Category Archives: Age 5-7

Matchbox Mega Rig toys = endless possibilities!

August 8, 2008Age 5-7, ToysAlicia

There aren’t many toys that keep Sebastian’s attention for longer than five minutes but these Matchbox Mega Rig toys do. The new Matchbox Big Rig Shuttle Mission toys are tons of fun. Each of Big Rig toy start off as one big toy and can be broken down into several individual vehicles.

One thing that I love about the Matchbox Big Rig toys is that they encourage kids to make up stories. With each toy breaking down into so many different pieces that can be individually played with, the story telling opportunities are endless. The age recommendation for these toys is 4-9. Sebastian will be 9 soon but he still finds lots of ways to play with them. The space shuttle even launches a rocket! The durability of these toys was tested by my 2 year old and they passed. Like any two year old, Madelyn can do a number on toys like these. If she knows something comes apart, she will do whatever it takes to make it happen even if it isn’t the right way. The toys have held up well though.. I impressed.

Another great thing that parents appreciate is that the toys don’t have to be put together in any particular way so kids are able to use their imagination when putting them back together and aren’t forced to figure out the right way to put them back together.

You can see what I mean by endless possibilities now, right?

Where to buy: Space Shuttle on Amazon.com OR Space Rover on Amazon.com

biome5: organic clothes for kids

July 10, 2008Age 0-1 year, Age 1-3, Age 3-5, Age 5-7, Baby & Kids Clothing, Educational ToysAlicia

I dont’ know how many times I have refered to Madelyn as a little monkey. We had to get her out of her crib before she turned one because she tried to climb out of it. She climbs as high as she possibly can in any given situation.

I was excited when I received a cute biome5 Monkey tee for Madelyn because it describes her perfectly. And as if cute isn’t enough, biome5 tee’s are educational. Shh, don’t tell your toddler. How can a tee be educational you ask? On each shirt, a huge letter is printed with an animal whose name starts with the letter. The M tee has a cute monkey on it while the Z tee has .. I bet you can guess.. a zebra. The colors are vibrant and on most designs, the animal printed on the tee looks like a photographed image making the animal easy to recognize. You child has probably seen most of the animals at the zoo, aquarium, or in your own backyard.

Tee’s are available in 2T, 4T, and 6T short sleeve and long sleeve and the onesie is available in 3-6 months and 6-12 months sizes. All of the designs are gender neutral so you are not limited to the number of tee’s or onesies you buy for your child.

Oh, and what’s really neat is that the name of the animal on the shirt is printed upside down so your child can read it while wearing the tee. That is such a cool idea! biome5 tee’s give toddlers the opportunity to work on learning the alphabet and phonetics while wearing an awesome tee.

Click on over to biome5 to see all of the designs and check out their current sale prices.

Capri Sun, now with 25% less sugar! Every mom’s dream.

May 7, 2008Age 3-5, Age 5-7, Age 7-10, Food and DrinkAlicia

When we recently asked 20 parents what kids beverage they have in their refrigerator, 16 of them said Capri Sun. When we asked 25 children what their favorite drink is, 19 of them said Capri Sun, 2 of them said milk (huh?), and the other 4.. well, we won’t go there.

Capri Sun has been a staple in our fridge for going on 8 years and I am SO thrilled that all 14 Capri Sun flavors now have 25% less sugar than other leading juice drinks and pulled this off without the use of artificial sweeteners or flavors.

When we received samples of the new 25% less sugar Capri Sun, I gave them to my two kids without mentioning the difference. Both kids drank their Capri Sun in about 2 minutes flat and neither noticed a difference. What a relief! I assumed that less sugar = less flavor. I was wrong.

I appreciate that my kids are getting a good source of antioxidant vitamin E to help support/maintain healthy cells and tissues and are not getting artificial sweeteners, colors, flavors, or preservatives.

Each thirst satisfying pouch is 6.75 fl oz., enough to tame Sebastian’s thirst after a baseball game. In fact, I didn’t hear one peep when I brought these for the after-game drink a couple of weeks ago.

Already green or going green? Eco-friendly innovator, TerraCycle converts your used drink pouches into unique fashion bags, tote bags, and pencil cases for kids and adults! For every pouch you send to TerraCycle they give $.02 to the charity of your choice. Simply sign up at TerraCycle.org to get started.

WEBSITE: Capri Sun

Kellogg’s Wild Animal Crunch cereal review

April 13, 2008Age 5-7, Food and DrinkAlicia

If your family is anything like mine, cereal isn’t just a breakfast food. It’s munched on during car rides, long walks, and plenty of other times throughout the average day. I know, that doesn’t sound so good but given that our new favorite cereal, Wild Animal Crunch, has less sugar than the average cereal and is a whole grain cereal, I don’t feel so bad when eaten in moderation.

Wild Animal Crunch quickly became a favorite at our house. Unlike any other cereal I’ve tried, Wild Animal Crunch is enjoyed by all members of our household.. even one of our cats. Our oldest, human food eating cat, greedily snatches the pieces that fall on the kitchen floor.

Rather than donning the usual cartoon characters, the Wild Animal Crunch cereal box looks like a cute piece of artwork you might pin on your child’s wall or refrigerator. This is such a refreshing change. Madelyn loves the real animal photograph(s) on the front of the box while Sebastian thinks the collector’s trading cards on the back of the box are "awesome". The back of the box offers kids a fun way to learn simple facts about their favorite animals such as "Dolphins have no sense of smell". Reading the facts is a great way to spark an educational breakfast conversation.

Besides being packaged very well, Wild Animal Crunch tastes really good. Your kids will appreciate the sweet vanilla-chocolate flavor while you appreciate the less than average amount of sugar found in this cereal. We are big Kellogg’s cereal fans here so I have been able to compare the nutrition information of a Wild Animal Crunch to Raisin Bran, and Special K with red berries. I was surprised to find that Wild Animal Crunch has much less sugar at just 8g than Raisin Bran which has 19g per serving and Special K with red berries which has 10g per serving. Wild Animal Crunch provides more calcium, less carbohydrates, just about equal amounts of fat (around 1g), and far less sodium than Raisin Bran and Special K with red berries.

Wild Animal Crunch is a vanilla-chocolate Flavored Whole Grain Cereal made of natural and artificial flavors.. the one thing we could do without.

I will definitely be buying Wild Animal Crunch regularly as it is the only cereal I have found that both kids, myself, and my husband all enjoy.

Icon_website2 You can learn more about Wild Animal Crunch, here, on the Kellogg’s website.

Buy at Amazon for about $3/box

Braun ThermoScan ExacTemp

March 18, 2008Age 0-1 year, Age 1-3, Age 3-5, Age 5-7, Age 7-10, Ages 10-13, Gadgets, SafetyAlicia

When Sebastian, now 8, was younger we used a traditional glass thermometer. After we broke two glass thermometers which posed a danger because of the broken glass and tiny beads of mercury on the floor, I purchased an ear thermometer. Ours is quite out-dated and when I recently received a Braun ThermoScan ExacTemp to review, I was very pleased with the features as compared to my 5 year old ear thermometer.

What makes it special: Braun’s ThermoScan ExacTemp thermometer is exceptional in that is features ExacTemp technology. To help avoid inaccurate temperatures the tip is warmed to a temperature close to that of a human body. The ThermoScan measures the infrared heat generated by the eardrum and surrounding tissues. The eardrum shares blood supply with the hypothalamus, the temperature control center in the brain, which means that changes in your child’s body temperature are reflected sooner in the ear than at other sites which is just one more reason to use an ear thermometer.

What’s included: The ThermoScan comes with protective tip covers and a protective case ensuring that the thermometer is secure when not in use. To save battery life, the ThermoScan thermometer automatically shuts off after 60 seconds. I am so tired of buying batteries..I love the auto-off feature!

More features: The LCD screen is easy to read and shows the battery level, the thermometer beeps when it is finished taking a temperature. When your child is sick and you need to check her temperature often, the memory feature comes in handy. You can store up to 8 temperatures and can access store temperatures easily. The ThermoScan is light and is designed in such a way that it is easy to hold and won’t slip out of your hand. This thermometer fits into a compact protective case that also stores the probe covers. I can’t tell you how many times I have had to buy a new pack of covers just because they got lost.. or Sebastian played with them. Being able to store the probe covers directly in the case is great!

Important note: There are at least two ThermoScan models so look closely at the details before buying as they have different features.

Icon_website2 Buy a ThermoScan at Amazon OR learn more at the Braun website