Happy Halloween!

We hope you all have a safe and fun Halloween!

Sell your stuff on eBay!

Have any barely worn name-brand clothing or shoes that your child has outgrown? Make some extra cash in time for the holidays by selling them on eBay! You can make up to half of what you paid!
That is the beauty of buying name-brand items! They are worth it since the quality is typically better and you can also recoup some of the costs, which is a definite plus!

You can also check out your local resale shop and sell there if you don't have time to set up an eBay account or worry about shipping.

Happy selling!

Grab your camera..for movies!

I always have my camera around - you NEVER know what may happen and you must be prepared! I have found that I really enjoy the video clips I take with my camera. I like it because I can capture short and funny clips of whatever crazy activity my daughter is doing at any given moment!
One time she was running around with a lunch box on her head. I grabbed a snapshot of it, but it doesn't compare to the 20 second clip I have of her running around with this thing on her head! If I would have ran downstairs to grab the video camera I would have missed it! So make sure you have a convenient point and shoot (P&S) camera with video capabilities to capture those funny times!

Teens on Today

Vanessa Van Petten, author, entrepreneur and life trainer for teens has created something very exciting and unique! "Teens Today with Vanessa Van Petten" is a blog that offers parenting advice from the kid’s perspective! What an idea! Vanessa, along with 8 teen writers (age 13-17) can be honest about real issues that teens and pre-teens are dealing with, so parents can actually understand them (well at least a small part of our world)…and we can finally develop better relationships.

Please check out her blog and pass along to those you know with tweens and teens!

We were voted as "Best Mom Blog"!

Vanessa Van Petten, author, entrepreneur and life trainer for teens and creator of "Teens Today with Vanessa Van Petten" recently named our blog one of the Best mommy blogs!

Thanks to Vanessa!! Please see the following post to read more about Vanessa and her great outlet for teens.

Vanessa says: I don’t often feature mommy bloggers who only have little ones, but some of them are so great and so timeless, I had to post them! Also many of my readers have teens, tweens and toddlers.

The Little Hipster Mom Blog Cute babies in cute clothes! It does not get much better than this. This blog makes me want a baby just so I can dress her up = ).

Scrub-a-dub-dub...

Bath time is always a fun time for our kids. If you find a tot that is anti-bath here are a few ways to make bath time more fun!

1. Bubbles! Bubble bath adds flair to an ordinary bath time.
2. Waterproof Books! A fun way to get the bedtime story.
3. Fun water toys. Having toys specifcally for bath time will make the child look forward to playing with those toys- hence look forward to ... baths!
4. Colored soap. Suds up with fun soaps! Avon offers fun body paints for the tub at a low price of $1.99 each! Check them out here!
5. Waterbased Crayons. Crayola has great crayons that work well in the tub. They can draw on the tub and then the color wipes off! Just be careful if your child colors in the grout- that maybe harder to wipe off.
   

Hand Washing!

Cold and flu season is right around the corner! Make sure your little is kept germ free by making sure you frequently wash his or her hands with soap and warm water. Teach your little on to sing a song such as "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" while making suds - that will have you washing hands long enough to kill most of the germies!

Going to a play date? Bring some antibacterial gel to keep on hand and make sure when you leave to wipe any toys your brought and your tot's hands! If your little one is a baby make sure you are washing your hands and have friends and family wanting to hold your little one wash their hands too- make it a requirement! I kept a antibacterial gel in every room so there were no excuses not to have germ free holding hands!

Let the October Voting Begin!

We have had submissions of the coolest little hipsters! So, now it's your turn to vote for the picture you like best! The winner will win a $25 gift certificate to Little Hipster's Online Boutique!

Voting ends on November 4th!

On the right hand side you will see the voting buttons. Make sure to send this page to your friends and family and have them vote! Please only vote only once a day!

Chicco Infant Carseat Base Recall

Saw in Parents Magazine today that the bases for the Chicco KeyFit and KeyFit 30 and Cortina Travel Systems car seats manufactured between February 26, 2008 and March 17, 2008 were recalled. Here is more info:

Consumer Reports

Another snack idea

I am always searching for new and nutritious snacks for my little one... Once toddlers start feeding themselves, it becomes such an issue if you try to even help! "No, I do"! So, I decided to try giving him a plum. He loved it and felt like such a big boy eating it.
Another great one is apples. Although depending on their age, you may want to peel the skin off first. If you haven't let your little one try a plum or apple, give it a chance today. Maybe your little one will be just as excited about eating fruit as mine is!

Making Music Around the House

As a fun and creative outlet for you and your little ones, making music around the house can be a fun game! Getting kids involved with music & rhythm introduces them to a whole new world!
The obvious "instruments" are pots and pans... but some other great ones are:

• Altoids or safety capped vitamins make great moroccas! (I duct taped around the entire thing to prevent choking) "shake it, shake it, skate it!"
  
• Empty paper towel rolls make good microphones, or just fun sounds to them well singing into it
  
• Using your hand against your lips teaches them echo sounds

If you want to actually get some instruments, I have found children Pianos and guitars are big hits!

Parenting with Love and Logic

For those of you in search of a great book on parenting, this one is GREAT!
Parenting with Love & Logic by Foster Cline, MD & Jim Fay.
"According to DR. Foster & Jim Fay, parents who try to ensure their children's success often raise unsuccessful kids. Responsibility is like anything else- it has to be learned through practice.
If you want to raise kids who are self confident, motivated, and ready for the real world, take advantage of the win win approach to parenting. Your kids will win because they learn responsibility and logic of life by solving their own problems. And you'll win because you'll establish healthy control- without resorting to anger, threats, nagging or exhausting power struggles".

Wow- check out the book today!

Magical, "no mess" markers for toddlers

I recently learned about these great markers... They are called Color Wonder by Crayola. The markers will only write on their special paper. That is genius, since many of the little ones who want to color, really are actually just making a HUGE mess everywhere. Well, Crayola to the rescue! You can find them at Target and other stores.
I am all about creativity, but am happy about containing the mess ;)

Baby Registry 101: Lesson #16- Shopping cart Cover

The shopping cart cover is such a great invention! It is multi-functional because it can be used with grocery carts, highchairs, and also on safety playground swings, all while keeping your little one germ free. Just about the time they are ready to sit up in a shopping cart, they are also at their peak phase of chewing everything!
There are many different brands available and at first thought you may think they are all the same... well, actually they aren't. I had 4 of my girlfriends tell me that the one they got at Babies R Us was a piece of junk!

After testing a few and talking with a handful of moms, here are the key things to think about:

• Will it actually fit over the entire cart?
• How thick is the material? Is there any padding?
• Also, since you will be carrying this item around for awhile, it doesn't hurt for the one you choose to be stylish!
  

Our favorites ones are by Itzy Ritzy. Not only do they fit over the entire cart, they work on the big carts at Costco! They come in a variety of colors and are also reversible. Check them out here.

Halloween has arrived at Little Hipster

Halloween has arrived at Little Hipster!

As Halloween approaches, please check out all the adorable costumes now available at Little Hipster
Not only are these costumes super cute and fun, they are made of the SOFTEST material. The manufacturer, Wyla is known for luxurious fabrics and textiles that are used by top fashion industry designers!
An added bonus of these costumes are they can double as a winter bunting suit or a fun play date outfit throughout the upcoming winter.

Shipping promotion at Little Hipster

In honor of Halloween, we are reducing our flat rate shipping cost to $3 per order.
Happy shopping!

Signing with baby

Since my son was about 3 months old, I started doing a few signs and repeating both the sign and the word associated with it. It was so cool when one day around 10 months, he reached his little hand up and did the sign for Milk! Recently he started signing the word "more"- so fun
I would recommend not trying to teach them a bunch of new signs all at once. Pick a few that you want to start with and change it up which one you do. So, every time you hand baby a bottle, do both the sign for Milk & say what it is.
Don't underestimate the power of daily repetition of actions and repeating of words!!
Also, even if the sign isn't exactly the correct way, as long as you and baby both know what it means that is ok. My son does "all done"- by raising his arms up and tapping his head-- it is so cute! In the beginning, he just did the sign, but now he does the sign and if I don't see him, he says- AHH Done.
A video that a friend gave me was called Signing Times. It is great. I just learned that this CD is actually a tv show on PBS- check you're local listings for it.
Happy signing!

Another "In the Motherhood" episode

I hope you are not getting sick of these video clips!? They just make me laugh!

Monkey see, Monkey Do

For those of you with toddlers, you really can relate to that statement! My son is almost 17 months old and it is so amusing watching him try to imitate me and those around him.
This is the perfect opportunity to continue to teach your little one new things.
One idea is to get a big, colorful book with animals throughout the pages (or you can get flashcards). Everyday go through the book, even if you aren't reading line for line, and just point out a different animal. Initially, I found that introducing 2 animals a month is successful to them learning. I started with "dog" and what does a dog say? Now my son not only says dog, but barks too.
It is amazing how daily repetition of actions and repeating of words really starts to hit home with toddlers-- their brains are like sponges at this age so just a reminder to continually challenge them ;)

Baby Registry 101: Lesson #15- Strollers

There are so many different type of strollers on the market today, so how do you choose??
Initially, you may think- it doesn't matter, they are all the same.... well, actually they are not!
After talking with several of my friends, we all decided that a stroller is the one item you should NOT skimp on.

After much research and comparison shopping, I found that there are some key questions you should ask:

• How easy does it turn and maneuver through a crowd (especially if you live in the city)? Most likely it will be you holding the door for yourself and trying to push stroller through. A feature some strollers have are swivel wheels, which allows you to turn it with one hand!
• Does it have some type of "snap and go" feature?
  That means, can your carseat snap onto your stroller base? This is such a great feature because when your little one is in those first few months, they need their sleep but still at that age where they can sleep on the go (usually)... So if you are running errands and baby is asleep in car, instead of waking them up and putting them into a sling or stroller, you can just snap carseat onto stroller
  
• My friend got one of those "Snap & Go" Frames, but she said it was so flimsy she ended up buying 3 of them. If you add up the price of those 3, plus the other stroller she figured it would have been better to have just invested in a nicer one in the beginning
• Does it fold up easily? Check to see if it can stand once folded up.
  
• Is it heavy or lightweight? Can you lift it into your trunk with ease? Remember if you have a c-section you can't left heavy items!
  
• Ask yourself- how will I use my stroller? Is the answer: Daily? Walking outside, through a crowd? Do you live in a city, where you will have to weather the elements and street traffic? Or will you mostly be indoors at a mall?

The following are the ones that have been top rated for the above reasons...

• Bugaboo Frog
  
• Uppa Baby (new to the scene, but have gotten great reviews)
  
• Phil & Ted's
  
• Bob Revolution (can function as a jogger and an "urban" stroller. The only downside is it is bigger)

If you live in an area, where you aren't walking along city streets often and don't think you want all the bells and whistles, the following are ones that work well (and look cute too)

• Quinny Zap (new to the scene in the US)
• Maclaren (the Quest is a nice one)- great umbrella stroller

Finally, there are the typical Travel systems. I am not too familiar with these, so stay tuned and Noel will speak on these ones further... but, the following have been rated well:

• Chicco Cortina Travel System
• Graco
• Peg Perego
• Inglesina (According to the Baby Bargains Book Inglesina was better rated than the Peg Perego)
  

Most importantly, go look and play with the different strollers in the stores- turn them around corners and see how they move with one hand. Try folding & picking it up. Imagine how it would roll over curbs and bumps.

Good luck and happy strolling!

Halloween is coming to Little Hipster

Stay tuned. We will be uploading some really cute and fun Halloween costumes for babies- 4T.

Monster Space Tees!

Launching our Monster Space tees! These tees are the perfect gift for any little boy! Check them out at Little Hipster!



Just check out all our cute unique boy tees!

Puma is here!

So, as the weather starts to turn cooler, you are now in search of the right outfit for your little one... well, look no further! Puma track sets are super comfy, practical but more importantly- stylish!
Check them out at Little Hipster.