Summer, Summer, Summertime! Don’t Forget These Summer-Centric Diaper Bag Essentials 05/25/2011

Now that summer is almost here it’s time to make room in your diaper bag for summertime essentials! Say goodbye to extra layers, gloves, rain gear etc. and hello to sunny accessories! To help you make the transition, check out our essential checklist below. Happy Summer!

• First and foremost, don’t leave home without baby-friendly sunscreen! Although baby might not like it very much, be sure to re-apply often throughout the day, especially if your little one is in and out of the water.
• Another vital accessory for summer is baby’s sun hat and sunglasses. Your little one’s skin is very sensitive and wearing a hat and sunglasses is a great way to protect baby from harmful UVA rays.
• For all the little fish out there, don’t forget a swim suit and the swim diapers! Since they soak up water pretty quickly, bringing extras (along with regular diapers) is always a good idea.
• Since baby will most likely be getting wet and/or dirty playing in the summer sun, be sure to bring an extra change of clothes, blanket and a towel (or two!).
• To help entertain your summer baby, be sure to pack sand toys, water toys and chew-friendly travel toys.
• As all moms know, packing snacks in the diaper bag is absolutely necessary. For summer, pack snacks that keep well in the summer sun such as cheerios, goldfish, crackers and fruit.

Are there any vital items we left out? Let us know by sharing your summertime essentials in the comments section below!

Discovering The Colors Of Fall With Your Baby 09/24/2010

Happy Fall everyone! Now is a wonderful time to bundle your baby up and head outdoors to explore all of the colors and new experiences that this season has to offer. Plan a strolling adventure with your little guy to discover all of the fun of fall together. You can get your him psyched for your adventure by looking at pictures of the season at home first. Watch Baby Monet- Discovering the seasons together. Describe the colorful leaves, new critters and sounds that you are about to experience. Prepare your little adventurer with his own special leaf sack to bring along and print a few photos of colored leaves and head on a mission to find leaves that match the photos.

Once you get outside of course the #1 thing to take advantage of are the beautiful autumn leaves. A natural rainbow to share with your little sidekick is right at your fingertips. As you walk hand in hand help your baby collect as many different colored and shaped leaves as you can find and save them to explore later at home. If he needs a hand bring along a sticky lint roller brush that he can use to roll on the ground and “magically” collect leaves. Keep your eye out for big pine cones as well. I’ll explain why later. If your baby is too young for his own adventure, not to worry you can still make your fall walk fun. Just grab his stroller and get ready to play tour guide. You can enjoy a relaxing walk and spend the afternoon explaining all of the new changes that are happening with the fall season.

If you want to stay close to home you can make your fall adventure productive and even more fun by getting your little guy’s help with raking. Head to your front yard and make the biggest pile that you can together. Let your inner child loose and jump in it together. Not only will you be having a blast, but you will be discovering new textures as well.

After your fall adventure go home and take time to explore each shape, color and texture of your collection together. Feel the scratchy texture and smooth lines on each leaf, you can show the similarities in the lines of the leaf with the lines on your palm. Look around your living room and grab examples of household items that match the bright red, yellow, and orange of the leaves. If your baby is old enough have him show off his stuff and tell you what color leaf you are exploring and pick out other examples around the house. Now you have a table full of leaves…what do you do? With a little creativity you and your baby are in for an afternoon of fun. Here are a couple quick ideas to bring the fall indoors with fun projects that you can do together.

Happy Leaves
You can use your toddler’s new collection as a canvas for painting. Lay out a mat and spread out the leaves. Grab 2 paint brushes along with non-toxic tempera paints (any color will do) and get painting. You and your little artist can paint faces or you can make a leaf extra special by personalizing with his name. Let dry overnight and you will have super special leaves to remember your day of fall adventure.

My Tree
Your toddler can make their own tree with their new leaves with a little help from you. Take a light colored sheet of construction paper and draw a tree trunk, try your best. You can then let your toddler pick leaves and tell you where he wants them to go. You take the lead and with non toxic glue stick them on the paper until you’ve made your toddler’s special tree.

Yummy Pine Cones
Tis the season to channel your inner Martha Stewart with fall crafts. While on your adventure you hopefully found a few nicely sized pine cones. When home set up a work place for you and your helper. Take the pine cones and spread peanut butter over them. It doesn’t have to be pretty, just try to get as much to stick as possible. Next, put out a shallow plate and spread birdseed across the plate. Let your toddler get a little messy as he rolls the pine cones in the seed. Voila easy bird feeder! Place the homemade feeders in a tree near a window where you and your lil guy can sit inside and see who’s coming along to nibble on your tasty treat.

Indoors and outdoors this fall there are so many fun ways for you and your baby to bond, be active and get discovering.

Happy Fall!

Together Time Tuesday: Celebrate Smile Week: 08/10/2010

Its national smile week so there’s just one more reason (as if you needed one) to spend time making your little guy smile today. We have a few tips that are sure to get your little bug showing off that heart melting smile and make the most out of today’s together time.

Just the Two of Us

Of course you smile every time that you look into his eyes, but take a moment today to consciously smile at your baby and see if he will smile back. He’ll love the attention and will surely give you a big smile if you add in a few big pecks on the cheeks. Mix in a raspberry on his little belly for a guaranteed giggle. And you can always throw in a few silly faces. Don’t worry no one is looking but your baby

Show Time

You can take time today to sit with your baby and show off your acting chops. Grab his favorite colorful character, may we suggest the Teethe & Tug Dog & the Tummy Ticklers Bird and get into character. Try your best baby talk, make up a silly song or sing along to a soothing CD that you have lying around your home. The colors, sounds and time spent with just you two will have him smiling from ear to ear. Another tip: If you smile and show how much fun you are having as you are going along, he’s sure to take a cue.

Magic Mirror

If you have a mirror lying around that’s all you need for a smiling session. Grab and place a mirror at least an arm’s length away. Just seeing the movements will be sure to give him a smile but spend some extra time pointing to and identifying parts of his face in the mirror. Try to get him to stick out his tongue or wave to the baby in the mirror. While he might not realize what is really happening just yet, your baby will be smiling with fascination by his reflection. If you are looking for a little helper our Lights & Melodies Mirror is a great way to add fun lights and sounds to your mirror discovery together time. Oh, and don’t forget an oldie but goody; a game of mirror peek-a-boo will keep him giggling for a long while.

So whichever way that you choose, spend today gushing over your baby’s million dollar smile. And if you have a tip for making your baby smile that you want to share with fellow parents let us know here or over at our Facebook Page.

Parents Know Best: What to add to your registry 08/02/2010

We recently asked our social media moms and dads for their advice on which Baby Einstein product they would recommend as a must have for an expecting mom to include on her registry. They gave us tons of great suggestions on Facebook and Twitter!

Since you may be asking the same question, we thought we’d share some of their tried and true recommendations for the products mom, dad and baby can’t live without.

Frannie08 tweeted, “any of the dvd’s r great for my almost 2 y.o when we are traveling! She loves the World Animal Adv.”

Jane Lewis said, “My son loved Baby Galileo. I’d recommend the Tug and Teethe Pals too! And of course the puppets. The cow puppet is really cute.”

Imperfectmomma tweeted, “The nighttime cd & the traveling cd too . . . best investments we ever made.”

Mica McDole Wiemann said, “Definitely the exersaucer- my 9 month old still loves it.”

MommyLiving tweeted, “My 16-month-old can’t get enough of the Numbers Nursery DVD when going for a drive. She loves watching it over & over.”

Lori Bassford de Leon said, “The Baby Einstein Jumper! My youngest loved playing in it.”

Ruth Kobrin said, “Your music CDs . . . my boys love them and they’re now 5 and 3.”

LKWHTMomFound tweeted, “The board books are my fave; colorful, sturdy and eye-catching.”

Still not sure what to get the new mom-to-be? Try the You’re Expecting gift set or use our gift finder to discover the perfect gift.

A big thank you to all those who gave these great suggestions. We are sure that fellow parents will be grateful for the tips. And congrats to our expecting moms on your new arrival!

Flower Children of All Ages 07/22/2010

Ah, finally summertime is here. It’s a great time to get back outside and the perfect opportunity to introduce your little one to some really neat new sights & sounds.

Go, go garden!
Your garden is filled with colors and textures that will be brand new to your little sprout so bring him along for the adventure (and don’t be afraid to get a little dirty). Introduce him to new textures by sprinkling a handful of dirt on his hands or tickling his little arms & feet with a leaf. Let him smell the crisp scents of fresh herbs. Take some time to show and tell real examples of bright colors with a red tomato, yellow sunflower or anything in your garden. To make garden discovery even more fun for your toddler bring along Baby Einstein Nature Nesting Blocks. Together you can match the photos on the blocks with real examples of what he is seeing. Each relaxing gardening session time out can be filled with new experiences for your new little helper!

On the run.
You are probably itching to get back to old routines like your morning jog. Once your baby is about 6 months old, you can get back to business as usual bringing him along for double duty (provided your doctor gives you the okay to resume physical activity). Who says exercise has to be a solo activity? The stroller is as good a place as any to discover nature. As you run, explain what you see and pick up a few tactile natural toys along the way, like a shiny leaf, smooth stone or craggy piece of bark. From the woof of a puppy to the color of passing cars, use everything you experience as the chance to explain the wonderful world around you (and ask your little one questions about what he sees if he’s old enough to talk). We’re sure that watching him in total wonder is awesome motivation to put on those running sneaks!

Park playtime
A day in the park may require a little more prep, but can be a lovely relaxing day for both you and baby (and a new universe filled with fun stuff to explore together). From the rustling of tree branches to a scampering squirrel, everything outside is the opportunity to see him amazed by the beauty he sees and a great chance to snap his reaction, so have your camera handy.

Get up and out, mamas and papas! Take advantage of this summer to explore the beauty of nature with your baby and enjoy every minute. Happy trails!

Enter The Baby Einstein: All About Baby Sweepstakes Today! 07/21/2010

We’ve just launched the All About Baby Sweepstakes! Moms and dads can enter for an amazing chance to win a $2,000 U.S. savings bond for the little one in their life along with special Baby Einstein product package prizes. You can enter now through August 20th. Winners will be chosen at random.

One grand prize winner will win a $2,000 Series I U.S. savings bond
One first prize winner will receive a $500 Series I U.S. savings bond
Two 2nd prize winners will receive Baby Einstein Product packages valued at $300 each
Five 3rd prize winners will win Baby Einstein Product Packages valued at $100 each

Baby Einstein has even more exciting news! Fans are also invited to visit the new Baby Einstein Facebook Page. This, Baby Einstein Company’s first official Facebook Page, is a place where parents with a passion for sharing the arts with their baby can share real life experiences and tips. Baby Einstein will also regularly post useful advice for encouraging discovery, information on new products and exclusive offers.

Baby Einstein, loves babies and creates DVDs, CDs, books, toys and activity items with every baby in mind every day. Enter the Baby Einstein: All About Baby Sweepstakes today for a chance to nourish your baby’s tomorrow.

© The Baby Einstein Company, LLC. All Rights Reserved. Baby Einstein is a trademark of the Baby Einstein Company, LLC. EINSTEIN is a trademark of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Sweepstakes open to legal residents of 50 U.S./ D.C., & Canada (excluding Quebec), 18+ (not a minor in state/ province of residence) and be or sign up to become a registered member of the Baby Einstein site. Sweepstakes begins 12:01 p.m. PDT, 7/19/10 & ends 12:01 p.m. PDT, 8/20/10. Subject to the Official Rules. Sponsor: The Baby Einstein Company L.L.C., Burbank, CA.

Calling All Moms & Dads- Join the Parent’s Panel today! 07/07/2010

Hey Parents,

Have you ever held a Baby E toy and thought “if only it could do THIS?” We want to hear your ideas! After all, who knows what your baby likes more than you?

Baby Einstein was formed from the imagination of Julie Clark, a real mom that wanted to nourish her baby’s imagination in a new way and we know that our best new ideas come from real parent like you. We promise to make the best products that evolve with your family and create memorable together time with your little one.

We invite you to be part of our Parents Panel. When you join, you’ll be part of a network of real moms and dads ready to share ideas and tips, test new products, get special Baby Einstein offers and more. Imagination is everything and together, we can help develop creative babies who are inspired for a lifetime!

Trade in your bulky baby bag; the My Baby Einstein App is here! 07/01/2010

Hey there tech-lovers,

You can trade in that bulky baby bag for something way sleeker thanks to our new app! Download My Baby Einstein and turn your iPhone or iPod Touch into a handheld playground filled with discovery cards, a memory book, music and videos to engage your baby when you’re on-the-go. It’s everything that you both love about Baby Einstein in the palm of your hand. Curious to see what you’ll get? Let’s dive in!

Discovery Cards are interactive flash cards that let you and your baby explore pictures of different themes. A card pops up as a narrator gives you simple facts. There’s even a feature to create your own, personalized flash cards that will keep your baby happy
on-the-go. Here’s a fun tip- if your munchkin misses daddy while he’s at work, you can make a card with his photo and even record his voice to share a personalized greeting!

The Memory Book allows you to capture baby’s every adorable memory as it happens with audio, video and photos. You can customize photos of your little one by adding Baby Einstein characters and text. You can save photos to a photo album or upload them to Facebook to share (and show off) instantly!

The My Baby Einstein app would be incomplete without our award-winning Baby Einstein DVDs that keep baby engaged and put a smile on his face! There are 3 Baby Beethoven videos and 3 Baby Neptune videos included for you to enjoy together.

And of course there is music! From the grocery store to the waiting room, fill any daily destination with music and sing along with your baby to popular songs from the Baby E series! You can choose from popular favorites including the Itsy Bitsy Spider, Wheels on the Bus,
B-I-N-G-O, and more.

For just $3.99, you can download through iTunes or directly on your device. And you’ll be really excited to know that the app will grow with your baby as he develops. If you notice that he’s really excited about animals, nature, a certain type of music or a DVD theme, there are add-ons being constantly added to the store.

Talk about the app with other moms on our Facebook Page and check out Tanya’s review on Mommygoggles.

Playtime! 10/12/2009

Remember when you were a kid and you had that stuffed bunny that you took everywhere? Sure, it may have been bare in patches or had a torn ear, but it was your best friend. Now that you’re a parent, you see that toys are so much more than the cute, plush creatures that line your child’s crib.  Because babies are naturally curious, the act of playing is so important in helping to inspire imagination and creativity! What was your favorite toy when you were a baby?

-The Baby Einstein Team

Toys and Baby Einstein 10/02/2009

As many of you parents may have noticed, we feature an eclectic array of toys in our DVDs. We have received a few questions from you regarding our selection process and where we get them. Our Production Associate, Charlene Denice Pugh, took a few moments to answer your questions:

How do you decide what toys appear in the DVDs?

“The toys that appear in our DVDs are selected based on the theme of the DVD to complement the real world images.  It’s important that the toys are also baby-friendly.  In our Baby’s First Moves DVD, the toys selected represent the action being seen in the particular section.  For example, in the “First Steps” section you see an orange wind-up caterpillar toy crawl across the screen after seeing a real world image of a baby crawling on grass towards the camera.  For the World Music DVD, we felt it was important to show toys that babies in other countries would actual see.  We were, after all, taking little ones on a journey around the world.  So, in this DVD you see some indigenous toys to represent the different continents that are familiar to children around the world.”

Why did you decide to source these toys from smaller toy companies or import companies?

“From the beginning it was the small ‘Mom and Pop’ boutique stores that offer really interesting toys.  With the new World line, we’ve been able to expand our toy companies to include organizations that import handcrafted products from around the world.  Being global citizens is very important to us and our new World line gives us another opportunity to give back.”

-The Baby Einstein Team