Another Birthday Tee

I recently answered a reader's question about kids' birthday shirts, and since that post I also found a cute personalized birthday tee ($28, sizes 2-14) from CWD Kids. A girs' version ($28, sizes 2-14) is available, too. Personalization is included in the price, but note that the shirts don't indicate the child's age; if you want a "number tee", check this one at CWD Kids instead.

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Ask MyMomShops: Birthday Shirts

Dear MyMomShops,

It's almost that time of year again when our kids will be having another birthday. Where does the time go???? Can you recommend a few sites for birthday shirts? I looked at Chasing Fireflies, but they are kind of expensive.

Jennifer (mom of Charlie and Aaron)


Dear Jennifer,

Oh, you know this is one of my favorite items to "research"! I've posted lots of birthday tee ideas before (keep scrolling down after you click that link) which are worth checking out because some are still available. But I want to show you some newer designs that I've bookmarked, too. Tell me which ones you like.

Happy Birthdays to your little ones!

Best,
MyMomShops

1 2 3 4 5 tees ($21 at Babesta)


Numbers' Tee ($24.99 at CWD Kids)

Birthday Raglan Shirts ($16) by Happy Family

Custom Birthday Tee ($24 at Psycho Baby).


"Kapow" Birthday Tees ($25 at Paper Lili)


Personalized Name and Birthday Number T-shirt ($18 at Etsy)


How Old Am I? tees ($29.95 at Fliggity)


Boys' Birthday Tee ($30 at Company Kids)


Highway Number Birthday Tee ($39.95 at Liliputians)

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Ask MyMomShops: Boys' Overnight Bags

Dear MyMomShops,

Could you recommend some choices of a small weekend/overnight bag for a boy who is 6 years old (a duffel that could fit 1-3 nights of travel). Looking for something that is not LL Bean or Pottery Barn, but not super expensive either. I've looked and only found juvenile bags with dinosaurs, trucks, cars....more of a toddler bag instead of a big boy bag.

Thanks so much.

Elise

Elise- here are some options that fit the bill. It definitely can be tricky finding something appropriate for a boy of this age. I hope these help. Let us know what you decide. Love, MyMomShops


Kids' Duffels (about $20-$30 depending on size) by Lillian Vernon. I've ordered kids' luggage before from Lillian Vernon and have been satisfied. Several solid colors available, and personalization is always included.


Wildkin duffel bags are popular with the school-age crowd; try the Soccer Print duffel bag ($29.50). There are several other patterns that are not too babyish, too.


Rolling Duffel Bag ($34.99) from Kids' Travel Zone. This one has wheels, too, so even if it's packed heavy it's easy to transport.

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What's Cooking?

I noticed that another Google search that leads people here often is for toy play kitchens. I wrote an "Ask MyMomShops" post about my favorite toy kitchens in the past, but here are 3 newer options I've come across recently:

Modern Country Kitchen ($229) by Constructive Playthings. This one definitely fits the bill if you're looking for something girly.


Gourmet Kitchen Collection (on sale for $169 for each of 3 components- stove, sink, fridge) at Pottery Barn Kids. It's the updated, slimmed-down version of PBK's modern play kitchen, built to better suit smaller spaces.


Melissa and Doug Cook's Corner Wooden Kitchen ($99.35) at Amazon.com. This new sturdy and compact kitchen also features loads of storage space for all that plastic play food kids invariably collect over the years.


Have you found any great new toy kitchens recently? Tell us about them in the comments.

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Ask MyMomShops: Simple Non-Photo Birth Announcements

Dear MyMomShops,



I'm expecting my 2nd baby this August. We aren't finding out the gender. I'm looking for birth announcements that are modern, simple, and have no picture (which can be hard to find!). Do you know of any cool websites? I feel like I keep looking at the same old, same old.



Aimee, mom of M. and 1 on the way, NYC





Aimee, you're right. It is getting tougher and tougher to find non-photo birth announcements, particularly ones without icons or motifs. Here are some that you might like (with just a wee bit of graphics on some...I couldn't resist). Check elsewhere on these website, too, for other simple designs that may appeal to you. Congratulations on your impending arrival, and let us know which announcements you pick!



Single Initial by Robyn Miller Design at Groovy Paper







Classic Car Announcements by Feather for Tiny Prints







Polka Dots Baby Girl Birth Announcements by Petite Alma for Tiny Prints







Baby's New Pair of Shoes Announcements by Paper Culture





Polka Dot Baby Announcement Letterpress by The Paper Peony at Etsy





Boy Mini Monogram by Checkerboard







Pink Baby Pinstripes by Checkerboard





Robyn Miller Funky Monogram Boy by Robyn Miller Design





Dot Pink With Brown Announcement by Boatman Geller







Blue and Red Check Announcement by Boatman Geller







Pink Gingham and Brown Band at The Paper Cafe







Pin Stripes on Grey-Blue Announcement at Small Fri







Pink Flourish Circle Modern Birth Announcement by Red Stamp

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AskMyMomShops: Doll Strollers for Older Girls

One of the Google searches that most often brings readers to this blog is a search for doll strollers for older/taller girls (they end up here where I, myself, sought advice on a doll stroller for R., then age 5 1/2). That post still receives tons of traffic, so it seems lots of you still want advice on that same topic. Let me give you an update.

We ended up buying this Corolle Nursery Floral Print Carriage. It's actually not all that tall (the handlebar just reaches about 22 inches high) and R.- who is now 7 years old- definitely has to hunch over to push it- but she still loves to play with it.


Is it taller than your standard toddler-sized doll carriage? Yes. But if I were to do it all over, I'd probably buy one of these two carriages instead:

Maclaren Travelmate Pram Doll Carriage ($69.99 at Amazon.com). This one has a handle bar that adjusts up to 28" tall. And it is stylin', for sure, with a matching travel bag, folding hood, and removable apron.


Plus, just today I noticed this Polka Dot Pram ($79) in the Pottery Barn Kids catalog. It, too, has an adjustable handlebar- this one goes all the way up to 32.5 inches.

I hope this has helped. If any of you have lucked out with other doll carriages appropriate for older/taller girls, please do share them with us in the comments.

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Ask MyMomShops: Programmable Nighlight

Note: This is a repost from 2009, but since Daylight Savings Time ended at 2am today, I thought some of you might, um, be wondering again how to get your kids to sleep a bit later. Sadly, S. regularly wakes at 5am again (and that was even before turning the clocks back) so we are using this very product again!



Dear MyMomShops,

I always turn to your blog for great advice and ideas, so I figured you might be able to guide me on this one. I am certain I have seen a nightlight somewhere, that has a sun/moon icon and can be set by parents for specific waking times in the morning. Of course when I saw this, my son was not yet a toddler. He is now, and is having trouble sleeping past 5am. I'd love some advice on nightlights if you have any!

Thanks!
Tired in MN


Dear Tired,

Oh boy, can I relate. In the early days of this blog, when my son was an infant, readers noticed that I was awake to post things by 5 or 5:15am. My son was an Early Riser Extraordinaire, often up as early 4:45. I could not stomach other parents complaining that their kids "only" slept till 6:30! Luckily, he is now sleeping until 6am which, yes, I consider late! But 6:30 would be even nicer...

Anyway, I did some Internet searching and I think I found the nightlight that you are looking for. It's called, simply, the Good Nite Lite and costs $34.95. Six inches around, it's a clever combination of traditional nightlight and built-in timer that provides visual cues even a toddler can understand (first it's a sun for daytime, then it dims and becomes a moon for nighttime/sleeping). Parents set the timer for when they would like to phase out the moon face and phase in the sun face (letting the child know it's OK to get up!) at gradually later times, so that the child slowly changes his or her sleep patterns. I haven't tried it personally, but it sounds like a great idea, and definitely more soothing than calling out to your kids, "Hey, it's not 7am yet, stay in your room!" It's gotta be worth a try.

Let us know how it goes!

Wishing you sleepful nights (and restful mornings),
MyMomShops

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