In-between Inflatable Travel Toddler Bed

We just returned from vacation and were reminded of how much we love our The Shrunks inflatable Tuckaire™ toddler bed. It is the perfect in-between travel bed when your child has outgrown their Pack N Play, but are still a little too small (or wiggly) for sleeping on a hotel or guest bed during your travels. It fits inside a suitcase, taking up about 1/10 of a large suitcase. The "tuck" part of the Tuckaire™ design means that standard crib sheets fit, and that they tuck around an inner mattress, making it a very tidy little thing. It has attached inflatable rails on either side, which help to prevent roll outs, but don't eliminate them if you've got a top-of-the-bed escape artist like I do. It also comes with a lightweight electric air pump, which makes it quick to set up. I wouldn't be writing about it if it wasn't BPA-free, PVC-free, Phthalate-free and Lead-free. They also make a twin travel bed for big brothers and sisters. I also use their inflatable bed-rail on my daughter's bed at home to prevent roll-outs. It does the job and isn't bulky (and expensive) like most bedrails, but they do come with patch-kits and that's because they do start to lose air, so take care not to sit on them while singing your lullabies. Check out more details at theshrunks.com. Goodnight and sleep tight.

Double-edged...spoon

I recently bought this spoon that is actually two spoons in one, one on each end. It's great because each spoon has a non-slid area that helps food to not fall off, as well as being large enough for a good-size bite. Most of the other baby spoons I have just weren't cutting it for my girl anymore.
She's at the stage where she wants to put food in her mouth herself, but still doesn't have all the dexterity she needs, so this funky spoon design is really helpful for her little hands. It's 100% rubber and is PVC, Phalate and BPA-free. I wish I had bought this cousin of the Teethifier long ago.
Teethifer and Spoon Z are both available at shopkidgear.com

Seriously lovable dolls

In looking for a doll for my daughter to play with in the bath, I ran into the usual issue of those icky ingredients that most doll manufacturers use in their plastics these days. In my search I did come across one that was truly lovable to me and to my daughter. It's made by Kathe Kruse, a German manufacturer and it's PVC, Phlatate and PVC free. They make dolls for the bath, dolls for dress-up and dolls for just dragging around.
I also love that they make boy dolls since little boys have the right to have a mini-me too.
They're a bit pricey, but worth it to avoid the ick. I ordered mine from Debra's Dolls in NJ. www.debrasdolls.com

Safe (Sleeping) Travels

Now that our daughter is nearing her first birthday, we're finally looking at doing some traveling. Since she sleeps on an organic mattress in her crib, we'd also like her to have one in her travel bed (pack 'n play). Her Arms Reach mini co-sleeper had an organic mattress so we plan to get one for our travels as well. This article is a great resource for where to look for one. Another interesting option is the new Go Crib, a lightweight, inflatable portable crib that is made of PVC, Phtlalate and lead-free non-toxic materials. It also has the bonus feature of packing up into a backpack and fitting in the overhead compartment of a plane. That would help any parent sleep well.

ABCs with no BPA

I just started using these bath-time, foam letters and my daughter loves them. I might be giving her too much credit for a 9-month-old, but yesterday she pointed to the letter M when we asked her which letter was for Mama, then pointed to P for papa. I never would've guessed a Sassy foam product like this to be BPA, PVC & Phthalate free, but it is. A-W-E-S-O-M-E.

Folding tub that isn't toxic

I just bought one of these Flexi Bath tubs for my daughter today. It only comes in pink, blue and white in the U.S. right now, but the colors are great, with different shades of the same color going down the seams. Looks cool, is space-saving and is PVC-free and is supposed to accommodate up to a 4- year-old. She had a great time in it, along with her PVC-free Boon duck, Jane. Find a location at http://www.arealcoolworld.com/

Scratch the sippy

The Nuby straw cup is a great way to skip right over the sippy cup and help baby develop strong sucking muscles and coordination since they need to bite the straw and suck at the same time in order to get liquid out. My daughter started drinking water out of hers at 4 months and still loves it.

We just introduced the Beaba toddler soft cups and she has so much fun drinking water straight out of a cup. Love the colors and the wide base. Both are BPA-free.

The Teethifier. Like a Furminator, but for babies.

The Teethifier, made by KidGear, is the newest teether I've acquired for my daughter. It's designed to hit those molars, but I'm going to try it out early (she's only got one tooth so far). It's 100% rubber and is PVC, Phalate and BPA-free. Also love that it's gender-neutral school bus-yellow. So ugly, it's cute.