IKEA is a great source for furniture, home accessories, bedding and more, but have you seen all of the great items they carry for kids? You could buy everything necessary for your little one at IKEA.  Read More...

Sesame Street Live

We went to Sesame Street Live on Saturday morning.  It was fun but a little long for Jack and Mackenzie.  Jack loved it the most, laughing and clapping and screaming the characters' names.  They had two 40 minute acts and a 15 minute intermission.  By the middle of the second half, most of the kids in there were done.  My advice to SSL: make the show a total of 50 minutes long with no breaks.  But the story was cute, the characters were awesome, the sets were fun and the songs were gitchy.

 

Jack after the show:

Austin artists make beautiful baby products on etsy.com

Blue Minky with Charmeuse Satin Blanket from littlebnursery

Etsy.com is a popular web site for artists to sell their handcrafted items and millions of these are for babies and kids. Many Austinites sell their products here and some even have an option to pick up their goods instead of shipping them.  Read More...

Rolly Pollies opening in Bee Caves

The first Rolly Pollies gym is being opened in Austin this month in Bee Caves. Rolly Pollies is a fun and colorful kids' "gym" offering many types of creative classes for ages 6 months through 7 years old. There are gym classes based on age throughout the week as well as music and art classes.  Read More...

What should be on my baby registry?

Many first time parents have no idea what to put on their registry. There are some items that are must-haves and some items that are just really nice to have.

The must haves are:

1.clothing - a few oneises, a few sleepers, few pairs of socks, a couple of hats.  Read More...

Newborn blood samples stored in Texas

Most of you probably heard about the controversy lately about the State of Texas taking and storing baby's blood when they are born. Apparently, starting around 2002, the State started taking the leftover blood from screenings and storing it without parents' consent. This prompted several families to sue the State claiming violation of the 4th and 14th Amendments.

The state claims that it kept the blood for reasearch and followed all state and federal laws in doing so. Because of this suit, the Texas Legislature passed a law to allow the State to keep the blood for research but the parents must be informed and have the option to decline. If the parents opt for it to be destroyed, the State must do it within 60 days.

The new law does not dictate that any information received from the blood has to be deleted. It also says that the records are confidential and are exempt from the Texas Public Information Act. Any information about what research is being done or who is involoved with the research is not publicly disclosed. Other states are having this issue as well and have been trying to determine what is best for its residents.

The lawsuit was settled and the State of Texas agreed to destroy about 4.5 million samples taken between 2002 and May 27, 2009. The State will now abide by the new law and ask parents' permission before doing any research on their baby's blood.

Celebrity baby clothing lines

Celebrities love their clothing lines and fragrances. Clothing designers have learned that celebrity names can sell their products like no other. Many celebrities start their own baby and kids clothing lines once they have children.  Read More...