Cool Tip: Buy Cars 2 Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack from our amazon affiliate link for $29.49.
Park Cars 2 Blu-ray/DVD Under the Christmas Tree *Free Activity Download*
Baby Kid Bookshelf: New Books for Big Kids
Girl in the Know: Your Inside-Out Guide to Growing Up
Written by Anne Katz, R.N., Ph.D., Illustrated by Monika Melnychuk
This book published by Kids Can Press is a girls perfect little manual for navigating her way through puberty. Ok…so it may not have been on top of my 11 year-old’s wish list, but it was undoubtedly appreciated. Like many pre-teen girls, she is experiencing many challenges of early adolescence. For many girls, puberty is coming much earlier these days. Many important topics are simply uncomfortable to discuss with girls in this age group because they get embarrassed. I believe that providing girls with as much information as possible is essential at this impressionable stage of development. This book won’t replace the need for that parent/child face-to-face discussion, and in fact it doesn’t even cover the topic of sex, but it does tackle many topics – some I never even thought of! The book is separated into three sections – Your Body, Your Mind, and Taking Care. My daughter, who I must admit isn’t an avid reader, thought it was easy to read and understand. This clear-cut book offers 112 pages of practical and valuable information. The pages are adorned with attention-grabbing illustrations, diagrams and little tid-bits for the taking.
Book reviews written by Cecelia and Jamie
Disclosure & Contact: A sample product was provided for review purposes; all opinions are 100% ours. Also read our full disclaimer and review frequently asked questions, subscribe to Cool Baby Kid via RSS or email for winner notification and exclusive discounts and giveaways. Check out more book reviews too!
Smart Tip: Check out our other Baby Kid Bookshelf picks: Baby and Toddler, Preschooler and Preschooler 2nd Editionr.
Jillybean Green: Eco-Friendly and Super-Adorable
A sucker for a cute site, I adore Jilly Bean Green, an eco-friendly online boutique featuring organic baby gifts, eco-friendly diaper bags, personalized gifts, celebrity favorites and more. Also a sucker for “As Seen In” products, this “Cool Dudes” tee featured in Us Weekly is at the top of our wish list. Cool Baby Kid personally tested out one product from jillybean Ggreen, the chalkmat for travel and on-the-go fun. One side is a place mat while the plays chalkboard with a storage spot for chalk too. We have one for each child and use them at restaurants (when coloring has worn out its welcome) and even at home as dinner awaits. The kids love them, and we love the chalk erases easier than crayon from the counter or restaurant table. And while researching for this post, I couldn’t help surf around jillybean green and found other cool picks too:
- Big Color Playhouse: A playhouse you can color with a rocket ship option too.
- Rock the Tote Diaper Bags: Some of the custest eco-friendly diaper bags ever.
- Personalized Play Cases: These rock and so do the other personalized gifts they carry.
- “Trouble” Organic Gift Set: What an adorable collection of organic baby gifts.
Though I feel a bit like a teacher saying, “You’re the best class ever” since there really are some super-looking sites out these…many of which we’ve discovered and shared with CBK readers…this one really does have one of the best collections for gifts and cute picks we’ve found.
Disclosure & Contact: A product sample was provided for review purposes; all opinions are 100% ours. Read our full disclaimer and review frequently asked questions, subscribe to Cool Baby Kid via RSS or email for tips, exclusive discounts and to enter giveaways.
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HIT Entertainment Video Roundup: New and Noteworthy
Does your child love Thomas the Train? Does your child love the water? Well, this is the DVD for you. Join Thomas and friends on some great adventures through puddles, ponds, and even a little splashing game. This DVD has fantastic animation. HIT Entertainment really outdid themselves with the CGI Animation; it feels like you are in the movies. The characters are so realistic. My toddler loved that Thomas looked as though he was taking to him. He loved to meet the new engine, Charlie, and have a sloppy car race with Sir Topham Hat. The Splish, Splash, Splosh Thomas the Train DVD includes great music your children will enjoy, and of course, lessons that make parents proud. Included on this DVD is a game with the Crane and a counting game with Thomas, both educational and enjoyable for your children. The Splish, Splash, Splosh may be one of my favorites yet from the Thomas collection. It gives my son hours of fun, and I have to admit, I did enjoy watching these adventures myself. I recommend to parents who have toddlers and to anyone who know a child that loves Thomas the Train.
Written by Debby, Cool Baby Kid contributor
Cool Tip: Purchase Best of Bob the Builder, Thomas the Train Splish, Splash, Splosh and Barney’s Let’s Grow: Lend a Helping Hand on Amazon.com.
Subscribe to Cool Baby Kid via RSS or email for exclusive discounts. Looking for even more baby equipment picks? We’ve got you covered…
Musicolor: Combining Creativity & Technology {Giveaway}
Musicolor by Delta Creative is a fun and creative toy that will enhance your child’s creativity by turning color into music. We liked it because it was so easy to do together as a fun-filled family activity. The kit includes a model record players and paper records that your child colors. The paper records have numbers on them so it is also a great exercise in following directions. If you color in all the numbers correctly the record will play a song. Some of the songs include: Jingle Bells, Three Blind Mice, and Humpty Dumpty. This innovative tool compares the power of technology with creativity in a unique way. Musicolor had my four year old occupied for almost an hour. She did need prompting to stay in the lines; I would recommend it for children from 4 to 7 years old. Musicolor was nominated for Toy of the Year in 2009 and also in Playthings Toy of the Week in October, 2009. It is available on Amazon.com, Target.com, and Deltacreative.com and a wonderful activity for the winter months.
Written by Alicia, Cool Baby Kid Contributor

Wordless Wednesday: A Cool Site, Lifeboat to Mars/PBS Kids

Cool Tip: Kids design their own ecosystem in this new PBS Kids interactive, science education adventure.
Crayola Lights, Camera, Color: Turn Pics Into Coloring Pages
At the Time to Play holiday showcase in October, one product stood out in the crowd. Now that I’ve had the chance to test it out personally, I can verify Crayola’s Lights, Camera, Color which turns your photos into coloring pages is about as cool as it gets. You may have already seen the moniker on specially marked packages of Crayola Crayons which offers a free one day pass to create as many coloring pages as you’d like. Log onto Crayola Kids Zone with your code and turn your last vacation or family members into coloring pages for the kids. With the ability to add graphics and more to the page in the form of body parts or “gizmos,” your creation will be a truly one of a kind coloring page. We turned my sister, mother and other family members into hours of fun which you’ll have a blast with too…I guarantee it.
Thank you My Blog Spark for providing a Crayola Crayon Tower for the purposes of reviewing Lights, Camera, Color.
Cool Baby Kid exclusive code alert. Use a special one day code PRT77F3S to try out Lights, Camera, Action and look for specially marked packages for your own access code once you’re addicted!
Castle Knights by HABA: Construction Game Fit for a King
We had so much fun playing Castle Knights and are excited to share this find with you. This is such a great game for kids (over 3) through adults. The concept of the game is to work together to build a castle before the king arrives using teamwork and team spirit to make it happen. This game also builds coordination of the eyes and hands and the ability to visualize in three dimensions. Castle Knights is beautifully constructed of wooden blocks, cards and a strong gameboard and definitely passed the test in our house. A great gift for the holidays for those gamers in your life or if you you are looking for some fun in your own home. Pick it up; you won’t be disappointed.
Written by Tina, Cool Baby Kid Contributor
Cool Giveaway: Enter to win a Castle Knights game by visiting Maukilo.com and commenting back here with your favorite HABA item.
Extra Entries: Find out how to earn an unlimited number of entries and read the contest rules and disclaimer including how to subscribe for winner notification. Ends 12/16/09.
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