Have a Lennon Sisters’ Nostalgic Christmas
Half of the the Lennon Sisters quartet, popular singers from the “fabled Lawrence Welk Show,” have created a “Best Pals Christmas” CD filled with the strains of “Silent Night,” “Away in a Manger” and “Christmas Time Is Here” (from “A Charlie Brown Christmas”). The CD is the perfect soundtrack for a get-to-know-you session between your little girl and her new holiday version of the Best Pals rag doll.
Janet and Kathy had the Best Pals dolls made in a nostalgic throwback to their own rag dolls they toted with them around the country when they were young. The original dolls were made by their grandmother and mother.

The Christmas dolls are dressed in velveteen finery and each comes with a white flannel nightie folded up inside a drawstring cloth sack. The dolls also come in three ethnic versions.
The CD is $19.95; the original Janet and Kathy dolls are $19.95 and the holiday versions are $29.95. Order at www.bestpals.net.

Classically Sweet Sounds
Warren, Ohio, native Adam Adelman has had a great year. His company, Juno Baby (co-founded with his wife Belinda Takahashi), won more awards than any other children’s media company in the country last year, including an Emmy Award for Best Original Music.

Juno Baby DVDs and CDs provide a complete experience for your children. Music is performed by chamber music ensembles, show puppeteers worked with Fraggle Rock, and top child development experts provided overview on the project. The videos are fun and educational and the lovely score introduces very young children to classical music in a fun yet beautiful way.

But don’t plop your tot down in front of the TV with Juno Baby while you move on to other things. Share it with your child and experience its interactive capabilities. You’ll be impressed.
The DVDs retail for about $18.99, and apparel featuring the characters is available too. Order at www.junobaby.com and get a flat rate for shipping no matter how much you order.

Perfect for Traveling Families
Tired of struggling with your carry-on bags, strollers, purses, laptops and children while traveling, with only two hands? Consider the “Ride On Carry On” your savior. Invented by a flight attendant/mom, this award-winning chair attaches to your existing wheeled luggage, converting it to a travel stroller for children ages 8 months to 5 years old. At $39.95, frequent travelers will love the convenience. Visit www.rideoncarryon.com for ordering information.

Any Carseat Can Morph Into Comfy Stroller
The Infant Cruizer makes leaving the house with baby a breeze by transforming any infant carseat into a comfortable stroller. Attaching easily to any infant carseat, it safely holds it in place with a secure click and lock system and features sturdy, all-terrain tires, one-handed maneuvering and telescoping handle height.
Simple to attach and detach, functioning just like the infant seat’s base. It’s an investment at $199, but for families with several kids, it could be worth it. Purchase online at www.gogobabyz.com, via phone at (888) 686-2552 or at retail stores throughout the country.

No Time for a Pet? How About Perfect Petzzzz?
Have a child who is begging for a pet, but you’re not sure he’s ready? How about an allergic child who’s sad because everyone else has a cat? Then check out Perfect Petzzz, the Original Pet Companion product. These lifelike, “breathing,” handcrafted puppies and kittens available in 30 breed choices.
The sleeping puppies and kittens offer unconditional love and are maintenance-free. They are the perfect companion and holiday gift for anyone who may not be able to take care of the day-to-day tasks of pet ownership.

Each pet costs $39.95 and comes with a collar, battery, brush, adoption certificate and is constructed of 100-percent synthetic fur. Your newly adopted Perfect Petzzz will also arrive in its very own soft fleece bed and cardboard carrying case. You have to see one to appreciate them.

Purchase online at www.perfectpetzzz.com or in person at Adoption Centers located in Cracker Barrel stores and specialty gift stores nationwide.

Six new breeds have been introduced this holiday season including a Pomeranian puppy, a Jack Russell puppy, a black Lab puppy, a tan Chihuahua puppy, a gray Tabby kitten and a white Shorthair kitten.

Yummy Puzzle Teaches Toddlers
Future chefs will delight at learning unusual food names like quince and ugli fruit with the Fruits & Vegetables A-Z puzzle, a bountiful basket that offers an appetizing approach to teaching the alphabet.
From “Artichoke” to “Zucchini,” each of the puzzle’s 26 fruit and vegetable shaped pieces represent a different letter of the alphabet. Puzzle pieces lift to reveal the appropriate letter and food name (B, Banana), and names are also written along the puzzle’s border. Geared toward kids ages 3 years and up, it’s available for about $15.

Feel Good About This Gift
Shelley Roupas was looking for a career to help her feel good. So she picked up a paintbrush and created Feel Good Frames that are a delightful gift for anyone on your list.

All frames and holiday ornaments are manufactured and hand-painted in North Carolina and come in a variety of sizes that can be personalized. Not only do the creations make Roupas feel good, but you can share the emotion knowing that 10 percent of her online ornament proceeds go directly to the National Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. See them at www.feelgoodframesstore. com.

SEE-ing Green
From hybrid cars to environment-focused movie stars, “going green” has never been more popular — except in the toy industry, where battery-powered and electronic toys dominate.

Enter SEE Toys, an innovative new product line from forward-thinking Zen Design Group. The first environmentally friendly, kid-powered toy line, electronic SEE Toys feature a unique power crank that kids use to convert their own energy into electricity — very cool!

SEE Toys never require disposable batteries, and unlike electronic toys that use regular rechargeable batteries or solar power, kids control when and for how long they play. Buzzing fireflies feature fiber optic wings and sleek and stylish racecars really move. SEE Toys, for ages 5 and up, encourage kids to “think green” while engaging them both mentally and physically. The toys retail from $19.99 to $29.99

Giving the Gift of Self-Esteem
If you look at a parent magazine editor’s e-mail in-box, you would see pitch after pitch from companies that have created dolls and games that help girls feel good about themselves. From Bella Sara horse-themed trading cards to dolls such as the above-mentioned Best Pals rag dolls and the truer-to-life Only Hearts Dolls line, companies are responding to the backlash against adult-themed toys being marketed to children.
Other gifts that build self-esteem for boys and girls include magazine subscriptions to such publications as Highlights for Children, Wild Animal Baby, Your Big Backyard and Ranger Rick and the Cricket family of publications, including Babybug, Ladybug, Click, Ask and Muse. Inclusion in the gift guide does not necessarily reflect an endorsement by the authors, this magazine or its publisher.

Amy Leigh Wilson is editor of the Mahoning Valley Parent. Betsy Bethel is editor of the Ohio Valley Parent.