The first-ever gift I gave my daughter was a beautiful handmade doll I found on Etsy, and ever since then I've had a thing for gifting my kids one-of-a-kind dolls . Of course, she has her fair share (and then some) of American Girl every…
I like to stock my daughter's wardrobe with lots of leggings when the weather gets cooler. She can wear them under anything from dresses to long sweaters, and they're definitely way more comfy than jeans. So, I spent a couple hours click…
For those of you still mourning the final installment of Elephant and Piggie , there's good news. Mo Willems has delivered to us a new heroine who's equally lovable. His newest children's book Nanette's Baguette follows Nanette as she em…
I did the research, and in 2013, out of 3,200 children’s books published, only 93 featured African American characters . Sadly, that's even more than I had expected. And the numbers aren't much better for other races and ethnicities. Tha…
If you've ever had this tune stuck in your head, "We've got the whole wide world in our yard to explore...", you can thank Dan Yaccarino. He designed Pablo, Uniqua and the rest of the Backyardigans crew, and he's also the creator of the …
We're all big fans of artful, creative pop-up books around here, but when I checked out a copy of Midnight Creatures: A Pop-up Shadow Search , it didn't cross my mind just how extraordinarily creative it would be -- and how much it would…
When you've got a little one, you probably know that means you have a whooooole lot of preschooler birthday party gifts to look for over the course of the year. One gift for each party for each kid in your child's preschool class? Yeouch…
With the cooler weather around the corner, we've got one terrific way to get ready for lots of indoor play: The fun new craft kits and art supplies from our most excellent sponsor, Handmade Charlotte Kids , now available at Michael's sto…
After 11 years of parenting, I'm a pretty big believer in not buying baby gear that doesn't grow with your child . That means floor mats dedicated exclusively to, say, tummy time isn't at the top of my priority list. (As cute as they may…
As a first time mom-to-be, I am already thinking about creating a household where my child can be whatever they want to be. A doctor, lawyer, sandwich artistan, or even a Silicon Valley techno mastermind. And given that my husband's an I…
My youngest child is still learning to tie his shoes. He can get it right about 50% of the time -- just enough to be absolutely confident he can do it himself with no help from me thankyouverymuch. As you can imagine, this makes it hard …
If you ask me, it's never too early to teach a child about emotional intelligence. I still remember my teacher making us practice "I" statements -- as in, "When you steal my Hello Kitty pencil, I feel hurt and sad." A couple of decades l…
Even though I'm a first-time mom-to-be, I feel like I'm already an expert on the best non-toxic nail polishes for kids. I adore painting my nieces' nails; it's such a fun bonding activity, and they love it too, especially when we can wea…
I'm always a sucker for books for toddlers and early readers that make use of modern art. We've covered Where's Warhol (a Where's Waldo parody) most recently, Henri Matisse and Alexander Calder pop-up books , and now there's a cool new o…
I've never actually forgotten to send the invites out to one of my kids' birthdays, but I've definitely waited until the very last minute to plan their parties. The thing is: if your child's birthday happens to land during one of the cra…
Guiding a tween through fashion choices can get pretty squirrely. They want to seem grown up, but they also adore cuteness. It's a bear of a problem for even the most chipper of moms. That's why we've rounded up a staggering selection of…
This summer's hot black-and-white trend (remember the cool swimsuits we found from Nununu and Marimekko ?) is still going strong this fall. So we pulled together our favorite black-and-white fall dresses for girls -- from twirly styles t…
I have a soft spot for quirky children's books with captivating illustrations , which is why I keep picking up the brand new Pablo and His Chair by the French artist and author Delphine Perret to read to my kids. The story is simple -- a…
Whether your little artist is more of a Versace or a Van Gogh, they can become the hottest new designer... and wear a creation of their very own. Picture This is an awesome new mom-run business that will print your kid's drawing directly…
If your family is anything like ours, you're only now getting caught up on lost sleep from the Olympics. But in its wake, the games leave us all with a healthy dose of wanderlust and interest in oh, say...Tonga. For no apparent reason. S…
We all know the transition from balance bike to training wheels to full-on bicycle takes a while (and can get a little wobbly). Add the required coordination to ring that out-of-my-way-new-rider-here bell and your kid may be in danger of…
My younger kids usually need a little one-on-one time to decompress after school, and one of our favorite ways to do this is reading together. After a few minutes in my lap, they're ready to go play again. But, I have to admit, I'd much …
My kids believe they are the World's Greatest Fans of Dylan's Candy Bar. Which is hilarious, considering that every single one of the zillions of kids who visit their shops each year also believe that they are the World's Greatest Fans o…
We love pencil cases! They're where we put all our pencils! And pens, and earbuds, and erasers, and... pretty much anything that'll fit. As our kids head back to school , we're getting serious about corralling clutter, and if we can do i…