Parenting Sites 411

I can’t believe I haven’t mentioned this site before now.  Of course, it just released this week for the first time, but this is big news in the online parenting community.  MightyJunior is a shopping website for parents, aunts, uncles, grandparents, godparents, etc and so forth who are looking for a cute find.  This site is a sister site to the already well-known and fabulous MightyGoods website, which showcases awesome buys for everyone.

Categories are broken up by ages as well as by gift-type, starting with pregnancy, on through 15-18 years old.  This is extremely helpful for someone like me, who has nieces and nephews that I don’t get to see all that often and I sometimes need a little help finding an age-appropriate and lovable gift.  If you’re looking specifically for kid’s room decor or birthday party supplies, you can easily find them here as well.

MightyJunior is the brainchild is MightyGoods creator and blogger Maggie Mason and fabulous blogger Melissa Summers.  While the finds on this site might not always be the most inexpensive, they are the most unique and interesting.  If you’re looking for gifts that inspire more the imagination than the Bratz empire, then you might want to browse this site.  I definitely plan to, as Christmas shopping is looming on the horizon and the thought of having to go out and browse the toy stores and malls sends a cold shiver down my spine.  Since you can’t really give a child a gift-card, I think this site is a great place to look for that perfect gift for that little someone in your life.

If you’re at all interested in shopping online, you need to check this site out.  You may be inspired to spend more money than you were hoping, but you’ll definitely find the perfect gift.

You’ve got to have heard of this one, right?  The Bumbo Seat is a molded yet somehow soft seat that is designed to help babies sit up, even if they’re not sitting up on their own yet.  Many parents find them invaluable during that draining first year for keeping their little ones happy and baby showers haven’t been the same since they were first released several years ago.  However, maybe they aren’t as safe as they would first appear to be.  According to this article over on ParentDish, apparently a baby named Dylan Lamm from Santa Rosa, California suffered quite a nasty fall thanks to his Bumbo seat.  He was sitting in the seat up on the kitchen table when he and the seat toppled from the surface and onto the hard floor below.  His father, Kevin, rushed to pick him up and could tell right away that there was something the matter with his head.  Indeed, his skull had cracked and was filling with blood.  Luckily, surgery saved Dylan’s life but the Lamms have filed a lawsuit against the manufacturer.  Apparently there are pictures on the box of the product that show it being used on raised surfaces such as a tabletop.  They feel they were led to believe that the seat would be safe to use in such a manner as no warnings were included.  Believe it or not, this isn’t the only story of just such an event happening either.  The Consumer Product Safety Commission is opening an investigation on the seat and will hopefully decide if a recall is needed or a revision to the warnings included with the product is called for.

This is a scary story, to be sure.  I guess the lesson here is don’t trust the product and watch your child like a hawk at all times.  Which most of us do anyhow, I’m sure.  But I’m sure I would think twice before using the Bumbo seat on an elevated surface from here on out, how about you?

I’m sorry I wasn’t around to post yesterday. A weekend trip turned into a family emergency and we didn’t arrive home until yesterday evening. But I’m back home now and ready to get dishing the goods on parenting sites. Even better, I have JUST the site to tell you about today. I can’t believe I haven’t mentioned this site before, to be honest. Cool Mom Picks is the brainchild of Kristen Chase and Liz Gumbinner and features products and goodies to help cool moms stay that way while chasing their kids around.  According to the site:

Our writers also look for helpful websites, cool causes, kid tunes that don’t make you run screaming from the room, and pretty much anything else that strikes our fancy. If it’s something we would like ourselves and the website doesn’t scar your retinas, it’s a pick. But while we may be fascinated by that $19,000 Victorian mansion playhouse, don’t count on finding it in our archives. We’re moms too. We get the budget thing.

Which means, this is a GREAT resource for parents everywhere!  Want that perfect birthday gift?  Want to know what’s in for the new school year?  Looking for an adorable baby blanket?  This is the place to look.  Be sure to check out their Back to School shopping guide (even though school has already started, the finds here are good all year round).  Also, take a peek at their newest contest (find it under the welcome in the left sidebar) which features a designer goodie bag that’s filled with $600 worth of fantastic finds.  You can win it just by signing up to receive their monthly newsletter.  Good deal, huh?

Trust me, this is a site you shouldn’t miss out on.  There’s a little something for moms of all ages and stages here and you’re guaranteed to make your bank account nervous just browsing through their archives.  Don’t say I didn’t warn you!

Imagine you have to go grocery shopping and you have six young children at home. You have to take them with you and the resulting trip is about what you would imagine it would be. You survive the trip, however, and pay the enormous shopping bill only to get home and realize the kids had snuck a purchase into your card that you were unaware of. What would you do? Most parents would confiscate the offending purchase, throw it away, give it away, or sell it at a garage sale. Well, in this day and age, eBay is basically just a giant garage sale so that is what what one desperate mom did.

It sounds like your normal “kids will be kids” sort of story, but the best part is her description of the shopping trip.  This woman can write and her account of exactly why she missed these cards going into her cart is what makes this auction so fun and so worthy of the scads of attention it has received over the last week.

She made $142.51 on the auction, but admits that it was her friend under an anonymous username that placed the winning bid.  Her friend wanted to help her out, apparently and invest in someone who she thought would be a successful writer one day.   According to the woman who placed the auction in the first place, she will not cash the check her friend sent her because she doesn’t want to take her friend’s money.  Very kind, I’m sure, but with six kids I’d think that money would come in VERY handy!

This gal has a blog too, of course.  If you’d like to check it out, you can find it at mom2my6pack.blogspot.com.  There she talks more about her family and recently, more about the auction that has launched her into super-blog-stardom.  She really is worth a read so go check her out!

Remember back in the “good old days” when free samples came all the time in the mail?  I remember I used to always grab whatever I could for myself and unless it was something like laundry detergent, my mom generally would let me have it.  As an adult, I love free samples even more.  Because not only is it free and I love anything that doesn’t cost me a nickle, but it’s a chance to give a product (often a new, nifty product) a try without having to invest any cash in the process.  Win-win situation for everyone involved, don’t you think?

We don’t get as many free samples in the mail anymore, for some reason.  But they’re still out there!  You can request a bunch of fabulous (and constantly rotating) free samples from Walmart.com.  Yes, Walmart!   I’ve already gone through and requested a sample for everything they’ve got because that’s the way I roll.  If you’re a free sample addict like myself, you might want to go check it out.  You can thank me later.

I’m sure I can’t be alone in this.  But every time I’ve been pregnant, one of the first things I do is start cruising the baby departments (on and offline) and start mentally planning my registry lists.  Even if I’m not planning on having a baby shower or before I’m anywhere near that magic third month marker.  I’m just a sucker for baby gear and being a “planner” by nature, I really get off on “thinking ahead”.

So if you’re anything like me, maybe you’d like to know where you can geek out on baby goodies from the comfort (and anonymity!) of your own home and even set up “what if” registry lists.  Oh yes!  You can do the whole thing ONLINE.  It’s just awesome is what it is.

• Babies R Us.  The alpha and the omega of baby stores.
• Target.  A staple of Americana and they have some darned cute things.
• Walmart.  Who can forget the retail giant?
• BabyCenter.com.  Currently revamping their registry, it looks like, so check back.
• Amazon.com.  They have their own baby store and registry now.  Did you know that?
• Babystyle.com.  For the super-stylish babies among us.

I could probably go on and on with this, but this is more than enough to get you into trouble, I think.  If you’re expecting and you have an afternoon that you don’t mind going into the toilet, check these sites out.

Are you children playing with a toy that has been recalled?  If they are, and it has, do you know why?  If you wanted to check, where would you look?  I’ve got that information for you here today, along with a short listing of some recent product recalls direct from the US Consumer Product Safety Commission.  I think this is important information for parents, especially in this “on the go” world we have, where information about a recalled easy-bake oven might be easy to overlook.  It doesn’t hurt to keep an eye on this information and check the sites from time to time, just to be on the safe side.

• To check for recalled child and infant products, look here: http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/category/child.html
• To check for recalled toys, look here: http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/category/toy.html

I think it’s wise to check these lists once a week, maybe every Monday, to see what’s new on the list and make sure it’s not a product that you yourself are using at home.  The website gives you all the information on the recall that you need, including why it has been recalled and what you should do with the product or toy if you happen to have it.

And here is a small listing of some recent recalls in both gear and toy categories:

• Remote Control Airplanes
• Pottery Barn Kids Crib Bumpers
• Easy-Bake Ovens
• Playskool Sippy Cups
• Children’s Earrings Sold at Wal-Mart Stores in Florida
• “Soldier Bear” Toy Sets
• Children’s Clog Shoes
• Mag Stix Magnetic Building Sets

This morning, as I walked my son to school with his friends, we learned that one of his best friends got a “Transformers” backpack over the weekend. His other friend had gotten one last week and now he was the only one in the group without a super cool backpack. He’s been wanting one for a while now but it just hasn’t been in the budget. He was very upset about it and I guess I can understand that. According to my friend, she had to look high and low to find the backpack. Just about everywhere in town is plain sold out of super-cool “Transformers” backpacks. I’d like to get my son one of these backpacks eventually and decided with the shortage, maybe online was the best place to look. I found some great results so I thought I would share them here, in case anyone else was on a similar search.

I found this cool one over on CartoonFansClub.com and since Optimus Prime is the mack-daddy of all Transformers, what little kid wouldn’t be the coolest on the playground with one of these? At $19.99 it’s entirely reasonable too.

I found this one over at Target.com so you could probably find it in the store too (unless you have suffered a run on Transformers backpacks like we have). It features a pretty awesome “Autobot” decal, signifying that your child is siding with the good guys. It’s $14.99 so for a very cheap price you can a totally awesome backpack.

I found this one over at amazon.com and it you’re in the market for a backpack with wheels (can double as luggage!), this is a great choice. It’s a little pricier at $29.99 but I think the added features make it worth it. Plus, you know, it looks totally cool. (You can also get a smaller non-wheeled version for $18.99 if you prefer.)

There’s also a very cool Bumblebee backpack for sale over at Toysrus.com for $14.99. There isn’t a photo available but I’ve seen it and it’s completely cool. I mean, it’s Bumblebee! You can see one very similar to it over at Payless.com, but it’s $5 more.

You can also check out eBay where there’s about a bazillion Transformers backpacks for sale. You’re sure to find one to please the pickiest customer there.

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The folks over at 5 Minutes for Mom have put together a few special Mother’s Day Giveaways. You could win an iPod Nano (in a very special box of chocolates), a Mei Tai baby carrier, or a Total Mom Makeover book. Just head on over there, pick your contest and leave a comment in any or all your want to be entered to win.

Personally, I would love an iPod Nano and think it is even sweeter wrapped in a box of chocolates.

5 Minutes for Mom, Mother’s Day Giveaway, Mother’s Day, iPod contest

I have a confession: I am scared to take Fuller shopping with me. I’m not so scared that I am paralyzed by the idea, but I am constantly running the scenarios through my mind and having to psych myself up in order to get through shopping.

I worry that Fuller will becoming a screaming idiot that I can’t control. Or I worry that he will knock over a display or swipe something from a shelf that will end up in my purse and caught in the detectors. I get frustrated when I know that taking him on any shopping trip will make the experience last about 40 minutes longer. I have to tell him “No” so many times I feel bad. I have to force him to sit down in the shopping cart (”On your bottom!”) over and over.

As time goes by, I do think about it less and less, and it is a fact of life that Fuller has to come with me often. But I still fret over it, mainly because I know it would be easier to just do it by myself. (Maybe there is a little mourning for the loss of my independence in there as well.)

Well, as is the theme of this site, I decided to turn to my back up parenting method (my first being my instincts) the internet.

The first google result ended up with Ten Tips for Shopping with Children over on the website The Natural Child Project. I really try to live by number 6, avoid crowds, even when I don’t have Fuller with me. It just makes sense. (A major reason why I do a lot of Christmas shopping online.) But the tip that spoke to me the most was number 2:

2. Remember that children are naturally curious.
Children are naturally curious; this is how they learn about the world around them. If they want to examine an attractive item, please don’t scold them. Instead, help them to hold the item safely, or let them know that it can be viewed but not touched. You might say “This is breakable, so let’s just look at it together.” Even if an item cannot be purchased, it can be helpful to share the child’s enthusiasm and interest in it.

I think I fear the shopping with Fuller experience so much that I often forget what kinds of teaching experiences I can glean from the time together. At home we have been working on numbers and my mind has been reshaped to show him the number experience in the store.

Health24.com has an entertaining and educational article on taking the toddlers shopping. The parent tips focus on grocery shopping. I must admit that I often find myself, due to time constraints, with a hungry toddler at the store (tip number 1: don’t take a hungry toddler to the grocery!). I usually take snacks for Fuller so that he can eat that if he starts to sign and yell “eat.”

And finally, there are 12 tips for shopping with children at ChildFriendly.org. I admit that I often push myself too much to get the shopping “done,” which ignores tip number 11. Maybe I just need to slow down and enjoy the experience of being with my son a bit more. I mean, isn’t that why I quit my job in the first place?

So, what tips or stories do you have for shopping with your kids?

shopping with children, shopping, shopping tips