Helping a good cause – Order your Holiday Cards to benefit the Montreal Children’s Hospital Foundation

As the holidays quickly approach, among other things, we think of those things that we are grateful for in the past year.  Being a parent, the Montreal Children’s Hospital has often been on my list.  They have amazing doctors, nurses and support staff who make being there just a little bit easier, when we would all rather be somewhere else.  It takes special people to devote their lives to caring for children in the way that they do, and as a way of saying “Thank You”, I have launched a fundraiser – All you have to do is order holiday cards to give to your family, friends and colleagues (something you would have done anyway!), and 50% of the proceeds will go directly to the Montreal Children’s Hospital Foundation, to direct to their Most Urgent Needs.

You can download the forms below.  Don’t hesitate to contact me if you have any questions, or if you need help placing your order. My contact info is on the forms. (Please note: All cards can be customized for French.)

See how easy it is to be good!

MCHF Line Sheet
MCHF Order Form

Closing doors and opening new ones…

So, as many of you probably know, I have decided to close TickleTickle – Just Add Baby.  It was a very difficult decision, but one that I feel was well thought out and I am making at the right time.

Baby products are a passion of mine.  I love everything about them, and I am always searching for great new finds.  I will continue to post great products here at the TickleBlog, but I have decided to devote my time and energy to my stationery business which has been keeping me busy for several years.

I want to thank all my devoted customers – you have been amazing! Your constant feedback, calls and e-mails have always been a pleasure.  I have learned so much in the past couple of years about e-business, website development, baby products, the juvenile products industry, and business in general.  I also want to thank all those friends and colleagues who helped advise me through opening of the store, building it, and also through the decision to close it.

In our lives we all have opportunities to do things that we love – Always grab those opportunities.  Try new things. There is always something to be learned from every experience. Life is good!

Baby Bunch – Deliciousness!

Here is a product that is as much fun to give as it is to get.

I don’t know about you, but I am a pretty practical person. I like giving presents that I know will get some use. Not the ocassional, just-for-fancy-company kinda use, but the I-love-this-cuz-I-can-use-this-everyday kinda use.

Baby Bunch has really done a fantastic job of giving their customers the perfect gift-item! All their products are packaged in a way that makes you excited to gift them, while at the same time, you are giving the new parents something that they can actually use (as opposed to the engraved silver rattle/spoon/cup .

They have bouquets, lollipops and cupcakes – all made out of onesies, pyjamas , socks, hats, burp cloths and bibs. They even make bouquets for the gardener or chef in your life.  And all they also have an entire line of organic bouquets and gifts.

Ingenious!

Win a Born Free Gift Set!

EDITOR’S NOTE:  CONTEST WILL BE EXTENDED UNTIL FRIDAY, AUGUST 14TH, 2009!!!

We are excited to be running a contest for a Born Free gift set.

The gift set includes:

- 3-pack 5oz Born Free glass bottles
- 3-pack 9oz Born Free glass bottles
- 3-pack 5oz Born Free BPA-free plastic bottles
- 3-pack 9oz Born Free BPA-free plastic bottles

Contest ends Wednesday, August 12, 2009.

Contest rules:
- comment on this post.
- become a fan on facebook, then come back here and post a message to let us know.
- join tickletickleinc or ticklemom on Twitter – or both, for extra entries – and come back here to post a message and let us know!

This contest is limited to Canadian and US residents.  You will be contacted via the e-mail address left on your blog post.

BPA-Free bottles – What are we supposed to think?

So, I open the newspaper yesterday morning and see an article on BPA-free bottles.  ”Hey,” I think to myself, “this is one of my areas of expertise.  I sell these bottles.  What are they saying TODAY?”

It turns out that they have been testing baby bottles following last year’s ban on BPA. That’s a good thing.  We want to make sure that all products that we are using for our children are healthy and safe, and won’t come back to haunt us in 20 or 30 years.

The article that I found in the Montreal Gazette yesterday left me a bit confused.  I pride myself on having a fair bit of knowledge about what’s been going on with BPA in the news.  The article is written from a viewpoint of scaring the living daylights out of people again.  The tests were done.  Some bottles found trace amounts, some a bit more.  Some found minute, trace amounts that disappeared as the test continued (huh???).  Most importantly, the article is written assuming that the general population has an idea as to what a constitutes “trace-amounts” of BPA.  What is acceptable and what is not? The article is missing the information that we need to understand what their results mean.

Help us make informed decisions.  Give us all the information.  Don’t write articles simply to cause people to run around scared and screaming.  We are grownups.  We want to do what’s best for our children.  Please help us along the way.

Please let me know your thoughts on the article, and your favourite bottles.

If you are looking for BPA-free feeding solutions, please visit our website: www.tickletickle.com

Plasmacar is a whole new era of ride-on cars

It’s like magic, but you don’t need to be a magician to get it to work.

The PlasmaCar is a mechanical marvel that makes use of that most inexhaustible of energy sources, kid-power, by harnessing the natural forces of inertia, centrifugal force, gravity, and friction. It’s so easy to operate; all it needs is a driver and a smooth, flat surface.
- Plasmart Company Website

The first time I saw a Plasmacar was about 4 years ago.  One of my good friends (a neighbour of mine) had received one for her daughter’s birthday.  Since we live in an area with a common courtyard, the kids were always out in the courtyard on their plasmacar.  By the end of the summer, she had added a second plasmacar to her arsenal since the first was such a success.

There really is no better review for a product than the parent who will choose to spend their money buying a repeat of something they already have.  They had more than 2 kids.  The grownups (myself included!) were mesmerized by this magical toy that we were able to ride as well, the kids did not need to figure out the maneuvering of legs with steering – put your feet right up and steer away.  The car will drive itself!  Truthfully, the teacher in me loved the questions that came out of it.  My daughter (about 4 years old at the time) always loves to ask the questions that we never expect to come out of one so young.  She wanted to know how the car would drive without feet — aaahhh! A very good question, my little physics major!

Most importantly, it’s a toy that keeps kids moving and does not collect dust.  It is one of those rare gems that always holds some interest — keep that in mind the next time the kids complain that they’re bored.

A Chopper for your Kid

If you dare to tell me this is not the coolest stroller that you have ever seen… I won’t believe you. The Roddler by Kid Kustoms – they will even customize the paint job for you!

And to top it all off, it changes into a trike (with an add-on package) when your little one is big enough.

Sophie the Giraffe

Sophie is one of those toys that moms everywhere know on a first name basis.  If you ask someone if they have Sophie, you often don’t need to explain who or what she is.  You already know.  Talk about brand/name recognition.  Sophie has been around for almost 50 years! Talk about longevity.  We love Sophie!

Petunia Pickle Bottom Cross Town Clutch

When starting our online store, Petunia Pickle Bottom was on the top of our list for diaper bags to carry.  They are a thing of beauty.  They embody everything we are about, stylish, practical, fun, GORGEOUS!

The only problem we encountered, is Petunia Pickle Bottom will not sell to online-only stores.  You have to have a brick-and-mortar shop in order to be considered for an account.  Oh well.  I guess we will just have to admire from a-far, or pick one up for ourselves.

Getting your pre-baby body back

So, I’ve just been wondering, how long post-baby is the Belly Bandit supposed to be helpful.  My baby just turned 3.  Just wondering…

Belly Bandit