Filed under: Baby Gift Ideas, Book Review | Tags: chronical books, classic lullaby, lullaby baby, lullaby songs with words, nursery songs, singing songs to baby, songs for babies, words to lullabys
I love listening to my husband sing to our son, especially when he forgets the words and starts making things up! I’m sure there are times in all of our lives when we wished we could remember the words to more lullabies to sing to our little ones. Musical or not, we still want to sing and make them smile! Lullaby Baby, a book with 50 classic songs, features an on-board sound module that lets you learn the words and melodies to each song―all with fabulous illustrations!
It makes a perfect gift ―for yourself, for a friend, relative, etc. Let everyone sing along to the melodies of the song! This works perfect for traveling too… putting the little ones to rest when they are in an unfamiliar place. Oh, the joys of being able to sing to your child… even if you have a crappy voice! 
$29.95 at www.chronicalbooks.com
Filed under: Baby Gift Ideas, Book Review, Celebrity Moms | Tags: baby gifts, baby shower gift, childrens books, josie bissett, moms choice award book, parent tested parent approved award book, parents choice award book, reading with children, The Tickle Moster, tickle book, tickle mitts, tickle monster book, tickle monster set
OK, old Melrose Place fans… you have to remember Josie Bissett (aka Jane). Well, Ms. Bissett has taken a detour from acting to write a children’s book that is soon to be a favorite among moms everywhere! The Tickle Monster takes fun and silliness to a while new level. A loveable monster with big puffy mitts has just flown in from Planet Tickle. His mission is to bring joy and laughter to Planet Earth. How? By tickling any child who happens to follow along in this book.
“The best sound in the world is the glorious sound of your children laughing,” says Bissett. “Children love playfulness. They love silliness and they LOVE being tickled.”
Read aloud and do the tickling while the kiddies squirm and giggle with delight. You can
buy just the book if you wish, but I highly advise buying the mittens as well. The mittens are a MUST! Both are sold separately, but some places sell it as a set. The magical blue Tickle Monster mitts, have holes in the fingertips to make it easy for you to instantly transform yourself into “Tickle Monster” and turn pages while tickling.
If you are looking for a fun, unique gift idea, this is it. Perfect for parents, grandparents and kids for any occasion. But just a word of caution… not a great book right before bed because they get so hyped up from it.
The Tickle Monster is a winner of the Mom’s Choice Award, Parent’s Choice Award and the Parent Tested Parent Approved Award.
Filed under: Baby Gift Ideas, Book Review | Tags: age appropriate books, baby books, educational videos, little one books, music for babies, music for children, reading to babies, reading with children, selecting books for children, top baby books, videos for children
Little One Books, based out of Seattle, WA offers a unique shopping experience for parents. Two grandparents, very passionate about reading, started this company to provide parents with the best in children’s books, music and videos. All products have been personally reviewed and hand selected based on their ability to benefit children from birth through age five. Basically, they do the research so you can spend more time enjoying your little one.
The site allows you to Shop by Age: Birth – 12 months, 1 year, 2 years, 3 years, 4 years and 5 years as well ad Shop by Product: Books, Music and Video. Everything on littleonebooks.com has been personally reviewed and you will find detailed information on why they prefer a particular product in the “Why We Chose” section of each product page.
Let’s face it, searching for books that are age appropriate is quite a daunting task… I generally guess and pick out one with great illustrations! Now you have a source that does all of this for you. There is so much material out there today, this website helps to alleviate a little time and stress! Check it out today! 
Filed under: Baby Gift Ideas, Book Review | Tags: amazon, barnes and noble, borders.com, celebrity parenting book, funny parenting book, gift idea for new dad, jay mohr, No wonder my parents drank, parenting book
No Wonder My Parents Drank: Tales from a Stand-Up Dad by comedian/actor Jay Mohr gives you the down and dirty tales of modern fatherhood. Sharing his stories of being a first-time parent, Mohr talks about his humiliating test-tube conception attempts and then turns it into the trauma of having to keep his child alive―only to have to spend alone time with him once he is home from the hospital! He makes dirty diapers sound poetic and gives interesting theories on spanking.
Mohr knows how to be funny, but was as clueless as can be when it came to parenthood: “one of the shitty parts” of parenthood is that “there aren’t any do-overs. You learn on the fly and do the best you can.” Even in his humorous tales, he makes it blatantly obvious that he has loved every minute of being a dad and his son Jackson means everything to him. Between what he calls the hidden advantages of parenthood, aka the carpool lane and getting to use the ladies restroom, Mohr describes in hilarious detail the crazy situation parents face but can never prepare for.
Not all milk and cookies, Mohr does seem to touch on more “unhappy” topics like his attempt to have a child with his second wife (actress Nikki Cox), but makes the problem seem light when he equates it to his “lousy swimmers.” Even during the serious parts, the actor/comedian stays honest and engaging: “As he grows, my heart sinks. The less he needs me, the more I need him.”
If you are not one for blunt humor and four-letter-words your little one would need earmuffs for, you might want to pass this one up. But if you can laugh along with the rest of us and aren’t a “by-the-book” parent, this book is perfect for you. I highly recommend it for first time dads. The obvious joy he has for being a father really shines through―and that makes anyones heart melt.
Book is available at www.amazon.com , www.barnesandnoble.com , and www.borders.com . Prices start at $16.50 for hardcover.
*Check out the June issue of Parents Magazine for an article written by Jay on his own real-life potty training tale that will make you pee your pants!
Filed under: Baby Gift Ideas, Book Review | Tags: amazon, baby book review, baby shower gift, barnes and noble, borbers books, funny parenting book, mommy wears heels, parenting book, pregnancy, sippy cups
If you are the type of mom that many people would classify as the strictly “standard” American mom, stay away from this book, it might give you a heart attack! But, if you are like a lot of us out there, struggling with day-to-day activities, work and other projects while still trying to be a parent, this is a must read. Written by Los Angeles comedian and television writer and producer, Stefanie Wilder-Taylor, Sippy Cups Are Not for Chardonnay is a comical take on entering the world of motherhood.
To be honest, I bought this book strictly for the title. I am a certified “wino.” Anyone who knows me will attest to this. Although I do prefer a good Sangiovese or Merlot blend, I’ll drink a white every now and then. (whites are much harder to screw up than reds!) Anyway, back to the book… definitely for those of us that had an active social life pre-baby and hope to have one again. A great book for gifting at baby showers or for new moms.
Book Description (compliments of Amazon.com)
The moment the second line on the pee stick turns pink, women discover they’ve entered a world of parenting experts. Friends, family, colleagues, the UPS delivery guy — suddenly everybody is a trove of advice, much of it contradictory and confusing. With dire warnings of what will happen if baby is fed on demand and even direr warnings of what will happen if he isn’t, not to mention hordes of militant “lactivists,” co-sleeping advocates, and books on what to worry about next, modern parenthood can seem like a minefield.
In busy Mom-friendly short essays, Sippy Cups Are Not for Chardonnay delivers the empathetic straight dirt on parenting, tackling everything from Mommy & Me classes (“Your baby doesn’t need to be making friends at three months old — you do! But not with people you’ll meet at Mommy & Me”) to attachment parenting (“If you’re holding your baby 24/7, that’s not a baby, that’s a tumor”). Stefanie Wilder-Taylor combines practical tips with side-splitting humor and refreshing honesty, assuring women that they can be good mothers and responsibly make their own choices. A witty and welcome antidote to trendy parenting texts and scarifying case studies, Sippy Cups Are Not for Chardonnay provides genuine support, encouragement, and indispensable common-sense advice.
*The author’s best friend is Chelsea Handler, so if you liked, “Are you there Vodka? It’s Me, Chelsea” you’ll love this.
