Strollerderby : wooden toys

Return of the son of stuff YUPPIE parents like

Brett Singer — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 15:00:00 GMT

Because too much is never enough. And besides, didn't you want to see this photo at least one more time?

1. Organic everything: from a commenter. I've succumbed to some of this, partly because, living in Manhattan, the cost difference isn't as great as it used to be, and sometimes the quality is better. I also admit that I feel less guilt giving my kids "organic" pre-packaged crap than I do giving them "chemical-laden" pre-packaged crap. It's still crap, but it's ORGANIC crap.

2. Classes and activities: yes, from the same commenter. She said, "mommy and me classes" but in my experience it's much more than that. Around here, it seems like everyone has their kids doing something all flippin' day. A parent once told me that she didn't understand why Kindergarten went until 3pm; she wished it ended at noon so her kid could take advantage of everything Manhattan had to offer. I replied that I thought Kindergarten should go until 8pm. We don't talk much anymore.

3. Kids' music that parents can enjoy: All parents have benefited from the boom in kiddie rock. While I am of course very glad that children's music has evolved beyond Raffi (who really isn't that bad) and Kidz Bop (which is), sometimes this preciousness can go a little too far. Sure, anything by Dan Zanes or The Dirty Sock Funtime Band is better than Barney's Greatest Hits, but a little James Taylor, Peter Paul and Mary, The Beatles – lots of great "adult" music out there that kids might like.

4. Taking their children to live rock 'n' roll shows: "Alternadad" Neal Pollack brought his little one to see The Hives, a rather loud quasi-punk act. I spotted two sets of parents who had dragged their children to see Yaz at the Beacon theater (I myself was dragged by my wife, but that's another story). When commenters on Gawker are giving good parenting advice ("Neil [sic], seriously--ear plugs"), you know something is out of whack in the universe.

5. Anything that isn't made of granite. At least after we found out about the radiation.

For more, click here.

image: nostalgiacentral.com

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More stuff YUPPIE parents like

Brett Singer — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 14:00:00 GMT

If you want to know why YUPPIE is written in CAPS, check out the comments on Redsy's post.

Also, a word of explanation for our younger readers: "yuppie" is a term that was coined in the 1980's. It means "Young Urban Professional." Obnoxious spin off terms include "buppie" (black urban professional) and "guppie" (gay urban professional, which is at least vaguely amusing). In general, I think that the term "yuppie" is (like myself) color-blind, so we'll just stick with that. (My color-blindness mostly means I need help choosing ties, but it also refers to non-clothing related issues.)

And now – the stuff!

1.   Fertility treatments: maybe this is a Manhattan thing, but I've seen several signs in drug store windows advertising help getting your health insurance to help pay to get you pregnant. My theory (unfounded and unresearched) is that there are a large number of parents having children later in life, and also a huge number of older dads starting second families with their second wives.
2.   Wooden toys: this is from a commenter, and it's totally true. I fully expect some "mompreneur" to start selling unadorned two-by-fours in colorful packaging. (Hang on, I need to copyright that idea.)
3.   SUV's: hopefully the price of gas will put the kibosh on these. There are other ways to schlep a family around town.
4.   Hybrid cars: for the parents who don't want SUV's. It's all about extremes, people.
5.   Feeling entitled to brunch: In some cases, even men want to emulate the Sex and the City gals.

For more, click here.

image: nostalgiacentral.com

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Why You Need a Custom Wood Swing Set

Karen Murphy — Mon, 09 Jul 2007 21:38:00 GMT

The house I grew up in had two rusty swings with splintery wood seats, next to a sandbox that my brother and I instinctively avoided because all the neighborhood cats instinctively didn't. That was it. If we wanted more, we went to the school yard next door, which mostly we didn't. Nobody had anything better and nobody missed it.

But now! Ooh, play structures! Castles! Swinging bridges, eagles' nests and sky walks! Let's get our kids everything we never knew we needed when we were kids, shall we? You know, to make up for our own bleak love-starved childhoods?

Yeah, I'm being ironic, because I do think these are really cool. Which is why I spent hours several summers ago painstakingly staining the wood that comprised our own play structure, which STUPIDLY did not contain a swing, I mean, whose stupid idea was that? OF COURSE kids need swings, who would assume they didn't? Oh. Me. That's right. Because it's what I chose out of the endless number of semi-custom permutations available in our swanky wood play set thing.

So take my word for it: kids want swings.

And with the growing trend of kids playing at home instead of being able to safely roam the neighborhood the way most of us all did, it's a lot better that kids have something to play on outside, because a.) its good exercise and they're not sitting and playing video games which suck out their brain cells, and b.) duh, they're outside, which means they are not inside. With you.

Which makes spending $3000 on a custom-built wooden play structure suddenly seem like a bargain, doesn't it?

Toy Fair Preview at New York Gift Show

Patti — Thu, 01 Feb 2007 20:02:00 GMT

The New York Toy Fair is still a couple of weeks away, but the New York International Gift Fair has just wrapped up with many toymakers having represented there, showing off their wares to a more varied audience of buyers than they'll experience at Toy Fair.

Creativity is still hot on the toy market, with companies like Bead Bazaar introducing craft kits for children of all ages, while the market for back-to-basics toys made of wood and fabric is still being tapped by makers like B. Shackman, Petra, and Jack Rabbit Creations. Upscale children's clothier Zutano introduced a line of soft toys, and many smaller toymakers and new companies chose the Gift Show over Toy Fair to showcase their latest offerings, citing the increased exposure to buyers and the hopes that they won't be knocked off by other manufacturers quite so quickly.

Toy juggernauts Melissa and Doug and Manhattan Toys both previewed their entire selection of new products at the Gift Show, with highlights including a $60 wooden grand piano from Melissa and Doug and new incarnations of Manhattan's popular Groovy Girls brand. The future looks bright for creative, interactive play!