Babies Gotta Have It

I had a lot of ponchos when I was little. It was the ’70s, and my grandmother knitted them for me.  One of them was two shades of blue…like a big, fringed, knitted diamond that pulled over my head.  It had pockets with little crocheted flowers on them and a matching purse.  My grandmother had some game.  I knit baby blankets for my nieces and nephews. They typically come out a very strange shape. I haven’t yet ventured into knitting anything anyone would actually need to wear. Except that one time I tried knitting a mitten. When I finished, it looked like an oven mitt.  I stitched a little snowflake into it and my mom uses it as a door decoration at Christmas. She fills it with greens and holly sprays.  I am not kidding.

Karen at Po Po’s Ponchos has come to the rescue of all of us who can’ t knit anything children could actually wear, by creating the softest, snuggiest, fleece and sweatshirt fleece ponchos imaginable. Promise number one, they won’t itch the way the knitted ones from 1976 did.  All the trim is 100% cotton.  Oh and did I mention they are adorable?

When the winter coat is too hot and it’s too cool to go without anything, reach for a poncho.  When the idea of trying to wrangle your wiggling wee one into a jacket and zip it up or button it seems like so much work that you’ll wait and go to Target tomorrow when it’s warmer, reach for a poncho.  Or if your girl likes to wear things that are fancy and you like her to wear things that are warm and hooded, reach for a poncho.  Did I mention they are adorable?

We love Po Po’s Ponchos for so many reasons.  This is a mom-owned and run business. Karen was inspired to make these ponchos by her daughter, Lily, and each one is made in Vancouver, British Columbia.  The ponchos come in three sizes and fit children ages 0 - 6.  The hoodies are lined with the same cute contrasting fabric that makes the front pocket. Did I mention they are adorable?

And here’s the best part of all.  Just in time for the holidays, Karen is offering one lucky Babies Gotta Have It reader a chance to win a free poncho!  Any style!  Any size!  As long as it’s in stock when the giveaway is over.  Woo Hoo!  Happy Holidays!

To Enter the Po Po’s Ponchos Giveaway:

1. Go to the Po Po’s Ponchos website.  Take a look at all the ponchos in the store, come back, and leave a comment stating  which one you’d choose if you won.  It’s that easy! 

***Want an extra chance to win? Blog or twitter about this giveaway, leave me an additional comment letting me know you did (please include the url), and I’ll put your name in the hat twice! Not a blogger? Subscribe to my blog using the button to the right, leave me an additional comment, and you’re entered twice.  Or, email a friend about the giveaway, cc me in the message at babiesgottahaveit@gmail.com (I promise I will not spam you or your friends - cross my heart) and you’ll have two entries. Make sure you include your email address with your entry.***

Giveaway open to those with U.S. and Canadian addresses.  Giveaway begins on Tuesday November 25th and ends on Thursday December 4th at midnight Eastern Standard Time.  On Friday December 5th, my baby girl will draw the winning name, and I’ll email you immediately.  It’s not a terribly scientific drawing, but I assure you it could not be more random.  Thanks for entering!

• Congratulations Jennifer (who is clearly number 73 and not number 11!) and Mary! Thank you so much for entering!  And thanks to everyone who entered…especially you repeat visitors!  I totally notice that you’re coming back and I’m so grateful!  Thank you also to everyone who listed the giveaway on your blogs!  I want to share the link love so let me know if I’ve overlooked you!
• AND…we’re starting another great giveaway tonight!  I don’t know about you, but I’m spending the Thanksgiving vacation entering blog giveaways.  The holidays are coming and we all could use some free goodies this year!

I heart New York.

I can’t afford to heart New York as much as I do.  This guy realized that that’s true for lots of people so he made a shirt about it.

Then he made these amazing hoodies for kids and babies.  He also made some for grown ups.  I love the site.  And I love that each one is silk screened by hand in Brooklyn.  To get the full effect of these hoodies, you just need to go to the site.  Trust me on this. Check it out. For the baby hoodies, click on this link, click on the little “HeadHoods” icon on the lower left corner, look for the images on this page (they are on the right), and click on them.  You won’t be sorry.  Basically, when the hoody is up, from the side, it looks like the image printed on the side is your baby’s head. It’s awesome.

Trying to find a holiday gift for the super cool baby of your super hip friend?  When Carter’s seriously won’t do? Look no further.  Lust no further. Hipster babies definitely gotta have HeadHoods hoodies.  Sizes 2 and up.

p.s. Thanks to Rebecca for finding these.  Rebecca who can live in Pittsburgh for five years and still be more up on what’s hip in NY than I am.

I don’t know about you…but I like to eat.  A lot. Lately it seems I’m as hungry as I was during the third trimester of my pregnancy…which is odd given the fact that I spend most days napping on the floor while the baby crawls circles around me and trashes her room.  Not really the kind of activity that works up an appetite.  And, as a mother who likes to eat, I’d like to teach my baby girl how to feed herself so she can grow to enjoy ice cream as much as I do.

Usually, I’m thwarted in both of these endeavors. Feeding my baby is such a acrobatic feat of juggling spoons and bowls and sippy cups and Elmo crackers and damp paper towels, that I’m lucky if I get half my scrambled eggs down before they become cool gelatinous mush.  And even when I do, I rarely enjoy them.   As far as the baby learning to feed herself?  Suffice it to say that anything remotely liquidy usually ends up spattered on the overhead lights or the back of the sofa.

There’s a gal in Huntsville, Alabama who has not one, but two sets of twins. One set of boys. One set of girls. All under the age of four. Note to self: stop whining about…pretty much anything.

She encountered the same mealtime difficulties I’m up against (times FOUR mind you) and decided to do something about it. She invented the Baby Dipper Bowl.

How did this gal help make feeding your baby easy?  She created a triangular shaped bowl with a sloped and contoured bottom that helps guide the food onto the spoon, making it easier for you and for your baby.  Just aim the tip of the triangle toward your baby and start feeding!  The bowl has a rubberized bottom that keeps it from sliding around the table while you and your baby scoop up the food in the cute matching spoon.  The transparent blue sides help you and your baby to see the food as well.  (Check out the short video above to see these design features in action) All this adds up to:  “Look baby!  One handed feeding!”  or…”Look Mama!  I can feed myself!”  Now where’s that Ben and Jerrys?

The only minor downside to this awesome bowl is that the super hot water in your dishwasher can affect the stickiness of the rubberized bottom.  So the folks at Baby Dipper encourage you to handwash the bowl.  I stuck mine in the dishwasher on the top rack anyway.   So far, so good.   I’m thinking that trading off handwashing and dishwashing will keep it in shape. But you know, I like to live dangerously.  That’s how I roll.

So for those of you who did watch the video…you may remember that I said Barbara, the lovely gal at Baby Dipper, has offered a bowl and spoon set for a giveaway.  I lied.  SHE OFFERED TWO!  Two lucky Babies Gotta Have It readers will win the Baby Dipper Bowl and Spoon Set!

To Enter the Baby Dipper Bowl Giveaway:

1. Just leave a comment on this post telling me what food your baby loved (or loves now) that surprised you the most!  Don’t have a kiddo of your own?  Write about a niece, nephew, grandchild,  godchild, friend, sibling…or your pet.  It’s that easy!

***Want an extra chance to win? Blog or twitter about this giveaway, leave me an additional comment letting me know you did (please include the url), and I’ll put your name in the hat twice! Not a blogger? Subscribe to my blog using the button to the right, leave me an additional comment, and you’re entered twice.  Or, email a friend about the giveaway, cc me in the message at babiesgottahaveit@gmail.com (I promise I will not spam you or your friends - cross my heart) and you’ll have two entries. Make sure you include your email address with your entry.***

Giveaway open to those with U.S. addresses.  Giveaway begins on Monday November 17th and ends on Monday November 24th (incidentally, my husband’s birthday!) at midnight Eastern Standard Time. On Tuesday November 25th, my baby girl will draw the winning names and I’ll email you immediately.  It’s not a terribly scientific drawing, but I assure you it could not be more random.  Thanks for entering!

My baby has learned a new word. One I had seriously hoped she might avoid for at least, oh say, another six months.  At most, I was hoping for twelve years or so.  Any guesses?

No?

Bingo.

It doesn’t matter what I ask her.  It doesn’t even have to be a question. Simply phrase a declarative statement with an upward inflection: “Mama loves you?”  “Time to feed the kitty?”  “There’s a lot of non-biodegradable trash floating around in an area called the North Pacific gyre?” And her little rosebud mouth funnels into a teeny weeny donut and emits an unmistakable “no.”

However, when I decided to feature BabySteals.com on Babies Gotta Have It, I was so torn about giving this particular secret away, that I actually went to the baby for advice.  “Little bean, should I tell everyone about BabySteals.com?” “No.” Conundrum resolved.

But after three or four days of procrastination I knew enough was enough.  I couldn’t let this site exist and not tell you about it. It is, quite simply, the best.

Every day at 9am Mountain Time (that’s 11 am NYC time), BabySteals.com offers one quality, name-brand (often high end) baby or maternity item at an incredible (and I mean, IN-credible) discount.  We are talking 50% - 80% off!  Today’s steal was 64% off the original price.  And if you live near Salt Lake City you can pick it up for free and avoid the shipping fee! Around 11 the site is usually rather flooded and it can sometimes take a few tries to see what’s up to steal that day.  But if you subscribe to their daily email alert, you’ll get a heads-up about what is available, and you can either click on the link to steal or not.   And I must advise you to act quickly. Quite often they sell out in a heartbeat.  Honestly, it’s kind of thrilling. Thrilling like the Filene’s basement wedding dress sale but without all the pushing and shoving and getting naked in public.

BabySteals.com.  Can you afford to miss the deal of the day? Just ask the baby…

I hate cold rain. More than just about anything.  I like snow. I like warm summer rains. But now more than ever, now that I spend massive amounts of time pushing a small, sweet, cold-prone person through the streets of New York in a stroller, I hate cold rain.  Welcome to November in Manhattan.  Try not to get poked in the eye by an umbrella.

Gals from Seattle know a little something about cold rain.  Fortunately, two of them had a rugged idea–they created a weather proof blankie that ties to your stroller and keeps that sweet little bean warm and dry.  Sadly, you will still get drenched and chilled to the bone pushing her to the Children’s Museum.  But hey, you can take it.  She maybe can’t so much. And you can always stop for a pumpkin spice latte on the way home.

Rugged Idea Blankies are not only weatherproof and snuggly (they are made from layers of fleece and ripstop nylon), they are adorable.  I love the ricrac.  I love the bright and cheerful colors that really pop on a cold gray day.

But these are far more than stroller blankets!  They come in three versatile sizes and can be used for changing pads, play blankets, boat blankets, beach blankets, picnic blankets, and for snuggling in front packs, back packs and car seats!  The Big Weatherproof Blankie will even cover your twins in their double stroller!

So buy one for the cold rain and then stay inside and picnic on the living room floor, instead. Warm snuggles and a toasted bagel while you “camp out” under two chairs draped with a fleecy blankie?  That’s something baby’s just gotta have.