TravelKiddy BusyKiddy Giveaway!

I have talked about how much I love TravelKiddy before.  They have tons of  great products to keep your darling children occupied during road trips, airplane rides and even in restaurants.

Check out BusyKiddy:

The BusyKiddy contains an assortment of small toys and activities to keep kids busy, plus wipes, tissues, and bandages all packaged in a lunch bag with a mesh side pocket for storing a bottle of water or sippy cup.

A view of the super-cool lunch bag:

This bag is truly perfect to have on stand-by in the car for those times when you need fun activities to keep your kids busy and happy!  Great for the impromptu coffee meeting, dinner out, etc.  I have needed this on multiple occasions – giving my son candy to keep him busy tends to backfire!

The BusyKiddy includes:

• Lime green insulated lunch bag
• 3 hand wipes
• Bandages
• Tissues
• Jumbo activity pad
• Wikki Stix
• Eversharp pencil
• 16 count Crayola crayons in a durable container
• 6 sheets of stickers
• 4 sheets of create a scene stickers
• 2 small animals
• Die cast stock car
• Stuffed animal – reptile

And you good news: you can WIN one! Just leave a comment below before midnight on Monday, May 3rd.

Want extra entries?

• Fan us on Facebook and let us know here
• Subscribe to this blog

Of course, if you already are a fan or subscriber, let us know!

Check out the other amazing TravelKiddy products here.

Great Giveaway from Gifted Imaginations!

If you are in the market for high-quality, eco-friendly toys, you absolutely must check out Gifted Imaginations.  I don’t know if I have found another toy store with such an amazing selection of educational and well-made toys that inspire your little one’s imagination and pretend play.

From their website: “From wooden blocks to puzzles to backpacks, dolls, cars, and games – these are not the kinds of toys you’ll find in your local department store. In addition to these unique finds, Gifted Imaginations also carries eco-friendly and fun children’s clothing such as Life is Good, Green Label and BioMe5.”

I love toys that inspire creativity and that is why I fell in love with the Magnetic Pattern Block Kit by Melissa and Doug.  There are so many reasons why this is a GREAT toy.  Geometric patterns and placement help kids develop necessary skills for future learning – even IQ tests!  The Magnetic Pattern Block Kit also comes in a neat travel case, which makes it perfect for your future travel plans!

And you, lucky reader, can win one!  Just leave a comment by Tuesday, April 13th.  We will use Random.org to pick a winner!  Want an extra entry?  Fan us on Facebook and leave another comment letting us know.  If you already are a fan, just leave another comment letting us know.  Tweets will count as one extra entry as well!

In the meantime, visit Gifted Imaginations website and check out all of their super cool toys.  And, they also happen to have very competitive pricing!  Fan them on Facebook or follow them on Twitter to find out about their latest promotions and specials.  I have already identified several unique gifts that I will be buying for all the little ones we know!

My Love of Melissa and Doug Puzzles

I get a LOT of hand-me-downs.  As the founder of The Mother List, I am clearly a big fan of reusing and recycling.  Sometimes, the hand-me-downs we get, in particular toys, are a bit ahead of my son’s age.  I typically put them away and bring them out when I think he is ready.  Well, I may now need to rethink that strategy.

We recently got a Melissa and Doug puzzle (pictured above) that I thought was way too advanced for my lil guy.  There are no pictures under the pieces and you have to match up the vehicles.  One day, I grabbed it, needing a distraction, and thought he would just like the novelty of it and looking at the different vehicles.

He did the whole thing without hesitation or problem.  Well, I take that back, he seems to disagree with me and will put the half of the ambulance with the police car and vice versa.  I decided since they were both white, it was close enough.  But, after further inspection, he went back and corrected it later.

My point is this:

1. I love this puzzle.  I can actually see him scanning the pieces and then the board and matching them up in his mind.

2.  I always seem to underestimate what he can do.  Do we all do this as parents?  They understand so much so fast!

Find it here: Melissa and Doug Vehicles Mix N Match Peg Puzzle.

The Doodler Mini = Awesome!

My lil guy loves to draw.  We were going through reams of paper and I decided I needed to find a reusable canvas. We tried the Aquadoodle, which I loved, except that my son got all Jackson Pollock on me and was flinging water all over the house.  I was actually pretty impressed, but it had to stop.

I went in search of another option and found the Fisher Price Doodler.  Since I wanted to make sure he would use it and I liked the fact it fit in my purse, I ended up with the Doodler Mini.  This thing rocks.  It keeps him busy doodling all the time and now we are saving paper.  He has also figured out how to clear the screen on his own, which makes for a very independent toy. He loves it!

His little hand was drawing so fast, this is more of an action shot.

Someday I will probably spring for the bigger version, but this is perfect for now.  What a great travel toy!

Find it here: Fisher Price Doodler Mini

Russian Nesting Dolls – Great for Toddlers

Over the holidays, my little guy was given his very own Winnie the Pooh Russian Nesting Doll from his grandparents.  He is completely in love with it.

How cute is that?  I had to hide the piglet for the foreseeable future because it is a little too small.  He loves to practice stacking the dolls and it occurred to me how perfect this toy is for developing fine motor skills.  He also works diligently trying to put it together in the right order.

These are pretty hard to find in this quality, but I did manage to find a few that were similar and reasonably priced on Ebay and this Russian Crafts site.

I could only find one exact replica of the one above: Winnie Pooh Honey Bear Russian Nesting Doll.

Great Inexpensive Toys for Kids 18 Months and Up

Never, ever, EVER underestimate the power of bubbles.  Is your child having a tantrum for no apparent reason? Blow some bubbles at them and see what happens.  Looking for a way to break up a dull day?  Whip out this No-Spill Bubble Tumbler and set them to work figuring out how to blow their own bubbles.

This magical contraption keeps the bubble solution in the container while your kids figure out how to get the bubbles out.  I kid you not, this thing equals hours and hours of fun.

It’s amazing how some of the most simple toys can be the most entertaining.  And the best part of these wonders? They retail for under six bucks.  Available at Amazon, Target and Kmart.  They also have a smaller version available for under $4.  Perfect little stocking-stuffers!

The Mother List has Launched!

We are so excited that The Mother List has had such a successful launch!  Over 100,000 hits!  We hope we have brought a very useful tool to all families out there – a community where families (moms, moms2B, dads and grandparents) can find the items they need and get rid of the items they no longer need.  We wanted to remove the anonymity from the listing process and have a place where everyone can list anything related to Baby, Kids, Toys, Maternity and things for Mom.  We wanted a place where people can connect and help each other get the things they need.  

In the current economy & environment, we had the realization that everything we buy for our children (and ourselves) does not always need to be new.  Just how long does that brand new shirt you bought for your toddler stay looking new?  Do those plastic and wood toys go bad?  Just one good washing and almost everything is reusable.  Let’s work together to reduce and reuse as much as possible.  

However, we have also created a space for small businesses to reach more people. Have something you want to sell? Please feel free to list it on The Mother List!  Some of the areas in particular, do not lend themselves well to the idea of reusing and recycling, such as Beauty, Party Supplies, Cleaning Supplies, etc.  The Mother List is a national site, so your products will be seen all over the country.  

 

Please enjoy!

 

~Whitney