20% off at Rosie Hippo

I just posted a coupon code good for 20% off purchases at Rosie Hippo. The code "STB20" is good until the end of the year.

Check out Rosie Hippo for great holiday gifts.

Holztiger animals make great stocking stuffers and will be played with for years. Arielle asked Santa to bring her birds. She says that wooden animals are the best toys in the world.

Swimming Swan ($10.00)



Linnea thinks dolls are the best toys ever. And pine cones. This beautiful German-made Kathe Kruse fairy doll could flutter through the pine cones.

Flippippi Fairy Doll ($65.00)



Young knights will love the knight set. It's made in Germany and includes a tunic, sword and shield.

Knight Set ($52.00)



Your future scientist might appreciate a moon ball. OK, it's really me that wants a moon ball :0)

Moon Ball ($10.00)



Anyway, Rosie Hippo has lots and lots of wonderful toys. And, with the coupon, you'll get a great deal!

This month, for every purchase over $100, Rosie Hippo is donating a toy to Room to Grow. Room to Grow is a non-profit dedicated to enriching the lives of babies born into poverty throughout the critical first three years of development. They provide one-on-one parenting support and essential baby items.

So you get a great deal, and you can help someone else.

Jumble Balls - reviewed by our very cute friend Lucy

Jumble Ball ($15.00)



Jumble Balls are soft fabric balls made by Jennifer of Wood Pond Designs. She started making the balls about five years ago after being inspired by a ball that her mother had made. At first, she made them for her own children and for friends having babies. Soon more and more people wanted Jumble Balls, and Jennifer started an Etsy shop.



The balls are lightweight, squashy and easy to grasp. Each square is individually stuffed leaving a hollow center that makes the ball squishable and easy for little hands to hang on to. The balls are made of 100% cotton fabric that is safe and machine washable on the gentle cycle. So, these balls can be chewed on and drooled on and dragged on the floor.



Jennifer describes herself as a "fabric junky". She has lots and lots of colors and fabrics and never makes more than a few balls that are the same. The ribbons and rickrack are a new addition to the balls, and customers can choose to have either a rattle or jingle bells sewn securely inside. Jennifer now offers Bamboo fiberfill, and she will soon have organic cotton fabric available. If you have a specific color scheme in mind, she welcomes custom orders and would be very happy to create a ball using specific colors/fabrics/patterns.



The balls are great for tummy time for tiny ones, and for rolling and tossing as the baby grows older. Jennifer's children are now 4 and 6 and she says "they still love throwing the jumble balls around and they are light enough that I don't worry about things breaking".

I'm sure that Arielle and Linnea would have had fun with the ball, but I wanted to get a real baby reaction. So, we hired a consultant. Our eight-month-old friend Lucy (and her two-year-old big sister Tess) volunteered to help us out. They loved it.



Here's what mom Sarah had to say, "That is the ball! It is so great! Totally squishable so Lucy can tumble on top of it and it smooshes flat, then pops back up. The colors are great, the ribbons are perfect and it jingles just enough to keep the kid interested, not enough to annoy the mama. We seriously love this ball! Tess and Lucy both have so much fun playing with it and it's just as great for playing catch with Tess as it is for tumble time with Lucy."



Thank you Jennifer and thank you Lucy and Tess.

First Birthday Toys

Our babies are turning one, and the hottest topic of discussion in our mommy's group is First Birthday gifts. By this time next year, our babies will have strong likes and dislikes and gift giving will be easier. For now, do we choose that special gift that our one-year-old will love, but not quickly outgrow?

Here are my top suggestions.

1. Blocks


A good set of blocks starts out small and grows with the child. They can be used for knocking down, stacking, and building. My older children played blocks until their early teens and can still be persuaded to build a palace or a robot for a younger sister.

I love the bright colors and patterns on Haba blocks. They have mirrors, prisms - even bells. When Linnea finds a block with a bell, her whole face lights up. Either Haba's Discovery Blocks ($17.99) or Erste Steine Wooden Baby Blocks ($23.49) or even Fantasy Blocks ($32.98) are great starter sets that can be expanded on when the baby is ready for more blocks.

2. A Doll

On Merlin's first birthday (he'll be 18 soon!), I took him to the toy store to see what kind of toys he liked. The thing that really appealed to him was a big squishy baby doll.

Babies like to cuddle and a cuddly doll will be the focus of pretend play for a few years. I'd keep the doll simple, with sewn down hair and no parts that can be removed.

Linnea will be getting the Pea Pod Baby from A Toy Garden, which is made by hand in the U.S. (be sure to use our discount code STB1007). Another nice option is Magic Cabin's organic woolen baby doll which sells for $49.98. Joy's Waldorf Doll's Heavy Baby ($49.98) is very sweet and is also available in a kit, if you'd prefer to make your own. And you can't go wrong with a Kathe Kruse Nicki Baby ($18.95).

If plastic is OK, >Babipouce ($21.95) are adorable and just the right size for a one year old. They have a soft vanilla scent.

3. Cars and trucks

While my son got a doll for his first birthday, my daughters received trucks. Elfie's was a red fire truck and Arielle's was a big yellow dump truck. Palumba's Dandy Delivery Truck ($19.99) appears to be a nice choice with room in the back for a small doll. Although pricey, Selecta cars and trucks like Autorello ($26.99), Autopino ($16.99), and Topeto ($12.99) are beautiful and unique. Selecta also makes an abundance of fun push and pull toys that are available at either Oompa or Blueberry Forest and make excellent gifts. Finally, I love the simplicity of Bajo cars and trucks ($7.49-$19.99) - especially the girly car which is exclusive to Oompa.

4. Wagon

Babies love something to push, and a wagon gives a wobbly walker some stability and allows a little one to take her treasures with her. Arielle had the Brio Doll Pram ($29.99). It was inexpensive, but fell apart within months. I called Brio and they shipped me a new one, this also fell apart. I've heard nice things about the Radio Flyer Walker Wagon ($67.99). The Haba pushing car ($153.99) is quite expensive, and has room for a bear or doll. Other Haba options include the doll pram in blue and red ($119.00) or girly pinks ($148.99) and a walker wagon ($135.00). My only problem with the walker wagon is that it says it is not intended for children to sit in, but it's shape certainly invites sitting. Finally, there is the wagon of my dreams, the Micky Walker Wagon from Bartl. This adorable mouse has two smaller mice that trail behind. I lucked onto a sale last week and ordered it. It requires assembly, but I'll definitely be reviewing it in the future.

5. Ball

It's simple and inexpensive and (yes) plastic, but one of Linnea's favorite toys is this ball from Togu. Maukilo.com carries a wonderful selection of Togu balls ($4.50-$8.50 depending on size, and I suggest the smaller balls like the one Linnea is chasing). Togu balls are made in Germany and their toys meet all European safety standards, so no phthlatates or PVC. This particular ball has been around for almost three years and is still bouncing strong.

The blocks, the Haba and Bartl wagons, the Nicki Doll and several of the cars and trucks as well as a small selection of Togu balls are available at >Oompa, and Oompa has generouly given us a 5% discount code (2007SARAS) which is good until November 21.

Happy Birthday to all you wonderful November 2006 babies!