Category: Baby Toys

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Chew on this..

Sometimes, you find a company that blows you away. You know what I mean.. those companies that just seem to hit the nail on the head with their products – and their products do exactly what you expect them to? Malarkey Kids is one of those companies.

Note: The following products were provided to us free of charge. Regardless, this is my own honest opinion.

I was first drawn to Malarkey Kids when I saw their Munch Mitt. My babies all decided that their hands were the perfect “first teether” – and they tended to start this hand gnawing before they were developmentally ready to hold onto a traditional teether toy to chew on.
With my youngest, this constant sucking on her hands exacerbated her eczema. I needed something to protect her hands, and traditional cotton mitts just ended up soaked making things worse. When I heard about the Munch Mitt, I knew I needed it, and for about 3 months, we never went anywhere without it. (You can read more about my love of the Munch Mitt here)
As she began to get older and more coordinated, new products came out. Perfect with her new development, we were sent their Buddy Bib. I SO wish I had this with our other kids. Bandana bibs are not only trendy, but so cute on. Add a removable, chewable teether that doubles as a wrist rattle? MAJOR WIN.
This became our new staple. And the detachable “buddy” was the perfect solution for car rides. It entertained her, it gave her something other than her hands to chew on, and it even attached easily to our baby carriers to help discourage her from chewing on the straps. Bonus that it is adorable.
Once again, Malarkey Kids has expanded their line and we LOVE it. We recently received two of their newest products, the Munch-it Blanket and the Chew Cube. I expected to tell you they were a hit with our little girl, but honestly? Our 3 youngest kids ALL fight over them.
When I first unpacked them, our little girl would NOT put down the Munch-It blanket. She toted it around the house, outside in the snow, in the car. Pretty sure it’s her new BFF. I’m assuming the incredibly soft fabric and snack-inspired print helps. Pretzels are her favorite past time, after all.
You best watch out when her brother sees it and tries to take it for himself. It never ends well. Luckily, I can usually give whichever of them doesn’t have the blanket our new Chew Cube and it will instantly distract them enough to prevent a fight.
The Chew Cube is a great developmental toy, more than just a teether. While the outside is definitely perfect for chewing, the cube itself is so multi-purpose. A toy to roll around or throw -like dice for babies, a rattle to shake, and a sensory stimulating block lies in the center.
With mirrors and bold black and white patterns, it keeps my kids entertained for several minutes trying to free this small block from the confines of the teether cube. (Rest assured, try as they might, that cube has yet to be liberated. It is constructed well!)
Over the years, and between our numerous children, we have come across many teethers.. so trust me when I say these Malarkey Kids products are most definitely worth having. All of them.
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Adventures in Slobber Town. Why we love Munch Mitt.

[Note: This product was provided to me for this post. All opinions expressed are my own]

Let’s be real — Teething isn’t fun. The copious amounts of slobber and seemingly equal amount of tears is enough to have any drool covered, sleep deprived parent on a coffee induced search for just about every product out there that may bring some relief… ANY relief… to their otherwise happy little baby.

I’ve been there. With 6 kids.. I think I’ve tried almost everything that said “teething” on it.. most did nothing. Some worked alright.. but never have I found one I have appreciated as much as my newly found love — the Munch Mitt by Malarkey Kids.

Is it an affective teether? Yes. Does baby like it? Definitely.. Is it cute? Of course it is. But none of these things are what make me love it as much as I do. So, what is it exactly that has me crazy about Munch Mitt? It helps her eczema.

Now, I’m sure you’re sitting there, with one eye brown raised and your hand with a thoughtful grasp on your chin going “uhhh, how exactly does it *help* her eczema?”

No, this isn’t some miracle moisturizer that heals her eczema.. it obviously does nothing to treat eczema.. but what it does do is provide a barrier. This Munch Mitt gives her something else to chew on.

Saliva irritates the skin, as does going from slobbery wet to dry over and over again through the day. We treat most of her eczema prone skin with moisturizers and creams, but she’s a baby. Her hands are not somewhere I am comfortable putting topical ointments – especially with as often as she’s putting them in her mouth. So, her tiny little wrists and hands end up chapped, red, and covered in patches of eczema. That is, until I put this mitt on her hand. She immediately went straight to chewing on it, just as she would her bare hand — but when I removed it after about 15-20 minutes – her hand was dry. It wasn’t covered in saliva. She was happy, and her hand was protected. Win. Total win.

What else makes it a great tool for eczema prone babies? It’s a razer sharp finger nail barrier. She has eczema on her face.. her cheeks are possibly one of the worst areas she has it. Any time I put her in the car seat, she starts chewing on her hands, slobber sits on her cheeks, then they itch. She gets irritated with it’s itchiness and starts clawing at her face. Now we’ve got eczema and claw marks. Not awesome. This mitt, while it’s crinkling offered a distracting toy for her, and it’s silicon soothed her urge to chew on everything — this adorable little mitt also contained her slice and dice happy finger nails. Hooray!

If you’ve been on the fence about getting a Munch Mitt, hesitate no more! Go get it! I only wish I had found it sooner.

 

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Babies Baby Toys Giraffe Sophie the Giraffe

Phie Phie!

I always heard about this giraffe baby toy. Apparently, it squeaked like a dogs chew toy and was non-toxic for your kids to chew on. Reviews I had read claimed it to be the best teething toy. I thought it was all hype. During one  of our many stops at our favorite local baby boutique, our baby spotted it. Hanging on a wall display. In a cute little brown cardboard box. This Sophie the Giraffe teether. Not the original Sophie, but rather one with handles, in the traditional white with brown giraffe spots. He FLIPPED. With hands flapping, the squealing began and we knew at that moment, we weren’t leaving that store without that little brown box.

Our older boys insisted that we needed to immediately go find a replacement. Back to our favorite boutique we went. They were out of the same teether. What? What were we going to do?? Then, the arm flapping and shrieking started up. Had he spotted one? No. Well, not exactly. What he spotted was a Sophie the Giraffe green colored Vanilla teether. I don’t know how he knew it was the same giraffe, but he did. We, once again, were not leaving that store without that giraffe.That Sophie teether went everywhere with us. And then, the unspeakable happened. While out of town for a funeral, we lost the teether. Heaven help us. My guess is that it is somewhere in a Starbucks parking lot. (What? Isn’t that the most logical place for us to have stopped in order to lose something?) Crying began, sad whimpering. I don’t know what it was about that giraffe, but it found a place in our baby’s heart.

I am very happy to say that we have not lost that teether. After the first mishap, I made sure to tether that thing to anything and everything possible. The love… the infatuation.. didn’t stop, though. Each and every time we go to that baby boutique, or any other baby store for that matter, our older kids go on a Sophie hunt. Once she is located, the baby’s arms start flapping and squeals begin. He doesn’t talk, you see. Talking or not, though, he makes it very clear how much he loves that giraffe.

As I said in the last blog post, we helped at an event this past weekend. Right across from the booth we were working in he spotted her. “PHIE PHIE!!!!” he shrieked. He called for her for the first 15-20 minutes we were there. I didn’t want to lose his “Phie Phie” so I left her in the car. I should have brought her. I almost had to go buy him another one.We eventually ended up with the large, squeaks-like-a-dogs-chew-toy Sophie. He snuggles it. He smiles when he sees it. He actually started referring to it in as much of a word as he can. “Phie Phie.” He spots “Phie Phie’s” from anywhere. We cannot leave without seeing all the “Phie Phies.”

Tell me, do you have any Sophie products? How do you or your kids like them? If you don’t, which Sophie do you wish you had?My piece of advice to you: If you have a baby or are expecting a baby, get a Sophie. Any Sophie. I don’t know a baby yet that has one and doesn’t love it. I have a feeling we will be adding more of the Sophie products to our household, as well as perhaps Sophie’s friends, the Chan Pie Gnon.

Note: These products were not provided to me. We bought them, our children love them, so I am showing them to you in the hope that you will love them too.