These onesies start at size 2T and run all the way up until 6T.  They are, as the company name implies, purely white – basic, yet easy to match with any outfit.  There is a great amount of detail on the quality of the construction, cotton, dying process and strength of the snaps.  I can attest that through several washings, the onesies still look and feel like new.  I did follow the instructions and have never put them in the dryer out of fear of shrinkage; you can always go for a larger size if you plan on putting them in the dryer.

Essential Whites offers a selection of long-sleeve, short-sleeve or sleeveless bodysuits.  Each kind can come with either a lap (my preference – less fuss as you pull it over baby’s head) or round collar.  Pricing is very competitive given the quality of these garments – each starts at $8USD (sleeveless or short-sleeve) or $9USD (long-sleeve), and increases in price with size.  Essential Whites also offers buy-3-get-1-free which is what I opted for.  I did contact customer service to check on my order, because it took almost three weeks to arrive from the USA.  Their response was quick and friendly – impressive!

These onesies are great for those who like the concept.   An added bonus: now that my toddler has started to figure out how to undo his diaper (which doesn’t happen too often, because I had enough foresight to buy most of my cloth diapers with snaps), wearing a onesie makes this impossible (well, for now, until he gets really smart).  So kudos to Essential Whites for filling a need in the baby garment industry!

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One of the drawbacks of buying the safest, fanciest infant car seat thatyou can find for your brand new bundle of joy is that it likely isn’t going to be the lightest one you can find. Personally, I was willing to sacrifice the ease and convenience of toting around a light infant car seat for the peace of mind of protecting the health and safety of my newborn son withy a fancier, heavier one. Thankfully, this time around, I have some relief coming my way in the form of the Angel Arm by Baby Henry Co.

When I got the infant car seat out of storage, the impending birth of my second child looming, hoisting it out of the closet reminded me of how awkward and heavy it was to carry around. And with a growing baby in it, it only got heaver and heavier as time went on. Because we were lucky enough to have a stroller travel system where the infant car seat could be installed directly onto the stroller frame, this meant that everywhere we went, we would detach the infant car seat from the car, and attach it to the stroller, and off we’d go!

Of course, we didn’t always have the stroller frame with us, which meant that we had to carry the infant car seat around. And by carry, I mean lug. And by we, I mean my husband. That sucker just got to heavy for me to carry comfortably as my son got older.

This time, as I browsed vendors at a Baby and Toddler tradeshow last fall, it was like the angels were singing to me, church bells ringing, and a light from the sky lit up on the Baby Henry Co. Makers of the Angel Arm, a fantastic and simple device designed to help mom’s like me whose upper body strength (apparently) leaves much to be desired.

The shoulder strap construction of the Angel Arm is designed to take the weight of your infant car seat and redistribute it across your body, making it easier to carry and removing the stress and strain from the baby-toting process. I can recall all the bruising I endured on my forearms from carrying my son in his infant car seat on the crook of my arm, but no more. With the Angel Arm I just place the padded strap over my shoulder and across my body, looping the rest of the strap through the handle of the infant car seat and voila! The heavy infant car seat becomes instantly easier to carry around. This summer, carrying my new baby around in the infant car seat will be a pleasure. No more tortured arms for me!

The Angel Arm can be purchased online for $29.99 CDN and makes a great gift for new parents.

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Baby Henry Co. is offering a discount on the Angel Arm for our Spilt Milk Moms readers.

To receive the discount, send an email to info@babyhenryco.com with the  promo code SMM0411 and a note telling Baby Henry Co. why carrying your infant carseat is killing you, include your mailing address and Baby Henry Co. will send you the Angel Arm at $10 off . That’s a little bit of heavenly relief for just $19.99! (Orders will be billed through PayPal so include your PayPal email address in your email.)

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My love affair with all things Skip*Hop began with my purchase of the company’s clever Splash bottle drying rack a few years ago, and I continue to be impressed with the company’s large range of useful and gorgeous products (including their new crib bedding collections, TreeTop Friends and Flower Burst).  Charlotte immediately fell in love with the Hare, toddling about with a comb and brush in each hand alternately attempting to comb her own hair, the dog’s, mine, or the carpet.  When I showed her the mirror on the base of the rabbit, I swear she started chanting “Mirror mirror in my hand, who’s the prettiest princess in the land?”  Her breath, saliva, and lips all left marks on the mirror, she was holding it that close to her face (I really should get that on video).  I can personally attest to the durability of the Hare, as the day it arrived was also the day it sailed down the stairs and onto the hardwood floor after it ‘slipped’ from the tiny fingers of a girl who loves to see what happens when things get pushed through the baby gate at the top of the landing.  That mirror is, as promised, shatter proof, and I’m happy to report that the Hare had not a scratch on it as a result of its adventure.

We have successfully worked the Hare into our morning and after-bath routine.  I love how easy the brush, comb, and mirror are for Charlotte’s little hands as well as my own to hold thanks to their excellent rubber grip.  The comb has really smooth teeth without pointy edges, while the brush has nice soft bristles.  This Skip*Hop creation is BPA, Phthalate, and PVC free, and was designed for children aged zero and up.  My favourite part, though, is how the brush and comb each form one of the rabbit’s ears – the Hare is just so cute!

The Hare is available in orange or green, and costs $20 USD through the Skip*Hop website.  Put up your hand if you think the Hare would make an excellent Easter gift!

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“He shoots, He scores!”  My husband, Yuji, is an avid hockey fan, and those words never fail to excite him.  Not a week goes by that Yuji doesn’t play, attend a game or watch one on T.V.  So when I learned I was pregnant, it was my hope that my child-to-be would share his dad’s passion.

We wasted no time introducing Koji to the ice rink.  When he was a small infant we pushed him around the ice in his stroller.  As he grew, he was no longer content in his stroller and he wanted to hit the ice himself.  My husband and I were uncomfortable putting a toddler who had just learned to walk on single bladed skates,so we did a little research and my husband found Baby Skates on line.  Thank you to Baby Skates for sending us a custom engraved pair for Koji to try out.

What makes Baby Skates different than other children skates on the market is that each skate is constructed with two stainless steel blades.  They are designed with a rear balance stabilizer which helps reduce backward falls and they have been developed so that they never need to be sharpened.  The boots are excellently crafted using high quality leather.  The leather stretches over time, forming to the foot.  The boot of the skate is insulated, has a comfortable insole, and is easy to clean.  These skates are truly a thing of beauty.

Koji’s new Baby Skates arrived with his name and a logo of a hockey stick and puck exquisitely engraved on them.  He was so excited when I removed them from their package.  He couldn’t wait to put them on.  We have now taken him skating several times and each time he is eager to suit up.  With each step on the ice he gains a little more confidence.  At first he was content to be pushed around the ice, but now he is happy to move his legs back and forth.  He is even able to stand on his own and take a few steps.  As proud parents of our little skating boy we feel Baby Skates provide the appropriate first step for the physical devolvement of a young child learning to skate.  They make for an easy transition to single bladed skates.

Baby Skates are available in toddler sizes two to eight.  They come in a variety of styles and colors and the blades can be custom engraved with writing and logos of your choice.  Baby Skates have a full one year warranty.

And, as if that weren’t enough, Baby Skates make wonderful heirlooms.  Their handsome little two bladed skates can stand on their own.  Years from now, there they will be standing on a den shelf, their blades proudly flashing “Kaneko”.

As well as checking out www.babyskates.com, you can find them on Facebook, and can sign up for their monthly newsletter.

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Thanks to BABY SKATES, one lucky Spilt Milk Moms reader is going to receive a pair of Baby Skates of their choice!

To Enter the contest: Leave us a comment HERE (one per day only, please) telling us which pair of Baby Skates you would like to win. Once you’ve entered by leaving this mandatory comment, you can gain additional entries like this:

• Follow @BabySkates and @SpiltMilkMoms on Twitter and tweet “Baby Skates are great #giveaway from @spiltmilkmoms & @BabySkates! http://tinyurl.com/3u265s8“and leave us the link for extra DAILY entries.
• If you ‘Like’ Baby Skates on Facebook, leave us a comment letting us know for one extra entry. If you visit their page be sure to let them know Spilt Milk Moms set you!
  
• If you ‘Like’ Spilt Milk Moms on Facebook, leave us a comment letting us know for one extra entry.
• Mention this giveaway on your blog and leave us a comment with the link for one extra entry.
• Subscribe to Spilt Milk Moms by RSS or Email Subscription and leave us a comment letting us know for one extra entry.
  

This giveaway ends at 12:01am PST on Thursday, April 28th, and the winners will be selected using Random.org.  The winner will have 7 days to respond to our notification email before another winner is selected.  This giveaway is only open to US and Canadian residents.

Also, Baby Skates has kindly offered free engraving from Thursday, April 14th to Thursday, April 21st, 2011 for all readers who order a pair of Baby Skates. All you have to do is order your skates, and then send an email to information@babyskates.com letting them know that the Spilt Milk Moms sent you for free engraving, and what you would like engraved.

Happy Skating!

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hello books are available in robot mission (above right, and the one we were sent to try), princess castle, monkey business, and yum yum bakery (new!) themes.  Each pack contains a 5″ x 30″ accordion book that forms the basis of the ‘story’ (made from FSC-certificed recycled paper) that can be folded back down into a 5″ x 5″ book and is perfectly sized for putting into the mail for that special someone.  Five sheets of removable stickers are also included, and it’s the stickers that make these books different from traditional sticker books.  hello books’ stickers are buildable and abstract, so that your child’s version of a robot will be completely unique – every time.  Luckily for Oliver (aged three and a half) and myself, the packaging of our robot mission hello book gave us some examples of what we could do with all the neat shapes, but we quickly moved on from these to come up with our own cool robots, rockets, planets, and unnamed creatures.  While Oliver is a little young yet to get the actual creation of a story line concept of the hello books, I can see how older children will run with building sticker characters and backgrounds to tell a story.  As for our robot mission book, Oliver has his robot saying ‘hi’ on the cover of his – too cute!

You can purchase any of the four hello books through the hello hanna website for $10.95 USD, or from our favourite Canadian on-line retailer, Raspberry Kids, for $10.99 CAD (use discount code spiltmilk15 at checkout for 15% off of your purchase!).

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hello hanna generously provided us with a monkey business hello book to give away to one lucky Spilt Milk Moms reader!  Thanks hello hanna!To Enter: Go to hello hanna’s website and then leave us a comment HERE (one per day only, please) telling us which hello hanna hello book you think your child would like best and why. Once you’ve entered by leaving this mandatory comment, you can gain additional entries like this:

• Follow @annehellohanna and @SpiltMilkMoms on Twitter and tweet ” Enter to #WIN an @annehellohanna monkey business hello book for your creative child! http://tinyurl.com/3pp9szm @SpiltMilkMoms #giveaway “ and leave us the link for extra DAILY entries.
• If you ‘Like’ hello hanna on Facebook, leave us a comment letting us know for one extra entry.
• If you ‘Like’ Spilt Milk Moms on Facebook, leave us a comment letting us know for one extra entry.
• Mention this giveaway on your blog and leave us a comment with the link for one extra entry.
• Subscribe to Spilt Milk Moms by RSS or Email Subscription and leave us a comment letting us know for one extra entry.
  

This giveaway ends at 12:01am PST on Friday, April 22nd, and the winner will be selected using Random.org.  The winner will have 7 days to respond to our notification email before another winner is selected.  This giveaway is open to both US and Canadian residents.  Good luck!

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The concept is so simple, and appeals to kids and adults alike – playing cards that float in the water and also stick to the bath walls!  Ingenious!  (in fact, the idea came about to the inventors when they decided they wanted to continue their card games in their hot tub with their friends).  In one package you get a nice stack of cards, equally divided among heads, bodies and legs.  My son at 17 months old does not partake in the actual card game but rather simply enjoys handling the cards and sticking them on the wall.  But this can become a real game, for 2-4 players, aged 2-11 years of age (or older, in my opinion).  Each card has a point value so your kids can also hone their math skills while playing the actual game.

The cards have a nice soft texture and the illustrations are very mod and hip.  They come in a mesh net bag which makes drying a cinch.  My only issue was that when the cards arrived they had a distinct chemical odour, but that quickly disappeared after rinsing them and after the first bath.  According to their site, all products undergo safety testing and they post the results of the tests for all to read.

All of their games can be purchased directly from Milliwik’s website for $10.95USD, and they have a list of retailers and distributors on this page.  They can be ordered from Amazon US for $9.99-$14.99USD (including the also-cool Splashimals set which I am coveting!).

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Welcome Spring is a board book for babies to toddlers aged two (my three year old still loves it, too).  What’s really captivating about this book is its bright and cleanly illustrated pages, each of which contains textures that will help your child experience spring through seeing, touching, and hearing.  The page below, for example, allows your child to feel the red rubber boots!

Little Scholastic’s Welcome series also includes Welcome Winter, Welcome Summer, and Welcome Fall, each with the same bold, beautiful illustrations, fun tactiles, and all follow the same pattern of ending with the child safe in one of his/her parent’s arms.  Purchase your copy from your local Chapters or through Amazon.com from $5.99 USD.  Happy spring!

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I haven’t mentioned it here before, but for over a year now I’ve been suffering from Postpartum Depression (PPD) and more recently, Postpartum Psychosis.

I know it sounds cliche, but I never thought it would happen to me. When Little Miss was born I was on cloud nine – I’d had an easy pregnancy, an empowering labour, and, despite the sleeplessness, I reveled in motherhood. For the first few months I felt like being a mother was exactly what I was put on this earth to do.

Then, somewhere between five and seven months in, things started to change. Everything became harder, I felt less capable, I second-guessed my decisions, I felt anxious about everything from naps to food, I thought I was a bad mother, that everyone else was better than me, and that people were conspiring against me. I couldn’t cope. I was sure it was because my hormones were out of whack with my period returning and the breastfeeding, or that the sleep deprivation was kicking in. Slowly, slowly things grew worse and worse until I would rock Little Miss to sleep at every nap, every bedtime, with tears streaming down my face. I abandoned half-full shopping carts in the middle of the grocery store because I just didn’t have the strength to continue shopping. I didn’t go out much, hell, I didn’t shower much. It took all of my energy to pay attention to Little Miss and just to get through the day.

One day, after a particularly difficult nap time, I walked out of Little Miss’ nursery, down the stairs, and when I saw my car keys in the bowl by the front door I was overwhelmed by the thought that Little Miss would be better off without me. I thought about taking the keys and just going far, far, away and never coming back. Luckily, I had enough strength of mind to call my husband instead. He came home right away, and after a few more rough days I went to my doctor and told him that I thought that something was wrong with me. Like thousands of other women, I was diagnosed with Postpartum Mood Disorder.

I thought that PPD (or PPMD or PND) only happened in the first couple of months of motherhood. I wonder all the time how different things would have been if I’d simply known something, anything, about PPD. As soon as I had a diagnosis, I went online. Not only did I learn a lot more about PPD, but I also discovered an incredible support group, one so amazing that when I had a massive setback six weeks later, the women I’d connected with called and emailed me patiently answering all my questions about in-patient care, recovery and their experiences. (I narrowly escaped being admitted to the hospital, and was saved only by an outpatient program and some heavy drugs).

Although I have auditory hallucinations (I hear a baby crying when there isn’t one) and intrusive suicidal thoughts, it doesn’t have to be that bad for it to classified as Postpartum Mood Disorder. Please, please, PLEASE take a moment to read the list of symptoms on the incredibly resourceful website, Postpartum Progress, as it could save someone’s life. I went for five very long months without a diagnosis, without a reason for how I was feeling, and there’s no reason in today’s day and age why more people don’t know about this disease. Motherhood IS hard, but with a little education and understanding we can make sure that it doesn’t become harder than necessary for thousands of women.

If you, or someone you know, has a Postpartum Mood Disorder, you can find help and support at Postpartum Support International, and loads of info and encouragement at Postpartum Progress. If you’re on Twitter, check out #PPDchat on Mondays to chat with other mamas who understand what you’re going through.

I’m certainly not “healed” but I’m fighting everyday to get better and beat this disease and I know I’m not alone in that.

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I first came across Look Who’s Growing’s personalized growth charts at a trade show last fall. The gloriously bright colours instantly caught my eye and when I found out that not only were they beautiful decorative pieces for kid’s rooms, but they were also functional growth charts, I knew I had to have one for my son. The charts come in 2 widths (6 or 12 inches), are printed on durable vinyl material and come in the most beautiful colours and designs you can imagine. You can even personalize them with your child’s name, birth date and picture! Fantastic!

Look Who’s Growing was kind enough to send me a sample chart for my son’s room and I chose the beautiful Giraffe design because really, what toddler doesn’t love giraffes!  When I took it out of the box the look on my son’s face when he saw the beautiful image was priceless! Hanging it in his room was a bit of a challenge because he wanted to take it down and play with it. And getting him to stand still long enough for me to take his measurement against it is was whole different story entirely, but once we work the kinks out it will be great!

The best thing about the personalized growth charts from Look Who’s Growing is that they are completely portable! We just moved last week and unlike back in the day when you’d have to leave that closet door frame with all your kid’s growth marks behind, Look Who’s Growing’s charts are completely portable and can be moved from one home to the next as the years pass, serving as a great keepsake for kids and parents alike!  And since this chart measures to over 6 feet tall you can bet that I’ll be doing my best to measure my son for as long as he’ll let me, or until my husband tells me that measuring my 6 foot tall kid against a giraffe chart is getting to be a bit much. We’ll see who wins this one!

Thanks to Look Who’s Growing for sending me the beautiful sample, I’m definitely going to have to get one for my new baby who’s due next month. I’m totally going to place that order once this kid is born. I’m so excited! For both the birth of my second baby and for the new growth chart I get to order! Now the big decision of which design to pick this time….

The Look Who’s Growing personalized growth charts come with a wooden dowel at the bottom and two grommets at the top for easy wall mounting. They are available for purchase online starting at $34.99 CDN.

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If you’re in the Toronto, Ontario area, Look Who’s Growing is sponsoring a fantastic mommy’s day out at the Sweet Grass Spa on May 29th! Click here for more information on The Great Mommy Escape and sign up to take advantage of some great spa pampering deals!

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To Enter: Go to the Look Who’s Growing Website and then leave us a comment HERE (one per day only, please) telling us which growth chart design you love most.  Once you’ve entered by leaving a comment, you can gain additional entries like this:

• Follow @lookwhosgrowing and @SpiltMilkMoms on Twitter and tweet ” WIN a Personalized Growth Chart THX TO @lookwhosgrowing http://tinyurl.com/473zz5l @SpiltMilkMoms #giveaway #contest ” and leave us the link for extra DAILY entries.
• ‘Like’ Look Who’s Growing on Facebook, leave a comment there letting them know that the Spilt Milk Moms sent you for one extra entry.
• ‘Like’ Spilt Milk Moms on Facebook, leave us a comment letting us know for one extra entry.
• Mention this giveaway on your blog and leave us a link in the comments for one extra entry.
• Subscribe to Spilt Milk Moms by RSS or Email Subscription and leave us a comment letting us know for one extra entry.
• Go to http://www.lookwhosgrowing.ca to sign up for their newsletter for one extra entry.

This giveaway ends at 12:01am PST on Friday April 1st, and the winner will be selected using Random.org.  The winner will have 7 days to respond to our notification email before another winner is selected.  This giveaway is open to Canadian and US residents only.

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This is a story about all kinds of sheep: a bath sheep, a bed sheep, a thin sheep, a wide sheep, … you get the idea.  Each page has a different sheep.  After every four pages (i.e. sheep), we get asked “but where is the green sheep?”.  The whole book is a search for this elusive green sheep.  I won’t give away where this sheep is found in the end, but the various sheep presented along the way are extremely cute and the ending worth the wait.

This book is nearly perfect.  It rhymes.  It has rhythm.  It has a story.  It has really cute and funny illustrations.  It amuses baby and parent alike.  It even teaches some “opposite” concepts.  Come to think of it – I’d say it IS perfect!

We started reading this at a very young age; the amount of text per page is short so it should not bore the late-infant-early-toddlers.  Now that my son is about 16 months old, he is able to fill in the words as he recognizes the types of sheep.  He often picks out this book for me to read to him.  If that isn’t saying “instant hit”, then I don’t know what is!

I had nothing negative to say about this book until doing a bit of nosying around the web for this post.  I found Mem Fox‘s blog, and I have to say I’m a bit disappointed in how negatively she portrays her feelings about writing a children’s book (the post can be found here).  I could be misinterpreting sarcasm, but I don’t think so.  Therefore, I’ll try to push that post out of my head as I continue to enjoy the book with my family.

Where is the Green Sheep can be found in various editions; we enjoy the sturdy board book, priced at $8.99CAD on Amazon.ca.

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Silkberry Baby was founded by Carrie Shan, who started the company because of her daughter’s allergic reaction to synthetic fibers and polyester filled bedding.  What’s unique about Silkberry Baby’s line of products is that they are made using  mulberry silk floss, which is the highest quality of silk available on the market.  Mulberry silk floss is:

• 100% natural, odourless, and hypoallergenic.  Natural materials like silk and cotton result in less allergic reactions, and both my three year old son and 18 month old daughter have incredibly sensitive skin so this is really important to me.
• Soft, light. and durable.  When the Toddler Comforter arrived, I couldn’t believe how light the bedding was given its generous size (117cm x 102cm).  And soft … I can’t even begin to tell you how incredibly soft the comforter is!  It was such a big hit upon arrival that Charlotte and Oliver fought over the blanket all afternoon, alternately laying on the floor snuggling in it and exclaiming, “It’s SO soft, Mama!”
• Breathable and comfortable.  My children sweat like crazy when they sleep, so I was excited to learn that silk filled bedding absorbs moisture and releases it into the air, which regulates body temperature and keeps babies and toddlers from feeling too hot or too cold during the night.  Sure enough, after testing it on my son for a few weeks, I can honestly say that he is no longer ‘sticky’ at night and wakes up having slept much better because of the even body temperature the comforter provides.
• Eco-friendly and sustainable.  Silk floss comes from renewable resources as it is produced by silkworms, the farming of which leaves little ecological footprint compared to the production of petroleum-based bedding products.

I am absolutely thrilled with the quality of the Silkberry Baby Toddler Comforter.  It is incredibly soft and unbelievably well-made (so well made that I had trouble finding the well-hidden zipper to see how the silk filling could be removed).  I love how it keeps my son or daughter (depending on who wins the fight to sleep with it) warm but not overheating at night, and that it is light and portable yet durable and easy to clean.  Also, I cannot say enough about the charming art work adorning the company’s products – how cute is the sheep on the Toddler Comforters or the elephants on the Sleeping Sacks?  Adorable!

Silkberry Baby has a great range of Eco-bedding products for children including Comforters, Sleeping Sacks, Silk Fleece and Bamboo Blankets, and Cuddly Pillows.  The company also has a mulberry silk-filled Candy Pillow and a line of Eco-friendly bathing products coming soon!  Purchase Silkberry Baby Eco-bedding through the company’s website, or from the following retailers.

I am so delighted with the Silkberry Baby Toddler Comforter that I’m heading to my local retailer to pick up one of their amazing Baby Sleeping Sacks with removable silk filling for my daughter this week!

Silkberry Baby has TWO fabulous promotions on right now!  Get a FREE Cuddly Pillow with the purchase of a Toddler Comforter (valid until April 26, 2011) or get FREE SHIPPING with the purchase of a Sleeping Sack (valid until March 31, 2011).  To take advantage of either of these great offers, make your purchase online through www.silkberrybaby.com and then email the company at carrie@silkberrybaby.com (for the free Cuddly Pillow, use subject line ‘Buy One, Get One Free‘).

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(image courtesy of mommyfootprint.com)

Here at Spilt Milk Moms we are always looking for cool new products.  Goodness knows I love trying out the newest gizmo and am always on the prowl for the next best thing.  But sometimes, as I evaluate the overflowing storage bins of toys in my house which my son intermittently plays with anyway, I wonder if we can just make do with what’s around the house.  Hence this review, of the “non-toy” toys that may be lurking around your house, or ideas for common items that can spur the imagination.

This concept is not original by any means.  Basically I’m hoping to make your life easier by compiling a list of websites that can give you some ideas how to creatively use common goods to buy some more playtime (before mealtimes, or melt-downs, or other toddler-related events occur).

I first came across this when reading the blog ohdeedoh (which has really cool stuff!); here is the post on non-toy toys.  The post has many useful comments from readers as well.  In a nutshell:

• CD spindles find a second life as spinning tops!
• Masking tape – the possibilities are endless – but can include demarcating streets, creating train tracks, indoor hopscotch areas…
• Bath toys – use your kitchen utensils!  Funnels, basters, measuring cups and spoons, strainers, small colanders, whisks, egg beaters, slotted spoons and ladles… you get the idea.  Supervision required for these items (well, for all of these ideas, really)
• Clear plastic shoe organizer – great for sorting skills.  Let little ones sort their lego pieces or playing cards or coloured objects.
• Flashlights – the night-time treasure.  Little ones love the on/off thrill (yay! more push-buttons!).  Best to invest in one that can operate by cranking rather than battery.
• Old checkbooks, calculators, calendars, etc. – I love this one.  No need to buy kid-specific ones if you have some old ones lying around (as long as they don’t have too many little pieces that could pose a choking hazard).  Plus consensus seems to say that kids don’t go for the fake ones anyway (hey, would you go for a fake iPhone if the real one was right next to it?)
• Salad spinner – who would ever have thought to use this for art projects?

Some comments on this post (also from ohdeedoh) also suggest using empty mini cereal boxes and empty food tins to create your home grocery store.  Who needs the plastic version?  Also suggested is the classic plain old big cardboard box as a toy…let the kids’ imagination run wild.

Another blog called Are So Happy had a similar post that was so popular that it became a document that you can download – which can be found here.  This list includes seashells, nuts, empty glass jars (I bet you have some of those lying around, post strained-peach-mush-days), buttons, baskets, and junk mail (my personal favourite).

Finally, you can probably go to your favourite online mommy (or daddy) forum to find other parents’ ideas – one particular post on a Babycenter forum had some great suggestions:  plastic bottles filled with dried pasta, plastic baby-wipes container filled with washcloths, mobiles made out of tissue paper, just to name a few.

That’s just scratching the surface; more can be found by Googling “non-toy toys”.  And now it’s your turn – what creative uses have you found for stuff around the house to entertain your little ones?

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My son Quinn recently turned seven.  When my husband and I made the pilgrimage to our favourite toy store, I was determined to find Quinn a toy that would challenge him, did not require batteries, and would would be fun to play with alone or with others.  The first toy we saw when we talked into the toy store was Perplexus (some may call it destiny – I prefer to think of it as clever retail display tactics).  As I picked up the box to try to figure out what it was, the shop owner explained that it was voted one of Parents magazine Top Toys of 2010, and they had been having trouble keeping it on the shelves.  I was intrigued.

While my husband wandered around the store looking for the perfect gift, I was busy being perplexed.  Perplexus is a maze ball made of durable plastic (it has survived numerous drops in our house) in which you maneuver a small marble around the maze inside the ball.  You can shift, flip, and twist the sphere to guide the marble, but if it falls off the track, you have to go back to the very beginning.  With three levels of difficulty and 100 barriers, Perplexus challenges your hand-eye coordination, your steadiness, and your nerves (sounds like fun, doesn’t it?).

Since I had trouble putting Perplexus down, I figured we better buy it for Quinn.  The great thing about Perplexus is that it truly is fun for all ages.  My seven year old, my eight year old, and my husband and I all find it fun and challenging, while my three year old likes to “do the maze” as well, and my one year old loves to roll the ball along the floor and listen to the marble rattle around.  But Parents magazine be darned, I knew we had chosen a great gift when out of all of his birthday gifts, Quinn chose his Perplexus to take to show and tell at school!

Perplexus is available at these retailers for $24.95 CAD.

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