kids products blogs

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b.box


This Aussie company is introducing their award-winning collection to the U.S.

Dannielle Michaels and Monique Filer founded their Australia-based company b.box in 2007. Their award-winning collection of innovative everyday baby essentials includes The b.box Travel Drying Rack, The b.box Essential Sippy Cup, The b.box Essential Diaper Wallet, The b.box Essential Baby Bottle and Dispenser, The b.box Essential Diaper Caddy, The b.box Essential Travel Bib and Flexible Spoon, The b.box Essential Snack Pack, The b.box Essential Mesh Feeder and The b.box Essential Baby Spoon. Phew, that’s a lotta b.box-es!

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The b.box Diaper Caddy is a portable diaper changing station available in five designs and colors. Parent have everything they need for diaper changing wherever they are around the home. Great space saver for apartment living and ideal for two story homes. Also makes for an ideal art caddy or home organizer. Just pop a tissue box in where the wipes box goes.

  • Easy clean eco-friendly PU leather, inside and out
  • Space for wipes box
  • Large drawer for storing bits and bobs
  • Removable divider for added flexibility
  • Wipe clean change mat

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The new Neon color collection of the b.box Sippy Cup features five vibrant neon colors of sippy cup with its innovative weighted straw that lets tots drink at any angle the cup is tipped.

  • Easy grip handle
  • Simple flip top lid
  • Leak proof
  • Dishwasher safe
  • Replacement straws and cleaning brush available separately

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The b.box Travel Drying Rack is a compact drying rack that’s small enough to fit in your diaper bag and large enough to hold six baby bottles. It’s also designed to provide a hygienic surface to dry baby gear at home or on the go.

  • Raised ridges provide ideal position to dry teats and pacifiers
  • Dishwasher safe, (top rack only)
  • Available in 4 delicious colors: blueberry, raspberry, apple and grape
  • BPA, Phthalates and PVC free

Looks like the b.box team is always busy dreaming up new and innovative ways to make the lives of parents all over the world easier!

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Zosė Designs


A dash of sweetness and an ounce of love. 

 

052715_CRTPost_ZosėDesigns_01Great find on Etsy – Zosė Designs hair clips and jewelry add a dazzle to any girl’s outfit, big or small. Designer Audra makes them using two secret ingredients: A dash of sweetness and an ounce of love.

052715_CRTPost_ZosėDesigns_02“I design and hand make everything in the tiny, gorgeous town of Tecoma, Victoria, Australia, where I live,” Audra tells me. “We hand pick materials, hand crochet, hand sew, secure and fasten each item. We love what we do, and hope that you will love our products, too!”

052715_CRTPost_ZosėDesigns_03Made in Australia. Adorable hair clips, necklaces and bracelets to go with any outfit and any occasion. Audra is always introducing new styles, so check her successful online shop frequently. Available worldwide!

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What Do You Do With an Idea?


Hope for anyone, at any age, who’s ever had an idea that seemed a little too big, too odd or too difficult.

Written by Kobi Yamada with illustrations by Mae Besom, What Do You Do With an Idea? is the story of one brilliant idea and the child who helps to bring it into the world. As the child’s confidence grows, so does the idea itself. And then, one day, something amazing happens* …

Bookseller Barnes & Noble proclaims it as one of the best books of 2014 for kids, and the 36-page tale is perfect for children ages four to eight years … yet it also touches everyone who is young at heart. “From that first puzzled inkling, the little boy realizes that the idea was following him like a small egg waiting to be hatched. Finally, it does … and reminds us what we do with an idea: You change the world.” From the booksellers’ review.

050615_CRTPost_WhatDoYouDoWithAnIdea_inside“It’s a story to inspire you to welcome that idea, to give it some space to grow, and to see what happens next,” Kobi says. “Because your idea isn’t going anywhere. In fact, it’s just getting started.”

Kobi Yamada is president and CEO of Seattle, WA-based Compendium Incorporated, “a company of amazing people doing amazing things,” producing extraordinary gifts that inspire, educate, motivate and celebrate the world we live in. Gift books, journals, greeting cards, boxed notes, pop-up cards and guest books for just about everyone. Wholesale available.

*Listen to the entire story as it’s read aloud by the fine folks at ArtistEducation.

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Babyhome’s New Products


030415_CRTPost_Babyhome_Air-purple+cloudBabyhome’s newest bassinet model is called Air and it comes complete with an easily attachable changing pad that can also be removed with just one hand –allowing parents to multi-task to their heart’s content. Air also has a practical mesh window hidden on its side under the fabric for better ventilation and the side pockets are the perfect way to keep everything organized and at hand.

Air for Travel

Air is ideal for use in smaller quarters or during the first months of a baby’s life in the bedroom with mom and dad. It’s light weight and easy of assemble, too –with an innovative adjustable leg system that changes from stationary to a rocker to wheels with the click of a button. Air comes with a high-density, totally airtight and waterproof foam mattress that prevents the baby from getting caught between the edge of the mattress and side of the bassinet and a honeycomb structured mattress pad that is safe and breathable.

Introducing Wave 

030415_CRTPost_Babyhome_wave_walnut_clayWave is an innovative bounce chair, that’s stylish enough to blend in to a contemporary, modern décor. Wave’s structure, which features simple, soft lines, turns its design into one of the warmest and most comfortable for baby on the market.  It offers a pleasant, steady, front-to-back rocking motion which relaxes baby to ensure their utmost restfulness and also comes with the option of a stationary position. Wave folds easily and compactly so it can be stored in small areas.

Based in Barcelona, Spain, Babyhome’s award-winning, highly designed, extremely functional and lightweight baby products are made with the utmost attention to function and safety. Babyhome’s U.S. offices are located in Budd Lake, New Jersey.

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Kid President


021115_CRTPost_KidPresident_SealIf you haven’t been introduced, please say hi to the Tiny President of the United States.

Kid President, aka über adorable Robby Novak and Brad Montague (the guy behind the scenes of his videos and new book), is a fabulous fixture on actor Rainn Wilson’s website, SoulPancake.

Wise beyond his years and wonderful to boot, his new book, Kid President’s Guide to Being Awesome is now available. Take a look:

The book launch also introduces an awesome challenge: The #BookItForward Campaign, which promotes literacy. Kid President spells it out for us:

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THE PROBLEM In low-income neighborhoods, there is only one book for every 300 children.

THE SOLUTION Access to books and other reading materials greatly increases a student’s chance of success in school. Create an anonymous and free “take one, leave one” book drop to donate reading materials to those who may need it most.

WHAT YOU GET Sign up for facts on literacy and tips on starting your own community book swap with Kid President … Plus, you’ll enter for the chance to win a seasonal $10,000 scholarship!

How will you #BookItForward? What story has inspired your life? Help Kid President get 10,000 people to gift someone a book they love. Let’s be AWESOME, people!

Share on Facebook: http://on.fb.me/1DzbuwU  and Twitter: http://bit.ly/1w1ojKs

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Bubele


Small family-owned and operated business dreams up big ideas for babies –and parents, too.

120314_CRTPost_Bubele_02Bubele means “sweet baby,” and Bubele, Inc. is the brain child of founder/owner Kris Weisblatt. Kris tells me she started her baby company in 2007 after suffering a traumatic brain injury during delivery of her youngest son, Evan.

“I was in a coma for two weeks,” Kris says. “After receiving therapy, I returned home and everyday things were now more difficult to accomplish. Taking care of a newborn, I found the need for items that were not available on the market.”

120314_CRTPost_Bubele_03Kris decides to go after her dreams, starting her very own clothing line. “I designed a Pacifier Snappy™ to replace the pacifier clip that has snaps in place of a clip, so babies cannot pull that binky off and throw it.”

In addition to the redesigned Pacifier Snappy, Bubele also carries a fun Mix & Match clothing line. Kris designs the Bubele Bib with an attached neck roll to wick milk away and the stretchy, oversize Wrap to swaddle newborns more easily. And she doesn’t stop there.

120314_CRTPost_Bubele_08She creates the patent pending Bubele Loop, sewn into each side seam of her body suits and tops – one of her best ideas. “The simple concept keeps pacifier clips from slipping,” she says. This is her signature invention, one that sets Bubele apart from all the rest!

Kris continues to run her small family-owned and operated Bubele that she starts on a zero budget, using her own fabrics and sewing machine … only now, she has more time to focus on her innovative, modern designs.

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Children’s Museum of Indianapolis


The Children’s Museum Store polls kid-experts to determine the top 10 toys for the 2014 holiday shopping season.

Parents are always looking for gifts to give during the holidays that are as special as their children. It can be a daunting task: find something educational that appeals to a child’s creativity, their sense of adventure, their unique ability to build something cool.

Don’t forget to browse your local children’s museums! Oftentimes, the best stuff can be found at museum shops –toys that have a special something you can’t find anywhere else. These gifts can also give back: to the community, to other children, to support the museum’s mission. How cool is that?

For 16 years, the Children’s Museum of Indianapolis has conducted the Kid-tested, Kid Approved event. Local kids of all ages are invited to visit The Museum Store to play with and then vote on their favorite toys. Thirty of the store’s most popular toys are offered up as potential picks, and the kids get to check all of them out, right there in the store … until they decide which ones will make the top 10 list of fun, unique and educational toys that the kids love best –and parents can add to their own lists for holiday shopping. Here, this year’s Kid-Tested, Kid Approved selections are listed in order of most votes:

  1. Super Slam Basketball
  2. Original Flying Turtle
  3. Foxfire Glow Phantoms Thinking Putty
  4. Hoberman Switch Pitch
  5. Snap Circuits – Motion
  6. Mini OgoDisk Set
  7. Switchback Racetrack
  8. Hexbug Aquabots
  9. Playmobil My Secret Play Box – Dragon`s Lair
  10. Take ‘N’ Play Anywhere Fashion Spotlight Magnetic Playset

112614_CRTPost_ChildrensMuseumLogoWith the Kid-Tested, Kid Approved initiative, the museum hopes to lend a hand to parents who are looking to discover what most interests their children, straight from the kids themselves. Each Kid-Tested, Kid Approved selection is available for purchase at the Museum’s award-winning store and online retail site. On each individual online product page, read real reviews from the kid-expert testers and other clues for each toy’s rank. What’s more – all purchases help support the museum’s mission.

As the Children’s Museum tells you, start shopping with confidence – now you know what your kids want and you know what they like!

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Suzy’s Zoo


Happy Halloween from Suzy’s Zoo, the home of Suzy Ducken, Jack Quaker, Corky Turtle and all the cute and wonderful characters created by Suzy Spafford.

103114_CRTPost_Happy Halloween_Jano(They’re all getting ready for “trick or treat” in the photo above). Suzy the human says her mission in life is making people happy, and I agree, since I’ve sent many-a-Suzy’s Zoo card to loved ones and friends . My dear husband thinks I look like one of Suzy’s cute ducks (I’m including a picture that may show how right he is!) … wouldn’t it be fun if Suzy had Halloween costumes for big kids like me?

Cards, Books, Coloring, Games and more.

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Children’s Book Author Wins Nobel Prize in Literature


French author Patrick Modiano has won the 2014 Nobel Prize in Literature, “for the art of memory with which he has evoked the most ungraspable human destinies and uncovered the life-world of the occupation.”

Mr. Modiano writes in a variety of genres, including detective mysteries, short, 100-page novels and screenplays. His first novel, “La place de l’étoile,” about Jewish collaborator during WWI, was published in France in 1968.

101414_CRTPost_CatherineCertitude_CoverA Mom and Her Memories. This Nobel Prize winner also writes children’s books! Catherine Certitude, written with collaborator William Rodarmor and illustrated by Jean-Jacques Sempe, was published in 2001, and tells the story of a mom and her memories.

While Catherine watches her own daughter practice dance, she reminiscences about her own childhood. Living in the tenth arrondissement of Paris, Catherine and her father Georges share the simple pleasures of daily life: sitting in the church square, walking to school, going to her ballet class every Thursday afternoon. A happy time in the City of Light.

However, the charming walk down memory lane brings up a lot of mystery:

  • Why did Catherine’s change his name to Certitude?
  • What kind of trouble with the law did his business partner Casterade rescue him from?
  • Exactly what does Georges do, and what kind of deals is he always discussing with men in worn raincoats?
  • Why did Catherine’s mother, herself a ballerina, leave Georges to return to New York?

These are just some of the mysteries Catherine remembers … and hopes to resolve as the story unfolds.

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The Day We Danced in Underpants


This picture of the book cover makes me smile. Happy October!

The Day We Danced in Underpants is the kind of book I keep on my own book shelf, along with children’s classics Everyone Poops by Taro Gomi and The Gas We Pass: The Story of Farts by Shinta Cho. And here’s a good reason why: “This lesson in kindness and grace changes an embarrassing situation into an adventure,” a very astute review from Tidewater Parent.

100214_CRTPost_DayWeDanced_IllustrationTalk About Joie de Vivre! Written by California-based writer Sarah Wilson, the story is inspired by her grandmother, who taught her an early appreciation for French culture. Indeed! Sarah’s silly descriptions of a cast of characters –including “three wild aunts” – who dance their way across the French countryside to a picnic with the King of France makes for a perfect read-aloud, not to mention a dance-a-thon of your own.

And to do it all in underpants?

Award-winning illustrator Catherine Stock‘s hilarious watercolors literally paint the picture of “a wild party that finds even the stuffiest nobles getting down in their unmentionables,” as the book’s synopsis tells us.

When one of my friends posted a picture of the book on Facebook, I couldn’t resist starting out a new month by telling you about it. As he says, “Oh, I do that all the time!”