Ciao Baby. Cool Baby Kid’s Final Post.

The Cool Baby Kid story dates back to pre-blogging when I created a website for my classroom using Netscape. No teacher I knew managed a website, and I had limited knowledge of creating one. After finding out my first child was coming into our family July 2006, my focus online became a site for the new baby. Shopping habits turned quickly from the latest lipgloss to finding the ultimate stroller. With some time off of work, all of the above converged as I turned my wiki of cool baby finds into a blog while somewhat unsure of exactly what blogging was all about. Cool Baby Kid was born in 2007 and has seen at least four major re-designs all with a singular focus…brining cool picks and tips to families. From baby products to educational ones, naturally over the years CBK evolved with my own interests. For instance, always a Disney lover, in 2011 when our family joined Disney Vacation Club (DVC), I began to infuse the site with weekly doses of the mouse.

 

Along the way, as with all bloggers who have been in the business of sharing their thoughts online, life happened. In 2009 I met Bridgette (Experimental Mommy) at BlogHer and together we realized bloggers who balance other life tasks–motherhood, careers, fitness–were truly Double Duty Divas.  A network of women bloggers to support each other, eventually adding post opportunities as it grew to over 1,000 members, the Divas became a springboard to Reviewers Retreat, the first blog conference geared 100% to blog/brand relationships.

 

Needless to say, double became triple duty and while relinquishing my blog was once unfathomable, the time came to streamline so many tasks and so, with a heavy heart but an excited one too, I leave Cool Bavy Kid begins to managing the Double Duty Diva blog. Together with the Diva team including Angie at My Four Monkeys and Jena from Ramblings of a Healthy Chic, I can now be found in my new Diva home.

 

Ironically this final CBK post is being finished on the morning of BlogHer12. Three years ago at BlogHer09 the new chapter of my blogging career was set in motion when I walked the streets of Chicago in slippers with two fabulous ladies from New Orleans that I hardly knew, Bridgette and Renee from What Mommies Need. Now, they’ve become close friends, business partners and an integral reason while I’m completely comfortable moving on from Cool Baby Kid to my new role. I will miss cool picks and tips but hope you’ll join me at DoubleDutyDivas.com.blog. The Divas can also be found on Facebook and Twitter although I will be blogging and tweeting as Cool Baby Kid keeping my CBK Twitter handle.
Ciao Cool Baby.

Beauty & the Beast 3D Hits Theaters in January! *Coloring Sheets*

Essential Details

Releases January 13, 2011

First time in Disney Digital 3D™

Download

Beauty & the Beast coloring pages

Cool Tip: Stay in the loop by liking Beauty and the Beast 3D on Facebook.

Disney Week Continued… *War Horse Preview*

Essential Info

Director: Steven Speilberg

Rating: PG-13

Releases: December 25, 2011

Cool Tip: This DreamWorks Pictures’ War Horse clip features Emily Watson and Jeremy Irvine, and if you’re as excited about this upcoming film as we are, be sure to fan on Facebook as well!

Baby Phat Kidz: Glitter and Glam for Mini-Fashionistas

Why We Love It

My daughter has one pair of sparkly shoes and would wear them every day if given the chance. Baby Phat Kidz line sparkles up a storm with their line of razzle dazzle clothing, a Baby Phat hallmark, for the little ones. We recently received a cool t-shirt, and while it’s a bit chilly in the Northeast to test it out just yet, the set (pictured) and other cold-weather duds are currently 20% off along with the entire Baby Phat shopping site for a limited time.

Disclaimer

A sample product was provided for review purposes; all opinions are 100% our own.

Details

Infant – Girls, Size 16

Pictured Set Price: $29.20 (20% off sale)

Purchase at:

BabyPhat.com, Macy’s

Cool Tip: Stay in the know and follow Baby Phat on Facebook and Twitter.

Top Spinmaster Toy Gift Picks *Mutliple Winner Giveaway*

Watch our Top Spinmaster Toys Video

Why We Love It

From Aquadoodle to Moon Dough for little ones, to Redakai for the older kids, we’ve spotlighted Spinmaster toys in the past and are happy to highlight some of their coolest picks this holiday season.  With a chance to personally check out the best toy gifts Spinmaster has to offer, it was difficult to limit our video montage to just a few. We love Bizu beads because of their unique take on jewelry making with bracelets and fun animal friends all wrapped into one with just s quick twist. And Liv and her spa world is hard to resist with color-changing hair, nails and more; this was favorite of my daughter’s who could seemigly color change all day. As we said, it’s impossible to share every cool Spinmaster pick but would remiss in leaving out AppBlaster with it’s augmented reality shoot ‘em up feature utilizing the iPhone or iPod Touch. From board games to high tech, girlie gifts and more, our SPinmaster Amazon shop below is a one-stop shop for all things cool this holiday. Enjoy!

Disclaimer

Sample products was provided for review purposes; all opinions are 100% our own.

Cool Giveaway: Enter to win your choice of Spinmaster prizes including board games (Quelf, The Logo Board Game, Stomple) or a Liv Color-Change Doll (2 winners). To enter, comment on this post telling us which Spinmaster page you like/follow. All additional follows or likes will be considered extra entries. Exp. 12/18/11.

AppBlaster: Facebook, Twitter

Redakai: Facebook, Twitter

Moon Dough: Facebook.com, Twitter

Liv: Facebook

Spinmaster Games: Facebook, Twitter

Cool Baby Kid: Facebook, Twitter

Buy or Gift It:

My BFF Doll: Design & Buy A Girl’s Best Friend *Gift Idea*

Why We Love It

I was first introduced to My Twinn through a catalog which I tore open when it arrived. These dolls looked exactly like their owners…how cool! Shortly thereafter I was lucky enough to design a My BFF doll to be my daughter’s new best friend. While I choose similar features to her own, the doll is a companion rather than a twin. At 23 inches tall, she will be able to easily sit at the doll table for a “a spot of tea” as my five year old likes to say.  As you can see (watch the video…it’s cool!) the process allows users to customize the face, hair and clothing giving gift-givers the opportunity to create a unique, one-of-a-kind Best Friend Forever doll for the girly girls in their life. Once we receive the doll, we’ll post an update on the review. In the meantime, happy shopping!

*Update: We received the doll…she’s huge! I was not expecting her to be so big and love that she will really stand out. My daughter’s new BFF can truly travel with her and even gets buckled in the car with a seat belt. I would highly recommend as the quality of the doll is fabulous. We’ll update once more on how she hold up, but so far she’s great!*

Disclaimer

A sample product was provided for review purposes; all opinions are 100% our own.

Details

Ages: 5-12
Retail Price: $149.00

Purchase at:

MyBFFdoll.com

Cool Tip: Send an animated, dress-up My BFF eCard to say “I Love You” or “Happy Holidays.”

YBike Extreme: Promotes Balance and Fun *Giveaway*

The new YBike Extreme is a promising find for promoting balance.  After spending the summer with my three and five year old progressing beyond their big wheels and moving onto their first two wheel bikes, of course with training wheels.  I witnessed their hesitation and fear of falling even with training wheels and often wondered, “How can I possibly remove the training wheels?”  I now have hope thanks to YBike that a safe orderly transition to a two wheel bike may be possible.  The YBike is designed for 3 to 5 year olds and works perfectly on our carpeted basement and although our carpet is plush, the YBike Extreme easily moves across it. We chose the extreme model because our kids are a little older and also because the extreme works well off road.

 The standard model has a wider rear wheel and therefore seems to be a little easier to balance. Assembly was very easy and only took about 15 minutes; no tools required.  Both kids have been experimenting riding back and forth across the basement and are truly enjoying their new YBike.  In a week’s time I have seen their balance improve with longer and faster movements.  I am confident that by next year, they will be able to balance, and I’ll be able to remove their training wheels. My only job will be to teach them to peddle.  Thanks YBike for putting my mind at ease.

Written by Mr. Cool Baby Kid

Disclaimer: Product samples were provided for review purposes; all opinions are 100% our own.

Cool Giveaway: Enter to win a YBike by commenting on this post telling us about your favorite bike riding experience.

Check out even more entry possibilities if you’re really determined to win. Read the prize claim information; we announce winners on Prizey.net. Contest ends 11/21/11.

Top Ten Hot Holiday Toy Picks *2011*

Lite Sprites *Wow Wee Toys*

Recommended Age: 6M-4Y
Retail Price: Various
Comments: We absolutely love these color-capturing Lite Sprites. Build a Lite-Topia world with Sprites, Pods, Playsets and even Lite Pets.

LeapPad Explorer *LeapFrog*

Recommended Age: 4-9Y
Retail Price: $139.97
Comments: This starter bundle includes a $40 app card and is the perfect way to get started with our #1 toy pick.

Squinkies *Blip Toys*

Recommended Age: 4Y and up
Retail Price: Various
Review: Though a hot holiday pick from 2010, Squinkies with an all new boy line, Disney, Marvel and more, are as hot ever!

Hearts for Hearts Dolls *Playmates Toys*

Recommended Age: 6Y and up
Retail Price: $29.99
Review: A standout toy from Time to Play, i was immediately drawn to Hearts for Hearts Girks, beautiful dolls from six countries with a portion of proceeds to WorldVision helping empower girls around the world.

Voice Rockrz Mic & First Act Musical Instruments

Recommended Age: 3 and up
Retail Price: $24.99
Review: Between voice altering microphone Voice Rockrz and other musical instruments including cool kids' guitars, First Act Discovery is music to little ones' ears.

Playskool Heroes *Hasbro*

Recommended Age: 3 and up
Retail Price: $29.99 (pictured)
Review: Action figures and playsets for the young boys' age group such as Marvel Super Heroes (pictured) were hard to come by before the advent of Playskool Heroes and Transformers Rescue Bots which are chunkier for little hands.

Appmates *Spinmaster & Disney Consumer Products*

Recommended Age: 4+
Retail Price$12.99 (single)
Review: If your kids have taken over the iPad like mine, why not harness their inner Lightening McQueen with Appmates, an innovative, interactive toy/tech gadget which revolutionizes iPad play.

Laugh & Learn Apptivity Case *Fisher-Price*

Recommended Age: 6M and up
Retail Price: $14.99
Review: Genius! Encase your iPhone or iPod Touch so the little one stays on a chosen app without the ability to call your contacts. This was another Time to Play Holiday Showcase standout that I fell in love with instantly.

Chuggington Wooden Railway Trainee Roundhouse

Recommended Age: 3Y an up
Retail Price: $119.00
Review: The Trainee Roundhouse Set is a perfect starter for what promises to be years of Chuggington Wooden Railway fun. The Over & Under Start Set at $59.99 is a great lower price point starter as well.
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Cool Tip: If you’re visiting from our segment on WBRE PA Live! thanks so much for stopping by and be sure to subscribe/follow Cool Baby Kid for more cool picks, tips and giveaways!

 

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