I just finished decking out my mantle with one of those holiday-themed greenery garlands–sure, the greens are artificial, but the glittery Pine Cones look quite elegant. My kids aren’t the only ones excited that the holiday season “officially” rings in this week with the arrival of Turkey Day. I’m also ecstatic, especially knowing that I can now count the number of days until Black Friday on one hand.

There’s no doubt, I love shopping. But, I’m also smart about it. I don’t like to clutter my closets with things I won’t ever use. I tend to think most people on my shopping list share similar thoughts. So, when the holidays come, I try to buy practical gifts.

This shopping approach gets me into trouble sometimes–because I’ve discovered that it’s really hard to keep a gift a surprise when I’ve bought something that someone could use right away.

When it comes to my own kids, I’m tempted to pull out whatever gift I’ve purchased and let them start using it. That’s why I’m nearly certain I will fail at keeping the puzzles I’m going to buy my toddler this week a secret. My toddler is completely ready for puzzles (btw, puzzles make great gifts at this age)–and, I know they would make for hours of entertainment during the hustle and bustle of holiday preparations.   

Do you shop and tell, too? If not, what’s your strategy for keeping holiday gifts for your children a surprise?

Today, the Washington Post reports that ”the vast majority of toys are safe.”  This news couldn’t come at a better time for holiday shoppers.  For those who remain concerned about toy safety in light of recent recalls, the Washington Post suggests this option:  go shopping with a lead-test kit, choke-test cylinder, or sound meter in hand.   

There are 38 days until Christmas. On days like today (the kind which whoever said, “long days, short years,” must have had in mind), Christmas sounds like a world away.

If this year is anything like last year, or the year before, or the year before that year, I’m bound to find myself rushing around at the last minute, going store-to-store, trying to think up a gift for someone on my shopping list–and, without fail that someone is usually the most difficult person to shop for on my list.

But, this year, I think I’ve found a way to make holiday shopping easy, especially at the last minute. It doesn’t involve committing to finishing my shopping “early” or abstaining from last minute shopping–that, I know, would be just about as successful as one of my many New Year’s Resolutions.

I’ve come up with a gift giving shopping “theme”–one broad theme for my entire gift giving, although multiple themes, one for each person on your list, can also work. This year, “books” are my general theme. For example, for my friend’s children, who are grieving the loss of their beloved family dog, I plan to buy The Forever Dog. One child on my list who is crazy about ponies will likely get a stack of pony books. A toddler on my list will likely get one of those “Who Loves Baby?” Photo Books, which I will insert photos into ahead of time for a personalized touch.

Theme shopping is easy because you can plan your theme in advance of actually setting foot in the shopping mall or sitting down at a computer. So, even if you wind up shopping at the last minute, you will at least have a good grasp on the type of product you’re going to buy.

Theme shopping can also be a lot of fun. When it comes to dreaming up a theme, your imagination is the only limit. Here are three themes to jumpstart your creativity:

1. Gift cards or certificates. Who doesn’t love receiving a gift card? One of the reasons gift cards are growing in popularity is because people like receiving them! Eliminate worries of an “impersonal” gift by selecting a store, restaurant, or service with the interest of the person you are shopping for in mind (e.g., baby store gift certificate for expectant parents). You can also personalize a gift card by unique wrapping or packaging (e.g., putting a certificate inside a baby bottle).
2. Magazine Subscriptions. Consider giving a magazine subscription that will appeal to the person on your shopping list (e.g., a children’s magazine for kids, a cooking magazine for someone who loves to cook).
3. Health and Beauty. The possibilities for a health and beauty theme are practically endless. For women, “gift” boxes of assorted makeup or perfume samplers, like those found at department store makeup counters during the holidays, make nice gifts, as do cologne samplers for men. For children, consider assorted lip glosses, chapstick, or bath products.

Happy Theme Shopping!

A sure sign your child is growing up is when they start asking to go to a friend’s house or begging to invite one home. Gone are the days when the idea of a playdate originated with you. And, certainly gone are the days when a playdate was more about grown up time than child socialization-oh, how I fondly remember going to playgroups with my baby at a time when she didn’t yet know she had hands, let alone understand the concept of play.

Whether your child goes to a friend’s house or one comes to yours, safety is no doubt a key concern.  This is probably especially true when your child receives a play invitation that doesn’t include you.  When you’re the one leaving a child at another’s house, particularly a home that you haven’t before visited, you may want to ask these questions before you make the drop off:

• Is my child emotionally ready for a playdate without my presence?
• Who will be supervising my child?
• Who else will be in the home at the time of the playdate? (e.g., if your child is intimidated by “big” kids, he may feel uncomfortable if his friend’s older siblings are also having friends over at the same time).
• Are there firearms in the house? If so, how are they stored?
• What type of safety-childproofing exists in the home? Are there gates on the stairs–toddlers aren’t the only ones to be concerned about on stairs?).  Are doors equipped with safety latches or alarms, like sliding doors that open to balconies–curiosity can get toddlers and preschoolers alike into trouble.  Are hazards, like matches and chemical agents, safely stored?
• Are there pets? If so, what kind? (this may be an especially important question if your child has allergies, or if you have concerns about a particular breed of animal).

When it comes to your child’s safety at a friend’s house, you simply can’t underestimate the value of asking questions.

A mom friend just asked me if I knew of a good place to buy “Made in USA” toys this holiday season. The best advice I could offer her was to look online.

After having ventured to two brick and mortar toy boutiques this past weekend looking specifically for American-made products, only to encounter disappointment, I’ve pretty much decided that online shopping is the only way to go–at least, if there’s any hope of efficiently crossing names off Santa’s shopping list.

I’m not the only one thinking that online retailers are the way to go this holiday season. Check out Regina Lewis’ recent blog entry on where to buy American-made toys. She suggests consumers kick off their shopping at:  How Americans Can Buy American  and Still Made in USA.com.

If your holiday shopping goal is simply to find manufacturers who seem attentive to toy safety, you may want to check out Melissa & Doug products.  Even though some of their products are (or have been) Made in China, Melissa & Doug appears attentive to consumer safety, at least according to the company’s Sept. 2007 email sent to concerned parents.  

Did you know that the Consumer Product Safety Commission (”CPSC”), that agency that announces toy recalls, which we’ve been hearing from so much lately, employs ONE full-time toy tester.

Yes, you read that correctly. One. Uno. Full-time toy tester.

That figure has upset a lot of parents, including myself. This news has also ignited a flurry of activity within the blogosphere, as you can see at The Parents Bloggers Network.

Parents are speaking out about their concerns throughout the blogosphere, like Susan, a blogger at DC Metro Moms Blog and Toddler Planet, who writes, “I’m becoming increasingly concerned and frustrated about the safety of my children’s toys.” In another blog entry she writes, “What can we do to fix this?”

Recalls be gone. There is a five minute solution. One quick way to take action is by sending a letter to Congress.

As if that figure of ONE (let me repeat myself here, so we’re all clear …ONE) isn’t startling enough, The Washington Post further reports that CPSC has lost 15 percent of its workforce since 2004. Action is definitely needed right now, especially with the holidays just around the corner.

Sounds to me like that Illinois Senator who recently said, “Let’s face it, our consumer product safety system is busted and in need of major reform,” hit the nail on the head.

You’d think that after having three children, I’d have plenty of baby booties lying around the house. Nope. Nada. Nothing.

Yesterday, I couldn’t find a set of booties anywhere in the house, let alone two singles to create a mismatched pair. All I wanted to do was go outside in the cool weather with my little one without having ten frozen baby toes on my conscience. So, what did I do instead? I spent hours researching baby booties online (with my little one curled up next to me, of course)!

Although I didn’t find any booties with built-in locator beacons, I did find some that look pretty toasty. Here’s a compilation of my three favorite finds:

1. Robeez Booties. I absolutely love Robeez shoes (they actually stay on little feet!), so it’s hardly surprising that I’ve also fallen in love with Robeez booties. They are made out of durable leather and are plush lined. The booties come in classic colors: navy, pink, cream, and brown. Check them out at baby-Wise.com–and, while you’re at it, check out the cute Robeez shoes, too!

2. SmartWool Booties. These are simply adorable-they come in trendy colors, too (like “celery”)! They are made from soft merino wool. Check them out SmartWool, or at one of my favorite outdoor retailers, REI.

3. Patagonia Baby Synchilla Booties. These booties are so snuggly. They are made out of eco-friendly recycled fleece and have anti-skid bottoms. Check them out at Patagonia.

Just three days after the release of Dr. Bob Sears’ The Vaccine Book: Making the Right Decision for Your Child (2007), the latest addition to my family was due for her first round of immunizations.

Shortly after the birth of each child, I have found myself agonizing over the “vaccine decision”—whether I should immunize my child, and if so, when.  Usually, this agony sets in at the eleventh hour, like the night before each “big” appointment. 

Luckily, immunizations have gone well in my household.  By well, I’m talking no obvious or immediate adverse reactions—maybe a little crankiness or redness at the injection site, but nothing that has set me into panic mode. 

But, I can’t help but worry generally about vaccines, especially about the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s “recommended” immunization schedule.  Don’t get me wrong, I know that vaccines are important.  I know that the polio vaccine has virtually eradicated polio.  I understand that “croup” (pertussis) can be life threatening, especially to infants.  I know children can die from the flu.

It’s what I don’t know that concerns me—even scares me.

So, like many mothers who agonize over the “vaccine decision”, I was thrilled to learn about Dr. Sears’ new book.  Though, the way I stumbled upon it was purely accidental.  My friend happened to have brought The Vaccine Book with her one morning to our coffee date.

Thankfully, I was late that morning—how often do we actually find ourselves thankful for that, especially when we have kids?  Well, my friend decided to pass time by reading the book, and she was still reading it when I arrived.  I happened to tell her about my baby’s upcoming appointment, and she insisted I take the book—given that she had just purchased the new release and was dying to read it, I think that was pretty thoughtful, don’t you?

Well, that night I read (okay, there was a lot of skimming mixed in there, too) the chapters pertinent to the first round of recommended immunizations, including Dr. Sears’ alternatives to the “recommended” vaccine schedule.  I learned more about vaccines in Dr. Sears’ easy to read, objective book than I’ve learned from all of those vaccine “handouts” given to me by the pediatrician.
 
Dr. Sears’ presentation of an “alternative” vaccine schedule supported my own thinking about vaccines—that the decision need not necessarily conform to a one size fits all approach and can often be tweaked to address individual concerns or parenting preferences.  Thanks to The Vaccine Book, I went to my baby’s appointment with an alternative immunization schedule in mind.  The pediatrician supported that schedule. 

While the schedule may require a bit more organization on my part, since I now need to bring the baby to a few extra appointments, I’m okay with that—after all, that’s why baby organizer books exist!

For the first time, my agony over the vaccine question has subsided—at least until the next eleventh hour.

November 8, 2007:  The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (“CPSC”) has announced a recall of Aqua Dots Toys, a toy craft kit, distributed by Spin Master of Toronto, Canada, and manufactured in China.

According to CPSC: 

The coating on the beads that causes the beads to stick to each other when water is added contains a chemical that can turn toxic when many are ingested.  Children who swallow the beads can become comatose, develop respiratory depression, or have seizures.

Consumers are advised to stop using the recalled product immediately and contact the company for free replacement.

The recall affects about 4.2 million units.  At least two reports of children swallowing Aqua Dots and slipping into comatose states have been reported.

For more information, check out the CPSC news release. 

It won’t be long before it’s time to renew my daughter’s first passport.  A bittersweet thought for me.  I’m sad to see her growing up so quickly (it really does go by that fast, doesn’t it?), but I take comfort in knowing that she’s been exposed to so many travel adventures in these early years.

My daughter took her first flight at two weeks old (as a passenger, of course!).  By the time her first birthday rolled around, she had logged more flights than I can remember—sorry, sweetie, but mommy obviously spent so much time in the air with you and trying to nap when you did that she simply didn’t get around to writing in your baby book. 

Today, my daughter is just as comfortable in a plane as in a car—this amazes me, given that I didn’t take my first flight until I was in college, and I felt far from comfortable on that flight! 

Up until my daughter turned two (the age at which children are required to have their own seats on a plane), the Baby B’Air Flight Vest made air travel especially comfortable for both of us—okay, at least for one of us. While I used the Baby B’Air many times with my daughter, it was a must-have when I travelled alone with her during those super squirmy months.  

The Baby B’Air is easy to use.  Your child wears the Baby B’air like an ordinary vest, and you simply attach the loop on the back of the Baby B’Air to your lap belt.   

It packs well, too.  Just shove it into the diaper bag.  

Don’t waste time feeling guilty about the thought of “confining” your child.  The Baby B’Air actually gives some slack, so your toddler will still have “just a lil’ bit” of wiggle room.  Trust me, I know from experience—so does that nervous first time flier who sat beside us on the way to Orlando.  Ma’am, I apologize if we made your travel anxiety worse.  But at least we arrived safely, right?

If you’re at all like me, you’ll appreciate both the added safety the Baby B’Air offers, particularly against unexpected turbulence, and the comfort of knowing you won’t have to spend the entire flight chasing your aspiring pilot down the aisle.

If you’re travelling by air over the holidays with a toddler, definitely check out the Baby B’Air Flight Vest.  Even if you don’t buy one to use with your own toddler, your familiarity with the product might just make a good conversation starter the next time you encounter a frazzled new parent at the airport.