Practical gifts for new moms, babies and children
November 24, 2008
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Looking for some present hints to pass along to Grandma? Trying to find a holiday or shower gift that’s sure to be appreciated?
Check out the baby gear, toys and other practical suggestions from PTPA (parent-tested, parent-approved) Media, which polls a database of 12,000 product testers — all parents —to choose it’s award-winners. There’s a sure-to-please gift for very price range.
NURSING AND FEEDING
Medela Freestyle® Breast Pump
This is Medela’s first hands-free, double-electric personal-use breast pump. Designed specifically for today’s active moms, Freestyle is a premium, compact and portable pump. It weighs less than a pound, runs on a rechargeable battery and is powerful enough for daily use as a mom’s primary breastpump.
Price: $379.99
Lila Bean LLC Nursing Cover
Lila Bean is the only nursing cover that cocoons baby close. Most nursing covers have a tent- or apron-like design, but this one holds baby close. Plus, they’re sleek, stylish and discreet.
Price: $65.00
Flow by Hisense
A safe and simple bottle that works. Colic, a painful condition in infants, may be worsened by air swallowed while feeding. The result: discomfort – and unnecessary tears. The Flow anti-colic bottle has a one-of-a-kind, patent-pending design that promises to leave baby comfy and contented.
Price: $8.99
SnackerTracker™
This nutritional tracking system that makes it easy – and fun – for busy parents to make sure their children are eating well-balanced diets, learn how to make healthy nutritional choices, and find great ways for the whole family to become active. From Snacker Tracker.
Price: $19.95
Enamelware Dish Sets
This porcelain enamelware dish set includes an 8 1/2-inch diameter plate, 4oz child mug and lidded bowl. This collectable is dishwasher safe, non-toxic and shatter proof. They are available in a wide variety of designs. From Golden Rabbit.
Price: $38.00
First Juice
First Juice brand contains select organic fruit and vegetables that are naturally lower in sugar. Those organic juices are then blended with purified water to create a flavorful, less sweet juice, with lower per-ounce sugar content.
First Juice beverages contain an excellent source of vitamins A & C, and a good source of calcium and vitamin D, and the bottles are recyclable. All First Juice containers are (BPA-Free) and come in a re-useable, non-spill, sippy-cup container.
Price: $ 1.99 8 oz., 3.49 32 oz
Teething Bling
Teethable pendants and bangles made for caregivers, safe for babies. From Smart Mom Jewelry.
Price: $19.99
ON THE GO WITH BABY
Bugaboo chameleon
The Bugaboo Cameleon is the most fully-loaded Bugaboo stroller. From infant to toddler, in the city, on the beach or in the woods, the Bugaboo Cameleon lets you take the path less traveled. Fully customizable and adaptable, and with all the functionality and quality you'd expect from Bugaboo, the Bugaboo Cameleon is the definition of mobile comfort.
Price: $899.00
Blanket 212 Evolution
The ideal baby footmuff for keeping baby bundled this winter. Equipped with zippered length and width extensions, the "B212evolution" grows with the child from infancy to preschool. Versatile and durable, it adapts to any stroller or car seat and converts into a large blanket. Constructed with an ergonomic hood, thermal filling and a waterproof shell. From 7 A.M enfant.
Price: $120.00
The Britax Boulevard® CS
The Click & Safe™ snug harness indicator gives an audible clicking sound to let parents know when the harness straps are snug. The seat accommodates children rear facing from five to 35 pounds and forward-facing children from at least one-year-old and 20 pounds up to 65 pounds. It is also equipped with Britax’s True Side Impact Protection, Versa-Tether, HUGS and premium LATCH connectors.
Price: $329.99
BABY BEDDING AND BATH
Cooshie Baby Mat
This is the only padded BabyMat designed for tummy time, play time, diaper changes and more. It is a luxurious, cool place for baby to lounge and it fits perfectly in any pack- and-play. Machine-washable and monogrammable, this is a gift mom will thank you for through baby's first year of life.
Price: $59.99. From the Original Cushie.
The QuickZip Crib Sheet
The world’s easiest crib sheet! QuickZip fits snugly around your mattress. Place the mattress in the zipper base. Lay flat mattress pad on the mattress and zip on the top. When the top sheet is soiled, just unzip it, then zip on a clean top. From Clouds and Stars.
Price: $36.99
"Wee Organics"Baby Bedding
This line of baby bedding is knit, dyed and sewn in Canada. This means that no pesticides were used in the growing of the cotton. The coloured interlock has been dyed using a low-impact dye process. From Sweet Kyla.
Price: $176.00
BeBe Au Lait Signature Towel
Bebe au Lait’s new plus hooded towel is a chic twist on a hard-working standard. Crafted in ultra-soft, 100% cotton terry, these luxe hooded towels for toddlers are machine washable and fit 12mos-3T perfectly.
Price: $40.00
Palm-Palms baby bath grips
Palm-Palms baby bath grips are designed to be worn on the hands of a caregiver during baby bath time or shower time or swim time. The primary function is to provide a secure grip on the slippery skin of a baby or toddler, but the soft terry cloth grips double as washcloths. Stretch fabric means one size fits all.
Price: $12.50
Boo Boo Roo – Adorable Reusable Ice Pack
Cute cotton/poly bunny cradles a reusable ice pack parents can use to comfort a little one's minor boo-boos. From Stephan Baby.
Price: $7.00
BABY CLOTHES
HALO Organic
These 4-piece Take-Me-Home Sets include a 100% Organic Cotton SleepSack™ wearable blanket, hat, long sleeve coverall and bodysuit. The coverall features turn-back cuffs at the sleeve, which prevents babies from scratching their adorable little faces. The zipper is inverted just like the SleepSack™ wearable blanket, so that diaper changes are easier than ever. Available in an organic alternative created with both safety and the environment in mind. From Halo Sleep.
Price: $54.95
Mooncakes KimonoPink and Chocolate 100 per cent soft cotton kimono clothing set in size 6 to 12 months. From Moon Cakes.
Price: $30-$35
DIAPER DUTY
Epicensial Baby Diaper Spray
All natural and soothing, this 25% zinc oxide spray is made with organic ingredients and manufactured under solar power. The safe and extra gentle spray provides an enhanced barrier to help seal out wetness, germs and prevent diaper rash. The spray application means it doesn't hurt delicate skin to apply! It immediately soothes and cools the skin to feel good, prevent damage and heal chafing and irritation. From Epicurial Baby.
Price: $14.50
FuzziBunz Diapers
FuzziBunz are a widely-popular, easy-to- use cloth diapering system completely unlike the cloth diapers of yesteryear. These diapers easily secure to baby using durable snaps, and they keep baby dry and rash-free. Plus, they are easy on the environment, too.
Price: $19.95
Mashala Baby Organic Massage Oils
This 100 per cent natural skin care line includes daily, newborn, calm and comfot and gentle vapor baby-oil blends, and is packaged in an attractive, hand-stamped, undyed cotton drawstring bag. From Marshala Baby.
Price: $29.99
Penaten Cream
From Johnson & Johnson, this classic diaper rash cream is still the favourite, and the perfect size for baby's first stocking.
Price: $8.49
Toot’nTinkle - Toilet Training
The Toot’n Tinkle Ultimate Kit is touted as “the world’s only complete toilet training system.” Available in both boys (Toot) and girls (Tinkle) cover everything from teaching children about the potty to using an adult toilet seat. Each included reward charts and stickers as well as toilet training toilet paper.
Price: $49.95
TOYS
Radio Flyer Lights and Sounds Trike
Classic Lights & Sounds Trike™ is a variation on the
traditional trike; it has a sturdy steel frame, non-slip wheels for
great peddling performance and convenient storage under the seat. The
lights and sounds, such as a blinking turn signals and honking horn,
will keep toddlers occupied.
From Radio Flyer. Price: $69.99
Radio FlyerTurbo Turtle™
The Turbo Turtle is a loveable ride-on for toddlers with
spinning caster wheels which enables children to ride, glide and spin,
giving little guys unlimited mobility to move in any direction. These
action wheels can be used indoors and outdoors and the product comes
fully assembled for instant riding. From Radio Flyer.
Price: $59.99
Grocery Fun!
Make trips to the grocery store better for all involved. A tote
with pictures of grocery items attaches to shopping cart. Kids take
pictures of items to buy and place them in the cart pocket once the
real-life items are found in the store. Includes a "calculator" to
practise number recognition and counting. From Little Toad Stools.
Price:$29.95
Wowwee Alive Cub
Meet Lion Cub, the first in a new series of life-like cubs from
WowWee Alive. With realistic-looking fur, petting Lion Cub is a
true-to-life experience!
Playing with Lion Cub is as close as you can get to having the
real wild animal in your home. Lion Cub has blinking eyes, an animated
mouth and an array of sounds. Listen to him purr when you stroke his
back, pat his head, or cradle him. Leave him alone for five minutes and
he will purr as he enters Sleep Mode.
Price: $59.00
Zinkotek
ZinkoTek is a large-scale educational construction toy made of
brightly-colored, soft, yet sturdy, EVA foam pieces that link together
to create a variety of structures such as animals, robots, giant bugs,
jet planes, helicopters, and even play houses large enough for a child
to play in. The building system is durable enough to be used both
indoors and outdoors and is easily cleaned. Using EVA foam, the
ZinkoTek construction set is weather, chemical, and oil resistant and
it is 100% recyclable.
Price: $350.00
Alphabet Soup Rocker
This hand-painted rocker is a colourful combination of solids,
plaids, polka dots and stripes in shades of blue, green, red, orange
and ivory.
“A, B, C” & “1, 2, 3” spinning tiles along seat back.
Entertaining “Turn & Learn!” backrest with rotating wheel. Armrests
include a little bird and friendly giraffe characters. From Levels of Discovery.
Price: $119.95
TECHNOLOGY
Kajeet Cell Phone
The only cell phone made specifically for kids. It has all the communications and entertainment kids love, plus no contracts, activation fees, or early termination fee.
Easy parental controls can be set collaboratively with the child who uses the phone, and it includes a GPS phone locator. From Kajeet.
Price: $29.99 - $169.99
Skoodlez
Skoodlez is an interactive soft sculpted toy that offers a unique combination of on- and off-line play to encourage creative writing and ignite imaginations.
Price: $14.99
Livia Web Protection
Livia Web Protection is a secure, simple to use, approach to web filtering for the home. Easy to install and highly flexible, Livia allows parents to set filters by age group. In just a few minutes, parents are able to protect their children from pornographic and violent content, while securing their home systems from Web-based threats such as identity theft, phishing, and malicious code or malware.
Price: $4.95 per month
Wizard 101
Wizard101 is an elaborate virtual world of wizardry in which magic and sorcery come to life in a quest that involves a massive cast of good, evil and frequently silly characters. Designed to fill the void between online play sites for the very young and games with mature adult player interaction, Wizard101 puts players in the fantasy role of Wizard apprentice at the prestigious Ravenwood School. As players adventure through the magical 3D environments of Wizard101 they learn, collect and cast spells summoning fantastic cinematic creatures, collect bizarre pets and rare magical artifacts, solve puzzles, make friends, play mini games and more. From Kings Isle.
Price: $9.95 per month
GETTING ORGANIZED
My 411 Wristbands
My 411 Wristbands” are designed to give parents peace of mind when dropping off children at birthday parties or field trips, or even when taking them to amusement parks. The disposable wristbands include the child’s first name, the parent’s first name and cell phone number and any allergies or special needs the child may have. Resistant to water, sunscreen, chlorine and perspiration. By Mabel’s Labels.
Price: $21.00
Lovable Labels
Books, school binders, pencil cases, school supplies, lunch boxes, sippy cups, water bottles, sports equipment, CDs, DVDs, toys, tupperware, baby bottles — they can all go missing. These labels are microwave and dishwasher safe, waterproof and UV resistant. Use the Slimline Labels for smaller items such as toothbrushes, pens/pencils, hairbrushes, etc. From Loveable Labels.
Price: $19.95
Gift ideas courtesy of PTPA Media. To apply to be a product evaluator, click here.