When my son was younger, he'd shuffle around the house balancing a stack of his favorite books in his overloaded arms. I was thrilled to have raised a mini bibliophile, but after seeing countless board books tumbling onto his little toes…
When I find myself packing our bags for a beach side vacation , I always look for ways to cut back on the number of space-hogging things we're taking. With the SandSac they can bring their sand pail and shovel without taking up too much …
Well it's about time my favorite local Brooklyn toy store, Acorn toys , went digital. Not that I was complaining before, mind you, but now everyone I know can check out the gorgeous selection of handmade toys and other special gifts for …
I am always impressed by those upcycle crafters who look at what most of us would send off to Salvation Army and see the potential for something fabulous and new. Or in the case of Australian artist and mom of four Leah, creating dozens …
Last spring, I recommended my family's two favorite children's scooters , the Mini Micro Kickboard and the Skoooch, based on extensive testing by three scooter-fanatic kids. During this past year, these children continued to grow as they…
This little wooden giraffe toy set spotted at the adorable shop My Sweet Muffin is a perfect marriage of toddler toys. First, you have the giraffe on wheels, which is adorable. Next, you have a set of domino-shaped pieces suitable for st…
I must say, despite the CPSA I still remain most confident by mass produced toys when they're made in Europe. The standards are consistently high, and the products seem made to last more than one kid. Or more than one month as the case o…
The first thing I noticed about Colorado's Sprig Toys is that they smell like fresh-cut wood, even while they look like strong molded plastic. Turns out I was right on both counts--their special "Sprigwood" is an eco-friendly, kid-safe m…
I had the dizzying pleasure of attending the mammoth Toy Fair in February, and one thing that seemed to be everywhere was cardboard. Of all of them, my favorite was easily the U.S.-made Elia Mini Chair Kit which takes this basic material…
I notice when I hit the mass kids' toy stores that the blocks are always in the boys section. It's bizarre to me because both my daughters love blocks like a frat boy loves Spring Break. And I can assure you they'd go flat out bonkers fo…
If you had told me a few years back that I'd be counting the days until a toy company released their new trucks, I would have said you were nuts. But if you've seen Green Toys then it's not so hard to believe that I've had the date marke…
Much as I love to color eggs with my kids, there are only so many hard-boiled eggs one family can eat. And while the plastic eggs aren't perishable, they aren't particularly attractive or earth-friendly either. These felted Easter eggs f…
As the only boy with two older sisters, my son knows that he may get stuck playing dolls or carrying his toy cars around in a sparkly pink bag. He has always been a good sport when playing dress-up, donning whatever his sisters put on hi…
I'm what you would call a dog person. How could I not be when it comes to these adorable plush sausage dogs over at British etsy shop alice apple ? These amazing stuffed animals, with their funky, retro fabrics, will stand out amongst an…
Sure, siblings are going to have their own likes and dislikes, but overall, picking toys with a wide appeal that would have lasted through all three of my kids would have been one brilliant move. So learn from my mistake, mamas, and snag…
Why do babies seem to favor items that were never intended to be playthings? It never fails to amaze me how my kids spurn toys in favor of screwdrivers and old cell phones. But there's one standby that I can always count on to charm a ch…
We always say we have the best readers in the world (it's true!) and it's especially the case they point us towards wonderful brands like Rice . This Danish housewares company is run by a mom-and-pop team who's amassed a dandy selection …
The stuffed animals I painstakingly selected for my babies as to be "loveys" were never the ones they ended up dragging everywhere. When it comes to that special attachment, kids don't care if it's pretty or where it came from--they care…
I guess I have birthday gifts on the brain this week after finding those cute crowns. Today's pick: The Raplapas party animals . Each adorable stuffed pig, elephant, bird or rabbit is soft (ooh, cotton velvet), cuddly and topped off with…
If you haven't noticed, 2009 appears to be the year of the owl-- at least when it comes to baby accessories. I suppose that it's sort of fitting, seeing as how owls are awake all night long, not unlike some babies I know. Sigh. At least …
It's hard to entirely describe a Geemo , even after having played with it for a week. I can only assure you that this is the greatest new toy we've discovered in a good long time, thanks to our friend Tiffany at The Pajama Squid . Geemo …
The other night, as my son crept into my bed, he hit me in the head with a robot. Thankfully, unlike the plastic trucks and action figures he has adopted as lovies in the past, this robot was a "crazy soft" Bunk Bot named Night-Vision Pi…
My daughter is an art fanatic , and would paint until she was blue in the face. Funny, she's actually done that, with blue hands, arms, clothes...you get the picture. She's a four-year-old with paints. So when she tried Mahar Dry Goods' …
I love peeking across the ocean via the www to see what our European friends are doing as far as kids and design. Occasionally there's some wacky baby tee featuring a wolf riding a unicycle with a pig on his head or something, but genera…