With summer coming it’s time to head out. Out to the beach; out to the woods and out to visit family.

When we travel, which we do a lot and to a variety of different places, we often run into “bedding issues”. Anyone who has traveled with kids knows the feeling. Should we get one hotel room or two? It’s nap time and we’re at the beach – where should she sleep?

How many people REALLY fit in this tent.?

This cool Travel Bed I found really is misnamed. It certainly is a great extra bed for kids. It’s inflatable and quickly can be assembled on the floor in any guest bedroom. At 48″L x 30″W x 18 it’s perfect for toddlers and preschoolers, though it might be a bit cramped for a grade schooler.

But, it also has zip up, UV- protective sides and screens that turn it into a small tent perfect for days at the beach or camping in the woods. This is one of those perfect beach trip accessories!

It’s compact too as it folds up into a circular shape easy to carry with you slipped into a beach bag. For frequent travelers, it might be the perfect thing to keep in the car.

Since my son has recently become a devotee of basketball, I’m looking for all sorts of ways that he can enjoy a little hoop time. And with our New President the “Hoopster in Chief”, I’m guessing a lot of other children’s interested have been peeked.

We have a small basketball hoop out in front of our house which my son and his friends use to keep busy most afternoons. We are considering adding one to his room, possibly over the laundry basket to ensure clothes actually get in there.

But summer is coming and we all want to spend more time at the pool, so what could be better than a Poolside Basketball Hoop?

The 44 inch composite impact backboard, and classic standard basketball rim, makes this perfect for practicing in the pool. It doesn’t attach to pool side but rather includes a 26 gallon base to fill with sand or water and a telescoping pole to adjust the basket height from 4 to 6-1/2 feet.

I like the flexibility of the fillable base and 2 piece telescoping pole, since the hoop can easily be moved from poolside to garage when pool occupants would rather not have a ball flying over their heads!

Now that they’ve installed a playground on the White House lawn, made of recycled materials of course, I’m thinking about ways to add one to my home. There are lots of options out there but so many seem to cater to younger but not older kids. And, as I continue to find out, you’re almost never too old to not enjoy a little time spent climbing around, if you can do it in your own back yard so much the better.

This Dome Kids Steel Climber offer endless possibilities for climbing over and under. It’s big enough to support a neighborhood full of kids, so if yours is the home where every one congregates, you don’t have to worry about endless fights about whose turn it is on what.

One of the things I really like about this is that it offers unstructured play. There are no rules about how it can be used and it offers opportunities besides use as a climbing toy. Give the kids a few old blankets and they’ll make a tent or fort. Add in a few ropes and they’ll tie them at the top and rappel down the sides.  If you are a believer in giving kids a chance to exercise their climbing skills, this is a winner.

This Classy Kid Boo-Boo kit is a product I can get behind. I’ve always carried a first aid kit of sorts with me in my car. When my son was an infant this included all of the baby first aid tools new moms need, diaper cream, gripe water, etc. I even carried my special baby first aid kit with thermometer, clippers, etc that I received as a shower gift with me.

But as my son got a bit older, I found I had to assemble a kit of cute band-aids and antiseptic and cleaners and wipes all by myself. I ended up with scattered materials all over my purse, my car and any bags I was carrying that day.

And now here it is all in one place! The kit includes antiseptic wipes, antibiotic cream, animal shaped bandages, wound cleaner and tweezers all in a handy carrying case.

Yes, you could make one of these yourself, but this is exactly the type of gift that too few of us get a baby showers. And it’s always exciting when a year or two down the road, you find one of these thoughtful presents- someone was thinking ahead. So go ahead, consider adding this to your list of perfect baby shower presents. I did.

The tooth fairy has been visiting our house on a regular basis recently. This has left me scrambling each time a tooth falls out to get the appropriate materials together and under my child’s pillow before he awakens the next morning.

Prior to his losing his first tooth, I thought it would be cute for the tooth fairy to give him what I had always received under my pillow – a Kennedy half dollar. Nonchalantly, I strolled up to the teller at my bank after my son lost his first tooth and asked for this type of coin…and was told, with a barely suppressed smile, that, ummm…they don’t make those anymore. With resignation I switched to dollar coins- 100% more than I got, but that’s inflation for you!

All parents know though that once you’ve figured out what the tooth fairy will bring, there’s still the challenge of finding the tooth haphazardly left under the pillow. These Tooth Fairy Dolls make that part of the equation a little easier.

These cute plush dolls each come with a holder just right for a tiny tooth. The pirate doll has a treasure chest and the fairy a soft bag. No more hunting around under the pillow occupied by a sleeping child. Whew!

Now, why don’t they have more products like these? It’s one of those questions that breed a whole lot of other ones like: Why do women wear strapless evening gowns to the same events that men wear a suit jacket? Someone is going to have some issues with climate control! Or why is it that they make skimpy bathing suits that fall off if you dare to go in the water?

Getting beyond that it’s always a bit sad to watch a little girl tugging at her swim bottoms as she chases the boys down the beach or racing to get a towel on which to sit so she can play comfortable in scratchy sand. These Patagonia Girls’ Baggies Swim Shorts solve both of those problems.

These swim shorts are both fashionably cool and well made with mesh pockets to flush out water and grit and an abrasion resistant material. The comfortable elastic waistband wicks away moisture preventing a soggy tummy and the light nylon material dries quickly so she can readily wear them off the beach too.

They are available in a cool ocean blue or bright poppy red. I do wish they had a pink and a purple option too. No need to be completely gender neutral!

Before heading to the beach footwear must be considered. Now, that’s obvious of course since we do consider footwear every time we leave the house, even though we often make terrible choices. (Remember those gorgeous 5 inch heels you only wore once?)

If you have children the issue of appropriate footwear multiplies, since children’s’ considerations are different that adults. Will they find the first mud puddle in which to jump? Are they planning to climb on monkey bars? Do their beloved slip-ons still fit? And my favorite, are they the ones that always come untied?

Going to the beach has it’s own set of concerns including realizing that sand can and will get into any shoes worn there. Though the logical choice when going to the pool is flip flops, these rather flimsy shoes work less well at the beach which is why we always wear water shoes.

These Stay-Put water shoes slip on, not easily but snuggly and give added support for walking on sand. They can be worn right into the water which is perfect if you frequent rocky beaches or those wonderful few still left that feature shells.

You can even wear them to and in the pool where they keep hot pavement off tender soles.

It’s almost summer again and time to go on the swimsuit hunt. Unlike shopping for myself, shopping for an infant is way more fun! No worries about saggy stomach or chubby thighs. Shopping for a child’s bathing suit is pure pleasure. There are some cute ones this year too!

When it comes to that first swimsuit, though extra care must be taken since this is the bathing suit in which you’ll have the most number of pictures of your child. Those first years we pull out the camera at every occasion, a habit that unfortunately gets left by the wayside as the years pass.

The Newborn Girl’s Seashell swimsuit is so cute, you’ll want her to wear it as much as possible before she grows! I like the beach print and tiny ruffle and a one piece is so much more manageable, even though diaper changes can be a bit more challenging, at least there are fewer pieces to be always pulling up.

It comes with an embroidered cover-up with a hood, which you’ll want to during those hot afternoons. Infant’s skin is more delicate than adults so both sunscreen and cover-ups are a must.  The price is right, too!

A cute outfit at a good price is what we parents want. I know when I was a child, my mother shopped at department stores for cute dresses and little sets featuring delicate bows and fragile appliqué. We wore our clothes carefully and tried not to get dirty. Arriving home sweaty and covered in mud was just not an option.

Times have changed and we want our girls to participate in sports and rough and tumble. We want them to be comfortable, but we also like cute. We spend less these days on clothes, preferring to pass on the lace edging and spend less time worrying about how we are going to get clothes clean.

But can we find cute at a reasonable price?

This Rumble Tumble 3 piece flower pant suit is both! The three piece set comes with a top with a breezy summer flower appliqué and Capri pants. A coordinated bucket hat completes the outfit.

It’s the perfect outfit for a summer day at a picnic. The sleeveless top and cotton pants keep your little girl cool while the brimmed hat keeps her face and neck protected from the summer sun. And I always prefer longer Capri pants over shorts since they protect young knees which so often end up getting skinned during games of tag and hide-and-seek.

I was talking about baby proofing with another mom this week as she and I waited to pick up our children from school. As her 8 month old son squirmed to get down from her arms and, most likely try to eat mud, trip over a tree trunk or generally do those things that boys do, I asked if she still had her baby proofing gear from when her daughter was small.

“We didn’t need any”, she replied. “My daughter never got into things!

“And your son”, I asked

“What doesn’t he get into!” she exclaimed.

I can relate. Some children just seem to get into and out of everything, which is why I am a big fan of baby proofing, especially baby gates. Yes, I sometimes felt guilty watching my poor caged child shake the bars like an animal at the zoo, but in the larger scheme of things, I think baby gates are prudent… if used prudently.

Unfortunately while there are lots of baby gates perfect for stairwells and doorways indoors, I have found few that can withstand the elements outdoors. So I was happy to find this rust-proof baby gate which I can share with my friend.

From the sounds of it, she’s going to need it!