July has flown by, in spite of 31 late nights. Your comments every day have been far more energizing than any caffeinated beverage. It’s hard to believe today’s our last day, but it’s a good one. We’re giving away 6 great products, including a Bruder truck, a Kidkraft kitchen, some wonderful family games, a gorgeous Melo Baby microfiber diaper wallet, ... Read More »

People always assume that owning a toy/baby store is all fun and games. Isn’t it? This summer, we started selling live frogs through a company called Wild Creations. The African Dwarf Frog species is, by all accounts, hardy and well-suited to small ecosystem living conditions. They were an instant phenomenon. Kids were totally entranced by the playful antics of the ... Read More »

We’ve been selling phil&teds strollers since the very beginning in 2004. Back then, I ordered them directly from New Zealand (loved their accents), and hardly anyone had ever heard of them. We were one of just a handful of retailers in the United States. Now, of course, they’re all the rage, and I’m a proud mother hen. I used the ... Read More »

Have you ever wanted something really, really badly? When we first opened Magic Beans, all I wanted was to carry Bugaboo. For a number of reasons, we weren’t able to become an authorized dealer at that time, and the disappointment literally kept me up at night (or was it my newborn?). I had been an admirer of the brand since ... Read More »

We’ve had our fair share of funny coincidences surrounding these giveaways. Like all the winners from the South Shore area, one of whom even won twice! But we weren’t laughing when we got a call that our scheduled giveaway for today was going to coincide with a voluntary recall announcement. Yep, that’s right, today’s giveaway is the Baby Bjorn Babysitter ... Read More »

Fresh off the heels of BlogHer, I am home feeling very inspired and slightly unsettled. The “mommyblogger” movement has been gaining momentum for some time now and big corporate America has bowed to their power on more than one occasion. The latest BlogHer survey showed that 85% of respondants made a purchase decision based on something they read on a ... Read More »

I’ve already written at length about the Orbit Infant System, as I’ve been using it with Zev for 11 months now. As I write this, I’ve just returned from our 14th airplane trip with the Orbit, and accordingly can attest at length to its suitability for travel. But there’s another story to tell about Orbit Baby that goes all the ... Read More »

It’s probably not easy to be the person at Playmobil responsible for dreaming up new themes. In theory, the world offers a vast amount of inspiration, but still. How many different settings can legitimately be a springboard for multiple play sets? Playmobil has already covered so many, with farms, castles, pirate ships, zoos, a circus, a hospital, and so many ... Read More »

The Wishbone Bike from Skip Hop is my new favorite recommendation for someone looking to buy a really special gift for a 1-year old. This beautiful bike begins life as a three-wheeled foot-trike (meaning there aren’t any pedals, kids push with their feet to make it go). Then, as they get older, you can convert it first into a two-wheeled ... Read More »

When the Clek Olli booster seat came out, it changed the world a little bit for parents of school-age children. The simplicity and appealing design made it so easy to transport a carload of kids without any arguments about being too old for a car seat. Now, Clek is kicking it up a notch with the Clek Oobr Booster Seat, ... Read More »