Magic Rabbit

I know it's hard to believe, but Halloween is on its way. And one of the fun things parents get to do (before the kids are old enough to have set opinions about alter egos) is choosing a costume for the little kid.

By "little," I mean between the ages of 2-4 and too young to protest. That's how, for instance, I got away with dressing my two-year-old as a skunk one year. And that's how you can dress your unsuspecting child as a rabbit-in-a-hat. Really. As you can see from the photo, this costume is a complete bunny with a "hat" hoop skirt completing the ensemble for easy walking. It's completely hilarious. If you can talk an older child into accompanying them dressed in the magician outfit, so much the better. Your kid will get a hefty candy haul, guaranteeing you weeks of pilfered "fun-sized" Snickers. Excellent.

Such an ingenious costume doesn't come cheap: about $98. But oh my, the memories. Check it out at www.chasing-fireflies.com. And if the pop-up bunny doesn't seem magical enough, this site has the best costume selection I've seen in a long, long time.

Dress for Party Success

There are nothing but parties coming in the next few months. Besides the never ending birthday events, there are holidays and family get-togethers galore. And every little girl loves a party dress.

Problem is, the party dress prices. I regularly see admittedly lovely stuff for well over $100. That's just crazy. However, after scouring blogs and online sources, I found Redfish Kids clothing. The dresses, as you can see at right, are sophisticated without turning little girls into little temptresses (no spaghetti straps or clingy cuts here). The Mandarin, for instance, looks like a classic cheongsam, but in a cute way (no, your daughter will not look like a concubine). The Lucky dress looks more classic little girl, with a big skirt and old-fashioned line, but the pattern is refreshingly hip. The greatest thing about these dresses is that you can easily dress them up for a party, or layer them over some jeans for a laid back school look. Now, that's versatility.

And the price point? Under seventy bucks. Yeah, ok, that's still some money, but considering the wear she'll get out of one of these dresses, I don't think it's unreasonable. You can even pass it on to a fortunate friend or relative (and they'll really want to take it). Find these two dresses and many more at www.redfishkidsclothing.com.

One Old Fossil

Likely as not, if you have or know a child between the ages of about eight and ten, they are fascinated by fossils. No, not grandma and grandpa, but real fossils from a real long time ago, like prehistoric times.

Now you don't have to go to the museum to look at one. Just order a fossil fish. He hails from Wyoming, but long before cowboys and skiers traversed its slopes and valleys, think 50 MILLION years ago. He swam in salty seas, met an untimely and ancient demise, and was buried in mud before turning into stone. Now he's a rock that your child can examine to her heart's content. What a totally cool science lesson.

Dig Finny Fossil up at www.theevolutionstore.com. He's just $29.00 for a little piece of history.

Shine a Little Doglight

Although I personally don't know anyone having a baby at the moment, they're persistent little scamps with a habit of being born all the time. I'm sure you know one, and thus need a gift.

This is not something you'll find on any baby registry. In fact, it's quite quirky and odd. But, for the right parents (let's face it: the infant could give a hoot about how the nursery looks), this nightlight might cast a perfect glow. The Carlos nightlight features this proud yet Elizabethan collared chihuahua (recent operation or hotspot???) who sits quietly on a table or nightstand, helping a sleepy new mom or dad find their way cribside. Carlos is the perfect little dog: useful, cute, and never barks. Because the last thing new parents need is a noisy canine.

Adopt Carlos and send him on his way to a new happy home. He's waiting at www.mattermatters.com.

Get the Baby a POD

There's lots and lots of things no one ever tells you about having a baby. Many simply can't be explained until the baby is here. But bathing isn't one of them.

Few things are a bigger challenge for a sleep-deprived, hormone-addled new mom than bathing that baby. That silly tiny tub. The infant's prone position. Your back breaking crouched position. The possibility of drowning or at least dunking the kid accidentally. The soapy squirming. It's just impossible. This gadget, however, looks like a good solution. It's a baby bathing bucket called a WashPOD. Fill with water and stick the baby in upright (NOT head-first, please. Are you really that tired?). Holding the baby upright with one hand, wash with the other. You don't need to worry about scrubbing, since an infant isn't usually covered with dirt. And it's far easily to gently wash little faces and ears when they're not at risk of submersion.

The bucket has a limited lifespan of only six months or so. But it'll save a lot of hassle and worry, not to mention back pain. Find it at www.giggle.com.

For Your Little Worrywart

Although we'd all like to idealize childhood as fabulously worry-free, that's really not the case. There's plenty to keep a kid wrinkling his brow with anxiety, from bullies on the playground to spelling tests to lousy lunches. Let me repeat: childhood is NOT a worry-free zone.

However, as we adults know from our many forays into therapy of all kinds, voicing and articulating our fears and concerns helps take the bite out of them. Here's a gift to help children do the same (because, honestly, they're way too young for shrinks). This Worry Woolie Notebook acts as a fuzzy repository for all those worries banging around in their young brains. They can scribble them down, draw pictures, write lists, plan coping scenarios, and face those fears in black and white (or purple ink, whatever). Plus, the Woolie's just so cute; he's bound to put a smile on any kid's face, no matter how heavily the weight of the world rests on her small shoulders.

Order this sunny friend at www.etsy.com. It'll make your little worrywart forget his troubles.

Stamp Out Invites

There are always kid's birthday parties to plan. And while many have resorted to the uncouth social hammer of the Evite, some dedicated mommies prefer the old-fashioned paper (recycled, of course) invitation, distributed through snail mail.

These "Small Object" stamps would be just perfect for personalized invitation making. While professionally printing unique invitations for a four-year-old might be expensive idiocy, making some cute ones by hand could earn you the Martha Stewart Good Mommy Award. Just use these kiddie scrawl stamps on the front of the cards, handprint the info inside, and voila, fabulous invitations are ready to go.

Of course, these stamps are multipurpose, since after the invite making session they become an art aid for the kids. Excellent. Order them at www.roseandradish.com.

A Quality New Home

No, not a home for you. This is a home for your kid's dolls (or stuffed animals, Lego people, fairies, or whatever wants to reside there).

Many dollhouses these days are made out of cheap plastic dreck. It's doomed to landfill from the moment of purchase, and it singularly lacks charm. Dolly deserves better. Now, all your child's inanimate friends can glory in a quality new home. This dollhouse is made of wood. It comes completely furnished and includes two residents, although the living arrangements can change at any time once the domicile comes home to live at your house. And just look at the paint job! It's not big enough for Barbie, but since she already has the lion's share of goodies I say that's just tough luck.

Good news: it's also on sale! Grab it on www.oliebollen.com for $99.00. It'll last forever, but not in that landfill sense. Plus, check out the wooden castle while you're at it, just in case Dolly needs a country estate.

The Perfect Hangout

School may be starting up again, getting those kids out of your hair, but don't rest on your laurels too long. They'll be back, and they'll need somewhere to go.

That's why this Forest Friends Bower seems so ideal. Not for your kid's "forest friends," but for his real ones. This incredible handing canopy is much more than mere decoration. This thing is big and funky, and comes complete with its own "forest friends," including an owl and squirrel, plus a moss-covered top and weighted "roots" that keep this fanciful shelter open wide and ready for play. Sure, you get all this fun, but there's more: this thing can hang outside or in, off a tree branch or over a bed, in the front yard or down in the finished basement. It's the perfect kid hangout for many locales.

While the "Bower" seems pricey at $139.00, it may see you through many a summer's afternoon and rainy morning. And you can't put a price on peace and cooperative play. Order it at www. magiccabin.com.

Banana

Ah, the banana. It's nature's perfectly inoffensive food, easily digestible, potassium rich, and neatly self-contained.

But sometimes nature's self-containment system fails. And when that happens with a banana, it's a fairly gross mess. Unless you're a big fan of banana slime all over the inside of your bag, a more bullet-proof coating is necessary. This nifty banana holder really does the trick. It's long. It's yellow. There's no mistaking what it's holding. Plus, the banana inside stays pure and pristine, ready for your child to consume it neatly at the park, or for you to gobble upon finishing your Boot Camp class.

Locate this fruit safety system at www.honey-bunch.com. It keeps your bananas from going, well, bananas.

Stylin' Back To School Supplies

School starts late for LAUSD, not until September 9 (my kid has actually been asking when she gets to go back, since summer has lasted about a million years already). This year, there's a list of supplies she'll need (since California's budget crisis makes it impossible to pass out paltry pencils to the kids it's supposed to educate). And I figured, why not buy the best supplies around?

In light of this, I went on a search. The site See Jane Work has some of the best back to school stuff I've seen, and the prices are perfectly good. Take, for instance, the Gummi bear dual purpose pencil sharpener and eraser. Or, the clear, non-goopy Gluestick Jr. Or, how about the adorable Kitty Cat stapleless stapler? Such good stuff, and you don't have to schlep to Office Depot to buy it, either. The site even offers environmentally responsible pencils.

View all this back to school bounty and more at www.seejanework.com. And then, send your kids back to the classroom with a smile.

Family Portraits?

Decorating a kid's room, a boy's room in particular, is a real challenge. I mean, do you go for the all sports motif, or immerse him in deep space instead? And what about the the race cars (don't you want him overly interested in fast cars at an early age? C'mon, you know that you do).

So how about something a bit more offbeat, even elegant? Take these portraits by Berkley Illustration, for example. They're understated, tastefully produced, and just a bit creepy. They're also better dressed than any of my ancestors. The animals range from the strange,like the Great White Shark or the accurately lounging Brown Bat, to garden variety yet formally attired Squirrels, Deer, and Big Cats. There's even a Turtle.

Pick three (they're SO reasonably priced), frame them and hang them for a decorative display and a homage to the weird. They'd also be excellent in a kid's bathroom.

Find these fine art portraits at www.velocityartanddesign.com. Because if your kid has to hang out with his decor, it should involve these guys.