LEAP FROG LETTER FACTORY

My son started watching Leap Frog Letter Factory when he was just a few months over 2 years old and he loved it! I was amazed that after a week of watching it he could recognize almost every letter and knew ever letter's sound. The best part is that I don't have to make or even encourage him to watch it. He asks for it! Ever parent with a child age 2 and up needs to own this! They also have others that help put words together and learn numbers and such.


---------
As the commenters suggested, I went to Costco and they have this DVD as well as 4 others. They are $6.99 each. (Other stores sell it for $9.99, typically). Letter Factory is the first one because it is for ages 2-5. The others are more advanced and are for ages 3-6.

SWADDLING

Halo Sleepsack Swaddle

Swaddle Designs


Kiddopotamus Swaddle Me

Before I was a mom I didn't realize how important swaddling is to newborns. We got by with the blankets we had, but next time I think I might like to try a true swaddle blanket. Here are a few that I found...I would love your feedback on them or if you have any others you would like to recommend. Kiddopotamus makes the Swaddle Me blanket. They also make a Luxe version now that is only at Babies R' Us. (It is so soft, but it is warmer too so you would want to be careful to not overheat the baby). Swaddle Designs has a lot of fun options, but it seems to be more of just a regular blanket that is maybe larger to help with swaddling. Halo Sleepsack makes a swaddle blanket that seems like a sleepsack on the bottom, but has arms to swaddle.

BIBBITY RINSE & ROLL BIB

Kiddopotamus makes the Bibbity Rinse & Roll Bib. It is by far the best bib I have found. It is very easy to clean/scrub and has a large pocket to catch food. It is also soft and flexible and easy for the child to wear. You can find them in stores at Babies R' Us. They are about $5.99, I think.

LITERACY BLOG

My friend suggested this blog to me. It is full of downloadable literacy ideas. There are 5 new literacy ideas added each week. There are a lot of activities you can do with your kids and there will be a lot of things added in the future to print and use at home.

http://www.readytogoliteracyideas.blogspot.com/

KID'S CLOCKS

Timeworks Inc. makes the cutest clocks I have seen for Children's rooms. (They actually have nice Wall Clocks too, for your home). I have their "Field of Dreams" clock and love it. You can find them on various websites. If you live in Utah, Elsa Belle at Gardner village carries some too.

GO CITY KIDS.COM

Go City Kids is a great website to find things in your area to do with kids. I found a lot of things on there that I had never heard about. Try it out!

DISCOVERY TOYS

Discovery Toys has an AWESOME birthday sale going on right now that ends on Tuesday, February 19th. I am a consultant (basically to get toys for my son...I love their toys). Email me by Monday night if you are interested in placing an order. scoffieldk{at}gmail{dot}com Their toys all come wth a lifetime guarantee! If something doesn't work properly or breaks then Discovery Toys will send you a replacement. Also, I love that you can order replacement parts if they get worn or lost. And they have high standards on their toy production and have never had a problem with lead paint!

Starting Wednesday, February 20th EVERY ITEM in their fall catalog is 12% off. There are so many great toys in that catalog. Follow this link and then click on the links on the right for their fall catalog. Email me if you want me to order anything for you.

**No pressure. I just love their toys and I love good deals.

BABINSKIS

Babinskis in Utah on Foothill Drive is the largest Children's Boutique in Salt Lake County. They have tons of baby furniture, diaper bags, bedding, clothing, etc. etc. It is a darling store and definitely worth stopping in. My friend just started a blog for Babinskis it will have info. on sales, products, etc. Check it out!

JANIE & JACK

Since I posted on Crazy 8, I figured I should post on Janie and Jack (even though most of you have heard of it). It is another one of Gymboree's sister companies, but it is higher end than Gymboree. Yes..MORE EXPENSIVE! They have stores all over the US, but of course not in Utah (where we have soooo many kids...that sure makes sense). I love to look at their site and dream, but just can't justify the prices most of the time. Every now and then I will find some thing on sale that I like, though.

CRAZY 8

Crazy 8 is one of the sister companies to Gymboree. It is cheaper (like Old Navy is to Gap). The first store was opened in August 2007, so there are not very many actual stores, but you can shop online and shipping is only $4.98. They have children's sizes 0-14. It seems like they are still growing and don't have a huge selection yet, but I bet it will get better with time.

BABY BINTZ

These cute binky clips from Baby Bintz were also at the Oh Sweet Sadie boutique. I love the sports one because it isn't too feminine. They have a ton of options, though and the owner said that I could pass on this 25% off coupon code to all of you! Enter FF25 upon checkout. They have a bunch of other cute baby items too.

SAFETY SWABS

My cousin bought these for me for my baby shower. I love them and often wonder if I would have ever noticed them or purchased them on my own if she hadn't bought them for me. I love how they help you to not put the q-tip too far in your child's ear. They have them pretty much everywhere you buy toiletries.

GYMBOREE AND THE CHILDREN'S PLACE

TODAY ONLY Gymboree is havig a sale of 25% off everything that is full price. There is a coupon, but the ladies in the store gave me a coupon, so I would guess they will do the same for everyone.

Also, if you go to The Children's Place between now and February 10th there is a 20% and a 15% off coupon that you can use. You normally have to have the 20% off coupon with you, but if not they will typically honor the 15% if you ask.

PEDIATRIC BOOK

My sister in law recommended this book to me when I had my son. It is a great book and reference guide for mothers and I love how it is from Birth to Age 5. It is from the American Academy of Pediatrics. They also have another one that is Age 5-12. If you buy it online....be careful to make sure you are buying the latest version (2004, I believe).

DIAPER PAIL

I was going to delete this post due to the negative feedback and some information I read about the Diaper Champ having defects and such, but I thought it might help to have it on here, so people can see that the no diaper pail option might just be the way to go!

I was forbidden by my mother to use a diaper pail. She said it is disgusting and I should NOT get one. So..I didn't. I take all of my diapers out to my garage. It is a pain, but then I don't have to clean a dirty/disgusting diaper pail either, so I guess there is a trade off. I know that doesn't work for everyone (especially if you live in an apartment or condo). So..I have read that the best Diaper pail is the Diaper Champ as it has the most important features in a diaper pail (in my opinion). It accepts regular kitchen bags, so you don't have to buy expensive liners. It is easy to use, keeps out the smell (at least I have heard) and is easy to clean. And..mothers of girls will be happy to hear that they now make a pink and white version!

DISNEY MOVIES GOING IN THE VAULT

I wanted to confirm exactly which movies Disney is putting in the vault on January 31, 2008 and there really isn't any official information or statements from Disney online (that I can find). To the best of my knowledge these are the movies that they are taking off the shelves on the 31st:

• Bambi
• Chronicles of Narnia
• Lady and the Tramp
• Cinderella I, II and III
• Aladdin I, II and III
• The Little Mermaid
• Jungle Book
• Sword in the Stone
• Alice in Wonderland

Like I said...I cannot confirm this for sure, but I figure it is better to be safe than sorry. If you want to own these movies and don't already, I would pick them up soon!

**I just saw on www.bestbuy.com that if you preorder the movie "Enchanted" they will give you $10 off a Disney DVD. This might be fun if you plan to buy Enchanted. I haven't seen it, so I can't say.

SQUEAKER SHOES - $10!

I posted before about these darling shoes that are only $15, but now they are having a clearance for $10! The 2 shoes pictured above are both clearance shoes and I think they are so darling. Shipping is only $2.50. The best thing is that you can temporarily or permanently disable the squeaker. All of the sale shoes are toddler shoes and only go up to size 6. Check out the website: They accept paypal! http://www.hstrial-kerickson3.homestead.com/

TOY RECALLS

If you want to stay up on the toy recalls, you can go to www.parenting.com/recall to view the lists of all the recalled toys!

WHAT TO DO WHEN YOU ARE EXPECTING

If you have had a child you already know about these things, but if you are expecting your first child then you don't always know all the fun things out there. The first thing I would recommend is to sign up for the weekly updates on http://www.babycenter.com/ they track your baby's progress throughout the pregnancy and email you weekly with the updates. I still get the emails for my son and it is fun to read about what stage he is at. Everyone knows about "What to Expect When you are Expecting," but I also liked the book "Your Pregnancy Week by Week." It is written by a Dr. and is more simplified. Lastly...you HAVE to buy "Baby Bargains." (See my previous post). You won't be disappointed!

BABY BARGAINS

I am in love with this book! It is where I turn to whenever I need to purchase any type of a baby item. It was soooo handy when I was expecting and had no idea what features to look for in baby items...cribs, mattresses, strollers, car seats, etc. They also have another version called "Toddler Bargains," but I haven't used it much so I can't say if I would recommend it yet. I love how they go through every item out there and then give them letter grades and tell you all of the pros and cons so you can formulate your own opinon. I usually agree with them on things, but not always. I cannot say enough about this invaluable resource! You can buy it most anywhere, just make sure you are buying the most current edition, the 7th edition! Here is their website: http://windsorpeak.com/ They also have message boards that people post info. on and the authors have a blog where they put updated info. and information on recalls and such.