Bath time not noisy enough for you? Pooky’s bathtub is just full of bath toys (I thought it was a really good idea to get all those alphabet letters and numbers). We try to keep her occupied so that bath time is easier on us since she can be quite fussy about taking a bath these days. These Tub Tunes Water Drums can definitely keep a kiddo happily banging away. The pitch of the drums change depending on how deep they’re submerged into the water. Of course, pots, bowls, and tupperware probably work just as well. Or maybe you’d like to skip the musical tunes altogether and just stick with the splashing. $12.95 at Amazon. (via Boing Boing)

From toys to electronics, don’t miss the great deals at Amazon on this Black Friday.

Save 20% off all Melissa & Doug toys at Gummy Lump. Gummy Lump carries a wide assortment of Melissa & Doug products from wooden blocks to plush toys.

Here comes my rant.

Another Baby Girl Doll

I thought it would be a good idea to get her a baby boy doll so that she could play big sister to a baby brother before the real brother is born. I soon discovered, however, that it’s nearly impossible to find a boy baby doll in the toy aisle. What’s up with that? Sure, I’ll stumble onto the usual male character dolls from popular cartoons, but I’m talking about generic baby boy dolls, preferably also reflecting the cultural diversity of the real kids that play with them (but that’s a whole other topic that I’ll save for another post). Since I’ve started keeping my eye out for a male baby doll, I haven’t had any luck in finding even one. I find that rather crazy and yet another reflection of the stereotypical ideas behind what little boys and girls should be playing with; not only do girls play with baby dolls and boys play with cars and trucks, but girls play with baby girl dolls, and I’m sure I’d be just as frustrated trying to find any feminine representation in the car and truck aisle. Hmm, maybe I should start my own line of boy baby dolls . . .

All these recalls make me a bit nervous purchasing things for Pooky. Here’s another one from Mattel which recalls another 9 million toys, including Polly Pocket dolls and Batman action figures:

Toy-making giant Mattel Inc. issued recalls Tuesday for about 9 million Chinese-made toys that contain magnets children can swallow or which could have lead paint.

The recalls includes 7.3 million play sets, including Polly Pocket dolls and Batman action figures, and 253,000 die cast cars that contain lead paint. The action was announced on the company’s Web site and at a news conference here by the Consumer Product Safety Commission.

Read the AP article
Read the Recall Notice

Bet you probably didn’t guess that it’s a vacuum cleaner. Yep, it’s a riding vacuum for children. It doesn’t actually exist (at least, not yet). It was designed by Kristina Anderson as her thesis project.

I think it’s a great, innovative idea. I’m not too sure how well it would fit into tight corners around the house, but it looks like the design also includes a hose attachment. What a great way to get the kids involved and make chores a bit more enjoyable. I’d love to see it being sold in stores one day.

In this age of video games, interactive television shows, and toys that flash, squeal, talk, and spin, it’s refreshing to see alternative playtime products such as the Spaceframe Sculpture.

Designed by Scott Klinker and made of 100% recyclable material, the Spaceframe is a house, cave, abstract art, or whatever your child can imagine. Since Pooky has become much more mobile, she loves to climb all over the place. Everything in our house is a potential obstacle course for her, and she rarely takes the easiest, most direct route to get anywhere. She’d prefer to squeeze herself between furniture and under tables and chairs. I love how the Spaceframe stimulates this imaginative play, making it easy for children to turn the pieces into whatever they want to crawl into, over, and under.

I’ll take this over a video game any day. Price: On Sale right now for $152.10 at Follow function (regularly $169).

Who wouldn’t love cuddly monsters like these? “Made from 100% imagination,” these handmade stuffed creatures from MMM Creations are cute, lovable, and have personalities that are one of a kind. The toughest part is choosing which one will be the one for your little one. Price: $20 at MMM Creations.

I’ve been trying to come up with a way to describe how cool Automoblox are, but they’re so superlatively cool that everything I think of sounds like a cliche. So, I’ll just tell you that I haven’t seen a cooler kids’ product out there. They’re so sleek, so aerodynamic looking, so much fun, that I’m having trouble sharing them with Pooky, who’s just as infatuated.

Each model (there are 7 different models), has its own unique color and look, but if you get more than one you can mix and match parts to create something fun and new. The parts, some wood, some plastic, some rubber, are sturdy and of very high quality (see the image below of the A9 model disassembled).

We’ve been trying out the A9 and the X9, and Pooky loves them both. She’s a bit young still for the assembling/disassembling, but they work great as toy cars once they’re put together.

One word of caution: They’re recommended for ages 3 and up because of the choking hazard posed by some of the small parts. Most of the parts are actually pretty big, but we only let Pooky play with the cars when they’re fully assembled and under our close supervision.

Price: $35 per set at the Automoblox online shop. You can also get extension blocks in different colors at the same place.

These unique WubbaNub Pacifiers are attached to cute stuffed animals and were invented by a mom who was tired of her baby getting up and crying several times each night because his pacifier fell out. The idea behind these pacifiers is that babies can hold onto the plush toy to keep it in and, if it falls out, they’ll be able to find it easily themselves to put back in.

We offered Pooky a pacifier when she was younger but she just never took to it. However, I can see how a plush pacifier can come in handy for binky addiction, especially when it can mean the difference between a sleepless night or a well rested one. I’m not too sure I’m sold on the “stuffed animal hanging from baby’s mouth” look, but hey, they are pretty cute. Price: $39 for a set of 3 at Baby Dagny.

Special offer for Googababy readers: Get your own Purple Frog Plush Pacifier FREE! Simply sign up for the Baby Dagny gift registry (also free), follow all the instructions on how many products to include and then send it to 10 of your friends. Baby Dagny will send participants a free Purple Frog Plush Pacifier.