Peekaboo Just Got A Little More Challenging
For the rest of you with average children who enjoy the trite game of peekaboo, may I suggest upping the stakes? Alex Casey Baby is now offering Baby Star's sweet Little Dipper blankets and coordinated snap suits.
Organic Crib Bedding Just Keeps Getting More Awesome
If you heeded our love for the Q Collection's junior line and picked up one of their gorgeous cribs, you need some worthy bedding to go with it. Heck, even if you have a different crib, there's no reason you can't go for some charming and earth-friendly bedding
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Quilts as Cool as Your Taste in Baby Clothes
I have a terrible time parting with my baby's clothes when they're outgrown. I end up tossing favorite ones in a bag for, um...stuffed animals? Dolls? Quiet moments alone with a bottle of Chardonnay?
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Wrapping the Baby Like a Burrito. An Organic Burrito.
I've been a champion of swaddling since my first baby. Transforming a wiggly little newborn into a baby burrito does wonders to settle him--and me--down.
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Breastfeeding Just Got More Beautiful
It's taken me three children in six years to reach this point, but I'm finally comfortable nursing in public. It may be beautiful and natural, but I find I really am happier with a nursing cover.
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Classic Baby Gifts to Replace the Stuff Your Great-Grandma Never Saved
Not every mama in my life has the same taste in baby gifts that I do. Shocking, I know, but some of my friends really do prefer smocking and gingham.
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Go Ahead and Get Picky With That Crib Bedding
Javis-Davis, easily our fave custom crib bedding company, has just cut down the time you'll need to spend looking for nursery bedding.
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Time to Pack Up the Wool Blankets
Call me a blanket snob, but it drives me crazy when a blanket isn't finished as perfectly on both sides.
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Burp Cloths That Don't Encourage Spitting Up - From You
I confess, I'm not much of a fan of burp cloths. The fabrics are either too scratchy or too foo-foo, and the nice ones don't exactly make you want to employ them for their intended purpose.
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Whatsa Wagamama?
My mother-in-law spared no opportunity to laud the wondrous and all mighty playpen.
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Jubi: Holy Sheet
Try walking into your local big box store and asking for some solid colored crib sheets. The sales clerk will look at you like you just asked her for some nice razor blades wrapped in barbed wire for your baby to play with.
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Cover Me In Luxury
Maybe it's two years of looking at baby blankets in prints with names like "lime disco dot" but some days I'd kill to track down one simple, tasteful classic baby blanket.
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Crib Bedding For Those Not Getting a Big Refund Next Month
Cool-ing Up the Nursery
We love Skip*Hop because everything this mom-run company makes is smartly designed, good-looking, and generally affordable. Well now, after conquering the world of diaper bags and feeding accessories, Skip*Hop has moved onto some pretty snazzy looking nursery decor.
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The Modern Mama's Teddy Bear Motif
While I wanted to avoid baby gift thank you notes that were too babyish, I found that scribbling heartfelt words of appreciation for the squeaky rabbit toy across notecards bearing funky geometrics, was definitely a thematic disconnect.
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Just Say No to Airplane Blankets
Thanks to living far away from friends and family, I'm always on the look out for products that make family flights easier (or at least, less painful).
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Pillowcases That Could Keep You Up Giggling
I have so much respect for designers who really do innovative things with nursery bedding. And if it's got a sense of humor - all the better.
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Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Drool Catchers
Pillows Almost Too Cute To Hurl at the Kids
We know. When it comes to kids, sometimes you just have the urge to, you know, toss something about. For such an occasion, we humbly suggest the throw pillows from the Modern Basics brand new Baby Boo collection.
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It's clear that everyone's going green this year. But some retailers seem to be jumping on a trend, while others actually seem to be living their values. In the latter category, the very impressive Swaddled, Snuggled, and a Little Spoiled
When you think of swaddlers you don't think of anything particularly luxe. Mostly I conjure up the pilled receiving blanket we swiped from the hospital (shhh). Or at best, some ugly yellow thing that you find on your friend's baby registry.
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Fine Drooler-y
Now that I understand that every nanosecond of a child's life (especially that first child - sorry siblings) will be photographed and documented, I can make a helluva good case for getting chic with the drool bibs at my friend's baby showers
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Armored & Dangerous
I cannot tell you how glad I am to be out of the spitty drooly baby stage. Or maybe I should say my shirts are glad. Even with the loads of burp cloths I collected over almost four years of parenting, I still ended up with cruddy spit-up on my shirts
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Sleeping More Beautifully
It seems that while baby blankets are bequeathed to new moms in abundance, quilts and toddler pillows are overlooked.
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Editors' Best of 2007: Blankets & Baby Accessories
Kristen: The blanket we have from Ellabalou is a favorite of both my children. In fact, I should probably grab a second one and make my life incredibly easier.
Liz: Hooray for Martha of Blankets by Martha, who makes funky lovies with ribbon tags all over them that babies love--all handmade in the US from non-crappy fabrics.
No Designer Fabric is Too Good for My Kid's Poopy Butt
Lately, I've got a new baby gift plan. Along with something the mama's requested from her big baby superstore registry, I like to surprise her with something handmade and gorgeous and still essential.
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My Blanket is Smarter Than Yours
Calculating the formula for the seasonally correct baby blanket is almost as complicated as the quadratic equation. Do you get a winter baby a heavy blanket that can only be used for a few months, or do you give her something that she can use later, even though the new mom might stash it away somewhere and then totally forget about it?
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A Little Separation Between Your Kid and the Dining Room Table is Never a Bad Thing
Just because my daughter can feed herself does not mean she actually gets all the food in her mouth. Hence our love affair with Bibbitybop's Placemats.
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Going Soft
After having two babies, I am a certified blanket snob. There's just no reason to settle for a mildly soft blanket when there are so many amazing ones to pick from. Take this simple yet gorgeous velour blanket from Satsuma... ... [More]
The Best PR That Wool Could Ask For
American parents tend to have this hang-up with wool. Maybe generations of itchy grandma sweaters have made us skittish about the fabric but the truth is wool, especially for babies, can be amazing if used properly.
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Giving New Definition to The Soft Shape Sorter
32 Degrees Out? How Did That Happen?
I am definitely not the together mom that has the warm stroller blanket out and ready to go for the first cold-weather day. And so here it is, December, and I'm still looking for a great blanket
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Baby Gifts That Give Back
On the Outside Chance That No, You Don't Feel Like Feeding Your Baby in the Bathroom
Heading into the home stretch wth baby #3, I've been starting to think about all of those upcoming feedings. Nope, not the ones that will jolt me out of bed every hour on the hour, but the ones that take place during the day. In public. With other people around
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With Baby #1, I made the mistake that some parents do with gear, putting aesthetics ahead of practicality. So this time around, I've been sticking with more products that work as they should, and A Pillow Worth Grabbing
Everyone knows that babies love those blankets and pillows with the tags all over them, but not everyone loves the mass produced versions made from synthetic materials.
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Shockingly, Bigger Babies Get Cold Too
Nothing like a chilly night to make parents thankful for those smart little sleep sacks--unless you're like me, and your enormous 10-month-old has surpassed the weight and age limits on all the sacks out there.
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Sleep Is In The Bag
I think we can all agree that parents do not need another reason (teething, teething, teething) for our babies to wake up in the middle of the night. (Did I say teething?) With the right baby bag, like this incredible find from 3 Sprouts, you can certainly cross "too cold" off the list.
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Neither Rain, Nor Sleet, Nor Snow
Whether you spend the weekend with your kids on hiking trails or just braving the sidewalk sales like me, I can safely say we have one thing in common: We want our kids comfy when we're out and about.
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Like It's a Small World Only Without The Six Hour Lines
Okay I'm about to lose all my indie cred here but as a little girl I loooooved that It's a Small World ride at Disney. The idea of all these little girls in very cute outfits from all different countries was magical. (After all, isn't that what makes us all different in this world? Our clothes?)
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Silicone Isn't Just For...Um, Binkies
As if plastic bibs aren't already nasty enough to clean after every meal, can you believe that they're now popping up on recall lists as well? While there's always the cloth alternative, the last thing I need is to triple my laundry load.
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So Soho
I've come to find that a lot of the smaller designers we like use many of of the same fabrics in their bibs and blankets. Evidently there's been a run on pink "disco dots" at some fabric wholesaler somewhere.
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The Elephant in the Room
Please tell me that my child isn't the only toddler in the world who sleeps with like 800 stuffed creatures in her crib. What can I say, the girl loves animals.
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Monkey See, Monkey Doze
I've got quite a few friends who are expecting October or November babies and heck, that's not really too far off. I need to get my gift-giving head out of summer romper land and start considering more appropriate suggestions.
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Gives New Meaning to Throwing a Blanket Over Your Shoulder
I'm always of the mind that you can never be without a blanket when you've got kids. I'd sooner leave the house without a spare diaper than without a spare blanket. I'm not exaggerating.
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Once Upon a Mattress
While I spent way too much time searching for the perfect baby bedding, when it came to the crib mattress, I pretty much just closed my eyes and pointed.
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As Organic As Every Single Food You Put In Their Bodies (Of Course)
There seems to be two kinds of bibs out there - the cute ones you put on the kids for company but that leaves most of their clothes exposed, and the full body armor you haul out for spaghetti night. We've finally found something perfectly in between.
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Now That's a Happy Baby
Here's a hint that I've learned: If you are online shopping for a swaddling blanket and the photos don't show the babies smiling or at least sleeping peacefully, slowly back away from the laptop.
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Adios, Baby Puke
Moms are well aware that the cute burp cloths we all get for shower gifts are rarely in reach the moment we need them.
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The Pampered Pampers-Wearer
When I think of portable changing mats, "plush" isn't exactly the first word that pops to mind. Perhaps "practical." Or "free with diaper bag." But not so much "plush."
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Tiny Bubbles, A.K.A. Drool
With my son's tooth making an appearance just a week ago, we have moved passed the cute little drooly bib stage and into the full-on "sop-it-up" type bib. But I want one that makes me drool too.
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Sleep Tight. Really Tight.
One of the first things I noticed about my amazing newborn daughter (aside from her obvious beauty and superior intellect) was that she would jerk herself awake throughout the night. And really, what’s more frustrating than watching all of your hard putting-the-baby-to-sleep-work go to waste?
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Babies That Actually Sleep Like Babies
After receiving a sample of the Cozy Cocoon, I admit I was skeptical. A single piece of fabric that you just stick your baby in, like a sock? It can't be that simple to swaddle, can it?
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The Closest I'll Ever Get to Making a Bib
We've reached the world of solid foods at my household. And you know what that means, right? Piles of dirty, nasty bibs.
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Dribble Me This, Dribble Me That
We've officially landed in drool central at my house, and while necessity has forced me past my bib aversion, it has not yet led me to one that makes drool look fabulous.
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I've just discovered a new go-to baby gift to add to my list: The beautiful Blankets By Martha. The Other Martha.
I have a friend whose son sleeps with a plastic fish every night. To each toddler his own and all, but if I were a babe picking a bedmate, I'd look at something a bit more un-plastic fishlike. Like, say, the blankets from Martha's Baby Bundles.
Fleeced!
While I'm grateful for all the lightweight summer blankets I've received for my new baby, I still wanted something warm and cuddly for those overly frigid stores, restaurants, and my grandmother's condo in Florida, a.k.a. The Air Conditioning Capital of the World.
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Luxury Blankets That Don't Require a Platinum Card
One of the things we love about Cool Mom Picks is being able to track down Barney's (or fill in your favorite high-end store here) quality items that you don't have to hock your jewelry to afford.
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Organic Bedding, Hold the Hemp Jokes
While I applaud the intent behind buying organic, I have to admit I'm a little cynical about what I'm getting. The fruits and veggies are smaller, the meat is way pricier, and the clothes - at least they're getting better, if slowly.
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The Elegant Slob
I was always told that pearls can dress up any outfit. Now that adage is being put to the test with the String of Pearls Bib.
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Clippy Not Slippy
My first child is on her way and while I still have a lot to learn, one thing I've already got down pat is how not to experience a repeat of The Slippy Blanket Stroller Incident that occurred while I... ... [More]
Pillow Talk
Our excitement about getting my daughter settled into her toddler bed was cut short when we couldn't find anything but a regular sized pillow to put in it. And considering that took up half of the mattress--yeah, not the best option.
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Like Sleeping in Daddy's T-Shirt
Not every baby is lucky enough to have a grandma like mine does, who can spend weeks creating a gorgeous hand-crafted quilt for the nursery. Sometimes you just actually have to (gasp) buy one.
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Baby Gifts of a Different Stripe
I'm always stuck on what to get the newborn who has everything; particularly when that newborn isn't the first to hit the household. All I know is, another package of onesies or flannel receiving blankets do not top my list.
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Crib Sheets Made for Sleeping
As adorable as they generally are, kids can be an assault on the senses. Their rooms are littered with plastic toys, most of which emit ear-splitting sounds and require daily battery changes, and their walls are painted with rainbows and clowns and construction equipment. Is it any wonder that the darlings have trouble falling asleep in there?
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Born Into Luxury
The selection of the perfect moses basket has become one of those over-the-top rituals of the new mother-to-be. I can't tell you how many friends I saw absolutely frenetic over finding exactly the right first sleepy place for their new little guy or gal.
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Nursing in Vogue
With baby #1 I was all about the receiving blanket when I nursed al fresco. This time around, I'm doing it in higher style. The nursing cover-ups from My Turtle Baby may in fact be the best-looking ones I've ever seen.
Finding Nemo? Well, Not Here.
Boys can be just as fickle as girls, and household budgets can't always accommodate tastes that shift each time a new cartoon hits the big screen.
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Plush Is an Understatement
With all the oodles of baby blankets on the market, it’s certainly hard to pick a favorite. But if you’ve got a picky mom with a penchant for all things plush, then we’ve got just the thing.
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Thrifty Gifting
In my late twenties, I used to buy expectant friends the beautiful white blankets or the attractive silver picture frames. Now with two kids myself, I've done an about face from all that keepsake stuff. What can I say? I'm practical.
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Bed-dazzled
I can't be the only mother who's tired of seeing the same old themes for kids' rooms, especially when it comes to bedding. Not all boys want a sports-themed room, and not all girls want a ballerina-themed room. Licensed characters are even more limiting - they go in and out of style quicker than boy bands and that's saying something.
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This Has Grandma Splurge Written All Over It
I've heard about those grandmoms who look for any excuse to spoil their grandchildren and grandfetuses. If you've got one, you lucky mama, don't send her off to buy boring essentials off your registry. She'd much rather get you the mother of all baby gifts:
The bedding.
... [More]Blanket Snobbery
Who knew that I'd ever be a blanket snob? But after receiving more baby blankets than I know what to do with, I admit I've become a bit particular abo
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Three Little Birds
From everything I've been reading, birds are the new black. Or something like that. We're seeing them taking flight on jewelry, on artwork, on stationery, and now in perhaps one of the most welcome places, in nurseries.
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Almost Sweeter Than Candy
It wasn't so bad growing up with an uber-organic mother. Until suddenly a candy-giving holiday crops up and you have to settle for some bizarre carob ball and a coloring book.
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Sleep, Beautiful Sleep
I remember browsing the web for infant sleep sacks when I was pregnant and thinking, great concept, lame-o execution.
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The Perfect Swaddling Blanket, a.k.a. The Sound of Silence
Swaddling inspired total fear in me as a new mom. I knew it was an essential part of getting the baby to stop crying for two seconds; it's just that it seemed like one more new skill that my postpartum brain wouldn't be able to handle.
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Kids In the Hood
I just came to the realization that the hooded towels I own cover only about half of my 2-year-old daughter's body. No wonder she's always shivering after bathtime.
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Chinese Laundry
Recently a friend of mine arrived home with her beautiful new daughter - a thirteen month-old from China. I love how she's making an effort to help her child retain aspects of her heritage, even as she assimilates into her new home. A perfect gift for her--or any new parent, come to think of it--is one of the Chinese Satin Baby Blankets from Graceful Kate Designs.
The Age of Aquarius Comes With Its Own Blanket
As we all know, new moms get an average of 16,247 receiving blankets for their first child. So why are we still compelled to continue to give them? For me, it's sort of a sick competitive streak - I want to be the giver of THE blanket, the one she loves best of all.
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It's a Nice Day for Some Black Bedding
So you had to take out your belly ring, and your maternity pants cover up your lower back tattoo. But just because you've sacrificed a little of your own rock n' roll style for motherhood doesn't mean you have to give up entirely.
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Picking the Bucket
I'm always looking out for interesting gift sets for new babies, and there are certainly plenty to choose from. But once in a while I find one with a nice extra touch, and that's the one I just have to get. In this case, it's the gift buckets from Confetti Kidz.
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Keep it Simple, Silly
With all the paintings, knick-knacks, and brightly colored toys in my daughter's room, it's a wonder she can actually sleep. Combine that with the busy crib bedding patterns that most stores sell, and it's overstimulation central in there.
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Moses Should Have Been So Lucky
With child #1, I was obsessed with that baby mega-store's registry list. And while I got all the practical items that I may or may not have needed, this time I'm hoping for a few splurges that I've been coveting. Take for example the extraordinary moses baskets from Baby Starlet.
Keeping the Baby Dry. Outside the Diaper at Least.
Despite my reaction to the contrary at my baby shower, I soon realized that one can never have too many blankets.. Some are lightweight, some are warm, some work for swaddling, some are so ugly, they're just the thing to toss in the car trunk for emergencies. The one kind of blanket I could have used but didn't get - something waterproof.
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For Those of Us With A Lot to Say
I'm one of those folks that leaves 14 minute long voicemail messages and answers multiple choice questions with a full page essay. So you can imagine what I do with my friends' new baby cards. While I like to think my beautifully composed messages are glue sticked into the baby book, I'm pretty sure they get tossed right in the baby box (or worse) before the new parents get halfway through reading.
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Wear Smocks, Not Spaghetti
I am amazed at how, in the two seconds that I turn my back, my daughter is able to get food inside her sleeves, down the back, under the hems of her jeans. I just never know where a wayward farfalle noodle will end up --or when I'll actually find it.
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Good Thing They Didn't Name It For Its Real Use
I'll never forget the morning of The Big Meeting at work, when my little girl Rosie was about 6 months old. I was just about to walk out the door -- when suddenly she horked all over my best suit. I had protected my shoulder with a burpcloth, but still ended up with a line of spit-up dribbling down my back and all over my clean pants which of course I didn't notice until I was already at the office.
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Francobaby
When I was about eight, we took a big family trip to France. I still remember how fancy I felt coming home with a suitcase full of J'aime Paris tee shirts and TinTin comic books, along with the ability to say "more chocolate croissants please," in French.
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Putting Grannies Everywhere Out of Work
I used to live in Northern New Jersey, proudly known as "the embroidery capitol of the United States." Seriously. There's even a sign proclaiming the honor that's posted on the highway running through the town.
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Old and Improved
There is no shortage of great blankets out there to keep your newborn warm, from traditional baby blues and sweet pinks, to retro-modern hipster designs in every shade of chartreuse. But what if you're yearning for a blanket like the one you had back (ahem,cough) years ago when you were a wee one?
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Only a Baby's Butt is Softer
You've been there before: You get the baby shower invite, peruse the registry, and try to figure out what you can buy that will actually be of use. And let's be honest, a "keepsake blanket" is probably not at the top of your list. Isn't that just a polite way of saying "blanket that goes in the cedar chest covered with moth balls?"
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Let's Hear it For Less Laundry!
We all know that any eating, drooling, or art-making extravaganza on the part of your toddler is never pretty. But while you may successfully protect your child's cute top with a smock, the pants are never so lucky.
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My Kingdom for an Hour of Sleep
As a new mom, I had heard that swaddling was the answer to my sleep deprivation. I tried to make that perfectly tight burrito blanket the nurses achieved so effortlessly in the hospital, only for my daughter to free her hands in a matter of seconds and commence screaming.
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How the West Was Drooled All Over
Now that cowboys have emerged as the hot subculture du jour, marketers are jumping all over it. ("Ballad of High Noon" ring tone, anyone?) But the most appropriate use of the cowboy motif as far as we're concerned is on gifts for little boys.
Snap On, Snap Off
Why is it when you finally get around to buying clothes and room duds that support your kids' interests (read: feed their obsessions), they have already moved onto something else? You end up being out countless dollars, and up about 14 Winnie-the-Pooh shirts and 2 sheet sets that you can't return.
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Come On, Swaddle Me
Did you listen to the OB nurse when she explained the perfect swaddling technique? I don't know about you, but I was way too busy worrying about attaching the baby to my boob to think about tightly wrapping my child in a crappy hospital blanket. But when I got home, I realized that I probably should have listened.
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Just Because You Freeze Your Butt Off Running Outside Doesn't Mean Your Kid Has To...
I have to say the one thing that stops me from running outside in the winter is that I worry about my little one getting too cold. Ha. Who the heck am I kidding? I can think of plenty more reasons not to run outside.
... [More]
The Nicest Sheets Any Baby Could Ask To Pee All Over
As we all well know, the most challenging, stressful, agony-inducing aspect of pregnancy is picking out crib bedding. It kept me up more nights than my ever-shrinking bladder.
... [More]
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Ask Cool Mom Picks
I have been searching for a photo album or scrapbook that is NOT in the classic style you see everywhere that's either pink and fluffy or traditional leather. Any ideas? -Sarah
Googling "photo albums" can definitely lead to very bad things. We always find cool stuff at Zanisa and we like the Molly West books at Chittypulga.
But lately we really dig the handmade wooden albums from Tree by Kerri Lee [pictured] with metal hinges and the funky wooden ring and strap. And the prices are terrific.
Got a gift dilemma? A shopping conundrum? Write to CMP at info@coolmompicks.com.
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CMP reader Sarah's daughter Alli looks cozy and snug in her Baby Bisou Carrier.
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