ga ga or gag

Open wide . . . Mouth Man hoodies are here! The latest trend amongst the playground set, these animal-inspired hooded shirts look innocent enough at first glance. But once kids fold their arms across their chests — BAM! It's a shark (or lizard, or snake) attack!

Kiddie-size Mouth Man sweatshirts retail for $30 and are available in sizes 2T-14 (fear not, mom and dad, they also come in men's and women's sizes). They're made of soft polyester sport mesh — a fabric that's constructed from recycled plastic bottles — and are printed with eco-friendly, nontoxic inks. With a UPF rating of 50+, Mouth Man hoodies also function as swim and sun coverups.

While we appreciate the eco-conscious and kid-friendly thought that goes into their production, we can't help but question whether we'd be OK with our lil ones wearing these somewhat scary shirts. What do you think? Is Mouth Man a clever design, or a look that you could do without?

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Mouth Man Hoodies: Ga Ga or Gag?

Ga Ga — My kids would love these!

Gag — Yikes! Keep those mouths shut!

It's always a letdown when flip-flop season ends and closed-toe shoes work their way back into your wardrobe. I mean, there's a reason spans between trips to the pedicurist grow longer throughout the Winter. For lil girls who spent the Summer switching up their toenail colors based on their latest whim, the season can be especially cold.

That's where Bobbi-Toads ($50) comes in, a kids' sneaker with embossed toes (and toenails) that are prime for painting. Yes, we said painting — with real nail polish. Simply apply your lil one's favorite nontoxic nail color to the toe portion of the shoe — or purchase a bottle of Bobbi-Polish nontoxic color ($8) and apply it — let it dry, and send your colorful kid on her way. When she's grown bored of the color, simply use a nontoxic polish remover on the shoe and then paint on your next color.

The six styles of shoes, available in sizes from little girls' 11-13 to big girls' 1-6 are designed to "give girls the ability to express themselves, make a unique fashion statement, and, most of all, have fun," according to founder Jacki Stanley. So tell us: would your tot love a pair of Bobbi-Toads?

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Bobbi-Toads Nail Polish Sneakers: Ga Ga or Gag?

Ga Ga — What a fun idea for lil girls who love playing with polish!

Gag — This is just silly! Kids don't need to be painting the outside of their shoes!

An intrepid group of musicians known as CDZA has come up with a clever approach to teaching kids the ins and outs of classical music. While we're not sure that it'll actually work, their video explanation of the suggested method is awfully cute, and well worth a watch:

What do you think? Would you try to get your kids to learn the classics by utilizing the lyrics to their favorite pop songs?

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Pop Music Teaching Kids the Classics: Ga Ga or Gag?

Ga Ga — That's as brilliant as Beethoven!

Gag — Not striking a chord.

We've all been there, futilely trying to prop a blanket or lovie under baby's bottle so mom can have both hands for just two minutes. Dad Joe Murillo felt your pain, and after years of working with his hands as a jeweler, he felt like he could come up with a better solution. The result: the Li'l Helper Baby Bottle Holder ($13). Inspiration hit Joe at the supermarket, where he saw plastic clothes hangers and remembered how his daughter instinctively gripped his finger. He crafted a prototype, which his baby used and loved, and soon, friends started asking for their own. Thus, a business was born.

The Li'l Helper's ergonomic design matches your baby’s natural nursing posture, making it easy for them to support their own bottles, giving you back both of your hands. The BPA-free construction, available in pink and blue, holds most bottles. So could you use a Li'l Helper? Weigh in below.

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Li'l Helper Bottle Holder: Ga Ga or Gag?

Ga Ga — What a genius idea! I need my hands back!  

Gag — Not for me! I love my time feeding my baby.

Forget a push present, what about a "pregnant, but not showing" gift? In the weeks before an expectant mama's bump makes its debut, it's virtually impossible to tell if someone's pregnant. The MAMA Jewelry Co. has this group of first trimester moms in mind.

According to the company, its Maternity Alert Jewelry ($20)— which is an oval pendant with a picture of stork and the month when the baby is due to arrive — is designed to "protect mother and unborn child in the case of an accident or other medical situation where mom cannot speak for herself." The company's founder was inspired when his newly pregnant wife left for the grocery store and he feared her getting into a car accident and not having the ability to tell the paramedics about her pregnancy. Each medic-alert-like pendant hangs from a classic ball chain and can be easily hidden beneath clothes until a couple is ready to make their pregnancy public.

What do you think? Would you want a piece of Maternity Alert Jewelry hanging around your neck in the early days of pregnancy?

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Maternity Alert Jewelry: Ga Ga or Gag?

Ga Ga — It seems like a good idea for the first trimester!

Gag — I'll take my chances!

Imagine heading to an event — say a wedding, grown-up Halloween party, or even a friend's big birthday party — and knowing that when you dropped your tots off in the kiddie area they might have more fun than you do. That's the idea behind Lucky Lil' Darling's Kid Zone, an NYC-based private event babysitting service that may have Mama wishing she could sit at the kids' table.

Just give LLD's sitters some space and they'll set up a "pop-up child center" that will entertain kids for hours on end. Expecting babies at the party? They'll bring infant toys and seats. Have a few arts-and-crafts lovers? They'll set up a jewelry-making station. Want to transport the kids to a fantasy world? Princess, safari, and fairyland entertainers will help them imagine they're there. And when the kids look tired — but the adult party still rages on — they'll get the kids cozied up for a midnight movie fest. With a one-to-three sitter-tot ratio, kids are carefully watched while Mom and Dad party the night away. But all of this fun comes at a cost — a high cost. Kid Zones start at $500, and the prices quickly climb as more activities are added to the package.

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If money was no object, would you seek out Lucky Lil' Darling's Kid Zone for your next party?

Ga Ga — It sounds like heaven for both the adults and kids!

Gag — Just leave the kids with a sitter at home and go out and have a good time!

Nursing covers are a must if you're a breastfeeding mom who doesn't want to be confined to your home all day, every day, but in my experience, even the best (and priciest) covers won't prevent the occasional, embarrassing nip slip. Enter the Poncho Baby cover ($75), which promises that overexposure will be a thing of the past. Designed by Carolina Toro-Gerstein, a mom of two who was frustrated by the lack of privacy she got from her nursing cover, Poncho Baby provides both front and back coverage, so you're guaranteed the table dining next to you won't see anything you don't want them to.

Made from breathable muslin cotton, the cover is machine washable and comes in four neutral colors (designed to soothe your baby) and in both an oval and square shape. Both options have two inside pockets, perfect for holding burp cloths or pacifiers. Also, because Poncho Baby is larger than most nursing covers, you can also use it as a stroller cover or as a baby blanket. So what do you think? Would you invest in the Poncho Baby? Or will you stick to your old nursing cover?

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Poncho Baby Nursing Cover: Ga Ga or Gag?

Ga Ga — I so need this product! No more peekaboo nursing sessions!

Gag — For $75, I'll stick to a baby blanket!

If you thought the breast vs. bottle debate was rough, wait until you get into the powder vs. ready-to-feed debate. While it may sound like we're discussing military meals, we're actually talking about formula. Once my tot moved off the boob and onto the bottle, we looked endlessly for the perfect feeding solution. While ready-to-feed was quick and easy, it was expensive and had to be kept cool once opened, meaning it wasn't ideal for full-day outings. Powder could be used in room-temperature bottles filled with water, but the cases for carrying premeasured formula were cumbersome and often leaked.

It's too bad Mixie's formula-mixing baby bottle ($22) wasn't available six years ago. The bottle is divided into two compartments — one for the water and the other for the powdered formula. Start the day off by filling the chambers with the necessary amounts of formula and water. Then, once baby's feeding time arrives, simply push a button on the bottom of the bottle and watch as the formula is dispersed into the water. Sure, the bottle has a few more pieces than the average bottle, but that's the price of convenience, right?

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Mixie Formula-Mixing Baby Bottle: Ga Ga or Gag?

Ga ga. For those middle-of-the-night feedings and days out, the convenience is worth the extra pieces.

Gag. Who needs the extra pieces? I'll stick with measuring out the formula and mixing on my own.

All kids books are designed to help your lil ones learn, imagine, and explore, but Hervé Tullet takes it to a whole new level. Tullet, a father of three, is known in France as "the prince of preschool books," a title earned from his insanely innovative The Game series, six books designed to help young ones think "imaginatively, independently, and creatively" using beautiful illustrations, interactive cutouts, and "magic lines." At the end of the month, Tullet adds three incredibly creative new books ($10 to $13 each) to the series.

The Game of Sculpture allows children to pop out pieces of card from the book and insert them (along with pens, pieces of paper, and more) into slots and holes to build their own works of art. The Game of Red, Yellow, and Blue helps kids learn the basics of mixing colors, and The Game in the Dark is printed with glow-in-the-dark ink. Charge the book up under a light source, and your kids will take a rocket journey to the moon and the stars.

So what do you think of Tullet's The Game creations? Are you going to stock up or will you stick to lower-brow books? Weigh in below.

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Hervé Tullet The Game Books: Gaga or Gag?

Gaga — I'm preordering now!

Gag — I think we'll stick to Goodnight Moon.

Touted as "the most inappropriate parenting book I've ever read" by Jessica Seinfeld and "hilariously entertaining; a must-read survivor's guide" by Christy Turlington Burns, brand-new book Sh*tty Mom: The Parenting Guide For the Rest of Us is getting loads of attention for its irreverent attitude toward motherhood. Written by four moms who have day jobs at Conan and the Today show, multiple books, and at least seven Emmy awards on their collective résumés — and six kids between them — the book is a tongue-in-cheek take on the craziness that is parenting.

Each chapter (examples include "How to Sleep Until 9 a.m. Every Weekend," "How to Leave Your Baby in the Car While You Run Into a Store For a Few Minutes," and "When Seeing an Infant Triggers a Mental Illness That Makes You Want to Have Another Baby") introduces a common parenting scenario and then provides advice on how to get through it easily and efficiently. Add in a Sh*tty Mom quiz, and you've got a totally uncensored, hilarious sharp look at modern motherhood sure to make you laugh out loud. So what do you think? Are you going to add Sh*tty Mom to your library? Weigh in below!

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Sh*tty Mom Parenting Guide: Ga Ga or Gag?

Yes — I could definitely use a few laughs about my crazy life!

No — I don't see what's so funny about being a Sh*tty Mom.

Maybe — I'd probably borrow it from a friend.