If you thought glass baby bottles were old school, think again. Glass baby bottles are making a comeback. Babylife is just one company to reintroduce glass baby bottles, only with a modern safety sleeve that helps prevents breakage. BornFree and Dr. Brown’s make glass bottles, too.

Why the glass craze? In light of recent concerns about exposure to chemicals in plastic bottles (leaching), manufacturers are responding to the growing demand for plastic alternatives by offering glass bottles that are bisphenol A, phthalate, PVC and polycarbonate-free. Now, parents have more choices than ever when it comes to baby bottles. Even fashionable and totally funky glass bottles!

If you’re looking for a baby shower gift that has eco-chic mama written all over it, glass bottles are it!

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Wondering if it’s worth spending money on a fancy schmancy mobile for your infant’s crib? Well, that depends. In my parenting of three experience, I’ve discovered that mobiles really do stimulate and entertain infants, some more than others. Hmmm, guess that probably means the experts know what they’re talking about when they say mobiles are great for development.

While there are so many mobile options to choose from, non-motorized, homemade mobiles to the hi-tech variety, I personally give Tiny Love’s Mobile Line two thumbs up. As infants, my children loved the Tiny Love Symphony-in-Motion Mobile that I attached to their crib.

How do I know? The captivating characters and classical musical stimulation instantly soothed them. Long after it was time for the mobile to come out of the crib for safety reasons, the detachable musical box continued to provide my children comfort.

My children weren’t the only ones who liked Tiny Love. When I had a problem with a mobile part, Tiny Love’s customer service department happily sent me a replacement. As for value, that Symphony-in-Motion mobile oversaw the first months of three newborns. I think that says something right there.

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Age: birth +

At first there were nanny cams. Now parents can look to sites like I Saw Your Nanny to make sure their nanny isn’t behaving badly. Reading about nanny sightings–tales of good and bad–is incredibly eye opening…even emotionally grueling.

As helpful as gadgets and technology can be in evaluating the trustworthiness of a babysitter, there’s simply no substitute for “old school” safeguards, like quality interviews, reference checks, and babysitter refigerator notes, for peace of mind.

Wondering what sort of questions to ask a prospective nanny or sitter? Here’s a start?

1. Ask tell me about yourself.
2. Why are you interested in this job?
3. Why do you want to care for children?
4. Do you have child care experience? If so, discuss.
5. How do you deal with conflict?
6. What do you enjoy most about working with children?
7. What annoys you?
8. What’s your discipline style?
9. How do you envision your day-to-day routine?
10. What did you like the most/least in your last position?

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Have you ever noticed how cute toddler fingers look when they’re perfecting their fine motor skills doing that little pincer grasp? Well, if you’re looking for a healthy snack besides Cheerios to put in those handy toddler friendly Snack ‘n Serve Cups, maybe Snikiddy, the new line of kid-friendly organic food products, is worth checking out. I stumbled across Snikiddy Rockin’ Ranch Puffs today at a grocery store. I admit, I’ve yet to taste test the product, and convincing my kids to try an alternative to Pirate’s Booty is going to take some serious coaxing. But just knowing another healthy snack exists for my kids rocks my parenting world.

Sure gotta’ love food companies that turn out parent approved products!

www.snikiddy.com

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Thanks to growing interest in environmental health, sustainability and non-toxic living, environmentally friendly cleaning products are now hitting mainstream store shelves. Even boxstore giant Walmart carries the new natural, biodegradable “Green Works” line from Clorox.

If you have children, ditching toxic household cleaners in favor of eco-friendly alternatives makes a lot of sense, and not just because of obvious Mr. Yuck reasons. Removing toxins from your home means less exposure to neurotoxins, irritants and potential health hazards like carcinogens. Less exposure to toxins may mean overall improved health.

While it is entirely possible to create your own natural and effective cleaners at home (check out Green Living’s 5 Basics for Non-Toxic Cleaning) or Whole Food’s Clean & Green recipes), you might just love these no fuss eco-friendly labels.

1. Seventh Generation. Seventh Generation makes a huge line of great eco-friendly cleaning products. I especially love Seventh Generation’s Natural Glass & Surface Cleaner (and I’m a former Windex fan). No streaks. No harsh fumes.

2. Clorox Green Works. According to the company, “Green Works” labeled products are eco-friendly, plant and mineral based products and free of harsh chemicals.

3. Sun and Earth. An affordable line of natural cleaners. I used Sun and Earth products for years, before I fell in love with Seventh Generation.

4. BabyGanics. A safe line of all-natural cleaners designed with children and home health in mind. BabyGanics also makes a streak-free Glass & Surface Cleaner and an Organic Floor Cleaner.

For additional recommendations, check out Healthy Child, Healthy World.

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It’s the day of pranks. If you’re looking for some G Rated family silliness, check out FamilyFun’s April Fools’ Pranks Galore. I know I’m up for the Time Warp. There are many things I hope to–actually need to– accomplish today, like shopping for a birthday present for a second grader, planning a birthday party for my preschooler, and grocery shopping.

If you’re like me and crave a few extra minutes in the day to get things done (and don’t have time to fool around), check out this list of 50 Best Mom Blogs to discover how other parents manage the zillion things on their to-do lists.

Show and Tell Time. Do you turn to a favorite “mom blog” or website when you’re looking for strategies to better manage the demands of family, work, and life?

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I’ve raved before about California Baby products, and since I’m not one to stay quiet for long, I’m going to rave some more. I stumbled upon California Baby in a natural food store weeks before giving birth to my first child. What then attracted me to California Baby was my mother-to-be obsession with finding natural and organic products for my baby. Only the best, right? My first California Baby purchase was Calming Shampoo & Bodywash. I admit, given that I was expecting a baby girl, the product’s label featuring an adorable little girl sealed the purchase decision. Hmmm…I guess the company knows how to make great products and market them, too!

California Baby’s Calming Shampoo & Bodywash cleans and smells delicious. While there are plenty of shampoos and bodywash products on the market that clean and smell good on babies, not many can claim they contain organic or sustainably grown ingredients. And few can claim that they don’t contain Sodium lauryl sulfate, DEA, or other ingredients that could potentially impact health. California Baby Calming Shampoo is a popular choice for babies or older kids (even adults) with sensitive skin. No tears and non-irritating, too.

Since I bought that first Calming Shampoo & Bodywash product, California Baby has greatly expanded their natural care line for babies, kids and sensitive adults. California Baby offers organic and natural options to traditional baby essentials such as non-talc baby powder and diaper cream, as well as unique baby products like Colds & Flu Bubble Bath. California Baby even sells products in travel sizes and sampler totes.

If you’re looking for organic and natural products for your baby or young child, check out California Baby. You can find a huge selection of California Baby products at baby-Wise.com. There’s a lot of piece of mind that comes along with buying and using a product on your baby that is as natural as baby care products probably get.

Do you have a California Baby Love Affair, too? If so, please leave a comment and give other parents the scoop.

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St. Patrick’s Day wasn’t a big deal in my family when I grew up. It definitely was for other neighborhood families, but not mine. This year I resolved to change course–start some leprechaun traditions. Up until this year I didn’t do much to celebrate other than dress the kids up in green. For days (if not weeks), I determined today would be different. I explained to my children that on March 17th, leprechauns the size of their thumbnails come out in droves to visit homes. A lie? Yes. But I rationalized the lie as being hardly any different than Santa Claus.

I set off early to Hallmark. Cliche? Perhaps. I darted to the St. Patty’s section. I loaded my arms with a bunch of inexpensive, somewhat tacky, but guaranteed to amuse, treats…clover pens, glow stick glasses, gummy bears, to name a few…and a little stuffed leprechaun toy. I returned home.

While cleaning the house, I shrieked, “Oh, my gosh!” The kids came running. I told them I thought I saw something scurry across the floor. A leprechaun perhaps? While the kids hunted under appliances with flashlights for a mysterious leprechaun, I set off to work. I put the stuffed leprechaun toy out for the kids to discover. Their eyes bugged out with delight. They couldn’t believe it. Leprechaun magic.

Later in the day, the leprechaun mysteriously moved around the house. Tricky, leprechauns, eh? Each time the kids discovered the leprechaun, they found a treat. At the end of the day, after cutting out construction paper clovers, we celebrated St. Patrick’s Day with a green cake and green milk. While getting ready for bed, the kids discovered the glow in the dark glasses on their pillows, along with a “goodbye, see you next year” note from a leprechaun.

I’m certain my kids will talk about this day for many days to come. The excitement on their faces today was priceless–something I will think about for many days and years to come. Now, how’s that for breaking tradition?

Do you have a St. Patrick’s Day family tradition to share?

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I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve heard someone say this about boys, usually in the context of toddler boys. As a mom of an almost preschool age boy and a preschool age daughter, I’ve known from early on that boys and girls are different. Very different, especially emotionally. Somehow (in the midst of my latest book binge) a copy of Dr. Bonnie Macmillan’s Why Boys are Different and How to Bring Out the Best in Them (Barron’s, 2004), made its way into my reading stack. A fascinating read. So interesting in fact, that I can’t understand why there aren’t any book reviews for it on Amazon.

Macmillan goes beyond just talking about genes in explaining boy behavior. She dives into boy communication, emotions, behavior, and takes a good look at environmental influences on behavior, including the impact of the mother-son dynamic. In simple language, Macmillian provides refreshing tips and solutions for bringing out the best in a boy.

The short discussion on “Mothers and Sons”–a combo talk on genetics, socialization, psychology–alone is worth grabbing a copy of the book. If anything, as food for thought. For example, MacMillan outlines three common mistakes mothers can make with boys:

1. Mishandling hurt feelings. Mothers tend to stress feelings, “their [own] feelings” (e.g., “you will hurt my feelings” if…) when dealing with misbehavior, and young boys may be less capable of empathizing with their mothers because of their need to preserve the ego.

2. Underestimating independence. Mothers are sometimes over-eager to help. This can backfire, especially when a boy misbehaves and mom wants to “improve” his behavior.

3. Betraying trust. Macmillian suggests that thoughtless comments or actions which betray trust, and might be more easily forgiven by a girl, can contribute to lasting trust issues for boys.

This book suggests that there is indeed something behind the expression boys will be boys–and in the long run it may prove worthwhile to understand why, especially if it leads to bringing out the best in a child.

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With three children, I realize it’s likely that I’ll hear the C word–CAVITY–uttered from a dentist sometime before the nest empties. After all, research shows that 79 percent of children will have a cavity by age 17. But even with this dark statistic, I know that with regular brushing, there is still hope for avoiding drills or lasers.

Thankfully, in my household, my children love to brush their teeth. Not that I’m bragging, but I’ve yet to experience a battle. But, I realize this is not the case for many families. Often there is a lot of fuss around the toothbrush. Some parents make up jolly “brushy-brushy” songs, as a way to convince little ones to brush. Some simply let their children (usually toddlers) chew on a toothbrush while mirroring brushing technique in front of them. Some parents use sticker charts as incentives. Some even play dentist, taking turns brushing each others’ teeth. Some buy gigantic toothbrushes and oversized, plastic teeth for the playroom. Some resort to bribery.

While there is certainly no substitute for good hygiene and developing positive brushing habits, a researcher at UCLA has come up with a lollipop solution to cavities. Apparently the “candy” combines ancient Eastern medicine and cutting-edge technology to create a cavity combating, kid-friendly answer to preventing cavities.

I’m surprised to think that the lollipop concept is new. But from a parenting perspective, it does sound like a brilliant idea–provided the lollipops actually taste yummy.

What do you think? Would you buy anti-cavity lollipops? Do you think these lollipops send the “wrong” message about candy?

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