Strollerderby : holiday shopping

Girly Gift Guide

Brett Singer — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 20:00:00 GMT

Not sure what to buy for the precious little girl in your life? Princess Loves Pink feels your pain. Well, maybe they don't feel your pain, but they want to help. (They may, in fact, feel your pain. But let's not jump to conclusions.)

This new site offers "gifts, reviews and ideas for all things princess", and it basically delivers. Browsing options include Shop by Princess (Ariel, Barbie, etc.), By Item (Books, Clothes), or By Price – very helpful in the current economy. Start with Gifts under $5 and, if the wallet allows, move all the way up to Princess Splurge.

There are even some "I never thought of that" ideas, such as this box of all-pink crayons.

Although one could take issue with the notion that "girls like pink princessy things", in my experience, many of them do. As a father of boys, I am flummoxed when the time comes to shop for a little girl that is into more traditionally girly items. So PLP could be useful for parents of girls, or anyone else who can't tell Cinderella from Sleeping Beauty.

Source: Princess Loves Pink

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Babble's Ultimate Holiday Gift Guide

Brett Singer — Sun, 23 Nov 2008 19:00:00 GMT

Thanksgiving may not have happened yet, but that doesn't mean you can't start your holiday shopping. Babble has an extensive Holiday Gift Guide that could be a huge help.

If you're picking up something for a person who loves them some handcrafted gifts, go handmade with these adorable $12 Sheep Mittens (they're only shaped like sheep, they don't smell like them) or a non-Disney Mermaid Doll ($30).

Entertainment suggestions include the Peanuts Holiday DVD Collection (Audio Visual), and the still cool even though it's old school View-Master (see Stocking Stuffers). And with the economy doing its best Tom Petty imitation ("Free fallin', yes I'm, Free fallin'…"), check out the helpful Gifts Under 20 Dollars section.

There are tons of categories to check out, each with lots of ideas for everyone from babies to babysitters. Check it out here.

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Safer Toys Holiday Shopping Guide

Alisyn — Sat, 17 Nov 2007 20:03:00 GMT

Recall Fever has made 2007 a scary one. And with the hoilday season heading barreling towards us like a runaway train, millions of parents, myself included, find themselves in the precarious positioin of trying to balance holiday gift giving - and receiving - with toy safety, something we've never really had to think about in previous years. Not an easy feat when you consider the fact that the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has recalled more than 70 brands of toys for a total of more than 25 million products. It's enough to make your head spin like an imported, lead-painted top.

What are we going to do? First thing's first: keep up to date with which toys are being recalled at the Consumer Product Safety Commission Page. Be firm with well-meaning friends and family about which safe toys, and toy alternatives, they can buy for your little ones. It may feel a little weird to pass out lists of pre-approved holiday gift ideas, but what else can we do? At this point it's all about our kids' safety, and using our consumer power for good instead of evil.

Cool Mom Picks Safer Toy Guide 200 7 is a great site to visit for safer toy suggestions. The Not Quite Crunchy Parent came up with some excellent toy alternatives. The People's Media Company has taken this years top toy trends and united them with cheaper (or free!) alternatives.

Shopping for kiddie gifts this year will require a little more diligence than we're used to, but it can be done. That being said, though, there's never been a stronger arguement for a back-to-basics, gift-free or homemade-gifts-only holiday season... it sure would get the message across that we, as parents, are mad as hell about the incredibly dangerous "toys" being marketed to our kids, and that we aren't going to take it anymore.