With all the little lovie blankets out there I love seeing something that stands out and grabs my attention - and hopefully the attention of my little one. Petite Meiette’s Mini Miette did just that! It is the sweetest of little bunny lovies with its playful, brightly colored bunny head complete with floppy ears. And this little bunny has a just-as-colorful attached fleece blanket. Consider it the sweet-yet-stylish self-soother!

The softness of the Mini Miette should make it a great companion to comfort your baby at naptime and playtime. Petite Miette’s Mini Miettes use organic cotton fleece and are stuffed with organic cotton batting. The eyes and nose are embroidered on securely so you needn’t worry when the Mini Miette becomes your child’s favorite chew toy! The Mini Miette bunnies come in three color combinations: citrus patchwork (sky, raspberry, and citron); berry patchwork (blueberry, kiwi, and clementine); and natural.

You can purchase a Mini Miette for your Mini Me for $24 from PetiteMiette.com. - Emily H.

I've liked Babylegs legwarmers for infants, designed to keep an infant's legs warm when wearing one of those legless one-piece outfits, since I first spotted them years ago. They weren't available when Z was in her onesie phase, but I still like the look of legwarmers on little kids. Although Babylegs start out oversized and are meant to last into the toddler years, I wasn't sure the almost three-year-old Z would accept them now, given her increasingly discriminating tastes. I didn't want to take a chance at $15-$20 a pair (they've come down in price in recent years, into the $10-$15 range, in part due to new competition). So I decided to make my own.

You might discern from the pictures below that I was a child of the 80's. I can't count the number of times I watched Flashdance and Fame and I spent most of my time in dance class. Naturally, when I saw some women's knee-high socks on sale after the winter season for $2.50, I was inspired to make some homemade legwarmers for Z.

I was originally going to follow a tutorial for making them the "right way" (ie, with a finished hem at both ends) but in the end, I was lazy and the rough-edged style of Flashdance won out. So here's my two-minute, four-step "Babylegs" tutorial. Z loves hers - I wish I'd thought to make these when she was an infant and ran around looking goofy with pants pulled up over her onesies.


1. Carefully (or not so) cut the foot of the sock off at the heel in a more or less straight line.


2. Show your toddler how to put them on.


3. Wear on rainy or cool days. This shows the raw edge of another of Z's new pairs of legwarmers after a couple of washings. No fraying or loose strings!


4. Have a dance party in the toy store aisle!

This post from the ZRecs Archive was originally published on May 28, 2007. - Jennifer

I have four kids ranging in age from 11 to 1, which means we’ve had our share of bouncer seats, bungee-style jumping chairs and exersaucers. I’ve come to believe a good baby activity seat, one that can sooth, entertain and even help develop motor skills, is worth the investment. That’s why I love what I see in The First Years’ new Kickin' Coaster, even with its $90 price tag.

The Kickin’ Coaster is a new baby seat from The First Years and is designed with a unique kick plate at the base that creates a back-and-forth glide exercise, perfect for helping baby develop motor skills and strengthening core and leg muscles. The motion is a natural one for babies even at a very early age.

Like other baby seats the Kickin' Coaster also has entertaining visuals and interactive lights and sounds. And when your baby has done enough kicking you can choose the stationary setting, which helps soothe him to sleep with vibrations and twinkling lights. The Kickin' Coaster has eight adjustable positions, a removable infant head support, multi-level volume control (one of my must-have features), a removable teether and is ideal for infants from birth to 25 pounds.

Though there are more affordable bouncer seats/activity centers out there, I'm thinking this has to be one of the most fun and physically stimulating for a growing baby. All my babies loved kicking their legs, whether it was in a bouncer seat, on mom’s lap or in their Evenflo Jump Up (only an option a few months down the road). They would have really enjoyed this seat had it been available. You can purchase The First Years' Kickin' Coaster for $90 (includes free shipping) from Amazon.com.

Does your baby have an entertaining bouncer seat/activity center? What are its best or worst features? - Emily H.

Normally I wouldn’t bother to feature something as simple as a children’s hairbrush and comb. You can find a soft-bristled brush and infant comb down any store’s children’s aisle. I have a light blue soft-bristled baby brush tucked in my daughter’s dresser and it probably cost less than $4. When would I spend $20 on a hairbrush and comb set? When it’s the Hare Baby Comb & Brush Set from Skip Hop. I love it when form meets function, and this little bunny does just that!

I have lost that light blue hairbrush more times than I can count; it even went missing for about two months. If we had Skip Hop’s super cute Hare Baby Comb & Brush Set atop the dresser my daughter would’ve suffered from far fewer bad hair days. It’s not that we didn’t have another brush in the house; it’s just none are as soft as those baby-specific hairbrushes.

The Hare Baby Comb & Brush with its cute rabbit base is an all-in-one grooming set. The brush and comb, each with soft-grip handles, double as bunny ears and are the perfect size for parents. The brush features soft bristles so they’re gentle on your little one’s scalp. The comb has wider teeth to help with untangling hair. (Unfortunately even at almost two years old we don’t have to worry about tangles in our daughter’s hair!) As cute as the “hare” set is, my favorite part is the hidden shatter-proof mirror on the base of the bunny!

The Skip Hop Hare Baby Comb & Brush Set is BPA-free, phthalate-free and PVC-free and would look great in any nursery. You can purchase the Hare Baby Comb & Brush Set for $20 from Amazon.com. - Emily H.

My babies are always born nearly bald and when they finally get some hair, what little curls they have are gone with the first haircut. I do wish one of my girls had a head full of Shirley Temple curls. (We’ll be relying on store-bought curlers instead.)

If you and your little one are lucky enough to fight the battle of the curls and find those sweet little spirals a bit on the dry, frizzy side you might want to try Itsy Bitsy Spirals from Curls. This baby curl moisturizer is formulated with certified organic ingredients, opthamologist tested and pediatrician recommended. You apply Itsy Bitsy Spirals to wet or dry hair and it will soften, hydrate and detangle even the curliest locks.

Itsy Bitsy Spirals contains certified organic aloe leaf juice (a vitamin-rich moisturizer), certified organic jojoba oil (a natural oil similar to that produced by the sebaceous glans in the scalp) and bean tree (a plant-derived emollient that gives the hair sheen and silkiness). These ingredients combined with other organic extracts are what help the moisturizer rehydrate dry, frizzy curly hair without leaving it greasy or sticky.

Just like other products from the Curls line, Itsy Bitsy Spirals is perfect for multi ethnic children. You can purchase a bottle of Itsy Bitsy Spirals baby curl moisturizer for $10 from the Curls website. - Emily H.