LilSugar

The FunPod: Kid-Friendly or Are You Kidding?

Kate Stahl — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 08:33:32 PST

I love that my 10-month-old loves watching me in the kitchen. From her highchair, she will happily stuff her face with puffs and blueberries while I chop, mix, prep, and even empty the dishwasher. I've never considered that she might soon need a more interactive kitchen experience, but after seeing The FunPod from Luca & Company, I'm reconsidering. The unique kid product, developed by a mom from England, keeps your child in a safe spot - away from electrical and hot appliances - while you go about your kitchen business, but it also allows them to easily see what you're doing and even help. The pod is adjustable, with five settings to keep it at chest level for 12-month-olds to 5-year-olds.

The FunPod isn't cheap (buy it through BabyEarth for $190), but it's won multiple awards and has a loyal following. So would you invest in a FunPod for your lil one? Weigh in below.

Rock Climbing With a Toddler on Your Back: Kid Friendly or Are You Kidding Me?

Rebecca M Gruber — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 11:21:11 PST

For Menna Pritchard, rock climbing, hiking, and surfing are a way of life -and she isn't going to let a lil thing like a baby get in her way of a great adventure. The single mama is at the center of a storm of controversy since turning to Facebook to post a photo of herself rock-climbing with her daughter Ffion, 2, strapped to her back. In the image, mama Menna is wearing a helmet for protection, but lil Ffion is not. When fellow moms questioned her decision, she told the BBC:

The route I was climbing with Ffion [at Three Cliffs], there was no risk of any rock fall. I knew 100 percent it was safe. The person below me was very competent, I had a mountain climbing instructor there too and I'm pretty confident of my own competence. I was top-roping (which prevents a climber from falling down the cliff surface), which is very safe.

The babywearing advocate spends a significant amount of time blogging on her personal blog, Per Ardua Ad Alta, about her adventures, many of which include having her daughter riding on her back.

What do you think?

Source: Per Ardua Ad Alta

The Buff Baby Dumbell Rattle: Kid-Friendly or Are You Kidding?

Rebecca M Gruber — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 03:16:12 PST

You're never too young to start a fitness routine! Mama strove to keep up with her prebaby workout throughout her pregnancy, and now that the lil one's arrived, she's getting him gym-ready from the start!

Fred and Friends Buff Baby Dumbell Rattle ($7) is phthalate- and BPA-free dumbbell for tots - wait, a dumbbell for tots? Not really, it is actually a rattle for lil ones in the shape of dumbbell, making it the perfect gift for your expecting gym buddy or pregnant trainer, because body-building babies are just too cute in pictures.

Kardashian Barbie Dolls: Kid-Friendly or Are You Kidding?

Rebecca M Gruber — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 11:22:07 PST

Barbie just can't stop pushing the limits these days. Following the introduction of Totally Stylin' Tattoos Barbie a few years ago and the recent addition of Sweet Talking Ken (a doll that has the unique ability to "sweet talk" tots with their own words) to the collection, the rumor mill is churning away about Barbie's newest friends Khloe, Kourtney, and Kim Kardashian!

The reality TV and unrated video stars have certainly found unlimited ways to cash in on their "lack of talent." Unnamed sources say the dolls will, "reflect the girls' measurements and may even come in Kardashian-designed outfits."

Though Mattel won't comment on the rumors, we want to know if the Kardashian Barbies would make their way into your tots' Barbie Dream Houses?

Best of 2011: The Baby and Kids Products That Had Us Doing Double Takes

Natasha Dantzig — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 12:32:50 PST

Things that make you go hmmm. This past year saw some pretty amazing, innovative, and seriously game-changing products for moms and tots; great new toys, new baby carriers, and of course the ever-important new strollers. Amidst all the good, there were definitely some - er - questionable products to hit the market in 2011. Keep reading for 10 items that definitely left us scratching our heads.

Three Beats Jewelry: Kid-Friendly or Are You Kidding?

Kate Stahl — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 11:32:59 PST

You love your diamonds, so shouldn't your kiddies have some, too? According to Malaysia Pargo, one of the ladies on VH1's Basketball Wives LA and a mom to three kids all under the age of 4, the answer is "definitely." Pargo, along with celeb jewelry designer Jason Arasheben (who counts Rihanna, Mariah Carey, and Justin Bieber among his fans), has just launched Three Beats Jewelry, a line exclusively for kids. What makes this tot jewelry collection different: it features iced-out diamond and gold necklaces and bracelets in the shape of PlayStation controllers and ice cream cones (the cone weighs in at 1.61 carats). So would you ever ice out your lil one? Let us know below.

Fridgeezoo Refrigerator Pets: Kid-Friendly or Are You Kidding?

Natasha Dantzig — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 03:15:52 PST

Will a cute lil robot critter living in the fridge encourage families to be a little more energy efficient? That's the theory behind Fridgeezoo Refrigerator Pets ($16), which give indecisive refrigerator lingerers gentle reminders to shut the door. Created in Japan, the cute milk carton-shaped gadget greets you warmly when the refrigerator door is first opened, but turns from friend to foe quickly - complaining if the door is left open for too long.

It makes good sense not to stand gazing into the icy cold abyss - refrigerators are markedly less efficient at keeping food cold with warm air rushing in - but isn't nagging the family to make a choice and close the fridge mom's job?

Sweet Talking Ken Doll: Kid Friendly or Are You Kidding?

LilSugar — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 08:33:09 PDT

Do lil ones really need to be sweet talked? Some doll makers think they do. Meet a new version of Barbie's better half, the Sweet Talking Ken Doll ($19), who pretty much looks like Barbie (same blue eyes and pouty pink lips) but with a surfer-dude shag haircut. Sporting an awfully tight fitting shirt that reads Ultimate Boyfriend in multiple languages, this Ken doll, marketed to tots five and up, has the unique ability to "sweet talk" tots - with their own words.

Lil ones simply press a heart on Ken's shirt to record themselves saying whatever it is they'd like to hear from Ken himself. Kind of a bizarre concept: own your ultimate boyfriend and program him to say exactly what you want. What do you think?

Rent-A-Grandma: Kid Friendly or Are You Kidding?

LilSugar — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 11:32:24 PDT

Add Grandma to the list of rentable clothes, products, and services geared toward parents and kids. Rent-A-Grandma is a new employment agency specializing in placing women over 50 years old with families looking for babysitting or light housekeeping services. Operating under the tagline "Always Trust Your Grandma," Rent-A-Grandma believes that its employees - averaging around 60 years old - aren't just an alternative option to hiring the teenage girl next door, but a superior one. In an interview in this month's Entrepreneur Magazine, the company's founder explained the logic behind his older is better claim:

Not everybody over 50 is the best ever. But about 90 percent of our grandmas have previous domestic experience. These are not retired women who are bored. These are women who are passionate and want to work. It's kind of disappointing to see how many good, older women are out there who can't find a job. A lot of times people in their early 20s are thinking about their career or going back to school, or they meet somebody and get married and move away. They're in a different stage of life. We recommend clients interview at least three grandmas before hiring them. We're trying to create a lasting relationship.

iLatch Traveling iPad Holder: Kid Friendly or Are You Kidding?

Rebecca M Gruber — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 07:06:42 PDT

Face it: as much as we love our gadgets, our kids love them more. iPhones and iPads were meant to be mom and dad's lil toys, but if you've ever tried to pry one out of a lil one's hands, you know just how much they love them.

We've seen mamas find a way to incorporate their smartphones into daily strolling routines with products like the Texthook and the Bugaboo iPhone holder. Now one mama has created a way to tote her iPad when taking a stroll. The iLatch ($50 or $25 if you support through Kickstart today) uses unique clips to attach to a stroller handlebar, the back of a restaurant chair, or just about anywhere. The creator - a mom who needed a solution for a tot who liked his shows while traveling - is hoping to raise enough money through Kickstart ($7,000) to get the device made this Fall. What do you think of it?