5 Star Reviews, Most Royal!

First Toy Store Tantrum!

I recently went browsing at a local children’s consignment shop for a spring coat for my son. While we didn’t find a coat, my son found the Fisher Price Little People Fun Sounds Farm on a shelf. This is something he has played with at our local library, and he has recently become very interested in the Little People toys.

Well, he started in on a major tantrum when we tried to move the toy from the shelf to the floor so he could play with it. When I asked the lady how much it was she said, “8 dollars.” …Um, SOLD!

After several more tantrums we finally pried it from his tiny, yet surprisingly strong fingers. He didn’t understand the concept that we needed to actually take it to the register and pay for it before bringing it home. My husband contributed by taking photos of the meltdown as it happened and saying, “To show him when he’s older.”

While we paid close to nothing for this toy, but I would have paid full price now that I see how much he loves it. If your child likes pretend play with doll houses or toy people/animals, this is great for them! Our life has basically become a rotation between this and his kitchen set.

I haven’t put batteries in it yet, and I may not, but I know it makes animal noises when the fences and doors are opened. So far the sounds are not necessary for us to have fun. The Little People Fun Sounds Farm has given us hours of play and we highly recommend it.

Great Kitchen Set for Small Spaces

The Step2 Cozy Kitchen was an early Christmas present to my son. After realizing that he was obsessed with playing with a pretend kitchen set at a family members house, we decided he needed his own, but we had the predicament of living in a Brooklyn size apartment with a toddler who already has a lot of toys, and we don’t have any space to spare!

In my search for the perfect kitchen, I found the Cozy Kitchen by Step2. It was small, compact, and came with the perfect amount of play dishes for my 17 month old. At 17 months, I didn’t think size would make a difference and I was right. My son played with this kitchen non stop for two days straight. All other toys were forgotten and he concocted all kinds of “delicious” meals for Mommy and Daddy. Especially for Daddy.

I recommend this kitchen for anyone who lives in a tight space and can’t spare much room for a large kitchen set. Of course it would be wonderful to have more doors to open, some drawers to hold the utensils, and a microwave, but beggars can’t be choosers and my son loves this kitchen more than any other toy in the apartment.

I give this five stars out of five for its perfect fit in our tight apartment and because my son loves it to no end!

(We have also included links for larger units below. While we do not own these these, we feel comfortable recommending as they are either similar enough or we have used them at grandma’s house and other various play spaces.)

My Favorite Sippy Cup

Hands down, my favorite sippy cup so far is the Pura Kiki Sippy Cup. Unlike almost every other sippy cup on the market, this one is not made of plastic. Instead it has been crafted from stainless steel and silicone, so no fears of BPA or other weird chemicals. Pura sells insulated and uninsulated versions, and I currently have the uninsulated version. We primarily use the silicone straw attachment.

I saw several of my son’s friends with this cup and they all seemed to like it (as did their mom’s) so I figured I would take the plunge and purchase it for our son. He took to it right away and hasn’t had any issues with it. The construction is nice and simple and the straw has a basic valve that is opened by pressure from your child’s mouth or suction.

It does not leak. The closest this gets to a leak is when some water is left in the top of the straw and it gets bent over. When released it will spring back with a tendency to spray tiny droplets of water everywhere. I wouldn’t consider that leaking more like a little spritz, and this doesn’t happen very often.

Pura2 — The Pura is a tall sippy cup so it doesn’t sit perfectly in cup holders. Not a deal breaker.

I will admit that if our son turns the cup upside down and shakes it and pounds it on the floor, yes, some water will come out of the straw; this is something I would expect from any cup with a straw in it. Oh, and this can take a serious beating thanks to the stainless steel construction!

My only major complaint with this cup is that the cap (also silicone) does not fit over the straw tight enough. I can fold the straw over, but it still doesn’t stay on very well. While I don’t always need a cap, I like to have it if I know we will be going someplace where the other kids are going to be attracted to his cup and especially if I think it might get dirty. I would like to be able to cover the top better.

The only other note I would give is that because of the steel construction the cup is heavier when compared to plastic cups. Especially when the Pura is filled with water. Over the several months he’s had it our son has never had an issue carrying the heavier weight. I mention it for the sake of honest reporting.

I give this sippy cup the MOST ROYAL seal of approval and 5 out of 5 stars.

While it isn’t the cheapest cup on the market it is the best that we have used.

4 Best Selling Baby Carriers Reviewed

Early on in my pregnancy I knew that I was going to have to carry my son a lot as we live in Brooklyn, and strollers aren’t always the most efficient mode of transportation. Pushing a stroller through snow banks only to find yourself carrying it down a flight of crowded subway stairs gets old FAST! So one winter day I dragged my husband to a local boutique baby store and made us try several carriers in hopes of narrowing our options. We liked three options, and we had already registered for the original Ergo carrier. Over time we ended up buying and trading our way through 4 carriers. My husband and I both used these extensively.

The following article reviews the carriers that we ended up purchasing and using:

Kinderpack Infant Carrier

BabyCarrier_Laundry — Using the Kinderpack to wear the baby AND do laundry. SuperDad?

We ended up purchasing the Kinderpack infant carrier by Kindercarry because I was having my son in the summer and I knew the Ergo’s infant insert was like a sleeping bag and way too hot for a NYC summer!

The Kinderpack is great because you can purchase it with a mesh front where baby sits allowing for ventilation on hot days (see featured image). NYC summers can be brutal, and I am one of a few in this world who hates the heat. In addition, it’s design is highly customizable allowing you to convert it into an infant carrier and then gradually transition it to a toddler size.

The Kinderpack straps also criss-cross in the back, which we have found is much more comfortable for us. In fact, the Kinderpack excels in this regard. It has straps that can be adjusted from various angles making it easy to get the perfect fit. Or, if you don’t like cross crossed straps you can wear it like a reversed backpack. My husband used to take our infant son out for walks at night and his only complaint was that while this carrier is hyper adjustable, he found that it was not always easy to adjust when he was by himself and unable to reach some of the back straps.

Their design also allows the Kinderpack to be worn in a hip carry position and on your back with your little one looking over your shoulder. The one thing the Kinderpack does not offer is a forward facing front carry.

Kindercarry is a small family run business and all carriers are hand sewn in Illinois by a handful of people. It feels great to support a small family business for something so convenient and well made as the Kinderpack. They also have carriers in a wide range of fun prints. Many of the prints appear to be limited, so if you see one you like it may not be available in 6 months.

I give the Kinderpack 4 out of 5 stars. It really is an excellent carrier. It is very comfortable, lightweight and the mesh is a great feature. I just wish it had a forward facing/front carry option. We have only experimented with back carry a few times. Our son seems a little young for this, but perhaps as he gets older this position will fulfill the forward facing need. In fact, I think it’s time we try it again… hold on… [trying back-carry again] Okay, My husband just wore him around the house for 15 minutes and Jr seemed to like it, although I think he’s still a little too short and ended up watching a lot of my husband’s shoulders and neck.

PROS:

Lightweight and breathable fabric.
Very customizable straps for excellent comfort.
Also supports hip and back carry positions.
No need for accessories if you want to use it as an infant carrier.
Fun prints!

CONS

Not great for cold weather (if you purchase the mesh version).
Doesn’t support a forward front carry.

Ergobaby Original

Now, I have raved about the Kinderpack because I think it is a fantastic carrier, but I will admit that I still used the Ergo Original a lot.

I used the Ergo primarily through the winter. Since we bought the Kinderpack with mesh, it wasn’t great for the miserable NYC winter. The Ergo is a very comfortable carrier, provided you don’t require the straps to crisscross your back. The straps are very well padded, the weight distributes well, and it was cozy warm.

The pocket on the front of the carrier allowed me to slide in a wallet or keys when I just needed to run to the grocery store, and the hood was great to pull up over my son’s head on cold days when he would fall asleep. All in all, the Ergo is a great carrier, and I am sure I will continue to use it, but we eventually purchased the Beco Gemini, which changed baby carrying for us in a big way.

I give the Ergo Original 4 out of 5 stars. It is very comfortable, it was a great carrier through the winter, but it is a little warm for the summer months, especially with the infant insert. It would be nice if the straps could cross in the back and if a forward facing/front carry were an option, without having to upgrade to the Ergo 360. In retrospect, I wish we had registered for the 360 instead as it offers many of the features found in the Kinderpack and Beco Gemini [reviewed below].

PROS:

Very well padded straps.
Great for cold weather.
Helpful front pocket.
Popular, so it’s easy to find this used or as a trade.

CONS

Straps can only be worn in one position, like a reversed backpack.
Requires an additional insert to carry an infant.
In retrospect I wish we had registered for the Ergo 360 instead.

BabyCarrier — Braving the winter cold! Using the Ergo with an additional fleece cover.

Didymos DidyTai

When we went to the boutique store to try out the carriers, I tried on and really liked the Didymos Didytai. It was lightweight, and a mix between a structured carrier and a wrap carrier. It was also comfortable. Keep in mind that I tried this with an 8 lb doll. Effective, but VERY different from a live squirming baby.

Since there are no clicking buckles to struggle with, snaps in weird places or Velcro to scratch you, the result is a very natural feeling carrier that conforms to your body shape. A DidyTai allows for many tying variations including a front position, a hip carry and a baby backpack. It doesn’t allows for a forward facing carry.

I purchased this wrap from another mother as it was out of my price range new. I gave this wrap a try on a number of occasions. I wore it through the neighborhood, into Manhattan, on long and short walks, and I realized as much as I liked the carrier, it just didn’t work for me. I needed more structure. The carrier constantly loosened on me and dropped too low. I could never keep it at the correct height and I was always concerned something was too loose. I still like the carrier and I think it would work for someone else. It is a great concept and I really do wish it would have worked for me.

I give the Didymos DidyTai a 3 out of 5 stars for being a great concept, but it just didn’t fit me well. My husband wore this a few times. It’s definitely the most feminine of the carries we owned so keep that in mind if your husband is concerned about those types of things.

PROS:

Lightweight!
Great for infants. Super snuggly!
Comfortable. Because it’s a wrap the weight is distributed widely across your body.
Unique look.

CONS

Can be a long process to put this on, especially if your kid is fighting it.
Hard to to adjust once you have it on.
Less structure than other carriers.
No forward facing option.

Beco Gemini

As I met other moms in the neighborhood and started to see all of the other carrying options, I began to see some of them wearing their little ones faced forward in the carrier. This is something that I knew my son would LOVE. Sadly, the Ergo Original and the Kinderpack did not allow for a forward faced carry.

I was able to trade the Didymos Didytai with another mom for the Beco Gemini. I have to say, the minute my son was able to face forward, his mind was BLOWN. Walks and outings became exciting trips. He could see the world, not just my throat. He rarely if ever fusses when in it, and it is as comfortable for me as the KinderPack and Ergo.

Now, that being said, facing him in again may not be an option. We will see once winter comes again and the cold wind picks up, but every time I try to face him in now he tends to fight it, or tries to turn or hang out of the carrier so that he can see out. I have tried back carry and hip carry both in the Beco Gemini and Kinderpack and those work fine as well, but nothing is the same as forward facing.

Let’s talk about the straps. These can be worn Crisscrossed across your back or in the reverse backpack position. Each has it’s own benefit. The backpack style is very fast to put on and remove, although my husband never felt that this was as comfortable and secure as having the straps cross your back.

The Beco Gemini also has buckle locks. Basically once you clip the straps together they have a third button your need to press in order to undo them. This has been a mixed bag. It’s nice having the extra safety, but taking this off can be a tricky feat of coordination until you get used to it. We can undo them one handed now.

Once adjusted, this carrier stays in place and doesn’t drift or loosen. Yet, somehow, the Beco Gemini has proven to be super easy to adjust as you wear it. Sometimes we loosen it up if our son wants to squirm, other time we tighten for a snug feel. Loosen it again to sit down and then tighten when we get up to walk again. Loosen again to breastfeed, etc. Besides the option of forward facing, the ability to easily adjust the carrier while being worn is it’s killer feature.

I give the Beco Gemini 5 out of 5 stars and our MostRoyal badge for being so versatile! My husband also prefers using the Beco to carry our son, even at a his heavy 14 month old weight.

PROS:

Forward facing!
Allows for other carry positions such as facing in, back carry, side carry.
Confortable. Straps are easy to adjust even after you have it on.
Straps can be crisscrossed or worn backpack style.
Extra safety locks on all belt clips.
No need for accessories if you want to use it as an infant carrier.

CONS

Fabric seems to get dirty easy (then again we use this the most).
We’ve read some complaints that the leg gap becomes too narrow as kids get older. We are watching for this.
Extra safety locks on all belt clips would be a bad option for anyone with finger joint mobility concerns.

In conclusion, I would say that the Becco Gemini carrier has been our most versatile carrier. The forward facing feature made such a difference for us carrying our son around the city. The Kinderpack and Ergo come in a close second, and the Didytai was nice, but not for me.

I would absolutely recommend trying on carriers before you make any decisions. If you have a baby who will cooperate, use them! If your little bundle of joy has yet to be born a weighted doll will suffice, so check to see if the store has one. Many do. If you are far into your pregnancy and have a belly to contend with, bring along your spouse or a friend who can also try the carrier on and give you their thoughts.

Baby carrying is a great way to bond with your child, and if you’re living in a city and do a lot of walking like we do, it is the perfect mode of transportation.

21 Must Own Baby Board Books

If there’s anything we do, it’s a lot of research. This list of 21 must own baby books has been curated after days of scrutiny. We combed through our personal collection, read countless Amazon reviews, talked with other parents, pulled from library shelves (a great resource!), sourced teacher recommendations, dug through blogs and forums.

In short, if you own these 21 books – or even half of them – your babies’ library is off to an excellent start.

Is every book listed here perfect for everyone? Maybe not. In fact, we included one book that drives us nutty. But, since everyone else seems to love it we wanted to squash our harsh negativity and give you the chance to love it too. (We’ll let you know what book it is below.)

When possible, we have linked to the Board Book version being sold on Amazon.com.

So, here they are, MostRoyal’s 21 Must Own Baby Books:

Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown

Let’s be honest, as a parent you are required to own this one. This is a no brainer. It defines the entire genre and with good reason. The story has a nice flow, the illustrations don’t grow tiresome and best of all it works great as a bedtime book. I personally like all the little details. For example, check out the clock. According to the watch face it takes this kid two hours to fall asleep! …I can relate to that.

Good Night, Gorilla by Peggy Rathmann

A story that relies heavily on its illustrations, and doesn’t disappoint! The rambunctious gorilla sneaks away the keys from his zookeeper and silently releases the other animals of the zoo from their cages as he says goodnight to each. All of the animals then follow Mr. Zookeeper home for the night. This is a book that is wonderful to share with your newborn and your toddler.

Where Is Baby’s Belly Button? A Lift-the-Flap Book by Karen Katz

This is a cute lift-the-flap book for toddlers, helping to teach body parts and concepts such as “behind the cup.” As with most lift-the- flap books our son loves to be involved in lifting the pages to reveal the babies’ belly buttons and mouths, etc. The illustrations are colorful and cute, and our son loves to find our belly buttons now and point his out too. I look forward to him growing with this book for many more months.

Dear Zoo: A Lift-the-Flap Book by Rod Campbell

This book is really cute. It’s about a child looking to find his perfect pet, so he writes to the zoo and they keep sending him different animals. Some are too big, some are too tall, etc. Finally they send him the perfect pet that he decides to keep. Someday maybe our son will get one too!

Guess How Much I Love You by by Sam McBratney

Okay, this is the one book we can’t stand. To be fair, the story is super cute and the illustrations are very well done. My complaint is in the author’s decision to write out the characters names in full each time they speak. Saying “Big NutBrown Hare” and “Little NutBrown Hare” doesn’t roll off my tongue. (My mom also can’t stand it and had to switch to a different book midway.) That said, this book comes up time and time again in lists, reviews and discussions of great baby books. It came up A LOT. So, maybe it’s right for you. Just not me.

Pat the Bunny (Touch and Feel Book) by Dorothy Kunhardt

This is the classic interactive touch and feel book for kids. Main characters Paul and Judy can do all kinds of things, and they invite your little one to do the same. Children love the interactive nature of this book and enjoy doing the activities along with Paul and Judy. One word to the wise, it is recommended that you do not purchase the plastic comb bound version of this book, as children can very easily pull it apart. Why anyone would bind a children’s book with a plastic comb binding is beyond me… This is a cute book for kids and a must have for any library. Your children will be playing with it for a long time.

Peek-A Who? by Nina Laden

A colorful and surprising peek-a-boo book for little ones, this colorful book has an animal hiding behind cut out pages allowing your little one to anticipate the turn of each page. With colorful illustrations and rhyming text, this book will keep your child entertained every time you read it, and for some that could be multiple times a day!

A Good Day by Kevin Henkes

Really cute and straightforward illustrations are paired with a wonderful story of four creatures who start out having a bad day. Everything turns around for the characters and in the process they learn that life will get better. Essentially a, “Don’t cry over spilled milk” message that kids can easily understand.

Black on White by Tana Hoban

No words. Iconic images. Simple, strong, and oddly interactive as the work is on you and your child to point to the illustrations, talk together and bond as a family. The others in the series are very popular too, but this one stands out as the best after researching the general consensus.

Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? by Bill Martin Jr. & Eric Carle

Iconic illustrations by Eric Carle are paired with a nice rhythmic text from Bill Martin. This book is part of themed series, each starting with a different bear (Baby Bear, Polar Bear & Panda Bear). We find Brown Bear to be the strongest of the set. This book is also a good reason to do some research before buying. We had picked up another book by Eric Carle assuming it would be just as good. Nope! So it’s best to stick with this series and one other listed below.

Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed by Eileen Christelow

Everyone needs a good counting book. “Five Monkeys” provides that with a nice lyrical text, charming illustrations and a great ending. In short, the story is that Momma tries to put the monkey children to bed, they start to jump on the bed when she leaves, someone falls off and hurts themselves and she tries all over again. I won’t give away the ending but it’s very cute.

I Kissed the Baby! by Mary Murphy

Much like Black on White, this book is filled with illustrations utilizing contrast and well placed color. As a result this makes for a great infant experience. The story builds as the barnyard animals all ask about the newly born baby duckling. This one is filled with a sweet tenderness that parents and children will enjoy.

Love You Forever by Robert Munsch

This one will give you a serious case of “The Feels.” The tender text starts with, “”I’ll love you forever. I’ll like you for always. As long as I’m living my baby you’ll be.” This book may put a lump in your throat and tears on your shirt as you think about your own parents and begin to understand how the love you feel for you own child was first felt by them for you. Highly recommended.

Moo Baa La La La by Sandra Boynton

Selecting a single book by Sandra Boynton is a difficult task. Her works come up all the time in “best of” lists. You can’t go wrong with Moo Baa La La La. Beyond this perennial favorite we personally like the silly Hippos Go Berserk!, the beautiful message of Happy Hippo, Angry Duck and our bedtime standard The Going-To-Bed Book (read our full review).

On the Night You Were Born by Nancy Tillman

This book articulates many of the emotions a parent feels for their child without becoming too saccharin. There is a great magical quality to the illustrations – although sometimes the “composited in photoshop” look feels a little strong for me. This book makes a great present for new parents and would make a fantastic addition to any baby shower gift. Another popular Tillman book is The Crown on Your Head, for which we wrote a full review.

Orange Pear Apple Bear by Emily Gravett

A delightful book tacking concepts about shapes, colors and sequences. The entire text is made up of only 5 words (4 in the title) so you can imagine the creativity involved in telling this story. A very clever book that will make you laugh.

The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats

The Design! OMG. The design and illustrations are just fantastic. The text lives up to the challenge with a great rhythmic pulse and playful vibe telling the story of a young child waking up to find freshly fallen snow and his adventure exploring. This book was also the 1963 Caldecott Medal winner. Much like Goodnight Moon this is a must have.

We’re Going on a Bear Hunt by Helen Oxenbury and Michael Rosen

One of the best parts of researching this article was finding this book. I had never heard of it before. I know what you’re thinking, “Well this can’t really be about a bear hunt.” Nope, it is. The story is based on an old camping chant/song and it’s a playful romp as a father and his four children go trekking through vistas in search of a bear, find it, and then get chased all the way back home. A great read-aloud book.

The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle

This is the most popular book by Eric Carle and there is little question why. The very hungry caterpillar eats his way through the pages of the book in bright bold colors. Also, kids seem to love butterfly metamorphosis stories. So, start with the best.

Mr. Brown Can Moo! Can You? by Dr. Seuss

You need to have some Dr Seuss! This board book has an excellent text that’s full of silly sounds. This will be something your child will want you to read for many years and eventually they will want to read it out loud themselves. A classic.

Munch! by Matthew Van Fleet

Yes! Yes, just buy this one. We love this book so much we wrote an entire review about it. Our kid loved this the first time we read it when he was just a few months old. Not only has the story held up, but his enjoyment continues to deepen as he has grown older and begins to explore the tactile elements. Of all the Matthen Van Fleet books (and they are all worth owning) I also think this one has the strongest writing. Great rhythm to the words and a super fun read!

Is It a Book or Is It a Puppet?

Curious George Pat-a-Cake has been a fantastic book in our house. One of the many items we received at the Holidays from family, this book was a hit from the beginning. Thanks to my husband (a complete character in his own right,) my son LOVES puppets. He also loves books (yay!) and the combination of the two is a win-win for everyone.

Basically, George’s arms are little finger puppets. You simply stick your hand in from the back and make him go through the motions of Pat-a-cake.

Along with “Munch” by Matthew Van Fleet (previously reviewed) this book is a go to when needing to distract and cheer up my son. He knows Pat-a-Cake now, except that when I do it on my own, he needs to find the book and pull it out. “Only George does Pat-a-Cake, Mom!!” (George also gives great hugs. …Talk about making your kid love books.)

Beyond the simple rhyme and puppet action this toy has been an interesting learning experience for our son. He kept wanting to figure out how it worked. Watching him try to do so was obviously super adorable. Watching him eventually put it all together, stick his fingers in the puppet and make it move blew his mind.

This book has provided us with non-stop laughter and excitement for the 7 months we have owned it. In fact, we had to eventually ban it from the bedroom or else nap time would never happen.

I give this book 5 out of 5 stars.

Fond Memories Were Created With This.

The “Playskool Poppin Park Elefun Busy Ball Popper” was a gift to my son when he was 5 months old and he has enjoyed this toy from the beginning. First, this was a great developmental toy that really encouraged him to develop his hand and arm coordination, something he needed to work on due to a birth injury. His excitement for this toy made movements like grasping and wrist supination something he would do due because of his own motivation.

At six months, when he was standing supported, he loved feeling the air gently blow in his face as he would watch the balls pop out of the trunk. As he matured he began figuring out how to push the button, cause and effect, and began playing with the toy independently of us. I think that is when it became the most exciting for him. He would screech in excitement every time he would start the elephant up again, this was probably around 7 or 8 months, and a huge highlight for us. We have lots of fond memories of those days.

At one point, around 10 or 11 months he became frustrated with the toy, and would get angry when the balls ran out and stopped coming out of the trunk, but this phase was very short. I have since brought it out again now that he is 13 months old and he is loving it like a new toy.

My only complaint of this toy, is that it is rather noisy, but I suppose that is to be expected as it has a little motor to blow the air and plastic balls out of the trunk. That fan sound combined with the music can be a little intense at 6am. But, if that is my only complaint then I’d say it is still a great toy! My son loves it, and that’s really all that matters.

We read on forums that other users were unhappy with this toy because the balls don’t always shoot out of the nose and instead tend to hover at the tip. I would actually say that this is a positive. When the balls would pop out consistently (fresh batteries) many times they would overshoot the ears designed to catch them and then they would roll away on the floor. When the balls hover it gives our son more enjoyment. It startles him less and it actually gives him a chance to grab the ball and put it back into the ear. (About 30 percent of the time the ball will eject fully.) He loves to place the ball back into the trunk and feel the wind blow it into his hand again. Overall the battery life is great. We have had this over 6 months and have not needed to replace them.

My husband adds that this toy can also be great when you are feeling exhausted. It always gets our son laughing, bouncing and keeps him fully entertained – and it does this all in one place! So after an especially hard day at at work you can sit with your kid, play along and catch your breath for a moment. Seeing the HUGE smile this toy put on our son’s face made it a great experience for us and it always energized us to keep playing once he moved on to the next thing.

I give this toy 5 out of 5 stars because our Little Prince really liked it from the beginning. I also know that a cousin of mine enjoyed this toy well beyond 2 years old, so I know it’s a keeper.

Leap Frog: My Discovery House [Video Review]

My son received the My Discovery House for his first birthday. It is a very simple toy, with moving doors and windows, a light switch, a couple of birds. etc. For a child who is obsessed with doors and light switches this toy entertains him really well.

He played with this in the beginning for a long time. It was a lifesaver during a recent long car ride, where he played with it for over an hour! But, I have stopped giving it to him as it doesn’t keep his attention like it used to. I expect that I can bring it out every so often and he will love it again [see the update to this review below].

The birds on the roof “talk.” [See video] The little bird has a cute high pitched voice, but the bigger bird has a low adult voice. It’s rather amusing, but I feel like it could have been a little less of a man voice even though it is the bigger bird. My husband loves when the man’s voice belts out, “TWEEEET.” It’s become an inside joke in our house now and he walks around and will randomly go, “TWEET.”

All in all, we like this toy. My son loved it at first and he really was entertained. He did get bored with it after a few days, but as I said, I think it will come back in rotation soon enough.

UPDATE:

We recently took this toy on a family vacation. Because it had worked so well in the car before we decided to try it again. It held our 1-year-old son’s attention for multiple hours during the long car ride to our destination. Once again, multiple hours.

This kept him happy and us sane! And, it was a hit with his 3 and 8 year old cousins for the week we stayed with them. We were really surprised by how popular this was.

UPDATED RATING: 5 out of 5 stars. We strongly recommend.

How to protect your kid against lead poisoning!

We live in Brooklyn. We live in an old building. We live in an old building with nightmare plumbing.

Can you see where this is going?

A friend of mine recently bought an old house and during his inspection he found out that the the old pipes had lead solder. His lawyer told him that if he ever rents out the property he needs to put a lead clause in his rental contract. It’s a standard thing to protect against legal actions from renters. I’m sure I signed something like this when we moved into our place.

My son was only a few weeks old when he told me this. I wanted to filter our water to be safe.

We were supplementing breastfeeding with the occasional bottle and we knew that eventually our son would ween. A regular Brita pitcher doesn’t filter lead and to be honest we didn’t even change the filter enough (twice a year is better than nothing I guess).

The Culligan FM-15A Advanced Faucet Filter Kit was a perfect solution. This filter kit installed easily (make sure to check your faucet type for compatibility) and has worked flawlessly since then. It screws onto the spout on your faucet and when you want filtered water you pull out a little knob and – TA-DA – filtered agua!

Not only does it improve the water’s taste and smell, it reduces lead, lindane and atrazine, sediment, and particulate class 1. Do you boil your tap water for tea? Pasta? Soup? Well as the steam evaporates you only end up concentrating water contaminants. So your water might not show up as having lead when tested, but simmer a pot of homemade stew on the stove for 2 hours and suddenly you have a different story.

The life of the filter cartridge, FM 15RA lasts up to 2 months/200 gallons. This manufacturer’s rating has proven to be true and thanks to Amazon Subscribe and Save a new filter arrives every two months without even having to think about it. It’s great!

Like all filters of this type, near the end of the cartridge life your water will start to run slow. I like to think of all the filth it has captured. This makes the wait tolerable. My wife likes to sing a song called, “Old-Man Pissing” to the tune of Old-Man River. Maybe not the most appealing concept but it makes us laugh.

My only complaint is that this filter doesn’t attach to pull-down faucets. My mom wanted to buy one for my brother but it wouldn’t have worked on his sink. Culligan does make an under the counter filter systems for these situations. Since we live in an apartment the Culligan FM-15A Filter Kit was a great way to add a powerful filter without making modifications and losing a security deposit.

Highly recommended. 5 out of 5 stars. MostRoyal!

Rainforest Melodies and Lights Deluxe Gym

The Fisher-Price Rainforest Melodies and Lights Deluxe Gym was a big hit for our son. He spent a lot of time laying under this as an infant swatting and kicking at the toys and staring at the lights. For us this toy was especially important for development due to an injury my son ended up with at birth, leaving his left arm weak at the earliest stages of life. (Thankfully he has recovered completely and is an extremely strong little man!) Seeing him lift his arm to reach for the toys as he regained his strength day by day was wonderful.

I also liked this toy because it entertained him for long periods of time (in baby minutes.) The lights and music, along with the moving butterflies kept his attention well, and the spinning and rattling toys were particularly attractive to his developing mind.

I would recommend this activity gym for any newborn. It is currently being used by a cousin’s newborn son, who also gives it a high rating!

5 out of 5 stars

You can purchase the Fisher-Price Rainforest Melodies and Lights Deluxe Gym on Amazon.com