Sometimes it feels like all the kids' clothes at the mall are made in the exact same clothing factory. No matter which store you go to, you'll probably find ruffles sequins and flowers and fruit and candy and kittens for the girls. You'll find trains and dinosaurs and guitars and denim and khaki and blue-and-green plaid for the boys.
If you want to break out of the cookie cutter clothing mold, look no further than Psychobaby, a line of edgy, cool babies' and children's clothing. They carry clothing and accessories that are a little bit irreverent, a little bit funny and a whole lot of fun. Think sushi-print bibs, Pop Art placemats, bulldog undies, Mexican Lucha Libre wrestler beanies (complete with mask!), and little black dresses for girls. Talk about street cred!
As if the clothing they stock isn't original already, Psychobaby also has a line of personalized kids' clothing that takes the world unique to a whole new level. You can customize onesies, shirts, sweatshirts, blankets, hats, and so much more by adding a name or selecting your child's favorite color, to create a truly one-of-a-kind item. Here are five of my favorite personalized products from the Psychobaby Custom Shop:
It's never too early to become a football fan! The Football Gift Set will have your MVB (Most Valuable Baby) eating, sleeping and living football from his very first coo.
Kids can rock themselves to sleep after they lay their heads on this cute personalized pillowcase, available in pink or red.
Would-be superheros can don this Hero Tee and save the world. It has a red cape already printed on the back of the shirt, so he won't have to steal your new pillowcases.
My favorite for little girls: the Beastly Babe tee! It's the perfect combination of sweet and sassy. It's girly, with attitude. And since each letter is a different monster, each shirt is as unique and special as the little girl who wears it. Psychobaby was kind enough to personalize a pair of the Beastly Babe tees for my nieces. I've decided to give them to the girls as holiday presents -- yes, Psychobaby Custom Shop items make wonderful holiday presents! I can't wait to see the smiles on their faces -- and the smile on my brother's face as he sees his little girls wearing them.
Disclosure: I received a product sample to facilitate my review, but have not been paid to review the product or give my opinions. The views and opinions expressed here are my own. Tweet this!
It has been a while since we've had a baby or toddler in the house, so I don't review too many items for that age group any more. Once in a while, though, I get an invitation to take a look at a product that just bowls me over with cuteness, and I just have to share it. Here are five of the best for the holidays:
Thousands of parents look to Cool Mom Picks for, well, cool picks (disclosure: I also work for them), so if Liz and her team of editors say they are in love with Psychobaby, they are definitely worth checking out -- but you only have to browse for a minute to fall in love with their hip, edgy baby & kids clothing. Their burger tees and bibs are so adorable, but if you simply must have cutesy blue or pink, check out their monster tees in my latest review!
We had a ton of brightly colored plastic balls when the boys were babies, because they just could not get enough. We especially loved toys that sent these balls rolling around for the kids to find them. They would have loved the Leapfrog Peek-a-Shoe Octopus ($29.99) -- toddlers can drop balls into the octopus' top arms and guess which shoe the ball has landed under. As they lift each colored and numbered shoe, the octopus actually tells them which color or number shoe they are lifting!
When they were toddlers, my kids absolutely loved their electronic Elmo cellphone. But I doubt if any baby would recognize that clamshell phone design today -- so until toy makers can come up with a play touchscreen phone for babies, parents will have to let their 1-year-olds play on their iPods or MP3 players-- or give them Cookie Monster's MP3 Player ($9.99). So cute!
The Halo Sleep Sack ($39) was one of the best baby-era purchases we ever made. Zipping our twins up into the Sleep Sack prevented them from ever kicking off their blankets while they slept, and forever eliminated cold feet (which meant more peaceful nights for them, and for me). Back then, Sleep Sacks only came in pink, yellow and blue, so it's nice to see they now come in adorable designs and patterns at Pottery Barn Kids.
A couple of weeks ago I was browsing through the One Step Ahead Holiday Toy Shop, searching for something to give away for the holidays, when I found and fell in love with this adorable Soft Owl Toy ($17.95). It's a great developmental toy for babies: both owl feet are teethers, one wing has a mirror, and there are a variety of textures for baby to enjoy. But it's the design that really gets me. Maybe I'm being sentimental, but the sight of the mama owl with her wings wrapped protectively around her baby, all warm and cozily snuggled across her chest, made my insides turn to mush.
Win a PsychoBaby tee
One lucky Bonggamom Finds reader will receive a personalized PsychoBaby Beastly Babe (for girls) or Beastly Boy (for boys) Monster Tee in their choice of size.
Required Entry
Leave a comment on this post and tell me which Psychobaby product you would most like to give as a present this holiday season.
I entered to win a personalized Psychobaby Monster Tee on Bonggamom Finds! http://bit.ly/ZCJO7L
6) Follow @bonggafinds on Twitter and tweet this (1 entry): RT @bonggafinds Check out the Bonggamom Finds Holiday Gift Guide for 2012: gifts for all ages & stages (plus giveaways!) http://ow.ly/fezLR 7) Follow @shop_psychobaby on Twitter and tweet this (1 entry):
RT @bonggafinds Enter to win a cute, hip personalized Monster Tee from @shop_psychobaby! Giveaway ends 12/10 at http://bit.ly/ZCJO7L#giveaways
The Rules This giveaway ends at 11:59PM PST on *Dec 10, 2012; I will draw a winner at random on Dec 11 and post their name after they confirm acceptance. Continental US residents only. For additional giveaway rules, click here.
*Update: giveaway has been extended to December 10!
Disclosure: I have reviewed select items in this gift guide in the past. Inclusion in this guide was based solely on my personal preferences; no review samples or compensation were received for this gift guide post. Giveaway prize is provided by PsychoBaby. The views and opinions expressed here are my own. Tweet this!
Parents of 2 year olds don't need to feel envious. There's a Leapfrog product that's perfect for their child: the My Own Story Time Pad, which is a simpler tablet for younger children. Leapfrog sent us a unit to review, and I can't wait to gift it to my little 2 year-old niece for the holidays! She can listen to music and stories on it, and she can tap the alphabet keys to listen to the sound each letter makes and words that start with the letter. Her parents can even go online to personalize it with her name, so that when she starts it up, she hears her name. They can also create custom playlists with her favorite songs and stories.
Here's more information about the My Own Story Time Pad: Personalized play, stories and activities on a tablet just for little learners! Children can watch fun animations and listen to stories, emails and music as they explore the world of Scout & Friends. Parents can personalize the story time pad with their child's name, favorites, customized “emails" from family and a music playlist. My Own Story Time Pad comes pre-loaded with 1 story, 1 email, and 3 songs, and holds up to 5 stories, 10 songs and 3 emails at a time.
Internet connection is required for personalizing features and selecting stories, songs and emails. Parents can connect to the online LeapFrog® Learning Path for customized learning insights and ideas to expand the learning. Appropriate for children ages 2 years and up.
The My Own Story Time Pad has a small, black-and-white screen, where toddlers can see simple graphics of Scout the dog and his friends scurrying across the page. The buttons are easy for toddlers to tap, and the tablet is nice and sturdy. In the same way that parents are happy that kids can play and learn on a LeapPad instead of on their iPads or tablets, older brothers and sister are going to be so happy that their baby sister or brother has their very own tablet! I know my niece is going to love it! Another great thing about this device? With an MSRP of just $29.99, it's so affordable!
Win a LeapPad My Own Story Time Pad One lucky Bonggamom Finds reader will win a My Own Story Time Pad from LeapFrog -- just in time for the holidays!
Required Entry Leave a comment on this post and tell me which LeapPad toy your child would most like to receive for the holidays (along with the Story Time Pad, of course!). This entry must be completed before any extra entries will count.
Extra Entries For extra entries, you can do any or all of the following. Please leave a separate comment for each extra entry with a way to verify the entry (i.e. tweet link, blog post link, Facebook id, Twitter id, etc.).
1) Blog about this giveaway, making sure you include a link to the giveaway in your blog post (1 entry).
4) Follow Bonggamom Finds on Blogger/Google Friend Connect (1 entry).
5) Follow @bonggafinds on Twitter and tweet this, up to once per day (1 entry per day): RT @bonggamom Win a @LeapFrog My Own Story Time Pad on @bonggafinds! Enter by 12/10 at http://bit.ly/uvuJct #giveaways
The Rules This giveaway ends at 11:59PM PST on December 10, 2011; I will draw 1 winner at random on December 11 and post the winner's name after he/she confirms acceptance. Continental US residents only. For additional giveaway rules, click here. Good luck! Disclosure: I received a product sample to facilitate my review, but have not been paid to review the product or give my opinions. Product information is provided by the featured company/product and is indicated in italics. The views and opinions expressed here are my own.
One of the things I love most about review blogging is the opportunity to get first looks at the latest, greatest products. For example, one of the most memorable toys featured at BlogHer 2010 was Mattel's Sing-a-ma-jig, an adorable stuffed toy that sings and chatters when you squeeze its tummy. Bloggers went wild for Sing-a-ma-jigs, and it looks like the rest of the world did, too: Sing-a-ma-jigs won Toy of the Year, Preschool Toy of the Year and Innovative Toy of the Year at this year's American International Toy Fair, and they are poised to become the Must-Have toy for the 2011 holiday season. Just remember, bloggers saw it first!
I recently had the opportunity to get a closer look at Sing-a-ma-jigs when Mattel sent me a Yankee Doodle Sing-a-ma-jig to review. Here's what we thought:
The Basics They’re cute, they’re zany, they’re the latest singing sensation. Introducing The Sing-a-ma-jigs! Sure to put a smile on your face with 3 different ways to play: Chatter, Sing a Song, and Harmonize. Squeeze their left hands to change modes then squeeze their tummies to see their mouths open and hear them sing and chatter! But the Sing-a-ma-jigs' favorite thing to do is harmonize! Start with 2, now 3, now 4, now add more! Start your own Sing-a-ma-jigs group today! The new red Sing-a-ma-jigs sings Yankee Doodle. The Bongga Sing-a-ma-jigs would be cute even if they didn't do anything. These toys are soft and cuddly, with fine terrycloth bodies and a cute pom-pom nose. They come in bright colors that little kids love -- but they're more than just a cute toy. Their mouth looks like a terrycloth ponytail holder, and when you squeeze their tummies, the mouth opens (you can even see tiny teeth and a tongue!) and sound comes out! You can toggle between song mode, chatter mode, and harmony mode by pressing it's left paw.
The best way to appreciate what a Sing-a-ma-jig can do is to see it in action. 3Po was only too happy to demonstrate:
Here's a more polished video featuring the Yankee Doodle Sing-a-ma-jig singing with Uncle Sam:
Their baby chatter is adorable! Since we only have 1 Sing-a-ma-jig, 3Po wasn't able to demonstrate the Harmony mode, but if you go to any store that carries Sing-a-ma-jigs, you can try it out for yourself. Just set 2 or 3 Sing-a-ma-jigs to Harmony mode (press on their left paw), and squeeze their tummies at the same time. They sing in harmony! It's really adorable to see and hear.
The Blah These toys are for children over 3 (probably because the button eyes and pompom nose could be a choking hazard) which is a real pity, because I think babies and toddlers would love these. Could they possibly make a baby version?
The Bottom Line Young children will love cute and cuddly Sing-a-ma-jigs. They'll love the adorable sounds that come out of the toys' mouths. And they'll love doing it without mom or dad's help!
Win a Sing-a-ma-jig One lucky Bonggamom Finds reader will win a Yankee Doodle Sing-a-ma-jig!
Extra Entries For extra entries, you can do any or all of the following. Please leave a separate comment for each extra entry with a way to verify the entry (i.e. tweet link, blog post link, Facebook id, Twitter id, etc.).
4) Follow @bonggafinds on Twitter and tweet this, up to once per day (1 entry per day):
@bonggafinds is giving away a Yankee Doodle Sing-a-ma-jig! http://ow.ly/61UMJ #giveaways
5) Join any of the open giveaways on Bonggamom Finds (1 entry for each giveaway you've joined)
The Rules This giveaway ends at 11:59PM PST on August 30, 2011; I will draw a winner at random on August 31 and post their name after he/she confirms acceptance. Continental US residents only. For additional giveaway rules, click here. Good luck!
Disclosure: I received a complimentary Sing-a-ma-jig to facilitate my review, but have not been paid to review the product or give my opinions. Product information is provided by Mattel and is indicated in italics. The views and opinions expressed here are my own.
Now that the holidays are approaching, those of us with young kids (or have young kids on our gift lists) have to start thinking about toys, toys, toys. Electronic toys -- you know, the ones with batteries and lights and sounds -- usually get a bad rap because there are some that you just turn them on and the child just watches the toy like it's a television, but trust me, Virginia, there are toys that beep and light up that can actually educate and engage as well as entertain. Case in point: DJ's Sing-a-Long Keyboard from Baby Genius. Baby Genius sent me one of these keyboards to review; here's what we thought of it:
The Basics DJ's Sing-a-Long Keyboard is an electronic keyboard for toddlers. It's part of the series of Baby Genius toys that uses music to stimulate a young child's development. The keyboard enhances auditory skills, develops fine motor skills, and cultivates hand-eye coordination.
Here's what the makers of DJ's Sing-a-Long Keyboard have to say about their toy: The show never stops with DJ's Sing-A-Long Keyboard! Hear 7 different Baby Genius sing-a-long songs or play along to 22 different tunes. Your child will be able to play 4 instruments andhear the different sounds: flute, whistle, guitar or saxophone. Press all the keys and hear DJ's hilarious giggly laugh! Make sure to record your masterpiece so you can play it back and hear it again and again.
The Bongga This little keyboard is so cute! It doesn't require any instruction; just turn it on and your toddler can start banging away. I love how there are so many ways to play this keyboard -- you can chose which instrument to play, and which beat to play to. You can also play prerecorded songs to play the piano along with, or sing along to. You can even record and play back your own songs. It's difficult to imagine a young child getting bored with this toy!
The biggest surprise for me was how much my kids, at the advanced ages of 5,5 and 8, enjoy this toy! DJ's keyboard is rated for ages 2+, so I thought my kids would press a few keys and be happy to pass the toy on to their new baby cousin. At the very least, I thought they'd say the alligator-shaped keyboard was lame. Not so. They begged me to let them keep this keyboard forever and ever, and they've been having the time of their lives making up tunes with it. Understandably, the prerecorded kids' songs don't really interest them, but they always break out into laughter when they speed up the tempo and listen to the songs sung at full speed, like DJ the Dinosaur is high on helium. Hey, whatever entertains them. If their interest in music ever turns more serious, I suppose eventually they'll clamor for an actual electronic keyboard, but for now, DJ's Sing-a-Long keyboard is a fun, inexpensive introduction.
The Blah The recording mode only records the keyboard; it can't record a mixture of the keyboard notes and beats. And I know I'm being nitpicky, but I wish it didn't sound so tinny!
The Bottom Line If you have to buy your toddler an electronic toy, let it be this one. DJ's Sing-a-Long Keyboard isn't just a whole lot of irritating beeps and noise -- it's a great way to introduce your child to tone and rhythm. He'll have lots of fun experimenting and playing and he won't even realize he's learning all about music!
I received a sample in order to review this product, but no monetary compensation. The views and opinions expressed here are my own.
It's Back-to-School for kids, but that doesn't mean parents have to put the Play-Doh away. It makes a great afterschool activity for little kids -- but guess what? My big kids love it too! So far I've reviewed the Play-Doh Magic Swirl Ice Cream Shoppe and the Play-Doh Spaghetti Factory. And with the return of the Play-Doh Burger Builder for Fall 2009, our food court is complete! We were sent a Burger Builder playset to review, and we put it to good use while my sister and her kids stayed with us for a short visit.
The Basics The Play-Doh Burger Builder set has everything kids need to set up a great pretend hamburger stand! It has 3 mold pressers with interchangeable molds so that kids can make Play-Doh tomatoes, lettuce, buns and more. It also comes with an extruder, a "Twist-a-Chip" tool for cranking out potato chips and pickles, and 5 2-ounce cans of Play-Doh. It's available at a retail price of $14.99 at most major toy retailers nationwide, and online at HasbroToyShop.com. The Bongga This Play-Doh set is sooo much fun -- we had an older version of the Burger Builder when I was a kid so I have great memories of making Play-Doh burgers too! This new, updated version goes one better with the addition of the Twist-a-Chip Super Tool. It's like an extruder with a crank handle -- you pop in the Play-Dough, screw in the top, turn the crank handle, and out come Play-Doh potato chips or pickle chips! And after the kids move on to something else, I really appreciate the fact that the set is not too bulky, so it's easy to put into a bin for storage.
By the way, the age recommendation says "Ages 3 & up", which usually means that 2 and 3 year olds like the toy. But not with Play-Doh! You're never too old to play with Play-Doh -- even my nine-year-old nephew loves it! Check it out: six children (one's not in the photo) between the ages of five and nine, completely absorbed in restaurant pretend play. They're all busy molding and rolling and extruding Play-Doh to make enough goodies to feed an army. Do you know what kind of bliss that is for my sister and I??
The Blah Not much to complain about here -- other than my usual cleaning-up-PlayDoh-bits-stresses-me-out line. But I'm trying to get past that and into a zen place where stuff like that doesn't bother me. Lighten up, bonggamom! It's just a little vacuuming up, right, and I'm grateful that Play-Doh can still occupy my kids for such a long time....ohmmmmmmm...
The Bottom Line The Play-Doh Burger Builder is a classic toy that has stood the test of time!
I received a product sample for this post, but no monetary compensation. The views and opinions expressed here are my own.
The good folks at Leapfrog sent me a Tag Junior as part of the Ambassadors of Summer Reading Program, so I've been able to take a good look at it. Believe it or not, at the ripe old ages of 8, 5 and 5, my kids have been having a grand old time with the Tag Junior and the Tag Junior books! In fact, since there is no resident baby or toddler in the house, I asked Jammy to demo some of the cool features of the Tag Junior:
(I promise you, as soon as I can rent, beg, borrow or steal a toddler, I'll take some adorable photos of him or her playing with the Tag Junior, but for now consider this as a product demo brought to you by a leading Leapfrog Expert).
The Tag Junior uses the same cool infrared technology that recognizes words, symbols and pictures printed on the special Tag Junior Books. Like the Tag, you can use the Leapfrog Connect software to upload data from the Tag Junior to Leapfrog's Learning Path, and gain insights into what your child has been using the Tag Junior with, how often, what skills he's learning. But Leapfrog has thoughtfully tweaked the design to make it easy and fun for 2-4 year olds to play and learn with. Here are, to my mind, the three biggest differences between Tag and Tag Junior:
1) Instead of the pen-style Tag reader that kids use to point to words on the Tag books, the Tag Junior features a chunkier reader that's easy for chubby little hands to grasp. The "pointer" was changed to a flat bottomed "stamp",just right for developing fine motor skills. And I adore the Tag Junior's beady green eyes: it looks like a cute plastic toy that a baby might want to grab and start gnawing.
2) The Tag Junior books are chunky, sturdy board books with large type and colorful illustrations, just right for the 2-4 age group. Again, the books feature well-loved toddler stories and characters -- Dr. Seuss, Winnie the Pooh and Curious George, to name a few -- that kids would ask their parents to read even if the Tag Junior ran out of battery juice.
3) Instead of teaching literacy skills, the Tag Junior focuses on more basic preschool concepts such as colors, shapes, letters and numbers. Unlike the Tag, you can touch an area on the Tag Junior book multiple times, and you will get a different sound each time. It keeps kids entertained and guessing, even mine.
I've always admired the way Leapfrog merges learning and entertainment, and the Tag Junior is no exception. Your little ones are going to love it -- and even more important, they're going to associate books with fun and enjoyment. Which brings me to the BEST thing about the Tag Junior: even the most reluctant readers will start reaching out for books. And if the Tag Junior can set a child onto a lifelong path of reading, that's a smashing success in my book.
