a green clean

Call it virgin hand sanitizer and you'd be right--it has no alcohol! CleanWell All Natural Hand Sanitizers ($2.99 to $3.50) are not only safe to use on your kids but come in convenient pocket sized sprays, wipes, desktop bottles and easy to use foams. Stash one in your handbag, one in your diaper bag, one in your desk drawer and on your foyer table for quick cleaning before entering your home. I love the spray version since you can cover a greater surface area--especially when your kids are busy playing with a toy and don't want to give you the time of day when you're trying to apply it. Plus, the new orange vanilla scent makes your hands smell clean and fresh. Available at Whole Foods Market, select Target stores, Babies R Us, Vitamin Shoppe, GNC, www.Amazon.com, and other retailers.

sleep tight

Is bedtime chaos central at your house? I often give my kids a pre-bedtime bath to "calm them down" but they end up inventing all kinds of new games in the bath and riling each other up instead. So I always need a little extra help getting them to mellow out when they finally hit the hay. The Lulabie® aromatherapy teddy bears ($29.95 each) introduces kids to the "sleep well” ritual from birth on. The Lulabie® teddy bear gift sets include a scented teddy bear with a “sleep well” aromatherapy formula, a short bed time story that tells the story of Lulabie Land and its animals to read to your child before he goes to sleep, and a relaxing music CD. Created by founder Sabrina Polakoff, who knew a good night of sleep was the most precious gift any parent could have, the Lulabie® “sleep well” formula is a blend of aromatherapy and includes 100% pure lavender oil to help calm and relax, orange to calm down, thyme to revive the soul and cardamom to release fatigue and stress. The patent pending scented technology allows for a slow and constant release of the fragrance, so kids can enjoy the aromatherapy scent for months. Choose from Rubie (beige), Rhodie (pink), Saffie (blue), and Selie (brown). Go to www.lulabie.com for more info or www.walmart.com, www.amazon.com and www.target.com to purchase.