Reviews for Just for moms!
First of all, we love the entrepreneurial success story behind this product. Louise Stall, the inventor of CARES — Kids Fly Safe airline safety harness, is a grandmother of 9 who was inspired to make airplane travel safer for her own grandchildren and for all young children. As she watched her own kids struggle to fly with her small grandchildren, Louise recognized a problem that most of us have encountered. Normal airline seat belts are not safe for toddlers and preschoolers, and it’s nearly impossible to lug a car seat onto the plane along with carry-ons and children themselves. Sketches and work to file for a patent eventually led to a partnership with AmSafe who also manufactures most of the airline seat belts found on today’s flights. After 4 years of developing and testing the prototypes for safety, the FAA certified the CARES system as the first and only alternative to car seats allowed on planes. The best thing about the CARES system, aside from peace of mind, is that it weighs just one pound. It’s packaged in a small nylon travel pouch with an instructional dvd and a safety card similar to the one found on airplanes. It can fit easily in a carry-on bag or can even be carried by your grandchild. When installed, the restraint system itself looks similar to a 5-point harness system used in an infant or toddler/convertible car seat. It should be noted that installation varies slightly depending on the type of airline seats and tray tables on the plane (and this is clearly diagrammed on the instructional safety card). On seats with a “non-recessed” tray table the CARES is installed under the tray table of the person behind you (allowing that person to use the tray table). Thus the CARES can be used throughout the entire flight. On seats where the with a “recessed” tray table, the CARES is installed over the tray table, thus it can only be used during taxi, takeoff and landing. Cares is designed for children age 1 and older who weigh between 22 and 44 pounds. Louise and her family-run business suggest that airlines should be required to carry and offer the CARES restraint to any child flying with them who fits that profile — and that sounds good to us. In the meantime, if you have grandchildren who fall in that range consider presenting them (and their parents!) with this gift of safety and convenience, invented and brought to market by a concerned and industrious grandparent — bravo!
| Buy Now |
to learn more at our trusted vendor's website |
We love the simple premise of Family Talk and Grandparent Talk — card deck games with questions that provide the perfect spark for conversations among family members and peers. The games include 100 diverse question cards clipped together and small enough to bring anywhere where it might be helpful and enjoyable to pass time or become lost in memorable conversation. The questions have been developed for ages four and up — the younger set will need help reading the cards, of course. In Family Talk, questions are as simple as, “What is your favorite color?” or can get as detailed as, “What is one of the most important things your parents taught you?” Grandparent Talk is designed to help deepen intergenerational relationships among family members and keep family history alive. Questions range from: “Did you have your own bedroom growing up?” and “Who was your favorite teacher and why?” to “Are you afraid of anything?” and “What do you think about kids today?” Writing about this makes me want to turn back time to play this game with my own grandparents. Both games (as well as a Family Talk 2 version) come in the portable clip format or in a tabletop jar format. The Founder of Around the Table Games is a working mom who enjoyed learning all she could about her grandparents and great grandparents — and who knows how today’s busy lifestyles can prevent us from enjoying these types of valuable interactions. The games are great gifts for kids and their families, or for yourself — to keep at your home for when your grandchildren visit. Your “talks” will never be the same again!
| Buy Now |
to learn more at our trusted vendor's website |
Since Spring sprung, my friend has been raving about her new JJ Cole Bundle Me Lite infant car seat and stroller cover, so I decided to have a look (and a zip!) for myself. Well, it sure is handy — perfect for those times of year when frigid temps are only found in overly air conditioned buildings, or for those of you who are lucky enough to live in a civilized climate year-round. Most moms will tell you that the best thing about car seat covers is that they don’t need to struggle to put a jacket on their baby before they run out the door. But once the thaw begins and the winter covers become too warm, they have to resort to using light blankets instead, which get kicked off readily and need to be constantly adjusted. Similar to the original BundleMe (and other car seat and stroller covers) for cold weather, the BundleMe Lite attaches to your grandchild’s infant car seat (or stroller) with ease, using the car seat’s straps, but not interfering with its safety mechanisms. Your tiniest grandchild will be strapped in securely and surrounded by the BundleMe Lite. The BundleMe Lite’s inner fabric and nylon backing are new and improved, making it super comfortable in warmer temps. It’s like a windbreaker with a thin soft cotton inner lining. The outer layer is wind and water resistant but still light, so it’s great for cooler days or evenings, or a quick dash in a light drizzle. The BundleMe Lite is also helpful in the summertime to protect baby from sunburn (infants are typically too young for sunscreen), and to provide a cool, breathable layer between your grandchild’s backside and the car seat or stroller. And let’s not forget that the BundleMe Lite looks great! Shown here in graphite, the outer layer sports some nice designer stitching. The new mom in your life may not know she needs the BundleMe Lite, but once you present it to her, she’ll have a new “spring” in her step, and will be off to tell her friends about it!
| Buy Now |
to learn more at our trusted vendor's website |
This one’s actually for you, grandparents! Forward this along to your children or purchase it yourself and share it with them. It’s a new, simple way for you to instantly see photos of your grandchildren on your computer. One great example of its use is when your children and grandchildren are on vacation. They can take photos using their cell phone and then email the photos from their phone to their Kangadoo account. As a member of the family’s Kangadoo account, those photos will then instantly be available to you on your own family’s homepage! And if you choose to have Kangadoo as your “Start Page,” (a simple click of a button if you use Internet Explorer), the latest photos will instantly pop up when you start your web browser. Each family’s homepage is private and secure, and you can invite anyone you like to have access to it via email — yet you do not need to use a password. If you’re interested in signing up for Kangadoo or having your children sign up, just click on our “Learn More” link and when on the Kangadoo homepage, click on “Product Tour” and “Instruction Guide” to learn more. You can purchase the product by clicking “Purchase” and following instructions. (Note: You don’t need to enter your “Activation Code” when you’re first purchasing Kangadoo). Enjoy every moment and every photo!
| Buy Now |
to learn more at our trusted vendor's website |
You may have noticed that flip-flops have become the footwear of choice for many teenage girls and young women over the past few years — even in cooler months. These flip-flop socks are a great gift for your older granddaughter, allowing her to extend her flip-flop season, while ensuring her tootsies stay snug. The socks are made in Japan — the official home of this style of footwear, and come in neutral-colored patterns (green leaves or blue leaves), as well as cute frog or rabbit patterns. Of course, the cotton, nylon and polyester blend socks feature a separate section for your granddaughter’s big toe. They are 13″ long and should fit most teenage, college-age and mom-size feet. We should note that we’re not condoning flip-flop use in the snow, but we do understand the importance of fashion for teens. With these socks, your granddaughter will be a trend setter at school and beyond. And you’ll feel great about how practical they are!
| Buy Now |
to learn more at our trusted vendor's website |
Young children want computer time these days, whether to use educational software, or access great kid-friendly websites such as sesameworkshop.org or PBS.org to play games and learn. The challenge for grandparents and parents, however, is that we use our computers for other things, and want to prevent kids from mistakenly getting into work files or accessing inappropriate websites. This is where Peanut Butter Software comes in! It’s a very simple program that you load into your computer (easy to do) that provides a child-friendly “screen” for your grandchildren. This screen sits on top of your normal desktop (which you can re-access easily) and makes computer time safe and stress-free. The Peanut Butter Software screen allows kids as young as 3 to log on themselves and access websites, games and educational software that you’ve pre-selected for them, without them ever going anywhere near your important files or inappropriate websites. My husband and I have always been insistent on being with our children (ages 3 and 5) during computer time, but with Peanut Butter Software, they’re now enjoying some independence, and loving every minute of it! The desktop or “launch pad” (which gets placed over your Windows desktop), is designed to look like a backyard. You can install a photo of each of your grandchildren for them to click on and load their personal settings, and then the programs you’ve pre-selected for each of them. Once the kids are logged on, the Peanut Butter Software Browser takes over. It’s just like our desktop and browser, yet extremely simple and intuitive, making it possible for very young children to navigate. For instance, they don’t need to know the addresses for their favorite websites, or use a search engine to find them (and you don’t either). They just click on the icon for that website which is right in front of them on the screen. No more frustration and no more getting lost in grandma & grandpa’s files! And I should mention that it’s quite simple to install (trust me, if I can do it you can), and even simpler to exit back to your Windows desktop (simply click “CTRL,” “ALT,” & “P”). This is a great investment for $24.95 that your younger grandchildren will love, and that will give you peace of mind. Click on the link below to go to Peanut Butter Software’s website where you can learn more, see a demo, and even download a free trial version of the software to try it yourself!
| Buy Now |
to learn more at our trusted vendor's website |
The mom & dad team who designed the new Burp Armor burp cloth take the “armor” part of their product’s name seriously. Burp Armor is the ultimate protection from everyday dribble. The product is shaped to rest securely on your shoulder and to cover body surfaces that are typically victimized. Furthermore, Burp Armor’s quality construction allows it to stay in place. It’s made with two layers of hemp/organic cotton fleece on top, plus a single layer of hemp/organic cotton corduroy that provides the unique non-slip undersurface. Burp Armor also has baby’s wellbeing and comfort in mind. The cloths are pre-washed in fragrance- and perfume-free soap and are incredibly soft — so much so that when they retire from active duty, they can easily become a favorite “lovey” for babies and toddlers. And of course, Burp Armor products are beautifully designed. Fashion-conscious parents will love the “natural” color main fabric combined with any one of several fun borders, such as “creamsicle stripe” and “candy stitch.” Finally, Burp Armor comes all wrapped up and delivered in a beautiful eco-friendly package. Burp Armor is a perfect baby gift — it’s new and hip, yet it’s also amazingly practical. What more could a new mom ask for?!
| Buy Now |
to learn more at our trusted vendor's website |
Your older granddaughter will feel good about being bundled up in this fair trade patchwork wool scarf that is hand-made by women artisans in Nepal. Since each scarf is hand-crafted, every one is wonderfully unique! The program in which the artisans participate is called Sana Hastakala. Started by UNICEF, it helps underprivileged artisans with business and community development. Choose this scarf, or browse through World of Good’s beautiful selection, from wools, to rayons and silks. And don’t forget to check out all of the different products World of Good makes available via fair trade programs throughout the world.
| Buy Now |
to learn more at our trusted vendor's website |
Is it obvious that your grandchild is a creative genius? Or is this fact yet to be discovered? We’re sure that every child has lots of creative potential, and in most cases these qualities just need to be unearthed, embraced, and enhanced. This is where a subscription to Creative Child Magazine comes in. It gives parents the latest information on how to foster their child’s originality, imagination, and inventiveness. Departments include Kids at Play, Health and Safety, Discovering Creativity, Nurturing Talent, and Tomorrow’s Child - Investing for Your Child’s Future. Parents will appreciate articles such as, “Is My Child Ready for Music Lessons?” or “A Battle of Wills - Discipline and the Creative Child.” To subscribe, simply click on our “Click Here” or Creative Child Magazine link — this will take you to the Creative Child Online homepage. Then click on either of the “subscribe” buttons located on their homepage. It’s $24 for six issues a year, which is 40% off of the cover price.
| Buy Now |
to learn more at our trusted vendor's website |
We recommend this JJ Cole Essentials all-purpose blanket because we know the entire family will use it. Infants will enjoy rolling around on this comfy 5 x 5 ft. baby blanket/play area, either inside or outside, and older kids will use it as a beach blanket, or for sporting events, etc. Moms love it because it looks great (the photo doesn’t do it justice), is weather-resistant, wipes clean easily (and is machine washable in a large capacity washer), and folds up perfectly. It’s a versatile blanket that can be used virtually anyplace and anywhere! Choose from different color combinations — this one is black/grey, but you can also search for sky/lemon and chocolate/pink.
| Buy Now |
to learn more at our trusted vendor's website |
