Great Baby & Toddler Gift Ideas For Special Occasions

As a parent, it is very important to me to look for eco-conscious alternatives when purchasing items for my children. Since we live in a rural mountain area, there really aren't any local shops nearby with eco-friendly products unfortunately, so we do most of our purchasing online. I am sure many of you can relate. Purchasing online often actually saves me money and, when I purchase from Babe-Equip, I can receive free shipping when the items equal over £49.99!

If I have learned anything over the years, it's what items and toys babies and toddlers will love! That's why I have put together some gift ideas.

Here are some of my suggestions for great baby and toddler gift ideas:

Strollers Accessories To Keep Baby Warm
We like using our baby carrier, but sometimes it's not possible. For these times, we use our stroller and, with the upcoming cold weather, warm stroller accessories are a must! Cosie Toes, Cocoons, and footmuffs are perfect for keeping baby warm.

 

Eco-conscious Wooden Toys
I love purchasing toys for babies and toddlers! Wooden toys are the way to go because they are eco-friendly and long-lasting. We have several great wooden toys in our house and many of them are either Melissa and Doug or EverEarth! Both of these are favorites with my boys. These make great presents and always please. The walker in the picture is perfect for babies 18 months and older!

Balance Bikes
When my oldest, Josiah, started showing an interest in bikes, I did some research and found that wooden balance bikes were the perfect way for toddlers to improve balance and prepare for learning to ride a real bike. The Kiddimoto Kurve is the one we purchased with the Union Jack print. Josiah loves it!

Training Potties
We have used cloth nappies with both children and highly recommend parents giving them a try. However, now that Liam is getting older, we've started the potty training process! He is so resistant, but there are some great potty training products that can help the process, including travel potties for the upcoming holiday season when we are in the car so often. This may not sound like a go-to present, but we gave Liam his for Christmas and he was thrilled to receive such a big boy item! 

What products or toys do you recommend as presents for babies and toddlers? Liam's birthday is coming up soon and I need some help deciding on what else to buy!

Lazoo App & Bookbag Review PLUS Outfit Giveaway

A few years ago, my mother-in-law bought some adorable shirts on sale at Toys R Us for my son, Josiah. The shirts had games on them and hidden graphics behind pieces of cloth. As you can imagine, these shirts quickly became his favorites. I recently came to learn that the shirts were made by Lazoo and they have an entire line of ridiculously adorable outfits for boys and girls, coloring books and much more! They also have a new iPad App called Squiggles!, based on their best-selling coloring book, that is so much fun for kids and helps bring out their creativity and imagination, which is what Lazoo is all about! You can also get the Squiggles! app on iPhone, too!

About Lazoo

Lazoo is a quality-conscious lifestyle children's brand emphasizing award-winning design, creativity, and play. It was founded by two New York City dads, with eight kids between them. Inspired by an internationally best-selling series of Japanese children's books, our unique products embody the same core mission: to foster a child's creative process, encourage self-expression and empower the imagination!

 My Thoughts

We received the Hoshi backpack from Lazoo. It is quite possibly the cutest backpack I've ever seen and Liam immediately claimed it as his own. The backpack is so soft and cuddly, just like a stuffed animal, which also adds to its appeal. The inside is not terribly big, but has enough room for some toys or an outfit to take along for an overnight trip. Liam loves filling it up with toys when going to Grandma’s house.

We also received a long-sleeved t-shirt to wear when the weather gets cooler. We have the short-sleeve version of this t-shirt already, which is what Liam is wearing in the picture above. As you can see, the shirt looks like new. Would you believe the shirt is over 3 years old and has been worn by both of my children? Lazoo has so many cute clothes that I would love to buy for my children and they are all reasonably priced, too.

 Would you love to win something from Lazoo? 

Thanks to Lazoo, One Lucky Children Teaching Mama Reader Will Win A Cute Outfit For Their Little Girl Or Boy (Sizes 6-9 months up to 5T)!

Educational Insights Hot Dots Review & Giveaway

We most enjoy reviewing items that are not only fun, but educational. We recently decide to give homeschooling a try (I'll touch more on this very soon!) and now I find myself looking even more for toys with educational value. This is why I love Educational Insights so much. They have some amazing toys and products for kids that keep them entertained and learning at the same time. We had a chance to review the Hot Dots Jr. "Ace" the Talking, Teaching Dog and it was a huge hit with the boys.

About Hot Dots Jr.

All the fun of Hot Dots®, now available for younger children! Part learning companion, part magic wand, the Hot Dots Jr. Pen talks, laughs, lights up and even buzzes with excitement as children explore. Designed for little hands, this electronic pen cheers for correct answers and gently redirects children when they answer incorrectly, allowing for independent discovery.

• Engages your youngest learners with easy–to–use technology—simply press the pen down on the cards to answer and receive feedback
• Allows independent, self–paced reinforcement and review of key early learning topics
• Provides opportunity for students to prepare for school, or catch up where they need support
• Activity Card Sets (available separately) include 36 colorfully illustrated double–sided cards providing 72 early learning activities plus an answer key all stored in a handled carrying case
• Ace unit requires 2 AAA batteries (not included) and measures 6"L

My Thoughts

As soon as the kids saw what was in the Educational Insights box, they had to play with it immediately. I love that the card sets come in a carrying case, which means we can store them (aka- keep up with them!!!), which is a major plus since everything gets lost with kids around. This way we can play with this over and over again without cards going missing.

We luckily had the AAA batteries and got Ace working right away. I choose Beginning Numbers & Counting and Beginning Science for the boys and thought this was something they would enjoy and would be age-appropriate. Josiah and Liam sat on the floor and I explained what to do with the first set of cards, which was Beginning Science. These cards ended up being a huge hit. The Hot Dots Jr. kits are for ages 3-5 and since Liam is about to be 3 next month, both boys fall under this age-range and love it! Both were able to easily complete the tasks and clapped for each other every time they got an answer correct. The Beginning Numbers & Counting was a little over Liam's head for now, but something Josiah was learning in school at pre-K, so he liked showing off his math skills. I think Liam will be able to do these in only a few months or so.

The kids still enjoy playing with Ace, so this is definitely given high marks as a great educational and entertaining item for kids. Plus, when Josiah outgrows this one, I can move him up to the next level of cards with the Hot Dots sets. This will be very helpful with homeschooling and a fun activity for him to do between working and studying.

Do you have a child who would love their own Hot Dots set? 

Thanks to Educational Insights, One Lucky CTM Reader Will Receive Their Choice of Hot Dots Pens (Hot Dots Jr. Ace the Talking, Teaching Dog Pen, Kat the Talking Kitty Pen (both for ages 3-5) or the Hot Dots Pen (Ages 6-10)! PLUS, the Winner Can Also Choose A Card Set to Go Along with the Pen!!

A Few Great Birthday Gifts To Consider

For parents who will soon celebrate their little angels' birthday, coming up with birthday gift ideas is always a hard work. There are just too many wonderful things out there they can consider and sometimes, they will just want to buy everything so that they will be sure their child is going to be satisfied with what he or she gets. With that being said parents who don't know what to get for the upcoming birthday of their child will be presented with a few ideas in the following paragraphs.

Personalized teddy bears

Every child out there has had at least one teddy bear until now, yet no teddy bear will be as cool as a customized one. Parents will love to know that these teddy bears are made using some of the highest quality materials which are not only pleasant to the eye, but also soft to the touch. With no parts that can be swallowed, regardless of the child's age, parents won't have to worry about safety at all.

They can thus add a text on the teddy bear's shirt and can write something like "Happy Birthday" or anything else they think the baby will love to see, even though he cannot read. The colors are also customizable, so regardless if it's pink, blue, yellow, red or any other, it will be there!

Personalized blankets

Another very important item a baby always has with him is his blanket. The blanket needs not only to be soft, but also look nice and inspire a child to use it. Choosing to go with a personalized blanket is a great idea and on it anything can be written, starting with the name of the baby and going all the way to maybe his favorite cartoon hero. The text can also be colored in any chosen color, so that it further more reflects the baby's personality.

Wall stickers

These wall stickers are great in order to challenge and provoke the imagination of children. They come in many colors and a plethora of model varieties meaning children will always get a good mood when looking at them. These stickers are removable and can range from flowers, birds, rainbows, planes, hyppos and so on. Any room will look better when such stickers are there to brighten it.


Beach towels

These towels are just perfect for those who want to take their babies to the beach. They are made using very soft materials and not only that, but they are also colored in order to match the beach theme. The good news is that they can also be imprinted with the name of the baby, making them even more fun!

Buying a gift for the baby's upcoming birthday is certainly an important task and any parent will have to consider it a priority.

There are plenty of gifts they can choose from and with such amazing birthday gift ideas, they will certainly make a good decision!

Summer Block Party #14: Backyard Safari Outfitters Review & Ultimate Giveaway

Summ

Do your kids love being outdoors? I know mine could stay outside all day and night if I let them. Kids love to explore the world around them and Backyard Safari Outfitters helps them taps into that natural curiosity. With a variety of products aimed at educating and promoting outdoor fun, the possibilities are endless!

Backyard Safari Outfitters has everything you need to get you geared up for plenty of fun outdoor adventures!

Our gear is rugged, fully functional and made for use in the field year-round. Whether your safari takes place in the park, at the campground, on the beach or even your own backyard, you’ll be geared up and ready for action!

My Thoughts

I knew my son would love Backyard Safari Outfitters products because he'd seen several of them at Wal-Mart, Target & Kohl's. Everytime he sees something different, he adds it to his list of must-haves. We received a fun package full of Backyard Safari Outfitters items, including:

• Backyard Safari Binocs 
• Backyard Safari Cargo Vest 
• Backyard Safari Telescoping Pocket Spyglass
• Backyard Safari Adventurer Kit (includes a water-tight case, rugged mini-lantern, field guide & retractable carabiner)
• Backyard Safari Megaview Periscope

Megaview Periscope

You should have seen Josiah's eyes when this package arrived! He put on his vest, put the binocs around his neck and loaded himself down with everything he could before going outside that day. It was hilarious! I have been very surprised at the durability of these toys. They are seriously heavy-duty and can keep up with the wear and tear of a child. The lantern has been dropped down the stairs twice so far and it still works like new.

Josiah's two favorite Backyard Safari items are the lantern and the periscope. The lantern has to accompany him everywhere, indoors and outdoors. He uses it as a nightlight and for camping in his tent. The periscope is something he'd seen on submarines, so he finds this to be so cool. It's also taller than him when extended. We've used it to spy out the window and to see under the water in the pool. He's very excited to take it to the beach with us so we can spy on all the underwater creatures.

He really wants a bug vacuum and received a Critter Shack for his birthday! Pretty soon we'll have the entire line! After checking out the Backyard Safari website and all the gear, I'm pretty sure Josiah will want several other items, too, including the Camouflage Net and the Dino Caller.

Not only are these items great quality, but they provide hours of fun AND are affordable! Most items are $20.00 or less except the much bigger items. I'm really impressed with these products and hope they keep releasing fun and educational products for children. Believe me, these will be a hit in any household!

Win It

One Lucky Children Teaching Mama Reader Will Win A HUGE Package of Backyard Safari Goodies, including:

• Backyard Safari Binocs ($14.99 RV)
• Backyard Safari Cargo Vest ($19.99 RV)
• Backyard Safari Adventurer Kit (includes a water-tight case, rugged mini-lantern, field guide & retractable carabiner) ($14.99 RV)
• Backyard Safari Megaview Periscope ($24.99 RV)

Total Package Value: $75 Worth of Fun!

How To Enter

Take A Look At All the Fun Backyard Safari Outfitters Products & Leave A Comment Below Telling Me Which One You'd Love To Have!

**Remember to include your email address if it is NOT visible in your profile so I will know how to contact you! The initial entry is mandatory! Be sure to answer that question before earning extra entries listed below! Each bullet is worth one extra entry unless specified. Be sure to leave a separate comment for each entry you earn and include your email address is at least one entry.

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Plenty of opportunities to increase your chance of winning! This Giveaway is open to US Residents and Ends Wednesday, June 27th at 11:59pm EST. Winner will be drawn by random.org. An announcement will be made on the blog and the winner will also be contacted by email. The winner has 48 hours to respond to my email or another winner will be chosen.