Holiday Gift Guide for Babies, Families and Bloggers! | Don't Mind ...

Here it is, the thing you?ve all been waiting for?

I?ve got stuff for babies, kids, families and even us humble bloggers. Read on!

For Baby (aka Mama)

The Isis Carseat Cozy Cover is my #1 winter baby recommendation. Lots of people use various items like the BundleMe to keep their babies warm. I use it in the stroller. But for the infant bucket seat it can make getting little arms and legs in and out a chore. The Cozy Cover goes over your buckled in baby, meaning there?s nothing interfering with the straps or safety. It zips up super easy and is a breeze to put on or remove. We used ours when we took Tessa home from the hospital well into the spring.

I heard nary a peep through the cold weather. That little girl was snug as a bug. And this is an exclusive item you can?t just find anywhere. (Isis is also a small business, a great place to put your cash.) AND, you get not only your snug and warm baby, you have a built-in baby-shield. No one ever tried to put a finger on that baby when we were out and about with the cover. If you don?t like your little one being touched in the germy season, I can?t recommend this enough.

It comes in pink and blue. We liked the gender-neutral green/blue bird. Isis worked with Tuff Cookie to make these, they?re made in MA out of 50% recycled fleece. I know you guys are into shopping for good quality, made in the US products. ?Isis Parenting, $58.00, Available online or in Isis stores in metro Boston.

?When Tessa?s Grandma visited a few weeks ago she came bearing gifts as grandparents tend to do. Since then, the Roll and Chase Bumble Bee from Bright Stars has been the IT toy in our house. Tessa LOVES it. She cannot get enough of it.

When you press the buttons, the bee vibrates, rolls and plays music. Tessa goes nuts for it. And my favorite thing is that Graham will play with it, too.

He?ll come sit with Tessa, press the light up buttons, watch it roll and the two of them will laugh and laugh. Sure, music and lights toys aren?t a parent?s favorite, but I am totally won over by this bee for getting my kids to laugh together. I?m a sucker that way.

I?d definitely encourage it for babies who are good sitters, it?s been great to encourage Tessa to scoot around to catch it.

Available online at ToysRUs and Target for about $14.

If you know an expecting mom, a great baby shower gift is the Zen Swaddle. A swaddler is a must for a new baby if you?re going to manage to get any sleep. The Zen Swaddle has some great features: super soft 100% cotton fabric, a pocket for tiny baby legs that allows small ones to wear it and continue to grow with it, the adorable stitching. But it also has soft weighted sections on baby?s chest and sides to mimic the gentle pressure you give your baby when they have trouble sleeping. (If you?ve never tried the light pressure on baby?s chest trick, it?s a good one.) You can tell this is a product invented by a Mom.

Also, it has the cutest baby ever on the package.

Available at Magic Beans in Boston metro area, or find a store near you. Retails for about $39.99

Other Baby Favorites:?Highlights Hello! Magazine, Zutano Baby Booties.

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Kid & Family Gifts

Graham really enjoys playing with Daddy?s iPad. But with that brand new and expensive piece of equipment (which is for WORK rather than kid play) we have to play it safe around the kiddos.

Thanks to Mommy Niri and Fisher Price, we?ve made the iPad safe from kid hands and bumps with the Apptivity Case. It has a durable screen to keep smudges off. You can block the home screen button (or not). The little chew rings for baby are a great touch with our little one. Also it?s easy to take on and off (only tool you need is a coin) but too hard for little hands to do themselves.

Graham likes to use the iPad himself, but we can usually convince him to play with Tessa. When they both play, we?ve used the free Fisher Price Laugh & Learn Apps. They?ve worked astonishingly well with both kids.

The Apptivity iPad case is available at stores everywhere and retails for around $30. There?s also an iPhone case which retails from $10 to $15.

?Since Graham got his cow hat, I?ve had absolutely no difficulty getting him to put it on each morning before the bus comes. Also, his awesome bus driver greets him with ?Moo!? most mornings.

The hat is by Knitwits, made by hand with New Zealand wool. The inside has a fleece lining that?s very warm. I am so in love with these. It is possible that people who live in cold climates that I send gifts to just *might* find one in their Christmas gifts this year. (So if you have a preference, let me know. I am a big fan of the fox, the moose and many, many more.)

They have kids sizes and youth/adult. And they make mittens, scarves and a variety of other adorable products. (If your kids are character-oriented, they also have Sesame Street and Hello Kitty.)

You can find Knitwits animal hats in their online store. They retail for $29.99

Experience gifts are awesome. Getting a family a membership to a local zoo, museum or aquarium is worth so much more than its actual value. Especially if it means the kids will have somewhere to run around in the summer. We?re loving having regular access to the New England Zoo and its amazing new playground. We can be in and out in an hour or two. And while we?re there I feel bad for the one-visit parents who keep telling their kids, ?Come on! Come look! Let?s go look at this!? instead of letting their kids roam and relax. We?ve also enjoyed an Aquarium membership, which gives us an indoor place to seek warmth and fun in the winter.?A one-year family membership for 2 adults and up to 4 children at the New England Zoo is $95. A one-year membership for 2 at the New England Aquarium is $85, a membership for 4 is $135.

You don?t have to be a foodie to appreciate a subscription to ChopChopMagazine. It?s full of snack ideas and fun recipes. It?ll also encourage your kids to help in the kitchen and get them eating healthier. Especially good if you?ve got a wide range of ages, this is great for little and big kids.?A?1 year subscription is $14.95, 2 years is $24.95

Or give a family photo session with an awesome local photographer. (Here in MA I recommend Rebecca Deaton.)

Or how about a gift card to a getaway, like?my favorite Maine B&B?for some tired parents?

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Gifts for Bloggers (aka Me)

Here we?re moving into stuff I haven?t actually used or owned to the stuff I just plain want.

I figure if I just keep talking about the Microsoft Surface long enough maybe they will see how desperately I want it. If your laptop is a hand-me-down from your husband who doesn?t go easy on his electronics and the hinges are getting scary and the keys are starting to stick and the operating speed is dismally slow, well? you could wish for a lot of things.

But I?m wishing for a Surface because I love the look, I love the portable tablet capability, and I love the simple add on of the keyboard which is also a cover. Why bother with a laptop? It will go swimmingly with my Arc Touch Mouse.?Surface starts at $499, the Arc Touch Mouse is $69.?

I?m also drooling over cameras for the second year in a row. When you go to events as press it does look a little flimsy to take phone pics. (And my phone does not take great pics, as you may have noticed. The fuzzy feature on Instagram is my friend.)

Real bloggers use DSLR cameras and one of these days I?m really going to join them. Lately I?m eyeing the Nikon D3000. I?ve also looked at the Canon T3. A good beginners model would be awesome.?They retail for far more than I?ve got to spend, and they?re the CHEAP DSLR?s.

If you already have a camera, start dropping hints about a photography class. Check your local adult education center. Boston?s has a Digital Photography Class for Beginners?($320) and a How to Figure Out a Digital Camera class ($58).

You may also want to set your blogger up with a Conference ticket (there are TONS of them) or even just a gift card for airfare or hotel to help them pay their way to fun and learning and dance parties.

We also rack up blog expenses that aren?t fun and have to be paid every year and every time we update. Hosting, design, themes, coding, backups, domain names? blogs are not all fun and games. Getting them up and running takes not just a lot of time but some cash, too. You may want to send your blogger a little gift via Paypal to help them cover their blogging expenses. Very simple to do if you have a Paypal account of your own and someone?s email address.

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Now it?s your turn: what do you have your eye on to give or receive this year?

Disclosure: I have no relationship with any of the items here, although I am open to such things and yes, I?m talking to you, Microsoft Surface. I bought the Isis Carseat Cover and Zutano booties but all other baby and kid items were received as gifts.

Source: http://theseversons.net/2012/11/gift-guide-babies-families-bloggers/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=gift-guide-babies-families-bloggers

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