oh baby!

It's easy to get caught up in all the baby hype out there. From innovative products and cutting edge formulas, there are enough potions on the shelves to keep you spewing out cash every time you turn around. The truth is, all you need are the basics. One of my favorites is Jurlique Baby's Calming Bath Oil ($18), a gentle oil infused with lavender to nurture and soothe before bedtime. I pour a capful into the bath and mix it in with my hands to keep their skin feeling soft and calm. The Gentle Shampoo and Body Wash ($18) also comes in handy--it lathers up just enough to work into their hair but rinses out easily. The best part: It has a push-button flip cap so you can flip it open with one hand while keeping another hand on your slippery infant. I also rely on Jurlique Baby's Soothing Barrier Cream ($29) to get me through diaper changes. The thick formula really coats the skin and does wonders for preventing and healing diaper rash. Try these products for yourself at www.jurlique.com.

sewbaby: one-of-a-kind clothes for your little one

Need a baby or birthday gift? Want to dress your own baby or toddler in something you don't find on the racks? Check out these adorable pieces from Sewbaby.

Moms who resort to shopping via the "add to cart" button on babygap.com or oldnavy.com should especially take note: Sewbaby onesies, tops, pants and other offerings make a far more unique and personal purchase and can be customized. That's something that's hard, if not impossible, to do elsewhere. Whether it's choosing your fabric or your design, Sewbaby can do it all.

Rachel Weiner, a graphic artist turned preschool teacher and now the mom behind the line, started making baby clothes a couple of years before she had her now 2.5 year old daughter Ella.

"After I quit teaching and had Ella, I wanted to use all of my background interests and started sewing presents for my friends who were having babies," she says. "I started doing T-shirts and then people started asking me to make some for their newborns, and that's how it began."

It's no surprise that Weiner has a passion for clothes. "I grew up as the only girl in a family of four kids, so I owned 25 Cabbage Patch Kids. I would act like their mommy and dress them up all the time!"

Weiner searches the garment district and online for amazing fabrics and uses her Upper West Side Manhattan apartment as her workspace. She says, "My customers are mainly friends and family who have babies/toddlers themselves or are giving presents to others."

While all of her pieces make you stop and admire, some of the most popular include the gift sets which may include a letter shirt and bib for a new baby, or a number shirt for a child turning one or two. She makes clothes for Ella and recently made her a personalized doll stroller too. She explains, "I wanted to make her doll stroller stand out amongst those of her friends at the NYC playgrounds."

Remarkably, her biggest challenge isn't creating the designs or giving customers what they want but finding the space to sew. "I only have one table in my NYC apt so I have to clear everything off to use the sewing machine! And finding storage space for all the onesies and fabrics I buy isn't easy either!"

But when a customer sends her a photo of her baby wearing Sewbaby clothes, it's all worthwhile. She hopes to one day expand her business from blog to website to make it easier for customers to order. For now, check out her entire collection at http://sewbaby.blogspot.com.

holiday gift guide: give Splendid Littles

Who doesn't want to have the best-dressed kid on the block? There are so many cute clothing companies out there so when a celebrity--who can splurge on practically anything--chooses one over the others, we want to see what's so special about it. Nicole Richie has been dressing her kids, Harlow and Sparrow, in Splendid Littles and was recently photographed with her family, including Sparrow wearing a Splendid Littles striped onesie. Turns out the clothing brand offers lots of adorable options when it comes to baby clothing, including the three-piece thermal romper set shown here ($99). There are cute tiered dresses and leggings and tunics for toddler girls, plus long-sleeve fleeces and hoodies for toddler boys. Replenish your kids' wardrobes or shop for yourself (think cozy leggings, thermal henley tops and pjs too). Buy all your holiday baby gifts at www.splendid.com.

baby on board

Summer means getting away from it all and we all know how important it is to travel light when there's a baby involved. Now you can do so and still bring the products you need and love--thanks to the Weleda Baby Starter Kit ($12). It's composed of five essential Weleda products designed to calm, soothe and protect in an easy-to-carry, reusable bag that meets TSA size requirements. Formulated with Biodynamic® calendula, the Weleda Baby Calendula Care collection softly cares for a baby’s ultra-sensitive skin. Plus, it smells baby fresh! The Calendula Baby Cream gives skin a protective layer from dry indoor air or the ravages of the great outdoors. Calendula Oil, formulated with organic chamomile, is ideal for after a bath or to pamper your baby with a soothing massage. Calendula Lotion with sweet almond oil, organic sesame oil and calendula moisturizes and soothes delicate skin. Calendula Shampoo & Body Wash, with plant-derived, sugar-based cleansing and foaming agents, is gentle on eyes and skin. And--my favorite--Calendula Diaper Care, complete with a medicinal blend of zinc oxide and other calming ingredients, offers quick relief from diaper rash and minor skin irritations. Plus, it eliminates unwanted odors and leaves your little one smelling sweet. Get your kit at www.usa.weleda.com.

get comfortable

You go out of your way to find super-soft clothes and accessories for your baby--from onesies to blankets, even baby wipes! The creator of the Little Pharo clothing line can relate. Monica used 100% Extra-Long Staple Egyptian Cotton, an extremely luxurious and rare fiber. Her 18-month old son wears Little Pharo jammies or shirts and leggings whenever he is home. He also wears the onesies (sleeveless or short-sleeve in the summer, and long-sleeve in the winter) underneath his clothes because, she says, "what more important place would you want something ultra soft, than against your baby's delicate skin?" Not only are the pieces extra soft, but Monica claims she's washed them dozens of times and they're totally durable. She says they actually get even softer with each wash! "I am still trying to figure out what my son is going to wear when he outgrows the line later this year--it only runs up to 24 months for now!" she says. Choose lightweight summer pieces like rompers or leggings, or pick out your next baby shower gift (try the adorable onesies!) A portion of the proceeds from each Little Pharo garment purchased goes to benefit underprivileged and orphaned children in Africa. Go to www.littlepharo.com to order and enter the coupon code caboodle for a 20% discount off your entire purchase.

bag it

If I'm not carrying a huge diaper bag stuffed with everything-you-could-possibly-need-for-baby, I'm tooling around town with diapers and wipes peeking out from my own personal tote. There's got to be a better way! Thanks to Drugstore.com, you can grab a sleek pouch and go. Introducing the Mommy Bag--an innovative collaboration with fashion designer and new mom Jenni Kayne. The roomy, canvas, portable pouch--large enough to store products for a quick outing and small enough to stash in a stroller or slouchy handbag--features elasticized pockets for easily accessible bottles and snacks. And for a limited time only, spend $75 on drugstore.com and get the bag filled with a collection of eco-friendly products for mom and baby (a $50 value). It includes Philips Avent pacifiers, Burt's Bees lotion, Seventh Generation diapers, California Baby Calendula Cream, Earth's Best Chlorine-Free Diapers and Wipes, and much more. A bonus: Shop drugstore.com for all of your health, beauty and household products and take advantage of incentives like automatic shipping and 5% back. Click on www.drugstore.com to place your order.

fight swine flu: wash your hands!

If you spend your days out and about, you know the value of having a travel size hand cleanser in your diaper bag. The playground, playgroups, classes and kid-friendly restaurants are all great places to find much unwanted germ-fests. And with the prospect of the swine flu looming, you have one more major reason to keep your bag well-stocked. There are a ton of hand sanitizers on the market, so you may think it's tough to find one that's right for your baby. Try the Instant Hand Cleanser ($6 for the small bottle; $16 for the large bottle) from the Thymes Sweetleaf Baby Collection. The product line features honey to moisturize, organic aloe barbadensis leaf extract to soothe and heal, organic chamomile extract to calm and organic lavender extract with anti-bacterial properties to help babies relax. The best part: Sweetleaf Hand Cleanser has a delicate, powdery rose and jasmine scent that smells as soft and sweet as your baby does. Pick one up at www.thymes.com or a specialty store near you.

rock on

Whether you live at Baby Gap or swear by hand-me-downs from friends, chances are your kids' wardrobes can use a little boost. You know, one or two fun pieces that give it an edge...so they don't look like every other toddler at the playground. Rock Baby Rock, a high-end infant and toddler clothing line, was created to infuse kids' clothes with fun and energy that was missing from the childrenswear market. Think onesies, t-shirts, hoodies, board shorts, flared and straight legged pants, skirts, jumpers, and tiered or hooded dresses ($34 to $62) in infant sizes three to 12 months and toddler sizes two to four. Soon to be unleashed for Fall: The Wild, Wild Safari collection, designed to spread the love for the world we live in and its animals. Featuring adorable graphics of elephants, giraffes, hippos, lions and zebras, amidst paw prints, stripes and stars, the clothes promote messages like "love, love, love," "to love is to learn," and "knock on the sky and hear me." In the softest fleece, Supima cotton jersey and French terry, as well as brilliant colors like fuschia, carrot, teal, majesty, sunshine, castle rock and cocoa, they add an unexpected pop to any wee outfit. Go to www.rockbabyrock.net for stores and info.