The books recalled were the Amazing Baby Look and Play and Amazing Baby Touch and Play activity books, and the Rattle, Rattle board book. These children's books were sold nationwide from May 2003 through November 2005 for about $16 for the activity books and about $6 for the board book. If you own one of these books contact Advantage Publishers Group at (866) 748-3731 for a replacement.

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I was torn between making this an "over-the-top" gift or a wish list gift. But then I decided that if I were about 10 -years old and I heard about these cool personal DVD players from Disney, I would be begging my parents for one. And, as electronics go, this one is not so pricey, retailing for about $139. These gadgets have a 3.5" screen and can be used to watch DVDs or listen to CDs. There four different themed players: princess, flowers, Mickey Mouse and Mickey Mouse comics.

There are lots of other portable DVD players out there, not to mention the video iPod, but this product seems to be aimed at the elementary-school crowd. I can only hope that they've built these personal DVD players as durable as possible (and hopefully scratch-, water-, and crayon-resistant!).

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The other day while checking out some of the sippy cup offerings at Babies "R" Us, I came across the Gerber SippySnacker. It's a sippy cup and snack holder that snaps together to create one handy accessory. I thought I'd give it a try, because my evening commutes now involve taking a toddler on the bus, and anything that can make the trip easier would be fine by me. I have been using the Snack-Trap, which works great, but can be a little messy (thanks to my son).

We gave the SippySnacker a try today during my many various errands. It was handy to have the snack and drink in one place, so I could just throw it in the stroller and go. My son also seemed to think it was a pretty neat contraption. I have a few issues with the SippySnacker, however. One is, as I've mentioned before, Gerber sippy cups tend to be a little leakier than the rest. Not a big deal, as long as it's upright. The other is that it's not super easy to get the two pieces apart and then back together again. Especially if you only have one hand free. The biggest complaint I have though is that the snack portion opening is too small for my son to reach in to get the snack, so I either have to help him pour the food out or he just shakes it all over the place and makes a mess. The small opening also makes it impossible to put bigger snacks inside (we're fans of the Veggie Booty).

We'll keep using the SippySnacker, but I'll probably always reach for the Snack-Trap first. My son can work the Snack-Trap himself, and that is really handy when you're doing things like grocery shopping.

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I should have called this post "I paid 20 bucks for a picture of my son crying." I took my 18-month-old son to see Santa today at a local mall. We were one of the first in line, and I made sure my son could see the two little girls in front of us sitting on Santa's lap so that he would see it wasn't scary. Unfortunately one of the little girls (I'd guess she was about my son's age) cried through the whole thing. My son still seemed to think this was all very interesting and enjoyed watching the little animatronics toy the photographer had to make kids smile. 

Well. Then it was our turn. We went up to Santa, said hi for a few moments and then I put my son down on Santa's lap. Instant waterworks. My son was Not Happy At All with this situation. I was literally two feet away but he continued to cry. The photographer, the assistant, Santa, the animatronics toy and I all tried to get him to smile (or at least, stop crying). But I gave up after they took a few photos. Even if he had eventually started smiling, it would have still been a photo of tears streaming down his cheeks.

Continue reading Pictures with Santa: Not my son's idea of a good time

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About 12,000 Little Tree Mini Learning Cubes have been recalled by the CPSC because of small wooden pegs on the toy that can come loose and pose a choking hazard. Target, the company who sold this toy, received reports of incidents involving children who put the wooden pegs in their mouths, and one child had to be taken to the hospital after swallowing a peg. The learning cubes were sold through Target stores nationwide from June 2005 through November 2005 for about $15. If you have one of these toys, you can take it back to Target for a refund.

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Earlier this year we brought you the story of Milagros Cerron, a baby from Peru who was born with a rare condition called sirenomelia, or "mermaid syndrome." In June, doctors operated on the little girl, in an attempt to separate her fused legs. Six months later, doctors are optimistic about Milagros's recovery. Milagros is now nineteen months old and making good progress, though doctors say it will probably be another few years before she's walking and she will need more surgeries and rehabilitation into her teen years at least. 

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The CPSC announced the recall of about 14,000 Bounce Bounce Baby! Door Jumpers because the clamp that holds the jumper to the door frame could break and cause a baby to fall. Kids II Inc., the distributor of the jumpers, received nine reports of the jumper clamp breaking. The jumpers included in this recall have the model number 6753. The jumpers were sold nationwide from January 2005 through November 2005 for about $20.

If you own one of these doorway jumpers, contact Kids II at (877) 325-7056 for a free replacement.

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Police in Kentucky were tracking down a van after a hit-and-run accident, only to find that there was a 7-year-old behind the wheel. The boy was actually sitting on his dad's lap, steering the wheel, while his "semiconscious" father worked the pedals. Police finally caught up with them on a highway. According to the report on CNN, the father told the police that they were on their way to Florida and that his son was going to get them there. The man's other son, age three, was also in the van.

The dad now faces charges of resisting arrest, carrying a concealed weapon, leaving the scene of an accident and driving under the influence. The boys were taken into custody by social services.

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Two months ago an Arkansas woman doing her 10th skydiving jump experienced every sky diver's worst nightmare: her parachute wouldn't open. 21-year-old Shayna Richardson said she didn't know what to do when her parachute failed and was sure that she was about to die. Her reserve parachute eventually opened, but not entirely. Richardson hit the ground face, face first. Amazingly, she survived. Even more amazing is the fact that when she got to the hospital emergency room doctors told her she was in her first month of pregnancy.

Richardson suffered from a broken leg, a broken pelvis, and many broken bones in her face, and spent more than two weeks in the hospital. She's now 12 weeks pregnant, and her baby is apparently doing just fine.

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Holidays can be stressful for kids of divorced parents. The Today Show's Dr. Ruth Peters offers tips to divorced parents on how to keep the holidays focused on family and make them as smooth as possible for kids. Many of the tips seem obvious, like staying civil if you are on bad terms with your ex-spouse and trying to keep the tension out of family gatherings. She also reminds parents to respect the other's religious beliefs.

Peters recommends planning holiday activities well in advance, and sticking to prearranged plans, especially when it involves kids spending time with one side of the family and then the other. Coordinating gifts is also a good idea so that there is a balance, and not a competition, between each parent's gifts to the children. With newly divorced families, she suggests starting new holiday traditions to make it different, yet still fun. Most of all, parents-divorced or married-should remember that kids most appreciate attention and time shared during the holidays.

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The CPSC announced the recall of nearly 19,000 sets of girl's pajamas sold at J.C. Penney because they don't meet federal flammability standards. The two-piece sets include shorts and a tank top, with a monkey featured on the front. They were part of the Bobby Jack brand of clothing. These pajamas were sold nationwide at J.C. Penney stores from April 2005 through June 2005 for about $15. The recalled pajamas should be returned to the store for a refund.

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About 144,000 plastic "siren" whistles from Chuck E. Cheese have been recalled because small pieces from the whistle can detach and pose a choking hazard. The recall comes after the company received four reports of children starting to choke and three reports of children swallowing pieces of the whistle. The whistles were given as prizes at Chuck E. Cheese in exchange for tickets earned from games. They were available at restaurants nationwide from July 2005 through August 2005.

While some parents may jump for joy at the thought of getting rid of these siren whistles, safer replacement whistles are available for free from any Chuck E. Cheese location.

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Cell phones are intruding on family life, a new study says. Research published in December issue of the Journal of Marriage and Family finds that both men and women have higher levels of stress and "decreased family satisfaction" because their cell phones and pagers tie them to their jobs more than ever before. (E-mail was not included in the study.) Work not only intrudes on home life through cell phones, but for women the reverse is also true. The study found that women also have problems when home life intrudes while they're at work, and with cell phones they find themselves "on call" at any point in the day.

"The question is, are these technologies helping us or hurting us in our daily life," said the study's lead author. "The results of this study indicate that technology may not be so great."

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When we were visiting my in-laws last month, there was the question of where my son would take his naps during the day. The beds were too high for me to feel safe leaving him alone, and he has a sixth sense that causes him to wake up and cry if someone tries to put him down in a Pack N Play (not that we even brought it with us). My mother-in-law came up with the perfect solution: a yoga mat.

I chose the DharmaKids Yoga Mat here because it's the smaller version of the mat my son napped on. It's padded, definitely soft enough to place on a floor (even hardwood) at nap time. The kids' mats come in blue or purple, or a glow in the dark starry night pattern. It rolls up like a sleeping bag (but is less bulky) and has detachable ties to get rid of possible strangulation hazards. I happen to know that my son is getting the starry night mat for Christmas from his grandma, and I think this will be the perfect solution for napping when we're at someone's house, and even for when we're at home.

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When I bought my son's first sippy cup last year, I had no idea which one to choose. As I have said before, the wall of feeding implements at Babies R Us can be very overwhelming. In the end I bought two kinds of sippy cups, Gerber's Fun Grips Soft Starter Spill-proof Cup and Avent's Magic Trainer Cup.

The Avent cup had a few problems. First, there were lots of pieces to it (which would eventually be its downfall because I lost one of the pieces), and second, the plastic "sippy" part started to smell like the dishwasher after awhile. The Gerber cup seemed to be the champion so I bought a few more. Now, after a year of using (and abusing) these cups, they're starting to be less effective. My son has perfected the art of banging/throwing his cup down so that the spill proof valve falls out. And then we have a not-at-all-spill-proof problem.

So I'm asking you dear readers, because you always have a wealth of information. Have you found the perfect sippy cup? The one that your kid likes and is also reasonably spill-proof? Please share!

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Gifts that teach the art of saving will be popular this holiday season, according to the Center for the New American Dream, an organization that works to "conserve natural resources, counter the commercialization of our culture, and promote positive changes in the way goods are produced and consumed." Of the 500 Americans polled about their holiday gift-giving, 62 percent said they would give family members gifts that encourage saving, like a piggy bank or a savings bond. Seventy-six percent thought that kids today are too materialistic, especially so during the holidays. The majority of the people polled said that they believe the holidays should be more about family and caring for others rather than giving and receiving gifts.

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We don't get a lot of snow here in Portland, Oregon. In fact, last winter I don't think we got any at all. I grew up knowing mostly rainy Christmases, but that doesn't stop me from coveting this gorgeous Rosebud Sled from the Land of Nod (I mean, for my kid of course). This wooden sled is handmade, and unlike the sleds your grandfather rode on, this one has comfort in mind with its back support and padded cushion. Perfect for plopping a toddler in and pulling it to the nearest park (or maybe the coffee shop) for some fun in the snow. The sled sells for $119, and at the moment it looks like shipping is free on that site. [via Baby Chic 101]

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Do kids even know what chalkboards are anymore? Well, whether they do or not, they will enjoy these chalkboards from DetailsArt.com. I'm highlighting the dog chalkboard here, because dogs are currently my son's favorite animal, but they also come in cow, moose, and cat varieties. The chalkboards are hand-crafted by artist Dan Carmichael, but are still reasonably priced at $22-32. Some of the chalkboards are free-standing (like the dog chalkboard pictured here) and some are magnetic so they can hang on refrigerators or lockers. This would make an excellent gift for an older kid or as a family gift.

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The CPSC announced the recall of about six million children's metal necklaces and zipper pulls, because they contain high amounts of lead in the metal or paint which could be toxic to children. These products are from a company named Stravina, and the packaging says "Personalized Necklace" or "Personalized Zipper Pull" on it. The recalled jewelry was sold in stores nationwide from March 2002 through September 2005 for between $2 and $4.

If you have one of these necklaces or zipper pulls, contact Stravina for a free replacement product at (800) 964-0029.

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When Maria Grigorian took her four-year-old daughter Michele to a mall in Massachusetts to see Santa, she was told that she would have to pay for a photo package before seeing Santa. Grigorian, a single mom, said she didn't have the money for a photo and the staff told her that Michele would not be allowed to sit on Santa's lap. Grigorian and her daughter left, the 4-year-old in tears. "I was heartbroken, totally heartbroken," Grigorian told her local news station, after seeing her daughter so upset.

The mall has since issued an apology, stating that their policy says that kids are always welcome to sit on Santa's lap for free. I'm glad to see this is in the news. I've always thought the mall Santa thing was kind of a racket. If most malls technically have a policy that kids can sit with Santa for free, without getting a photo, they sure don't make it known to parents. [Thanks to Eden for the news tip.]

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