Posts from — May 2008

My computer is going haywire today, so this post is going to be a short one. Father’s Day is approaching fast and it’s time to start shopping. Team jerseys and t-shirts, golf gifts and barbecue accessories are classic gifts for dad, but here are some novel Father’s Day gift ideas for new dads on your gift list:

• Daddy Diaper Bags
• Funny or Funky Dad Tee Shirts
• Rockabye Baby! Lullabye Renditions of Pink Floyd

Have a great weekend! Stay tuned for more Father’s Day gift ideas next week!

I saw a report on the news last night that linked lead exposure in children to an increased risk in criminal behavior in adulthood, which is especially scary in light of all the recent toy recall news. I’ve found some toy recall site that are great resources, so I’ll include them this post and to my blog roll.

Lead Toy Recalls

Consumers Union: Not in My Cart

US Consumer Product Safety Commission

Mattel Customer Relations Answer Center : Product Recalls

EPA : Lead in Paint, Dust, and Soil

You can call them Barbies and Bratz dolls and fight about the distinctions between the two if you’d like, but I prefer to call them “The First Serious Knock to a Developing Girl’s Self Esteem.” First of all, there is the body type which is biologically impossible to possess without extreme plastic surgery. If Barbie were human, she’d look like a Vegas stripper, and the Bratz’ lollipop heads and stick bodies absolutely scream “severe eating disorder”. Already, these dolls are creating an impossible goal for young girls to aspire to, but the dolls don’t stop at catalyzing body dysmorphic disorder and self esteem issues.

The doll pushers take it a step further and add hooker clothes and matching make-up to the dolls, as if to obliterate any connection to the “reality” of the female body. These dolls are designed for the male fantasy as much as Playboy is, even though they are intended for little girls. I have to admit, though, that Barbie comes across as more of a high-end escort, while the Bratz seem more like the less wealthy but equally slutty friends of Paris Hilton.

I intended this to be more of an informative post than a rant, but obviously I have some unresolved Barbie issues that need to be addressed before an informative post on these dolls can happen. So, more later…

This one is a little unusual: the FDA recently issued a warning not to use or purchase Mommy’s Bliss Nipple Cream. Apparently the cream contains two ingredients, chlorphenesin and phenoxyethanol, that can cause serious respiratory symptoms in infants, so the product has been taken off the market. That’s bad news for moms who welcomed the source of relief but great for moms who don’t want their babies to ingest more chemicals than necessary. It’s a little distressing — with BPA tainted baby bottles and chemically enhanced breast feeding products like nipple cream, it seems like it’s getting more and more difficult to simply feed children.

I mentioned another Mommy’s Bliss product, Mommy’s Bliss Morning Sickness Madness, in an earlier post because I was really excited about their products. I had heard great things about Morning Sickness Madness, and after checking out the Baby’s Bliss website, I was impressed with their commitment to natural products. I looked at the Baby’s Bliss site today, and they have posted a response to the FDA warning about Mommy’s Bliss Nipple Cream, but it doesn’t really help clear up the situation for me. My main issue is what constitutes an “All Natural” ingredient.

When I read “All Natural”, I interpret that as meaning no artificial flavors, colors, odors or preservatives. Basically, I envision that everything in that “all natural” product could be easily produced on a farm and not in a chemistry lab. I personally do not consider drugs like chlorphenesin to be “all natural.” It’s not even commercially available in the United States, so I wonder how and why the Mommy’s Bliss manufacturers started using chlorphenesin at all. All the information I have found on chlorphenesin states that it is not approved for use in children and should not be used by pregnant or nursing women, and that was just from a five minute Google search. It sounds like chlorphenesin is great as a muscle relaxant or as a treatment for foot fungus, but neither of those features make me want to feed it to a child, no matter how small the dose.

Disney Tinker Bell wands and the zipper pulls used on Pirates of the Caribbean sleeping bags have lead paint on them, so if the kids in your life have any of these items, time to sneak them away while the kids aren’t looking as to avoid any screeching tantrums. There haven’t been any injuries reported, but as always, better safe than sorry.

The seeming increase in the number of toy recalls is really depressing, but at least the US Consumer Product Safety Commission publishes an up-to-date list of the most recent recalls.

The Cars phenomenon is even better than the Power Rangers for providing child-focused entertainment that adults can tolerate. The movie was nominated for 2 Oscars and actually won a Golden Globe and is packed with memorable celebrity voices like John Ratzenberger and Cheech Marin, which add to the humor of the talking cars. Cars also has amazing animation that somehow hypnotizes children into stillness while the movie is on, then transforms this hypnotic state into a residual post-film Cars obsession. Not content to rest on the laurels of $1 billion + in merchandise related retail sales that Cars has already accumulated, the Disney/Pixar crew is already busy working on a sequel, due in 2012.

This is actually good news for people who have kids in their lives. It means that Cars themed merchandise and parties will continue to be relevant and “cool” with kids for years to come. Some of the cooler Cars items:

The Disney Cars Twin Bed - an update of the classic Silver Spoons race car bed.

Cars Video Games - Mater National Championship is the most recent, but Cars: The Videogame is also a lot of fun.

And of course, there are plenty of Cars toy cars!

For decades, kids have loved the Power Rangers. I have to admit, even as an adult, I really like the wacky Power Rangers costumes and the ridiculous villains and battles, so I find the Power Rangers less annoying than most other kid trends. The Power Rangers also inspire a lot of devotion and loyalty among people who have grown up watching their spandex wearing majesty.

The Power Rangers are teenagers, but I think that is only to lend slightly more plausibility to the story lines. It doesn’t add much plausibility, but at least it is more reasonable than trying to accept children spending all of their time fighting alien monsters without adult supervision. Also, I would imagine there are some laws regarding what kinds of stunts kids can perform for TV shows, and obviously there is no way those stunt doubles would pass for children. Their chronology not withstanding, the Power Rangers otherwise act like smart kids. They are very innocent and noble in their intentions and seem generally uninterested in normal teenage concerns beyond school and fighting aliens. So my overall recommendation is to stock up on some Power Rangers DVDs the next time you babysit and then relax. The kids will be entertained, and you’ll be amused by the sheer camp appeal.

Princess Jasmine first debuted in Disney’s Aladdin, but she since has become a key member of the Disney Princess crew. According to Wikipedia, “Jasmine holds the record for appearing in more media than any of the other Disney princesses, as well as being the first Disney princess not of European descent, plus not to marry a prince (suggesting that’s she is a liittle (sic) less materialistic than the first five).” Talk about raising the bar! Jasmine is a triple threat! Even Jennifer Lopez wants to be Jasmine!

Much like other Disney Princesses, Jasmine’s mother is absent and her father is a dominant, controlling figure in her life. Jasmine is like Ariel in that she chooses to rebel from her father’s attempt to choose her husband. ( Hmmm, another flash of insight…I wonder if there is a link between the headstrong temper tantrums of some little princesses and the headstrong nature of the Disney Princesses…something to ponder…because my nieces can throw some crazy tantrums…) But, at least Jasmine’s demonstrating independent thinking.

Like all Disney Princess toys and accessories, anything emblazoned with Jasmine’s image is bound to be a big success with little girls.

Since my last post on Dora the Explorer, I came across a great Dora article on NPR. I love that it mentions that “Some parents might also find her a little annoying — when she encourages kids to yell, for instance.” That seems to be big secret to successful kids products: if adults find it annoying, it will be a huge success. Adults may have to suck up the annoyance factor, though, because Dora-themed shows and products do the double duty of entertaining while educating. However, here are a few annoyance-free Dora products for the little explorers in your life:

• Dora the Explorer toothbrushes, which make kids actually want to brush their teeth
• Pampers Splashers Swim Pants featuring Dora the Explorer
• Dora the Explorer Folding Potty Seat - I don’t know what to make of this, but it sort of fascinates me.
• Dora Bedding - because sweet dreams are usually quiet.

Just a short post to kick off the weekend.  After a quick informal study of all the moms I know, I got a few great reviews for jogging strollers. So, without further ado, the top 3:

• Bob Revolution Stroller–My sister has used this with two kids and says it’s well worth the money.

• Kelty Speedster Strollers - an integral part of Baby Boot Camp workouts.

• InStep Safari Jogging Stroller - Great features at a great price, including front swivel wheel for maneuverability.

Have a great weekend, and don’t forget to check out the Rockabye Baby! CD Giveaway contest!