Categories
Furniture Kids/Babies

Lemon Pie kids’ furniture enables the ultimate couch pillow fort

When you’re a kid, there’s nothing like building a fort to play in. All of the pillows, blankets and cushions in the house must convene in order to make the perfect fort. Lemon Pie was designed to give traditional fort-making materials a break. This product is made of different parts that can either be assembled into a couch or chair and then reassembled into a fort or any other kind of fun structure for kids. Designed from soft, flame-retardant materials, this is perfectly safe for children.

The oddly-named Lemon Pie certainly offers function not only for children, but for adults as well. It looks fun and forces kids to be imaginative in the way they build their forts. While it’s not the most attractive piece of furniture around, it’s still great for parents who don’t want their living room to become a full-blown play area. For the most basic chair, backers can donate $335 with estimated delivery in April 2015, if Lemon Pie can reach its $15,000 goal on Kickstarter.

Categories
Kids/Babies Lighting

PopSwitch turns light switches into simple animations

It’s quite possible that kids are the only ones who pay attention to light switch covers – but maybe that’s because your average cover is pretty boring and little kids are actually fascinated with the result of flipping the switch, which adults tend to take for granted. PopSwitch takes the idea of pop up story books and creates an interactive light switch that may very well double as a child’s newest “toy” if installed. For those who won’t mind the constant on and off flickering, the only instillation involved is the base plate, which requires a screwdriver. After that, the sliders get placed on top of the base plate, and the magnetic cover mounting holds both pieces in place.

This constant switching of scenes means that the pieces may get lost when mom or dad’s back is turned. Nevertheless, the product does seem like a fun one to own. This campaign seeks to raise $5,000 by December 10, 2014. Early bird backers get one single switch scene for $30, or one double switch scene for $40 with an expected delivery of December 2014.

Categories
Home

Time Out locks up temptations for a while

There’s something to be said for removing the thing that causes a person to participate in unwanted behavior – as long as positive habits or alternatives are being developed to replace the bad. Time Out is designed with the intent of giving parents the upper hand in modifying the behavior of their kids. The lock has a digital timer that can be set for up to 24 hours. Keep in mind, though, that it usually takes about 10 constant days or more to replace a bad habit with a good one. So if the kids’ video games are going to be taken away so that they play them less, it’s typically a good idea to make some alternative fun activity available. Locking up food for weight loss or cigarettes or alcohol to reduce consumption only works when the root cause of binging is addressed. Nevertheless, this campaign seeks to raise $24,000 by December 16, 2014. Early bird backers get one product for $29, with an expected delivery of April 2015.

Categories
Games

Tactics foosball table offers light-up ball, specialized players

Foosball is one of those classic bar activities that has made tiny soccer thrilling for many. The Tactics  offers some new characters, angles, and LED lights to breathe new life into what was a fading favorite. The new characters are designed with strategists in mind, complete with an angled foot for right and left shots, as well as lob shots. Characters can also be moved around to create formations such as 4-3-3 and 2-6-2. A new corner system prevents the ball from getting stuck in the corner, sending it back to center. Perhaps the aspect that is the most fun in this redesign is the fact that the ball lights up via LED lights, and when a goal is scored, the goal lights up too. A couple of other games that backers might like to check out that get kids (and adults) away from constant gadget screen play are Mutation and Osmo. This campaign seeks to raise $50,000 by November 30, 2014. For $229, early bird backers get the entire game kit with an expected delivery of March 2015.

Categories
Kids/Babies Tablet Accessories

Bizee Baby faces inevitable outrage for gluing baby’s eyes to iPads

Trying to enjoy a meal in a non-fast food restaurant with one or more small children is generally something of a hairy situation. Little ones usually don’t have the patience to wait for food to arrive at the table. That’s why BizeeBaby was invented. This gadget keeps little fingers, eyes, ears and, of course ,the mouth busy and stimulated so that mom and dad and maybe even a couple of friends can have an actual conversation that lasts longer than six seconds. While this won’t eliminate the need for a diaper bag, it might be ideal for slipping inside of one, especially since it folds up. And when toys don’t seem to keep baby busy enough, there is an iPad holder so that baby can watch something onscreen.

While the BizeeBaby seems like a quick way to keep your kid distracted, ultimately it doesn’t seem to solve a larger problem of public misbehavior. Pushing the child aside and keeping their attention glued to a screen may not be the best way to parent your kid. This campaign seeks to raise $55,000 by November 28, 2014. For $100, backers get one product and an expected deliverance from mealtime insanity sometime during May 2015.

Categories
Toys

Bildy is a big toy construction kit for teaching STEM skills

Mounting evidence supports the theory that children need to build in order to develop important spatial, cognitive skills. Many toys are designed to hone just those skills, giving kids the tools they need to build boxes and other small structures. The British-made Bildy blows up this concept, using squares and connectors, allowing kids to build large-scale projects like forts or puppet theaters. Each kit features differently designed boards and patterns to build a variety of castles, houses, forts and even rockets. The board can be decorated either with marker or stickers that come with the kits. For the most basic package, backers can donate £35 (~$55) for estimated delivery in April 2015. Bildy hopes raise £8,000 (~$13,000) on Kickstarter.

Bildy is a great toy for younger kids. Not only does it use larger, chunky connectors difficult to swallow, it also comes with preordained sets for building. This way, kids can put together familiar structures that they can play with when assembly is done. WoodyMac features a similar concept of sets for kids to build. However, it lacks the same imagination that Bildy does and only offers houses and shops instead of forts and rockets. Also, Bildy looks easier to play with after construction is completed. Bildy may not be great for kids who like to think outside of the box, but is just the thing for the younger set of future engineers.

Categories
Kids/Babies Toys

Versa Bricks bridge Lego, Hot Wheels and K’Nex for kid bulding fun

It’s been said that kids who enjoy building blocks and puzzles as their favorite toys often grow up to be tomorrow’s engineers. Versa Bricks seems to have an interesting way to encourage the builder in every kid, and maybe even the kid in every parent. Versa Bricks are touted as being compatible with Lego type bricks, Hot Wheels tracks, K’nex, and HO scale train tracks. So all of those really cool ramps can now be placed much more easily under the race track as the Hot Wheels car plunges through the window of a Lego building – kind of like in the movies. For kids who like to think on a grander scale, XYZ and Assembly are worth checking out. To add a bit of artistic flare to that building enthusiasm, Curiositoys may be a perfect fit. This campaign seeks to raise $17,500 by December 2014. For $9, backers get 12 Versa Bricks (two sets) with an expected delivery of March 2015.

Categories
Connected Objects Kids/Babies Lighting

BabySleep is a connected nighttime lamp for kids

Toddlers and small children are notorious for refusing to go to sleep. Even when they can barely keep their eyes open, they insist on staying up, unwilling to miss any action. Babysleep is a clock designed for these types of kids, teaching them when it’s time to go to sleep and wake up. Looking like a little wooden birdhouse, the product has a sun and moon on it. When the sun is lit, it tells the child that they should be getting up. When the moon is lit, it’s time to go to bed. Parents have several options in controlling Babysleep. They can either set times from the product itself, from a computer or even use an accompanying app. Times can be adjusted easily for nap time, traveling or sleepovers. Brightness of the lights as well as colors can also be customized.

The campaign included testimonials from parents claiming that Babysleep has become a fun nightly ritual for their child. It also goes into the detrimental effects of the often erratic sleep patters of terrible two-year-olds. Other children’s alarm clocks focus on different goals, such as the Onaroo Alarm Clock. This product urges kids to stay in bed longer so that their parents can sleep. Babysleep focuses more on the child’s well-being than the parent’s. Backers can donate £99 (~$160) for this Italian product. Babysleep is looking to raise £50,000 (~$80,600) on Kickstarter.

Categories
Kids/Babies Wearables

Pomb is a wireless panic button for kids

Whether parents want to admit it or not, the world is a different place now. While older generations could play and go on adventures on their own, now a child’s safety is at risk of injury or predators.

The P.O.M.B. (Peace of Mind Bracelet) is a comfortable rubber bracelet that can be worn by a child as a safety measure or panic button. With just a tap, a notification will go to the registered parent’s phone and alert them that their child is having a problem. The fingerprint scanning technology will lock and unlock the device as well as disable the alerts for programmed friendly users. With $10,000, inventor Tasha Ann Dunlap can have her team of engineers finish production on the P.O.M.B. for parents and kids everywhere. At this time, no reward tiers include the finished product.

It may seem like a big responsibility for a child, but kids will quickly feel safer knowing that they can call their parents whenever there’s an emergency. It would be great if backers could get their hands on the first batch, but on a conceptual level it’s hard to argue with the P.O.M.B.’s mission statement.

Categories
Kids/Babies

O.N.E Diaper uses modular parts to reduce the waste of disposables

For environmentally-conscious moms who see disposable diapers as one of the bigger threats to the world, O.N.E. Diaper offers an alternative to disposables. This product is touted as something that can grow with baby because of its unique system, and even last through more than one child. It is most suitable for babies between 10-35 pounds. While this may seem to be more environmentally friendly than the diapers that go into landfills, there is a lot of washing and need for fresh diapers (or parts) that are involved when one considers the frequency with which a baby’s diaper needs to be changed over the course of the day, which is pretty much hourly if not more so. In addition, moms that work outside the home may have some challenges convincing day care centers to use this product. Certainly, it would be easier for overflowing day care centers to simply toss a disposable diaper. Nevertheless, for $20, backers get one diaper with an expected delivery of March 2015. O.N.E. Diaper is looking to raise $28,000 by November 2, 2014 on Kickstarter.