Baby Fashion Blog - Baby Gifts & Baby Boutique Stories

Top Ten Baby Shower Gift Idea #10: Bla Bla Handknit Sweater Friend Dolls & Free Product Giveaway!

I've decided to compile my TOP 10 Baby Shower Gift List and 1st Free Product Giveaway will start here with #10 and work my way up to #1 over the next couple of months.  I think you'll find these posts pretty useful as I'll give a little review of the product and point out some of the special features that make the item a favorite for my own family and friends!  I have paid special attention to select baby shower gifts that are both useful and fun and will garner the "oohs and aahs" you are hoping for when your special gift is opened at the shower!

So, here is it #10:  Bla Bla Handknit Sweater Friend Dolls

Bla Bla Handknit Sweater Friends Dolls make fun, whimsical and unique baby shower gifts for boys and girls alike. The variety of darling characters from dogs to frogs to mermaids will pitter patter their way into your heart. Many folks come back again and again to purchase a special Bla Bla Handknit Sweater Friends Doll as a unique baby gift for the newest addition to their circle of family and friends. The craftsmanship of these handknit dolls is quite lovely with that handmade touch that cannot be found just anywhere. Many parents today are looking for cloth and wood toys for their children because of precautions about plastics and other synthetic materials used in the manufacturing process. Bla Bla’s dolls are crafted from 100% cotton with natural fiber fill.

The colorful and creative designs of each and every character make these handknit dolls stand out from the crowd. Each doll’s face is just delightful--Emme smiles so wide at the site of her Lulu Flower Doll and we plan to continually add to her Bla Bla Handknit Sweater Friends Doll collection with each passing birthday or holiday.  We walked through a local boutique the other day called Blue Windows and I looked down at Emme to find she had snagged 3 big Bla Bla dolls from a barrel where they wre on display in the kids section....good thing I noticed before we left the store, 'cause little Emme would've been booked for shoplifting!  In my opinion, Bla Bla Handknit Sweater Friends Dolls are unique and special enough to make a baby shower gift tradition or baby’s first birthday gift tradition for the fun-loving babies and parents in your life.

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To enter the FREE PRODUCT GIVEAWAY for the chance to win a free Bla Bla doll of our choice for a special little one in your life, visit our Bla Bla page and please leave a comment indicating which doll is your favorite...be sure to fill in the email address field when leaving your comment so we can contact you when you WIN!  (Winner will be randomly selected)

 

 

Tralala...all the Sugar & Spice you can handle!

One of the cutest lines of infant & toddler clothing for girls has to be by Tralala Inc.!  The gorgeous floral prints they introduce each season are classic, vintage, frilly and French as can be.  I just love it and so does Emme.  She loves to lounge in her 2-piece Cami Playwear sets by Tralala and our newborn baby girl friends look just scrumptious in the 2-piece Kimono Layette sets by Tralala!  The summer collection is fresh on the page at Polka Dot Whale.com and ready to snap up....hurry, Tralala clothing for baby girls flies off the shelf and you'll be so sad you missed out!  Ranging in price from $39-$44, Tralala outfits are the perfect baby shower gift.  We just LOVE how they coordinate with Jamie Rae Hats & Headbands, too!  I can't wait to see what prints and styles they have brewing for the Fall and Holiday season...stay tuned....

Play.Sleep.Love. with Zoobie Pets!

The land is abuzz with raves about the latest plush toy/blanket/pillow craze...Zoobie Pets!  I discovered Zoobie Pets at the Baby Celebration L.A. a few weeks back and Emme has been lovin' up her Hada the Hippo ever since.  Zoobie Pets embody an innovative and newly patented 3-in-1 concept...each pet is a plush toy, a soft pillow and comfy blanket all in one--the perfect childhood companion!  The more I learn about Zoobie Pets, it has become clear that it isn't just the munchkins that can't get enough of their Zoobie Pets...

I stumbled across a blog post by Meredith Viera of The View & Today Show fame just the other day.  Apparently a fan gifted her with a Zoobie Mashaka the Monkey a while back and she intended to take it home to her tween daughter, Lily, but instead, fell asleep in the car, cuddled up with that Zoobie Mashaka the Monkey and has lived to tell about it.  It's now her go-to gift for friends with babies and little ones, including Today Show co-host Natalie Morale's 4-year-old son, whom Viera gifted with a Zoobie Jafaru the Giraffe!! 

A fun feature is the animals' signature faces are so squishy since they are made with micro-beads and the body is the softest velour-like texture that make these plush toys some of the squishiest & cuddliest around.  The fleece blanket inside the pillow-like body is also incredibly soft and snuggly.  I highly recommend Zoobie Pets for travel as your little one is guaranteed to have a familiar friend, a soft pillow and a warm blanket anytime that his Zoobie Pet is in tow...Emme will be toting her Hippo on all of our summer excursions and visits to Grandma!  All components make for one of the most unique gifts for babies and big kids that I have seen in a while! At a loss for what to send your nephew for his birthday or your niece for her First Communion?  Send a Zoobie Pet today....at just $34, these adorable gifts are a steal!

Emme has been struggling with a little cold and her Zoobie Pet has been a real comfort.  Here, my sick baby snuggles her Zoobie Pet this morning while she watched Sesame Street on TV...Notice her squeezing Hada the Hippo's ever-so-squishable face!

Rootin' Tootin' Cowgirl.....Radio Flyer!

One of Baby Emme's favorite First Christmas gifts is her Radio Flyer Classic Rock & Bounce Pony

for infants & toddlers! It is a  really fun find and I think it makes a great First Birthday Gift, Baby's First Christmas Gift of even new baby  gift...I can totally picture one at the next posh celebrity baby shower! It's all the fun of a traditional Radio Flyer Jumping Horse for older toddlers & kids and a rocking horse rolled up into one.  With the added bonus that is completely safe for these little ones.  Low to the ground, rubbery bands for the bouncing action and plastic runners for the rocking action.  She has just recently really gotten the hang of how to make that pony rock & bounce and likes for me to sing the Lone Ranger theme song while she does it.  She looks so cute bobbing up and down that I love to fulfill her tiny demands!

We all recall our favorite little red wagon from childhood and thanks to Radio Flyer there are classic and wildly updated versions of that Radio Flyer Little Red Wagon to choose from today for today's babies and big kids.  Not to mention fun accessories like sunshades, padded seats and cooler packs!  Nana picked up a new Radio Flyer Red Wagon this past Christmas and I adore the picks of her pulling Emme and her 2-year-old cousin, Russell, around the house in the Christmas jammies!  Check them out....

A good selection of Radio Flyer Wagons, Jumping Horses and Trikes can be hard to find...the best I've come across is Red Wagons, where you'll find the entire collection of Radio Flyer toys for babies, toddlers & big kids!

Fun in the Sun with the best Sun Protection Products for Babies!

With summer fast-approaching , I've been on a mission to gather up all of the necessary products to make time spent in the sun as much fun and guilt-free as possible this year!  Mother's of today are charged with the extraordinary task of protecting our little ones from even a single sunburn.... with innocent summers in the sun resulting in wrinkles, sunspots and melanoma!  Read more about sun protection for kids here...

With all the information we have these days about the dangers of overexposure to the sun, starting in childhood, we really do owe it to our kids to give them a safe and healthy start.  So, I'm here to share with you, some of my favorite finds for summer sun protection (and sun protection all year 'round!) 

1)  The "rash guard" style bathing suits for babies and toddlers that offer 50+ SPF Protection are a genius solution for the beach and pool.  Not only are you spared wrestling your girls into strappy fitted bathing suits and trying to get the sunscreen spread evenly in spite of those same straps, boys aren't left with their entire upper body exposed to those harmful rays.  Emme has 2 of these style suits and each has a swim diaper and short-sleeve top.  This is also great for swim diaper changes (see above comments about wresting baby girl in and out of strappy bathing suit;)). 

Find this Tropical Rash Guard Set for Baby Girl at Gymboree and this Rash Guard for Boys at Baby Gap!

2)  A great floppy sunhat is indispensable for Mommy & Baby!  Emme won't always wear a hat, but I keep trying, because it goes so far in terms of protecting her eyes, face, sensitive scalp and chest & shoulders!  I love the selection of sun hat colors found at Hanna Andersson.  You're sure to find a sun hat match for every bathing suit and outfit and they are currently offering a special price of $10 on many colors!

3)  Another fantastic sun product new to the market is sunscreen in a wipe formulation!  I had purchased a few different brands and hadn't used either until a couple of weeks ago.  I'm going to pick up more the very next time I see them!  There is no chance of accidentally squirting baby in the eye with a glob of sunscreen, no chance of baby getting a hold of the bottle and making a mess or (heaven forbid) ingesting some and no chance of sunscreen leaking all over your beach or diaper bag!  The wipes are very easy to use AND in spite of my fears to the contrary, really do cover one entire baby with one wipe. I have been equally happy with the usability and the sun protection offered by these two brands, at opposing ends of the price spectrum!  Pick up Baby Blanket Brand SPF 45+ wipes at Babies R Us and get 6 for $7.99.  Baby Silk SPF 30+ wipes may be purchased at Right Start, 3 for $7.99.  In case you don't already know, the wonderful Baby Silk product line by MD Moms is worth every penny--it's pediatrician-tested and a favorite of all the big name celebrity mamas we know & love!

4)  Another modern convenience is that every conceivable baby gear item for the beach or pool now comes with a sunshade canopy!  The Baby Spring Float from One Step Ahead is both fun & functional.  Mama loves a good cabana and now baby can enjoy a mini cabana all her own... check out the Sun Stop'r Deluxe Kwik Cabana, also from One Step Ahead.

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Emme can sit in her floaty all day long in the pool, so with a sunhat, canopy, rash guard bathing suit & super protective sunscreen wipes, I think we pretty much have sun protection covered for this summer!

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Leave us comment and let us know what you and your little ones do to keep cool and stay safe in the summer sunshine!