I’ve just published a new Moms Product Review of the Cozy Coupe.

Jeannie Kerns is a mother of 6 children from Colorado Springs, Colorado. She begins,

“I think almost every parent has bought one of these big red cars for their child. At least for each one of my 6 children, I have. As a matter of fact, the first 2 of my children had it passed down to them, so the durability in this car is outstanding, and it will prove it in time.

It has a place in the back behind the seat for other toys to tag along, a key to open the door and to play like their turning on the car as well.”

Read the rest of her rave here: http:://www.momscape.com/product-reviews/cozy-coupe.htm

If your kids like Spy Kids, they’ll love this:
http://www.momscape.com/product-reviews/micro-spy-kit.htm

Product Name: Pretty Pretty Princess Dress-Up Board Game by Hasbro
Submitted by: Faith Martin; Howard, PA
Rating: 10+
Where to Buy: www.amazon.com

Description: The object of this game is to be the first player to collect and wear all your matching colored jewelry and the crown.  Once you have collected all your pieces with the crown, you are the Pretty Pretty Princess.

Review: This game is so simple . . . children do not have to be able to read to play.  Although, if you have a child who likes to stick small objects in his/her mouth, you may want to wait until he/she is a bit older (small pieces).  You may notice I referred to boys as well . . . this is the ONLY
game I know of that you can get a grown man to wear costume jewelry.  This is what makes this game so much fun.  We have owned this game for a little over a year now.  I have watched my 6 year old daughter play this game with her dad, her 8 year old brother, and her 68 year old grandfather.  I never once heard any of the “boys” complain about having to adorn the beautiful
jewelry.  I have, however, heard groans when they didn’t become the Pretty Pretty Princess.  So, grab your daughters, sons, and a few good men for a good time, plenty of laughs, and photo ops.  And, my daughter is not the only one who requests to play this game.  Enough said.

Here is how the game is played . . . You place your colored marker anywhere on the board to start.  The youngest player gets to go first, of course. When it is your turn, you spin the spinner and move your marker that number of spaces on the board.  The spaces on the board are marked with pictures of the various pieces of jewelry.  Whatever you land on is the piece you
collect (in your color) and wear.  The plastic play jewelry includes rings, clip-on earrings, necklaces, and bracelets.  I think the hardest pieces to acquire are the earrings, because you are only allowed to take one at a time.  So, remember this when you land on a space that says you may choose any piece you want.

Sounds easy enough, right?  Well, watch out for that black ring!  For even if you have collected all your pieces and the crown, you cannot win the game until you have rid yourself of the dreaded black ring.  This can only be done if someone else lands on the black ring space or if you land on the space that tells you to put one piece back.

The playing pieces, jewelry, and crown are easily stored in a round jewelry box that is placed in the middle of the playing board (a 4-piece puzzle assembled).  The lid of the jewelry box has a mirror on the outside and a spinner on the inside.  So, once your royal highness is crowned the winner, he/she may flip the spinner over to gaze at his/her magnificence in the mirror.  We often continue play to see who will be the “lady-in-waiting”.

This game was well thought out by its creators.  It is easy to set up, progresses quickly, and promotes well-being through healthy laughter.

Oops . . . I almost forgot.  Don’t think you are safe once you have attained the crown.  Your fierce opponents have the right to seize the crown from your head during play unless you have already been proclaimed the winner.

Criticism: One minute problem – some players prefer not to wear the earrings (usually the children due to a comfort issue with the clip-ons).  However, the earrings can be placed in front of the player or clipped onto his/her necklace.

Product Name: Story Time Felts Jessica doll
Submitted by: Erica Johns ; Lancaster, KY
Rating: 8
Where to buy: http://www.funfelt.com

Description: This 7 inch tall felt “paper” doll with lots of clothing and accessories, and it all comes in a convenient zippered carrying case.  Nice, quiet play for the car, doctor’s office, and church.

Review: If you grew up going to Sunday School and VBS like I did, you probably remember your teachers telling Bible stories with the help of a felt board with felt figures and background scenes. I loved that stuff! Story Time Felts has Bible stories plus tons more!

Remember paper dolls? Story Time has them. Only now you won’t be accidentally ripping off the little tabs that hold the clothes on. I got a Jessica felt doll set for my daughter and we really like it! Jessica is 7 inches tall and comes in a zippered case with all of her clothes and accessories. There are something like 60 different clothing and accessory items in the bag, so Jessica is never without something to wear.

One really neat option is to get the clothing from different cultures, time periods, and careers! All 5 of my kids from age 10 and under enjoyed playing with the doll and trying all of her clothes on. I was really happy to see that there are even boy felt dolls to play with. To me, this set is perfect for the car, a quiet activity for sitting in waiting rooms, or for a nice quiet break during a busy day. All the felts are machine washable, so even a spill or blob of peanut butter isn’t going to ruin this stuff!

You can get the felts precut, or if you want to save a little money you can cut the figures out yourself!

As we have continued to enjoy our Jessica doll we have found it to hold up well to the rigors of several children, and the carrying case is very helpful for keeping the set together.  My only criticism is that we wish Jessica could stand up on her own a little better.  She does stand, but is a little “tippy.”

Product Name: Sassy Me-in-the-Mirror Toy
Submitted by: Dana Klopfer; Jacksonville, FL
Rating: 10
Where to buy: Target.com ( Current Target.com coupon codes are here: http://www.momscape.com/coupon-codes/target.htm )

Description: This mirror is angled to give your baby a good view of himself.  It features a roller ball rattle, crinkle bird, squeaky flower and a purple rubber teether.

Review: We purchased this mirror for my daughter when she was about 2 months old.  I sometimes place her in her crib to play for a little bit and I would notice that very quickly she would get very quiet, which is not like her.  When I would peek in on her, she would just be staring at herself in the mirror.  Seemingly fascinated!  I think she was trying to figure out who this cute baby was in her crib looking at her!  She also loves to grab the crinkle bird.  You can easily tie this mirror to anything your baby is around.  I actually had it on her changing table for many months, it kept her very occupied while I changed her diaper.  She would look into the mirror and chew on the rubber ring teether.  I highly recommend this mirror.  It is affordable and you will get much use from it.

Product Name: LeapFrog Fridge Phonics Magnetic Letter Set
Submitted by: Dana Klopfer; Jacksonville, FL
Rating: 10
Where to buy: Amazon or Target (Current Amazon Coupons are here: http://www.susies-coupons.com/books.htm – Current Target.com Coupon Codes are here: http://www.momscape.com.com/coupon-codes/target.htm)

Description: This is a letter reader magnet for your refrigerator.  It comes with all 26 letters and 10 numbers.  It teaches the letter and the sound of each letter.  It also has an off/on switch and volume control.

Review: My daughter received this as a first birthday gift.  Even though she is still a bit too young to know how to put the letters in the reader, it keeps her busy while I make dinner and she loves to carry the base that plays music around the house with her.  I learned quickly to only have a few of the letters in her reach.  If you let your child have access to all letters and numbers, you will be picking up pieces all over the house!  She loves to press the little button that plays the ABC song.  I like the fact, too, that unlike other alphabet magnets the LeapFrog set has the magnets hidden within the larger size letter.  The size of the letters and numbers are perfect for little hands.

Product Name: My First Leap Pad Learning System
Submitted by: Dana Beitlich; Oro Grande, CA
Rating: 8
Where to buy: WalMart.com ( Current Wal-Mart.com coupons are here: http://www.susies-coupons.com/wm.htm )

Description: The Leap Pad Learning System given children the skills they need to start school. It is a interactive learning system that teaches children letters, numbers and words though fun games and music. This model is light-weight and portable. Works with snap on books and cartridges.

Review: I really like this product. My son received this as a Christmas gift. He likes to play with it when on long car rides and it keeps him entertained and he is learning something at the same time.

It is a little expensive, and the books and cartridges are a little expensive too, but we all know that children love repetition, so my son is happy and entertained with the 4 books he has, and has never asked for any more. His older cousins like it too, so I would be a nice thing to give as gift to a family, because all the kids can play with it.

Product Name: Parents Plush Elephant Rocker
Submitted by: Dana Klopfer; Jacksonville, FL
Rating: 10
Where to buy: Target or Amazon (Target.com Coupons are here; Amazon.com coupons are here)

Description: Elephant wood rocker base with foot rests.   Heavy duty will not tip over.  Made with sturdy hand washable fabric.  Features an umbrella on the trunk and a small mouse along for the ride on the elephant’s leg.

Review: My daughter received this rocking elephant as a first birthday gift from a family member.  It was absolutely the hit of the party!  Once we put her on it she instantly began to rock back and forth and make the silliest faces.  When she finally did get off the elephant all of the other children at the party began to take turns riding on it.  Their ages ranged from 15 months to 4 years.  Our 2 year old nephew seemed to be fascinated with the umbrella on the trunk of the elephant.  Even though it is only for decoration purposes you can flip it back and forth which is what he enjoyed doing repeatedly.   I loved that it is not made with traditional baby colors and patterns.  It fits in well with our décor and we love having it in the family room where our daughter can get on and off as much as she would like.  She truly never seems to tire of it.

Product Name: Noah’s Ark Stuff Animals
Submitted by: Rebecca White; Sylvania, OH
Rating: 9
Where to buy: http://www.noahsarkworkshop.com

Description: Stuffed animals that your child can stuff themselves with cute little outfits to go along with your child’s hobbies.

Review: When the postman came to our house my soon to be 4 year old son was so excited. He loves it when mommy gets prizes in the mail. Well little did he know that he would be getting a prize himself today.

We took the package into the kitchen and opened it up. When he saw the bear that came out of the box he started jumping for joy! He grabbed it out of my hand and opened up the bag that the stuffing was in. I had to make him wait a minute so I could find the little star that comes with the bear for him to make a wish on.

I told him to kiss the star and place it in the bear. He did and then started stuffing the bear so fast I had to stop him long enough to evenly distribute the stuffing lol.

It was so easy for Adam to stuff this bear. A cute shirt came with the bear and Adam proceeded to dress the bear and he immediately walked out of the room, I didn’t know why until he came walking back into the room with a little wool cap that he wanted his bear to wear.

And I am not making this up, he would not go to bed without his new bear friend last night. He hasn’t named it yet but once he tells me I will fill out the “birth certificate” that came with the bear.

If you are looking for something that your child will love and can feel it’s all their own, I recommend buying them a Noah’s ark stuffed friend. The look on Adam’s face as he was stuffing the bear and dressing him was priceless.