In the Town All Year ‘Round
If you have a small child, you need this book. It takes the same set of scenes and people through a year of seasons. That’s it. Not a complicated concept … Continue reading
Spinning Lights
In honor of our Independence Day, I’d like to suggest a toy that is anything but minimalist and definitely made in China, i.e. very American! The LED spinner or whatever … Continue reading
Books: Butterfly Butterfly
We found Butterfly Butterfly at our local library last month and Astrid loved it. It’s your classic love story – girl plays with butterfly, loses butterfly, finds a bunch of other bugs, … Continue reading
Matchbox 20
In my grandmother’s town, where I spent my summers as a kid, there was an ancient toy store run by an even more ancient man where he still sold individually … Continue reading
Fire Trucks
Fire trucks are awesome. What’s not to love? I got a ride on one once. The firemen were heading out, I came by on foot wearing something fetching, and voila: … Continue reading
First Doll
I wasn’t keen on raising our little girl to just like dolls and kitchens, so I got her a red car about the same time as I got her her … Continue reading
Travel Placemat
I’m kind of a tidy freak. Not like, “Clorox for everyone!” but still pretty into the orderly. Astrid is too. She asks for a napkin to clean up spills. It’s … Continue reading
Chronicle Books: Taro Gomi collection
I came across Taro Gomi’s beautiful board book My Friends at the Academy of Sciences playroom one day last year and immediately went home and ordered a copy for Astrid. The … Continue reading
Eat Your Veggies
Let’s face it: if you’re cooking dinner, your child is too. They like you, these kids of yours. So if you’re in the kitchen dicing vegetables, chances are, they’ll want … Continue reading
Lift the Flap Books
Why am I a big pop-up book fan? Because they’re awesome, that’s why. Awesome for me, that is. Not so awesome for curious small children. Correction: awesome for them too, … Continue reading
Self-Checkout
Note to self: the self-checkout lane at the grocery store is not for you. Not with a nearly-two-year-old, it’s not. The beeping, the stacking, the inevitable delays because you foolishly … 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
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
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
Tip for Pacifier Lovers
Some babies won’t take a pacifier. Some suck their thumbs. But some babies love their pacifiers. And some of us parents didn’t follow the sleep training advice to get them … 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
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
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
Parents’ Groups: San Francisco
I just – finally – pulled together a list of San Francisco parents’ groups for some pregnant friends of ours, so I thought I’d share the information for those of … 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
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 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
Minimalista Mama 