2009 Happy Holiday Gift Guide for Gay Parents and Merry Kids
Out With Baby is proud to bring you a gift guide of toys, gear, gadgets, apparel and more from gay-friendly companies that are thrilled about the opportunity to be part of the holiday celebration of gay parents and their families.
For Kids Big and Small
Grown-up Trekies will have to wrestle away these next generation of Star trek toys from the kids, with authentic light and sound effects from the latest movie, including the Federation’s most trusted defense weapon, the Star Trek Movie Phaser; the Star Trek Movie Communicator, which flips open to reveal a lenticular image of Kirk and Spock; the Star Trek Movie Tricoder, with spring-loaded top and front door covers that open; $17.95 each; and the Star Trek U.S.S. Enterprise by Playmates, a scaled model of the newly redesigned ship with a positional display stand. Ages 4+. $29.95. roddenberry.com.
Don’t let the name fool you. The Girl Gourmet Sweets Candy Jewelry Factory, created by self-proclaimed “super gay” Marty Karabees and dying-to-come-out gal pal Liz Hogan (pictured wearing their jewels), is not just for girls, or kids. Bring out the little fashionista in you, your kids and friends with a candy craft party where guests can design, bake, wear and eat scrumptious candy necklaces, bracelets and rings with this complete bling making kit. Ages 8+. $29.99. Sold at toy stores nationwide.
Projector by JAKKS Pacific, a palm-size projector that can make a wall, ceiling or backyard tent into a 60-inch big screen to show movies, TV, video games and images from any multi-media device. Ages 8+. $99.99. Sold at toy stores nationwide.
Easy Rider
Those free-for-all Mad Men days where kids could bound across the car bench seats from back to front are gone. A secure car seat is a must, and the Safety 1st Air Complete is the mother of all rides for pint-sized passengers. It features the first ever crash-tested side impact technology which protects the child’s vulnerable head from crash forces. 5 to 50 lbs. $249.99. Babies R Us.
For colder climes, the Mommy Mitten is the must-have weather accessory for baby strollers. The water-resistant fleece-lined hand warmer secures around the stroller handle bar to keep hands toasty, and a zipper pocket keeps pacifiers, keys and cell phones handy. $29.99. Womentorz.com.
Don’t be sad when baby outgrows that sling or newborn front carrier, you can still get that warm closeness with baby on your back (or front) with Boba by NAP, Inc. , the first soft structured baby carrier to feature foot straps for baby’s legs, made for babies age 1 to 4 years. Made of organic materials. $99. bobacarrier.com.
They Like to Move it Move it
Get kids moving with Italtrike Outside Series Scooter A wide non-slip foot plate and convenient foot brake make the scooter safe and easy to use, even for small children. The plastic wheels have rubber tires and no spokes to protect from pinched feet. Powder-coat paint on the steel tubing frame won’t chip so your scooter looks good year after year. Ages 3 to 5. $69.99, Italitrike.com.
Boy or girl, they never forget their first Razor, and this holiday season the Razor Riprider360 is the thrill ride to own. Invented by the 12-year-old son of Razor’s president, the rugged three-wheeler is designed for the ultimate in spinning and drifting action that will leave on-lookers dizzy and riders spinning for more. Ages 5+, maximum 160 lbs. $129.99. Toys R Us.
Make taking their temperature easy on kids (and parents) with the Exergen Temporal Scanner, a non-invasive infrared thermometer that scans forehead heat and gives an accurate reading in two seconds. $49.99. Babies R Us, Costco and Wal-Mart.
When kiddies won’t stay off Mommy’s laptop, get them one of their own. Based on the literacy-based show from Out of the Blue Enterprises, Super WHY Super Duper Computer is a full-interactive touch-screen electronic learning aid with more than 36 fun and exciting literacy activities. Ages 3+. $34.99. Toys R Us, Target and Sears.
Tired of rushing to hit “off” when inappropriate mating scenes from Animal Planet pop up while channel surfing with the kids? The One for All Kid’s Universal Remote defaults to eight kid-friendly channels or can be custom programmed. It also has a compartment where you can put a fun pic of the kiddo. $19.99. Best Buy, Fry’s Electronics and Lowes.
Kids Will be Kids
Your little darling wants a doll, but you can’t bear those expensive princess-in-pink girly dolls that every snotty kid on the block has. Battat’s Our Generation “Hally” Doll to the rescue. She’s not only dressed like a real kid, she’s affordable. $32.99. Target.
Accept it: kids draw on walls. But now you can give them a designated draw zone with Wall Candy Arts Chalk Boards, removable and reusable stick-on chalk boards that won’t damage walls, available in fun animal shapes like elephants and giraffes. Kits from $18 to $60. Wallcandyarts.com. 
Get Ready to Slumber
Just like in the 70s, rock out to the band Heart again, this time with babes in arms, with Baby Guitar, a beautiful collection of acoustic lullabies written by Nancy Wilson with collaboration with Heart guitarist Craig Bartock. $8.99. Amazon.com.
Old Time Christmas
‘Memba those old clay-mation Christmas TV specials as a kid? Watching them with the family was a holiday tradition, just like trimming the tree. And now you can share them with the next generation with The Original Christmas Classics Limited Keepsake Edition, including Frosty, Rudolph, Little Drummer Boy and Santa. $39.98. Available wherever DVDs are sold.
It will be a Charlie Brown Christmas they will remember with the Peanuts New Balance 574 running shoe for pre-schoolers, featuring a winter-themed snowflake design with Peanuts characters on the uppers and comics on the insoles. $52.99. NBwebexpress.com.
I Gave at the IKEA
Give a kid an adorable plushy from IKEA and give joy to kids everywhere. For each cute and cuddly IKEA Soft Toy purchased during the holiday season, the company makes a donation to UNICEF and Save the Children to support educational programs in developing countries around the world, raising more than $6 million last year. $1.49 to $19.99. IKEA.Eco-kid
Encourage the kids you love to play hard and play “green” with durable and eco-friendly, handcrafted, and naturally child safe wooden toys, like the ImagiPLAY Butterfly Alphabet Puzzle. All ImagiPLAY toys are made from plantation-grown rubberwood, beechwood from managed forests, and bamboo. $12.99 to $34.99. Whole Foods Market.
Little Sipper
Once little ones have mastered the hi-tech mechanics of the Alfi Kids Sino Monkey isoBottle, the leak-proof design with a pop-up cap with stopper and spout system offers continuous drinking, perfect for kids on the go. Made with a doubled-walled BPA-free stainless steel liner. $30.00. AlfiCarafes.com.
Parents love to share photos of their kids with family and friends, and now with FOTOBOX Plus, both novice and computer-savvy parents can edit their photos, apply themes and add background music and narration to slideshows, then upload to YouTube or Facebook. OfficeMax and Amazon.com.
Bring ‘em along on the pride parade, proudly wearing their stripes with the Rainbow Scarf ($18), or in the stands at the Gay Rodeo or just playing sheriff around the house, lil’ buckaroos will love the Cowboy Hat ($42) for kids in black or pink. SanDiegoHat.com.Wired Kid
Children will love interacting with their favorite characters as they build early reading skills with the Vtech Bugsby Reading System – Pen and Starter Book Bundle. As they follow along the words on the pages with a bookworm-shaped electronic pen, Bugsby reads along with them. Kid friendly in design, every story book title includes a software cartridge with no additional downloads required! Ages 3 to 7. $29.99. Vtechkids.com.
Some little hipsters are just too cool for clothes, but even the coolest kiddie cat will dig the Pirate Skull Tee and other punkster styles for hip kids and tattooed mommas and papa rockers at Too Fast Clothing. $18.00. toofastonline.com.
Kids can play family photographer with the Vtech KidiZoom Plus, a durable, easy-grip digital kid’s camera for taking, editing and viewing and photos, recording digital video movies and playing five included hand-held video games. The 256MB built-in memory stores more than 500 photos or 10 minutes of video and supports an optional 2GB SD memory card. Ages 3 to 9. $59.99 vtechkids.com. 
Share the Pride
Make it easy for proud parents to share their family videos with the Memorex MCC221 MyVideo VGA, a mini camcorder perfectly sized for the pocket, stroller or purse that captures high resolution video and digital photos and one hour of recording time and offers easy uploading and content share to Web sites like Facebook, YouTube and Vimeo. $99.99. Toys R Us and OfficeMax.
Keep his little cappy warm with the REI Fleece Peruvian Toddler Boys Hat, with cute multi-color panels and built-in earflaps for added warmth. Made with double-layer, quick-drying fleece that insulates even when wet. Size 1 to 3. $14.50. REI.
Your little outdoorsman will stay toasty in his REI Boulder Ridge Vest, made of warm and breathable mid-weight fleece. The pockets and collar are lined with soft tricot for comfort and warmth, and a chin guard protects against zipper abrasion. Sizes for infant to 3T. $19.50. REI.
Babies will love to cuddle up with the Alpaca Teddy Bear, and adorable plushy made the fine and luxurious wool of the Alpaca llama. $15.00. utopiaalpacas.com.
Even with two moms, a mother’s work is never done. For the handy-mom who junior believes can fix anything, now she can, with Mighty Mendit, a miracle flexible bonding agent that grabs, adheres and interlocks the fibers of virtually any fabric for a permanent hold. Ands it’s wearable and washable. $19.99. Big box stores or mightymendit.com.
Get a grip and stop your little wild child in her tracks with GRiPPiES, iron-on and stick-on appliqués for socks, tights and even gloves to stop slipping and sliding across floors and give a better grip in mittens and gloves. Available in ovals or cute bear and star patterns. $5.99. Grippiesonline.com.
Spend some quality time with junior making an old fashioned rocket ship with the Little Experience Build-it Space Explorer. The kit comes complete with wooden rocket parts, paint, glue, stickers, varnish and even a splash mat. Ages 4 to 12. $18.99. the-little-experience.com.
