Monday Blog Hops!

We are hopping on Monday to get the week started out right!  Join me on the following hops.  Welcome to everyone who is hopping...if you leave a comment I will follow you back (it may take me a few days, but I'll find you!)!  Thanks for visiting, and be sure to check out our website for American-made toys, clothes and gifts, plus our giveaway ending today!



Cornucopia of Blogs Hop



Personalized Christmas Ornaments - Made in the USA!

I just wanted to let you all know about an online Christmas ornament shop that carries made in the USA ornaments!  There is a review and giveaway going on at Fun Saving Money's blog for Ornaments with Love, an online store offering a huge variety of personalized ornaments, and many of them are American made!  Since not all of their ornaments are made in the USA, you can use the handy search feature at the top of the page to narrow your search to “made in USA”.  You will have a great selection!  You can visit their website at www.ornamentswithlove.com, or you can enter to win a free ornament of your choice at Fun Saving Money’s blog.  Let her know I sent you!   

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

Friday Blog Hop - Nov. 19!

I can't believe it's Friday again!  The week has flown by.  What a wonderful belated birthday gift (my birthday was Wednesday)...I was chosen as a featured blog for Hop Along Friday Blog Hop!  I am so excited to meet some new people and find some great new blogs.  So welcome to all the "hoppers"...I hope you will stay awhile, and be sure to leave a comment.  I will follow you back!

Come and hop along with us!

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!

Wordless Wednesday - Oh, did you want some???

Winner - Bamboo Velour Baby Blanket Giveaway

Thank you to everyone who participated in our Bamboo Velour Blanket Giveaway.  We used a True Random Number Generator from random.org to select our winner. 

Our winner is "Laura", comment # 36! Congratulations Laura! Look for our email!

Did you miss this giveaway?  No problem!  We will be having several new All American-made giveaways starting this week!