Sketcher's Light Up "Twinkle Toes" Sneakers

What fancy little girl wouldn't love for her shoes to light up? When Rocky laid her eyes on these puppies she was in love.  Not only are they pink and purple but they have rhinestone embellishments and sparkly laces.  When you take a step they light up.  The Sketchers Twinkle Toe Sneakers are not only aesthetically cute but comfortable too.  They feature a cushioned insole and a shock absorbing midsole.  Rocky loves the attention these shoes attract! Get them right now for as low as $28 on sale.

3 Sprouts Organic Organizers

Get organized!! Could storage organizers for your kids' room get any better? Not only are these organizers super cute but they are organic too! 3 Sprouts Organic animal organizers come in a variety of featured animals.  The caddy is my favorite.  It's perfect for toting toys to grandma's house or just from one room to the next.  I let Rocky fill it with toys from her room and we taken them to the living room to play.  The wall organizers are great for art/homework assignments, next to your changing table for diapers, wipes and lotions or in a corner to store books and knick knacks that need a home.  Such a great selection and perfect for any room! They range in price from $19 to $50

SippiGrip - Sippy Cup Cord

Are you constantly losing sippy cups or having to pick them up off the ground.  If your child is anything like mine, she'll be throwing her sippy cup off the table and out of the stroller and car seat just because it's fun eliciting a response out of mommy.  Here is your solution to all of these problems.  The SippiGrip is great, it attaches around the sippy cup on one end and then to the highchair, stroller or car seat on the other, keeping the sippy clean and off the floor.  The cord can even be used to secure a favorite toy or snack trap.  You can adjust the cord to different lengths depending on use.  It's only $5.99.  The only con to this device for me, was that my daughter just kept throwing her cup and then using the cord to retrieve it, but on the upside it never hit the ground so it stayed clean.

Peg Pereggo Prima Pappa Best and the Tatamia High Chairs

The search for another high chair begins.  We bought Rocky the Peg Perego Prima Pappa Best High Chair.  Although, it has been an outstanding chair in many respects there are a few things about it that drive me crazy.  The chair cover comes off for easy cleaning but the straps don't.  To this day (we've had it for 2.5 years) I have no idea how to fold it down for storage.  There are crevices throughout the chair that I can't get to, to clean and the tray top doesn't snap off very easily, so I always end up spilling whatever is on the tray.  I do love that it reclines back, it adjusts in height and foot rest, wheels lock in place, Rocky hasn't figured out how to snap out the tray and it's comfortable.

The new 2011 Collection now offers the Tatamia High Chair, that is not only a high chair but a swing too. Is it too much to have your high chair be a swing too? I haven't decided.  I like the idea that you have the option and that it can adjust all the way down to floor height.  It's much more compact than the Prima Pappa Best and the wheels on this chair is much more maneuverable.  The waist straps still don't come off for cleaning and the reviews are not consistent.

Harajuku Mini for Target

Gwen Stefani is at it again.  The rock-star and fashion designer mom to Kingston and Zuma has collaborated with Target Stores to release Harajuku Mini for Target on Nov. 13th.  The collection will include Japanese street style inspired clothing for babies, children and tweens.  The line will retail from $3.99 to $29.99.  Don't miss out!

Rocky's Laptop

Rocky's favorite toy right now is her Leap Frog Lap Top.  It's actually quite interactive and you can personalize songs and emails to your child.  Anytime Rocky sees me on my laptop she goes and grabs her Leapfrog Leaptop and sits beside me with it.  It has three categories to choose from, music, abc's, and animals.  It's compact enough for toting around and travel.  Highly recommend it for your 2-3 year old!

Baby Food - Beaba BabyCook

Why didn't I get this sooner? It's amazing! Any mom who wants to know what is going into their baby's food should make their own.  The Beaba Babycook makes it not only possible for busy mom's to make their own food but the food tastes great! I bought mine today at Bed Bath and Beyond with my 20% off coupon.  I started with applesauce and then just kept going.  I made peas, pear and carrot baby food.  Sophie has just started eating solids and being able to easily make my own baby food gives me the comfort of knowing every ingredient that is going into her food.   The machine isn't too big, it cleans very easily and is user friendly.

SEE KAI RUN

Rocky's favorite shoes are always by SEE KAI RUN.  Not only are their styles fun and colorful, their shoes are comfortable and durable.  They are made of soft leather and rubber soles.  This Fall's 2011 collection is particularly great.  My favorite are these boots called Delilah ($48).

Modern Chair - Play Ball

I sometimes wish that I had a modern designed home so that I could purchase items as great as this! Spoil your toddler with a play ball chair by Little Nest.  It is a replica of the 1963 Ball Chair by Eero Aarnio (for all you design buffs).  It comes with a hefty price tag of approx. $700 but it is said to be made of fine quality.  There isn't a doubt in my mind that any toddler would LOVE this chair, just no eating or drinking, or crayons, or pens, or shoes, etc. on the $700 chair ;)

No Hassle Travel Toys

Recently we took Rocky and Sophie to visit grandma and grandpa on the east coast and had to figure out how to keep a 5 month and 2 year old content on a 5 hour flight.  I searched for toys that would be easy to pack and didn't involve too many lose pieces.  I avoided noisy toys in consideration of my fellow passengers (I figured a little bit of crying should be all they have to endure).  I was lucky and found these two great items.  An airplane tray cover toy by Star Kids, it just slips right over the tray and it has activities on both sides to appease a child regardless if the tray is upright or down.  they items is extremely light and easy to back.

The second item was a magnetic activity board by Melissa & Doug.  This item was great, no pieces to lose and it kept Rocky entertained quietly for hours.  It's basically a magnetic want attached to the board by a string and you use it to move apples from one barrel to another on the board.  It practices fine motor skills and counting.  So if you're traveling soon with your child, try one of these two items.  An extra tip would be to keep it hidden until you're ready to bring it out on the flight.  New and never seen toys are the best!

Papasan Chair for Kids

Who doesn't love to curl up in a papasan chair and read?! Now they have one for your toddler.  Rocky is two and she loves to sit her papasan chair while I read to her.  It is made of good quality, durable, really soft and plush, also very easy to clean.  Wipes easily with a damp cloth.  Currently on sale for $39.99 at Pottery Barn Kids.  We keep ours next to Rocky's bookshelf to encourage story time!

Closet Dividers

Are you that Type A personality that must have organization? Well this is a brilliant way to organize all of your children's clothes.  I divide my daughters' clothes by size, so that I don't miss outfits.  Kids grow out of clothes so quickly that you need to keep an eye on what's available for them to wear in their closets.  So often clothes that are too big now end up at the back of the closet and when they are finally discovered they are too small.  Sugarbooger by Ore makes these really cute closet dividers that come in an assortment of prints.

FACE PLATES

Rocky has always had a really healthy appetite but she is still your typical picky eating toddler.  I tried many things, pureeing broccoli in mashed potatoes and even sneaking spinach into meatballs.  Then, we bought her these plates called Fred & Friends Food Face Plates.  Now she wants peas and stripped corn for dinner, so that she can use them to decorate her plate and eat them along the way.  These plates are great for getting your toddler to even tolerate vegetables on their plate.  It makes dinner time fun while encouraging some creativity and imagination.  The plates are made of good quality and they hold up in the dishwasher.

They are currently on sale on Overstock.com for $13.99 each.

Stylish, Comfortable, Great Prices Maternity Clothing - Isabella Oliver

Stylish, comfortable and quality maternity clothes at reasonable prices are hard to find! When I was pregnant I discovered Isabella Oliver, a wonderful line of beautiful maternity clothing at great prices.   One of my girlfriends said that she bought an entire work wardrobe from Isabella Oliver and after her pregnancy she sold all of it on Ebay and got 50% back of what she initially spent.  Now that is a DEAL!

Infant Car Seat - Maxi Cosi Mico

When it was time to car seat shop for the second time, I knew exactly what I wanted:  safe, easy to disassemble and clean, click in base, transferable to stroller, comfortable for baby to sleep in and a peek through canopy.  What Sophie ended up with was Maxi Cosi's Mico Infant car seat.  I bought it in black, as is shown in the picture because I figured it would match with everything and I could always throw a cute colorful blanket on her to add a pop of color.  The seat does come in a variety of different colors if you're tired of black.

I love the car seat because Sophie loves it.  She naps comfortably in it and it disassembles rather easily to throw in the wash for those unexpected blow out diapers (yuck).

The cons: it is VERY heavy, especially in comparison to the Graco Snug Fit that I had with Rocky.  It is sometimes difficult to click into the car base and the sun canopy is just a few inches too short to really provide adequate shade.

The seat is popular among celebs like Matthew McConaughey & Camila Alves, Kelly Preston & Elisabeth Hasselbeck.

Little Marc Jacobs

My new fav children's designer line is "Little Marc" by Marc Jacobs.  Rocky has several outfits from last season that always scores compliments.  This fall's collection looks like another must have for every stylish toddler out there.

I love, love the oversized sweater tunic on the bottom right!

Toddler Pillow

Need a perfect pillow for your toddler's bed or perhaps for their naps at pre-school?  As I mentioned before,  Rocky started pre-school this week and part of the program is an afternoon nap. By chance, I walked into the Pottery Barn Kids at the Grove during a recent shopping trip and happened upon their new toddler pillow.  The pillow was perfect in size and only $18.  

Cotton Sesame Street Tees

What kid doesn't love Elmo and Cookie Monster?!  These extremely soft and comfortable tees are available at American Apparel for $15.  Raquel has the Cookie Monster tee (they were sold out of Elmo) and she always wants to wear it.  They seem to get softer as you wash them.

Color Changing Crocs

I love these new Crocs Chameleons for kids.  They change color in the sun, making them fun for the kids.  I bought Rocky a pair of the Shirley Chameleons and she loves going outside to watch them change colors.  They really work too, they change color in the sun almost instantly.  Perfect for the summer, breathable and are great for beach or water play.

Bath Products by Noodle & Boo

I absolutely love the scent of a freshly bathed baby.  Babies are constantly held close, so the scent of the products you use on them are always noticed; at least it was this way with Sophie.  I've recently discovered Noodle & Boo.  It is by far the best smelling product that is also hypo-allergenic and made of natural and gentle ingredients that are safe for baby.  It can be found at Nordstrom's and Neiman Marcus.

Sophie's favorites are the french-milled soap bars and extra gentle shampoo.  Rocky's favorites are the soothing body-wash and conditioning hair polish.

The line is endorsed by numerous Celebs (Liv Tyler, Katherine Heigl, Amy Adams, Gwenyth Paltrow, etc.)

Table Chair

Inglesina Table Chair

We came across one of these while dinning at Houston's.  It was genius! For the first time, Rocky stayed in her seat and ate her food with very little to no trouble.  My husband and I were impressed, so I immediately noted the manufacturer and as soon as I got home, went on-line and ordered one.  We bring it with us whenever we dine out.  It's light, folds down nicely and fits under my stroller.  The clamps adjust to just about any table; I haven't come across any table or booth that it wouldn't configure to.  It keeps the child close to the table, making them feel like that they are part of the meal.   The design also eliminates the foot rest that toddlers so often use to kick and climb out of restaurant high-chairs.

Eye Masks for Kids

I bought one for Rocky because I thought it was cute, I didn't really think that she would sleep with it on. Surprisingly, she'll put it on for naps in the afternoon and it's great because I don't have to worry about small glimmers of light coming through the sides of the black-out curtains.  The Hush Sleep Mask comes in cute designs, it's washable, breathable and blocks out light.  If your child needs it to be completely dark for them to sleep, instead of taping black construction paper on your windows, give this a try.  

THE Blankee

Each of my daughters have their own Little Giraffe Luxe Blanket that they love.  These blankets go everywhere with them.  They are the perfect size to wrap your little one in or use as a lap blanket as they get older.  They clean easily in the wash and keep well.  I believe they even make them in adult size! Instead of spending a fortune on a newborn home coming outfit, invest in one of these.

Custom Crib and Bed

It was love at first sight; I fell in love with this crib the moment I laid eyes on it.  While I was pregnant with Rocky, I ordered this custom Cape Cod crib with rose appliques in a vintage white by Newport Cottages.  I remember the moment I saw it, I had to have it.  It comes with a pricey price tag but I'm going to argue that it was cost effective because it now belongs to Sophie.  In fact, I loved the crib so much that when it was time to transition Rocky into a Twin bed, I ordered the same design in Twin size.

Tori Spelling ordered the same crib for her baby girl Stella.

Stop Juice Box Spills

Nothing is more annoying than handing your toddler a juice box and having him squeeze the box and shoot juice out all over him, the floor and you.  My solution: Mommy's Helper Juice Box Buddy.  It's perfect! Juice boxes fit right inside this and it has handles for your toddler to hold.  No more messy juice experiences.  Best of all, it's only $1.99.

Bottle to Sippy

It was not easy transitioning Rocky from drinking her milk in a bottle to a sippy cup.  She would easily drink water or juice out of the sippy but not milk.  As an attempt to make the transition a bit easier and avoid the daily protests, I searched for a sippy cup that had a soft spout similar to the texture of the nipple of a bottle.  What I found worked like magic.  It was Nuk's Active Cup with Clip that comes in a tall and thin form, easy for her tiny hands to hold with a soft spout.  It comes in pink princess or blue pirate.  Any mom having a similar issue, give this a try!

Label It

Recently, Rocky started pre-school and as any mom who has had a child that started school knows, everything must be labeled!  It not only makes it easier for the care-givers to figure out what belongs to whom it also helps reduce the number of lost articles.  Mabel's Labels makes great labels for all your needs.  I recently placed an order with them for some shoe labels, tag labels, iron-ons, and of course small and big sticky name labels for the random items.  The labels stay on even through regular washes, it's great!

From 1 to 2: Double Strollers

After having Sophie I realized I was going to need a double stroller.   There were so many options to consider: side-by-side or tandem, weight, travel capabilities, car seat snap in, maneuverability, forward/rear facing seats, reclining, etc.  After contemplating and testing out the plethora of options I went and ordered Baby Joggers City Select Double Stroller.  Not only does it give you a variety of configuration options it comes in a great color: Amethyst Purple.  I don't know about you, but I was sick of black and gray strollers.

I take this stroller everywhere.  It isn't too bulky and it's extremely easy to assemble.  I've traveled with it through airports three times, taken it to amusement parks and of course on regular shopping trips.  The stroller fits easily through doorways and store aisles.  Both children can recline in their seats and nap when needed and they each have their own canopy that can be adjusted to each of their preferences.  

Now the cons:
It is heavy (36 lbs with both seats) , especially in comparison to your single stroller.
It disassembles into 3 pieces, the two seats and the base.
Maneuvering it up a step or sidewalk is a bit difficult.

About Us

This is us! My daughters are Rocky and Sophie.  Rocky is 2 years old and Sophie is 6 months.  I am a stay at home mom looking to write about something I'm passionate about; my girls and my new found love for stylistic yet functional baby/toddler items.  I went from searching for the hottest new handbags and shoes to spotting out the coolest new strollers and diaper bags.  (How life has changed since having these girls)  I'm always in search of new stylish yet functional baby/toddler items that moms like myself would appreciate and enjoy.  It's always exciting when you find one of these treasures and I thought to myself, why not share my finds with others.  I hope that you find my blog useful and enjoyable.