I was recently at my friend’s house for a BBQ and she has twin two year olds who had the coolest shoes on. I’m not sure if these are new, or just new to me, but Natives are cute and comfy, and my kids just love them. I got ours at Zappos, just in time for summer. The color choices are hip, and I’m very thankful for a shoe more fashionable Crocs, but with the same slip-on-and-off factor.
It really wasn’t that long ago that you didn’t have a choice in baby gear, you almost always had to sacrifice style for safety unless you were willing to pay a small fortune. My oldest two boys are 7 and 5 and our choices for baby gates back then were simple – white or wood, and “looking good” was a relative term. Luckily, as I mentioned already, I have boys so if you also do, I don’t even need to say that before my third baby came along, they somehow managed to break our old gate into several unrecognizable pieces.
Once my third boy was old enough to take lessons from his brothers and start trying to throw himself down our set of wooden stairs on a daily basis, it was time to start looking for a replacement gate and as pretty as white plastic and metal can be, it just wasn’t going to cut it for me. I started doing some digging and quickly found the Munchkin Numi Gate, available in both dark wood and aluminum to match almost any modern decor.
While admittedly a bit pricier than its plastic counterparts, the Munchkin Numi Gate is worth every extra penny, especially if you’re installing it in a main room like we did. We grabbed ours from the local Target for $129.99 and aside from looking good, it works great too. Opening and closing is a snap for adults or older children, but too confusing for little hands which is exactly as it should be. The gate swings both ways which is also a big plus when lugging groceries or one of your million kids and installation was a snap. Well, installation was a snap for me at least because I just carried the box in and handed it to my husband (can’t get much easier than that) but I will say I heard a minimal amount of grumbling from him so I’m going with easy.
I am definitely willing to pay slightly more for something that is well made and can integrate with the decor of my house without screaming, “BABY”, but I can’t agree with sky-high prices just because something is modern which is why I can recommend the Munchkin Numi Gate so highly. At $129.99, you can certainly find cheaper alternatives, but there is absolutely no way you’ll find something of better quality that looks this good at a lower price point. We’ve had ours up for a year now and it still works perfectly, even with three boys and countless playdate friends constantly going in and out.
Here’s a picture of our gate installed in the main living area. I tried to get our puppy to sit all pretty in front of it like the Munchkin folks did but apparently the only thing she can do on cue is eat socks and destroy sneakers. Oh well, you get the point without her, I suppose.
Here’s a product I absolutely love and couldn’t wait to tell you about – the Name Your Tune personalized CD. Last year, I took to Twitter to ask about a unique and fun gift for my friend’s 2-year old daughter because as a three boy mom, I just didn’t know what little girls would love. I received several responses telling me to check out the Name Your Tune CDs and honestly, on first glance, wasn’t so sure this was the type of gift I was looking for.
But, I went to the website and started listening to the sample tracks and they sounded really fun, and after chatting with a girl that works there over Twitter that day, even managed to score a CD for my three boys as well. I wasn’t sure how it would go over with them, since my oldest two are 5 and 7 and well beyond the nursery rhyme years, but when it came I put it on and they literally didn’t stop playing it for months. All three of my boys, including the 1-year old, LOVE this CD and they constantly put it on and get excited when their name comes on in each song. The baby has figured out how to turn the stereo on by himself so several times a day I will all of a sudden hear a very loud version of “Little Quinn Has a Farm” echoing through the house.
This CD makes an awesome gift, I ordered lots of them for friends’ kids for Christmas and have given them out for birthdays as well and every single time I always hear back how much the kids go crazy for this. I did a little digging at Christmas time when I placed my last order and found that the code FACEBOOK will get you $5 off and it appears this is still active. It took a couple of weeks from order date until delivery for me so if you’re buying these as a gift, plan ahead but trust me, they’re totally worth it. You can order a CD with multiple names on it too, so if you’re ordering for a whole family, you only need to buy one.
Shop: Noble House Designs
Specializes in: Amazing colored beaded necklaces and jewelry.
Feedback: 100% Positive
Ships from: Houston, Texas
I’m not sure how I happened upon Sara and her amazing designs, but I’m psyched I did. Her bold use of color, asymmetry, and artistic style combine to form the perfect jewelry. I ordered a necklace a few weeks ago, and once I received it, I ordered three more (2 for gifts and another for me!). I really feel like I’m sharing a secret because her stuff it that good! Check back often because she updates it regularly with one-of-kind pieces. Happy shopping!
As grandmother, I sometimes have the privilege of having my infant and toddler grandchildren overnight. So I recently purchased a portable crib that I really am pleased with. It is called the Foundations Stowaway Compact Size Folding Crib. I saw it on Amazon.com and bought it for a number of reasons. First, it had to be safe and sturdy for infants, as well as toddlers. Secondly, I searched for a crib with a good mattress. Most portable cribs come with one inch mattress, which is just not thick enough. This crib comes with a very firm two inch foam mattress. The sides are constructed of round steel spindles, although there is a wood version available. The crib has locking casters, so it can be moved easily, yet can be locked in place. When you are not using this crib it conveniently and effortlessly folds up and can be wheeled right into a closet for storage. Best of all it came assembled and ready to use.
