Itty-bitty dining

When our son arrived, we lived in an itty-bitty house with an itty-bitty table filling an itty-bitty dining room. Our itty-bitty lifestyle ruled out a giant stand-alone high chair. We turned to the Fisher Price Healthy Care Booster Seat as a space-saver, but loved it enough to keep using it even after moving to a larger place.

It straps to most any chair, making it an unobtrusive addition to the room. Three leg settings let you adjust for the height of child and table. Use it as a high chair for a baby, then pop off the seat back to create a booster seat for an older child.

It folds compactly for easy toting to places afar (I know a family who keeps on in their car trunk so they're always prepared). Cleaning it couldn't be easier. No crevices or fabric to hide icky food and each piece is dishwasher-safe. (Or you can hose the whole darn thing down in the backyard after an especially messy interactive meal.)

My favorite thing about the Healthy Care Booster Seat? Because it sits atop a regular dining chair, my baby can have a place at the table with the rest of her family.

It may have a silly name, but it's easy to use, easy to clean and under $30. Gotta love it.

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Oball!

Oh, how I love the little Oball. The rarest of toys that can be enjoyed equally by infants and toddlers. It's become such a staple at our house that we now have three in varying shapes and sizes.

The open design made the first ball my infant daughter could hold and the easiest for my toddler son to catch. Nicely lightweight, it's become the only ball we allow thrown in the house. It's squishy, flexible, and virtually indestructible. Despite a couple years of frequent use, our Oballs still look as good as new. And to top it off, they're free of latex, pvc and bishpenol-a (BPA), and are dishwasher safe.

My son took his Oball to the babysitter's one day and it was an instant hit with the other kids. When I picked him up that afternoon, the sitter handed me money and asked me to bring two more back the next week. When someone who makes her living playing with children snaps up a product, you know you have a good find.

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Baby gift for a book lover

A onesie marking your baby as a "Future reader" from the Penguin Group. This is a great item to have on hand for as a quick baby gift. Bundle it with copies of your favorite children's books to create a thoughtful present for a bookworm. (They seem to run small, so you might want to order up a size.)

Never be caught without a clean bib again

I have two simple rules for being out and about with babies: be prepared and carry a minimal amount of gear. Balancing those two rules is the tricky part--but it can be done.

A key weapon in our diaper bag arsenal is a set of Kipiis Bib Clips. Just clip on a napkin or towel (I've even used a burp rag), adjust the straps to fit and--voila--instant bib! When mealtime is done, there is no dirty bib to cart home. Toss the clips in your bag and you're ready for the next messy activity that comes your way. And they're colorfully cute, to boot.

Our Kipiis never fail to get covetous looks when we pull them out at restaurants or playgroup. I haven't seen them much in stores, but you can always purchase them online at the Kipiis site or Amazon. And you can usually find someone selling them new on eBay with free shipping.

Slings up for grabs!

Simple Things has been hosting a Babywearing Bonanza featuring various babywearing businesses and charities. She's done some interesting interviews and introduced us to some great organizations. But the best part? She's giving away several babywearing items, including a Sleepy Wrap, Slingling pouch, Posh Papoose ring sling, and Peekaru vest. The giveaways are still open to entries until next week, so if you're a babywearer--or considering becoming one--be sure to throw in your name.