Yuba Flip Flop Fits Bronte!

A few days ago I headed over to what I think of as Bicycle Row (all the bike shops around Manitoba & Broadway) for a little shopping. We went into the Bike Doctor first to look at Abus locks. I picked up one of their massive U-locks for my regular bike & as a secondary lock for the Yuba, plus a Knog lock for Linnaeus' bike.

They had a Yuba Flip Flop in, so I had to take a look at it--I've never seen one in person & they look like a great balance bike. The amazing thing we discovered was that the seat can go low enough for Bronte to have her feet comfortably flat on the ground. Pretty amazing given that she's not even 32" tall. We have looked at quite a few different runner bikes & only one or two were short enough for her to ride comfortably.

The Yuba Flip Flop has a longer wheelbase than most balance bikes that size & of course, since it's made by a cargo bike company, features a little (but sturdy) cargo rack on the rear. They retail for about $180, which is a bit beyond impulse purchase territory, but I was sorely tempted.

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Review: Chillafish Bunzi Balance Bike/Trike

B loves riding her new balance bike

Bronte has started to show a lot of interest in riding a bike & does quite well on most of the kiddie cars she encounters on a regular basis. I lowered the seat on her big brother's old Adams Runner Bike & tried her on it, but unfortunately, my girl is a couple inches shy of being tall enough. I looked around everywhere to find a balance bike with a lower minimum standover height, but found few options. Bronte actually discovered one herself: when Oliver took the kids to the park one day, she commandeered some other toddler's little bike. Oliver hadn't seen this type before, so thankfully he asked & noted the name of it: Chillafish Bunzi.

He told me about it when he got home & we looked it up online. I got a little disheartened to see it listed for $200 with some online retailers. Then Oliver remembered the dad he spoke to said they'd bought it at Canadian Tire. $60! I still wasn't convinced that she needed one, as we could just wait until she gets tall enough for the balance bike we already have sitting around. Then I realized that she's not going to be tall enough for the balance bike until after the summer, probably, so she'll have to wait a lot longer than her brother did to start riding (he started at 20 months). Which would be sad, really, as she's really ready to start now.

So I decided to splurge on the Bunzi. It's a neat little bike which you can convert from a narrow trike to a balance bike by removing the seat, then flipping the frame around. It's a bit hard to explain--this video shows you:


We've had it a few weeks now, so here are my first impressions:

• It's perfectly sized for a kid 1-2 years old & easy to toss in the stroller basket for park outings
• The seat isn't adjustable: it sits in a lower position when the wheels are wide, a higher position when the wheels are together, so if your kid is on the tall side or older than 18-24 months, it'll be too small
• The wheels are solid rubber so they give a little more grip & shock absorption than the hard plastic kiddie cars that she's used to
• The steering is stiffer than many runner bikes, so it's harder to "jackknife" & fall over
• The Bunzi is entirely plastic, but it's ABS, so it's sturdier than the other plastic ride on toys we have--one of her little friends gave it a test by dragging the bike on its side across a few feet of pavement--hardly scratched
• The rear wheels are only about 15 cm apart which makes it more challenging to balance than a car style ride on toy, but also easier to scoot on, as her feet don't get caught in the wheels as she moves them

If you have a kid who really wants to ride a bike & is quite young or just short like B, this is a great little bike. I wish we'd known about it sooner, as I think B could have started riding it even earlier. The Chillafish Bunzi does come in several colours, though Canadian Tire only seems to carry the green.

Check out www.chillafish.com for more information

Disclaimer: I was not provided with a free bike to review, or compensated in any way for this post.

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Things my Toddler has Thrown in the Toilet This Month

1. Playmobil barrel (flushed)
2. Knit finger puppet
3. Sandra Boynton board book
4. Sandra Boynton tub book
5. Papa's toothbrush
6. Toilet paper roll (empty)
7. Toilet paper roll (full)
8. Hairbrush
9. Automoblox wheel
10. Her shoe (nearly flushed)
11. Her hands (I've lost count how many times)

Let the record show that we do in fact have a baby gate between the living room & bathroom. I've considered a toilet lock, but I'm afraid it, like the gate, would also be four-year-old-proof. Speaking of Bronte's brother, I don't remember Linnaeus doing this when he was really little. Please tell me this is just a phase. A short phase? Also: how do you disinfect a board book?!?

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Review: Monopoly Junior

When I was a kid, we had a dozen or so well-used board games stacked up on the big shelves in our rec room. We pulled them out to play when my cousins came over at family holiday dinners, at sleepovers, & I remember our Trivial Pursuit board getting candle wax stains from using it during a power outage. The last few years as our family has grown too big for those Balderdash games at Christmas dinner I haven't played as many board games. I have been looking forward to playing with my kids, but I didn't think we were really at that stage yet.

Then Influenster sent me Hasbro Gaming VoxBox to try out Monopoly Junior. I was a little skeptical; Monopoly Junior is supposed to be for children five & up--Linnaeus is only four--& I didn't know how well he'd understand all the real estate wheeling & dealing that goes along with the game. When we opened up our Influenster package a few days ago, I read through the instructions as Linnaeus detached all the pieces from the cards they came in. Monopoly Junior is quite simplified compared to the regular Monopoly game. There are fewer properties to buy--with more kid-focused things like candy shops, skate parks, & swimming pools rather than streets--which cost between $1 & $5 each, & the money is all just one dollar bills. Only two to four people can play & the rent is the same as the purchase price. There are no houses & hotels, just markers to denote who owns what with cats, dogs, ships, & cars on them to match each player's game piece.

The next time I put Bronte down for her nap, I set up the game & Linnaeus reluctantly left his Lego to come play with me. Once we got going, he really started to enjoy it & stayed focused on the game until it ended--probably a half hour or 45 minutes. We played again on the weekend with his papa too & the game lasted much longer--I think next time we'll dole out less money than the instructions say at the beginning so that it ends sooner. But Linnaeus still enjoyed counting the dots on the die, then counting out the spaces when it was his turn to move. He has no concept of finances, so he was excited to pay rent or fines as much as he was to receive money.

Despite all the simplification--no taxes, no railroads, a smaller board--the game still feels like Monopoly. With children of four or five, Monopoly really needs an adult to read the Chance cards & keep the game going--it's not something little kids will be able to play independently until they can read quite well. The game is great practice for basic numeracy, however, so even a four-year-old can read the numbers for buying properties, count out bills, & figure out how many spaces to move.

Next time Linnaeus' cousins come over I'll suggest that they play Monopoly Junior--they're five, five, & eight--to start making some great board game memories.

For more information about Monopoly Junior, visit Hasbro's Facebook page, the Monopoly Junior page, or check out the hashtag #GameNight on Instagram & Twitter to see other people's experiences with the game. If you want to buy it, Monopoly Junior is available at places like Toys R Us, Target, Walmart, & Superstore.


Disclaimer: I received this game for free via Influenster to review. I received no other compensation for this review.

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Sands Alive! Sensory Play & Giveaway

Two starter kits worth of Sands Alive! play sand

This past weekend, Linnaeus was pretty much obsessed with a fun new plaything. He spent nearly all his waking hours at his play table, molding, sculpting, squishing & driving various vehicles around in three pounds of Sands Alive! play sand.

What is this stuff?!? 

Sands Alive! is 100% natural, nontoxic, does not stain or stick, super easy to clean & is the only compound in the market that has a lab report to prove that it prevents bacteria from growing in it.

If you're wondering what I mean by play sand, it's a little bit like play dough or other modelling compounds, but obviously sand is an ingredient. The closest thing I've heard of like it is cloud dough. Sands Alive! is really light & along with sand, it has a binder in it that makes it stick to itself & gives it an elasticity. You can press it into a shape like damp sand to make sand castles or 'cookies', but when you pull it apart, it feels sort of fluffy & soft. It feels really interesting--difficult to describe--& whenever I start playing with it I can't stop. Sands Alive! is advertised as "for ages 3 to 103" & they're not kidding--you WILL want to play with this stuff along with your children or grandchildren!

Naturally, the heavy machinery had to be involved

Why is it Spokesmama Approved? 

Linnaeus really loves Sands Alive! & I do too. The fact that it doesn't dry out is a big bonus. Whenever Linnaeus plays with his play dough, he inevitably leaves some out somewhere & it's crusty & unusable by the next day. Not needing to seal up Sands Alive! or even necessarily put it away overnight is great for longer term projects.

I've found it really easy to clean up too. You can just grab a little bit & press that onto stray pieces on the floor or table to clean up. Sands Alive! sticks to itself but doesn't really stick to other things much. So if your child has, say, packed every last bit of the play sand into his recycling truck, you can get it all out without leaving bits stuck in the crevices. After you've played with it you do feel a bit of residue on your hands, but a quick rinse with plain water takes care of that. It's also odorless, unlike any other modelling compounds I've used.

I think what I like best about Sands Alive! is that it's a sensory toy. In an age of electronic entertainment--videos, apps, gaming--where kids don't get to use all their senses or even be creative, products like Sands Alive! are so important. I'm sure you know that children learn through touch & smell as well as hearing & sound. Open-ended toys like this offer opportunities to experiment & learn problem-solving skills along with honing their fine motor skills. That's why I was so excited to review this product--I think this toy is really good for kids.

Okay, where do I get it?

Sands Alive! comes in several different kits, from the starter set, which includes 1.5 pounds of sand plus 4 different play tools for $24, to the themed castle, dinosaur, sea life, or sweets shop sets at $30 each, to the Indoor Sandbox set with 4 pounds of Sands Alive, 16 play tools, & 1 large sand tray, for $80. You can find Sands Alive! at your local independent toy store or can be found at the following national retailers: Indigo Books and Music, Chapters, Mastermind Toys, Scholar Choice, Toys R Us, Showcase As Seen on TV Stores, Home Hardware, Co-Op, Pharmasave, PharmaChoice, Calendar Club, & The North West Company.



Giveaway!!

Win me!

This Sands Alive! stuff is pretty neat, right? Now for my favourite part: I get to give some of this magical stuff away to one lucky Spokesmama reader! The prize is a large Sands Alive! kit, which includes 3 pounds of play sand, a large sand tray, & 14 sand tools! (Value $80+) To win you've got to be a Canadian resident (sorry to my international friends). To enter, use the Rafflecopter widget below. Following me & Sands Alive! on social media will get you more entries & a better chance to win. PLEASE let me know if you have any questions about entering--I'd be glad to help! Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclaimer: I was given a set of Sands Alive! play sand for review, but was not otherwise compensated for this post. The opinions & photos above are my own.

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Spokesmama Shopping Guide: For the Kids

When I shop for my kids, I try to limit the consumption (though I always end up getting more than I plan to) using this rhyme that I heard from my sister:

Something they want,
Something they need,
Something to wear,
& something to read.

In that vein, I've got a few hand-picked ideas for you in four categories: things kids would want, useful things, clothing & books.

Want

Board games are a great option for gifts, but for little kids it can be hard to find something that they can actually play. Kee Kee the Rocking Monkey is a fun game for kids 3+, made by Blue Orange Games. It's quite simple: players take turns loading Kee Kee up with juggling balls until he topples over. The last one to add a ball loses that round.

Like many of Blue Orange Games products, Kee Kee is made of wood. The pieces are sturdy & colourful, a great toy for preschoolers & up. You can buy it online at many retailers, including the Blue Orange website here for $25.

Be sure to check out the other products by Blue Orange Games--they make some great stuff for all ages!

Another really great new toy I came across recently is the Tobo Track. It's like a cross between a puzzle & a wooden train set. 12 identical pieces are included in each set, & can be joined together in hundreds of ways to create a track that goes anywhere you want it to because it can be connected to any edge of any other piece. It's a fun way to use creativity while playing with toy cars & trains.

One of the things that really makes Tobo Track stand out is that it's made of scrap wood, biodegradable, non-toxic, containing no plastic or resin. Just 100% real wood--pretty environmentally friendly, no? Tobo Track was designed in Canada & is manufactured in the USA. Tobo Track is on sale online here for $50 until the end of December.

Need

For any travel, whether it's across the country to the grandparents, or a few blocks for a sleepover, the Melissa & Doug Trunki is a useful little suitcase that doubles as a ride-on toy.

You can also get sticker packs to customize your Trunki with eyes, mouths, glasses & more. Saddlebags are available too, for a tad more storage & the riding comfort of your little traveller.

You can find Trunkis at tons of toy stores, in East Van at Wee Ones Reruns, or online at Amazon. They're usually about $40+.

If Trunki isn't your thing, Melissa & Doug make thousands of other toys. I particularly like their wooden toys--durable, fun & many quite open-ended, to let kids' imaginations run free.

Wear

For cute & durable duds, you can't beat Gymboree clothes. They have some funky stuff for little boys as well as girls, of course. One of our favourite t-shirts is a Gymboree shirt with a racoon on it that Linnaeus was given for his birthday & (I kid you not) he has worn for two years now.  

This entire 'Moustache Mania' outfit--grey fleece jacket, cobalt stretch jeans, double sleeve shirt, even including the black sneakers--would be under $55 (with 40+% discount right now!) online at Gymboree. Available in sizes from 3-12.

Read

Books are such a great gift, especially for young children who will read them (or have you read them) again & again & again. Robert Munsch & Dr. Seuss top our list for younger kids. My son loves both, requesting that we read The Lorax, The Cat in the Hat, Angela's Airplane, or Mortimer on a regular basis. If you're looking for a holiday-themed story, there's a really funny book by Robert Munsch, called Finding Christmas that you might want to check out.


For teens, Cory Doctorow writes engaging novels set in a not at all distant future. He writes novels for adults as well as younger readers. I've read most of his novels--they are page-turners that leave you with a lot to think about in terms of technology & how it could possibly change our world.

Though it's billed as a young adult novel, I read Little Brother a few years ago & thoroughly enjoyed it.



Do you use the four gifts (or four categories) of 'Something they want, something they need, something to wear, something to read' to guide your purchases at Christmas? Or do you have another trick for planning your shopping? I'd love to hear about it...


Disclaimer: This is not a sponsored post, however, many of the above links are affiliate links (for Amazon & Gymboree) so I will receive a small comission if you follow the links to make a purchase online.

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