Shopping the friendly skies

Whoever thought of putting a catalog of unusual products in airplane seat pockets was brilliant. I had plenty of time to peruse the Sky Mall on the way back from Philadelphia - which, I know, is exactly the point. I get something to look at; advertisers get product exposure; it's a win-win-win situation. So here are the highlights of interesting, funny and/or useful baby and kid products I found...


Why a wipe warmer strikes me as silly but an infant towel warmer seems like a nice little extra, I can't exactly explain. Maybe it's because I can relate to appreciating a warm towel - but not warm toilet paper.

Defintely an upgrade from the fridge, this kid art frame has room for up to 50 pages of your budding artist's work. You can pop the latest masterpiece into the front, and then go through it at the end of the month (or the week - depending on how prolific your little Rembrandt is). Maybe we should get one for our nieces' artwork.

Now running away from home is easier than ever with these fire escape ladders! No bed sheets required.

For a boy's room: life-sized wall stickers of Darth Vader, Spiderman, etc. They claim you can remove it without leaving a mark, which would work great if you're renting or planning to move. If not, I'm sure it's still an easier way to decorate than painting or wallpapering.

For a girl's room: would your little girl be more likely to put things away if they went on shelves in her dollhouse headboard? Or would she just play with the toys she was supposed to be putting away?

Being a kid means most things are too high for you, so offering your little ones a way to see what's going on without a pulling up tipsy kitchen chair or climbing on the counter might not be a bad idea. The Learning Tower is like an extra stable step stool with a railing to keep kids from falling off. It doubles as a place to play.

Would a pop-up hot dog cooker make serving lunch to a crowd of kiddos easier or more challenging?

I hate to say it, but I think the days of "letting your kids roam free" are pretty much over. Well, I guess that's a whole other discussion for another post. But I think this digital child tracker could still be useful - especially for kids that tend to wander off. Better than putting them on a leash.