Holiday Hit List

Posted by: Naomi on December 10th, 2008

Okay, maybe not that kind of hit list… phew! But here are some of the things I think are sure-fire hits for gift-giving this holiday season. Keep your eyes peeled for giveaways, too!

Stocking Stuffers

stamp

For the preschool set: The Little Stamp Company’s eponymous product is a personalized, self-inking stamp that allows your child to print his or name– no matter how unusual or esoterically-spelled it may be. The dotted font encourages your child to practice tracing the letters of his or her name, learning to spell it in the process. My 4 3/4 year old daughter, Roo, LOVES her Little Stamp and uses it all the time. She actually asked why I hadn’t ordered one for her little brother yet, so he could learn to spell his name. Uh, because Jasper is only 16 months old and the concept of him running around with ink of any kind strikes fear in my heart. <a href=”http://www.littlestamp.com/home.html”>The Little Stamp Company</a> was founded by a mompreneur who ensured that it features washable and non-toxic ink, so I don’t need to be too frightened!

For the newly-competent eater: The new Saucer by one of my favorite baby/kid outfitters, Boon, is a plate designed to keep from being picked up (and/or flung) by tiny hands. It features three sections to keep food segregated for picky eaters, plus a non-slip base to keep it in place. Boon’s design aesthetic is easy on the eyes AND ensures that Saucer is easy to wash, too.

Be on the lookout for Boon’s forthcoming line of bath toys in the new year. These BPA and phtalate-free duckies are just a sampling of the new collection, which looks just as cute as the old toys but, in my opinion, way more fun to play with.

For the girly girls: Piggy Paint is a mom-created line of kid-friendly nail polishes. Unlike your average manicure varnishes, Piggy Paint is non-toxic and odorless so it’s safer for the environment and certainly for your kids. Especially if your little girl is a thumbsucker like mine! It comes in a variety of colors, both classic and crazy, so you’re sure to find one that appeals to any tastes. Piggy Paint’s water-based formula actually has decent staying power, too. Much better than the old peel-off kiddie polishes of my youth!

WIN IT! Win a Piggy Paint Clouds of Candy gift set (includes two blue polishes and remover)! Enter HERE and tell us your favorite Piggy Paint color! Contest runs through 12/17/08, 10 PM CST.

Video games make great stocking stuffers, too, and there are a bunch of family-friendly titles out right now. Roo loves Build-a-Bear Workshop A Friend Fur All Seasons which lets her cast off in the FriendShip for adventure on the high seas with various furry friends. The mini-games are just right for her attention span and the graphics are as cute and cuddly as you would expect. I prefer Rubik’s World. It takes the nostalgia you feel for the old Rubik’s Cube and combines it into a 3-D version of Tetris that is highly addictive. Be warned! You could lose hours on this one. Build-a-Bear Workshop A Friend Fur All Seasons and Rubik’s World are both available for Wii and DS platforms.

WIN IT! Win a copy of Build-a-Bear Workshop A Friend Fur All Seasons or Rubik’s World (your choice of format)! Enter HERE and tell us your favorite video game of all time! Contest runs through 12/17/08, 10 PM CST.

Older kids will love Pet Pals Animal Doctor for Wii. This game is actually a veterinary simulation that lets players treat 30 different cases based on actual field experiences of working veterinarians, ranging from minor cases like sunburn, lacerations and infections to more serious problems like diabetes, tumors and snakebites. With Pet Pals Animal Doctor, players use the Wii controller to simulate veterinary tools and even perform surgeries! My favorite part is the recovery room where you can feed, clean and play with your animal patients… without the real-world mess or biting.

DVDs

Cartoons that feature siblings who not only get along but actually like each other are hard to find. My kids love Pinky Dinky Doo and I am so glad that it’s available on DVD now! Polka Dot Pox is actually one of our favorite episodes and there are three others included, along with a plethora of interactive games. “Plethora” is a fancy word for lots and lots, as Pinky would say. I love that Pinky is smart, creative and very helpful to her little brother, Tyler. Polka Dot Pox rocks!

WIN IT! Win a copy of Pinky Dinky Doo: Polka Dot Pox! Enter HERE and tell us your favorite TV siblings! Contest runs through 12/17/08, 10 PM CST.

If you have a daughter, chances are she likes ballet. Or, like mine, loves the concept of ballet more than the actual process of attending ballet classes. Prima Princessa presents Swan Lake is a wonderful DVD to introduce youngsters to ballet. It intersperses scenes from the Paris Opera Ballet performing Swan Lake with more casual scenes of students from the School of American Ballet learning basic ballet footwork and scenes of tutu-clad preschoolers playing ballerina while the animated fairy Prima Princessa explains the action. Prima Princessa presents Swan Lake is the perfect introduction to the world of dance. And so much easier to watch repeatedly than other princess dreck.

WIN IT! Win one of five copies of Prima Princessa presents Swan Lake! Enter HERE and tell us your favorite ballet! Contest runs through 12/17/08, 10 PM CST.

Books

If you have bookworms on your list, here’s a novel idea: Excite Books is a monthly kid’s subscription service with a twist. In addition to getting your kids excited about reading, they hope to instill a sense of civic responsibility. You can choose to have 1, 2 or 3 age-appropriate (from infant to teen level books plus cookbooks and puzzle books for all ages), teacher-certified books delivered monthly and when the child is finished reading 12 of them, a prepaid / preaddressed envelope is mailed for a child to donate none, some, or all of the Excite Books to a library in need. Right now, there is an introductory “Free Trial” that includes 3 Excite Books, 1 Educational Activity, and 8 free gifts. The photo shows Roo and Jasper’s introductory Excite Books package. Roo especially loves the activity books and the bubbles! We donated two of the books after several reads.

WIN IT! Win an introductory Excite Books package! Enter HERE and tell us what age group you’d like to win it for! Contest runs through 12/17/08, 10 PM CST.

I am a big fan of Chronicle Books and they have just released the perfect Christmas book for my kids: The Dinosaurs’ Night Before Christmas is a dinosaur-infested version of the holiday classic with all your favorite fossils having a Christmas Eve shindig. Roo is just crazy about it, especially the Parasauralophus for some reason! Included with The Dinosaurs’ Night Before Christmas is a CD featuring dino-fied holiday songs and an audio track of the story read by Al Roker. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of the book goes to support the American Museum of Natural History in New York, where the story is set.

Another fantastic Chronicle find for holiday giving is the Fairy Tree House, part book, part paper doll kit, part dollhouse. What looks like an ordinary hardcover book unfolds to reveal a multi-level, three-dimensional enchanted tree house, plus an illustrated fairy handbook and a pocket full of projects to punch out and assemble: make a fairy carousel, dress a fairy, and create a flapping dragonfly mobile. Roo loves this and the dollhouse is a good size to play with Polly Pockets and Littlest Pet Shop toys, too.

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