Here are some items that we enjoy that I’d like to recommend (click photos for more info):

Edith & Mr. Bear by Dare Wright:  I had an Edith book growing up, and still remember the lovely photos vividly. When I noticed this book at the library, I grabbed it for nostalgic reasons. However, the story affects Ruby like no other book we’ve read. In short, Edith breaks a valuable clock and lies about it. It bothers her so much she runs away, before coming back home to confess (at which point all is forgiven and she feels much better). Every time we read this book, Ruby cringes at the clock-breaking scene, and always points out that Edith is happy again once she comes clean. I think the moral is actually sinking in!

 
Our Tree Named Steve by Alan Zweibel: If, like me, you respect The Giving Tree but have read it a few too many times, look for this book. It covers the same basic theme, the relationship you can have with a tree as you grow up. It’s warm and real, and the end makes me choke up a little every time I read it to Ruby.

 
Radio Flyer All-Terrain Wagon:  The day Steve went to buy a wagon, the only available one was this model. He hesitated at the cost but got it anyway, and we haven’t regretted it once. This thing will last forever, and the air-filled tires not only give a softer ride, they make the wagon much quieter. We left off the included wooden sidewalls so the wagon would fit in our car. It’s already replaced our stroller in most circumstances. Best use: the zoo, where kids are always hopping in and out.

 
Veggie Patch Spinach Nuggets: Imagine a tater-tot-type nugget, but instead of greasy potato bits, it’s entirely filled with spinach! The battered exterior (and ketchup on the side) is enough to make Ruby think spinach nuggets are a special treat. This brilliant, freezable snack is available at our Safeway, so we don’t even have to go out of our way to get it.

 
Fisher-Price Healthy Care Booster Seat:  We have never owned a highchair; this compact booster seat has been all we needed. We just strapped it to a chair in the dining room and put an office chair pad underneath to catch the crumbs. During Ruby’s messiest, table-licking phase, we even brought it to restaurants, where it was a much better alternative to the standard restaurant highchair (which has no tray). It’s height-adjustable, dishwasher safe, and relatively easy to carry around. Ruby’s still using it with the tray, and I expect she’ll use it as a booster seat even longer.

 
The First Years Take & Toss cups: The spill-proof cups are the best sippy cups we found. They’re sturdy, easy to hold, and give the right amount of flow. Later, Ruby graduated to the straw-top cups, which are surprisingly leakproof. They’re BPA-free, inexpensive, and Ruby enjoys choosing her cup and top colors. The suggestion that these cups are “disposable” makes me shudder. They actually last a long time (we’re still using our first set).

I spotted a kid’s grocery cart recently at Costco and snapped it up. It is unusually well-made, with all the main parts made out of metal rather than plastic. It has a collapsible seat, just like a real shopping cart, and high-quality wheels with ball bearings. And, to make it even cooler, it came with 30 miniature food items, including cans, boxes, and bottles with realistic-looking labels (without any real-life brand names, which I appreciate). It was a steal at $28.

Ruby spent the evening playing with her new pretend grocery store, taking items off the shelf, putting them in the cart, taking them out, putting them in the shopping bag, etc. All of her stuffed animals got a turn to ride in the seat of the cart.

If you want to try to find this cart at Costco (and I highly recommend it), look in the seasonal section by the Christmas toys.

A few weeks ago, when the weather was in the 90s, I bought one of the last few kiddie pools left at Target. We had a ton of fun playing in it that week (and expect to again when it’s warmer).

I was pleasantly surprised when Steve noticed that our kiddie pool was chosen by Slate Magazine as the best of the year!

We don’t buy many toys for Ruby. She plays with things she got for Christmas and her birthday. The things we’ve added in the meantime have mostly been free, like mardi gras beads from the Pride Parade and cardboard boxes.

However, at a recent meeting of our parents’ group, we saw something and I immediately wanted to buy it for Ruby. It’s a mini kitchen, made of wood, with nice attention to details (like a faucet that moves, oven knobs that click as you turn them, etc.) Not only that, but the set comes with a bunch of nice accessories: a whisk, two different spatulas, wooden spoon, cutting board, baking sheet, and sink that can be used as a bowl. All of these are NOT PLASTIC but made of the same materials that regular kitchen utensils are.

The brand is Play Wonder, which seems to be a Target-specific brand. After waiting a few days in vain for it to come in stock at my local Target, I bought one at the Redmond Target for a reasonable $60. (They’re also available online, but shipping is pretty expensive.) It took 30-45 minutes for me to assemble it.

Ruby really seems to like it. Now that most of our kitchen cabinets are babyproofed, it gives her something of her own to do in the kitchen while we’re cooking or cleaning. Below is a promotional picture, but it doesn’t do the toy justice. (For what it’s worth, it bugs me that the girl is shown baking cookies while the boy looks more like a head chef.)

I’ve realized an easy trick to avoid that awkward conversation where someone isn’t sure if Ruby is a girl or a boy (and uses vague pronouns until I clue them in). If Ruby is wearing a clip in her hair, I can put her in whatever outfit I want and everyone knows she’s a girl. Since we avoid frilly pink stuff like the plague, this makes life easier when we’re out and about.

Now that I’m at home with Ruby, I realized it was time to buy a new child carrier. When Ruby was an infant, I liked both the Baby Bjorn and the Sidecar sling. Now that Ruby is bigger, though, she doesn’t fit in the Baby Bjorn and is too heavy to be supported by just one shoulder.

Faced with the prospect of hauling a stroller everywhere, I began asking people about the carriers they liked. This past weekend, Steve and I were on a getaway in Bellingham and came across a cool little store: Portable Kid. They specialize in carriers of all kinds (as well as car seats and a few other items). All of the carriers they sell are on display, and you can try them on. The owners and their kids are also happy to demonstrate.

We chose the Beco Baby Carrier in dark brown. It’s sort of like the Baby Bjorn, and it’s streamlined and as stylish as you can get with a hip strap (which isn’t too much, I know). It can carry kids up to about 40 pounds, so it’s a long-term purchase. After deciding on it, we bought it at Portable Kid, and I was pleased to support a new independent business.

Today, I took it out on its first test, wearing Ruby on my back (she can go on back, front, or hip in this carrier). It was great! All her weight was on my hips and I was very comfortable. I felt like I could walk with her for at least a few hours. It’s very exciting to have this option because I like to travel light (and strollers are not that). Ruby didn’t seem to mind riding behind me – she can just barely see over my shoulders. On the next outing, I’m going to try carrying her on my front and see how that compares.

So far, I’d highly recomend the Beco. It can carry young infants as well. It comes with a little “sleep hood” which supports their head when they fall asleep.