Hasta La Gadget!

As a kid, I’d always see my grandma rocking one of her grandkids to sleep in her lap on her rocking chair. (Yes, I was one of those grandkids, although obviously I wouldn’t be able to see myself if I’m the one being rocked.) Somehow, seeing that implanted the image that one day, I’d be rocking a baby to sleep in a rocking chair too. In this case, it won’t be my baby (because I don’t have one yet!) but my sister’s.

One thing I noticed lately is how heavy my niece is now, so my arms feel like they’re about to fall off after ten mere minutes. So when I saw this awesome Rocker Cradle woodworker Scott Morrison, I just knew it’s something like-minded people would love.

The concept is pretty obvious: the adult is supposed to be in the seat, and the tiny tot lays beside you. Of course, it’s more comfortable for the baby if you line his or her space with some bedding or with a blanket.

When everyone’s all set, start rocking and start your very own family tradition. Just make sure the baby’s tucked in securely and that you don’t rock too hard, or else you might find yourself covered in baby barf.

[via BookofJoe and Well Done Stuff via Laughing Squid]

You can’t always be there to read your child a story, especially if you work the night shift sometimes. But that’s no reason to miss story time with your kids.

Sparkup Reader can help you still be there to read the story aloud for your tots, even though you might not be physically there. How? By recording your voice.

You could use a conventional recorder, but you won’t be able to work out the timing of your child as he or she flips through the pages. The Sparkup Reader is smart in the sense that it has a built-in camera that snaps and saves an image of the book that it’s attached to. This allows it to recognize the book and play the clips that were recorded for it. Not only that, but it recognizes the page, too, so it doesn’t matter if your child skips a few pages or starts reading the book somewhere in the middle.

The Sparkup Reader has enough memory to store 250 minutes of audio – or about 50 typical storybooks. It retails for $50(USD).

[via Gizmag]

Playtime doesn’t have to be so tiring for parents. I mean, you already spend most of your time at home picking up after the kids, feeding them, doing their laundry, and helping them with schoolwork. So it’s only fair that playtime is easy on you, the parent, while still being fun and hopefully education for your child.

I’m not so sure on the educational part, but the Street and Railroad Playmat Shirt will definitely let you take a breather for the entire duration of it.

The shirts are basic tees with colorful railroads printed on the back. So all you have to do is lie down, face-flat, on the ground or on your bed, and let the shirt do all the playing. Just hand your kids some toy cars, LEGO bricks, and toy soldiers, and let them have some fun on your back – and give you a back massage – while you read a book or take a quick snooze.

The Car and Railroad Playmat Shirts retail for $22(USD) each and are available from Etsy seller bkykid.

[via NOTCOT via Gizmodo via Geekologie]

As adults most of us give up on ice-pops, writing them off as sugary kid
treats that will only add unwanted pounds to our already
un-beach-ready bodies. Zipzicles allow you the freedom to create your own ice-pops out of
whatever you want.

Is there anything better in the world then a nice big hug when you are
feeling stressed or sad? Probably not, and that’s exactly why inventors
decided to create a garment that simulates the sensation of a hug for
parents that need to offer their children reassurance from afar.