Planning your little ones first birthday is an exciting thing; the decorations, the cake, the gifts, and especially the memories.  Really, the first birthday is incredibly special for the parents- the child just gets to enjoy cake. But for the parents it brings all sorts of emotions and realizations that their little baby is now growing up. Those first memories from a year past were truly one of the most memorable ever and with each year that passes this time falls a bit further behind, its just nice to have something to keep around to remind us of all the special times.

This super sweet 1st birthday cupcake plate is perfect for using as a serving tray for your little boys cake, cupcakes, or fun birthday surprise. Once the party is over you will have a very unique and personalized keepsake that will hold memories from the special day. The plate can be used a nice wall art decoration as well since its so attractive.

This sweet personalized gift plate for your own little cupcake’s birthday is hand painted and personalized just for your child. All plates are 8.5″ and dishwasher safe.100% hand painted in the U.S.A.

*Special note: These plates are made custom and take about 4 weeks for delivery, so be sure plan ahead.

You can purchase the Cupcake (Boy) Birth Plate from Corner Stork Baby Gifts.

Some kids have all the luck right? Rockstar parents, cute siblings, awesome clothes… what a life celebrity babies have! Well, even if you are no celebrity like baby Rossdale (Gavin Rossdale and Gwen Stefani’s child), at least your baby boy can dress up like one.

Baby legwarmers or baby knee protectors are one of the greatest kid inventions of all time, ok maybe not of  ‘all time’ but they really are great for crawling babies. You never have to watch your child drag his sweet baby knees across hard tile, rough concrete, or pokey playground tanbark again. Baby Legwarmers protect babies knees from all sorts of elements… including wind and chilly weather.

My son actually used to love wearing these on his arms. I would just bring a pair of these with me in my purse and out we would go… if the weather got a tad chilly, he would throw them on, and sometimes on both his arms and legs. They are super stretchy and come in tons of different styles and fabrics. My 11 year cousin loves them on her arms as well… so much so that she ‘borrowed’ my son’s!

Check out a variety of baby leg warmers at Babysnazz or your local stylish baby shop as these bad boys are sold all over now. Did I mention these make the most awesome baby gift ever? Super affordable, extremely practical, and makes a happy parent.

Earth Day began back in 1970 as a way to celebrate our planet and help think about creative ways in which to preserve our environment and educate those coming into our world about ways to reduce, reuse, and protect.

Everyone can experience and participate in earth day (even babies) and below are a few simple ways to help the environment and enjoy Earth Day with little ones.

Here are some quick ideas for celebrating Earth Day with your babies/toddlers and kids:

• Plant a tree, an herb garden, or a flower patch- let your little one dig in the dirt and explore the surroundings! Depending on how old your baby or toddler is you can pick up leaves and create a composition pile or make a composting container. Talk to your babies and young children about ways to protect and save our planet. The very best way kids learn is by watching you- their parents and care takers, so pick an activity to work on for Earth Day and allow your young child to participate or just watch.
• Find a neighborhood park, close beach or public location and pick up the trash. Place young babies in their sling, backpack , or stroller and just get out into the fresh air and help out if only for 20 minutes. Little kids are great at picking up trash! I’d avoid this activity with young toddlers who like to put everything in their mouths though!
• Take a walk or go for a bike ride- babies love to be pulled in the carriages behind bikes. Talk to your kids about nature and ways to protect our natural resources, even if you feel they don’t quite get it yet, it’s a start.
• Find items in your house that can be reused, recycled, donated, or reduced. Replace old light bulbs and opt for the energy saving ones, turn the furnace off, seal up drafty windows, clean out the baby’s closet and toy bin, and look for ways to make your house more ‘green’ friendly. This goes great with spring cleaning and lets you save some money at the same time.
• Visit your local library and find some great books on protecting the environment, recycling, and saving precious animals, and read them to your babies and kids. You’d be amazed at what even very young kids pick up on and how reading to them allows them to develop certain preferences in the future.

If you have older kids and would like some additional ideas on how you can spend Earth Day with your kids, check out this flier at Earth Day.net and find some create actives to do with your kids.

Happy Earth Day!

When my wee little one was young, I was always on the look out for unique baby boy clothing to suit his crazy and outgoing style. There were some fun rockstar tees and silly bibs, but nothing came close to these uber unique pirate pants hand knitted by one wicked cool mama over at Crankypants! When I saw these I just had to take a closer look, and it looks like many people have as well since the demand for her knitted pants have exceed her knitting hands!

Crankypants specializes in hand made clothes and accessories for wee beasties, argh mateys, and the likes! They offer lounge wear, tees, and of course are most well known for their ‘classic crankypants longies’ which features either the pirate skull shown here, a monsters mouth, a sock puppet monkey face, or other cute designs all on the tushy of these unique hand knitted pants. Custom designs can be created as well.

Because the demand is so high they have forged a partnership with a Fair Trade Federation certified knitting cooperative in Peru to have the Classic styles made in greater quantities while keeping them hand knit and ethically produced. The cooperative is made up of head of household women who use knitting to support their families. The crankypant longies are hand knit using 100% wool from the Peruvian Highlands that has been locally small batch died especially for Crankypants. Hooray for fair trade clothing!!

Each size and style features extra rows knit into the bum to make room for a cloth diaper and a drawstring waist for growing room. They are available up to size 24 months.

Baby blankets have been around for centuries, once upon a time women would crochet or quilt these wonderfully tiny blankets to give as gifts for a new bundle of joy. While the art of making these cuddly blankets by hand is not widely practiced today, baby blankets are still very much in demand and make a great gift idea.

Personalized Baby Blankets

One of the most popular baby blankets for newborns today is the personalized alternative. There are many places online where you can order beautiful blankets embroidered with the baby’s name and date of birth. These blankets come in a variety of colors, sizes, materials and compositions. Of course, you can also take a sentimental baby blanket and have it personalized with the same information at a local embroidery shop.

Soft and Cuddly Blanket

Every new parent wants to provide a soft and cuddly baby blanket for their new baby, but sometimes they need just a bit more. Some infants are colicky and fussy almost from day one and parents have lost more than a few days sleep during this trying time. This led blanket makers to devise a blanket that is both comfortable and practical. Known to most people as swaddling blankets these have been a dream come true for many parents.

Swaddling Blanket

A swaddling blanket is specially designed for keeping a squirming baby in his or her blanket! Fussy babies will often squirm out of their blanket, scratch themselves or jerk awake and this baby blanket helps to prevent that. You can find these miracle blankets in many colors and from a variety of creators including Carter.

If you or someone you know is expecting a baby, blankets are a perfect gift. You can never have too many of these on hand! Choose from flannel, minky, crocheted, cotton and a variety of other materials for the perfect baby blanket.