Babies & Kids Blog

If you are expecting or have a baby, you probably know about Vera Bradley bags. They are the hottest mommy accessory right now. They’re definitely feminine. Most of them come in pretty soft colors with floral designs, and they are quilted which adds interesting texture. Check them out!

Vera Bradley CARGO SLING in RASPBERRY FIZZ $49.99

A large sling bag to carry it all! Makes a wonderful “Mom” bag! This bag has two gusseted flap pockets with Velcro closures on the front, plus a large slip pocket on each end big enough for a baby bottle or umbrella, or bottle of water, and a full zippered compartment on back. Look inside to find three quilted inside slip pockets and comfortable, adjustable shoulder.

Vera Bradley Baby Bag $54.99

Everything to keep a new mom organized and on-the-go: Wide zip top, two inside pockets, front slip-in pocket plus two more (one on each end) accented with trim, full pocket on back. Includes a 24″ x 14″ terry-covered changing pad.

Shop for discount Vera Bradley baby bags at Smarter.com.

I was visiting with some other moms the other day and we were talking about how hard it us to leave the house by ourselves when our children are so super attached to us. When my daughter screams and cries when I have to go out in the evening to run errands it makes me feel guilty and it makes my husband feel like she doesn’t want to be around him. Our problem is very minor compared to those of the parents who have to take their kids to daycare everyday. I can’t imagine the stress of watching the time slip away in the morning while you try to drop your screaming kids off and get to work on time. Kids Health has some great advice:

Making Goodbyes Easier

These strategies can help ease kids and parents through this difficult period:

Timing is everything. Try not to start day care or child care with an unfamiliar person when your little one is between the ages of 8 months and 1 year, when separation anxiety is first likely to appear. Also, try not to leave when your child is likely to be tired, hungry, or restless. If at all possible, schedule your departures for after naps and mealtimes.

Practice. Practice being apart from each other, and introduce new people and places gradually. If you’re planning to leave your child with a relative or a new babysitter, then invite that person over in advance so they can spend time together while you’re in the room. If your child is starting at a new day care center or preschool, make a few visits there together before a full-time schedule begins. Practice leaving your child with a caregiver for short periods of time so that he or she can get used to being away from you.

Be calm and consistent. Create a exit ritual during which you say a pleasant, loving and firm goodbye. Stay calm and show confidence in your child. Reassure him or her that you’ll be back — and explain how long it will be until you return using concepts kids will understand (such as after lunch) because your child can’t yet understand time. Give him or her your full attention when you say goodbye, and when you say you’re leaving, mean it; coming back will only make things worse.

Follow through on promises. It’s important to make sure that you return when you have promised to. This is critical — this is how your child will develop the confidence that he or she can make it through the time apart. (read more)

image: BBC

From the Celebrity-Babies.com: Courtney Thorne-Smith smiles while snuggling with son Jacob Emerson, 21 months, during a walk in Brentwood, Calif. on Friday. Jake is the only child for the former According to Jim actress, 41, and husband Roger Fishman. Courtney wears Jake in an Ergo Baby Carrier in Black/Green ($135).

Don’t pay $135! You can get the very same Ergo baby carrier for $105! 

Find a wide variety of discount baby carriers at Smarter.com.

If you’re looking for gorgeous baby bedding, you must see these deals! These two jungle themed sets are simply adorable!

Jessie’s Jungle 6 Piece Crib Set: $179 + Free Ground Shipping at BabySuperMall.com.

It’s hard to find a jungle themed bedding set that doesn’t look too “boyish” so this is perfect! The set includes a crib bumper, crib sheet, crib skirt, crib quilt, window valance and a diaper stacker.

Azania 6 Piece Crib Bedding Set by CoCaLo $189.99 $148.49

Cocalo’s Azania’s set has nature-inspired prints and textured fabrics in various shades of green, ivory and brown with accents of light blue and orange are embellished with detailed appliques and embroidery. The Azania collection offers everything parents need to create a perfect nursery for their little explorer.The Azania six piece crib bedding set includes a quilt, fitted sheet, bumper, dust ruffle, diaper stacker and valance. Neutral colors would work for both boys and girls!

Shop for more discount baby bedding at Smarter.com.

As you have probably already heard, Disney is offering refunds or DVD upgrades for Baby Einstein videos purchased between June 5, 2004 and September 4, 2009. Why? Apparently many parents felt they were being led to believe that Baby Einstein videos were educational when in fact, they are not. But really, who truly would believe that plunking a baby in front of the television is educational? If parents really thought they were being good parents by encouraging their little babies to zone out in front of the tube maybe they shouldn’t get their fifteen bucks back anyway! Common sense, right?!

Anyway, if you have a few of these DVDs around the house and you want to get some cash back or exchange them for something better, follow these instructions:

To participate, you must have purchased a Baby Einstein DVD between June 5, 2004 and September 4, 2009.

If you are not satisfied with the Baby Einstein DVD you purchased during the period mentioned above, for a limited time beginning on September 4, 2009 and ending on March 4, 2010, you may exchange it for one of the following:

One (1) Baby Einstein Book of your choice

One (1) Baby Einstein music CD of your choice

- Or -

One (1) coupon for 25% off the purchase of one Little Einsteins™ product. Redeemable with promotion code only at DisneyStore.com.

Or you may return it, and we will refund the current retail value of the DVD ($15.99). (read more)

Alarm clocks are great gifts for children who are learning to tell time or just need help waking up for school or daycare. If your child is getting up way too early, an alarm clock can help them tell when it’s okay to finally get out of bed. However, you don’t want something that is too loud or will startle them.

Talking Animal Alarm Clocks $16.95

These alarm clocks really speak to kids. Literally. Alarm goes off and you hear animal sounds.

• Green Frog says “Ribbit-ribbit-ribbit”
• Blue Dog says “Ruff-ruff, ruff-ruff”
• Orange Cat says “Meow, meow”
• On/off alarm switch
• 3 AA Batteries included

Soccer Squishy Alarm Clock $24.95

This is awesome! Kids can beat it up and it won’t get hurt!

Here is your chance to get back at your alarm clock. When the alarm sounds, you can toss or bounce your clock to turn it off. Have a ball with your new sports clock! The Squishy Alarm Clock is an innovative technology that allows you to turn off the alarm by throwing it against the wall. You can squish it, squeeze it and toss it to relieve stress of just have a ball! When the alarm sounds, throw it and the alarm turns off.

Shop for more kids’ alarm clocks at Smarter.com.

Everybody is freaking out about the H1N1 virus. A lot of people are running out and waiting for 6 plus hours to get the vaccine and just as many people are refusing to get it altogether. I don’t want to debate the vaccine, but I do want to share with you some tips on how to prevent exposure over Halloween. I’m sure your kids will be attending parties, and going trick-or-treating will expose them to all kinds of new people with who knows what illnesses. You should be cautious, but don’t lock your family up in fear.

Here are the tips: There aren’t many studies investigating Halloween candy and flu virus transmission. So the following 12 tips are based on practical advice from practicing pediatricians. They tell parents how to handle Halloween trick-or-treating for candy, with the goal of minimizing the risk of contracting H1N1 swine flu and other “bugs.

Forget Grab Bags. Consider Non-Food Treats

1. Give Non-Candy Halloween Treats. There’s national concern over childhood obesity. Instead of candy, Dr. Shu* recommends “trading cards, baseball cards, tattoos, bookmarks, balls, glow sticks, or plastic spiders,” noting that these treats “don’t promote obesity and tooth decay.“ Check Oriental Trading Company and Target stores.

2. Scoop Halloween Candy, to Avoid H1N1. When giving out candy, hand it or scoop it – but avoid the grab bag. “If kids are fingering through a bag of candy it could add germs to the mix,” says Dr. Shu. Instead, hand the candy to each trick-or-treater. Or, use a cup to scoop it from a bowl. That way, many hands aren’t touching the same chocolate candy kiss.

Halloween Candy: Put Aside for Two Days

1. Let Those Germs Die. Let Halloween candy “sit” for a few days before touching or eating it. Dr. Shu says, “two days is plenty of time for any contagions” like a H1N1 virus that happens to be on the candy wrapper to die.

2. Avoid Obesity. No need to be a killjoy, but make Halloween candy last. (read more!)

image: stewystuff

BMX bikes come in three main styles - racing, freestyle and dirt jumping. However, the differences between the bikes needed for each discipline are actually very slim. If your child has been asking for a BMX bike, chances are they’re going to ride it and practice tricks at the skate park instead of riding around town.

Here are three for the beginner BMX kid!

Mongoose BMX bikes are very popular and have great reviews across the board.

20″ Boys’ Mongoose “Outer Limit” BMX Racing Bike $97.00 $87.00 On Sale!

• Brakes: Alloy rear linear and front caliper hand brakes
• Tires: Alloy two-tone, 36-spoke wheels with radial spoked front
• Mongoose BMX pierced top tube racing frame design
• Oversized unicrown fork
• Alloy bolt stem and kneesaver handlebars
• Alloy rims
• Alloy platform pedals
• Alloy seat clamp
• Best for ages 8 and up!

20″ Boys’ Wipe Out BMX Bike $69.76 $59.78 On Sale!

• Brakes: Front caliper hand brake and coaster foot brake
• Tires: 20″ Black
• Adjustable, quick-release seat post
• Spoke alloy rims
• Handlebar pads included
• Oversized 36-pound tubular frame
• Approved by U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission
• For ages 6 and up

Kawasaki® KX20 20″ BMX $145.99

• Custom Kawasaki® Bicycles BMX frame
• Aluminum wheels
• Kawasaki® graphics pack
• Alloy linear pull rear brake / Alloy caliper front
• Peg set
• Kickstand included
• Ages 8 and up!

You may have noticed that I didn’t choose any BMX bikes being specifically marketed to girls. All of the girls bikes that I found said things like “She will show off her girly style on this purple bike!” and I thought that was so wrong, I didn’t choose any of them! Buy your girl a red bike and watch her compete with the boys! Not every girl wants to be “girly!”

For several years, my husband and I lived on the other side of the country away from our families. We weren’t able to fly home with tons of gifts, and shipping Christmas gifts was just way too expensive. At that time, we started doing all of our Christmas shopping online and we still continue to do much of our shopping online, even now that we’re back in our home state.

We prefer online shopping for several reasons:  First, we hate crowds. Mall shopping is just about the last thing in the world that sounds appealing to me. Second, it’s easy to find good deals online. With literally thousands or retailers online all competing with each other for your money, you have a lot of leverage.

Here are my tips for shopping online for the holidays:

Make a list. Write down everybody that you need to buy gifts for and jot down some ideas for what to get them. What do they like? Do they have any specific interests that could help you in choosing a gift. If you keep an open mind about what to get them, you’ll be able to get the best deal. For example, I am looking for a small keyboard for my daughter this year. I’m keeping my search general and I am open to all reputable brands so I am more likely to find the best deal. If I narrow my search one brand and model, I’m going to have a harder time finding a good deal.

Check out your vendor. Before you plug your credit card number into a website, make sure that you can trust them. Have you ever heard of this retailer? You shouldn’t have to dig for a customer service phone number on a website you’re shopping on. My personal rule is that if I don’t find a customer service phone number within 10 minutes of browsing, I move on. I learned this lesson the hard way and my bank account suffered. Somebody ripped my card number off online and went on a shopping spree in California with my money! This probably sounds cheesy, but I really do use Smarter when I shop online because they weed out the bad guys and show you the best deals first.

Check the shipping and handling times. Order early enough to account for the busy season for the shipping carriers. There are often great last minute Christmas deals, but many times the items arrive after the holidays. This is great if your family has a late holiday get together (my in-laws get together in January), but not so great if you show up to a Christmas Eve get together empty handed.

Pick your card carefully. Use a credit card that offers protection if you don’t get the item you paid for or if your card is used in a way that you didn’t authorize.

Look for free or cheap shipping. If a retailer really wants your business, they won’t charge you an arm and a leg for shipping.  You can find free shipping coupons at CouponMountain.com.

Make it personal. If you’re going to be giving the gift in person, wrap it yourself. Paying a vendor to gift wrap is usually pretty expensive and you want to make sure that the recipient knows that you put more thought into their gift that just pointing and clicking online. If you’re shipping the gift directly to the recipient, include a personal card. Tell them why you chose the gift that you did. Your sentiment is just as important as the gift you chose.

My daughter is two and literally has no impulse control. That’s totally normal for her age. Around age four or five you can start to expect a little more from your children as far and understanding cause and effect. I read an article that gives good pointers for helping your children develop self control and I wanted to share some of it with you:

DON’T: Tell your children they have done something wrong and arbitrarily punish them (lose a privilege like watching TV because of hitting a sibling). In this instance children only come to rely on others telling them what to do instead of learning about alternative acceptable behaviors that they can choose for themselves the next time (“I will ask mom for help with getting my toy back instead of hitting my sister”).

DO: Be flexible. Effective parents are constantly changing and adapting to who their child is. They tailor their parenting to meet the child’s needs. For example: If a 13-year-old is not very responsible, a responsive parent would not let that child babysit younger siblings, regardless of his age. They would help their child to learn more responsible behaviors so he can be left alone to babysit when he is ready.

DON’T: Tell your child you’re not interested in her excuses or explanations for why she has done something wrong. This gives children the message that their feelings are not important. You don’t have to agree with how your child is feeling, but you do need to respect that her feelings are real.

DO: Give your children a “feelings vocabulary.” Start as early as possible labeling their feelings for them. “I can see how upset you are.” “I bet that made you feel very angry?” “I can appreciate how frustrated you must be.” This way, as children expand their capacity for language they will have words to express themselves instead of acting out. They will also be able to tell how someone else is feeling as a result of their behavior: “I can tell by the look on my aunt’s face, she’s angry that I ate the whole bag of chips.” Perceiving how others are feeling about how they behaved will go a long way in helping children to problem solve.

DON’T: Constantly tell your children what to do. But don’t let them do whatever they want either. Children cannot learn about rules if their environment is so restrictive that they are not allowed to make mistakes they can learn from. Nor can they learn about rules if they have never been taught to follow them.

DO: Set limits, but allow your children input (as they get older) into what those limits might be and the consequences for not adhering to them. Children need lots of practice in making decisions about their behavior and opportunities to see the impact of those decisions from both their successes and their failures.

Read the whole article here.

image: homeschoolingaddkids.com