Your baby won't be able to keep his little paws off this bright, fun toy. Flipping panels of crinkly, rattling fabrics reveal colorful illustrations of different safari themes, like a lion hiding in the bushes, colorful paw prints, and bright suns.

Price: $15
Manufacturer: Haba
Available at: www.Maukilo.com

If you have a fussy eater at home, you might like this book even more than your kid will! Fussy Freya used to gobble up her greens, until one day she roared, "I can't abide your fish!" Leave it to her clever grandparents to cure her picky ways: a few servings of mashed monkey and warthog (with stinky cheese) leaves Freya longing for mom's home cooking! Fussy Freya provides a fun and useful lesson for all. Read this one before dinner!

Price: $16.95
Manufacturer: Frances Lincoln Children's Publishing
Available at: Amazon.com, or a bookseller near you.

Plastic is out! Aluminum is in! The new water bottle from Gaiam is lightweight, durable, and 100% recyclable, making it the eco-friendly alternative for toting your water to the gym or around town. It's available in several prints and colors, and it fits in most car cup holders.

Price: $12.99
Manufacturer: Gaiam
Available at: www.target.com

Buy this hat for your kid. Now. Because before you know it, she'll be into designer clothes and will be begging you to buy her the cool jeans that everyone in her class is wearing. For now, make her wear this hat and bask in its cuteness. (And hers.) Since it's hand-crocheted of chenille, you can be sure it will be a keepsake for years to come. So maybe your daughter can make her daughter wear it when the time comes.

Price: $36
Manufacturer: San Diego Hats
Available at: sandiegohat.com

Shampoo in their eyes, water in their ears -- no wonder our kids run naked from the bathroom when it's time to wash their hair! That's why we love the Lil Rinser, created by two dads who were tired of the tub drama. Made of firm yet flexible plastic, just press it gently against your child’s forehead and above the ears to create a water-tight seal before rinsing away the suds. It comes in four bright colors: yellow, turquoise, lime, and pink.

Price: $9.99
Manufacturer: Splash Guard, LLC
Available at: www.lilrinser.com

Biggie, this story's protagonist, is so cuddlesome you'll want to tear him off the page and squeeze him -- and his story about accidentally helping "the town soccer team" win their big game is just as fun and bright as the charming illustrations. It's humorous and unexpected enough that story time will be fun for you, too.

Price: $16.99
Manufacturer: Candlewick
Available at: Wherever books are sold

Want your kid to look like a paper doll cutout circa 1920? We thought so! These vintage sewing patterns from Oliver + S offer cute-as-a-button styles so classy and sophisticated that you won't be able to find anything like them in stores. And while your grandmother would be proud of these old-fashioned designs, we predict these looks will actually be the coolest on the playground. Patterns come with easy-to-follow tips that make the clothing doable for both new and seasoned sewers.

Price: $15.95
Manufacturer: Oliver + S
Available at: www.oliverands.com

You know that plastic bags are out and eco-friendly bags are so in -- and when your kids see Ecogear Ecozoo animal bags, they'll want to go green, too. These bags are made with planet-friendly organic cotton, PVC-free materials, recycled plastics and toxic-free dyes, but more importantly, they're freakin' adorable. Available in panda, pig, elephant, and puppy.

Price: $29.99
Manufacturer: Ecogear
Available at: www.ecogear-products.com

You rinse and rinse (and waste a lot of water), only to find that there's still dirt in your leafy spinach salad. We love Zyliss' new Smart Touch Salad Spinner -- it saves our salads and removes dirt or other residues from fruit, herbs, and more. Plus, the pump-lever on the top of the spinner is so easy to use, it's a clean and easy way to get the kids involved in the kitchen! Two sizes are available in green, white, or orange.

Price: Large: $29.99, Small: $24.99
Manufacturer: DKB Household USA
Available at: Visit ZylissUSA.com to find a store near you.

Junk mail, broken toys, plastic bottles, a single glove -- don't toss them out; treasure them! Jane Bull's make it! encourages us all to reduce the amount of garbage we make by thinking creatively about our clutter. Your kids will learn how paper, plastic, metal, and fabrics are made and recycled. But the real fun is in making these wildly imaginative art projects. Who wouldn't love to make a junk mail mâché necklace, a soda bottle bird feeder, an aluminum robot, or a blue jeans tote bag?

Price: $14.99
Manufacturer: DK Publishing
Available at: Amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com, and a bookseller near you