San Francisco: H&M
Hooray for the Swedes! H&M has opened a big baby/kids section on the third floor of the Westfield Center, just outside Bloomingdales. (Borders’ old space, I think – sad to … Continue reading
Giggle and Their “Better Basics”
I love Giggle. They have helpful, knowledgeable staff and beautiful products. Their selection is definitely on the high end of the baby products spending spree, but among the products they … Continue reading
Snack Cups
A mom came up to me in Seesaw this morning and asked about Astrid’s snack cup. She was trailing after her one year old carrying the little girl’s snacks in a … Continue reading
San Francisco: Toy Stores
I hope this will be useful for some of my San Francisco readers. It’s by no means comprehensive + this is an area where I have pretty strong opinions, so … Continue reading
Cookbook Round-Up
I posted a little while ago about how much I liked Top 100 Baby Purees when Astrid started solids, and I’ve got a couple more things to say on the … Continue reading
Bath Toys: Tea Set
Awesome bath toys have been hard to find, but I totally killed it the other day by grabbing a floating tea set as I zoomed through the bath aisle at … Continue reading
The Gruffalo: The Movie
We received The Gruffalo as a gift from a lovely neighbor when Astrid was about one. She was too little to stick with the story and it’s only now that she’s … Continue reading
Nursing stool
OK, so maybe you decided to get a glider/rocker and maybe you didn’t. You still might want to think about getting a nursing stool. No, it’s not something to use … Continue reading
Burp Cloths
I adore Dwell Studio’s baby patterns as much as the next geometrics-loving mom, but how, outside your baby shower, are you going to justify $35 for a burp cloth set … Continue reading
Pacifier Clips
So your baby may or may not want a pacifier. If he does, trust me: you will need a pacifier clip. You can buy the pacifiers that don’t bounce as … Continue reading
Bells and Whistles. Or Just Bells.
In deference to my – and therefore my child’s – sanity, I swore we would keep electronic and noise-making toys to a minimum. We’ve done pretty well so far. No … Continue reading
Babo Botanicals Detangling Shampoo
When Astrid’s toddler curls came in, we were up against detangling her super fine, perfect but, let’s face it, slightly matted post-bath hair. The shampoo/body wash combo from Burt’s Bees … Continue reading
Books: First 100 Words
There are so many board books for little kids purporting to introduce colors, numbers, letters, animals and on and on and on. As usual, the ones I thought would be … Continue reading
The Cribs Are Back! (Ikea)
In June, Ikea pulled all their cribs from their stores following a change in the Consumer Product Safety Commission’s regulations. (They said it was precautionary, not because there was a known … Continue reading
Clothes: H&M
Ah, H&M, emporium of cheap, of-the-moment knock-off clothes! We love you Swedes! Here’s another reason to love them: they make baby clothes. Really, really cute ones too. And now that … Continue reading
Baby Clothes: Tea Collection
OK, so it’s a shopping time of year and minimalist though I may be, I’ve got another item for your Christmas wish list. I don’t recommend getting hooked on Tea … Continue reading
Toasty Warm
If you get any kind of winter chill where you live, the Angel Dear Fleece Hoodie is a great addition to your little one’s wardrobe. A friend of ours got … Continue reading
Cookbook: Top 100 Baby Purees
If you’ve decided to take on making your own baby food all the time or just occasionally, I think you’ll like this cookbook. It’s the only one I had for … Continue reading
Pacifiers
I had no idea: I guess I thought all babies maybe sucked their thumbs. Or they all took pacifiers. I don’t know… My little cousins, who were babies when I … Continue reading
Bottle Accessories
Assuming you’ll use a bottle for breastmilk or formula, along with the actual bottles themselves (see: Bottles), it’s a good idea to score some of the basic bottle accessories before the … Continue reading
Avocado Eaters
Astrid’s first solid food was mashed sweet potatoes. Those were followed quickly by avocados. Sweet potatoes aren’t hard to select at the grocery store and are easy to store when … Continue reading
Kitchen: M Cups
We are TOTALLY getting these! They’re kitchen measuring cups built like Russian nesting dolls and are $9-14 worth of awesomeness for a toddler at loose ends in the kitchen. A … Continue reading
Baby Clothes: Kissy Kissy
OK, so after an “Essentials” post, let’s bounce to the far extreme and talk about overpriced but adorable baby clothes – hooray! I discovered Kissy Kissy (yes, terrible name) at … Continue reading
Nipple Confusion
Moms’ confusion, not babies’, that is! How do you know when to move your baby up to the next size nipple on your bottle of choice? Most bottle “systems” come … Continue reading
First Toys: The Teddy Bear
I still have Gloria, in case you were wondering. She was my first teddy bear, and, in a deeply subjective way, I love her. In a more objective way, I … Continue reading
High Chairs: Oxo Sprout
I’ve been meaning to post about high chairs for a little while. Since I can’t seem to get it together to write the longer overview of how I decided on … Continue reading
Learning Tower
So your baby can stand up – yay! It’s a key step in evolution, so go you for getting your own personal little one to this billions-of-years-old milestone! One of … Continue reading
Gap Baby / Kids
Did you see Crazy, Stupid Love? You should. It was funny. It’s hard not to pull for Steve Carrell. Ryan Gosling (well, his character) takes Steve’s frumpy, middle-aged dad under … Continue reading
First Books
Babies can’t read. Just FYI. In case you weren’t sure. But you’ll receive a little stack of board books at your baby shower anyway. Kids’ books are really cute, some … Continue reading
Rocker / Glider
I bought a used glider rocker last weekend and the mom asked me how old Astrid was. When I said, “Eighteen months,” she said, “Why do you want a rocker?” … Continue reading
Music Boxes
I loved music boxes when I was a kid. The little machine inside – OK, yes, I broke one in half to see it – was like magic and the … Continue reading
Best Sand Toys!
When Astrid first took an interest in sand (other than eating it), she envied another child’s sand tower. I was thrilled and tracked one down in the off-season to get … Continue reading
Best Books: My Friends
I came across the board book of My Friends in the play area at the California Academy of Sciences and loved it. The pictures have little details for little eyes … Continue reading
First Toys: Sophie the Giraffe
See also A Word on Toys Sophie the Giraffe has been around for 50 years and is still sweet and effective. She’s a vanilla-scented, rubber teething toy from France with a … Continue reading
First Toys: “Transitional Object”
See also A Word on Toys A “transitional object” helps your baby transition from needing you all the time to wanting this object when you’re not around to, in the future, … Continue reading
Pimp My Car Seat
The infant car seat is a wonderful thing early on: your baby is small enough to snuggle in it and happy to snooze while you go from point A to … Continue reading
First Toys: Mobiles
See also A Word on Toys Mobiles are awesome. Period. Get at least one for your baby for above her crib. And maybe another one for above her play area. And … Continue reading
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