Posts from — April 2008

There are SO many adorable handmade baby items on Etsy, like these burp clothes from Sew Sweet Baby Gifts. Very cute and clever–perfect for new parents! I love the fact that many of the items on Etsy are unique, like these custom made baby board shorts (cute, but I’d never pay $50 for pants for an infant) and soft carrot baby rattle. So much time and care goes into creating each item, and it comes through when you present handmade items as gifts. Each purchase also supports individual artists and craftspeople, rather than a huge corporation, so your conscience can feel at ease as well. Etsy is really a great place to find hand-crafted, memorable gifts that will fit any budget.

Special thanks to Dayna for the idea for this post!

 
I can totally see myself as a monkey parent. All of the fun of real kids, without having to worry about paying for college!  But I am not really down with the whole concept of diapering animals.  Obviously, I’d prefer a diaper to having monkey poop flung about, but I’d hope that monkeys are  at least somewhat easier to potty train than kids!

Apparently the artist who gave us these creations, which have been fodder for a variety of internet hoaxes, has a complete line of life-sized porcelain baby dolls.

These are freaking me out!

I am in love with Graco Travel Systems. I had the chance to take one for a test spin this weekend, and it was fantastic. I had never heard the term “travel system” before, and I thought the combination of stroller and car seat might be a bit unwieldy, but it was so easy to use and control. The 5 point harness is great for safety but also allows for easy access. With just a snap, I had a fussy 9 month old out of her seat and onto my lap. The stroller was also durable enough to withstand her big brother’s investigations, even though I thought for sure he had broken the canopy. And, when it was time to put baby in the car, the car seat detached easily, and the stroller collapsed with the push of a single button. The mom informed me that she has used the same Graco travel system with each of her three kids. Not only did it stand up to all that use, but it still looked great, thanks to easy-to-remove machine washable seat covers. I am definitely becoming a Graco fan.

Here’s a really interesting article from Time about new research into babies’ sleep habits. Good to know.

Through some divine coincidence, the Disney Princesses are up next in my list of Kid Mysteries, and I had the chance the spend some time this weekend with a Princess-obsessed 2 year old. She insists on being called Princess, has an almost entirely pink wardrobe and a pink bedroom complete with Disney Princess bedding. It was an interesting weekend to say the least.

I have some conflicted opinions about the whole Disney Princess phenomenon, but it will require another post, because I think it will end up being a huge rant. But here are some links for a little more background on the Disney Princesses, so you can impress the little girls in your life.

• Disney Princess party ideas
• Disney Princess Make-Overs at Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique in Orlando, Florida
• Disney Princess magazine for girls aged 4-7
• Disney Princess Bridal Gowns for big girls
• Info on the Disney Princess franchise on Wikipedia
• Is is any surprise the Disney Princess franchise generated $4 billion and is “on its way to becoming the most successful marketing venture ever“?
• And, should we be scared of the Disney Princesses’ influence on little girls?
• BTW, which Disney Princess are you? I’m Pocahontas.

I have been noticing another trend in extravagant baby gear — fantasy bedroom sets. There’s the $14,000 custom built Lighthouse Bedroom Set that doesn’t include a bed, but I bet it would look great with the $4,000 Buccaneer Bed! And let’s not forget the Princess Carriage Bed, a steal at only $4795! This House Bunk Bed absolutely frightens me, though:

I think I would feel like I was perpetually in an MRI machine if I had the bottom bed, and what is up with the baby cage on the top bunk? I get claustrophobic just looking at it.

Here’s my question: Do kids really care that much about having extravagant fantasy beds? I think the most extravagant bed I ever wanted as a child was the race car bed from Silver Spoons.

I was reflecting yesterday on my babysitting days, and how I was once subjected to back-to-back viewings of Spice World because of the threat of tantrums. Both of those kids are now in high school, listen to Rage Against the Machine, and adamantly deny any memory of the Spice Girl assault they launched on me. In fact, they deny ever having been radically fanatical for the Spice Girls, even though I remember the begging, pleading and crying over that stupid movie. Yet more than a decade later, I still have the pop/samba-ish chorus of Spice Up YourLife tattooed in my memory, and it’s not because I ever wanted it there.

But the incident got me thinking. These teenagers were obviously uncomfortable at the mere mention of the Spice Girls and wanted to quickly change the subject. Will the same thing happen in a few years with The Wiggles? I mean, I think the Wiggles as a child trend will persist for a while, simply because a) they are totally innocuous, and b) they aren’t fighting a losing battle against the terrifically short shelf life of a pop tart. But will the kids who go bonkers for The Wiggles now someday deny ever having obsessive passion for Hot Potato?

On a completely unrelated note, has anyone ever noticed that The Wiggles look like the could be on the crew of the Starship Enterprise?