There’s a lot of cool indie kid’s clothing out there, but Hand Picked Pumpkin’s designs (for 3 - 24 month-olds) are destined to rise to the top of your laundry pile. Choose from ready made clothing or build from scratch; simply select a garment style and size, then decide on fabulous fabric options using HPP's garment design tool. And if you can just pick one item, grab a hoodie. This piece is constructed of snugly, solid contrasting cottons for the body and lining, then accented smartly with patterned fabrics on the pocket, hood, and hood liner. The hoodie isn’t meant to be reversible, but it very well could be; it’s gorgeous whether right side or inside out. Want to win a HPP hoodie*? Here’s how:

I’d venture to guess that for most of us, photos from childhood make it clear that soothing color palettes and stylish lines in kid’s fashion are a thing of the present (yes, I have photo evidence of a particularly woeful chartreuse floral shirt/blue plaid shorts combo, circa 1979). And little uni is decidedly part of this present. Their chic graphic appliqués come in a variety of favorite shapes set on soft cotton baby tees and one-pieces. Each design features a defining word, or you can personalize your favorite appliqué with your babe’s name.

Today, Tracy reports on a fashionable yet highly functional apparel & accesories line for food allergic kids: “The products offered by Blue Bear Aware are designed with food allergic kids (and their parents and caregivers) in mind. These shirts, badges, and accessories send a message about allergy alerts in style.

As promised in an earlier feature on The Handbag, here’s the first of a series of posts on fabulous luxe and low budget bag solutions. Kate starts us off with a review of the service Bag Borrow or Steal:

Modern parenting can create challenges in the most unusual places. Today Tracy writes on an issue she found surprisingly contentious amongst her parent friends; that of how much the tooth fairy is expected to cough up, and what to do with the teeth after the fact. Read on for her solutions, and feel free to post a comment if you have ideas or alternatives to share.

Complementary practices can be powerful, and this month vedaPURE – an organic family skincare line that merges herbal remedies and modern treatments within the ayurvedic principles of balance and health – is channeling its holistic power to support Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Just pick up vedaMAMA Relax – a chocolate mint body cream that moisturizes while relieving sore muscles – and relax into a practice of self-care while benefiting others (25% of sales go to The Breast Cancer Research Foundation). Want to win a jar of vedaMAMA Relax? Email us by midnight EST tonight (with “vedaMAMA” in the subject) and name the pediatrician behind vedaPURE. US/Canada entrants welcome.

What a difference a year makes. After learning about Birthdays Without Pressure this year, I vowed that Laurel’s future fêtes would be low key and low attended (i.e., me, Laurel, Jon, and likely Auntie Sha-Sha). But in contrast to a baby/toddler, a 3-year-old knows who her friends are and wants to eat cake with them. So the Color Party was born; low key in that we didn’t hire performers or ponies, a bit chaotic prep-wise (note to self & readers: do not schedule oral surgery the day before throwing a party), and a truly wonderful gathering of friends and family. I’ll post on fab Color Party craft and food ideas soon; meanwhile, I had to share this cool find before they run out. We didn’t bother with gifts, save this amazing groovy t-shirt from Boden. It’s available in guitar, owl, peace & love, or – perfect for Laurel – rainbow appliqués.

I don’t know about you, but I have been sneezing up a storm amidst the changing of the seasonal guard. Luckily, today Sharon shares an effective and natural over-the-counter remedy that has helped knock out her seasonal allergies:

Good shoes are important for little feet (listen to me grumble about my bunions – induced by a childhood of ill fitting shoes - and you’ll understand why…), and today Kate shares raves for a modern upgrade to classic Mary Janes for girls:

I have this thing about patterned grosgrain ribbon (I’m like a kid in a candy store in the J. Crew flip flops section), so it’s likely no surprise that I'm crazy about Ribbies Clippies. Created by two sisters who have collected a fresh, stylish, and eye popping collection of grosgrain, these ribbon clips fit babies to big girls, slide easily into place (no snapping involved), and stay put via a thin, color coordinated foam grip inside the clip. Available in a host of shapes and color families, I especially love the bullseye collection (shown), and Laurel loves them all. We have the Kim Squares, Chloe Dots, and Ashton Bullseye clips, and in the morning, when I ask Laurel which ones she wants to wear, she replies, “Today I want color dots…can I have color squares tomorrow? And more color dots the next day?”

There’s nothing like parenthood to force you to operate in “good enough” (vs. perfectionist) mode. In that vein, today Jules encourages women to shift their fitness mindset from an all-or-nothing to an all-you-can-do approach, offering tips to get you on the road to strength and good health, and exercises you can do in as little as 10-15 minutes: “Earlier I posted on how to shape your back, but in hindsight, today’s post really should have come first. The simple basics of getting moving are more important than focusing on any specific body part.

Unless you (generously) count goldfish crackers and wipes, it’s unusual to find much in the diaper bag that truly serves mom and babe well. So we love that Skin MD Natural shielding lotion offers a multitasking means to reduce the load in your tote and take care of your and your kid’s skin. Great for every day (and proving especially handy during our recent vacation), Skin MD's shielding formula enhances the skin’s natural abilities to lock in moisture and repel irritants (vs. simply temporarily alleviating dry skin). Suitable for face, hands, and body, testers here at Boston Mamas found the lotion refreshingly light and quick absorbing. And personally, as a typical mom lacking in leisurely morning shower and moisturizing time, and as the parent of a kid who has been prone to itching and scratching from day one, I’ve been thrilled to find that this natural lotion is effective yet gentle enough for both of us to use; I only need to tote one bottle, and soothing Laurel’s itches reminds me to tend to my own skin. Available at Amazon and Skin MD Natural, a little lotion goes a long way; the 4 oz bottle ($25) is good for 1-2 months with daily use.