Recently I was introduced to the Plasma Car at a friend's house. I had to beg my four year-old to get off...and give me a try. And once I did, she had to beg me to get off. I'm not the only one. At the ABC Kids show in Las Vegas a few mo…
Ever since we got a Nintendo Wii, my kids have been hooked on bowling. Okay, try completely obsessed. But I figured instead of having them beg to play the virtual version every day, they could do the real thing right at home with the ret…
When I had my second baby, one thing that helped my daughter (then just barely two) was to be able to mimic the things I was doing so she could feel like she was "helping." I still have awesome pictures of her little dolls in diapers tha…
To say my son was obsessed with toy cars, trucks, trains and planes when he was younger would be a major understatement, and I have six overstuffed bins to prove it. However, there are a few toy vehicles he's collected over the years tha…
Personally I'm a fan of the Deglingos dolls, though I understand the quirky hedgehogs and crazy-eyed lobsters aren't everyone's cup of stuffed animal tea. But the brand new Woodours bears from the same French company, Ebulobo, I'd imagin…
Jade's Toy Box no longer exists I'm starting to think that group gifts are the way to go. Chip in with a bunch of other folks, and get someone one seriously awesome something-or-other that they'll really appreciate. And I think that's wh…
If I had a million dollars, as that song goes, I think I would add this Mini Cooper ride-on toy to my kids' holiday gift list . While I haven't tried it out personally, my kids would zip around the living room in that hot little car in a…
When I was young, I loved playing house. Tea parties and market shopping were two of my favorite things. I had no idea I was practicing chores I would have to do the rest of my life. Aaaaanyway, felt food is always such a fantastic child…
Okay, reclaimed wool bunny with your little fair aisle ears, you are super cute. You and your little frog friend, and that's all I have to say about that. I wish you weren't quite so expensive, but (sigh) I do understand that you're fair…
I always thought that LEGOs were cute for making walls and towers, maybe the occasional weird angular horses or something. I honestly had no idea that now you could make, oh, say...the Guggenheim Museum . Right in time for the NY landmar…
While most toy companies start basic and work outward from there, I think it's really interesting that CMP fave (and pretty much every kids boutique's fave), Blabla Kids , has evolved from their quirky and sometimes irreverent line of fa…
You know you're a mom when you go from being a bag whore to a bin whore. But considering how awesome bins are getting these days, like the new cotton canvas storage bins from JJ Cole, I suppose it's not a completely terrible transition. …
Designer Cath Young says her label Chunky Chooky is dedicated to "cool things for small people," but I'd argue you don't have to be particularly small to relish her adorable softies--creatures, rattles, and so-called wabbits fashioned fr…
With all the building toys in my three-kid household, I find it amusing that their new favorite is a box of same-sized, non-painted, rectangular pieces of wood from CitiBlocs . You can almost hear all the other blocks protesting, "But I'…
As a child, I'd spend three long days driving to visit my grandmother each summer and, out of boredom, would pretend my bare hands and feet were puppets. Pretty pathetic, but times were tough and it was too hot in our hatchback to go the…
I used to do the consignment thing with my kids' outgrown clothes, but I've just not found a store in our new locale that has enough stuff I want to buy to make it worth my while to sell there. And I admit that dropping bags anonymously …
After inheriting yet another useless stuffed animal courtesy of my in-laws, I have officially put the kibosh on any and all such toys. With one exception, of course. The King. If you're an Elvis lover, his spirit and likeness can now liv…
I make no apologies about dissuading people from giving stuffed animals as baby gifts because the damn things just seem to spawn and multiply overnight. But I could easily make an exception when it comes to the gorgeous plush baby rattle…
The only thing more impressive to us than an adorable handmade stuffed animal is one with an awesome do-gooding backstory. Like the one behind Kathy Chereck's "critters" at the shop Ashley Petite . When Kathy Chereck lost her grandson, N…
These days, not everyone wants (or needs) to spend money on a brand new backpack or lunchbox for the kids each school year. So I like the idea of finding those fun little doodads that help liven up backpacks and make them feel new again.…
While 2009 hasn't quite turned out to be the Year of the Recall the same way it was in 2007, we still like the the idea of an easy way to check for safety recalls of children's toys and other products. In fact, the Babysitter Balance fro…
I just do not have that kind of creativity it would entail to look at a traditional sock monkey and think, Hmm, I bet I could improve on that. But that's what CMP fave Clarity Miller did when she turned one into a Socktopus . It's virtua…
We recently finished our basement, and having a spiffy designated playroom for the kids has done amazing things for my sanity. Now it's time to find storage for all the toys we so eagerly transferred there. In my search for the perfect p…
There are few things that scream New England more than the ubiquitous lobster, but since I'm afraid a lobster may actually scream, I have never brought one home to cook for dinner. If you're like me, go a different route and bring home t…