July 27, 2011 | Product picks
On Oliver’s third birthday, a favorite babysitter gave him a National Geographic Little Kids subscription. He loves looking at the magazines so much that we keep each one on the bookshelf and renew every year.
Each issue features a young animal on the cover, a simple story, a maze, some questions and answers and a matching game. Often there are cards to cut out of different animals. The square magazine is just right for small hands, and kids enjoy reading the pages over and over again.
The National Geographic Little Kids site is a bit thin on the magazine description. They’ve developed Little Kids for ages 3-6. We also subscribe to their National Geographic Kids magazine which is great for the early grade years.
June 20, 2011 | Product picks
The exclamation points are for amazement at the long list of safer sunscreens found on our favorite sunscreen guides, EWG and SafeMama. Ten years ago we chose between two or three lotions. Most of us put our young kids in those bright blue or pink sunproof outfits (cute only for the small sized) from One Step Ahead.
It’s official, we created a market and the products are here!
Today the questions for the safer sunscreen shopper concern application, scent and staying power: which is easy to apply and how white will it look, will my kids be okay with the smell, is it too slimy, and is it well mixed or will we notice that sometimes we get red faces even when reapplied in a timely manner?
We’ve learned these are personal questions best resolved by trial and error–we might love Badger and someone else finds it too white and cakey. Sometimes we dabble with new products, otherwise we stick to what’s become the usual. Our sunscreens of 2011 include California Baby lotion and stick, TruKid Sunny Days stick and Marie Veronique Kid Safe Screen, and we remain big fans of Epicuren Zinc Oxide Sunscreen SPF 20 for adult faces.
The SafeMama Sunscreen Cheat Sheet offers the easiest to use sunscreen lists and safer sunscreen information.
November 3, 2010 | Product picks
Harvest Time
is our favorite board game for preschoolers and perfect for the fall season’s cooler indoor days. A cooperative game, players work to plant or harvest their vegetables before the weather changes. When one player finishes his field, he helps the others.
The game has a good rhythm for three and four year olds, and our older kids like to play too. It moves quickly enough to keep everyone’s interest, and also allows time to talk about planting, harvesting and the change of seasons.
July 8, 2010 | Product picks
Popsicles in summer are an easy, healthy treat. We’ve been through a few different make it yourself molds–the Zoku Quick Pop Maker is our hands down favorite. The Zoku freezes ahead of time, so it creates three medium sized pops in minutes. Our kids love to pull it out of the freezer themselves, set the sticks in each mold, pour in their juice, fruit and/or yogurt ingredients and set it back in the freezer.
In less than 10 minutes, we have ice pops ready to eat. The Zoku is durable and requires only a few parts. For best results, we’ve learned to stay within the fill lines and wait until the Zoku thaws to wash, otherwise water freezes in the mold bottoms and makes removing the pops more difficult. The Zoku also makes a great gift for families.
January 28, 2010 | Product picks
Gaia Herbs Black Elderberry Syrup is a magic potion for those coughs that won’t stop. Safe for kids ages two and older, the syrup calms irritated throats and boosts the immune system.
We give the kids a dose half an hour before bed which seems to lessen the coughs that start when they lie down. They drink the syrup from a spoon or mixed in a little water or juice. We recommend the large size bottle as Black Elderberry Syrup is so effective the whole family depends on it!