In the U.S., name laws are determined by state, and unlike other countries, there aren’t many restrictions on what you can or cannot name your baby—or yourself. Legal scholars believe that this is due to the First and Fourteenth Amendments to the U.S. Constitution, which give broad rights on our free speech and due process….
Blooming Bath’s petal baby bathtub (around $40 with free shipping for Prime members on Amazon) is a comfy way to bathe babies whose necks aren’t yet strong enough to hold their heads up. The machine-washable-and-dryable bathtub comes in six colors: turquoise (pictured right), canary yellow, ivory, white, green, and hot pink, and provides a soft,…
Looking for the perfect and affordable baby-shower or new-baby gift? Infantino’s Safari Fun Twist and Fold Activity Gym and Play Mat (currently around $30 at Amazon with free shipping for Prime members) is a portable, lightweight (a little over 3 pounds) activity mat that provides infants hours of creative fun and learning. The Activity Gym can…
One of the ickier chores new parents face, especially when their little ones start teething, is getting those baby noses clean without baby’s corresponding kicks and wails. Plus Comfort’s Nasal Snotsucker Boogie Vacuum Nose Rinse makes the ickies go away, for both baby and parent. Currently priced on Amazon at just under $30, with free shipping…
Ever wanted an extra hand while bottle-feeding baby? Then you’ll be interested in the Beebo Hands-Free Bottle Holder, developed by a dad-inventor who pitched his idea to the U.S. tv show “Shark Tank” last fall and won $200,000 in startup funds for his product. The Beebo is ergonomically designed to rest high on a parent’s chest, secured over…
Among the fascinating new high-tech items we saw the Consumer Electronics Show in January, Infanttech’s new Smarttemp Wireless Bluetooth Thermometer was one of the standouts. Currently priced on Amazon for around $70, with free shipping for Prime members, the Smarttemp thermometer allows you to monitor your baby’s temperature remotely in realtime through your smart phone–without waking baby…
Looking for that perfect gift for your favorite baby, pregnant woman, or older child? Here’s a year-end review of our favorite Baby Tech items from 2015. For pregnant women: Leachco’s Snoogle Total Body Pillow. ZenKids’ stroller organizer. Infant Optic’s Video Baby Monitor with night vision Salter’s 914 Electronic Baby & Toddler Scale Giraffe Razor Extension Handle Baby Shower Planner app….
Amazon.com has just added a slew of educational videos for babies to its video streaming service. Geared toward ages 6 months to 2 years, the videos cover everything from vocabulary to shapes to numbers to movement to sounds. Baby Playpen Intro to Color Movement and Games (six episodes), Peekaboo I See You; Surprise! (five episodes), and…
Winkpass Creation’s iPregnant app for iOS (iPhone and iPad) is a pregancy tracker chock-full of features. Its Journal feature provides room for tracking weight, doctors appointments, and notes as your pregancy progresses. You can customize reminders (a lifesaver if you have the all-too-common “pregnancy brain”) as well as questions for your doctor. The Photos feature…
VTech’s Move and Crawl Baby Ball, currently priced at $15 with free shipping for Amazon Prime members, is a learning toy that also provides exercise for your little one. Once the toy is turned on, it rolls around by itself slowly, giving baby the motivation to crawl or walk after it. The ball, which runs…
“Toddlers on Technology: A Parents’ Guide,” currently under $20 at Amazon, was written by a mom and two early-childhood educators to help parents choose how and when their children are exposed to various technology, from iPads to computers to cell-phone apps. The book explains, in easy-to-understand language, why technology is so fascinating to little ones, what…
Is your little one fussy at bedtime? VTech Baby’s Soothing Slumbers Bedtime Bear will help lull her to sleep with its soft, plushy fabric and an array of calming and tranquilizing tunes. The Bedtime Bear, geared to ages newborn to 2 years, plays lullabies when the button on her tummy is pressed and stops automatically after…
Our last two columns reviewed some of the learning websites for younger children. This week we look at homework helper sites for older children. Fact Monster includes homework help for a variety of subjects, from geography to writing to math to science. Each topic includes facts, timelines, quizzes and other self-paced learning tools. The site, which is…
This is the second in our series on learning websites for children. Read Part 1 here. A few more websites to acclimate the kids to the Season of School: PBSkids.org is a favorite learning site among teachers and parents, but I found the navigation and sign-up process clunky (password authentication is a series of pictures,…
Now’s the time of year when the kidlets are either back to school or getting ready to go back to school. If their brains have turned to mush over the long, hot summer, here are some websites to pique kids’ interests and teach them at the same time: ABCya.com was developed by a grade-school teacher and…
