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.

Once a baby can handle foods with a bit of texture (somewhere around 7 to 10 months old), it is a great idea to get familiar with the bulk aisle of a natural grocery store. This aisle, which is often intimidating for someone not used to cooking with whole grains, is chock full of nutritious, easy to cook, and very inexpensive foods for your baby.

Below, I've compiled some favorite recipes for cooking bulk aisle picks for babies. All of these recipes involve simmering, which as a bonus means that if you transfer the final product directly into the fridge, the food will easily keep for 3 or 4 days. I always make at least 1 cup (dry) of whatever at a time, which typically yields 3 to 5 cups cooked. For easy of translating these recipes into different quantities according to your needs, I listed all the amounts as ratios instead of cups or pounds. The one caveat to this is that once you get below about 1 cup of liquid, recipes tend to go haywire. So, for instance, if your recipe is 1:4 grain to water, cook at least 1/4 (and preferably 1/2) a cup of grains so that you are at or over 1 cup of liquid.

Here are a few bulk aisle picks that my baby loves:

Beluga lentils

• Ratio: 1:4 lentils to liquid


• Directions: Bring to a boil, then simmer for 40 minutes. Drain if desired.


• Tasty tip: Extra flavorful if cooked in dilute stock.

Steel cut oats

• Ratio: 1:4 oats to water


• Directions: Bring oats to a boil, then simmer very low for 40 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking.


• Tasty tip: Especially tasty with a tiny dash of maple syrup (for moms and dads)

Pearled barley

• Ratio: At least 1:4 barley to liquid


• Directions: Simmer in water or dilute chicken or vegetable stock for 35 to 40 minutes. Drain if desired.


• Tasty tip: Great if cooked in the same pot as the beluga lentils!

Quinoa

• Ratio: 1:2 quinoa (KEEN-wa) to water.


• Directions: Bring to a boil, then simmer on low for 10 to 15 minutes. Quinoa will be soft and translucent when done.


• Tasty tip: Sprinkle parmesan cheese on top for extra flavor.

Polenta-style cornmeal

• Ratio: 1:3 polenta to water or dilute stock


• Directions: Simmer very low for 25 minutes.


• Serving tip: Make sure to let it cool adequately before serving - polenta will retain heat more than the other recipes here.

Whole wheat couscous

• Ratio: 1:1.5 couscous to liquid.


• Directions: Boil liquid, stir in couscous, return to a boil, then cover and set on the counter for about 5 minutes.


• Tasty tip: A mixture of tomato soup and water is really tasty for the liquid portion.

Bon appetit! - Leigh G.

My 18-month-old loves applesauce. She’s been a big fan for months now, though I must say I’m not a big fan of the mess. Even when she lets me feed her (those moments are few and far between these days), it can be a total mess. I don’t dare take snack-cup-size applesauce on the go; I’m just not brave enough for that adventure. And yet all-natural applesauce is a great snack for little ones, especially those still learning that whole chewing thing.

So what’s a mess-fearing mom to do? Well, she can either teach her little one how to slurp applesauce through a straw (been there, done that...just as messy) or she can pick up a case of Smashies, a new line of USDA organic applesauce-filled pouches for kids. Though touted as the perfect lunchbox snack I think these little guys are perfect for infants in the applesauce stage.

First of all, Smashies are healthy with no added water, sugar, high fructose corn syrup or concentrates. Second, they are convenient, portable and though probably not totally mess free, the applesauce splash zone will be a lot smaller than it was before. The applesauce is in a squeeze pouch perfect for small hands. Just unscrew the lid and squeeze - no spoons necessary. The screw cap lid means Smashies are resealable so you can snack on a little now and a little later.

Smashies’ current flavor, Snappy Apple, has only three ingredients: organic apple puree, organic apple flavor and ascorbic acid (Vitamin C). They will soon add three new flavors to their line with another three after that. Can’t wait! You can purchase a 10-pack of Snappy Apple Smashies for $10 from Smashies.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.

When my babies wear their fruits and veggies it’s usually because they’re learning to self feed and applesauce has a really difficult time making it from bowl to mouth. We’ve learned that strawberries come out in the wash though carrots will be worn indefinitely.

MooMe’s Fruit Bib Set stylish and less messy alternative. This cute and very realistic set of bibs includes two bibs, one with freshly sliced oranges and the other with ripe, plump strawberries screened on 100% organic cotton bibs. As fun as the bibs are, I’m totally in love with the packaging. The bibs arrive in their own baby food jar package as a set just like you’d see on the grocery store shelf!

MooMe also has a great Veggie Bib Set complete with peas and carrots. Either one would make a wonderful and unique baby gift. You can purchase your own tasty serving of MooMe’s Fruit Bib Set or Veggie Bib Set for $16 from Amazon.com. - Emily H.