Premier Baby Concierge founder, Shannon Choe, Philadelphia’s first baby planner & maternity concierge appears regularly on “The 10! Show” bringing Parent Tips and Product Picks.

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

BabyPop Superhero Capes (and accessories!)
Open ended imaginative play is so important to a child’s development. These hand made, personalized super hero capes are awesome for year-round dramatic play! Kids of all ages love to dress up, and these capes will be loved and played with for years. At $17, these capes are terrific bday gifts! Masks, gloves, t shirts are also available. $4.50-$54 www.babypop.com

Monkey Swimmers from Monkey’s Inc.
Remember the inflatable swim floaties of our childhood? Monkey Swimmers are the modern answer to the old school swim system. These soft foam adjustable arm bands wont slip or tug on skin, and because of their slim design, are super comfortable, not pushing kids arms out in an unnatural arc. What also makes the design unique, is that as your child gains confidence in the water using Monkey Swimmers, you can remove one layer at a time to reduce buoyancy. Your child is able to enjoy the water and at progress at their own pace.  They come with a book to introduce the Monkey Swimmers and get your kids excited about swimming and using them, as well as a progress chart.
Currently available at www.monkeyswimmers.com for $32. They will soon be available at Amazon.com.

Joovy Tricycoo
There are a lot of different skills involved in riding a trike and sometime trying to tackle them all at once can be frustrating. The Joovy Tricycoo allows little ones to get comfortable with the balance and coordination it takes to master a trike one step at a time. Starting with the parent push handle and using the “baby surround arms” and stationary foot rests, parents can control movement and direction of the Tricycoo, allowing the toddler to safely enjoy the ride! When the child is ready, the foot rests can be folded away, allowing the child to rest their feel on the pedals. The pedals can be set to freely move, so your child can get used to the movement without having to power them. With the parent still in control of the push bar, the child is able to master this stage before locking the wheels and focusing on how to power the bike themselves. Once the “baby surround arms and parent bar are removed, the Tricycoo functions as a normal trike. It has four positions and is adjustable 32.5 to 38 inches. The steel frame supports up to 44 lbs and the wheels roll quietly. The bell and basket make the bike that much more fun! $99.99 www.joovy.com

SKUUT™ Wooden Balance Bike

Balance bikes are becoming very popular because they allow kids to more organically learn balance, steering and coordination without pedals or training wheels in the way. The Skuut (pronounced “scoot”) is a wooden balance bike for kids agest 2 to 5 and up to 75lbs. Children kick off the ground as if running, pushing- or “skuuting”- the bike forward. The design allows the child to feel successful and enjoy the ride, without fear of falling or pressure to coordinate many the many skills it takes to ride a traditional bike all at once. Focusing on fun and learning almost by accident is always a winner in our book! The Skuut’s lowest seat setting is 13 inches, the highest is 16.5 inches. Made of 100% Birchwood and coated with non-toxic lacquer, it has 12 inch rubber pressurized tires and an easy to clean vinyl padded seat. Skuut™ has won numerous awards, including The Oppenheim Gold Seal Award, Dr. Toy’s 10 Best Active Products,

The National Parenting Center Seal of Approval, Creative Toy Top Toy of the Year Award, The Toy Man Award of Excellence, and education.com A+ Award. www.skuut.com $74 on www.amazon.com Also available at REI.com.

Fun Fort!

I saw the Fun Fort at the Toy Fair in NYC this year and loved it! It’s a very simple design, but has infinite possibilities for play. It’s an 8×8 piece of tent-like material with Velcro and elastic loops that allow it to attach to anything stable. No more dragging blankets around the house! For use inside or out, The Fun Fort can look different every time you build it. It’s durable, washable and highly portable! This is another toy that kids can play with for years- from peek-a-boo with a toddler to a secret hide-out or reading corner for big kids, forts never get old! $39.95 www.thehappykidcompany.com

Renee Chenault-Fattah is a well-known local NBC newswoman, mom and now host of her own show on the NBC Nonstop channel.  Here’s Renee’s explanation of what a Sandwich Mom is (from her blog by the same name!):

Like a sandwich, we moms are “smack dab” in the middle. We are sandwiched between caring for our kids and also our parents. Make no mistake, this is no pity party! Being a “sandwich mom” is a tremendous job and even on our worst days, we wouldn’t trade places for the world. But with that said, handling it all can  be stressful.Well we’re  here to help you handle  the  stress.

She invited me, Karla Trotman of Belly Button Boutique, Ronnie Utz of Baby B Designs, Patty Jackson of WDAS FM and Gayle Jackson, co-founder of The DeSean Jackson Foundation for Pancreatic Cancer, to join in a really fun segment on each show called, “Moms on the Couch,” where a handful of moms discuss topics you’d find yourself chatting with your girlfriends about.  Watch us starting this Monday, May 9th at 8:30AM & 1:30Pm (as well as 12:30AM and 4:30AM for you night owls/early risers!) on the Philly Nonstop channel which can be found on Comcast channel 248 and Verizon Fios 460 and Over the Air 10.2.

It’s been really fun filming (the wine doesn’t hurt!) and getting to know these ladies a bit more.  Hope you enjoy it, too!

Premier Baby Concierge offers party planning services for baby showers, first birthdays, you name it!  We love to work with families to create events that match their style and surprise them with personalized touches!  Today Shannon took some tips and products for First Birthdays on the 10! Show.

Fuzzy Me sells the most awesome, unique tutus, “1″ onesies, crowns, bibs and so much more!  Forgot to mention on the show that a local mom/ business woman is behind these beautiful creations!  She’s offer 10! Show visitors 15% off with the code:  the ten show.

Amy Hetrick, another local mom and business woman, is the creative force behind Cake Walk and the beautiful and beyond delicious Birthday cakes and “smash” cakes featured on the show.  The 10! Show staff was excited that we left them for them to sample!

ECHOage is an online, charity-based party planning website.  Parents can select an invitation and ECHOage collects RSVPS as well as gift money, half of which will be donated to the charity of the family’s choice and the other half of which goes toward one meaningful gift for the birthday boy or girl.  Great idea!

There are a wide variety of signature frames available today.  Using one of these to have guests sign and maybe leave a comment, is a simple way to commemorate a 1st birthday party. This is a great keepsake!

Personalized books are a great gift, but they are not all created equally!  The book Finding Featherbottom follows Felix Featherbottom and his sidekick
Pierre du Pond as they race around the globe
finding the letters for your child’s
name.  This is such a great book with beautiful illustrations and sure to be a hit as your child grows and learns to spell his or her name!

Another great 1st birthday gift and keepsake is a set of handprint tins.  The Tower of Time is a set of five.

There are so many types of photo books these days that are available in a huge variety of sizes, prices, styles.  It’s a fun tradition to start creating one for each year and really easy to personalize.

Another awesome personalized party element is a birthday banner.  Stephanie Corfee , a local mom and artist creates canvas banners that can be used year after year.  A beautiful touch!

MAJOR CABLE NETWORK
& IRWIN ENTERTAINMENT

CURRENTLY CASTING PREGNANT WOMEN

IN
GREATER NY AREAS

Are you a first time expectant mother?
Already twittering and changing your Facebook status to report your new
pregnancy? Eager to share your stories with your
friends, family and other mommy’s to be?  We want to hear from you NOW!

Vinnie Potestivo
Entertainment is currently casting first time mothers-to-be
for an exciting new documentary series that will provide an in depth
look at the pregnancy process and what it means to be expecting for the
very first time from early stages to delivery. We are looking for women
who are also looking forward to interacting with other expectant mothers
and swapping stories during their pregnancy and beyond.

If
you are an outgoing woman early in your first pregnancy who can’t wait
to show off her baby bump and eager to share the details of their
experience with an audience, we want to hear from you!

APPLICANTS MUST BE:

• Legal New York residents
• Currently 2-3 months pregnant (due in October-November)
• Located in the greater New York Area (Brooklyn,
  Queens, Westchester, Staten Island, Long Island, Etc.)
  

IF INTERESTED:

If you or a family
member/friend are interested, please email shannon@premierbabyconcierge.com
with your Name, Age, Contact information and reasons you are interested
in having your pregnancy documented for television. Please include a
recent photo.

Irwin Entertainment, Inc. is a television production company founded
in 2004 by John Irwin. The Los Angeles,
California based company specializes in comedy, reality and
live entertainment programming. Irwin Entertainment, Inc. President John
Irwin spent four years producing Late Night with Conan
O’Brien, two years as a producer for MADtv, and five years as
Vice President of Development and Production for Lorne Michaels’ Broadway
Video.
Since forming, Irwin Entertainment has steered productions for CMT,
Comedy Central, HBO and most recently VH1 documentary series about
addiction, Celebrity Rehab with
Dr. Drew 1,2 & 3, Sober House 1 & 2 and Sex Rehab all
starring Dr. Drew Pinsky.

Vinnie Potestivo Entertainment, Inc. (VPE) is a full service talent
and casting company dedicated to finding talent solutions for a myriad
of platforms including broadcast, digital and print. Founded in 2008,
VPE specializes in casting and the development of long-form
character-driven reality programming, celebrity-driven reality
programming, host and expert casting, celebrity talent procurement, as
well as branded media. Most recently, VPE produced and cast the upcoming
series “Sunset Daze” set to premiere on WEtv April, 2010. 

Premier Baby Concierge was one of the first baby planning and concierge companies in the U.S.  Since 2007 PBC has been helping families of all kinds prepare for their newest additions in every way.

Of course, many parents have questions regarding Going Green- from designing the nursery to making registry selections and deciding whether to make babyfood at home.  Founder Shannon Choe, named 2009’s Best of the Main Line and Western Suburbs (“Best Person to Know When You’re Expecting”) shared some tips on how to navigate and what to consider.

When
navigating through process of making green selections for your nursery
and baby registry, it’s great to have a handful of trusted resources
that you feel offer reliable, unbiased information to check in with and
become informed about the latest issues and information available.

A couple
of PBC favorites include: Healthy Child Healthy
World and  the book, “Raising Baby Green; The Earth Friendly Guide
to Pregnancy, Childbirth, and Baby Care,” by Alan Greene, M.D.

What’s
so important about being green? Aside from benefits to the environment,
we know that c hemicals
that are inhaled or
touched can be absorbed and enter the bloodstream.  Studies
show that there
are several health impacts related to exposure to these
toxins over time, such as
allergies, asthma, cancers, developmental disorders, and other
concerns.

Which
things are important to invest in? Based on the information available to us today, it makes sense to do our best to avoid chemicals and toxins in baby’s environment and make the best selections when it comes to the things baby will breathe, ingest and/or have direct contact with.  Consider the  following types of items in our homes:

• Nursery paint- Look for non-toxic paint without Volatile Organic Compounds.  VOCs are cancer causing toxins that can emit years after drying.  Mythic Paint is a great option, with over 1200 colors to choose from.
• Household cleaning products- Look for non-toxic, environmentally safe products such as Melaleuca and Sun and Earth products.
• Feeding products (and toys!) that baby will have in his or her mouth.  There has been a lot of news (and some controversy) about bisphenol-A (BPA) in recent years.  Recently the FDA has “suggested parents minimize the BPA-based products that could make contact with foods or drinks
  that infants or toddlers might consume — especially hot foods and
  drinks” because “recent studies provide reason for some concern about the potential
  effects of BPA on the brain, behavior, and prostate gland of fetuses,
  infants and children.”

Parents should look for feeding products, pacifiers, and toys made of
BPA free                 plastics, silicone, or products made with
alternatives like glass and wood or, in the             case of toys,
cloth.  Check out Born
Free products and for more safe options, check         in with
another Premier Baby Concierge favorite, the Soft Landing.

• Cloth diapers- Better for the environment and in some cases, much lighter on your wallet, cloth diapers offer a chemical free diaper option (depending on how they are washed).  There are so many options.  Apple Cheeks, Bumkins & Fuzzibunz to name a few.  If you are in the Philadelphia area, there are some great services to make cloth diapering as convenient as can be.  Check out Philly Diaper Service and Kinda Krunchy’s cloth diapering consultation service.

• Personal care products such as soap and baby wash- As we said, it’s unfortunate that parents can’t rely on labels.  According to the Environmental Working Group, ‘80% of children’s products described as “gentle,” “soothing,” “hypo allergenic,” and “dermatologist approved” contain ingredients linked to allergies and skin irritation.’  Unfortunately parents can be mislead by labels since manufacturers don’t have to disclose all of their ingredients and the terms such as “all natural” and “eco friendly” aren’t regulated, and as a result become meaningless.

We brought Cheeky Baby Butter and soap from Baby Bear Shop and Le Baby hair gel to the show today, but due to time, didn’t get to mention them.  Check in with Skin Deep, the EWG’s cosmetic safety database to find more safe options.

• Crib Mattress- Babies sleep a lot and spend a lot of time on their mattress.  Most traditional mattresses have a vinyl cover with PVC, which is one of the most toxic plastics, and are foam made from petroleum with the toxic additive polyurethane.  There are some great alternatives at varying prices.  The Naturepedic No Compromise Ultra mattress is made from Certified Organic materials and has a non-toxic plastic 100% waterproof liner within.  Natural Mat offers a
  superior range of entirely natural, organic crib mattresses.  Natural
  Mat’s hand crafted mattress collection combines the finest natural and
  organic raw materials such as lambswool, natural rubber latex foam,
  coir, mohair and cotton.

Parents:  Do you have a favorite non-toxic product or resource not included above?  Let us know!

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