Must-Haves

Block-O-Dile

We all know that blocks and LEGOs are fun for kids to play with as well as developmentally important for hand / eye coordination and creativity. But, have you ever stepped on a LEGO�® while barefoot? OUCH!

Yes, they love to play, but getting the kids to clean up dozens of LEGOs is another story and our feet are paying the price.

This is why we love LEGO's new Block-O-Dileââ??¢.

Ideal for the household with children notorious for leaving LEGO blocks on the floor, the happy crocodile makes clean up fun when play time is over as he gobbles up blocks off the floor when pushed forward and stashes them away in his tummy until next time.

$16.99 at Amazon.com.

Back to Cool

With Labor Day around the corner, before you know it your kids will be heading back to school. Yippie! But, before you do the happy dance, don't forget that there's still one last hurdle: BACK TO SCHOOL SHOPPING.

Don't panic. We've got the lowdown on the latest and greatest to get your kid back to school in style this school year without breaking the bank.

Firstly, make sure all of your back to school purchases are protected with long-lasting labels. Mabel's offers super strong adhesive and iron-labels for everything from clothing and shoes to toys and bags.

High Sierra's Jane and X-Packbackpacks feature a CD-player pocket with headphone port, cell phone pocket, key fob, and, oh yeah, plenty of room for books and stuff.

Thermos' Commemorative Metal Lunchboxes feature retro images on the outside and ample space for your little one's soy bologna and cheese sandwich, organic yogurt and Veggie Booty on the inside.

InnoDesk's "S'Cool Toolz" hand-held, battery operated pencil sharpener is sleek, portable and lightweight. They're perfectly sized for storage in backpacks, school desks...and they even have hooks for storage in 3-ring binders.

Gel Pens' soft silicon coating makes these tutti frutti ball point pens easy on the hands.

And for those headed to the dorms, Barbara K's Dorm Survival Kit has 10 essential tools, including a flashlight, 6-in-1 screwdriver and privacy sign (for uninterrupted study time...yeah, right) in a stylish backpack.

Wry-ten Up

It defies the law of averages...every time you go out with the baby, someone mistakenly coos, "What an adorable little girl!" to your little Michael. EVERY TIME.

We know they mean no harm - but in the sleep-deprived, sore nipples haze of new motherhood, wouldn't it be nice to just go without having to correct (or quietly endure) for at least one day?

Wry Baby has just what you need.

Their snapsuits, t-shirts and accessories state the obvious...or not so obvious.

Put yourself in our "Just Had the Baby" shirt and outings with the new one should be at least a little easier.

$24. Available at WryBaby.com.

Batter Up

Most cookbooks for kids offer easy recipes that are fun to make, but not always fun to eat.

Batter Up Kids: Delicious Desserts is a great new cookbook from Barbara Beery of the Batter Up Kids cooking school. With easy-to-follow, step-by-step instructions and amazing photos on every page, the treats such as Crispy Creamy Ice Cream Sandwiches, Baked Snowballs and Bonkers for Banana Bread are, as the title says, delicious.

Offering tips that parents can use too, like using powdered sugar instead of flour when rolling out dough to prevent toughening, the cookbook provides unique techniques that also teach children about the fundamentals of cooking and baking.

Sample You Are My Sunshine Cupcakes from Batter Up Kids: Delicious Desserts in our Recipe section.

Batter Up Kids: Delicious Desserts $13.97 at Amazon.com.

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A Little Language Lesson

What do Uma Thurman, Kelly Ripa, Debra Messing and Rosie O'Donnell have in common? All four introduced foreign language to their enfants with the help of Language Littles dolls.

Thurman gave the cuddly, plush Spanish and Russian speaking dolls to her children; Ripa gave Spanish and Italian speaking dolls to her daughter; new mommy Messing received a Hebrew speaking David doll for her bundle of joy; and O'Donnell gushed over the dolls on her talk show and gave Spanish speaking dolls to her older children.

The dolls, although a tad on the stereotypical side (Anna the ballerina speaks Russian), perfectly translate over 25 English phrases to their native languages including Spanish, French, Chinese, Italian, Japanese, Hebrew, German, Russian and Greek.

Language Little Dolls available at Amazon.com. $34.99

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