A Danish friend who conducts African safaris once told me that hippos are “mean bastards.”
Well, you’d never know it by looking at the cheery Modern Basics Big Boo Hippo Throw Blanket ($40). I just discovered the unbelievably cool site of Design Public, a small team that creates the coolest in home furnishings and accessories for babies, kids, adults, and critters.
The hippo blanket is available in blue, brown, green or pink; the fleece throw measures 40 x 30 inches.
A Danish friend who conducts African safaris once told me that hippos are “mean bastards.”
Well, you’d never know it by looking at the cheery Modern Basics Big Boo Hippo Throw Blanket ($40). I just discovered the unbelievably cool site of Design Public, a small team that creates the coolest in home furnishings and accessories for babies, kids, adults, and critters.
The hippo blanket is available in blue, brown, green or pink; the fleece throw measures 40 x 30 inches.
Is the intensity of the preschool rat race getting you down? You likely will find validation in “Einstein Never Used Flashcards” (2003). Referred to me by developmental psychologist Dr. Derek Price, “Einstein” is written by infancy research specialists Golinkoff, Hirsh-Pasek, and Ever. The authors are critical of the current trend to drive little ones hard and early, and discuss empirical evidence suggesting that pushing preschoolers through achievement programs doesn’t pay off in the long run. The authors instead advocate learning through everyday play, which naturally enhances problem solving skills, attention span, social development, and creativity.
Available at Amazon, regularly $13.95; currently on sale for $10.74.
Every now and then my husband does something in the kitchen that makes me go berserk. Two weeks ago it was coming up with a recipe for the best broccoli salad ever.
Inspired by a so-so version at a café near work, and the need for us to get some vegetables in us, Jon developed this recipe and can produce it in 20-25 minutes flat. The stovetop cooking is minimal, which is key given this summer’s steamy heat.
I now ask Jon to double the batches; single batches don’t last long around our house. Even the toddle bug will ingest some of the vegetables due to the yummy “sauce!”
Jack would’ve loved to check out Magic Beans in Brookline. The store is replete with a terrific selection of the latest cool toys and baby gear; friendly staff is available to help you test drive (and figure out how to fold and unfold) any of their impressive selection of high-end strollers. The store also offers a sizeable play area for babes.
Magic Beans, 312 Harvard Street, Brookline, 617-264-2326
Just because the books in your current library have a high illustration to text ratio doesn’t mean you aren’t ready for a literary challenge.
David McPhail’s “Pigs Aplenty, Pigs Galore
” ($6.99 at Amazon) was a gift from a dear friend (long before the babe was around!) and is – without question – one of our favorite books. The illustrations bring character and expression to each and every pig; the text offers a clever rhyme scheme that will hold your babe’s attention while offering your brain some mental gymnastics to get the wording right on memorization.
I love how diverse the baking experience can be. And while I'm often drawn towards lunatic baking challenges (I made a three-tiered wedding cake for my babe’s first birthday party…), sometimes nothing beats a spectacular, quick recipe.
Last year I came across just such a recipe for cupcakes. From the famous Magnolia’s in NYC, these cupcakes are a breeze to make and have served as impressive centerpieces at baby showers and birthday parties. The moist cake is coupled with rich, decadent icing that renders these treats far from ordinary. This recipe is simple enough to make for a fun baking project with kids; or it’s even possible to measure and mix while toting a curious toddler on your hip.
So how bad is it that my academic expertise is in music and psychology and I have never explicitly purchased a CD for my babe?
Yes, of course I believe that music has powerful cognitive and therapeutic capabilities. But aside from having a decent existing music collection to choose from, I tend to be utterly underwhelmed by the bubble gum bouncy covers on CDs marketed for parents, and especially exasperated by printed claims such as “Proven to make your baby smarter!” Really? Who proved it? Cite a reference please.
Marketing griping aside, I do have one immediate recommendation. My brother-in-law gave us a wonderful CD by Nina Gerber, a professional guitarist based in California. Nina’s “Sweet Dreams” album ($15) includes acoustic guitar instrumentals that are lyrical and textured, yet calming for both babes and adults. This album occupied a permanent spot in our CD changer for about 18 months, serving as our evening wind down/sleep signal music.
Only available for via mail order, but I think it's worth it.
A mama pal from Halifax, Nova Scotia writes in about a fabulous product she picked up for her potty training son. The Piddle Pad from Kiddopotamus is a lifesaver in the car. The top side is soft terrycloth; the backing is vinyl to protect the seat and seatbelts from accidents. With one (or more) of these on hand you won’t be stuck with a babe in a soggy seat, and the major nuisance of wrestling off the car seat cover and running laundry as soon as you get home.
The Piddle Pad is machine washable (of course!) and available for $7.99 at Babies R Us
.
I’m one of those people who exhausts every possible avenue to find the answers before going to an adult for them.
That is why we found “The Baby Book
” (of the Sears parenting series) to be a handy reference (the book covers topics from birth to two years). While the attachment approach isn’t for everyone (and we certainly didn’t follow every single suggestion despite being pro-breastfeeding and into baby wearing, etc...), the basic baby care and developmental information is extremely useful. We were able to do a lot of successful troubleshooting at home with this book as a reference (with the web as backup here and there) and it saved us many unnecessary trips to the doctor's office.
Available at Amazon - regularly $21.95, currently on sale for $14.27.
Too bad there’s no Harrods in Boston. That’s where a London mama pal picked up her daughter’s unbelievably cute Miffy rolling suitcase.
Meanwhile, you’ll just have to content your Miffy fix via print media. Among our very first baby books was 
"Miffy’s Magnifying Glass" ($5.99 at Amazon). The babe loved looking at the bright illustrations and that cute big bunny head, and I think the punch line is funny and fitting for parents in the trenches (literally) of diaper duty (although I should warn you that some reviewers on Amazon don't agree!).
A while back our toddler had a truly crappy week. She had conjunctivitis, some big fat molars breaking through, and then she got a handful of splinters when she grabbed a wooden rail across the street. There were about a dozen of the little buggers – all tiny and deeply embedded.
After I stopped hyperventilating, I combed the web for solutions. We tried the tweezers and needle routine (dreadful), dabbing glue on the end of any protruding splinters (to pull out the splinter), and soaking the babe’s hand in a mix of Epsom salt and water (to draw out impurities). The babe started running away whenever she saw me approaching with another “solution.”
The Georello Jungle is a classic example of why I don’t include listed age limits for toys and books; rather, I note developmental aspects of the item that would mesh with wherever your babe is at.
This super cool toy is part puzzle, part color learning tool, part mechanics 101 lesson. The Georello Jungle is the one toy in our house that garners play irrespective of age (e.g., 21 months to about 60 years!). Toddlers love locking the base puzzle pieces together and, as I recently discovered, matching the colors of the animals to the colors of the base pieces. Adults cannot resist attempting to construct super cool, spinning gear patterns.
The 50-piece set includes base pieces, meshing gears, wild animals, and palm trees. I picked mine up at Henry Bear's Park (Huron Village, Arlington Center); also available at Amazon for $15.99.
When you are next looking for an outing that is a little more Zen and a little less zoo, head to the peaceful, manicured Arnold Arboretum in Jamaica Plain. The grounds are open from sunrise to sunset every day; admission is free (although donations are welcome).
The Arboretum offers seasonal two-hour school programs for students in grades 3 to 6 that are designed to encourage the investigation of plant science. Classes are free for kids from Boston schools, $4 otherwise. One-day and multi-session horticulture, botany, and landscape-related courses are offered for adults of all levels.
Finished trolling around Faneuil Hall and the North End and need to take a load off? Then head over to the Christopher Columbus Waterfront Park on Atlantic Avenue in Boston. Not only is the harbor view and landscaping a relaxing retreat for adults, but your babe will love the playground, green space, and spray fountain.
Christopher Columbus Waterfront Park, Tel: 617-635-4505
Day cares – especially those that take infants – are tough to find, but Bright Horizons offers plenty of places to look. I’ve heard nothing but great things about Bright Horizons from several mama pals. Bright Horizons is massive; they operate more than 600 child-care centers and schools across the U.S., Canada and Europe. In Massachusetts, locations that are open to the community for application include Allston, Andover, Bedford, Beverly, Boston, Boxborough, Braintree, Cambridge, Charlestown, Foxboro, Framingham, Franklin, Hingham, Lexington, Marlborough, Milton, Natick, Needham, Newburyport, North Reading, Norwell, Pembroke, Pittsfield, Quincy, Randolph, Sudbury, Wakefield, Waltham, Watertown, Wayland, and Wellesley. Click here to narrow your search by distance from your home; check specific locations for age limits.
I love optimization and organization. So I was thrilled to discover the Mothers Milkmate Storage Rack ($26.99 at Amazon). It optimizes because the bottles hook up directly to most breast pumps and can attach to a universal nipple and collar to feed the babe directly. The system organizes by featuring a space saving storage rack designed to allow ten five-ounce bottles to rotate so that the milk is used in a "first-in, first-out" basis (i.e., you pull the first bottle out, and the others roll in behind it).
The Kosher certified storage system includes a heavy-duty wire rack, 10 polypropylene plastic bottles, 10 plug and cap sets (to eliminate leaking), and freezer grade labels.
I love that my dad used to use the term “dog party” whenever he saw a big group of dogs playing. You’ll see that and more at the Beaver Brook Reservation (Mill Street, Belmont/Waltham). This impressive piece of land includes 59 acres of open fields, wetlands and woodlands that are open to walking, biking, and picnicking. The north section of the park includes ponds, fields, marsh, and a cascading waterfall. The south section of the park (immediately visible from Route 60) includes ball fields, a wading/spray pool, and a tot lot. There also are restrooms on site when the park is open.
During the summer the spray pool is open Tuesday – Sunday, 10am – 4:30pm; the tot lot/reservation daily from 10am – 6pm. There is no admission fee to the reservation. Tel: 617-484-6357.
Is it too dramatic to say that the Baby Bjorn 1-2-3 Baby Sitter ($114 at Amazon) saved my life? Even on an indulgent day my typical shower routine takes 15 minutes tops. But for some reason, as a new mom I found it incredibly difficult to find the time to take a shower; impossible seeming actually, if my husband had already left for work and I was on my own during the day.
One day I realized that, by virtue of the spit up chunks in my hair, I was redefining the term “bad hair day.” So I set the babe up in the Bjorn bouncy chair right outside the shower, peeked out frequently while I lathered up, and emerged from the shower spit up free (even if only for a few minutes) and rejuvenated. A mere seven minutes in the shower left me with a massively improved frame of mind from which to embark on my day of baby adventures. After all, a happy mom makes for a happy baby. The Bjorn chair also served well when I tried bottles with the babe (if I held her, she was obviously confused by the lack of booby access), as well as when she started solid foods but was too little to sit up in a high chair.
The Baby Bjorn 1-2-3 Baby Sitter can be used up to 29 lbs and has a three-point fabric safety harness, three-position recline, and removable toy bar with solid (nontoxic paint) wood toys. It folds for storage and the seat padding is washable.