Our daughter is just recuperating from a bout of chickenpox, and with stay-at-home dad going stir-crazy after five days of quarantine, I popped into our local toyshop to see what I could take home to cheer them both up.

These wooden animal instruments caught my eye immediately. The bright colours, simple designs and appealing characters - plus the reasonable prices - made them an obvious choice. And when the spots started to itch, I noticed wryly that the name of the piece you see below is 'Scratchy Frog'.

Lately, I've been delighting in the fact that two of my girlfriends have had (congrats, Justine and Andrea!) baby girls and have been spending some quality time looking for cute outfits of the girly variety - like this adorable halter "swimming costume" from Flora & Henri.

This company uses "the finest" European fabrics and keeps the production volume low to ensure a quality product. Even better, their website boasts that all of their products (yes, they make boy's clothes too) "are never too precious for climbing, digging, swimming and running." Not bad. While the clothes aren't cheap, it looks like Flora & Henri isn't completely about the bottom line. Last December, 50% of the profits from all sales (in-store and on-line) went to providing aid for the children of Rusinga Island, which is at the epicenter of the AIDS crisis in Kenya.

Available on the Flora & Henri website.

Our children come to us complete with little character traits and foibles we could never have foreseen. Neither my husband nor myself, when planning our family's golden future, predicted that sponges would play such an important part. And yet, for better or worse, we now have a sponge worshiper in our midst. An obsessive counter of how many sponges she has in the bath each night. Someone who notices immediately if one of her sponges has been moved slightly from where she left it on the side of the bath.

It's a mystery to us, and yet, we figure it's pretty harmless as far as a three-year-old's obsessions go. So, for us, these food sponges look like a good purchase: they'll please our daughter and add a little levity to bathtime too. For those families blessed with children with a more straightforward attitude to bathtime (ie, they hate it), these might be useful too.

Babyg reader Martin tipped me off to these wonderfully unique set of textiles by a company called Kokokaka. It reminded me that bibs and burb cloths do not need to be round! How fun to put an penguin shaped bib on your baby, or lay your little one down on an octopus shaped rug to explore the tentacles. There isn't a spot of English on the site, but definitely fun to check out.

I'm usually skeptical of anything that bills itself as "urban-inspired," as that usually means overpriced and grafitti-splashed. The Cevan Metro Diaper Bag is actually a well-designed, useful diaper bag, and finding bags that look this good while still doing their job is rare.

Multiple pockets, a firm bottom, and plenty of room for your stuff, this is a fine bag for the Dad on the go. Even if he would never describe himself as such.

I really love it when I see something functional that also manages to be a little silly. This clothespin trashcan would be a cute addition to any child's playroom or bedroom. It will only run you about $18 and holds those standard plastic grocery bags that you wound up with because you, like me, left the house without that cute, eco-friendly reusable tote you finally bought.

Available here.

Sit down! Draw up a banana! Take a strawberry! Let me join you on that watermelon... These are the phrases that will become common currency in a house where the kids have fruit chairs. Jaunty, compact and child-sized, they'd add a dash of fun to any playroom.

Babygadget would like to wish all mothers a wonderful Mother's Day today!

As we mums know, there's nothing more perfect than your own baby's bottom - but, given that it's not quite the thing to leave it unclad, you may wish to consider stylish nappy pants as the next best thing.

I haven't seen any more stylish than these offerings, which utilise the design from Fifties wrapping paper - love it! It's certainly one way to make your baby's bottom stand out from all the rest. Yes, I know, as if you need to...

It seems that often, in urban areas like NYC, we will sacrifice some creature comforts (like natural light) for other necessities (like square footage). That's why I was glad to come upon these neat adhesive films by Emma Jeffs. These frosted window films aren't like the ones at Grandma's house --- they're a bit cooler looking. Simply add a bit of water and adhere it to your window for a better view than, say, a brick wall. In fact, I recently suggested these to a friend whose nursery looks into a building shaft where pigeons actually dive for sport. She liked the idea until her son decided that pigeon diving was the best thing since sliced bread! Oh well. So much for aesthetics.

It's really nice in our neck of the woods in Kentucky right now: warm and comfortable, but we're in the week or so before the bugs come out in force. It's nice to take your babies to the great outdoors, but insects and mosquitoes are still a worry. That's why the Charlotte Bug Net is such a great product. It fits over your stroller, has attractive little buggies on the mesh, and makes sure no one nibbles on your precious cargo.

Does anyone else read illustrator Steve Mack's blog? Because this felt giraffe height chart totally reminds me of his style, which, in turn, references the kind of rounded, bright-coloured pictures that abounded in the Fifties. There you are, two recommendations in one post (if you are a fan of this style, do go and check out his children's books).

As for this giraffe? It's felty and soft. I like its sass, its shape and its bold colours, though I have to say I think the photo-holders are a feature too far. We wrote about a growth chart recently that was based around pictures, and that was great, but with this one, I'm just left wondering, 'Um... why?'.

Don't let that put you off, though. This friendly giraffe will still look great in any nursery.

Imagine you receive a package in the mail. Inside? One penguin. The next day you get another. See where this is going? This easy-to-ready book has great illustrations for anyone who loves penguins, and 365 Penguins does a good job of explaining the days in a month, the number of days in a year, and many other numerical and mathematical concepts.

I don't have a large house, but I think I would be happy with ten penguins, give or take. 365? That would be a little over the line.

If only I had a huge apartment, then I could fill it with cool looking pieces like this. Ok, we'd have to have another baby first, but I could definitely see Baby #2 lounging away in the Ninna Nanna bassinet from the Monte Design Group. Handmade in Canada, its designers believe that bassinets "should [not] look like poufy 1980’s wedding dresses" and should instead come with "clean lines, superior quality, and exceptional comfort." I couldn't agree more. The bassinet basket is removable, as is the machine-washable suede microfiber cover, and comes with two fitted sheets. Not bad. Even if it does cost about $400.

I am a child of the late Sixties/early Seventies, therefore, it is with nostalgia rather than irony that I look at the designs of Småfolk, and love them. I'm willing to bet these designers are of a similar age to me.

Take a look at the whole range via the link above. In the UK, you can purchase via Nordic Kids; if you are elsewhere, I think the best thing to do would be to contact Småfolk direct through their website.