I love the convenience of drink boxes and pouches but hate the mess. I always take a big swig before I give them to my son hoping to avoid a mess when he squeezes. Inevitably, I end up cleaning a sticky trail of juice leading from the kitchen over to the family room. Ugh!

Now with Dwink, the universal drink box holder, I don’t have to get on my hands and knees to clean up the juice trail anymore. I love that it so versatile. You can use it with small and large juice boxes, soy milk boxes and drink pouches. Dwink comes in bright, fun colors so kids think it is fun to use and the handles make it easy for little hands to hold on to. Best of all it sells for under $5.00 at www.mydwinkbox.com.

Bibs really are a fantastic invention. Without them you would have to constantly change your baby’s top all day long. Although a bib really is a necessity for drooling babies, have you ever worried whether its really safe snapped or tied around your baby’s neck? I know I did and so did Molly of Bibs and Match. She worried about her babies sleeping with their bibs on. But like most other moms I know, she didn’t want to wake her sleeping babies to take their bibs off when they fell asleep. Could they be strangled by the bib tied around their neck or suffocated if it flipped up on their face? These worries led her to design adorable onsies and matching bibs that snap on to keep your baby safe.

The onsies and bibs are made of 100% cotton and are super soft to the touch and since safety is the number one concern, all the dyes used are non-toxic. The bibs snap right on the onsie at the neck, so it’s like the bib is part of the shirt, meaning no more worries about strangualtion. The sides of the bib snap to the shirt so it won’t flip up in baby’s face, either. And since they don’t tie or velcro around the neck, they’re more comfortable for baby; nothing rubbing baby’s neck or trapping all that drool right under baby’s chin which can be very irritating. Currently the onsies and bibs are available with cute little monsters on them, which would be great for boys and girls, alike. Best of all, these bibs don’t cover your baby’s cute outfit. The design on the bib completely lines up with the design on the shirt so it blends in with the design or if you choose a coordinating bib, it give the shirt an all new look.

Win it! Thanks to Bibs and Match, we’ve got a 3 piece set in size 6-9 months to give away (just like the set pictured above). There’s also a matching pacifier holder that attaches using the side snaps. To win, visit Bibs and Match and have a look around. Comeback here and leave a comment telling me your favorite feature of the bibs and onsies they sell by Midnight on August 19th. You can get an extra entry if you subscribe to our email newsletter (be sure to submit an extra comment to let me know you’re a new subscriber). Make sure you leave your email address so we can contact you if you’re the lucky winner. The winner will be chosen randomly and contacted by email. The prize will only be shipped to US addresses. Good luck!

You’ve gotta visit Your Little Sweet Pea if you are thinking of decorating a nursery or child’s room. They carry a huge selection of baby and children’s bedding for both boys and girls.

Your Little Sweet Pea started as an professional interior design company so they “strive to keep the themes and styles of bedding and accessories up to date with the lastest trends and choose styles that are timeless.” In addition to bedding, they offer anything else you can think of to help decorate your child’s room from comfy overstuffed chairs and matching wall frames to fabric storage bins. There is no need to look anywhere else when searching for the perfect items to fill your room.

And if you need any help designing your room, Your Little Sweet Pea can do that too. All you have to do is let them know what you like and what you want in your room. A professional interior designer will do everything for you from planning the layout and furniture placement right down to choosing the paint colors for your new room.

Their prices are very affordable and are 10% off MSRP but you can use code FIVEOFF to get $5 of any purchase of $35 or more to save even more.

Win it! Your Little Sweet Pea is giving away a cute little dress and shirt to a lucky winner. Both dress and shirt are cotton and sized 18-24 months.

To win, just visit Your Little Sweet Pea and browse around their site. Come back and leave me a comment telling me your favorite item. Please leave your comment before midnight on August 14th. I will choose the winner Friday August 15th. Open only to people with a US mailing address. Good Luck.

I love Etsy! You can find anything you’re looking for and tons more you didn’t expect to find. My favorite Etsy store right now is Frank and Me. Everything at Frank and Me is handmade by Lauren (Frank’s mom) with one goal, it has to please Frank. The blankets and little swipers have to be soft enough, the boo boo packs comforting enough, and the blankie capes fun enough to make Frank (and your child) happy.

Everything at Frank and Me is made with the softest materials. We got the blankie cape and I was immediately impressed. This really could be baby’s favorite blankie turned into a cool cape for play. It has soft minky on one side and a soft patterned flannel on the other. My favorite part is the unique closure. One side tucks in the other so it will come off easily and quickly if it gets caught or pulled. Little Bug was so thrilled with his cape, he didn’t take it off for the first few days and wore it every where we went. We’ve also played super hero almost everyday, since. I’m always “the bad robot” and of course he is always the super hero chasing me and yelling “gotcha bad robot!” The cape really sparks his imagination and helps him get into character and makes role playing so much fun!

Be sure to check out all the other great products at Frank and Me like the Burp Monsters. These adorable little monsters make great burp cloths but are cute enough and soft enough to be baby’s favorite lovey. Order from Frank and Me during the month of August and you’ll get free shipping in the US or $5.00 of international shipping with the code totsmag.

The perfect diaper bag is hard to find. For me, functionality is the biggest must but coming in a close second is style. Just because I’m a mom, I don’t want to give up my cute and trendy bags for a frumpy, functional diaper bag. That’s where Jenny Norene Design comes in.

The Sport Utility Bag from Jenny Norene Design is practical yet chic. The bag measures 18” wide x 11” high x 5” so it’s roomy interior will hold everything you need for any outing. With seven interior pockets, two exterior bottle pockets, and a large outer pocket that zips for those items you want to keep in easy reach, there really is a spot for everything. I really like that the interior pockets are made of mesh so you’ll be able to easily and quickly find anything you are looking for. And for the most important items, your keys and paci, there’s an interior key chain/pacifier clip. The Jenny Norene Sport Utility Bag zips closed so when you need to stash your it, everything will stay put.

The interior is water resistant and can be easily wiped clean . To keep your bag looking great, the bottom is now made with a water and stain resistant trim. For diaper changes on the go, you’ll get a coordinating machine washable nylon changing pad with a velcro closure.

Tots Magazine readers can get 15% off their purchase at Jenny Norene Design with code tots15 (expires Sept 15, 2008).

I’ve been MIA the past few days because I’ve been potty training my son. We’ve been trying to potty train on and off for a year now with no luck. Little Bug has shown zero interest and gets down right upset when the word potty is mentioned. But with preschool looming right around the corner and the mandatory requirement that he be potty trained (or at least making good progress at it), I stepped up my efforts to get him going on the potty. My last ditch effort was to take up the rug, put a thick comforter on the couch and just let him go diaperless! Of course, I had to keep a very watchful eye (so not much time for blogging). But, so far, it seems to have paid off. He started off with three accidents on the floor but they were easily cleaned. The fourth time he had to go, he sat on the potty all on his own, started going and then called for me to see! He and I both were so excited and proud! He seems to have figured it out! Only two accidents in the past two days!

But now that he is a big boy and no longer in his diapers, I am faced with all new worries and have to say it was so much easier when he was in diapers. I need to remember to remind him to go potty and when we go out I need to worry about things like always figuring out where the closest restroom is and how to protect him from all the germs on the toilet in public restrooms. Yuck! And it not just his bottom I am worried about but his hands, too, because like lots of other kids he needs to hold on to the seat to keep from falling in. That’s were Green and Clean Potty Covers come in. Unlike other potty covers, the Green and Clean potty covers really are oversized so they completely cover the toilet seat and then some to protect both bottoms and hands. They are also nice and thick, unlike those skimpy, thin covers you find in public restrooms. They have adhesive strips to hold them in place so they won’t slip off when you put them on. They don’t have a plastic layer on them like other brands, so you may need to wipe the seat if the person before you sprinkled when they tinkled. But since there’s not plastic you don’t have to feel guilty about using a disposal cover and harming the environment since they are made of 100% cotton and will be quickly degraded.

Stock up since you’ll be using lots and lots. They are just $6.95 for 10 at One Step Ahead.

I’ve never found any type of bag or case that I really like that conceals my “Time Of the Month” accessories. Either they are too big to fit in my bag or purse or they just scream “its that time of the month!”. So I always find myself stashing my pads and tampons in the pockets of my bag and and then trying to be really sly and slip them into my pocket without anyone noticing. Well, no more because TOMtotes has created the most unique totes to keep your “Time Of the Month” accessories neat and discreet.

Depending on your preference, you can choose the tampon tote, panti liner tote, or the combi tote. The tampon tote holds two regular tampons and looks like it might actually be a sunglasses case. The panti liner tote looks more like a coin purse but it really holds two small pads. The combi tote looks like a wallet but allows you to carry a combination of tampons and pads. Each one is made with a colorful and fun fabric and tied with a coordinating ribbon so no one will ever know what is actually inside. Prices start at just $12.00 and shipping within the US is free!

Win it! TOMtotes is giving one lucky Tots Mag reader a TOMtote of their choice (either tampon or pad). Just visit the their website and have a look around. Comeback here and leave me a comment telling me which TOMtote and fabric you would choose if you are the winner. Do this before midnight (EDST) on July 20th and make sure you leave your email so we can contact you. The winner will be randomly choosen and contacted by email on July 21st. Good luck!

Babies are so adorable in hats and I just found the sweetest hand-knitted hats at the Etsy shop, NinisHandmade’s Shop. Check out this Hershey Kisses cupcake newborn hat. It’s made using baby soft yarn in the shape of a cupcake and has felt kisses sewn on by hand. So cute!!

I also love this pink cupcake hat for for toddlers. It’s covered with sprinkles and even has a cherry on top.

Visit NinisHandmade Shop to get one of these treats for your little sweety and be sure to check out all of her other handknitted items, including her new baby blankets(they look super soft). Nini is offering 10% off to TotsMag readers. Be sure to convo her before you purchase to get your discount.

We just got back from vacation and had the best time! I purchased a new stroller for our trip and am so happy I did. I’ve been looking at buying a new stroller for sometime and finally bit the bullet. I wanted something lighter than our old Graco travel system but that would be just as comfortable for my son and have lots of storage space. I decided to go with the Maclaren Triumphand I absolutely love it!

We spent several days walking around Busch Gardens and Jamestown and the Triumph really held up. The handles are high and ergonomically placed so it was easy on our backs and it turned on a dime, something my old system did not do! My son seemed to be really comfy in it, too. The seat reclines into multiple positions, which alot of umbrella strollers don’t do, and the seat is padded for extra comfort. The stroller is really easy to open and close, even one handed.

My only complaint about the Triumph is that the mesh basket under the seat is not quite as roomy as the basket under my old stroller system. I think this is the case for most of the umbrella strollers. I ordered a stroller bag (the Cups’N Cargo by JL Childress) to hold our extra stuff. This bag is soooo roomy. It has lots of pockets that zip to keep your wallet and cell phone secure and keep wipes and diapers organized. There is also a large mesh bag to hold whatever else you might need. My favorite part is the cup holders. I can’t live without my cup holders. I have to admit, the idea of purchasing a stroller without cup holders was one of the biggest reasons I had held off on buying a new stroller. But this stroller bag has two cup holders which hold baby bottles, water bottles and stretches to hold larger cups (it even holds Starbucks cups, YEAH!). The cup holders on some of the other stroller bags don’t stretch and only fit bottles, which just doesn’t work for us. The bag easily clips on and can be left on all the time even when the stroller is folded up.

After trying the Triumph out on our trip, we have decided to retire our old stroller and use this one full time. It can be used for children up to 55 lbs. so we will be using this one for quite a while.

I love Lady Bugs and apparently so does Suri Cruise! Oprah recently visited Tom Cruise at his home. She picked up a pair of lady bug shoes in his mud room and mentioned how adorable they were. Cruise replied that “ladybugs are Suri’s favorites”. Those shoes, just like the ones pictured, were none other than the Little Ladies Mary Janes from Skimbaco. They are from the Monkey Toes line of handpainted shoes. They have many styles to choose from, including shoes painted with buzzy bees, pink pigs, or cute little love bugs. For your little man, order sneakers with green frogs, silly monkeys or spunky spiders.

Skimbaco is run by a mom of three who has worked very hard to build a wonderful store. She personally packed the shoes that were sent to Suri when a family friend ordered them as a christmas gift. What luck to have one of her items featured on Oprah! Just goes to show that hard work will pay off!

Keep you car clean with a car litter bag by Allyson Hill. She designed the bags to hold/hide your small garbage and look great, too! The bags are 8″ wide by 12″ high and are made of two layers, a decorative fabric outer layer and an inner canvas layer. The canvas provides support for the bag and is designed to keep the bag open so you can easily get your trash in. The bags are available in a large number of fabrics that everyone will love. Put one up front for you and choose one in a kid-friendly fabric for your kids (I think I’ll order one in the construction fabric for my son - he loves anything with wheels).

The strap is truly unique. It can be snapped on the side to hang on your stick shift or in the center to hang from the back of your head rest. The length of the strap (25″) is also adjustable so it will always fit perfectly.

My favorite part of this bag is that no one will know right away that it is a trash bag. Just Insert a plastic trash bag inside and tuck the extra between the inner and outer shells so nobody will ever see the ugly trash bag. Allyson includes a roll of biodegradable bags with each purchase and you can purchase refills from pet stores or infant stores or just use a plastic shopping bag.