Good Stuff: Cool Things We Love
Parenthood is getting more creative by the second, and we love finding the newest, coolest products on the market. We also love learning about initiatives that better our community, from helping teens find prom dresses to chocolate that gives back to animal rescue efforts. Did we miss your favorite new product? Let us know!
Table of Contents
Prevent leaving a child in the car
The eClip attaches to your child’s car seat and notifies the parent or caregiver through an app if the child is left in the car. It also monitors the temperature in the back of the car, ensuring a child doesn’t overheat while driving. Available for pre-order for $80.
Library at your fingertips
Hoopla is a free media service offered by your local public library that allows you to borrow books, movies, music, audiobooks, comics and TV shows to enjoy on your computer, or through an app on your phone or tablet. Choose your local library, type in your library card number, your information and confirm to gain access.
Free meals for kids
Children who receive free school lunch during the week often do not have a steady source of food over the weekends. Hands on Atlanta’s Meals 4 Kids program ensures students don’t go hungry over the weekends. Volunteers with Hands on Atlanta’s tutorial and enrichment program assemble backpacks and then deliver them to students in need.
Make a chalk trail
Kids can attach the Chalktrail to their bikes and make shapes while riding around the neighborhood. Attach a piece of chalk to the holder and go in circles, waves or lines to trace your path along the driveway. Available for $19.95.
Learn ABCs with Socks
Kids ages 2-4 will love learning the alphabet with these socks. Each pair of Kids in Socks has a letter on one sock and a corresponding image on the other. A and apple, B and ball, C and car and so on! Three pairs available for $14.99.
Finger puppet toothbrushes
Founded by a dentist and a child psychologist, the “Brushie” comes in colorful character shapes and fits on your finger to make brushing your baby or toddler’s teeth easier. Each “Brushie” is a different character “Pinkey the Pig” or “Chomps the Dino” and some sets come with a picture book about the characters. Available for $6.95 each or $16.95 with book.
Vintage for Kids
A local company, Gunner & Lux, has created a Little Lux line specific to kids. The products include reinvented vintage items, necklaces with mini figures and buttons. The full line is available at local retailers.
Free Apple classes
Apple recently launched a series of hands-on classes called “Today at Apple” to cover topics from photography to music, coding, art, design and more. Families can join weekend “Kids Hour” sessions, which include coding with Sphero robots, creating music with GarageBand and making movies together with iMovie. Visit apple.com/today and choose a local store for the full schedule of classes.
Stuffed Animal Turned Washcloth
SoapSox is a fun way to get your kids excited about bath time. The stuffed animal can be filled with the liquid or bar soap of your choice and used as a washcloth. Disney characters like Nemo, Mickey and Ariel are new to the collection. Available for $12.99-$14.95.
Magnetic swimsuit by Fasten Swim
Girls ages 6 months to 3 years can have the ease of a two-piece with the look of a once-piece suit with Fasten Swim. Magnets attach a flap to the bottom for easier diaper changes or bathroom breaks. The suits also include SPF 50 protection and come in bright summer colors. Available for $24.99 and up.
Children’s Gardening Kits
These fun gardening kits are an easy way to begin a children’s garden complete with seeds, soil, stakes and growing instructions as well as an egg carton planter. Choose from “Little Fresh Veggie Garden” or “Little Bunny Garden” among others. $11.95.
Easy-to-Build Play Kits
Sure, all you need for a lemonade stand is a wooden or cardboard box, but the Antsy Pants Build and Play kits will make your child’s summer a lot more creative. These easy-to build, durable play structures feature color-coded Snap and Click™ poles and connectors, making assembling easy. Build a lemonade stand, pirate ship or castle. Available at Target. Prices vary by style: $25.49-$67.99.
Color-your-own picnic blanket
These canvas picnic blankets by Eggnogg Ltd make a day at the park or beach more entertaining. Kids can color in the black and white shapes with washable fabric pens while sitting on the blanket. The best part? The blanket can be thrown into the wash and colored again and again. Available for $51 plus international delivery fees.
Bug-free clothing
Summer can mean mosquitoes galore, and this clothing helps keep the bugs away. The NoBu.gs™Kids Hoodie can be easily thrown on while playing outside for complete upper-body protection without bug spray. The hoodies are lightweight, moisturewicking and odorless. Available for $39.99.
Stay hydrated this summer with Hidrate Spark
Hidrate Spark 2.0 tracks water intake by connecting to Fitbit or an Apple Watch. The bottle automatically records water intake onto the app on your phone and will glow to remind you to reach your water-intake goal for the day. Available for $54.95.
Camping at the next level with Hip Camp
Hip Camp is essentially the Airbnb of camping sites. Owners list their camp grounds, cabins or yurts on the site and families can search for camping destinations close to home or across the country. The easy-to-follow map and search bar make it simple to plan an epic summer camping trip.
Bedtime stories by Moonlite
Imagine reading a bedtime story to your child and having the illustrations from the story projected onto the ceiling. The Moonlite connects directly to your phone. You add a story wheel to the light, open the app and then project the story on the ceiling or wall. Available starting at $40.
Playground Baby Swing
The HoneyBee Child SwingEase converts any playground swing into a baby swing for ages 6 months to 18 months. Attach the clips to the regular swing and Velcro your baby inside the seat – now when the baby swings are in use or too hot to sit in, your baby will have a place to swing. $29.99.
Sweet Treats for Animal Rescue
One-hundred percent of the proceeds from Rescue Chocolate go toward animal rescue efforts around the country. The bars come in flavors such as “The Fix,” “Peanut Butter Pit Bull” and “Foster-iffic Peppermint.”$6 and up.
LEGO Play Tape
Nimuno Loops can be cut, stuck or moved around in creative ways and the top allows for LEGO blocks to be attached. Kids can build a 3D sidewalk, run the tape around their bedroom walls for added play space or attach the tape on top of plastic toys. $29 and up.
Keepsake Teddy Bear
What will you do with all of your child’s school, sports or dance T-shirts? The Patchwork Bear will collect all of these items and turn them into a keepsake bear great for a graduation present. Order the kit, fill out the form, send in clothes in the provided box and they will sew the bear. It takes approximately 3-4 weeks after they receive the clothes. Available for $45-98.
College Babysitter App
An app called Usit developed by four Emory University students connects households to college students who live nearby (at Emory, Georgia Tech or Agnes Scott colleges). View profiles of the babysitter applicants and contact the sitter through text or FaceTime. Available for iOS for free.
Racetrack at Home
Create race car courses, train tracks and more with PlayTape. Roll the tape onto any flat surface to stick, and even remove and reposition for more fun. Drive toy cars and trains over the tracks. Classic “road series” available for $4.99-$13.99.
Worry-Eating Pals
Give kids a respite from worries with these plush worry eaters. Simply have your child write down the things that worry them on pieces of paper and stick them into the plush monster’s mouth. Zip the pouch up and see the worries “disappear.” Available for $15.99-$22.99.
GPB Kids 24/7
Georgia Public Broadcasting has released a new channel with kids-only programming. PBS Kids favorites that teach reading, math and social skills include “Dinosaur Train,” “Sesame Street,” “Daniel Tiger’s Kids” 24/7 on 8.4 over the air or channel 243 on Comcast.
Prom Dresses for Girls in Need
Can you imagine being a teen getting ready for prom, but you can’t afford a prom dress? There are many girls in need of dresses in the Atlanta area, and Enchanted Closet has helped provide dresses for girls since 2003.
Yoga Bear
If your child is a young yogi, he or she will love the Meddy Teddy. The bear is made of soft plush and has an internal frame that bends into many different yoga positions to help kids learn fundamental yoga movements. Available for $34.95
Send a Smile
The patients at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta spend long hours in the hospital going through treatment. By visiting giving.choa.org/smilegram you can send a SmileGram to a patient, which is a message of encouragement that is printed out and delivered to the patient’s room.
Personalized Picture Book
Help your child find his name with the Lost My Name picture books. With each turn of the page, your child will find another colorfully illustrated letter that builds up to form his name on the final page. Available for $29.99.
Introduce Coding with Osmo Coding Game
The Osmo Coding Game helps teach the elements of coding from an early age. Your child controls “Awbie,” a character on the hunt for strawberries, and with each programmed command he gets closer to his destination. Available at major retailers for $49.
Learn to braid and twist
A Florida dad created the Daddy Daughter Hair Factory to educate and encourage dads who are doing hair. They teach free classes nationwide and help dads learn to bond with their girls. See website for tips and upcoming locations.
Chat with your Kids
No need to buy a phone for young kids – Toymail Talkies lets family members send and receive voice messages, as well as other forms of content (songs, bedtime stories, fun facts). Available for $59.
