Mittens that stay on

When our little guys go to the park in the winter, they usually come home minus a mitten–or two. So, we were delighted to discover Mitt-ons, by Ons Gear. Warm, waterproof mitts keep little hands dry and toasty while removable fleece sleeves that reach to the elbow help keep the mittens on and the snow out. The parents behind the design thought of everything, including rip resistant fabric on the fingertips and a soft, absorbent thumb for runny noses. Mitt-ons fit ages two to teen and are available in a variety of colours. Onsgear.com

Pants to Crawl In

Our latest addition at Just the Facts, Baby is almost eight months–and she’s a mover. Unfortunately, hardwood floors were hampering her crawling ability, until we discovered Crawlease: pants with built in, anti-slip gripping dots on the knees (mom-designed, of course!). These little cotton-Lycra pants are like workout wear for babies–they’re soft, comfy, breathable and easy to move in. And no more belly flops as baby practices her crawling technique on the kitchen floor. Crawlease also come in an array of colors to complement any infant’s wardrobe. Crawlease.ca

BabyBjorn Travel Crib

With two kids apiece, our days of travelling light are over–or so we thought. On a recent holiday we left our old travel crib behind and opted for a BabyBjorn travel crib instead. Light as an ocean breeze, it folded into a compact carrying case that took up almost no space in the car and, once we reached our destination, it literally took seconds to set up. But it’s only deceptively small–the bottom opens out wider than the top, so even our three-year-old had plenty of room. As an added bonus, both the mattress cover and bed fabric are machine-washable. Babybjorn.com

To see it set up: http://www.babybjorn.com/en/American/BabyBjorn-Travel-Crib-Light-Competition/

Stainless Steel Dishes for Kids

We’ve searched high and low for kids’ dishes that are both fun and earth-friendly (i.e. not made out of plastic), but that also offer a little more in the style department than bright colors and cartoon characters. Enter the ANYWare stainless steel collection from mom-run Untangled Living. The stylish five-piece sets are durable, dishwasher safe, environmentally friendly and engraved with charming gecko or butterfly designs–perfect for a casual mac&cheese night or a formal dinner party with the playgroup. (We also found that a simple game of “find the gecko” led to one of the cleanest dinner plates we’d ever seen.) Untangledliving.com

Baby Food Cooking Classes on DVD

If you want to try your hand at homemade baby food but aren’t sure where to start, just pop a Mommy Chef dvd into your machine and press “play.” You can enjoy a baby food cooking class from the comfort of your couch. Lianne Phillipson-Webb, founder of Sprout Right nutrition and Mommy Chef cooking classes, guides you through the art of prepping and storing homemade purees in her First Foods dvd and, for foodies ages nine to twelve months, teaches you all about making textured and finger foods in The Next Stage dvd. In addition to recipes, both dvds include info on topics such as infant nutrition and addressing allergies, and come complete with handy recipe cards for future reference. sproutright.com