Website lil Loves

Don't toy with your child's health. The site HealthyToys.org has tested more than 1,500 toys and children’s products for lead, cadmium, arsenic, PVC, and other harmful chemicals and posted the results. While lilsugar reader's voted the new lead testing laws for 2009 to be too extreme, the site found that one in three toys tested were found to contain "medium" or "high" levels of chemicals of concern. To see where your tot's toys fall, you can search items individually or just check out the site's best and worst toys for a more general list.

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Moms wishing there were more hours in the day often look to a nanny for help, but finding a person suitable to care for your lil ones takes time.

Instead of trying to poach your friend's nanny who makes Mary Poppins look bad, turn to Nannies4Hire.com. Whether you are looking for full-time, part-time, temporary, summer, live-in or live-out nannies there are a variety of experience levels available. Check out the database free of charge, but it's going to cost you $130 (for 30 day membership) to gain access to contact information. While it seems costly, in the end that's a small price to pay for finding your child's perfect match. Super mom Kate Gosselin even used the site in her search for someone to watch her brood on our favorite show Jon and Kate Plus 8.

When an expectant mama starts to experience contractions, it's important that she keeps an eye on their duration and frequency — especially if she is nearing her due date. Between the pain and pressure, it can be easy to forget to take note of when the contractions are happening. But like most other things, there's a techie solution! ContractionMaster.com tracks the tightening for you. This free site helps pregnant mothers and their partners time labor contractions so you know if they are progressing and if you should call your OB/GYN.

Most lil ones are anxiously awaiting Santa's arrival later this week. For those children who still believe that behaving themselves is key to a pile of presents under the tree from Old Saint Nick, they may be feeling a bit of regret for pushing their younger brother yesterday. Disney Family has created a great tool for parents to use, so that tots can check in on Santa to see if they made his "nice" list or not. It only takes about a minute to do, but is well worth seeing the wonder in your wee one's eyes.

I looked and sure enough I made the list; my guess is that your child will, too.

After taking inventory of your lil one's toy box, it's hard to imagine adding toys to the heaping pile this time of year. How about renting them instead?

The site RentaToy.com allows parents to rent 2-8 toys at a time. When your tot tires of her selection, which she inevitably will, ship them back and a new shipment of goodies will be sent back to you. Prices start at $25 a month and if your child falls in love with a certain item, just log onto your account and purchase it. No need to buy anything she is not interested in — or anything at all!

I know what you're all thinking: What about the germs? Well, when toys enter, exit and return to Rent A Toy, they are inspected, thoroughly cleaned and sanitized, and tested for condition and usability. The site also tests for the following hazards: bacteria, lead, arsenic, cadmium, mercury, bromine, antimony, chlorine, phthalates, and loose magnetic parts, which is more than you can say for your wee one's playthings at home.

Mamas fear their babe's birthday parties, but not because of the cake and chaos that ensue — it's the presents that send parents into a panic. A room full of gifts is more than some youngsters can handle and sadly, many items just get tossed in the toy box once they are brought home. Two mommies figured out a solution to this problem and founded ECHOage to share their genius idea with other mothers.

The site is a party service that sends out paperless invitations to your tot's birthday party and allows for the guests (or their parents) to make a secure payment online in lieu of a present. Then half of the money is donated to the celebrant's charity of choice and the rest is paid to the guest of honor to pick out one special gift. Aside from teaching kids to be considerate of others, the concept cuts out invitations, cards, thank-you notes, wrapping paper and mall trip pollution making it Eco-friendly as well.

My tots have a whole lotta loot. And, while it's hard to part with their favorite playthings, it's even more difficult to accommodate new toys and find a place to stow the old ones.

Taking a note from Netflix, a Houston mom of twin babes made a business out of solving problems for parents in similar predicaments. Offering toys from puzzles to activity centers for kids infant aged to five, BabyPlay subscriptions sell for various rates. To see the specifics, read more