Baby Terry Hooded Towels

All About Baby

The title says it all - this web store certainly is ALL about baby. And what a massive selection of terrific products to choose from! All About Baby is the store when you are need of the perfect children’s or baby gift. Choose from a dizzying array of over 400 distinctive keepsake items. Plus, over half of the products can be personalized, so you can create a wholly unique present.

The site is very user friendly: browse by price point or select from one of twenty-five categories. A great starting point is Best Selling or New Arrivals. We adore their new line of terry wear - 100% cotton hooded towels and cover-ups. We received the one that Ethan is modeling at the top. Generously sized at 30" square, this is the perfect wrap for after a bath. Super soft cotton, bright patterns and a nice banded edge make this towel an excellent choice. Personalize the hood to make it extra special.

Another of our favorites is the Signature Blanket with Monogrammed Initial. Each blanket features a designer fabric (thirteen choices available) with ultra-soft plush backing in a solid color. The distinctive signature initial is then hand appliquéd in Ultrasuede. What a fabulous baby gift this would be! If splurging is an option, definitely check out the Baby Gift Baskets. Assembled by theme, and chock full of goodies, these would make any new parent squeal with delight.

All About Baby offers one of a kind quality merchandise. From practical to indulgent, they carry items for every occasion. Browse their selection of gift baskets, picture frames, nursery decor, hand-painted plates, blankets and more. You can rest assured that you are buying from a reputable establishment. In business since 1995, this is one of the oldest sites on the internet – always offering great baby gifts and service.

Little Chick

Candlewick Press
Amy Hest; Illustrations by Anita Jeram

Just in time for Easter, the perfect choice for your basket. You can't beat a great chick book! We are always on the lookout for great non-candy alternatives. It's a certainty that kids will love this sweet book as much a chocolate bunny. Well, nearly as much.

We find not just one, but three short stories within, centered around the farm life of fuzzy Little Chick: The Carrot That Would Not Grow, The Kite That Would Not Fly and The Starry Night. The storyline on each is not fancy, but rather simple and straightforward. Although the stories are engaging, it is the illustrations by Anita Jeram that completely steal the show. The lovable Little Chick will have you eating out of her hand, er, wing?

The story titles are pretty self-explanatory. Little Chick is growing a carrot that is terribly tempting and yet incredibly slow moving. How can she speed up the process? Soon after, she makes an excellent kite from a dried leaf, but cannot get it airborne, until Old-Auntie offers some assistance. The last story has Little Chick reaching up very high in the sky, trying to pull down a star. She decides to give up when she realizes the sky is prettier when it includes her star.

If there is a more appealing chick book, it certainly has not crossed my desk. Sized at ten inches square, this is a wonderfully large book, with 56 pages. Even the first page is adorable, with a welcoming pale green plaid print and a nice preprinted "The Little Chick book belongs to" bookplate. The simple stories and beautiful drawings make this a book you will find yourself returning to again and again.

My First Juice

First Juice

I think juice can be a healthy part of a child's diet, when consumed in moderation. The great thing about First Juice is that children benefit from organic fruits and vegetables, but with reduced amounts of sugar. These truly offers the best of both worlds and your kids will declare the flavors to be delicious! Choose from four fun flavors: Apple + Carrot, Banana + Carrot, Blueberry + Purple Carrot, Peach + Purple Carrot.

Research shows that taste preferences developed early can last a lifetime. By introducing low sugar juice at an early age, you are teaching your kids to appreciate the sweet taste of the organic fruits and veggies instead of the extra sugar. Trust me, they taste so great, you'll never miss that sugar! Our favorite was Peach + Purple Carrot, but it was a close race.

Unlike other brands, you'll note that First Juice adds carrot or purple carrot to each juice. Why? They do this because carrot juice is nutritious, naturally adds Vitamin A, and is a great flavor balancer when mixed with other juices. Like many parents, I'll use any avenue available to get more veggies in my children's diet.

First Juice is the nation's first organic, low sugar, fruit and vegetable juice for infants and toddlers. These are ideal for parents who typically view juices as a poor food choice. These are a far cry from standard supermarket juices and offer great nutritional benefits. In an 8 ounce serving, First Juice provides 60% DV for vitamin C, 35% DV for vitamin A, and 10% DV for calcium and vitamin D, for children twelve months and older.

Two sizes are offered: a convenient recyclable sippy-top (no spill) plastic bottle as a single serving or a large 32 ounce bottle for the family. And superficially, the packaging is really cool and upscale - the best looking juice containers we've seen. Give them a try - great taste, fruits and veggies with low added sugar!

How'd They Build That?

Marvelous Media
$8.98

These are some of the best educational videos available. I love learning about how products are constructed and these videos do a fabulous job of letting viewers in on the entire process. What better vehicles to feature than two of the most recognizable ones on the road? All children are familiar with both the school bus and the concrete mixer!

Did you know most of the school buses in North America come from a single company? Neither did I! School Bus takes us to the IC School Bus Factory in Oklahoma, home of the big yellow machine. We get to see every step of the build, from the raw materials right through to the welding and painting. How many buses would you guess they are getting road ready? Would you believe 50 to 60 per ten hour day? That explains the constant
stream of school bus yellow on the roads.

Concrete Truck is a pretty cool machine. Concrete is the most common man-made building material on earth, with 9 billion tons of it being made each year. The transport vehicle necessary to get all that concrete to the job site? We visit McNeilus Concrete Truck Factory in Minnesota to get the low-down on how concrete mixers are built and how they actually work. Get a first hand look at each stage of assembly, from nuts & bolts to watching concrete pour down the chute. Concrete mixers are one of the heaviest vehicles on the road and building one is no small process.

Each video in the series follows a winning formula that includes a visit to a specific factory, informative narration, catchy background music and a plethora of interesting facts. Factory tours are always so well done, that viewers feel they are taking the tour in person, from the comfort of their own own sofa. Recommended for age four and older, these are definite winners!

Previously released, Big Truck and Fire Truck. We are excited to find out that Garbage Truck will be added March 24!

Teach Me Tapes

Teach Me Tapes

Experts say the very best time to learn another language is as a child. If a person learns a second or third language when they are young, and learns it from native speakers, they will learn to speak it without an accent. A "foreign" accent comes from the difficulties of overcoming the details of how you learned to speak your mother tongue. A number of experts attribute this proficiency to physiological changes that occur in the maturing brain as a child enters puberty.

The Teach Me series are amazing products that can serve as a great introduction to a foreign tongue. Available in ten languages, the books and companion cds work together to introduce children to the languages of the world. Listen, learn and sing along with classic songs for children!

Teach Me Everyday is the newest addition to this series. Intended for ages two and up, these offer a basic intro that includes vocabulary, the alphabet, numbers, colors, days of the week and more. Pop in the cd and follow right along in the book - each written word is also spoken for a greater understanding. A fun format means big, bright illustrations, and a peppy song every few pages.

There are several great editions offered to follow up Teach Me Everyday, so that your child can continue learning. Teach Me More and Teach Me Even More continue along the same lines, adding more songs and building an advanced vocabulary. Teaching guides (not limited to teachers!) are also available, which include learning objectives, materials lists, expanded vocabulary and pronunciation keys.

A foreign language opens a whole new cultural world to your children. Learning a second language will provide them with the skills they need to succeed in the future, and these books lead the way to making language learning an enjoyable experience. These products are a wonderful way help them learn another language at an early age and have fun at the same time.

Teach Me Tapes is consistently coming up with new ideas and products. Everyday Hebrew has just been released and is doing very well. It follows the same format as the other titles ... in Hebrew!

Sneaky Weasel

Hannah Shaw
Random House

I can't put my finger on it exactly, but there's something really comical about a weasel. Particularly the way this one is drawn - super slim and shifty eyed. He just looks like trouble in a fur suit.

Sneaky Weasel is just that - a smarmy guy who takes advantage of his friends. His mean tricks and hard hearted ways have made him an exceedingly wealthy mammal. He decides to host a party so everyone can see exactly how rich he is. After all, what's the point of having money if you can't lord it over others? Unexpectedly, not a single guest attends and Sneaky Weasel's party is a bust!

The solution is clear - he must hunt down the invited guests one by one and demand to know why. He learns the other animals clearly remember his mean and nasty tricks and don't want to have anything to do with him. Nobody came to his party because ... he's a bad friend. What's a weasel to do?

The illustrative details here are wonderful! Hannah Shaw has a quirky sense of humor and offers oodles of great bits - like the garden gnome at Rabbit's hutch or the "rare breed" fleas at Hedgehog's. Each page is packed full of goodies just waiting to be discovered. The front and back inside covers are covered with advertisements for Weasel's establishments - sneaky in front, good in back.

Behind the great illustrations is a good lesson for kids on being nice to others. Once Weasel discovers the error of his ways and stops being so darned sneaky, his friends start to enjoy spending time with him. Being good has its own rewards.

Bob the Builder ON SITE Skyscrapers

HIT Entertainment
$14.98

The On Site series is my absolute favorite type of Bob the Builder episode. Viewers are made to feel like they are part of an actual construction crew - watching workers build and getting a sneak peek inside the job site. Interspersed with the usual animation, this is a great video for kids of all ages. The dual imagery makes these videos equally educational and fascinating.

We learn about the construction process on two types of buildings: a skyscraper and a parking garage. Bob starts right at the beginning by drafting the blueprints and laying the foundation, then onto finishing the top-most floor and installing the elevator system. We see the contractor's view on each step of the huge process that becomes a skyscraper.

As an added bonus, there is footage of children building their own construction projects from cardboard boxes and craft supplies. What a great (not to mention cheap) project to try with your own children after the video! They can combine their imaginations with what they learned from Bob and his crew and to create their own unique buildings.

Skyscrapers breaks down the building process into engaging, easy-to-follow stages, incorporating Bob the Builder’s delightful animation and charming characters, along with live action construction site footage. The sky has no limit in this latest title from everyone’s favorite builder!

Run time: 60 mintues
Release date:March 17, 2009

Little Angels Chewable Multivitamins

Rainbow Light

Brand new from Rainbow Light, Little Angels Chewable Multivitamins are both delicious and nutritious - exactly what you want and need for your kids. Packed with essential nutrients, these meet the expectations of parents by using nourishing whole foods and vegetable concentrates that support a growing child's healthy development. The fact that they are flavored to taste like sweet, fruity cherries means they will be happily accepted by your little angels.

Offered exclusively offered at Whole Foods Market, a 60-tablet bottle (two-month supply) is priced at $17.99. For every ten bottles purchased, Rainbow Light will contribute one bottle to the nonprofit Vitamin Angels. By providing daily vitamins to your children, you are also assisting in getting vital nutrition to children and families in need. That's a purchase you can feel good about. Rainbow Light has paired with Vitamin Angels for fifteen years, donating over 12 million doses of vitamins.

Rainbow Light Nutritional Systems is the leader in manufacturing all-natural, food-based supplements. They have an unbelievably broad product line, offering vitamins for men, women, children and even canines! If you don't have access to a World Market for the Little Angels Vitamins, there are many other great choices available to you.

One of our favorites is the Gummy Omegalicious Omega 3 Formula. No kidding - these taste amazing similar to sour candies. But unlike candy, these gummy berries deliver absolutely pure, optimal-potency omega 3 fish oils, including DHA and EPA for brain and heart health, plus vitamin C and lycopene. You can keep the nutritional analysis to yourself - your kids will just enjoy eating them. These are packaged in single serve cello packets - just like fruit snacks. A 30 day supply retails for $21.99.

Not a sour gummy lover? NutriStars Delicious Fruit Blast are a complete multivitamin packed in a fun star shape. These chewables are great tasting and offer a complete nutritional system with essential nutrients and antioxidants. A two month supply retails for $14.50. I hate to say this, but my kids are suckers. They fall for shape, color and berry taste every time. Rainbow Light makes my job that much easier and I am satisfied they are getting proper supplemental nutrition.

Frecklebox

Frecklebox

I distinctly remember the personalized book I had as a kid. Each time my name appeared it was in a bolder, slightly different font from the rest of the story. The characters were of the cheesy illustrated sort and the story line was predictable. Not exactly the most treasured book on my shelf.

The personalized books from Frecklebox are completely different from my experience! High quality photos, interesting story lines and a seamless fitting of your child's name on each and every page. Wow and double wow.

Seven styles of books are available, each offered in softcover ($19.95) or hardcover ($34.95). This is a particularly great website set-up, because you can view sample pages of each book online. No second guessing as to what the book will really be like. Flip though the pages yourself and select the best fit for your child. We had a tough time deciding between the Goes to the Zoo and My Name Is. Ultimately choosing the zoo, I'm positive we made the right choice because the book was greeted with "Wow! This is just what I wanted!"

A really neat detail of these books is the way the child's name is presented throughout. In the zoo book, the story read as if the animals were speaking right to us. Not only that, but the child's name is also cleverly hidden in the photos for them to discover - scratched into the sand near the turtles, creeping down the tiger's shoulder or hidden in the bubbles of the polar bear's water.

These are one of a kind books that have the power to make a child feel truly special. You choose the story, write the dedication and watch your child's face light up! Frecklebox guarantees if your gift doesn’t inspire great big smiles, they will gladly deliver a refund. We were rewarded with great big smiles, so we'll pass on their offer.

Busy Chickens

John Schindel; Steven Holt
Tricycle Press

This is the first children's book I have ever laid eyes on that has been written solely about chickens. Some board books can be a bit, well, boring. This one is anything but! If asked, I would have said chickens to be brown. In fact, they come in dozens of colors - spotted, speckled and striped. Toddlers will sit right up and take notice of the brilliant colors and bold plumage.

In addition to being colorful, it turns out these chickens are leading pretty busy lives. It isn't all egg laying and pecking in the dust down on the farm. These lively chicks particularly enjoy rhyming and therefore lay claim to plenty of grooming and zooming, searching and perching, flapping and napping.

Everyone can agree that young chicks are absolutely adorable, but full grown chickens don't get nearly enough credit. They are such an ubiquitous animal that it takes a focused book like this to remind us how extraordinary they can be. Summed up, this board book puts on a show that will inspire your toddler to start cheeping and leaping about your house in no time.

Busy Chickens is the tenth book in the popular "Busy" series from Tricycle Press. Check out some of the others:

Loose Leashes

Poems by Amy Schmidt;
Photographs by Ron Schmidt
Random House

This is a book that no dog lover should be without! A collection of sixteen delightful poems are accompanied by some of the sweetest, funniest and most adorable dog photos ever. Truly a great collection that will tickle your funny bone.

Our group of kids were convulsed in laughter on the floor at the photos, let alone the poems. Several different breeds and all different sizes of dogs are featured doing all types of activities. We find dogs wearing glasses, towel turbans and skates. These dogs are bathing, sledding and boating. All this means the readers are left pointing, smiling and exclaiming.

Sharing this type of poetry with kids is a great way to get them laughing and having fun. They discover that it's possible to have fun with poetry, which leads to realizing it can also be fun to write poems. As far as kids are concerned, there is no learning here, but rather a group of personable dogs and silly stories.

As far as the photos are concerned - this is a top-notch collection of great variety - from sweet Chihuahuas sharing a bone to a lumberjack Labrador Retriever with a pine tree strapped across his back. The dogs' personalities come across in their expression and stature, with each name noted in the lower left corner. Accordingly, each poem is custom fit to the dog - some short and sweet, other longer and flowing. All wonderful!

The book is thoroughly enjoyable and provides a great introduction to poetic verse. Children will be drawn in by the photos and fall in love with the poetry. Truly this would be the jewel in the collection of any dog lover.