Susan McLain’s Holiday Reflection 12/23/2010

In honor of the holiday season, we’d like to share a very special guest post from Baby Einstein GM Susan McLain!

Fun, laughs, exhaustion, happiness . . . what a full and exciting year this has been! With two daughters, 4 and 1, the year has been chock full of unforgettable moments – like my little one learning how to use her voice – to babble, sing and even scream – and, boy can she scream. Or, my older daughter finding her way around her preschool, becoming confident as the world, and, people in her world, opened up in a whole new and exciting way.

For me, this was a year of figuring out how to balance a full time job and TWO children – last year I was still in the newborn fog – and learning that there are so many people out there to help you through your times of struggle… and moments of joy.

At Baby Einstein, I’m particularly grateful for the amazing group of people both in the office and through our communities who have shown incredible passion for Baby Einstein. I’m thrilled to have watched you build the Baby Einstein social media community this year from nothing to over 22,000 fans on Facebook eager to share tips and tell us what you love and what we can do better. I have to say that finally introducing the new Discovery Kits to you was a personal highlight for me. As a mom that uses Baby Einstein to raise my own girls, I was so excited that we found a way to give you a complete experience with the 3-product Discovery Kits to truly bring discovery into your baby’s life…without you having to break the bank. And I can’t forget to mention the fun times, from introducing our guest blogger series to showing off some adorable giggly babies in our smiling babies contest. And we did it all together! Most importantly I am thankful for you our amazing fans, so invested in your baby’s upbringing that you give us amazing feedback to help us to make the best possible products. It’s what drives me every morning to be a working mom.

At this time it’s a sweet tradition to gather the family around share good times and memories that you all have made together. As my family sits around the tree this season I will look back at how amazing they and you have made this past year. I wish you many holiday blessings and best wishes to a new year filled with new discoveries for your whole family!

Guest Blogger Spotlight: Discovering the Holidays 12/22/2010

We gave a Discovery Kit and a video camera to three families with little ones and asked them to capture their holiday moments together. Here’s a look at some of our favorite moments . . .

A very big thank you to bloggers So You Think You Can Mom, My Silly Monkeys, and Little BGCG for sharing these special moments with us!

We wish you and your family a safe, happy and joyous time together this Holiday season. May your 2011 be filled with many more wonderful discoveries!

Commemorating Baby’s First Holiday Season 12/17/2010

The holiday season is in full swing, and your mailbox is probably bursting with holiday cards from friends and family. Many parents are eager to show off their newest little addition in the family holiday card photo to share their joy with loved ones and send good tidings and cheer their way. While the traditional photo card never fails to warm the heart, we thought we’d share a couple of fun twists on this annual tradition that take it up a notch and put your baby front and center!

Show and Tell with a Slideshow
Thanks to modern technology, you can easily create and share a personalized slideshow for your nearest and dearest at little to no cost. By creating a montage of images taken throughout the year, you’ll get to commemorate your baby’s discoveries and fun family moments, allowing your loved ones to share in the wonderful memories you’ve made together since this amazing little person entered your lives. Using an easy-to-use program such as Animoto or Slideroll, upload photos of baby experiencing new foods, baby exploring sand and surf on your beach vacation, or candid shots of him expressing himself. Add holiday music, special effects, and text to create a personalized message that you can share via email or post on Facebook.

Lights, Camera, Action
If you really want your family holiday greeting to come to life, record your own video greeting for friends and relatives and let them see baby experiencing his first holiday season firsthand. Baby will be most comfortable and natural in his home environment with familiar faces, and it allows you to capture him when he is most happy and alert. Try to film in natural light, especially if you’ll be shooting in front of the tree, and have a prop on hand for baby to explore and interact with, such as a new toy. You can also try playing a game of peek-a-boo to capture his moments of discovery and expressions of surprise. For the grand finale, finish with a shot of the whole family saying a holiday greeting and message for the New Year. Using editing software such as Microsoft Movie Maker or Apple’s iMovie, add music and personalized text if you wish. Remember to try and keep it short and sweet. Upload the finished video to YouTube, and share the link with friends or post it to your Facebook page. Getting a peek into your family life, traditions, and the joy that baby brings is sure to put a smile on everyone’s face.

Baby Einstein’s Hot Holiday Gifts 12/14/2010

You are probably feverishly searching for the perfect holiday gift for the new arrival in your life. You have come to the right place! Baby Einstein’s many baby products are some of the most raved about gifts for baby showers, 1st birthdays and the holidays. We wanted to share our holiday hottest list filled with tons of great gifts that don’t break the bank. Check out some of our best gifts for under $20.

• Rainstick Pals- Delight baby on the go! Perfect for little hands to grasp and hold, the zebra and giraffe animal friends feature a soft, plush head and feet. And baby will love the fun rainstick sound! $5.99 SRP – 3 mos & up

• Shapes & Numbers Discovery Cards- Introduce baby to shapes & numbers through everyday objects! The Shapes & Numbers Discovery Cards easily attach to carriers, strollers, car seats etc. and include language discovery in English, French, and Spanish. $5.99 SRP – birth & up

• World Of Colors Peacock- This on-the-go toy lets baby explore colorful patterns, real-life imagery, and language discovery. Featuring multi-textured activity feathers including teethable textures, crinkle bead chaser, squeaker, and baby-safe mirror for self discovery, the cuddly Peacock easily attaches to carriers, strollers, car seats and more! $7.99 SRP- Birth & up

• Baby Mozart Discovery Kit- Discover the joy of classical music together with your baby! Experience soothing music, baby-friendly real-life images, and enchanting puppet shows that captivate your baby. Your Baby Mozart Discovery Kit includes a DVD, Picture Book, CD and Parent’s Guide. Check out the Baby Beethoven kit too! $19.99 SRP

• Animals Around Me Discovery Kit- Animals Around Me features live-action footage of neighborhood animals in their natural surroundings with colorful images and entertaining puppet shows, to provide you and your baby with countless opportunities to discover the beautiful creatures in and around your own backyard together. The Animals Around Me Discovery Kit includes a DVD, Discovery Cards, CD and the Parent’s Guide. The Wild Animal Safari is a great pick too! $19.99 SRP

• The World of Colors Discovery Kit- Join puppet host Vincent Van Goat as he creates six colorful Van Gogh masterpieces accented by delightful poetry and classical music of 19-century composers Bizet, Brahms, Mussorgsky, Offenbach, Ravel, Rossini, Satie, Strauss and Tchaikovsky. Your World of Colors Discovery Kit includes a DVD, Board Book, CD and Parent’s Guide $19.99 SRP

• Touch & Explore Discovery Book- Explore in and around the house from baby’s point of view! The electronic interactive book encourages dialogue and includes lights, classical melodies, and language discovery with pages that activate different classical masterpieces and are easy and fun for baby to flip through! $11.99 SRP 6 months & up

So happy holidays and happy shopping to everyone! Most importantly, remember to enjoy every moment of baby’s first holiday season. It’s an amazing time for the whole family!

Guest Blogger Spotlight: Carrie With Children 12/07/2010

Isn’t it such a neat sight to watch your little one discover something new? As the stay at home mom of two beautiful girls, ages two and four months old, my house is a world of discovery each day! I love watching my daughters’ eyes sparkle when they learn something new. As a parent, it brings a new meaning to life once you’ve seen things through your child’s eyes.

At birth, my youngest daughter was diagnosed with Down Syndrome. Each milestone she surpasses is a celebration for our family. We are so proud of her! Even at just four months old, she amazes me with her strength every day. Her newest discovery is that she has a thumb and that it’s tasty! I’ll never forget the first time I caught her sucking her thumb. Her eyes were as big as saucers, trying to figure out what she had found and how it ended up in her mouth! Whatever it was, you could tell she enjoyed it!

With that said, I understand there are many differing views about whether or not it’s good for a child to suck their thumb. For our family, we don’t see it as a problem – we think it’s a great thing for newborns! I feel that if it’s comforting to her, then that’s all the more reason she should do it! Besides, how does one keep a four-month old from not sucking their thumb?! As a parent of a child with special needs, our family will face hurdles much greater than that of thumb sucking. We couldn’t be happier about her latest discovery!

You can check out more by Carrie With Children at her blog. What has your little one discovered recently? How did they react to finding something new? Share your thoughts with us on Facebook.