The smell brings me right back to childhood, but the first time I found my daughter with a wad of Play-Doh in her mouth, I wondered, "what the heck is in this stuff?" An all-natural alternative is the unscented eco-dough , made by a fami…
With my kids loving their play kitchen (hello, best investment ever!) I'm getting a little tired of the heavy spaghetti and meatball dinners. How about a little summer fare, like this adorable BBQ Grill set found at Nico & Zoe ? Almost i…
My daughter is destined to be the artist of the family, no doubt about it. If she's awake, she's got a crayon in her hand. This is great news when we take her out to restaurants because she's easily occupied. But it's bad news when I for…
We've found a whole lot of companies that transform your children's art into everything from custom lamps to chic jewelry to delicate handbags. It's so cool to us that those favorite scribbles and stick figures can have a life beyond the…
At last count, we had twelve ride-on toys in our garage so I am definitely an expert in that department. Of all these toys, I want to sing the praises of two that stand out from the crowd: The Mini Micro scooter and the oddly named Skooo…
If there's one complaint I have about some eco-friendly toys it's that they tend to look pretty eco-friendly. That's great when you love ecru with a side of pale, but not so much when you're trying to engage your little one with bright f…
Last year's scandals about lead levels in toys were really a wake-up call for many of us. Toy safety became serious business, and while you can always turn to resources like our Safer Toy Guide (and a new one coming out soon!) what's a M…
Ever since my daughter was pegged as The Budding Artist, she gets about 14 boxes of crayons at every gift-giving holiday. Boy would she love to get her hands on the custom name crayons from Story Blox . For around $5, depending on the le…
It's hard to be one, or so it seems to my one-year-old niece who longs to keep up with her older brother. Try as she may, her wobbly legs are no match for her brother's racy, zig-zaggity gait. Things have changed now that she rides the C…
As bathing suit season approaches, I mourn that I am not more of a gym person. I am more of a sit on my butt and play Guitar Hero then complain about how bad I look in a bathing suit person. So I decided to give the new Wii Fit a whirl. …
I don't care how technologically advanced baby toys get, how many bells, whistles, batteries, voice chips or solar panels they have - a baby's favorite toy is still going to be a jingly clutch ball. Also a spatula. Massachusetts mom Kwan…
La vie really is pretty rose-y if you're looking at it from the pov of new online shop Petit Luxe . If you've got a francophile in you yearning to breathe free - or just super picky taste in baby gifts and gear, you're going to fall in l…
Considering the BlaBla handknit animal rattles were my son's ultimate favorite, I was super excited to find out about their new line of little birdie rattles. (See, I knew there was a good reason that I got pregnant again). This adorable…
At first glance, the shell-shaped plastic Bilibo seemed sort of odd to me. Is it a seat? A stool? Another container for junk? I was skeptical when it came our way to say the least. But then I gave it to my three-year-old and she literall…
I have never seen my 12 month-old daughter take to a doll quite like the handmade cutie that arrived from Poot & Boogie . Mostly she's happy to entertain herself with blocks or turn things like paper clips and dog kibble into playthings.…
Okay so it's like that old joke about grandparents who look at your kids' video games and say VIDEO GAMES? Back in my day we played with twigs and rocks and we LIKED IT. But the truth is, is there really anything so bad about playing wit…
Okay you mamas with the crafty gene. Now don't be coy, you know who you are. You're the ones who see some of the awesome handmade stuff we feature here and turn up your noses and say pfft, I could make that myself for THREE CENTS . And y…
For some time now, we've been hearing about these $49 sock animals and we just had to see what it was all about. Cashmere socks with diamond chip eyes perhaps? Nope, turns out that Sok-O is even better. These 100% handmade, one-of-a-kind…
With Memorial Day just about a month away, I can almost smell the beach - or more like all the plastic toys that get crammed into our beach bags. But thanks to the Recycled Sand Play Set from Green Toys , you don't have to feel quite as …
Maybe I'm a weirdo, but I was so happy the day I realized my baby was old enough to hold her own in a crib full of toys. Not only does it give her a way to keep herself occupied in the wee hours of the morning, but it is a handy place to…
Until I got involved with CMP, I confess that I had no idea there were so many wonderful handmade dolls out there. I assumed that you either had a crafty grandma in the family, or your children were pretty much stuck with whatever was on…
If you are like me and think you don't need yet another stuffed animal, then you have not met Bla Bla Kids' newest addition to their cuddly family, The Boogaloos . Similar to all of Bla Bla Kids' amazing pieces , the 15 various Boogaloos…
Buying the kid's first tricycle was wrought with way more emotion than I had expected. It's like the first time you tell your kid Go! Be free! Off on your own! Despite the fact that she'll still need the occasional push off an uneven sid…
For those of you who have searched high and low to find a finger puppet in the shape of a piece of matzoh, you are in luck, for we have found that very thing in the set of plush 4 Questions Finger Puppets . The matzoh joins reversible fr…