This great tee is yummy, and soft, and printed on 100% Organic Cotton! Recycle Love; it's our new favorite tee and it should be yours too!
You recycle your plastic bottles and your tin cans but do you recycle the most precious natural resource on earth? That's right, it's L-O-V-E! Cleaner than coal, safer than nuclear, it's the stuff that makes our world go 'round.
Get a FREE gift with every Recycle Love Tee purchased. To get your gift enter FREE GIFT in the comment box when checking out!
Going Green is in! Going Green is Smart! Why? Look at what is happening to our earth not to mention the hazardous chemicals used to make everything nowadays! Going green is a good thing. The Environmental Protection Agency considers seven of the top 15 pesticides used on  cotton in 2000 in the United States as "possible," "likely," "probable," or "known" human carcinogens - Did you know that we carry organic baby clothes made from cotton grown without the use of toxic and persistent pesticides and fertilizers. The cotton is  certified organic and produced using sustainable farming practices that promote the safety and health of cotton farming communities as well as your babies. Why not put the best on that delicate baby skin! I must  also mention that each piece is of heirloom quality, sure to last for years which means recycling these are worth much more than the term" Hand Me Downs".
When we saw these amazingly cool tees by Tiny Revolutionary we had to have them. Yes we know statement tees are all the rage, but these are even more special to us. We were especially drawn to the Soldier of Love Camo Tee. A member of our family is currently fighting in Iraq with the Marines, so this tee just really means a lot to me as I am sure that many of you have loved ones fighting this endless war too. It is a scary world that we live in, but our children have to grow up into it too! Let's teach them to be individuals, speak up for themselves and make the best of this world, their world.
 Which leads me to this next tee that speaks for itself " I'll Change the World Someday". This onesie is described as "A reminder to us and to our children, that we are all born with the capacity to influence the world around us, if only we are brave enough. Children are a great way to reconnect with your belief that you are capable of extraordinary things. Remember, it's ok to start small, with, dare we force the pun? Baby steps."
Both tees are printed on super soft, pre-shrunk, Pima cotton with built in, baby-friendly, stretch and recovery. You will be blown away by the way they fit and feel on your little one. They are very true to size so you need not order up a size. Best of all they are Sweatshop-Free! Gotta have it? Shop Now While they are still in stock!
Need a cute costume idea for your child this Halloween? Here is a great suggestion!
We have paired our Bumble Bee Tutu with some adorable additions!
What an adorable little Bumble Bee! All available now at the A.B. Baby Boutique!
We love pediped footwear and are proud to have them in stock! pediped footwear was created by Angela and Brian Edgeworth who after hearing the benefits of soft-soled shoes, wanted a comfortable shoe that was easy to put on their daughter, stylish and ideal for indoor/outdoor use. More importantly they wanted a shoe that would protect her gentle feet. pediped footwear combines everything they were looking for. Soft, Cushioned Soles Soft-soles enable children to sense the ground beneath their feet as they learn to walk and develop strength as they grasp with their little toes. Made with a double layer of durable leather plus a soft foam pad on the soles for extra cushioning, children can really put pediped footwear to the test. Premium Leather pediped footwear are made from premium, non-toxic, ECO grade leather, meeting the highest standards applicable. Hand-stitched with attention-to-detail that is second to none, children might wear out but the shoes will not. Indoor/Outdoor Use Whether inside for story time or outside at the park, non-slip leather soles make pediped footwear perfect for indoor/outdoor use, yet they still provide the benefits of a true soft-sole. SHOP NOW for a pair for your child and offer them the best for their growing feet! 
Our Crayon Roll-Up is your little artist's perfect companion. Roll-Up comes with 18 assorted crayons with room for up to 38 of your favorite colors plus 2 large pockets for a glue stick scissors or other small items. Crayon Roll-Up is machine washable. Enjoy hours of fun with this handy item! It makes for the perfect birthday gift for any age! Want it now? Click here! Our Price $23.00
 If you have not yet gotten hooked on this adorable accessory/necessity let me tell you a little about these fabulous leg (or arm) warmers for infants, toddlers and yes even big kids and adults!
Besides their coolness and fantastic selection of colors and designs these little pairs of fun serve a multitude of purpose! Make diaper changing a breeze
Protect soft knees from harsh surfaces when crawling
Keep legs warm year round
Provide lightweight sun protection
Make EC'n & Potty Training easier
Jazz up any dance class
Make a fun fashion statement with styles for every occasion
Have fun with them and wear then on your arms
Fits newborn to 10 years old
How can you resist them?
BabyLegs are made of a very soft blend of 80% cotton, 15% polyester and a 5% spandex. We have a great new selection of 17 different styles, so come and check them out. Click here for more info or get a pair or two of you own! They are only $12!
When you work from home, keeping your toddlers entertained when business matters arise can be a challenge. One of the reasons you chose to work from home was to be with your children, but there are times that you need a few moments to concentrate on work. While we do have a wide array of educational programming available to us today, TV isn’t always the answer to keeping young ones occupied. This list of suggestions might help and if it doesn’t fit your situation exactly, they will spark your creativity into tweaking it to suit your needs.
1. Set up a child-sized desk next to your own. By equipping it with some paper, crayons and perhaps a toy telephone, this set-up will allow your daughter to work right by your side.
2. Bring your laptop to one end of the dining room table while creating a Play-doh station at the other end. Your son will enjoy creating works to rival Michelangelo while you are able to catch up on email.
3. Set up your shipping area in the kitchen. Serving up a healthy mid-morning snack to your child will allow your hands to be free to package up your orders and get them ready for the post office.
4. Grab your legal pad and head on out to the back yard. You can enjoy the outdoors, feel your children’s joy as they explore nature and jot down your list of things to do for after they have gone to bed for the evening.
5. When they are very young, you can read anything to your child. It doesn’t matter if it is the phone book, because it is the tone of your voice that is important. So, print out that marketing eBook you have been waiting to review and read it out loud while they snuggle on your lap.
Multi-tasking is a key component to work from home success. You want your business to succeed and that takes a lot of work. You also want to be there with your children, enjoying their laughter and spending quality time with them. You can combine work with parenting when you take a moment to apply creative solutions to your day to day challenges.
Sitting down to eat a meal can become something you dread as a parent if you have a picky toddler to feed. Perhaps it feels like your child is in a food rut and only wants that one food and nothing else. Or maybe it doesn’t matter what you try, they just won’t eat. It doesn’t have to be that way though. There are two parts to creating fun at the dining room table.
First, as challenging as it may be, it might be your attitude that could use some tweaking. Toddlers are exploring everything at this stage, especially food. If you approach meal time as an adventure of sight, smell, touch and taste then you have already won half the battle. Come to the table armed with the abilities to laugh and play, because if you are tense your child will be too and will not be as willing to try new things.
Singing is also a way to take their mind off of the food and onto you instead. It doesn’t matter if you would never make it onto American Idol; your child loves to hear your voice. Use finger play and even full body movements to go along with the songs. Before you know it, they will be moving in their booster seats right with you.
Second is presentation. A sandwich on white bread is boring to look at and after the initial touch, there isn’t much else to explore. Instead, create “This ‘N That” plates for them. Cut up a variety of fruits, meats and vegetables in small amounts and just place them in small piles around their plates. Include some whole grain crackers for crunchiness and even use some dips like ketchup or your favorite salad dressing. Children love to dunk and have fun with food.
There will be times that you will have to think outside the box to get your children to try something new. Perhaps your son is really big on meat, bread, milk and not much else. Grab that blender and start whipping up some real fruit smoothies and other concoctions. The boy that would never eat a banana just might love a banana and strawberry shake. If your daughter is great about fruits and veggies, but could care less about meat, you could start looking into some vegetarian cookbooks to see what other protein options are out there.
It is said that it can take introducing a new food up to 20 separate times to a child before they will eat it, so don’t give up on providing a healthy, well-rounded diet for your young ones. If your meals are stressful, it could cause food issues later in life. Feeding children shouldn’t be overwhelming. Just take a step back, see if you can start approaching meals differently and don’t limit your creativity when it comes to presentation.
Keeping In Touch the Toddler Way
Being miles away from loved ones can make it more challenging for your toddler to get to know his or her family. If your child’s grandparents or favorite aunt lives too far for frequent visits, you can still help them establish a relationship. Keeping in touch can be simple and meaningful by taking four simple steps.
- Hang one of those ribbon boards in your child’s room. They have them for both genders, but boyish ones may be harder to find or you can create your own. Fill the board with photos of loved ones and then a few nights a week before bed, take time to hold your child close enough to see but not too close so that they can pull the pictures off the board. Then point to each one, name them and let your child know that particular person loves them. Example: Holding your daughter, Megan, point to a photo of Aunt Erika and say, “Megan, this is Aunt Erika. Aunt Erika loves you.” While you may feel like you sound silly, it is a wonderful way of mixing visuals together with the sound of your voice and the warmth of your hug. By putting all of that together, it does create an impact.
- Establish a pattern of vocal contact depending upon what you are comfortable with, such doing something once a week to focus on that relative. Perhaps every other week you can speak by phone and then the opposite weeks via your web cam. Creating a specific day and time that you try to always stick with helps.
- Choose another day when you and your child can focus on doing something for that person. It can be as simple as drawing a picture and practice writing skills by adding their name to it or you can go shopping for a small care package that you would like to send. Once every few months, make sure to include a recent photo of your child too.
- Purchase one of those purse size photo albums from the dollar store. Fill it with extra photo doubles and it will become something your child will want to look at every day. Take time to go over it with your child, name each person and reinforce the knowledge that they are loved by many people.
If none of your relatives are close by, then dedicate each month to someone different. By following these short steps, when the time rolls around for a visit, your child will be quick to warm up to this now familiar loved one and it allows for deeper connections that can last a lifetime.
Exploring Nature with Your Children
There isn’t anything like breathing in the fresh outdoor air. Taking your child along with you allows you to see everything for the first time all over again. Whether your big outdoor adventure is at a local park, a hiking trail or even your own backyard, there are so many things to explore and learn about.
Dress appropriately for your walk, bring plenty of water, some snacks and always remember to tuck in some wipes. If you are headed to a woodsy area, make sure to take a quick peek online to find out what, if any, plants you would need to avoid (such as poison ivy) and what they look like. Then grab a plastic bag to help carry home any souvenirs you pick up along the way. If you add in a camera, you will be all set to create a memorable day.
Along your walk, do not hesitate to allow your child to stop and touch, smell and exclaim “LOOK” about every two minutes. This is what it is all about. You can play the following learning games:
- Pick up two rocks and help her figure out which is heavier.
- Explore texture by showing him examples of smooth and rough stones.
- Find one short twig and one long twig to talk about length with your child.
- Have you children gather 10 leaves and then teach them sorting by color and type.
- Take those same 10 leaves and create a pattern (small, medium, large, small, medium, etc.).
Find a nice quiet spot to sit for a short break. Open your snacks and just enjoy the world around you. If your child is old enough, play the “I Spy…” game. If you have young ones, just talk about what you see: how tall one tree is compared with another, describe the weather, and even make up stories about the people you see walking by. Sometimes, we can have a tendency to not talk very much to children too young to carry a conversation back with us. It is important to do the exact opposite, even if you feel a bit silly at first. Every time you speak, you are teaching your child.
As you take your time walking back, it is a good time to pull out the camera. What parts of nature did your children become most excited about? Now you will have time to photograph your child with some of the different items that you worked with, such as the leaf pattern you created. If you try to take pictures in the beginning, you lose that sense of first experience with your child because the camera takes you out of the scene. While you do want to record your special days, concentrate more on taking natural shots later in the day when everyone is calmer and more willing to sit still for a few moments.
Top Toys for Two Year Olds
Does it feel like you have a mini-version of your local toy store right in your living room? You want your child to have great things to play with, but with the wide array of choices, it can be a challenge figuring out which ones would best benefit your two year old. As it is with many things in life, classics will always serve you and your child well.
It can sometimes be tempting when your child falls in love with a new TV show to run out and get all of the new gadgets to go along with them. Oftentimes these items have a tendency to wind up at the bottom of the toy chest and very rarely played with after the initial rush of having something new. If you are choosy in what you bring home, you will be teaching your child many life-long lessons in regards to commercialism, materialism and clutter.
Below are my top six suggestions for toys that are fun to play with and help in teaching your child age appropriately. - Our own Alphabet Snail Puzzle click here
- Lego Blocks: Building towers for the sole pleasure of crashing them down is a favorite pastime for both boys and girls.
- View Master: Whether it is Disney Princesses or Dinosaurs, with perhaps some grown-up help in pulling the lever to turn the reel, your child will be fascinated.
- Doodle Pro: These come in large for the home and small size for the car. Encourage your child’s inner Picasso.
- Melissa & Doug Wood Puzzles: These little finger friendly puzzles appeal to both younger and older children. Make sure you check out the ones with sound also.
- Ride-on Activity Cars: There are many themes to choose from including Winnie the Pooh and Tonka Trucks. These are especially great when you have more than one toddler, such as twins. Children have a blast creating all the sounds and racing all around the house.
It is easy to see why toys like these have been around for years. These six alone encourage creative thinking, motor skills and are just plain fun. They are must-haves that allow for hours of imaginative play and should definitely be part of your stash.
After switching our health insurance company we recently found ourselves looking for a new pediatrician. This can be a real pain not to mention a dissapointment if you happened to really like the one you've had. It's tough finding a new pediatrician that both you and your child feel comfortable with.
There are some parents that are lucky enough to keep the same pediatrician that they have used since their child’s birth. There are times though that you may need to make a switch due to a move or a difference of opinion. Now that you are facing this challenge, what do you need to know to find the right doctor for your child?
Only you know what your particular needs are, but here are some questions to ask yourself before you get started on your quest:
How far are you willing to travel? Decide which towns you can get to easily and quickly get to in case you have to rush.
Do you want a male or female doctor? It may not matter to you, but take a moment to think about it to make sure.
Do you have any language needs? Perhaps you would be more comfortable with one that spoke Spanish in addition to English?
Are you interested in a pediatrician or a family practitioner? A pediatrician typically sees patients up to 18 years old and they specialize in childhood issues. Family doctors can see all of you and your child has the option of staying with that doctor long after they come of age.
Do you want a small practice where you always get to see the same doctor no matter what or a larger practice where they might be open later and offer weekend hours?
Do you have any hospital preference? Some doctors may only have privileges at certain ones.
Once you have narrowed it down by answering these questions, find out which ones take your insurance and make consultation appointments with at least three of them.
Once you have made your appointments, take time to actually write down the list of questions you have for them. Other items to take into consideration are:
What is your gut reaction to the doctor? Do you immediately feel at ease or intimidated?
How long have they been in practice? How does this affect your impression of him or her?
Discuss some of your family history. If you have some sensitive issues such as mental illness, smoking, substance abuse that need to be known as part of your child’s history, what is their reaction? Do you feel judged or are they open to your specific challenges?
What is your child’s reaction to the doctor? Does he or she warm up quickly to the pediatrician or are they uneasy?
How does the doctor interact with your child? Is the doctor ignoring him or her? Did he or she actually introduce themselves to your child? Did the doctor work to make the child as comfortable as possible?
What is their style? If you lean towards anti-medication, are they willing to work with you in learning about alternative treatments when feasible or are you always going to walk out with a prescription whether you think your child needs one or not?
These questions should give you the answers you need to make the best choice possible. You may also wish to research your finalists online and do other background checks to make sure there have been no serious situations that you make you uncomfortable. Remember, once you start seeing a doctor, if you become unhappy there is no reason for you not to find one that is more suitable.
In every one of the moms groups I am involved with, this must be the number one question that comes up. I am by no means an expert on potty training, but I would like to share my own experience with it. I mean why not, it worked with both of my boys so might as well share my successful experience. Us moms all know by now that there is no "right" way to do it. There are definitely wrong ways to go about it as there are wrong ways to go about many things. I will not go into great detail of how "not to potty train" but will say this...kids are humans and not robots. Just as we as adults don't like to be told what to do, either do kids. You have to make them feel like they have some control over this adventure. This new experience of growing up from stinky wet uncomfortable nappies to joining the club of potty using folk can be challenging to say the least and the cause of a few messes and a few days confined to the home. If you have carpeting wall to wall this may cause more issues but fortunately I didn't have a home full of carpeting. After trying the "musical potty" another great invention that causes one to use yet another set of batteries, and trying the treats in exchange for a successful go on the throne, I stumbled upon an idea that I thought just might work for us.
While boy #1 (I cannot use his name as he is on the verge of being a teen and this may be found by someone he actually knows God forbid! That would be like me kissing him goodbye when I dropped him off at school! The horror) anyway, as I was saying... While boy#1 at the age of 2, was jumping up and down in front of the t.v. watching with excitement as his favorite character Percy from Thomas the Train entered the screen I got the notion. This boy of who's name I cannot mention liked this engine from the island of Sodor so much that it just may help me to help him lose the stinking diapers. While he choo-choo'd around the living room I got ready for a trip to the store.
With diaper bag and boy#1 in tow we set out for our drive to the store all along discussing the idea of buying "big boy underpants". Now the whole while boy#1 was looking rather uncertain about giving up the dipes, I stressed that he didn't have to wear them if he really didn't want to. We would keep them in his drawer and when he was ready he could wear them. This is where he gets to feel like he can make his own decision. My plan was to get him so excited about the underwear that his decision would be to actually wear them. Luckily that was the outcome. If it had not been so, I would not be sharing this particular experience.
So, we pick up 3 packs of Thomas the Train underwear and although not every pair had Percy on it, they were all equally awesome in the eyes of boy#1. When we arrived in our driveway, boy #1 immediately began to undress right out in front of the house. Now this was going way better than planned obviously no coaxing needed here. Although I did not get to wash the new undies before he wore them which us moms know is normally the protocol, I knew he would survive. I managed to get him in the house before he was totally nude. Now safely inside and boy#1 donned in his new attire I explained that if he had to go potty to use the bathroom. Big boy undies do not absorb like diapers and he would be all wet if he went in them. I explained he would probably have a few accidents and it was fine because we had 3 packs of the big boy choo choo train underwear. Accidents did happen throughout the day and it was OK with me and OK with him. (This is why I said earlier that things may get messy with carpet) At the end of day one boy #1 was getting the hang of this. He did not enjoy getting all wet every time he had to pee and realised that if he didn't make it to the potty, this would be the outcome.
By the end of day two I had one potty trained boy who was feeling so big! He was thrilled with his accomplishment as was I. "Big boy underwear" and "going on the potty like a big boy" was the main topic of conversation for some time. Miraculously he never wet the bed at night either, which I know is shocking. I guess he was determined. He had big boy Thomas the Train undies and he chose to wear them. Mommy was proud, he was proud! I suppose it suited him just fine to keep his bed dry!
Three years later came boy #2 and with boy#2 it worked like a charm except this time it was Bob the Builder. So if you choose to follow my experience, find your child's favorite character undies, remember to give them a choice to try them out. Never force them to wear them. Of course you can cleverly convince them that it is "super cool" and "very big" to wear big kid underpants. Plan this experiment on a weekend where you can hang out at home and if you have carpets throughout rent a steam cleaner I suppose. Then please feel free to post your experience here! Even if it doesn't turn out as planned.
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