Though you may not have seriously considered it before, now may just be the time to consider using cloth diapers. Besides being more eco friendly and often more comfortable for baby, the sheer cost savings inherent in cloth diapering may make you change your mind about using disposables. (Full disclosure: I did not use cloth diapers for a variety of reasons, but that was a different time and I probably would now!)

Cloth diapers are so much easier to use and come in a variety of different designs these days, so why not give it a shot? I like these BumGenius One Size Cloth Diapers. Rather than sorting through diapers and buying new ones as your baby grows, these grow with baby. The stretch-to-fit tabs work for infants up through toddlers. Simply fold down the extra material and secure it under the tabs for smaller children and expand for older children.

This company has thought of everything and includes an extra insert that can be used alone for an infant and for extra absorbency for older children - it fits toddlers up to 35 pounds! Built in elastic in the legs and back keep messes in and the soft inner layer wicks moisture away from baby. The waterproof outer layer keeps messes away from you and baby’s cute outfits!

A great solution for smaller spaces and in cost saving households - and aren’t we all these days? The Angel Line Convertible Gliding Cradle  grows with your child. It starts as a great way to keep baby close at night. It is light and easy to move, as well as smaller than a traditional crib. This cradle can be placed next to a parents’ bed at night. It’s not quite a co-sleeper, but perhaps the next best thing. In the morning or for a shift change so at least one parent can get some sleep, it can be quickly transported back to baby’s room or anywhere in the house.

I really like this cradle as an option to a traditional crib because it is convertable. After your infant grows out of it, convert it to a loveseat and - voila- instant furniture for a child’s room or really anywhere in the house.

Though it isn’t pricey, it is well made.  This cradle is solid wood with a non-toxic finish. It has a glider mechanism with safety stop and comes with a 18″ x 36″ x 1″ pad. The child’s love seat version can accommodate two children up to 100 pounds and the conversion is fairly easy to make.

Sometimes I see something that is just so cute, I can’t resist writing about it. When I saw this Ballerina in a Box I just started to smile. That’s how I measure, “cute” - don’t you?

I am, also, as regular readers know, a big fan of pretend play - so anything that can be worn as a costume is something that I feel good about recommending. This ballerina outfit include 3 pieces, a metallic dot tulle skirt with a contrasting bow at elastic waist; a gem-detailed leotard with elastic at leg openings and neck and elastic-waist nylon tights.

OK- it is hand wash only, which makes it a little less cute, in my opinion, but it’s hard to conceive of a ballerina outfit that wouldn’t be. It is made of nylon.

It also comes in this really great gift box, which I was, unfortunately unable to find a picture  which I could actually copy onto this site. Hello, Danskin- don’t put your pictures only in flash! so take my word for it, the really, quite lovely hat box in which this is packaged is a saver. Keep it and store the costume or other little girl trinkets in it!

Next up – a booster seat. It seems like forever, then the day comes when it’s time to retire the car seat and invest in a booster seat…or may I suggest, two. By this time, you may have another little one to plop into the, now well worn car seat. One hopes you have invested in one with a washable cover, because it is surely been christened with bodily fluids, juice and various smashed bits of food. One hopes it is also gender neutral since these days, reusing is hip!

Now comes the time when you, once again, can spend hours on the web researching the safest and best booster seat available. That becomes your main purchase. But, as is often the case, a second booster seat is required, for a second car and for the occasional friend who tags along. Transferring big and bulky booster seats from car to car gets cumbersome and as children get bigger, lap belts work well…when a child is at the right height.

So, a smaller, easy to transport booster seat comes in handy. I like the Combi Dakota Booster Car Seat. It’s small enough to move easily from car to car and to store in the trunk for quick access when  an unintended visitor ends up in your back seat – which happens rather frequently in our group as we coordinate drop offs and pickups at various activities. And of course, it’s inexpensive enough to make buying it a, well…good buy.

As an advocate of attachment parenting I bought into the whole idea that an infant shown be held as much as possible. This tends to work rather well when you have a whole host of people ready to hold your child. It works less well, when it’s you and basically you and you have a variety of other things to do including recovering from the birth and taking care of other children.

So it’s good, I think to have a plan B when you just can’t hold onto your baby for any longer…even in a sling or baby carrier. That’s when it’s time to find some alternatives. This newborn lounger from Boppy meets my needs.

Designed for preemies and infants, it lets you place you baby low on the ground, much safer than on the bed, and give him or her, a comfortable place to lay. It’s covered in soft fleece and has a recessed center to keep baby from rolling off unintentionally.

Unlike big and bulky playpens, this pillow can be easily moved from place to place, taken to a friend’s house or to the park or even to the beach.  It apparently wipes clean, but it also can be covered with a Boppy slipcover- the better choice, I think especially for leaky babies.

Continuing on my hunt for birthday presents, I’m tracking down toys that I would enjoy giving to just about anyone or at least any child in the 4- 10 age range. If your school is more organized than my sons, I’m just envious! Too often we get birthday party invitations a few days before the actual party. Is this because the kids inevitable lose them if given out too early or because the parents do?

Either way, since like most moms I am continually rushed, so rather than run out and buy, card, wrapping, a present a few days before, I tend to stock up on presents I like to give. In this category are remote control cars. I know many would consider this a toy with limited play value, but I’ve seen how my son and his friends find a thousand ways to incorporate RC cars into their everyday play…inside and out of doors.

This Super Wall Climber Remote Control Mini Car, is, well super for a winter gift, perfect for indoor use when it’s raining snowing or just too cold for outdoor play. I’m not sure exactly how it works, but there are adjustments to the fabric air skirts located on bottom for proper vehicle air suction to the wall and it’s small.

Perhaps not the best gift for a family that has just moved into a new house or completed a remodel, but great for kids who live in kid- friendly homes.

My son’s birthday is coming up, as it seems are those most of the children in his class. So, of course I’m stocking up on birthday gifts to distribute over the next few months I’m more and more and more these days shying away from cheap toys. Admittedly, I’ve never been a fan of overly commercial, what I call, “ten second toys”, that is, toys that have limited play value, but I find I’m getting even pickier.

So, I’ve started to limit myself to just a few categories of toys. One of them is building toys, which I’ve written about a few places, including here and here. As I’ve been cruising my favorite web site, PriceGrabber of course, for ideas, I ran across these Kapla blocks.

Lightweight and simple enough for a toddler, they are just the kind of toy I like – one that grows with your child. The simple shapes can be used to make fences or small structures and later on to build intricate buildings. They also can be combined with favorite pretend play toys and incorporated to pen in horses or build a defense structure!

An award winner, Kapla blocks’ proportions are based on the elementary progression of odd numbers: 1:3:5. This ratio for optimal strength is often used in forming bricks, cutting beams, planks, and stone. In other words, you can build these to the ceiling without them tipping over – more or less.

It just tickled me pink when I saw this organic chicken from Lana Organic. It makes me laugh to look at it right now!

Of course it is totally cute and cuddly, but it also has the added benefit of resonating with any child growing up in a green home these days. Watching mommy or daddy shop for organic vegetables and organic milk and organic…chicken to take home makes those kids of ours tuned into organic. So why not bring home one for baby?

And since babies the world over chew and gnaw at everything in sight, knowing it’s made from certified organic cotton and non toxic dyes will make you feel good about giving it to baby. The more we hear about lead and chemicals and nasty other toxins in the toys we give our children, the more I’m determined to buy only certified safe toys and keep the dubious ones out of my home.

This little chicken measures 7 inches and is machine washable - a must in our house where we try to limit the number of toys we buy. We know that bodily emissions are a given, so why not plan ahead? One note, though - it’s not dryer safe so plan for extra drying time.

In these tough times, we’re all looking for ways to save money, so modifying the old to make it new seems the right thing to do. So if you have another on the way and are trying to figure out how to make the stroller you love accommodate two, this Wheeled Board from Bugaboo might just be for you.

Designed for use with Bugaboo Cameleon, Frog, and Gecko Strollers, this nifty attachment clamps onto an existing stroller and holds a child in a standing position, right where you can see him. Sturdy and strong, it works with children up to 40 pounds…perfect use with most toddlers and preschoolers.

I haven’t seen this used, but it gets some great reviews on other web sites and I think it looks a lot less cumbersome than the double stroller with which we parents usually have to contend. Best of all it’s easy to attach. It only takes about 5 minutes, which means you don’t have to lug it along when it’s baby all on her own.

Obviously it works best if your toddler is two or older – by that time the novelty of riding on the back beats the normal curiosity of a toddler who wants to run off and explore everything in site.

Here’s another great train table, this one from KidKraft. I wrote about all the advantages of a train table here. You can tell I’m a big believer in them. This one has all the bells and whistles and is available at a great price too.

The KidKraft Train Table includes handy drawers that are great for storing trains and track and are easily labeled and relabeled with a chalkboard strip on each drawer. It’s never too early to teach your child how to be organized. This comes in handy as your child gets older and the train table becomes a craft table. The drawers can be used to store craft supplies and sundry art materials.

And in this era of value shopping, where we look to purchase products that last, KidKraft has a reputation for quality – something we are all seeking. Well built of solid wood, the drawers even have wheels that make clean up easy and add to the alternative uses that you might find for them down the road.

Best of all, this set comes with a complete train set of 91 pieces so you don’t have to cruise the sale racks (as I did) to pick up those expensive accessories on sale. The included train set includes bridges, tracks and a tunnel, as well as, a Ferris wheel, merry-go-round, game booths, and more.