CMBN Favorites: ABC Kids Expo Edition

Proudly carrying “the most huggable” stuffed animal toys for over 120 years, GUND never ceases to amaze us with their adorable stuffies.  Currently, they are featuring spooky animals and magical creatures just in time for Halloween, and you HAVE to check them out!  They truly do have the widest selection of stuffed animals around, and the best part is? They are extremely affordable as well!  We call that a win-win!

If you don’t have HABA toys at your house, you are MISSING OUT.  Started in Germany nearly 80 years ago, HABA prides itself on their simple, colorful designs that kids love. Their wooden toys will last for decades, and their baby clutching toys are still made in Germany using PEFC Beech or Maple (meaning that the toys are made from timber that has been reforested). They use safe, non-toxic water-based stains and lacquers, and as many recycled materials as possible to package their items.  Toys kids love AND environmentally friendly?  Yes, please!

Another favorite toy brand of ours is Green Toys.  Made from 100% recycled materials (yes, 100%!), Green Toys are made safely in the U.S. and they offer FREE shipping on orders of $49.99 or more.  In their own words, “your children are precious. Our products are not. They go inside, outside, alongside, tableside, roadside, even bedside. You can flip, flop, fill, toss, teethe, and finally, dishwash your Green Toys.”  Did you hear that? Dishwash!  Yes!!  Our favorites at the Green Toys booth this year were the ambulance and the doctor kit.  Check them out here!

First-time moms (or ANY moms of newborns), this is a must-have for sure. The Owlet “smart sock” comfortably wraps around your baby’s foot to track heart rate, oxygen levels and sleep using clinically-proven pulse oximetry.  The base station glows green to let you know everything is okay, but notifies with lights and sounds if heart rate or oxygen levels leave preset zones.  If you’re looking for the absolute best in safe-sleep products, look no further than Owlet.  There’s even an APP to keep you connected to the information at all times!

Million Dollar Baby started when its founder, Daniel, read that on average it costs one million dollars to raise a child.  Dedicated to enabling parents to provide the best for their children, without compromising on quality, safety or design, Million Dollar Baby has a wide range of classically designed products that are a BEAUTIFUL addition to any nursery.  Our personal fave this year was the Abigail 3-in-1 convertible crib. Check out how gorgeous it is here!

Are you in the trenches of teething babies? If your little one can be found running around the house with a toothbrush in his/her mouth, you need a Baby Banana brush in your life! Offering a safe alternative to the average toothbrush, but just as soothing on those baby gums, the Baby Banana brush has sold millions of flexible toothbrushes and teethers, keeping millions of little mouths safe while helping children learn good oral care habits early.  To get started, we recommend the Smoothie Soother pack!

Raise your hand if you’ve had a drink spill in your minivan.  Or in the cart at Target. Everyone’s hand raised? Yes, that’s what we thought.  Travel Tray to the rescue!  Their stabilized cup holder helps prevent spills, and also has room for the snacks or small toys that your kids have stuffed in the cup holders under their drinks.  Travel Tray is 100% food-grade safe, BPA free, PHT free and PVC free, and it’s top-rack dishwasher safe for easy clean-up!  They also come in a gorgeous rainbow of colors, so for those of you mamas with multiple kids, each kid can have their OWN color!

We’ve told you before and we’ll tell you again: we. love. Re-Play. Founded on the belief that mealtime is family time, and family-owned and operated for over 25 years, Re-Play offers products that are affordable, durable, and sustainable – ensuring you spend less time worrying about mealtime and more time enjoying family time.  And those colors?  We want them ALL!

This product is AH-mazing.  If you’ve ever found yourself rocking your baby in a chair that isn’t actually a rocker, then you definitely need the Rocker Mama in your life.  This brilliantly designed product can turn any chair (or essentially any immovable object) into a rocking chair!  Simply place it against the object, sit with the rocker between your back and the object, and shift your weight back until you are comfortably reclined.  Voila!  You can now rock your baby into a peaceful sleep, and you don’t have to be confined to your nursery anymore!

Y’all know how much we love Britax.  The #1 brand in safety technology, Britax offers a full range of convertible car seats and booster seats, and some of the best strollers in the industry.  Our favorite this year is their Nanotex line, which features premium luxe fabric with an exclusive nanotechnology that keeps life’s little messes YOUR little secrets.  We love that!

Boy mamas, check this out!  We fell in love with these hats from Cash & Co., and we know you will too! In their own words, “Cash & Co. is a family based company dedicated to providing every boy extra flair and swag to stand out. After collecting hats for over 30 years, we’ve developed a taste for quality headwear. Every detail is carefully thought out and every hat has a story. We hope you get to know each one.”

Magformers are the PERFECT toy for all of your budding builders! They come in a wide variety of sets and shapes, and each shape contains rotating Rare Earth Neodymium magnets, the strongest of their kind for guaranteed connectivity. Kid-approved, and STEM educational approved as well, these toys are a win-win for sure!  We recommend the 30-piece set to get the fun started!

We have raved about their adorable reusable snack bags (which we still love, by the way!) but Itzy Ritzy is so much more than that these days!  From car seat canopies to top knot headbands to the cutest diaper bag backpacks (plus they have some ADORABLE mini ones coming out soon!), whatever you might be looking for for yourself or any one of your mom friends, Itzy Ritzy surely has it!

Valco Baby has become well known for the quality and function of our single and double strollers, especially with options to accomodate three and even four children.  For those of us with more than 3 kids, we know how hard that can be!  In addition to all of their “real baby” strollers, we particularly loved their princess doll stroller that they featured at the expo this year!  If your little one has a favorite doll, they definitely need this stroller on their Christmas list this year!

Nuna‘s philosophy has always been, “practical and beautiful is the perfect balance when it comes to gear”.  That philosophy is clearly seen in their beautiful products, and we absolutely LOVE them.  Their first product, the ZAAZ high chair, launched in 2007 and continues to be our personal favorite.  It is compact, slides right up to the table, and is super easy to clean.  What more could you ask for in a high chair?