Favourite Christmas Gifts

Our two children (aged 5 and almost 2) got some great gifts this Christmas. All of these would work well on a trip away from home and they are all fairly low-tech and easy to pack. Here are our top hits of 2009:

Pink and blue LEGO digital camera
A huge hit with my 5-year-old daughter. And it's inexpensive enough to buy for a special trip, too. There's nothing like seeking out interesting objects to take pictures of to relieve the boredom of airports or restaurants or when forced to spend several days cooped up at home because it's too cold to go outside... It comes in a red/yellow/blue colour scheme, too.

"You Choose" by Pippa Goodhart and Nick Sharrat
A great book for any age, my 5 year old and 23 month old love looking at this together and because it's interactive you can "read" it over and over again. A fantastic book to share with your kids and stimulate the imagination, and a brilliant book to take along on a trip.

Maisy's Amazing Big Book of Words by Lucy Cousins
My 23 month old, who is just learning to talk, loves Maisy. This book is choc full of classic Lucy Cousins illustrations and includes flaps on every spread. My daughter also loves searching for Panda on every spread.

Little Doctor's Kit
Again, a big hit with both children. My five year old has received these in the past but the new one included a surgeon's dress-up outfit and some real band-aids and bandages that has kept the two of them busy for hours already. There's something about giving doll/sister/mum/dad a pretend injection that never seems to get boring.

Fairies: Petal people you make yourself by Rachel Haab/Klutz
This is some serious crafty fun for girls (and parents, too!). Once we'd made a couple of fairies, my daughter was off in a world of make-believe with them. The product is recommended for eight year olds and up and my 5-year-old daughter needed a fair bit of help with the fiddly gluing, but that's what I love about crafts: everyone gets involved. Klutz make a wide range of crafty sets so if you have boys, check out the Klutz website for more info.

Give the gift of music

My life has a soundtrack these days -- one that involves a lot of Sharon, Lois and Bram. I don't go far in the car without that familiar refrain: "music, please!" This is from an article I wrote recently for Calgary's Child magazine. Here are my top 10 picks for best music CDs for young kids. They make great gifts and are easy to mail, too.

1: Mainly Mother Goose by Sharon, Lois and Bram
This collection by the talented Canadian trio should be in every family's music collection.

2. Here Come the 123s by They Might be Giants
This CD won the best musical album for children at the 2009 Grammy Awards and the catchy tunes will appeal to kids of all ages.

3. Putamayo Kids Present: Sing Along with Putamayo
Folk and blues inspired high calibre songwriting

4. The Backyardigans: Groove to the Music
Eighteen original tracks from the TV show, sung by children. The wide variety of musical styles make for a fun listening experience for 2-4 year olds.

5. You are My Little Bird by Elizabeth Mitchell
The 17 mellow folk melodies are calming but never boring. This is one of my favourite CDs at the moment.

6. Family Time by Ziggy Marley
A strong and uplifting message about love and family thread through this CD which features collaborations with many other artists.

7. Putamayo Kids Present: World PlaygroundAnother highly accessible anthology that is a great CD to dance to.

8. The Carnival of the Animals by Camille Saint-Saens
A great introduction to classical music, this is a rousing suite of 14 animal-themed movements. Buy the accompanying book by Barrie C. Turner and Sue Williams to add context.

9. The World's Very Best Opera for Kids (in English) by The Budapest Concert Orchestra
Nineteen classic tracks from Carmen, La Boheme, Madame Butterfly and six other operas. Sung in English, this is opera without the usual language barrier.

10. On a Starry Night by various artists
Soft and gentle, but never boring, lullabies to get your little one off to sleep.

Five Great Bedtime Stories

If you're tired of your usual goodnights to the moon and that big red barn, mix it up with five of my favourite bedtime stories for little ones under six:
- Peepo!
- Where is the Green Sheep?
- Cornelius P. Mud: Are you Ready for Bed?
- How Do Dinosaurs Say Goodnight?
- And if the Moon Could Talk

If you want to know why I picked these five, read my article published today on Savvymom.ca.

Strolling back into shape

I don't care for the gym and running is too sweaty for my liking. But I love to walk, and when the sun is shining I can't wait to get out the door.

When my oldest child was a baby, I'd walk for a couple of hours several times a week while she napped. Organized stroller fitness hadn't caught on yet. But now there's a wide choice of stroller fitness classes and boot camps to choose from in Calgary. And there's another option, too. You can become your own personal trainer with the Strollometer. This wireless device straps onto your stroller and measures your speed, trip distance and time, daily mileage and even the temperature so you know when to tuck an extra blanket around baby. It fits any stroller and is available from Ontario-based BabyBling.ca for $54.99.

The Head Snuggler

I come across some weird stuff sometimes, but this seems to be a crazy-looking invention that might actually work. My 15-month old has a serious case of head lolling while she snoozes in her car seat and I'm planning on giving the Head Snuggler a try on our next road trip. Designed to properly support your child's head and neck in a car seat or a stroller, this mom-invented product designed in Calgary has the thumbs up from a pediatrician and a chiropractor. 

Available online from Melrose Kids, the cost of the Head Snuggler is $15.99 plus $5 shipping.

How to snap great baby pics

Do you want to take better photos of baby? Here's a link to the Olympus website with some useful tips from professional photographer Nick Kelsh.

I'm a big fan of tip number two on the list. I take loads and loads and loads of photos of my kids every time I get the camera out. Then I edit out all the bad ones and I'm usually left with a couple of gems. Or at the very least, a few photos that warrant some space in my photo album (no blinking, blurry individuals).

Nick Kelsh has also written a book called "How to Photograph Your Baby" which gets great reviews on Amazon.

Beautiful Photography

Wondering what to buy a teen as a birthday gift (who wouldn't want to look this cool!)? Want to capture the essence of your bouncing baby or carefree toddler? Look no further than Calgary maternity/family photographer Brandi Murray, the talent behind Simply Connected Photography. I just love the way she uses colour and the urban backdrops she often chooses. I could look at the sample photography on her website all day long! She offers an "a la carte" service so you can pick and choose what prints/what size you want to order.


Brandi also has a blog. Click here to take a peek.