Reminder about our Sweeters Hand-Knit Giveaway!

Just wanted to post a reminder about our Sweeters Hand-Knit Sweater Pal Giveaway, ending this weekend!  One lucky winner will receive their choice of a monkey Sweater Pal, hand-knit and personalized!  Enter today!

Hand-Knit Personalized Sweater Pal Giveaway

Sweeters Hand-Knit Pals Review and Giveaway! {CLOSED}

I am very excited to introduce you to Sweeters, a Grandma-owned company that makes hand-knit sweaters and fun sweater pals! Years ago company owner Sue Katz started to hand knit 100% cotton sweaters as gifts for family and friends. The sweaters were a hit and their feedback is what gave her the idea to turn her knitting into a full time career. That is how Sweeters was born! Each sweater is handmade by knitters here in the USA and all of their hand knit sweater are designed by Sue in Florida. Sweeters’ sweaters are hand knit one at a time; they do not mass produce their sweaters. A Sweeter sweater is hand knit when you place your order.

The Sweeters Pals are individually hand knit just like the sweaters. The Sweeters Pals collection is also made in the USA and the Sweeters Pals can be personalized because they are handmade when you place your order. All the yarn and stuffing is sourced in the USA so you can be assured that Sweeters meets the highest quality standards.


I have worked with Sweeters for several years, and my customers have always been more than pleased with the quality of the products. I can also personally recommend Sweeters’ products; my daughter has her own personalized Sweeters Pal, an Easter gift from the “Easter Bunny” that ended up as a favorite bedtime buddy! So much for putting it away with the rest of the Easter toys for the following year! She named her pal “Gigi” (her version of her own name at the time), and this beautiful, heirloom type gift has held up to nightly snuggles and various washes (we have to sneak it away to be washed) for over 3 years, and is still looking just as new as the day we received it! My son also has his own pal, a striped honey bear that keeps him company in his crib. It was one of the first toys I put in the crib with him…I didn’t have to worry about button eyes or noses popping off. Plus I knew that it was safe for him to snuggle with (and yes, chew on…there’s just no stopping it!).

All-American Baby has teamed up with Sweeters for an amazing giveaway offer: One lucky follower will receive their own Personalized Monkey Sweater Pal from Sweeters! This is such a special giveaway offer because the winner’s pal will be hand-knit to order! The winner will be able to choose from pink, blue or orange for their monkey's outfit, and will provide a personalized name to be knit into the monkey's shirt!  The winner should allow 3 weeks from the time of order for your new Sweeters Pal..just in time for Christmas!


Can't Wait?? You can buy it: Sweeters Pals and sweaters retail from $42.00 and up and are available at the All-American Baby retail website! Enter “Sweeters” in the product search box, or look for pals in soft toys and sweaters in clothing.  Remember, each pal or sweater is hand knit to order.  To allow 3 weeks before shipping, if you are hoping to receive your order before Christmas, you should order your pal or sweater this week!

Win it:

1. Mandatory Entry: please visit our website (http://www.all-americanbaby.net/) and return with a comment on one item that you LOVE!


Additional Entries (must complete mandatory entry first):
2. "Liking" us on Facebook
3.  "Liking" Sweeters on Facebook
4. Follow us via GFC
5. Subscribe via email or RSS (one entry each)
6. Add your networked blog
7. Grab our Holiday Button and post it on your blog or website for TWO entries (leave the link in your comment)
8. Blog about this giveaway with a link back to All-American Baby Blog, and leave the URL to your blog post in the comment for TWO additional entries.


Be sure to leave an additional comment for each entry to get credit! And please leave a way to contact you! Comments without contact information will be disqualified. Contest winner will be drawn using Random.org. Winner has 24 hours to respond or another winner will be drawn (this is a time-sensitive prize, so winner will need to respond ASAP). Contest ends November 28, 2010 at 11:59 p.m. EST.
Please note that all comments are moderated, so your comment will not appear until it has been approved.


Disclosure: This blog is used to promote American-made children's products, and our retail website All-American Baby. Many of the products reviewed here are available for purchase from our online store, http://www.all-americanbaby.net/. I am always on the look-out for only the best products to offer to parents looking for American-made items. I will only promote high quality, safe products that are made in the USA, whether in my store or in my blog.  I was not provided with any gift or compensation; this review is based on my experience with the product as a consumer and as a retailer. Sweeters is providing the gift for the winner of this giveaway. All views and opinions with regard to the products or manufacturer itself are my own and were not influenced, nor reviewed, by the manufacturer prior to posting. Offer Valid US only!

Choosing the Right Toys for my Child’s Development - Part 1

As parents, we want to give our children the best advantage we can when it comes to their development. Choosing toys that are age appropriate and that aid in skill development is one way that parents can help their children. But choosing the right toys can be daunting, especially when faced with the rows of bright colored, blinking and talking toys that fill most toy stores. Some toys are much more likely to enhance a child’s development than others, but how to tell the right ones?

The most important thing to keep in mind when purchasing toys for your child is their developmental stage, not just their age. Children develop at their own pace, and a child can have strengths in some areas and be weak in others. And of course every child is different, even within the same family! My own children are like night and day…my daughter was speaking in complete sentences (paragraphs even) by the time she was two, but just learned to jump last year. Yet my 19-month-old son, while I can barely understand the few words he does have, is already learning how to put simple puzzles together, and can climb almost as well as his 4-year-old sister. A good rule of thumb when purchasing toys is to choose toys that will actively engage the child, both physically and mentally, and can be used in a variety of ways. As a child’s interests, abilities and imagination grow, they will be able to use the toy in different ways. For example, a simple stacking toy can be used in a variety of ways: early on, the bright colors and smooth surfaces encourage reaching and grabbing, later it can be held and banged together to encourage coordination, then later can be used for motor skill practice as the child learns to place the rings on the cone, and eventually teaches ordering concepts as the child learns that there is a certain order for those rings.

Even a simple soft animal or doll is an appropriate plaything for children of all ages. At first, baby is just content to watch, the colors and facial expression of the toy are fascinating to her. Later she will grab, pull on and mouth the toy (this is completely normal…babies are very oral and explore with their mouths!). Soon she is using it to crawl over or throw as she develops her gross motor skills. Eventually the soft toy becomes part of her imaginative play, as she pretends with it, and perhaps it has even become part of her emotional comforting system (thus a “lovie”).
Another example of a developmentally appropriate toy that can span the ages is a set of blocks (see my post on block play for more information). Blocks can be appropriate for a young baby, as he initially uses them for grabbing and banging (yes, all that banging is actually necessary for development!). Soon he is able to stack and knock down (even the knocking down part teaches skills like cause and effect), and later he will develop the skill to actually begin building more complex towers, and to use the block structures in his imaginative play.

The best toys for development won’t necessarily have blinking lights and sounds, sometimes these toys can over-stimulate the child and usually can only be used in one way. Instead, look for toys in which the child controls the play, and can continue to use as they develop. And also remember, you are your child’s first, most fascinating, and most important plaything!


More coming soon: Stages of development and appropriate toys for each stage

Holgate Toys – Made in the USA Toy Review & Giveaway! {CLOSED}



Holgate Express Train

I am so excited to share the first in our series of reviews of Made in the USA Toys!

Holgate Toys has been in business since 1789, and has been making toys since 1929…truly an American company. All of their wooden toys are Made in the USA from sustainable hardwoods and using non-toxic paint. Holgate has been exceeding safety standards for years, long before the CPSIA requirements.



Holgate's early workshop

Holgate is a company rich in American history. In the year 1789, America's Constitution was signed and George Washington became the country's first President. It was also the year Cornelius Holgate established his Pennsylvania woodworking shop! In 1929, the company expanded its product line by making educational pre-school wooden toys. Holgate's early toy designer was Jarvis Rockwell, brother of famous illustrator Norman Rockwell. Jarvis Rockwell's concern for safety, durability and educational play earned him recognition as America's premier toy designer during this period. With the great consumer success of its toys, Holgate began concentrating on this segment of its business. Today Holgate is synonymous with toys... and still making the finest wooden toys in America.



Bingo Bed

My personal and professional experience with Holgate has always been a positive one. Their toys are excellent quality wood toys, at reasonable prices! The toys they offer are educational and geared toward the developmental needs of young children. One of my favorite things about Holgate Toys (besides the fact that they are made in the USA!) is that they require the child to participate in the play, and thus the learning. No batteries needed here! Just imagination!



Hickory Dickory Dock Clock

Holgate has toys for children of all ages. Their infant toys, such as rattles and baby blocks, are perfect for baby’s first toys. Toddlers love pull toys, and Holgate provides a variety of these toys with their My First series: My First Train, My First Boat, and My First Block Wagon. For preschoolers, Holgate has educational toys like their Hickory Dickory Dock Clock, which helps develop motor skills while teaching early concepts such as numbers, shapes, sorting, and more. For details on these products and pricing, see our Holiday Gift Guide (coming soon).



Rocky Color Cone

One of our favorite Holgate Toys is the Rocky Color Cone stacking toy. This stacker is a beautiful, lasting heirloom toy. Both of my children have enjoyed many playtimes with this wonderful toy, and ours is still in excellent condition after several years of use. It is unique from other stackers in its size and quality! The size of the cone is smaller than other stacking cones, but I found that to be one of its advantages. The stacking pieces are the perfect fit for little hands. The smooth, colorful finishes keep the little one’s attention, and the pieces make a wonderful clacking noise when banged together! It is fun to watch the cone rock, roll and fall. As the child develops, the toy helps very young children learn about size, ordering, and the way things fit together. It provides excellent fine motor skill practice. And when the child wants to put it in his mouth, which inevitably happens, there are no worries about the product’s origins or the safety of the finish. The Rocky Color Cone is in our Holiday Gift Guide as an excellent idea for a Holiday gift for a child on your list.

Buy it: This toy retails for $18.00. It can be purchased here. Other Holgate toys we carry can be found here.

Win it: Holgate Toys has generously offered a FREE Rocky Color Cone to one of our customers or followers! What a great way to check off one item on your Holiday shopping list!


1. Mandatory Entry: please visit our website (http://www.all-americanbaby.net/) and return with a comment on one item that you LOVE!


Additional Entries (must complete mandatory entry first):


2. "Liking" us on Facebook,
3. TWO extra entries for following our blog! (Remember to leave two comments for this or it will only count once!)
4. Subscribe via email or RSS
5. Add your networked blog
6. Blog about this giveaway with a link back to All-American Baby Blog, and leave the URL to your blog post in the comment for an additional entry.


Be sure to leave an additional comment for each entry to get credit! And please leave a way to contact you! Comments without contact information will be disqualified. Contest ends 11:59 p.m. EST November 22, 2010.



Please note that all comments are moderated, so your comment will not appear until it has been approved.


Disclosure: This blog is used to promote American-made children's products, and our retail website All-American Baby. Many of the products reviewed here are available for purchase from our online store, http://www.all-americanbaby.net/. I am always on the look-out for only the best products to offer to parents looking for American-made items. I will only promote high quality, safe products that are made in the USA, whether in my store or in my blog. Holgate Toy is providing the gift for the winner of this giveaway. All views and opinions with regard to the products or manufacturer itself are my own and were not influenced, nor reviewed, by the manufacturer prior to posting. Offer Valid US only!

Nursery Rhyme Blocks by Uncle Goose

Another update of a classic, these whimsical Nursery Rhyme Blocks help children to learn their nursery rhymes. Great for block play, early reading or as a nursery decoration. Sure to be cherished as a favorite toy or family heirloom.Each block is embossed on opposite ends with two silhouette images from classic Mother Goose stories. The nursery rhyme text is printed consecutively on the four remaining side. 28 blocks, made from the same generous 1 3/4" blocks as our alphabet set. Ages: 2+. Made in the USA, of course!

Nursery Rhymes included: Little Jack Horner, Three Little Kittens, Mary, Mary Quite Contrary, Old Mother Hubbard, Humpty Dumpty, Diddle Diddle Dumpling, Little Boy Blue, Baa, Baa Black Sheep, Old King Cole, Tom Tom the Piper's Son, Hickory Dickory Dock, Little Bo Peep, Ladybug Ladybug, Jack & Jill, Pat-a-cake Pat-a-cake, Wee Willie Winkie, Peter Peter Pumpkin Eater, Dickery Dickery Dare, Pussycat Pussycat, Jack Be Nimble, Sing a Song of Sixpence, Mary Had a Little Lamb, Hey Diddle Diddle, Little Miss Muffet, Old Woman Who Lived In a Shoe, One Two Buckle My Shoe, Little Robin Redbreast.

Also available in a 9-block set.

Twinkle Baby Bonding Dolls

A customer favorite in our store has been our Minkee Bonding Dolls. Made in the USA by Twinkle Baby, these soft toys are perfect for baby's first lovie. I had the opportunity finally to try them out first hand with my son, and I could immediately see why they have been such a popular item! Bonding is the intense attachment that develops between you and your baby. This bonding doll is designed to give babies the sense of being close to their mom and dad. This is how it works; Mom and Dad sleep with the doll for 2-3 days and the baby will then recognize their scent. This doll fosters a continuous parental bond with a sense of security. The bonding doll will soon be baby's favorite toy. And it is true! Our baby also gets very "grabby", and allowing him to hold onto this toy helps to calm and settle him (and saves my hair and skin!).

These Bonding Dolls (or bonding buddy as we call it for our little boy) can be found on our website at: http://www.all-americanbaby.net/minkee-bonding-doll.html. The bonding dolls are also available in organic fabric! Adding a matching minkee baby hat and soft, plush minkee blanket makes a perfect new baby gift set...all made in the USA!