This Video of a Baby Meeting His Dad's Twin Brother Has 22 Million Views For Good Reason
By Gen Cohen
News: child
10 Summer Activities For Kids Under $10
By Gen Cohen
Finding enough activities to keep kiddos busy throughout the whole Summer can become exhausting — and expensive. Save some money (and your sanity) with a few fun activities that cost almost nothing to set up and carry out. But remember! Sun protection for your kids' eyes don't have to be expensive either. Browse our baby and junior sunglasses to learn more!
Read through for 10 inexpensive summer activities for kids under $10 that they — and your wallet — will love.
- Berry picking. Rather than picking up overpriced berries from the grocery store, visit a local farm to pick your own to give your kids something fun to do.
- Fly a kite. A cheap kite won't cost you an arm and a leg, but it will definitely lead to hours of fun. There's nothing more exciting for kids than watching it fly in the sky!
- Water balloon fight. Grab a big bag of water balloons, spend an hour frustratingly filling them up, and watch as your children's smiling faces getting hit by balloons makes it worth the trouble.
- Paint pet rocks. Instead of using expensive arts and crafts kits, grab cheap paints and have your kids collect a bunch of rocks in the yard to decorate as their "pets."
- S'mores party. Buy some graham crackers, chocolate, and marshmallows, and start a fire in the backyard pit to make a delicious Summer snack.
- Pool noodle racing. For a fun indoor game, cut a pool noodle in half, lay the halves next to each other with the opening up, and use them as a racetrack for marbles.
- Build a moat. Using a roll of aluminum foil to hold the water in, let your kids go crazy designing a moat with the foil all around the outside perimeter of your house.
- Tarp 'n' slide. Slip 'N Slides can be expensive (and get ripped by the end of Summer anyway). Purchase a big tarp and pair it with a hose to give your children the gifts of slipping and sliding.
- Colored tape racetrack. Using colored tape on any floor, create a racetrack for your kids' cars (older kids can design the track themselves!).
- Make a soap cloud. Grab a bar of soap, throw it in the microwave to make it expand, and use cookie cutters and food coloring to make fun soaps to play with in the bathtub.
Image Source: Shutterstock
Take the Heat Out of the Kitchen! 20 Summer Crockpot Recipes
By Gen Cohen
Crockpots are a cold-weather essential, but if you're accustomed to putting your slow cooker away from April to September, you may want to reconsider. These 20 recipes do what the grill cannot, allowing your dinner to cook itself while you head off to work, Summer camp carpool duty, or whatever else the day has in store. From pulled pork to vegetarian lasagna that lets you put all of that seasonal squash and zucchini to use, you're guaranteed to find a few great meal ideas to get your family through the second half of Summer.
36 of the Best Gifts For Infants (besides our shades)
By Gen Cohen
Baby's first holiday or birthday can't pass unnoticed. Though they may have more fun with the box than anything in it, there are still plenty of fun gift ideas to add to their toy chest. From activity gyms and bead toys to an adorable rocker and the softest play mat ever, here are our 36 favorite baby gifts for this year!
Your little one can chew away on their first slice of pizza with this adorable Pizza Slice Wooden Teether ($13).
Once your baby is holding themselves up a bit, they can sit in this Busy Baby Activity Chair ($129) that has a bunch of activities built right into the seat.
Got a drooler on your list? These chic, playful Matimati Baby bandana bibs ($22) keep their clothes dry while still looking stylish.
No baby toy bin is complete without these Classic Baby Beads ($15).
On the Ringmaster Baby Activity Gym ($89) your baby can explore and play with the hanging animal rattles.
Freshly Picked Metallic Leather Moccasins ($34, originally $60) are the sweetest kicks for little ones who aren't up and walking yet but need a layer other than socks in cold weather or on a special occasion.
These Monique Lhuillier Security Blankets ($69) come in three styles — elephant, lamb, and bunny — and have the potential to be your child's favorite lovey.
These fleece and velour Farm Animal Rattle Blocks ($34) are a soft toy for your little one to grab and squeeze.
Not much will be cuter than watching your little one move around on the Fisher-Price Bright Beats Learnin' Lights Dance Mat ($35, originally $40) this holiday season and beyond.
These Celestial Baby Rattles ($20, originally $24) make delightful rattling noises and are easy to grip to provide hours (OK, minutes) of fun for baby.
Little Lotus Swaddle ($75)
What's better than a cozy pair of zebra and tiger baby booties ($6)? A pair that rattles! These rattle booties are so sweet and will give babies who've just discovered their feet something new to do with them.
The LilyPad Playmat ($120) is the perfect squishy mat for your baby to play on and will grow with them straight through the toddler years.
The Fun on the Farm Stacker ($39) is a silly take on the classic stacker that will teach your little one all about farm animals.
More than just a blanket to lie on, the Shape Up Baby Activity Mat ($79) has a bunch of different shapes in different colors and textures for the perfect amount of stimulation for your baby.
Skip Hop's line of toys is full of great items that encourage infant development. Among our favorites is the Skip Hop Treetop Friends Stroller Bar Toy ($20). With multiple textures and activities — and a mirror so they can see their own adorable face — it's sure to keep the attention of little ones.
There's no doubt that unicorns are having a "moment," and while your baby may not be following the trends quite yet, this plush rocker from Pottery Barn Kids ($179) adds an element of whimsy to any nursery or playroom. You can also personalize it with an optional monogram or baby's full name.
A playful take on the classic stacking rings, this wobbly stacking tower ($20) from The Land of Nod is a great toy for helping infants develop their fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination.
The night sky might not be visible from your little one's nursery, but this star cloud mobile ($98) brings the gorgeous elements indoors! From the handmade cloud to the hanging metallic stars, it's a chic yet sweet accent to any crib.
Janod's magnet stacking toys are always a favorite of ours, and the Pingoo penguin stacker and rocker ($16) may be the cutest of the bunch!
This organic Cat in the Hat stroller toy ($20) is made from cotton that's untreated, unprocessed, and unbleached and is a sweet way to introduce tots to the iconic literary figure.
Talk about the perfect gift! Aden + Anais's new collection of Cuddly Companions ($25) combine two of our favorite things from the muslin blanket leaders — an amazingly soft and functional swaddle blanket and a stuffed animal based on the popular characters from their playful patterns. There's a giraffe, a monkey, a penguin, and more, but the circus lion may be our favorite!
Have you ever seen a chair as plush as this one from RH Baby and Child? The Cuddle Plush chair ($85, originally $95) comes in three animal varieties, but we're partial to this sweet pup!
Go back to basics with Janod's beautifully constructed Caramel Rocking Horse ($100), which features a smart support frame to keep the smallest riders safe and sturdy. The frame can be removed when your baby's equestrian skills advance to the next level.
As baby begins to crawl, cruise, and eventually take those first steps on their own, they'll want the comfort of a friend to take along with them. Restoration Hardware's simple and sweet chambray whale pull toys ($53) come in petal or gray on a weathered wooden base.
Skip Hop's Giraffe Safari Activity Toy ($19) includes eight multisensory activities and a triangle ring that lets you attach the cute giraffe anywhere!
Set their standards in vehicles high from an early age with the award-winning Spherovelo Ride-On Car ($120).
Fisher-Price's Laugh and Learn Learning Kitchen ($44, originally $64) is full of activities for babies, inside and out. Babies can open and close the refrigerator, flip the light switch, and stir the soup, while enjoying more than 20 sing-along songs and musical activities. There's even an introduction to Spanish!
Commemorate the first Christmas of a special new addition with a customized baby block ornament ($26, originally $43) that's just for them. Available in green, natural, and red, these are sure to become a holiday heirloom.
Babies through toddlers love exploring B. Toys' interactive barn ($33), which is packed with sensory experiences including lights, sounds, doors that open and shut, and even a spiraling silo.
Moulin Roty's Brindille Donkey ($52) is soft and sweet, but there's so much more to him than that! A squishy belly, feet that rattle, and an attached ring, carrot, and mirror make for plenty of interactive fun.
For babies up to 12 months, Haba's Aircraft Baby Swing ($142, originally $160) is as cute as it is fun. A rattling propeller adds a little extra vroom, and the adjustable height, seat, and straps help accommodate growing infants.
No matter your price point or the size of the gift recipient's home, there's a place for Jellycat's snuggly Fuddlewuddle Lion Plush Toy. He comes in a range of sizes from $25-$75.
These supersoft baby blankets ($76) come in a fun array of animal-print, polka dot, and floral designs and are just the right size for your little one to snuggle in the stroller.
The Finn and Emma Play Gym ($135) is an eco-friendly gift that comes with removable organic cotton dolls that can be played with anywhere baby goes.
Designed to ease the transition from the womb, the Ollie Swaddle ($59) decreases irritability while promoting self-soothing.
Skip the Gas Station With These Healthy Road Trip Snacks For Kids
By Gen Cohen
Image Source: POPSUGAR Photography / Tarah Chieffi
With school ending soon, many of us will be packing up the car and hitting the road for vacation. I don't know about your family, but spending all day in the car makes my kid pretty antsy. I pack as many games, toys, and coloring books as I can, but my son still gets bored, and we often turn to snacks to help pass the time (let's be real: the snacks are really for me, too). If we are going to be snacking all day, I want them to be healthy and delicious — no vending machine candy bars in my car! To me, healthy means short ingredient lists, little added sugar, and ingredients I can pronounce.
Read on to find out what you should be packing in your cooler this summer that your little ones will love and you can feel good giving to them.
Image Source: Tarah Chieffi
Image Source: Tarah Chieffi
Image Source: Tarah Cheiffi
Image Source: Tarah Chieffi
Image Source: Tarah Chieffi
Image Source: POPSUGAR Photography / Tarah Chieffi
Image Source: Tarah Chieffi
11 Edible Slime Recipes Your Kids Will Want to Make Right This Minute
By Gen Cohen
Image Source: Little Bins For Little Hands
The slime craze has truly taken over, but some parents are concerned about their children working with Borax and large quantities of glue. To make slime time less of a worry for parents and more fun (and delicious) for kids, check out some of these edible slime recipes featuring marshmallows, candies, soda, and more.
Image Source: Growing a Jeweled Rose
Image Source: Little Bins For Little Hands
Image Source: Fun at Home With Kids
Image Source: Little Bins For Little Hands
Image Source: In the Kids Kitchen
Image Source: Little Bins For Little Hands
The 22 Books From the '90s That You Need to Read With Your Kids
By Gen Cohen
The '90s were a different time — we read books on actual paper rather than on a Kindle, and their storylines were simple and wholesome. Although plenty of bangers that were released in the '80s (and even earlier!) were still in your school library or your personal bookshelves in the 1990s (aka the best decade), these are the nostalgic children's books published between 1990 and 1999 that you need to share with your kids ASAP.
Ahead, a blast from your bookworm past.
The Happiest Baby: Dr. Karp's 10 Tips For Getting Your Baby to Sleep
By Gen Cohen
Image Source: Flickr user alphaone
There are few subjects that get new parents riled up as much as talking about their baby's sleep (OK, and maybe their poop). However much they're getting, it isn't enough and they're not sure how to get their tot to sleep more. "Sleep deprivation is the number one problem you face as the parent of a young child," says Dr. Harvey Karp, author of the wildly popular The Happiest Baby series of parenting guides, including his latest book, The Happiest Baby Guide to Great Sleep: Simple Solutions For Kids From Birth to 5 Years ($16).
According to Dr. Karp, "Sleep deprivation is a horrible nuisance at best; at its worst it can lead to marital conflict and postpartum depression. It makes it hard for you to lose your baby weight because you're exhausted, so you're overeating and not exercising. It leads to breastfeeding failure because you're just so tired that you give up on it and even to unsafe sleep behavior because you get so tired, you just bring your baby in bed with you. You would never go to bed with your baby if you were drunk. But studies show when you're getting six hours of sleep a night or less, you're the equivalent of drunk. So all these moms are drunk parenting even though they don't know it."
So what's a new parent to do? Dr. Karp shared 10 tips from his book for getting your tot to sleep. Keep scrolling and get ready for everyone in your home to start catching a few more Zs at night.
