Posts from — April 2008

A 3 year old won Minnesota Mullet Contest this year!

Congrats!…..I think!

All mullet joking aside, I really dig his hockey jersey.

Thomas the Tank Engine has gotten something of a (deserved) bad rap recently due largely to the lead content in the paint used on the toys and the subsequent toy recalls. I am not even a parent and it bugs me to no end to think that people would use toxins in Thomas & Friends toys. But the lead contamination problem notwithstanding, Thomas the Tank Engine is one kid mystery that deserves exploration, because kids around the world love Thomas and his friends.

I think that for an adult, learning the all the characters in the Thomas universe would be like trying to learn Basque from a book. There are just too many, and the distinctions between them are very nuanced. For example, I have a hard time telling the difference between Thomas and Wilbert. To my mind, they are both blue trains with faces on them. But kids can very easily tell the difference and will correct you, so don’t even bother trying to fool them.

Here are some great Thomas guides (pun intended) to help you navigate Thomas’ world:

• MyFavoriteToys.com: Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends Character Guide
• The Origins of Thomas the Tank Engine
• Thomas and Friends’ Activities for Kids
• Thomas the Tank Engine Cake instructions
• How Thomas the Tank Engine Works
• Children with Autism and Thomas the Tank Engine — a totally fascinating and insightful read
• Parents weigh in on the question: Do autistic kids especially like Thomas the Tank Engine?
• Top 10 Ideas for Using Thomas the Tank Engine as a Teaching Tool by Lisa Jo Rudy

There’s been a lot of talk in the news recently about Bisphenol A (or BPA), a chemical found in the plastic used to make water bottles and baby bottles. Both the FDA and the Canadian government had concluded that BPA in polycarbonate bottles meets current safety requirements, but the Canadian government is banning BPA as a “precautionary” step of in products to be used by young children. The FDA announced today that it is finally taking a step in that direction by “re-evaluating” its view on BPA in light of a recent National Toxicology Program report on the compound.

I have to say, I am all for this “better safe than sorry” approach by the Canadians and I hope the FDA follows suit. I think I’d rather NOT expose my child (or any child) to chemicals/toxins if given the choice. Especially after reading what critics of BPA have to say:

• Environment California’s report on Toxic Baby Bottles
• The Work Group for Safe Markets’ PDF: Baby’s Toxic Bottle
• US News & World Report: Report Shows Dangerous Chemicals Can Leach From Baby Bottles
• Children’s Hospital.org: Michael Shannon, MD, MPH, on plastic baby bottles
• Draft of NTP Brief on Bisphenol A (PDF)
• Bisphenol A Free.org– the name says it all
• Our Stolen Future — website of the book that brought BPA to public awareness

I think that it generally is a really good idea to have some kind of activity classes for parents and kids, because it is a great way to bond and relax and get out of the house for a while. I love the idea of mom and baby yoga classes.

My quest for information on baby yoga made me wonder if they made workout clothes for babies, and I found these adorable yoga pants, made in sizes for newborns up to size 4T:

And these awesome yoga mats:

I think they will go great with Mom’s yoga pants at Mommy and Me yoga.

Here are some great baby yoga resources:

• Yoga Baby
• Itsy Bitsy Yoga
• Yoga Journal: Yoga to Bolster Baby Development

There’s an article on Yahoo! today that reports on a British study linking a mother’s diet to the baby’s gender. There seems to be a link between mothers who regularly eat cereal for breakfast (and consume more potassium, like from bananas) and an increased chance of having a boy. I am starting to wonder if this article is somehow connected to the 5 boxes of cereal I received in the mail from my mother yesterday.

I think there is a myth that says that women who are pregnant with girls have a lot more morning sickness, so I wonder if being pregnant with a girl could contribute to a smaller caloric intake. The timing of the Yahoo! story totally coincides with the news I received last night that a friend is pregnant. She’d been having horrible morning sickness, and we were discussing whether or not she thought it was a girl. I guess only time will tell. She did tell me about Mommy’s Bliss, which has great all natural products for moms-to-be. They have a morning sickness remedy called Morning Sickness Magic that supposedly works really well to ease nausea. That’s great news when eating cereal is the last thing you want to think about. The Baby’s Bliss website has some really great gifts for moms-to-be and new moms, so check it out!

We’re not talking about buying a car for Sweet 16 here. CNN reported today that parents are paying $5,000 or more for parties for 3 year olds. I don’t know about you, but I barely remember my 3rd birthday. As cute as this designer cake from Confetti Cakes is, I don’t think the amount of money spent on it would make it any more memorable to a child. They only care about the taste, and whether or not they can have more.

I found this great site called OC Mamma that is definitely worth a look. Their organic baby clothes are all currently 20% off, and they have some really cute things.

I am in love with this Puff Sleeve Onesie:

And this Spaghetti Strap Tank Top:

Both are adorable and on sale for $18.

OC Mamma also has a lot of great resources, like a list of area Mom’s Clubs and a Girl Talk Forum where moms can connect. Definitely worth a look!

Is you baby’s life lacking in luxury goods and designer clothes? Are you a Haute Mommy or Daddy? Then check out Baby Couture, the magazine for those born pretentious and out of touch with reality!

Now, I am not hating on the rich and the fabulous. I am happy they enjoy their money and spend it on their kids. But I think there is a huge problem when someone dresses their infant in a “Gold Digger Couture Onesie”, complete with gold studded “chain” necklaces, a “Gold Digger” charm and gold organza ruffles. Nothing like giving your little angel something to aspire to! I guess it is a upgrade from the stripper onesie with built-in “enhancements” featured in Baby Skank magazine last month.*

(*This is obviously sarcasm. There is no Baby Skank magazine. Yet.)

Thanks once again to the goddesses at Jezebel for finding this gem.

Dora is cool because Dora is independent, interactive and bilingual. She’s a smart kid and she encourages her viewers to be smart kids. I don’t like the Wikipedia entry on Dora very much, because they make too much of an issue of her supposed tomboy-ish ness and her lacking “feminine side.” PUH-lease. First of all, she is a CARTOON created for pre-schoolers, how complex and gendered of a personality is she supposed to have? Secondly, who is this Wikipedia author to say what does and does not constitute femininity?

I find this statement particularly irksome: “Dora is somewhat tomboy-ish, not letting her status as a girl (if any disadvantages to that) hinder her progress in exploring and/or helping others.” HER STATUS AS A GIRL? WTF?????

Ok, I don’t want this to turn into a long rant about the Wikipedia entry on Dora, so let me get back to how cool Dora is. She’s got a talking monkey named Boots for a best friend. And a purple talking magical backpack. The talking backpack pure genius as far as I am concerned. You could probably give a plain old purple backpack to Dora obsessed kid and they would have fun with it, but give them a backpack with Dora’s image on it, and they will go bonkers.

The next of the kid mysteries up for explanation is Dora the Explorer. As this is my preliminary Dora post, and I am trying to write the whole thing while at work, it will probably be a brief post. But fear not–there is more Dora on the horizon. For now, some links:

• Dora the Explorer on Nick Jr.
• NPR talks about Dora
• Dora the Explorer Birthday Party Ideas
• Dora Brings in Big Bucks
• Dora Destroys Barney
• Dora’s Soulja Boy