Happy Feet
We've had a heck of a time trying to find summer sandals for my daughter. Combine her in-between shoe size with fairly narrow feet and you basically eliminate most of the better shoe options out there. So when I slid a pair of Kuuru Shoe…
Category
Kids
Scooter Smackdown!
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…
The Annual Cool Mom Picks Dad Tattoo Tee Reco
Every year we fall in love with the idea of the kids surprising dad in a cool daddy tattoo tee on Father's Day. The most hard-core, manly man, I-only-watch-Steven-Segal-movies papa will melt at the sight of his beloved progeny avowing th…
The Perfect Child's Cardigan (The Cardigan is Perfect; Maybe Not the Child)
Just as I realize my girls have outgrown all their Spring jackets, I got my hands on the most perfect, awesome, totally gorgeous cardigans from the new 100% organic collection of Nest Children . The entire collection (lots of it online a…
Shiny Happy Eco Toys
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…
Organic, Fair Trade, and Cute Beyond Belief. Score.
One of the best fashion trends to hit children's wear - no, not custom bling shirts - is the use of fair trade organic cotton. The more demand there is for it, the more companies are working hard to come up with really appealing fabrics …
A Children's Book That Answers Many Questions, Except What the Title Means
Ever wonder what a butterfly is worth on the black market? According to Alastair Reid, author of A Balloon for a Blunderbuss , quite a bit. Especially if you trade it for a bigger thing and then a bigger thing and then an army. Or any is…
Lead-Free Toys, 100% Totally Guaranteed.
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…
Color By Name
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…
Memorial Day: The Beginning of Outdoor Ride-On Toy Season
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…
Surfing Safari
Today officially marks the beginning of swimwear season. And if there's one complaint that I have about boy's swim suits (okay, make that one of maaaaaaany), it's that it's nearly impossible to find regular length shorts and swim trunks.…
Green is the New...Well, Yeah. You Know.
Some of the kids eco-tees we're seeing are a bit heavy-handed for my taste. There's a fine line between a clever slogan and some creepy preachy statement on a preschooler. Junkfood's ultrasoft Live Free/Live Green tee spotted at hip kids…
Space Travelers: Your Book is Ready
The Way Back Home , written and illustrated by Oliver Jeffers, is the most randomly appealing book I've read. For one thing, the main character discovers an airplane in his closet on the second page. For another, he gets stuck on the moo…
The Wii Fit: Getting In Shape Hasn't Been This Fun Since...Well, It Never Has.
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. …
A Taste for Popadum
Boy, am I liking this new flowy peasant top trend for kids this season. With any luck it will stick around, while the prematurely provocative belly shirts and tight blingy tees take a permanent hiatus. In hell. As a change-up from the Me…
Have a Ball
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…
A Cherry of a Kids' Tee
I am beyond tired of kids clothes that don't hold up after oh, say three washes. The bargain tees I picked up turned out to not be such a bargain when I threw them out before the season was halfway over, reminding me that often times, yo…
My first shades, hold the gratuitous use of bling
Sunglasses are at the top of my list of fun kids' accessories - it's a riot to watch my three year-old push her sunglasses on top of her head "just like Mommy." But fashion aside, sunglasses on kids are really about protection and My Fir…
Your Child's Name in Lights. Or More Accurately, Leaves.
Self-obsessed much? Despite my best efforts, my daughter is. Thanks to our video camera, she's been watching movies of herself for years. And oh, they are her favorites. Now, thanks to Frecklebox 's personalized Nature Namebook, she can …
Petite Luxe: French for What Recession?
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…
Oprah's Book Club Just Got a Little Competition
We realize that a good book, be it for your own weary eyes or your kid's, can be pretty hard to come by these days. So, lucky for you, we've rounded up all our past and present book picks into one CMP Book Club and put them all our shop …
I Enjoy Being a Girl
I might not be a huge fan of the lacy froo-froo get-ups for my daughter, but that doesn't mean I can't get sucked in by some of our awesome girlie picks - like these custom wool felt crowns from Cakies . Granted, they're not really that …
Birds of a Feather Rattle Together
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…
Sitting Still is Highly Overrated
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…