Holiday Guide For Babies: Plus A Giveaway!

Are you looking for some gift ideas for babies this Christmas?  Here are a couple of wonderful companies for you to keep in mind.

eebee’s books are award winning books for babies ages 9-36 months.  Each book is made of cloth and is filled with activities to keep your baby engaged and enable you to help them to learn social, motor, language and thinking skills.  Reading is one of the best things you can do with your baby and Eebee’s books are a delightful set to start them on the path of learning. Eebee’s mission is to help parents and babies transform everyday play and exploration into learning that lasts, providing ideas and tools that are catalysts for play. These new books reflect this approach and the philosophy that every baby learns by exploring his or her surrounding.  You can buy eebee’s books, dvds and toys at www.eebee.com and the books at Barnes and Noble stores nationwide.

HAVE A BALL

The front cover of “Have a Ball” has a ball attatched to interact with the rest of the pages. You and your baby can play around with some big ideas in this adventure: up, down, over, under, in, out. . .and my turn; your turn! Play catch with eebee; roll eebee’s ball down a slide; try basketball-in-a-book; and give the ball a ride in eebee’s wagon.

PEEK-A-BOO

Teach your baby to play peek-a-boo.  Your baby’s adventures begin on the cover! Open and close the curtains: Where’s eebee? Inside the book look for eebee behind a silky scarf, in a big, shiny raincoat, under a floppy sunhat, crawling through a pop-up tunnel….And roll a ball for a game of peek-a-toes! From exploring textures to anticipating outcomes, there’s no hiding the opportunities for playful skill building in this adventure!

BATH TIME/ALL ABOUT ME SET

Bath Time is made to play in the tub with. From playing with water to playing with words, this adventure is sure to float your baby’s boat! Open the book and place it cover-up in the tub. Watch eebee “float!” Submerge the book to fill the squirters—squeeze it for a gentle spray. Press eebee’s tummy—squeak—eebee’s all clean! As eebee takes a bath, your baby will play and learn with water.

All About Me is an adventure all about eebee’s body, and your baby’s body, too. Each page is an interactive board game, designed especially for babies. Fold-out the book-sized mirror to ‘look and play’ along with eebee. Start anywhere. . . go anywhere! Look in the mirror! Invent your own playful games! Exercise your baby’s social, motor, language, and thinking skills, and explore baby’s body from head to toe!

LAUNDRY TIME

Laundry Time was selected as one of the best books for babies and toddlers by NAPPA and received a gold seal award and eebee was also id’d as a hot trend by TrendCentral. There’s a load to learn from doing laundry with eebee! Take the soft towels out of the laundry bag and put them “into the washer.” Spin the peek-a-boo washing-machine wheel to wash the laundry; hang eebee’s pajamas on the line; then put them away in the drawers. When the laundry’s done, tuck eebee under a fluffy, fleece blanket. . . then enjoy creating your own laundry time adventures! Your baby will explore words, sounds, and textures; exercise fine-motor skills; play imaginatively. . . and get the laundry done!

Kushies are a line of adorable and unique toys for babies.  They are colorful with wonderfully imaginative designs. My favorite is the Play Garden and the Fuzzy Hugbug is so cute!  What a creative and fun toy that your baby would love.  It doesn’t surprise me they have won numerous awards.  The prices are a bit more expensive but they are well made from Canada and long lasting.  Kushies® Zolo® toys encourage self-expression, build self-confidence, and inspire the imagination.  Inspired by EQ, the Theory of Emotional Intelligence, and with the guidance of child development experts, the ZQ™ approach nurtures emotional self-confidence while fostering cognitive and physical growth.  Zolo®’s progressive design stimulates the recruitment of a greater variety of brain cells than traditional baby products, which helps to create a more open-minded, flexible thinker.  Kushies® Zolo® toy line is the recipient of numerous awards and recognition from an array of global organizations and media outlets.  Right now you can get 10% off any order just in time for Christmas by using the discount code brrha10 from www.kushiesonline.com. Do all your shopping without leaving the comfort of your home!

Fuzzi Hugbug – Sensory Pleasing Toy

A huggable, sensory pleasing toy! The Hugbug’s bright colors and fun sounds will inspire the imagination and make your little one giggle with delight!  Tug arms for cause & effect activity, sensory pleasing textures, body chimes, rattling feet, squeeking head, magnetic hands, stretchy curl, and a signature clip for easy attachment . Voted Toy of the Year 2007.  Age 0+months

Chacha Buggy – Sensory – Pleasing Rattle

Look! Listen! Shake! Chew! Awaken the senses! Chacha Buggy is a sensory pleasing rattle that features vibrant patterns, teether ‘hair’, a spinning collar, and a see through base with roll-around beads! Easy for little hands to grasp and hold, this imaginative rattle is sure to delight and entertain!  Rattle with teether ‘hair’, spinning collar, and see-through base with roll around beads.  Age 0+months  Voted Toy of the Year 2006.

Libro Ozlo Dog Multi-Sensory Activity Book

A colorful, multi-sensory activity book! The stimulating touch-and-feel pages include a textured teether, a squeeze-activated ‘bark’ sound, a unique mirror with pretend dog nose feature, a picture frame, and a fuzzy soft back cover complete with a puppy tail! This delightful book will fascinate babies of all ages! Teether, ‘bark’ sound element, ‘dog nose’ mirror, picture frame, and a signature clip for easy attachment.  Age: 0+ months

Play Garden Magnetic Activity Garden

Create your own garden! Build your imagination with our magnetic build and stack activity garden that is sure to delight! Magnetic creatures stick to the garden and the magnetic plant pieces stack and build! This unique garden window box doubles as a zippered carrying case for toddlers on the go! The many ways to play and succeed encourage independent play and build real life learning.  Contains a Flower garden that doubles as a reusable carrying case for easy storage and 11 magnetic garden accessories.  Age: 18+ months

Kushies wants to give one of my readers an early Christmas present for your baby! YEAH!

The Zolo Boa

A stack and squeeze toy to promote tactile and auditory development with four squishy fabric rings each having a different sound and texture.  When stacking is complete, its giggling head congratulates the child.  Ages: 6 + months.

TO ENTER: VISIT WWW.KUSHIESONLINE.COM AND COME BACK AND TELL ME WHICH OTHER PRODUCT YOU LIKE FROM THEIR WEBSITE!  THEY HAVE TOYS, BABY CLOTHES, BEDDING AND SOME GREAT HOLIDAY PACKAGES AND SALES.

FOR SECOND ENTRY:  STUMBLE, TWITTER, OR SUBSCRIBE AND LEAVE THE LINK IN A SEPARATE ENTRY

U.S. AND CANADA ONLY   THE CONTEST WILL END AT MIDNIGHT ON DECEMBER 4^TH AND I WILL E-MAIL ONE RANDOM LUCKY WINNER!  DON’T FORGET MY OTHER GIVEAWAYS AND COME BACK TOMORROW FOR ANOTHER CHILDREN’S GIFT GIVEAWAY!

HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE FOR HOME

Have you heard of kitchen mats made with Gel?  I think they are one of the coolest inventions.  I have one in front of my laundry washer and I could stand there all day now.  I love the feel of the mat and it is the most comfortable mat I have ever stood on!  GelPro Mats would make a great Holiday gift for moms and dads!  And they are attractive and available in many different styles and colors. Here is what they say from their website.

Millions of people who love to cook experience pain in their feet and back from standing on hard, unforgiving kitchen flooring for extended periods of time. GelPro has solved this ergonomic problem with a line of stylish anti-fatigue floor mats manufactured with a soft, shock-absorbing gel core. The unique properties of the GelPro gel enable GelPro mats to provide the most comfortable surface to stand on, regardless of the type of hard flooring you have in your home. Whether you use it as a kitchen floor mat, a laundry room mat, a bathroom mat, or even as a utility mat in your garage, we are confident that after one try you will agree that GelPro has created the world’s most comfortable and attractive anti-fatigue floor mat.  You can purchase GelPro Mats on their website at www.gelpro.com.

Dabney Lee Woglom, the stationer known for her “happy, snappy, preppy” motto, is out with a new home collection.  The fun and preppy patterns that the company and designer are known for include grace lucite trays, playing cards, disposable placemats and coasters, recipe card boxes, mousepads and to-do lists, file folders, and a desktop calendar.

Everything is custom, so you can have fun creating your completely personal design from the 18 patterns, 12 colors, and 15 monogram styles available. My favorite designs are the Happy Tile and The Flirt!  And, your new items will ship within 10 days! It is so much fun to choose from the adorable patterns and colors  With Dabney Lee’s reasonable prices ($30-$120), these cheery items are irresistible gift options for anyone, including yourself!  You can order them on the website www.dabneyleeathome.com.

The Bosch MIXXO^TM Cordless Handheld Blender is a revolutionary cordless handheld blender that can be used to prepare tasty food and refreshing drinks without the hassle of cords or plugs. The unit utilizes cutting-edge lithium battery technology – the first among kitchen appliances – to provide twenty minutes of continuous powerful blending that lasts nearly twice as long as other handheld blenders.

The Mixxo is lightweight and we tested it out by making smoothies.  It was powerful enough to blend the ice and fruit easily.  What else I liked is the fact it is detatchable and dishwasher safe, so I didn’t have to wasted time cleaning it.  Parents who blend a lot of their food, especially baby food, would love to see the Mixxo under the Christmas tree.  You can buy the Mixxo and other Bosch Products all major department stores.  www.boschappliances.com has a the list of stores in your area on their website.

I discovered Pillowgrams and I absolutely love this idea for Christmas gifts.  A Pillowgram is a unique pillowcase that you can order for a loved one and it will be delivered in a special gift box that resembles a pillow with a telegram containing a personal message from you.  They have so many great designs to choose from.  Something for everyone including, sports, Holiday, animals, religious, and many more!  You can find one style that fits the personality of your loved one.   Once you have picked the design then they will then stitch the name of the person on the pillowcase like the picture above.  They are such a special gift because what else does someone use every night?  And when they go to sleep they will think of you and how special and personal this gift is!  You can order PillowGrams at www.pillowcasegram.com.  To ensure Christmas and Hanukkah delivery, the deadline for ordering is December 10th.  Any orders after that may be delivered late, but they will still make a nice gift.

Have you heard the benefits of using Ceramics?  This new line of home and kitchen ceramic tools were designed by Karim. They are lightweight and ergonomic so they are easy to hold and use.  The ceramic blade stays sharp, never rusts and won’t brown food.  Ceramics lasts longer than steel and have a lightweight non-slip finish.I am amazed at the difference!  Best of all the prices are affordable starting at only $5.99 to $14.99.  The new line includes the safety cutter, letter opener, precision cutter, veggie peeler, y-peeler and grater. All in all, slice™ ceramic is a whole lot better than your average metal blade — for a lot of reasons:

slice™ is committed to simple, sharp, and safe (while we keep you colorful, cool, and cutting edge). You can purchase slice™ at fine retailers nationwide, and a portion of all slice™ product sales helps fund autism research. By purchasing our products, you’re helping to find a cure for the millions of children and their families who live with autism every day.  Ceramics products are available at leading retail stores and the list on the website www.slicehome.com.

If you are like me, you need all the help you can get for making cookies.  I found this great place called Chic Cookies, where everything you need to bake cookies for the holidays comes in one fabulous kit.  All you have to do is buy the ingredients and follow the instructions, and you will look like a professional baker for the holidays.  Here is what comes in the kit:

Chic Cookies simplifies the art of cookie decorating by confining all the hard-to-find supplies in one box. Cookie rookies need not fear, as the kits offer simple, step-by-step instructions. But even expert decorators will be treated to unique, new designs such as a sassy dress, a swanky martini, and a spicy chili pepper. Chic Cookies’ kits are perfect for parties, gifts, or just for fun. And the skills learned will last beyond the kit into the big, wide, less scary world of cookie decorating.

Each full-size Chic Cookies kit will make dozens, if not hundreds, of cookies and contains: 2 to 3 themed cookie cutters, 6 frosting bags, 6 decorating tips, 6 couplers, 6 rubber bands, 1 cookie scraper and 5 bottles of chef’s quality gel paste coloring (the best you can use). A few of the kits include sprinkles, too. Invaluable to the kit are the printed materials: “the guidebook” (a guide with recipes, tips on making frosting colors and bags, a color chart and decorating techniques), “the specifics” (one-page photograph cards with instructions for decorating your themed cookies), and “the short version: an at-a-glance guide” (a one-page summary card). The picture above shows you what each of these things looks like.

You can buy the kits at their website at www.chiccookiekits.com, not only for the holidays, but for all different occasions.  They come in an adorable box.  These kits will make a great gift for a friend, loved one or yourself.