Category Archives: Age 1-3

Lamaze Dream Screen

August 3, 2007Age 0-1 year, Age 1-3, Bedtime, Gadgets, Music, Nursery & Room Decordream screen, learning curveAlicia

The Dream Screen is one of those toys that looks like something from the future. The clean lines and bright colors of the screen make the Dream Screen captivating. The dual motion screen plays soft
music when activated by you or your baby.

There are three play modes.
The first is a 5 second mode. The music plays and the screen moves when baby swats the little yellow guy hanging down from the Dream Screen. You can also customize music
for baby by connecting your MP3 Player to the Dream Screen. This mode is great because it teaches baby cause and effect.
The second mode is a continuous play mode. When turned on, the Dream Screen will play music and the screen moves for 15 minutes.
The third mode is the MP3 mode. Attach your MP3 player to the back of the Dream Screen and baby can listen to her favorite tunes.

Below is a video of Madelyn enchanted by her Dream Screen. The video is pretty dark because I wanted to shoot the video at night so you can see the Dream Screen lit up. If you look closely enough you will see Madelyn staring at the screen.

Where to buy: Learning Curve

Oil Cloth Chalk Mat

August 2, 2007Age 1-3, Age 3-5, Age 5-7, Games, Travelmadallie, oil cloth chalk mat, TravelAlicia

Taking the kids to a restaurant… just the thought used to make me cringe. Now that Sebastian is seven, he is pretty good about sitting still and occupying himself. Madelyn, on the other hand, is a different story. She just started getting interested in coloring so the Madallie Oil Cloth Chalk Mat has come in really handy on more than one occasion. Not only do we use the oil cloth chalk mat at restaurants, we use it at home on the kitchen table too.

The Oil Cloth Chalk Mat comes with two pieces of white chalk, an eraser cloth and a little pocket that stores both. The mat rolls up and ties closed which makes for easy packing and unpacking.

Planning a road trip? Just bring a car seat tray, and your oil cloth chalk mat and your kids will have fun drawing, playing tick-tac-toe, hangman, and practicing their writing skills and math… yeah, right!

This is definitely a ‘mommy must have’.

I just learned that Madallie.com sells the infamous PlasmaCar! If you haven’t already, check out the video of Madelyn being chased by two boys on their PlasmaCars. It’s really funny and she’s having a blast! Madelyn even rides Sebastian’s PlasmaCar and she’s only 14 months! She loves it. She can go forward and backward on her own.

Where to buy: Madallie.com: A Children’s Travel Store

COUPON CODE: The Mommy Insider readers get 10% off with code TRAVEL.

Generation Baby Handy Sack

July 24, 2007Age 0-1 year, Age 1-3, Cleaning & Cleaners, Diaper Bags, Organizationdiapers, generation baby, handy sack, style, wipesAlicia

This is such a great idea. Not only can I store diapers and wipes in the Generation Baby Handy Sack, but I can also use the handy sack as a make up sack, snack sack, bottle sack, and one use that I’m not sure they intended it to be for is a toy sack. When we go out to eat, I have to bring toys for both Madelyn and Sebastian. Between the two of them, they pack a lot! I’ve been using my Generation Baby Handy Sack as a toy sack and no longer have toys cluttering my diaper bag. YEAH!

Oh and we don’t have to sacrifice style for functionality with the Generation Baby Handy Sack. With several designs to choose from you will find one that fits your personality and style.

There are so many uses for the Handy Sack that I recommend purchasing more than one. Why more than one? The clear front makes it easy to see what’s inside the Handy Sack which is invaluable to those of us carrying a huge diaper bag. Being able to see what’s inside means I spend less time searching for what I’m looking for and therefore get less stressed when I need to find something. I know that sounds dramatic but when I’m out and I need to find Madelyn’s pacifier, a particular toy, or snack it’s not always easy to stop in my tracks and dig through my diaper bag.

Where to buy: Generation Baby

Play Town from Learning Curve

July 9, 2007Age 1-3, Store Reviewsdoll house, family house, learning curve, playtownAlicia

Playtown1 Little girls love playing house. At least I did. I had tons of dolls, Barbie’s, the Barbie van, the spa, a really neat doll house my grandfather made me, and the list goes on. I am in my thirties now, and I haven’t been exposed to Barbie’s and dolls in quite a few years, but I am thrilled to see that Madelyn has the same passion for playing with dolls, and doll houses as I did.

The Play Town Family House from Learning Curve is Madelyn’s first official doll house and she loves it. Geared for babies ages 1 and up, it comes complete with three people, a mom, a dad, and a child as well as several pieces of everyday furniture.

There are a few things that make the Play Town doll house stand out from others that are geared for one year olds.
1. The Play Town Family House is made of plastic and wood which makes for sturdy construction.
2. The three little people are just the right size for little hands to hold.
3. There is a storage compartment/attic at the top of the Family House that holds the people and the furniture for easy travel.
4. The Family House features two sides of play,
with a "growing" garden, attic storage area–over twenty fun, imaginative play
features.

Where to buy: Learning Curve

Bibbity Bop

June 14, 2007Age 0-1 year, Age 1-3, Baby & Kids Clothing, Cleaning & Cleaners, Feeding - baby & kidsAlicia

We are currently on vacation in Florida. We are staying at my father’s house which is on a small lake and we spend most of our time outside enjoying the scorching sun, lizards, and the beautiful lake.

Eating outside could have been a challenge because my father and step mother are not used to having children in the house and therefor do not have ‘child friendly’ utensils, tableware, etc.
Lucky for me I brought our new Bibbity Bop placemat with us to help protect the table from the mysterious globs of gunk we call food.. .that come from Madelyn’s hands and mouth. Eating time can get really gross.

What a lifesaver.
The heavy duty vinyl has come in REALLY handy. Madelyn loves to feed herself now and quite often she misses her mouth and her mushy food lands on the placemat. When we are at home, she uses a highchair so I simply remove the tray when she is finished eating and clean it in the sink. What’s easier than removing a tray? Picking up a placemat! That’s what.

After Madelyn eats I take the placemat and hose it off. It’s as easy as that. If we were at home, I would simply wipe the placemat off with a washcloth, or paper towel.

I have to say that I am afraid Madelyn won’t want to eat in her highchair when we get home from vacation because she clearly LOVES to eat at the table with us. She looks and I can tell she feels like such a big girl sitting close to the table and using a placemat and utensils like the adults do.

What’s really great about Bibbity Bops placemats is that not only are they kid friendly with the vinyl cover, but they are available in several stylish designs that are sure to please both parents and kids. I chose to review one of Bibbity Bop’s more adult designs so you are aware that you are not limited to child designs only.