The New Parents Guide Blog

For every child, there is a toy that will keep him busy for hours upon hours–that toy he just never gets tired of.  This Melissa and Doug Activity Cart is one of those toys.  Built for solo or group play, it’s great for a preschool classroom or family playroom.

This rolling toy cart has something to do on every side!  You’ll find shape sorters, a magnetic farm scene, 81 building blocks (that’s enough for a nice tall tower!), a tool kit, sliding counting beads, a chalkboard with chalk, and a handy storage drawer.

The activity cart is a high-quality item with lots of play value.  It contains small parts, so it’s recommended for children ages 3 and up.

Whether your child likes to build, hammer, sort, count or wheel the cart around serving pretend food, there’s something for him to do with this toy.

REMINDER

Did you enter our giveaway of My Brest Friend products yet?  Don’t miss your chance to win a great gift basket!

BASKET OF BARGAINS

20% off the list price of one item at Borders.com
Valid only at Borders.com. Not valid in stores. Certain exclusions apply. Coupon cannot be combined with any other offer, including but not limited to “3 for 2,” “Buy 4, Get 5th Free,” or “Buy 1, Get 1 Half Price” offers. Excludes previous purchases, non-stock special orders, bargain books, gift cards, newspapers, magazines, comics, coupon books, eBooks, digital downloads, self-publishing programs, Rosetta Stone software, shipping, and all electronics, including the Sony Reader and the Zune. May not be combined with other coupons, sale pricing, corporate, classroom, or other group discounts. Promotion code good for single-use only.
Enter coupon code BEG93010X.
Valid through: September 30, 2010
See other Borders coupons!

TODAY ONLY!
Extra 80% off Dining Certificates at Restaurant.com
This discount is in addition to the everyday discounts at Restaurants.com. So if you buy a $25 Certificate for $10 and use a 80% off coupon, you pay only $2!
Enter coupon code CLEARANCE.
Valid through: August 31, 2010
See other Restaurant.com coupon codes!

It’s always important to have the right tools for the job.  Quality tools are important as well.  So send your little scholar off to school with the right tools–art supplies from Faber-Castell. This supply kit includes jumbo triangular colored ecopencils with sharpener, a set of 12 broad line jumbo markers, a set of 24 jumbo triangular grip crayons, recycled newsprint paper roll, and children’s safety scissors.

The pencils in this art set are eco-certified–made from reforested wood that preserves natural forests.  All the items are specially designed to fit small hands and to be easy to grip.  The markers contain washable ink–I can’t tell you how important that is.  And the safety scissors can be used by “righties” or “lefties.”

This set of art supplies would make a great gift for a budding artist as well as a great back-to-school purchase.

BASKET OF BARGAINS

Free shipping on orders of $25 or more at HearthSong
Enter promotion code SWRS during checkout.
Valid through: September 6, 2010
See other HearthSong coupons!

40% off your order at Justice
Not valid on electronics, music, media or gift cards.
Enter coupon code 377.
Valid through: September 6, 2010
See other Justice coupon codes!

Is this bag fabulous or what?  (I’d carry this as a purse!)  The Banana Fish Milan diaper bag is a super-stylish bag that looks more like a designer purse than a typical diaper bag–and that’s a good thing.

Just because your typical diaper bag contains diapers, wipes, a spare onesie and a bottle or two doesn’t mean it has to be a pastel bag with Beatrix Potter characters all over it.   After all, diaper bags are for the parents.  Save the baby-themed prints for crib sheets, bibs and sleepers.

This jacquard bag boasts leather accents and hidden loops to attach it to your stroller handles.  There are also two insulated bottle holders and two interior pockets for organization, as well as a matching changing pad and dirty-duds pouch.

You may be a parent, but that doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice style for function.  This diaper bag proves you can have both!

BASKET OF BARGAINS

Buy 2 Allykats Beauty Products, get 1 free at Toys R Us
Discount will appear in your shopping cart.
Save on shampoos, hair detanglers, and more from Allykats!
Valid through: August 28, 2010
See other Toys R Us coupons!

15% off orders over $40 at Miles Kimball
Cannot be combined with other coupons. Not valid on previous purchases.
Spend $40 or more and receive 15% off your order.
Enter coupon code 10619101002.
Valid through: September 15, 2010
See other Miles Kimball coupon codes!

Got a little climber?  My younger son was always climbing stuff–so often that we nicknamed him “Monkey.”  We actually had to get rid of the baby gates long before we were ready to do that, because we thought he’d injure himself more by climbing over the top of them and falling down than he would on the stairs in the first place.

One Step Ahead knows how to stay one step ahead of determined little climbers like my Monkey.  They’ve got an adjustable height walk-thru baby gate that will stand in the way of little ones who make a hobby of scrambling over the top of traditional gates.   The height can be increased from a standard 30 inches to a tall 41 inches.  Yes, that’s too tall to climb over, but this one is a walk-thru that’s easy to open.  You don’t have to re-install the gate when you change the height, and it fits doorways from 29 1/2 inches to 43 inches.

File this one under the category of “stuff I wish I had when my kids were little!”

BASKET OF BARGAINS

Free shipping on orders of $75 or more at BabiesRUs.com
Discount will appear in your shopping cart.
Good up to a $25 value. Orders shipped free will be mailed using standard shipping. Offer valid only while supplies last and not applicable to canceled orders due to out-of-stock merchandise. Discount not applicable with returned merchandise; total discount will be deducted from the value of any returned item to which the discount applied. This promotional offer may be modified or terminated at any time without notice. We reserve the right to cancel any order due to unauthorized, altered, or ineligible use of a discount.
Valid through: August 22, 2010
See other Babies R Us coupons!

$10 off orders of $75 or more at SkinStore.com
Use promo code 10BEAUTY in your shopping bag.
Valid through: August 23, 2010
See other SkinStore coupon codes!

Just because you have two babies doesn’t mean you need two separate portable playyards.  Those things take up space–and if you’re traveling or visiting or even just using it at home, you might not have space for two of them, along with all of the other stuff you truly need two of if you have twins.

Graco’s got it all worked out for you with the Pack ‘N Play with Twins Bassinet.  Yup, there’s room for two in the same floor space as a traditional playyard.  The twin bassinets provide ample space for each baby as well as a handy canopy cover for each to keep the babies out of direct sunlight.  Wheeled casters allow you to move the playyard from room to room, and it’s easy to travel with as it folds quickly with a squeeze latch system.

Once your babies are too big for the bassinet, that section is easy to remove so you can use the spacious playyard section–it’s big enough for two to nap and play.

BASKET OF BARGAINS

Free shipping on orders of $50 or more at DisneyStore.com
Enter promotion code SHIPFIFTY in your shopping bag and click “Submit”.
Valid for Standard Delivery to a single address within the continental US. Qualifying purchase based on pre-tax, post-discount amount and excludes Shipping & Handling charges, gift cards, gift wrap and gift boxes. Additional handling applies for oversized items. If any single order is sent to more than one address, Shipping & Handling charges will be applied to each shipment address. Offer valid only on orders placed online at DisneyShopping.com, DisneyStore.com, and DisneyOutlet.com. Not valid on phone orders or purchases from Disney Store outlet or retail locations.
Valid through: August 31, 2010
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TODAY ONLY!
Free shipping on orders of $75 or more at Kohls.com
Applies to standard shipping only.
Excludes surcharges.
Valid through: August 18, 2010
See other Kohl’s coupon codes!

It’s not too early to be thinking about Halloween costumes for the kids–or for yourself!  Do you dress up for Halloween?  It’s a fun idea, especially if the whole family dresses according to a theme, such as characters from the same movie.  My kids are cooking up their own Halloween plans, which currently involve dressing as characters from commercials, like the Geico Gecko and Flo from Progressive Insurance.

Flo’s going to be an easy costume to put together.  The Gecko, not so much.  You can be sure that I’ll be checking out the costume selection at our Halloween section, which is growing by the week.  The Super Shoppers who work in the background of our website are finding the cutest, funniest and scariest costumes and accessories out there, and putting them in one place so you can find them easily and quickly.

Here are the best reasons for shopping early:  you’re sure to find what you want in the size you need, and your kids won’t be able to change their minds every 3 hours about what they’ll be wearing for Halloween.  The choice will be made and they’ll be sticking with it.  Finally, you won’t be going crazy two days before Halloween trying to scare up that hard-to-find costume.  The hardest part will be keeping the kids from wearing the costume–and wearing it out–before Halloween even gets here!

BASKET OF BARGAINS

15% off My Brest Friend Nursing Pillows at Babies R Us
Discounts will appear on item pages.
Valid through: August 27, 2010
See other Babies R Us coupons!

$10 off with every $50 you spend at Little Tikes
For every $50 you spend, get $10 off your next order.
Valid online only. For every $50 spent, you will receive a coupon code good for $10 off your next order. Your next order must be placed between August 17, 2010 and August 30, 2010, 11:59pm PT. Maximum coupon amount you can earn is $200. Coupon code will be provided after order is placed. Full discount must be used on single purchase. Currently, due to littletikes.com’s secure site, we cannot confirm this deal. In the past, however, this deal has worked for us.
Valid through: August 16, 2010
See other Little Tikes coupon codes!