Keeping baby warm, safe and happy every night can be a bit of a challenge. Blankets are kicked off or can smother. Sleep sacks can overheat or bind. Experts recommend an empty crib or bed. Parents worry about warmth.

This SleepSack Wearable Blanket from Halo, offers a solution. Available in a variety of sizes, it’s made from 100% flame resistant cotton and is soft and warm. The sleeveless design keeps baby warm, but mitigates the chances of rebreathing into the sleeve – one possible reason for SIDS. It keeps baby’s core chest, legs and abdomen warm and is available in a wide range of sizes for the smallest infant up to the almost toddler.

Since babies tend to end up with multiple scratches, from tiny nails, as well as….well who knows what, I was happy to see that this sleep sack features an inverted zipper to protect the sensitive skin of neck and face. It’s also long enough to make diaper changes easy to accomplish without necessitating the use of six or seven hands.

And you can feel good about buying from Halo too! A portion of every sale is donated to SIDE research. I like to support companies that support me!

Eating out with a baby or toddler can be, uh interesting. Selecting a kid-friendly restaurant is followed by maneuvering to find a table in a secluded, but not hidden spot, requesting a high chair or booster and then determining what on the menu is appropriate for a child with often limited dentition.

Dining with a child with an, as of yet, immature immune system adds another layer of issues to consider when eating out. Happy to throw food on high chair, floor and other diners, most little ones are also happy to smash food into the table then scoop it up and swallow.

I’ve found the best way to keep food and germs separate when dining out is disposable placemats like these Baby Einstein Biodegradable Disposable Placemats. Compact enough to fit into diaper bag or purse, they features stick-on tabs to keep them in place on high chair or table and are a big enough to cover the entire, um “field of action”…which can be rather large with an exuberant little one.

And, since I strive valiantly to be as green as possible, though not always successfully, I was thrilled to see that these placemats are biodegradable. I can, with good conscious, toss the food splattered mat in the trash.

At some point you just really have to break down and start using real shampoo products on your baby. Sure, in the beginning it’s easier to wash her, bald head and all, in an all purpose, natural baby wash. But as hair grows in, gets longer and, sigh, is tougher to comb through, a conditioner really is in order.

You may be tempted to just put a dab of the $25.00 conditioner that you run all over town to buy and carefully dole out in the shower to keep your hair shiny, on her head. But really, is this cost effective? Does it make any sense at all when it gets in her eyes and starts her screaming anyway?

Fortunately, my favorite organic baby wash now has a companion, California Baby Hair Conditioner. Made with non chemical, plant based ingredients, it’s fragrance and tear free. And it features lots of other goodies like a sunscreen, which is particularly important for those still partially bald heads and protects hair from the harmful effects of both chlorine and salt water…though I’m not too sure how many of us take our babies in the ocean we certainly do take our toddlers.

This conditioner is both rinse out and leave in, which obviates the need for an additional detangler spray and the accompanying screeches. It works great on adult hair too…saving the need to find a tiny bottle in which to pack the aforementioned expensive conditioner on road trips.

Maybe it’s because we live in a house with a lot of stairs, railings and other places from which children can fall, I’m a big fan of “baby gates”. I’ve written about fireplace gates and have a variety around the house. But often the gates you tend to see at your local store just don’t seem to fit in the types of doorways we tend to have in modern houses.

So, I was excited to see this Wide Spaces Swing Gate, available from Evenflo. It expands from 42” to a big 5 feet for those really wide doorways. You can even buy add on panels for…well, I don’t know…really, really wide spaces.

Anyone who has carried a baby while coaxing a toddler down the stairs knows that a one-handed gate is optimal. This one closes easily with just a quick shove and swings wide to allow easy passage of adults, kids, dogs and other sundry family members.

The mounting hardware is low key so it prevents huge holes on doorframes and can easily be removed when not in use. And, it’s moderately attractive so your home doesn’t end up looking like a prison for little ones. Though, of course the gate is childproof so prison may not be so bad a choice of words…NOT!

With cold weather just around the corner, I’m stocking up on a variety of equipment to fight the inevitable winter colds. One that I’ve always found helpful for the whole family is a humidifier.

Gone are the days of huge, noisy and let’s face it, unattractive humidifiers. Today’s models are quieter, easier and all around better for fighting chapped lips, dry, itchy skin and tiny stuffed-up noses. This cute, Cow design, Ultrasonic Humidifier makes a great addition to a baby or small child’s room and does the trick on nights when the whole family could end up awake wiping tears and sleepily trying to comfort a sick and forlorn child.

It’s easy to use with a removable 1 gallon water tank and an automatic shut off switch when the tank is empty. It also boasts a control button to regulate the cool mist produced, ideal for nights when your child has a fever.

Since we try to limit the amount of cold medicine my son takes (with the recent news on the inadvisability of giving any at all that means….zero) we’ve been looking for more traditional ways to battle the inevitable colds. A humidifier is perfect, since it neutralizes the drying effects of forced air heat.

I’ve been considering buying my son a camera so have been trolling the web to find the best one. Of course, part of my motive for buying this electronic wonder is to stop him from using my more expensive model, which I fear he is likely to break sooner or later!

I’ve created a short list of requirements and have found this cool waterproof model from Fisher Price fits the bill!

It’s an award winner and a best seller. This isn’t always one of my requirements, but since most parents have many of my same concerns, (listed below) this turned out to be important.

It’s tough and waterproof…which means he won’t break this one either.

It’s easy to use – there are only a few buttons and they’re pretty self explanatory

It includes all of the goodies I look for in a camera – that is…easy, easy, easy – with not too many options; an automatic flash and the requisite preview screen.

It includes a USB cable just like my camera so I can easily upload his picture and print them out on my computer.

Big bonus- A two eye viewfinder! This is so critical for young children…and many adults I might add!

Though it holds up to 500 pictures, I suspect he won’t take more than 10 at a time before rushing to see them on the computer screen and print them out. I should probably invest in some more printer ink before I give the camera to him!

Though a play mat is one of those accessories you buy for your infant that doesn’t last more than a year, I still find it to be a good purchase. Babies need to be stimulated in an age appropriate fashion with different textures; things that move and opportunities to explore.The more ways that your child can interact with a play mat the better and it sure beats being propped up in a bouncer all day long!

When I shop for a play mat or activity center, I look for a wide variety of ways that it can be used, so I really like this Ocean Wonders Kick & Crawl Aquarium Gym. Because it can be used several different ways - to lay on and stare at; for “tummy time” and then a little later as a crawl and climb center. It includes hanging toys and a mirror, a beach ball to kick at to develop leg strength…something not found on many play mats, and a quilt with attachment toys to promote that all important pincer grasp.

I like the fact that it can be converted to a crawl through gym, extending the life of this toy to at least a year or so

Using building toys are some of the most educational activities for young children that there are. It’s never too early to get kids started whether it’s stackable cups and wooden blocks.

As your little one improves his or her eye hand coordination (I know, sometimes it seems that day will never come) he or she may be ready for something a little more challenging.

While Legos remain a long way off for a two-year-old, larger blocks that are easier to attach together are a great way to start. I like these K’nex Sesame Street blocks because they feature characters with which even non-TV-watching toddlers are familiar and include activity cards for parent/child play…an essential element for new parents who need a little refresher!

The Bert and Ernie K’nex Set comes with a storage tub and a total of 46 pieces - plenty to provide extended play value. Not a stand alone set, K’nex offers additional Sesame Street building toys featuring Oscar, Grover and Cookie monster to help your child along with the important developmental skill of collecting.

Though each set comes with its own storage tub, I recommend mixing up the pieces to encourage even more creative play. Keep the tubs to store the multitude of small rocks, stones, jewels and trinkets that rapidly pile up in any home inhabited by children!

I’m a big fan of classic styles. Maybe I’m just a nostalgia buff or maybe I actually am starting to heed that old adage – classics never go out of style. So, I try to buy classics and wear them for years. Simple skirts, good wool coats and sturdy, yet classic dress boots are standard winter wear.

As small children wear nothing for “years”, with the exception of ripped, torn and way-to-small articles of clothing in which they are forbidden to leave the house, buying classics for kids is tougher. But I try.

So when I saw this very affordable, wonderful pea coat, I just couldn’t resist writing about it. This navy blue wool coat brings back memories of winter days as a child. I remember the wonderful pea coat I proudly wore throughout the ‘70s. Both warm and sturdy, this classic sailor’s coat is made to withstand windy winter days at sea. Since, we have windy days on land, if not gale strength, they often feel like it, in many parts of North America, a thick wind resistant coat is a must.

The simple double-breasted style works well with just about any outfit and is gender-neutral meaning this can be handed down from girl to boy to girl!

This winter accessories features two deep outside pockets for keeping little hands toasty and storing those often errant mittens and an inside pocket for valuables…sticks, tiny dolls and unfortunately sometimes snowballs.

I’m not a big fan of plastic throwaway holiday decorations. Rather than buy paper plates and napkins each year, I buy ceramic (OK sometimes plastic) plates that I can pull out over and over for those special days.  My minimalist decorations are solid, wood or durable material that I can box up after the holiday. I like to strew our selection of holiday books around the house to read and re-read each year.

So I like this Halloween puzzle – an activity that doubles as a decoration. It’s 500 pieces so it’s not too intimidating for those of us who are not the most puzzle savvy. But, it has enough pieces that the entire family can enjoy assembling it as a group and of course minimize squabbles on who gets which side…because it’s round!.

The finished size 19” x 19” is a perfect size for displaying on a side table during the holiday and boxing back up in November. Or alternately after the holidays laminate it and frame for a permanent decoration.

The barnstorming design isn’t too scary for the little ones and has a terrific old-fashioned scene that makes one nostalgic for a farmyard Halloween – mom cooking pumpkin pie and a big patch of pumpkins.