We've dusted off the bikes, filled the tires with air, and my kids are now ready to dash around the neighborhood on their trusty rides. But now that they are old enough to venture ahead of me, I think my neighbors will appreciate hearing…
Thanks to the American Academy of Pediatrics's well-intentioned rule that babies under the age of two should remain in rear-facing car seats, there's plenty of cranky, uncomfortable toddlers out there, whining in backseats across the lan…
Today, Bugaboo voluntarily recalled the Cameleon and Donkey strollers that have detachable carrycots/seats. A button on the seat carry handle can become disengaged and detach. No injuries have been reported, and the safety risk has been …
Just yesterday, the CPSC and KidCo Inc. recalled all 220,000 of their Peapod travel cribs that have been sold since 2005. We were so sad to hear that the recall was due to a possible infant death (though the cause is unknown), and others…
In light of Hurricane Sandy, I think a lot more of us are thinking about preparedness and safety precautions our families. Not that it's such a fun thing to think about. But when I saw this kit created for blackouts, I liked the balance …
NOTE: It appears that Sunland Inc is now out of business. Check your pantries, mamas! The recall of New Mexico-based Sunland Inc. peanut butter sold at Trader Joe’s has now been expanded to 76 types of products, including almond butter, …
When my son was a baby, he was fascinated by my jewelry--a fascination that led to his stuffing fistfuls of my necklaces into his curious mouth. Worried that my necklaces might be sporting some not-so-friendly chemicals, I stopped wearin…
Reading the recent Cool Mom Picks post about awesome family-friendly bicycles had me dreamily clicking through images of families on bikes and imagining myself pedaling my kids through our neighborhood. Only, with the most awesome bike h…
Having just returned from a week at SeaWorld--during which we were splashed by sea critters no fewer than five times--I can attest to the fact that, to kids, whales rule. This whale may not be doing twists and turns in the air, but it mi…
Why does bathing our young in a tub have to be so darn hard? The bottom is slippery, so we've got to outfit it with a non stick mat. Then there is the problem with the water spout. It's shiny (so kids gravitate towards it, obviously), an…
Creating a cute, stylish nursery is supposed to be fun and invigorating. Then you find out all the places that toxic chemicals have taken over and it changes things a bit. If you're like me, you want to cut some corners for your budget's…
Our new house has lots of windows, with lots of brand-new window blinds. That means lots of window blind cords -- and, to parents, those are serious business. That stats about kids strangled by the cords each month are pretty disturbing.…
There's always been so much controversy about crib bumper safety. Even so, when my first son was a baby, I always longed for a bumper. They looked so cool in the crib and added that extra bit of style to the nursery. However since 2010 w…
If you haven't realized by now, babies come with stuff. Here, our top 10 of the coolest baby gear that we discovered in 2011. Some of it will be the newest new mama essential , some of it...well, a gal can dream sometimes. Bugaboo Donkey…
As a glass-is-half-full kind of person, I am thrilled to read that the FDA has (finally) agreed to ban the use of BPA in all baby bottles and spill-proof cups. OK, sure, Europe, Canada and China, along with a handful of U.S. states, have…
The CPSC action du jour is a BOB stroller recall affecting nearly 500,000 single and double strollers sold in the US and Canada. Evidently the backing behind the company logo on the stroller canopy can detach, and babies, particularly th…
One of the biggest complaints we hear about kids car seats and boosters is how ugly they are. Yes, I know safety is the biggest priority, but once we check that off the list, I would prefer not to have a ginormous thing squarely in my re…
The first sign of summer for me is always my first mosquito bite. I always consider bug bites to be the price I pay for good weather and barbecues. But now that I have kids, I feel the need to douse them in something to ward off bug bite…
I'm heading out on our first European family vacation this summer (I know!) and, mom that I am, was already stressing out about the car seat situation. Just in time, I discovered the portable car booster seat Bubble Bum and have been doi…
Summer is finally here and at our house that means lots and lots of family field trips . To the farm, the zoo, the local wading pools and more. If it's kid-friendly, we'll be there. But this year I've got a whole extra kid to keep an eye…
With my kids racing around our hilly neighborhood on the Mini Kick scooters we bought for their birthdays, helmets are a mandatory part of their attire. But it's tough finding helmets that fit little heads well-- and aren't covered in ch…
Back when my oldest was a little baby, I remember a frantic phone call from my mom reminding me not to give the baby honey. Little did she know that I'd already been warned oh, four hundred times by all of my pregnancy and new mom books.…
As you may have heard, the AAP updated their car seat recommendations yesterday, advising that parents leave their kids in a rear facing car seat now until the age of two, not one. This means means getting a little creative when it comes…
The CPSC issued a recall of IKEA SNIGLAR cribs in the US and Canada, because the four bolts that secure the mattress support may not be long enough. Check your crib and see if the mattress support bolts extend through the nut. If so, you…