have an older toddler, gummy snacks are an option. Tasty Baby Gummy Snacks feel like a treat but they’re made of organic ingredients and are packed with vitamins.
Lacoste for kids is coming back, 30 years after preppy first blew up in this country. Maybe its the crisp little collar or the cute little crocodile, but there’s something undeniably appealing about a super-preppy little kid.
The clean-cut, preppy nature of Lacoste is so 180 degrees different than your standard rough-and-tumble boy. That juxaposition is a little bit hilarious–and you can’t help but want a few more ultra-preppy pieces:
Can’t you see him popping the collar? We love it. The knit polos are exactly the same as when we were kids, but the sneakers have gotten a little update: a tiny bit hip-hop, and really very cool. So if you’re son is looking to make a statement this summer, tell him all about the alligator back in the day. He won’t be able to resist.
We discussed potty training essentials in the past: all the things to prepare for a seamless transition from diapers to toilet. But there’s one secret product that I recently discovered–and it’s making the process even easier. Enter Gerber Training Pants. Seriously, they’re changing my world.
While common rule of thumb is to move from diapers to pull-ups (diapers in a pull-on underwear form, basically), we ran into a problem: My daughter used them as if they were diapers. She really couldn’t tell the difference. Then I found these training pants. They are made of super-soft cotton (another bonus) and have a padded lining to absorb accidents–more than your average toddler underwear. Now, they won’t hold the contents of your average diaper, but they’ll at least contain a reasonable amount of liquid. And she can tell if/when she’s gone, because the pee (sorry to get graphic here, but, you know…) isn’t whisked away into the diaper padding.
So: If you’re hitting the same potty training wall we did, consider skipping pull-ups altogether and moving straight to underwear. It worked for us!
Our daughter never really had a diaper rash issue–until recently. Over the past two years, we never finished a tube of diaper cream, because we rarely used it. Those were the days. Something has changed, and now we’re uber aware of how long she’s been in her diaper. We’ve developed a protocol to keep diaper rash at bay, mainly relying on copious amounts of diaper cream.
We’ve tried them all, and our go-to for daily maintenance is Desitin. It won’t cure a bad case, but it’s great for maintaining healthy skin. For more serious problems its worth talking to your pediatrician.
When we need to wipe out diaper rash? We go with Triple Paste. Seriously, this stuff is magic. It’s kind of pricey, so we don’t use it every day, but it’s the best–perfect for eradicating a persistent rash (which is no fun for anybody).
Tip: While I’m sure this isn’t some big secret, you must, must, must make sure the area is completely dry before applying diaper cream. Using a baby wipe then slathering it on will only trap the moisture and create more of rash. So dry those bottoms!
When we were researching high chair, I know we wanted one that pulled up to the table, one that our daughter could use from 6 months to 6 years. Tall order. And we found the perfect one: The Stokke Tripp Trapp.
Made of high-quality wood, the seat and foot rest are adjustable to several heights. So it easily goes from traditional high chair (with an additional rail to keep baby secure) to a booster. And the colors? All sorts of fabulous options, from a natural birch to a chili pepper red to (our personal fave) a light dove gray. Add on a patterned seat cushion, and voila: customized.
There has been a long-running debate about the tray highchair versus the pull-up-to-the-table version. We have to say, our vote is in the pull-up style. It truly does make mealtime an inclusive event, even if the only contribution your 13-month-old can make is to spill his peas and poke you with his spoon.
