Our mission was clear and simple—find the best-fitting, figure-flattering maternity jeans out there, and round them up in one fabulous guide for our readers.

Whether you’re short or tall, petite or full-figured, a big spender or a thrifty chick, we’ve found the maternity jeans you’ll love so much, you’ll be wearing them day after day throughout those glorious nine months—and then some.

Click here to read our guide >>>

Your little Valentine will most likely be content with a simple hug on February 14th, but we know how hard it is to resist showering your baby with a little more. So we’ve rounded up the sweetest Valentine’s Day gifts that will make your baby (and you!) giggle with glee.

Editor’s Pick for Baby Boys: Kee-Ka ‘Lovebug’ Organic Bodysuit Outfit. What’s not to love about this ‘Lovebug’ gift set? Besides being adorable and easy to wear, it’s also made from 100% certified organic cotton and comes packaged in an eco-friendly gift box. ‘Lovebug’ Organic Hooded Towel and Washcloth Set also available.

Editor’s Pick for Baby Girls: Metallic Mary Janes from Sweet Shoes ($28): Start baby’s love affair with shoes early on with these tiny Metallic Mary Janes from Sweet Shoes. The gorgeous metallic red channels Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz and the skid-resistant soles make it easy for baby to walk to her next adventure. Machine-washable to boot.

Read here and fall in love with our favorite Valentine’s Day outfits, accessories, toys and books for Baby’s First Valentine.

Click here to read our guide >>>

Recently I stumbled across a website called handmedowns.com that will change how moms buy and sell their gently used baby/kid gear.

Visualize with me. My 2.5-year old daughter’s room is full of toys she’s no longer interested in and clothes she can’t really fit into anymore. Her overflow of belongings has taken over our garage, living room, my bedroom, and even backyard (whose idea was it to buy that slide?).

How one 25 lb child can have more in terms of belongings than I do blows me away.

That’s where handmedowns.com comes in.

I’ve tried eBay before. Not only does the whole bidding system irritate me, I’m not really into the post office scene. Craigslist is better but the popular website hosts plenty-a-weirdo and I always wonder who is really coming to pick up my used high chair.

Los Angeles mom and former lawyer, Norah Weinsten, is the brains behind the genius idea to give moms their own place to buy, sell, trade, and donate their children’s everyday items. handmedowns.com users list everything from infant clothing to designer strollers at amazing prices. There’s no need to pay retail. Save the environment and your pocket book by purchasing used goods. Search for items in your own city; no need to calculate shipping or stock up on boxes and tape.

Last week I completed the 6-second registration (seriously, you couldn’t warm a bottle faster) and listed and sold some of my precious toddler’s excess. It was great! Not only am I tripping over less during my middle of the night paranoia-is-she-still-breathing checks, I have some extra cash to buy her even more toys! The cycle continues…

Bonus: handmedowns.com features regular contests. Register with handmedowns.com before Febuary 13th, and you could with a Clek Olli Booster Seat in Bubblegum Camo.

Retail Price: $89.99

Clever Parents just loves a good parentrepreneur story.

Last year, Clever Parents featured Monkey Toes and their adorable animal and insect themed footwear line by single mom of two, Jenny Chism. (See the review.)

When Oprah interviewed Tom Cruise in the now infamous Telluride visit, the first part of the program showed Oprah walking into his home, picking up a cute pair of mini-fashionista Suri’s ladybug mary janes and saying how adorable they are. As you can imagine, Monkey Toes jumped into the limelight and sales soared as people flocked to find Suri’s ladybug shoes on Oprah. Hooray for Jenny!

If you missed the show, you can see it tomorrow – December 12th (look here for local listings). Use code OSURI08 and receive $5 off your purchase. Happy shopping.

What do you look for in a kid’s backpack?

How often when you pick out a backpack (or lunch box) for your child do you both like the same one?

If you’re like most, you’re lucky to find some combination of function and style – either a style you like or one your child does – and that’s about it.

Then, adding insult to injury, the bag ends up getting dragged around, straps flailing, and by the time the holidays hit that ‘back-to-school’ backpack is ready to be replaced.

Next time, try a Dabbawalla.

The brainchild of sisters Susan Givens and Carol Mack, Dabbawalla, an Indian name for the men who bring lunch boxes to offices, was created out of a frustration by the lack of functional and appropriately sized bags for children.

“You’ll find no cartoon characters or action figures, no utilitarian oversized styles that mimic adult packs – just simple, colorful designs that kids of all ages can relate to,” says co-founder Susan Givens.

Dabbawalla Bags (both Backpacks and Lunch Bags) are made of neoprene – the same material as wet suits – which is free of PVC, lead and other bad chemicals.

The bags feature simple, bright, fun designs on an easy-to-clean sack that both you and your child will love. The clever bags adjust on the inside, so no more problems with dangling straps.

The size is also perfect for a preschooler or early elementary aged child – the child actually wears the backpack rather than the other way around. And, since the bags are made of neoprene, they come out looking new each time you throw them in the wash.

Learn more and buy online at www.dabbawallabags.com

Worried about losing your photos and videos because you don’t have a backup plan? Here’s an easy one for you. Plus, accessories that play up your eyes and tips for turning up the heat in your relationship.

Boston Mamas: Backup for Dummies Safeguard your work and precious digital family photos and videos with the amazingly easy to use Clickfree backup device.

One Chic Mama: The Eyes Have It Choose accessories that play up your eyes to create a beautiful look and make your face light up!

How To Be a Foxy Mom. Feeling sexy is mostly a state of mind. Here are a few quick tips for turning the heat back up!

MomFinds: Win a $100 Shopping Spree for Holiday Cards at Minted.com Don’t wait until the last minute to get those holiday cards made. In fact, get them done early (and for free!) with this week’s prize courtesy of Minted.com, a fantastic site loaded with gorgeous, customizable greeting cards.

TheBump.com introduces new badges just for you! Personalize your message board posts, blogs, or web pages with our Bump badges.

Do you have a baby to buy for in your life? Pick up some great deals on fabulous ‘in-stock’ Gigi Blanki items. Lately, a few of their boutique clients were unable to take delivery of their Fall ‘08 orders, leaving the Gigi Blanki Co with an unexpected inventory of blankets. So, they are offering these “in stock” blankets to you at a very discounted rate! These blankets are made and ready to ship.

If you would like to purchase any of these, please email Heather at heathermrsgaston@yahoo.com with the style/s that you prefer. You will then receive a PayPal invoice. Once payment clears, your blanket will ship!

Here’s what’s currently available: 14″ X 16″ GIGI BLANKI size in Front Darling. Perfect for Stocking Stuffers!

Act fast – Once they are gone, they are gone!

What: Slatkin & Co. Ceramic Pumpkin Figural Candle

Why: Brace yourselves for pumpkin pie season is here. If you want to enjoy the soothing aroma that only pumpkin pie can bring, without all the calories, light up a Slatkin & Co. candle. The Ceramic Pumpkin Figural Candle smells so good—with a blend of fresh pumpkin, ground cinnamon, brown sugar and vanilla cream—you’ll want to scoop it up and eat it. Really, it smells that good.

It’s an easy, affordable way to celebrate fall and makes for a festive hostess gift. And once the candle burns out, you can replace it with another.

Price: on sale for $9.25

Find it: bathandbodyworks.com

Tip: Not a fan of pumpkin pie? They also have divine candles with scents of cinnamon, caramel, nutmeg, apple and pear.

Celebrate Oktoberfest with Vincent Shoes! 20 styles of cool Vincent kicks (including the ‘Dennis’ pictured right) are eligible for a 40% discount through this Friday, October 24th.

Quantities are limited so act fast! Use code: CP-OKTFEST-08 and click here to go straight to the list of shoes eligible for the discount.

Go environmental, keep up with vaccines and look stylish while preggo with these tips of the week.

Boston Mamas: Stand Tall & Green. Got chemicals? Check out these tips to take charge of your family’s environmental health.

Stay Up to Date With Baby’s Vaccinations! The Bump keeps you on track for well-baby visits with its new vaccination checklist.

One Chic Mama – Go Through Pregnancy in Style. Belly Bundles offers stylish maternity clothing on consignment, at a fraction of the cost!

MomFinds: Win a Dante Beatrix Stroller Tote Luxe. Win a fabulous diaper bag that combines attitude with all of the practical features busy moms need to get through a day out with baby.

We Covet: GIVEAWAY of the Week: Mod Pet Prints We Covet. Win an adorably stylish fine art print from Mod Dog!

What: Warmbat Sheepskin Boots

Why: It’s all about boots this season. If you’re looking for something comfortable, chic and eco-friendly, you must get a pair of Warmbat sheepskin boots. They may look like your regular sheepskin booties, but they’re so much more—for less.

Tanned with a chrome-free tanning agent that is recyclable and biodegradable, Warmbat eliminates all potentially harmful chemicals to the environment, so you end up with stylish boots that look great and feel good on your feet, and you’ll have an extra bounce in your step knowing that they’re good for the earth.

Not sure which style to try? Start off with the Gecko Grip Short Boot for all your fall adventures. The rubber soles will get you through any terrain AND you can get them for under $50. A true steal!

Price: $47.99

Find it: amazon.com

I’m about 14 weeks along with pregnancy #2, and I’m just looking forward to that glorious day when this morning/all-day/worst-at-night sickness finally passes. Oh please don’t let me be one of those unfortunate women who have it throughout the entire pregnancy.

Some days aren’t so bad, but there are times when I feel like I’ve just gotten off a nasty roller coaster…that I’ve ridden 10 times. I always have some crackers by my side, but when that’s not enough, or when I’m just sick of them, I’ve got a few other tricks up my sleeve. If you’re on the same nauseating boat as me, give these three products a shot.

Psi Bands ($14.99): My go-to, drug-free solution that really works. As soon as I get that special feeling, I slap these babies around my wrists. What looks like a cute watch band is actually an FDA-approved acupressure wristband. I wear them as needed, and when I’m feeling especially nauseous, I just turn a dial that increases the pressure. Not so nauseous, I turn the dial the other way.

Whether I have morning sickness or motion sickness, ginger ale works. But after comparing the ingredients of my ginger ale brand…the one named after our neighbors up north…with Oh Mama! Ginger Ale Elixir ($7), I’ve converted. Oh Mama! is made with real ginger, has no preservatives, is fortified with folic acid, has less sugar AND has less calories. It tastes just as good, and I love the pink and blue cans. It’s Mommy’s special juice that no one else in the house can drink.

I’m not the biggest fan of hard candy, but when they actually help relieve morning sickness, are organic and made of natural ingredients and they taste good, I’m sold. I keep a couple of Three Lollies Organic Preggie Pop Drops ($5.99) in my bag and a few stashed away in my car for those emergency moments. And the Green Apple flavor is simply delicious.

For this Friday’s round-up, we have three giveaways for you: a $75 Vincent Shoes gift certificate, a $100 shopping spree at Tea Collection and a $50 gift certificate from Tiny Prints. Good luck!

Boston Mamas: Win a $75 gift certificate to Vincent Shoes!
We love Vincent’s fall line up; stop by to enter to win a $75 gift certificate.

MomFinds: Win a $100 Shopping Spree at Tea Collection
Tea Collection’s Fall line-up is all about Norwegian-inspired looks. Tell us your favorite piece and you can win a $100 gift card.

One Chic Mama: Tiny Prints
Tiny Print has some of the best modern graphics available for online greeting cards, announcements and invitations. Enter for a chance to win a $50 gift certificate.

Summer is on its way out, so it’s time for another season of stylish outfits for your little boys and girls. We’ve rounded up the latest Fall looks featuring cozy knits, classic corduroys and preppy plaids in rich palettes that match the changing colors of the season. And we’ve found them in different price points, ranging from budget-friendly to bank-busters, so there’s a little something for everyone.

Click here to read our guide >>>

Tip: Don’t forget to enter this week’s Win it Wednesday for a chance to win a $100 Shopping Spree at Tea Collection.

Imagine your child’s life being put at risk by something you bought to protect her. That’s exactly what happened to George DeCell.

Those outlet plugs you have all over your house in the name of child-proofing? Turns out they could do more harm than good.

After George removed an outlet plug in order to vacuum the house, his one year old daughter Sage reached onto the kitchen table and grabbed it. “When I turned around she was on the floor unable to breath,” says George who then saved his daughter’s life. “It
took less than a minute for this to happen.”

George was so outraged that a product sold to protect children could harm them he has spent more than four years fighting to remove the standard sized plugs from the market to ensure that another child is not injured. What’s more, George also designed a patent-pending safe solution: SafetyCaps.

Whereas standard small outlet plugs measure 1 3/8 inches wide, SafetyCaps measure 2 1/4 inches and include air holes inspired by the US government’s pacifier anti-choking recommendations.

And for about $10 for a whole-house solution, this purchase is a no-brainer. Learn more and buy at www.safetycaps.com

This week on the Clever Parents Friday Picks of the Week: back to school lunch tips to lure your child into healthy eating, back-to-school spending tips, Modern Moms Groups and more!

Boston Mamas: Lunch Lures
Check out these back to school lunch tips that no doubt will lure your child in to enjoy a healthy meal.

Modern Mom Groups Have Launched! Meet other moms at exclusive Moms Night Out events, play dates and more.

MomFinds: Win a $100 giggle Shopping Spree The first giggle giveaway was such a big hit, we decided to give our readers another chance to win big..$100 big.

Moms Buzz: Back to School Spending Tips Here are some tips to spend less when going out shopping for Back-to-School necessities so that you “hit the books and not your wallet.”

One Chic Mama: Pumping Made Easy August is Breastfeeding Awareness Month and we bring you two great solutions to make it a little easier.

Dear Ms. Thomas – I love shoes; just can’t get enough.� I crave them!� The trouble is I can’t organize them.� Do you have any tips?� I’m desperate;� I have a lot of shoes (expensive shoes).� I would like to be able to see them but when I put them out, on display in my closet, they get dusty.� Since my appetite for shoes is not likely to be satisfied anytime soon, do you have any creative organizing ideas? – Elizabeth

Dear Elizabeth,

Don’t despair, the� “shoe chef” is here!� (Get it?� Sounds like sous chef.)� My suggestion is to organize your shoes the gourmet way.� � Below are photos of the chic, fashionable shoe boxes I used to organize my very own shoes.� Each lavender box has a 4 x 6 frame where a photo of the shoe can be inserted.� The insides of the boxes are a deep eggplant-purple; yummy!

These boxes are a d’lish serving of sole food; sturdy, glossy, pretty and uber functional.� If photographing your shoes sounds too labor-intensive you can write a description of the shoe on a card (included with each box) and organize them that way.

Another idea is to write a description of the shoe and a list of the outfits the shoe can be worn with.

If you want more information on these boxes, let me know via email.� I’ve cooked up a deal with the creator of the boxes and have them for sale.� To contact the vendor directly go to: closetfetish.com

Learn how to throw an Explorer Party this week from Boston Mamas, plus giveaways galore on this week’s Clever Parents Blog Roundup.

Boston Mamas: Fun & Simple Explorer Party. Got curious kids? Check out this how-to on throwing a fun and simple Explorer Party.

One Chic Mama: Go Green, Go Gorgeous. Elwood makes chic yet comfortable and casual clothing from organic and renewable resources. Enter to win a Simone hooded Poncho!

MomFinds: Two Readers Will Win a Pair of Robeez Baby Shoes. Baby will be marching—er, crawling—to the beat of his or her own drum in these comfy, stay-put shoes from Robeez. Just tell us what size you want, and these rock ‘n roll shoes can be yours!

Moms Buzz: Bone Comic Book Giveaway (Kids Pack). Start the new school year with brand new stories to read to your children. In the Bone Comic Book Giveaway, there are 5 prizes of the comic book BONES! The grand winner gets a pack of Bone comic books #1-3 plus other goodies, and the other 4 winners get one book, the “Out from Boneville.”

Like most parents, sisters Laura and Julie struggled to find a healthy balance between all of their commitments, family and ‘me’ time. Bogged down with the stress of too much to do and not enough time to do it, these two moms with six children between them sought out to simplify their lives.

From their fast-past lives, an idea was born to launch a company focused around products that make life easier for women. Product #1? The Azula, a stylish neoprene mat you place at the edge of the pool so that your bathing suit doesn’t snag when you sit poolside.

Whether you’re sporting a $20 Target special or the hottest find (splurge!) from vivre, suits with snags look unattractive. The Azula solves the snag problem for you. Plus, it’s easy to add to the pool or beach bag (sand doesn’t stick to it!), simply roll and tie it.

Visit www.myazula.com to learn more and buy.

Now that summer is in full swing, taking baby outside brings on a new challenge: protecting him from the sun.

The clever folks at Secure2Me have a great solution that doesn’t involve applying lots of sunscreen.

The Secure2Me Eclipse blanket is made of double-layered Solarveil breathable, sheer fabric that blocks 95% of the sun’s harmful rays. The Eclipse has four clips, one on each corner, so it’s a cinch to cover car seats, strollers, baby carriers or joggers. The breathable fabric ensures that baby stays cool and you can rest easy and focus on having fun in the sun!

Learn more and buy on the Secure2Me site.