I have a ton of cabinets and drawers in my kitchen, all of which are off limits to my kids. Before my first son became mobile I did some research on safety locks, and I had a few ideas in mind. I was hoping to find locks which were easy to install, durable, concealable, and didn’t cause pinched fingers. I also needed the option to disengage them when needed without having to remove them. The Safety 1st Tot-Loks were the best fit for all of my needs. Now with my second son being mobile and having that “urge-to-get-into-everything” mindset, I am glad that I went with the Tot-Loks to keep the cabinets and drawers safely locked.

The Tot-Lok is a magnetic locking mechanism to keep cabinets and drawers locked. The only way to open the lock is to use the magnetic key placed against the outside of the door where the magnetic lock is located. We have three magnetic keys, placed in different spots throughout our kitchen. I do recommend having more than one key, because I have on a few occasions misplaced my lock somewhere in my kitchen and was happy to have the other keys available until the other one turned up behind my husband’s empty cereal box on the counter. You cannot see the locks because they are completely housed on the inside of the door and there is no gap when the door is closed so there is no potential for a toddler’s pinched fingers. The install was pretty easy, even through a drill needed to be involved since these locks are hard-mounted. Also, during my sons birthday party when I needed repeated access to the cabinets, I was able to disengage the locks so that the key was not needed for them to open.

Safety 1st Tot-Loks can be installed on drawer and cabinet doors that are 0.5-1.5 inches thick. They also come with a lifetime guarantee from the manufacturer!

Popularity: 9% [?]

After much trial and error, I have hit upon my favorite wipes to use on my babies bums, Huggies Baby Wipes. They come in several scented and unscented (Natural Care and Gentle Care Sensitive) varieties.  Specifically, I am a fan of the Lavender & Chamomile, as well as the Cucumber & Green Tea. They both just smell divine! I like these wipes because they do a great job cleaning poop or diaper rash cream with minimal wiping. Also, they are very soft and thick, which makes them gentle yet prevents them from ripping or shredding. In comparison to other wipes I have tried, it seems as though these leave the cleanest skin, there is no oily film left over after using the wipe, like I have experienced with other brands. I have also found a secondary use for these wipes - great makeup removers! I use one to get all of my makeup off my face in the evenings. Best of all, they are fantastic for getting off waterproof mascara. Plus, if you look at the price - it is so much more economical to use these as makeup removers than the wipes that are actually marketed for makeup removal.

Popularity: 10% [?]

Before the birth of my second son I set out to buy a new baby monitor. While browsing the store I came across the Angelcare Movement Sensor by BebeSounds. This monitor was the best money I have ever spent on a baby product.It has provided me with a peace-of-mind I never had with my first son. The monitor has both a movement and sound senor which are designed to detect your baby’s slightest movements, even those made from simple inhaling and exhaling. The best feature of the Angelcare Movement Sensor is that if does not detect any movement for twenty seconds, an alarm will sound. I actually tested this feature out because I was skeptical on how the monitor could detect anything through the baby’s thick mattress. The monitor passed every test. It really can detect the slightest movement even through the mattress, but is not overly sensitive to detect non-baby movements. And there is also a sensitivity setting so you can adjust to your homes conditions (wood floors feel more vibration = lower setting, carpet detects less vibration = higher setting). You really should test this out before putting a leap of faith into the monitor, but once you do I can promise you it really does help you sleep a little sounder at night.

The Angelcare Movement Sensor comes in three parts (motion sensor pad, nursery and parent unit) and is extremely easy to install. There are three settings on the nursery Unit. One setting is for sound only. Another setting is for sound and movement and features a “tic” sound every time baby moves (I passed on this option because my son was a light sleeper). The third setting is for sound and movement without the “tic” sound. This is the setting I use. I have experienced a few false alarms at night and let me tell you, I have never jumped higher or run faster in my life. But it only happens when the little guy scoots himself to the top of the crib and the senor did not pick up his movement/breathing.

Note: this is not a medical device nor can the Angelcare Movement Monitor prevent SIDS. For more information, please visit AngelCare.

This review has been written by our first guest writer: Kimmylyn - you can find her at Jogging in Circles.

Popularity: 9% [?]

I loved my Ocean Wonders Aquarium Bouncer when my boys were little. My boys seemed to do so well whenever I put them in this bouncer. They were quiet and calm, and it allowed me to get a lot of things done around the house. I took this bouncer to every room with me and would put my baby boys in it, and get a good half hour of peace and entertainment. Often times, the soothing vibrations and music would even get them to sleep for a nice long nap. I ended up using it for about 6 months with each, because that was around the time they started to pull up to a sitting position.

The Fisher Price Ocean Wonders Aquarium Bouncer is a great chair that keeps babies entertained with lights, sounds, and music. It features four selections of music & sounds: lullabies, ocean waves, summer rain and babbling brook. The removable toy bar has fish that spin around as lights and bubbles dance around them, as well as a seahorse teether and fish spinner hanging from the toy bar that the baby can bat at while in the bouncer. Whenever the baby moves or kicks their feet, the soft padded seat gently bounces adding to the baby’s enjoyment. The Aquarium Bouncer also has harness straps to secure the baby in the bouncer and keep them safe. The seat and harness are all machine washable and dryer safe, which makes for really easy clean up. But by far my favorite part of this bouncer had to be the vibration mode which is similar to that of a car ride. It always seemed to calm my kids down whenever I put on the vibration mode, in addition to the music and the lights. Overall, a great product for keeping your kids happy, occupied, and entertained during that time before they are able to sit up on their own.

For more information about this bouncer, please visit Fisher-Price’s Website.

Popularity: 8% [?]

I received the Primo Baby EuroBath as a gift before my son was born. It is the largest baby bath tub available, which turned out to be a good thing as my son came out a whopping 9lb 12oz. This tub is so convenient and durable that I have used it for the last two years with both of my children.

There are two bathing areas in the bathtub, one for the baby when they are bathed laying down and one for when they are able to sit up on their own. I was able to use this tub on the island in my kitchen when my children were at the stage of laying down, which meant that I didn’t have to bend over and hurt my back while bathing them. Once they started sitting up I put them in the other contoured side with the tub on my tile floor. The way the Primo Baby EuroBath is designed, it contours to the shape of your child so that they are unable to slip and slide all over the place, even when they are sitting upright. This allows for more freedom for the baby to explore and splash around, as well as freeing up your hands to get in some good washing. Also, it saves me so much water, as it doesn’t require nearly as much water as if I were trying to bathe my children in a regular tub. I am currently still using it with my 11 month old, who weighs 25 pounds and is super active. He is safe and secure in this tub, and he gets to have a lot of fun, too!

The Primo EuroBath Baby Tub is available in three colors: pearl white, pearl mint green, and transparent blue. It has a built in drain and two areas for holding soap, shampoo, toys, etc. For more information, please visit Primo Baby.

Popularity: 5% [?]

We have been using the Jasmine 4-in-1 Crib by Delta Children’s Products nonstop for almost 3 years now. I started using this crib once my son was out of his bassinet, until he was about 24 months old and we needed it for my youngest son. Once this boy is big enough we plan on still using it and converting it to a toddler bed. Now, realize that this crib has been through quite a beating with two rambunctious boys, and it still looks like brand new and is as sturdy as the first day we put it up in the nursery.

This versatile and stylish piece of nursery furniture starts out as a crib with a quiet track fixed drop side for easy lifting of the baby into and out of the crib. There are 5 mattress height positions, allowing the mattress to be dropped down for when your little one starts sitting up and standing. Later the crib can be converted to a toddler bed, a day bed and even a full size bed. The full size bed requires an additional frame which is sold separately, but is easily available for purchase from Delta Children’s Products.

The Jasmine 4-in-1 Crib features a solid wood frame and metal construction, and it is JPMACP certified, meeting all mandatory and voluntary safety standards. As a crib and toddler bed it is rated for up to 50 pounds. It comes in several different stains to match your nursery decor, such as natural, cherry, and white. For more information, please go to Delta Children’s Products.

Popularity: 8% [?]

Sometimes it’s the simplest toys that make the biggest hit with kids. This is so true of the Playskool Busy Gears at my house. My boys received this toy as a Christmas present and have yet to tire of it. My 2.5 year old and 10 month old are both fascinated with the Playskool Busy Gears, spending a lot of time sorting and rearranging the colorful gears, taking them off, spinning them, and toting it all around the house. They actually play with the toy together, with my older son showing the younger one how to put the gears on, stack them, and to take them off. It is such a simple toy, with one button that plays a little tune and causes lights to flash and the gears to spin. That’s all it does, but it is hands down the favorite toy in the house right now. I can even spend some time doing housework, bills, etc. if I put this in front of them. That alone makes it a worthy buy in my book!

The Playskool Busy Gears is a colorful toy which has 11 mulicolored gears that can be rearranged, sorted and stacked. A red button at the bottom of the toy causes lights to flash, a song to play, and the gears to spin around. It also has an automatic shutoff feature which conserves the batteries. For more information about the Busy Gears and other Hasbro/Playskool toys, please visit Hasbro’s Playskool Website.

Popularity: 7% [?]

In honor of Scrolling Saturday, we are featuring this archived post:

If it weren’t for the Huggies Overnites Diapers, I would be doing laundry loads of soaked sheets and clothes every morning. My son started potty training about four months ago, and while daytime is going very well, nighttime is an entirely different story. My son is such a heavy sleeper that he does not wake up for the bathroom or potty. The Huggies Overnites Diapers have been the only ones that have held enough liquid for him to sleep through the entire night, without waking up in a pool of wet clothes and sheets. Recently, I went without these diapers because I ran out and forgot to get more at the store.  Well, I was washing sheets every morning for 4 days before I quickly ran to the store at 11pm one night to buy these diapers.  The Huggies Overnites have to be the only diapers I have come across that actually work for heavy nighttime wetters. Every other diaper or nighttime pullup we have tried has caused either bad leaks or has caused my son to wake up crying from feeling very wet. A lot of moms who have tried these diapers, agree that these are simply the best for overnight wear.

The Huggies Overnites Diapers come in three sizes: 3(16-28 lbs), 4(22-37 lbs), and 5(27+ lbs). For more information visit Huggies Baby. Sometimes, Huggies Overnites are not available in your local retailers, but they are easily ordered on Amazon in all three sizes.

Popularity: 6% [?]

Blocking noise in the home can sometimes be one of the best things you can do to ensure your little ones get the sleep they deserve. I have found this to be true even more so now with two children in the house. My youngest goes to bed about an hour to hour and a half earlier than my oldest, and with the Brookstone Tranquil Moments Sound Machine set to the “white noise” setting, my youngest doesn’t get disturbed by anything else that is going on in the house. I started using this machine for bedtime and naptime pretty much from the moment I brought my babies home from the hospital. It essentially became one of the triggers in the bedtime routine. As soon as I turned it on, my kids knew that it was time for bed. I now have two of these, one in each of the boys’ rooms. Even grandma has one at her house, for those times when we are over and the kids need to take their naps. Another great feature of the Brookstone Tranquil Moments Sound Machine is that it is small enough that it can travel with you. When we went on vacation to Europe and Florida, we packed our sound machine and used it everywhere we stayed.

The Brookstone Tranquil Moments Sound Machine for Baby has 6 different sound settings: white noise, prenatal, lullaby, dolphins, car ride, and heartbeat. I personally have mainly used the white noise setting for sleep, but the heartbeat and lullaby settings worked well when my kids were newborns. There is another version of this sound machine marketed for adults, which has 12 pre-programmed “nature” sounds, including the “white noise” setting. My husband and I have this one in our room to help us sleep as well. For more information about Brookstone’s line of sound machines please visit Brookstone.com.

Popularity: 8% [?]

Nickelodeon and Sony BMG have another hit on their hands with the latest new Backyardigans CD “Born to Play”, which is released on January 22nd. My kids and I have been listening to this CD, which we received as a pre-release a few weeks ago, pretty much non-stop. My son is a big fan of the Backyardigans, as am I, and we look forward to listening to it during our “dance-time” after dinner. The Backyardigans are a group of 5 neighbors that meet up in the backyard and act out different adventures, transforming themselves into different characters in far off lands. The music is what makes this series for children stand out above the rest, in my opinion. It is even a pleasure for adults to listen to the catchy songs.

The Backyardigans “Born to Play” CD is packed with 22 full-length songs from the hit Nick Jr. series, spanning musical genres ranging from jazz to zydeco to hip-hop and even arena rock. Guest artists featured on this CD include Alicia Keys, Cyndi Lauper, and Adam Pascal. As an added bonus, this particular CD features all of the songs from the much anticipated “Tale of the Mighty Nights” movie event, which is scheduled to air January 14th. “Born to Play” is available for purchase January 22nd, and will be packaged in an earth-friendly recycled sleeve. There are also other Backyardigans CDs currently available in addition to this new release. They are “The Backyardigans” and “Groove to the Music”. All of these are available in the children’s sections of most music stores or on Amazon for purchase.

Popularity: 5% [?]