Toddlers, of course, want to do everything themselves. Parents would love for them to! But often, the path to independently performing day-to-day tasks is bumpy. Wherever we can create opportunities for our little ones to feel successful throughout the day, we should. It boosts their confidence and self-esteem, and reduces frustration- for everyone! Here are the products (below the video!) I brought to “The 10! Show” that help do just that!

View more videos at: http://nbcphiladelphia.com.

• Kid’Sleep clocks $30-$50 – www.livelovedream.com.  Have a little one who wakes you up too early or climbs in your bed? Help them understand when it’s wake up time with the Kid’Sleep Classic clock. It functions as a night light and an alarm clock, but best of all has a wake up indicator. Toddlers can’t tell time, but the can look to the Kid’Sleep to see if it’s “wake up” time; if the character on clock is sleeping or awake. Parents can set the time they’d like for the playing image to illuminate. The Kid’Sleep line also includes the Globetrotter battery-operated, travel version of the Classic, and the My First Alarm Clock which has both a digital and analog clock as the main focus, but still has a mini wake up indicator as well.

• Aqueduck Faucet Extender $12.99 www.peachyco.com.  Kids need to wash their hands so many times a day, the easier you can make it for them, the less likely they’ll fight it! The Aqueduck helps kids reach faucets. It’s super-easy to use, portable, BPA/PVC/Phthalate-free, and fits most faucets.

• Skip Hop Soapster Foaming Soap Dispenser $24 www.skiphop.com. Kid will love getting their own soap for handwashing or tubby-time! Fill the Soapster will any baby wash and water and it will create foamy soap. Kids just press on the penguin’s belly to lather up! Installs with suction cups to tile or mirrors or with screws for permanent wall-mounting.

• Myself Belts $9.99 and up- www.myselfbelts.com . Lots of kids fit pants length-wise but are skinny minis and need a belt. Traditional belts with buckles require two hands and a fair amount of dexterity to manage. Myself Belts are are Velcro belts that use a patented design that allows wearers to fasten their one hand belt using a simple three-step SNAP, SLIDE and SECURE process. Myself Belts are great, and especially useful for potty trainers who are often in a big hurry to get undressed! Available for kids in sizes 2 to 12 and there is an adult line as well. They come in a variety of designs and materials and can be personalized as well.

• Original Ba $14.99 www.newinnovashun.com.   When little ones are ready to self-feed, bottles can be awkward to grasp. The Original Ba bottle holder is designed for small hands to hold their bottle securely and easily. A frame made of FDA approved food grade approved silicone, the Original Ba is BPA-, Pthalate-, Lead-, & PVC-Free.

• My Plate-Mate $7.50 www.myplate-mate.com.   My Plate-Mate is a spill guard for toddlers (ages 2) through age 6 who are getting the handle of scooping food onto utensils. It’s a great learning tool that prevents spills and increases the child’s confidence & independence at meals. It easily slips on a child’s 8-9 ½” plate and is dishwasher safe. The My Plate-Mate is made of FDA approved plastics and is lead-, BPA- and Phthalates-free. Great for at restaurants, too!

Philadelphia’s Baby planner & Maternity Concierge, Shannon Choe, was on “The 10! Show” today sharing PBC “Premier Picks” for gifting that special mom this holiday!  Whether your are shopping for a Mom To Be, New Mom, Seasoned Mom or Grandma, we’ve got you covered!  All of these items are available to order and arrive by Mother’s Day if you act fast!

• The Waiting Band $65 www.tiny-baubles.com.  A ring that fits all sizes from the first trimester to last.  Know a mom to be who has to shed her wedding ring due to puffy fingers?  This sterling silver, open-ended ring has itw own message engraved on the inside and is the perfect gift!
• Serena and Lily Gypsy tote & clutch, $75-175 www.serenaandlily.com The Gypsy Tote has loads of space, and the necessary pockets of a diaper bag, but offers a unique style that doesn’t yell “diaper wrangler!”  The tote is great for a night out and transitions to a diaper clutch with ease, as it has plenty of space to accommodate mommy and baby essentials.  Can be ordered with a changing pad, too.
• Belli Skincare items, $22-$39 www.belliskincare.com .  Pamper mom to be with Belli, a smart choice for mom and baby!  We know that small amounts of skin care ingredients are absorbed in your bloodstream and could affect you and your baby, so moms to be are smart to be especially careful when selecting these.
  • Acne Cleansing Facial Wash: The safest acne wash for pregnancy, Belli Acne Cleansing Facial Wash uses lactic acid to lift away dirt and oil from the facial pores, promoting clean and blemish-free skin.
  • Elasticity Oil: decrease the risk of stretchmarks by 39%
• Precious Metal Prints’ Pendant, $74.99 www.preciousmetalprints.com .  This kit includes everything you need!  Take an impression of your baby’s fingerprint at home, send in and in 2-3 weeks, you’ll receive your pure silver, wearable keepsake!  Use code “PBC Mom” to save 20% off at checkout!
• Zoubaby personalized boots, $89 www.Zoubaby.com These personalized and comfortable personalized boots are a perfect, unique gift for the stylish mom on-the-go.  Availabe in sizes 5 to 11; 4 fonts; 8 thread colors
• Ceiva Connected Digital Photo Frame,  $119.95  www.ceiva.com This is the perfect gift for family that is far away and/or technology-challenged!  CEIVA (see-vah) Connected Photos Frames receive photos sent from you and family & friends – from anywhere in the world!  So easy to use- family and friends can send photos via smart phone, Facebook, etc. and the frame can connect automatically at night via phone line or wifi to receive them.  No need for a computer!  Added bonuses: Store unlimited number of photos online and sign up for CEIVA Channels like Local Weather, Recipe-a-Day and make your own Digital Calendar. Price is frame plus one year of service. ·After one year, the service plan starts at $6.95 per month.
• The Great Remember,  $99 and up www.thegreatremember.com .  This company creatively re-purposes children’s art work favorite clothing items, and/or memorable quotes into nostalgic pieces of contemporary artwork and jewelry.  They have a few Mother’s Day Specific items that they have extended their deadline for “The 10! Show” viewers to THIS FRI, APRIL 29^th:
  • MOTHER’S DAY SPECIFIC ITEMS

1.     “Mother Squares” Canvas – $149  Simply email up to 4 digital photos to The Great Remember, and the company will incorporate them into the 12”X12” stretched canvas with abstract letter forms spelling “MOTHER” and ship the final product directly to you.

2.     “Look Ma” Fabric Appliqué – $199

A hand-crafted, custom-made 8”x8” fabric appliqué.  Send in your child’s favorite cute phrase (70 characters or less) that will be stitched into the existing heart template and  framed in a mahogany-stained shadow box.

3.     Large Locket – $199

Send in your children’s photos, profiles or meaningful fabric, and The Great Remember will turn them into unique, non-traditional lockets that don’t open; rather, they seal the contents permanently like a mini time capsule capturing a moment in time. All lockets are two sided and there are three sizes available.

View more videos at: http://www.nbcphiladelphia.com.

View more videos at: http://www.nbcphiladelphia.com.

In this “The 10! Show” segment, Premier Baby Concierge founder, Shannon Choe, brought some tips for parents to encourage their little ones to eat healthy.

Read books with themes about food and healthy eating.

Books are a great way to broach a new topic or developmental stage with little ones. Whether you’re getting ready for a first trip to the dentist or hoping to instill good eating habits, books offer kids a context for new adventures, characters to identify with, vocabulary to discuss what’s happening or any concerns they may have.  There are LOTS of great books for kids of all ages at your local library or bookstore.  A few Premier Baby Concierge faves:  Bee- Bim- Bop, Little Pea & The Secret Life of Mitch Spinach.

The Secret Life of Mitch Spinach.  $16.95.  www.MitchSpinach.com.  Mitch Spinach drinks high-powered fruit and vegetable smoothies which give him special powers to solve mysteries and help out at school.  Written in collaboration with renowned physician, Dr. Joel Fuhrman, M.D., this book has been shown to influence over 96% of children, ages 3-9 to eat more fruits and veggies!

Involve kids in growing, shopping for and preparing food.

Studies have shown that kids who are involved in growing, shopping and preparing meals and snacks are more likely to try new foods.  Makes sense!  After shopping, they can identify more fruits and veggies.  Kids are proud to be involved and some can be quite interested in the science of how foods change color or texture when they mix with others or are heated.  The once foreign foods are not quite as “suspicious” looking when they arrive on a dinner plate co-mingled with other items.

For playing store or hitting the real farmer’s market in your town, try Reisenthal Parent/Child carry bags $29.99 – $39.99 www.reisenthel.com.  They are light weight, yet have the capacity to carry more than 6 gallons and can store easily, as they collapse to one inch thick.

When it’s time to cook, grab a personalized quilted apron and cook set available from Timeless Designs and Monograms.  Let kids pack their own lunches (maybe the night before if your AMs are too hectic!) in a matching lunchbox.  $13.95-19.95  Timeless Designs and Monograms is offering 10% off orders with code: 10show. www.tdmembroidery.com

Make it fun!

Keeping food interesting, by presenting it in new ways can bring new life to a familiar food and make new foods more enticing.  Use toothpicks, placemats, fun tableware to spice up mealtime.

Check out Mr. and Ms. Food Face plates, $12.95 www.amazon.com

Empower kids to make their own choices.

One way to do this is to make your own food “bank” to help your kids learn how to balance snack choices.  At our house, we use a recycled circular plastic carry out container on our counter as our “bank.” Each morning, each child gets three poker chips to put in their own container, with each chip representing one sweet snack or drink.  Tired of being asked all day long about juice and snacks, I decided to put the decision in their hands.  We talked about which items would require payment of a chip and why: juice, pancakes with syrup, a cookie, etc.  Whenever they choose to eat or drink something that requires a chip, they take it from their bank and pay it to the mine.  If they choose to spend all three by 9AM, so be it.  When they ask later in the day for a treat, I simply say, “Do you have any chips?”  They quickly learn that they are in control.  As an added an incentive to not spend chips on sugary snacks, chips remaining at bedtime may also be traded for extra books to be read at storytime.

Chart & recognize healthy choices.

It’s been said that new habits take about two weeks to become habits.  Charts are not only a great way to set goals, but also offer kids a concrete way to chart success.

The Today I Ate A Rainbow Kit was create to encourage kids to eat a variety of fruits and veggies each day.  The kit includes a book that introduces them to why this is so important, 4 sets of magnets, the chart and a shopping list notepads that kids and parents can make together to ensure that a “rainbow’s worth” of fruits and veggies are available.  Each time they eat a fruit of veggie, they put the corresponding colored magnet on the chart. I was actually amazed that within minutes of opening the kit, my kids “got it” and ran to the fridge to see what else they could eat!  $25 www.todayiatearainbow.com

Be flexible.

Every day doesn’t have to be perfect.  It’s hard to get kids to eat fruits and veggies at all sometimes, let alone a great variety of them daily which is ideal.

For those days (or stages!), fill in the gaps with nutritional “insurance” like JP+ Soft Chewables). $22.75 www.FoundationalNutritionwithJuicePlus.com It’s an all natural, whole food based nutritional product made by juicing a wide variety of fresh fruits and veggies, drying the juices and  offering the powders in capsule and chewable form.  It contains 17 raw, juiced fruits, veggies, grains.

Philadelphia’s first & premier baby planner, Shannon Choe, founder of Premier Baby Concierge shared some “last minute” holiday gift ideas for the whole family.  As of airtime, all of these were available for Holiday delivery- but deadlines vary, so move quick!

Don’t make it all about the bump or babe!  Pamper the new mom or mom-to-be on your list with a gift certificate to a local spa.  This is one gift card that doesn’t say, “I wasn’t sure what to get you!”  If you’re in Philly, I suggest the Tommi Lifestyle Boutique. My wedding photographer, Tom Wong, and his wife Nikki are the founders of this new one-of-a-kind spot offering services for wedding and non-wedding clients:  photography (including maternity photos!), salon & spa services, even cosmetic dentistry, all under one roof!  Their new 7th & Chestnut location is beautiful and tranquil.  www.tommistudio.com

The Go Gaga  Slide ($118) is a really unique, unisex bag that will appeal to the diaper bag toting set, as well as anyone who buckles under the pressure of an ill-fitting strap!  Introducing the patent-pending Urban Sherpa Strap designed to distribute weight over your shoulder and back.  The Slide also sports a very practical insulated bottle pocket that fits adult water bottles or baby bottles and is easily accessible with one hand.  Comes with the Stuff Sack (great “wet bag”) and Nomad Changing Pad.  The Urban Sherpa Strap alone is a great stocking stuffer at $28 for anyone on your list!  Shop at www.diapers.com and use the code:  GOGAGASAVE to save 10%.

Wooden toys for all the girls and boys on your list!  With all of the concern around plastics, BPA and lead paint, you can’t go wrong with wood toys and teethers.  They’re natural and durable.  HABA of Germany has long been the name in great developmental wooden toys and can be found on www.amazon.com.  We love their tagline:  “Inventive Playthings for Inquisitive Minds.”

Little Passports is a great gift for the big bro and sis on your list! ($11.95 and up).  This award-winning, educational gift introduces the child to a new country each month through goodies, letters, souvenirs, stickers delivered by mail and paired with online games.  It’s a gift that starts with a special Little Passports suitcase and stimulates all year long!

We love these cute personalized ornaments from Timeless Designs & Monograms!  Choose from Big Brother or Sister; Baby’s 1st Christmas and more!  Add up to 2 lines of personalization (included!). Enter code: “the10show” on www.tdmembroidery.com to receive 10% off your order!

A great gift for those far or near!  Send a Recordable Storybook from Hallmark ($29.95)!  With three holiday titles and twelve every day titles available, these books are super easy to record, and more importantly, to set and save from accidental erase (hello little fingers!).  From grandkids to grandparents, far away relatives to baby, parents to child, these books are great keepsakes and a great way to share a story all year long, even when loved ones can’t be there.

Our suggestion for teaching kids about being thankful and a time-saving Thank You note solution:  Print Art Kids notecards. Every year we do an assembly-line production of handprint thank you notes so the family can have this keepsake and to start the conversation about the importance of being appreciative of gifts and expressing thanks.  This year, we can send one such creation to Print Art Kids to create custom thank you notecards.  They can turn any artwork or photograph into custom note- or postcards, return address labels, note pads, etc.!  There are no limitations to artwork:  glitter? googly eyes? oversized paper?  No problem, just take a digital photo!   Bonus:  they use earth friendly products and recycled paper.

This was a very special show for expectant and new parents with lots of great info and giveaways galore!  The audience was full of expectant moms and PBC founder and regular 10! Show contributor, Shannon Choe, was thrilled to be part of all the action!

Shannon picked some of her favorite products to share, knowing that one lucky home viewer would win it ALL!  Here they are:

1.  Hot Mama Gowns $119- Be camera and visitor ready with these beautiful organic gowns that are designed for breastfeeding.  Sizes 2 to 22.

2.  Storksak’s Jamie Expresso unisex diaper bag.  This is a great leather bag that mom or dad would be happy to carry!  It’s a great shape and has an insulated pocket in addition to other exterior pockets, and the interior can be wiped-clean.  An awesome laptop bag for after baby!   www.SaksFifthAvenue.com $210

3.  Flip Slide HD This is an awesome HD video camera that takes up to 4 hours of HD footage and can store a max of 12 hours!  It is ridiculously user-friendly when it comes to taping, taking still photos, viewing on screen and uploading to share on Facebook, etc.  Use within two seconds out of the box!   Grandmom will thank you!  $279.99

4.  Apple Park toys- We love these 100% all natural, organic plush Picnic Pals, wrist rattles, etc.  What a great first toy to “shower” mom and baby with!  $12-48

5.  Dapple products- Natural dish liquid and toy cleaner wipes & spray to natural enough to use on baby’s items, but tough enough to remove grime!   Great green items to introduce the new mom to!  $5.99-6.99

6.  Baeba babycook -  Unfortunately time ran short and we couldn’t do the Baeba cook justice on the 10! Show!  We LOVE this one-of-a-kind baby food making counter top appliance!  Making baby food is really easy and the Baeba cook is so great because this one appliance blends, steams, defrosts and reheats.  It’s the perfect size and can cook meat, veggies and fruit in under 15 minutes all while retaining all of the nutritional value!  Not to mention it’s cute.  $149.99

7.  Book- Feeding Baby Green by Dr. Greene- A great comprehensive nutritional guide about how the food we while pregnant and baby eats effect his health during his lifetime.  Dr. Greene is so knowledgeable and communicates the research behind the theories, the numbers, the foods, all without preaching- he lets the info speak for itself and leaves mom to make her own choices.  That’s my kind of teacher!  $11.53

8.  Britax B ready stroller- This stroller is simply amazing!  It can transform from a single- child to a double or twin system, taking baby seats or bassinetts (to a total of 14 different configurations!) and not only that- it does so EASILY!  Check out this video to see for yourself:   http://www.britaxusa.com/strollers/b-ready/videos And of course, it’s a Britax, so they’ve thought everything out from canopy to under carriage storage to cup holder- and best of all:  We LOVE that you can adjust the harness with a slide versus re-threading the whole darned seat.  Love!  $499.99

A HUGE thanks to all of these companies that send their products for feature and giveaway to one lucky home viewer!

Thanks also to The 10! Show for the opportunity to reach all of these excited, expectant moms!  I was able to send my favorite baby proofing item- Socket Lockits, with my PBC logo, no less!- home with each mama in their baby shower swag bag, along with a special coupon for Baby Proofing Assessment and/or Car Seat Safety Inspection (I am proud to be a CPS Certified Tech – aka car seat tech).