The Place to Scoop Up the Best In: Breast-Feeding Essentials

You’ll Love It Because: High-quality information and products are what The Care Connection is known for—the experienced staff will help you choose the supplies and equipment you need, and they’ll keep following up to make sure your breast-feeding experience is a smooth one.

Check This Out: Everything you could want to help you breastfeed is on this site (think: nursing pillows, bras, swimsuits, covers and more), but don’t miss the Medela pumps and accessories—top-of-the-line products that are safe and comfortable for moms and babies. Rent or purchase a range of pumps, from those for occasional use to hospital-grade ones, to suit your situation.

Something Else You’ll Think Is Cool: Classes galore. If you’re in the Western New York area, you can take one of the classes from The Care Connection, which features Infant & Child CPR, Return to Work/Pump for Success, Language and Learning Together, Childbirth Education, Infant Massage and more.z

Contact: www.careconnectiononline.com, 877.639.0300

The Place to Scoop Up the Best In: Bedding For Boys

You’ll Love It Because: Little girls used to have all the luck when it came to bedding—pinks and frills and lace, oh my!—but after one grandma discovered the dearth in quality options for boys, she launched Just Boys Bedding. Now the little rascals can have style and durability surrounding them as they sleep.

Check This Out: The tween bedding. Guys limboing between boyhood and teendom can be tough to buy for, and figuring out what kind of bedroom theme will suit your not-so-little-but-still-kind-of-little boy is a challenge. Thankfully, Just Boys Bedding has amassed a nice collection of bedding that will suit, the 10-, 11- or 12-year-old you’ve got running around. It’s worth looking at this section if you have younger boys, too, as you may be able to snag something that will take his bedding from elementary to middle school with ease.

Something Else You’ll Think Is Cool: It’s all pretty cool, but some of the standouts are the bolder prints, like the Soccer Boys Quilt and Pillow Sham Set (the vibrant green is fun and inspires us to want to go out and run a couple of laps) and the Pirate Treasure Quilt Set (ahoy, matey!).

Contact: www.justboysbedding.com, 407.687.8802

The Place to Scoop Up the Best In: teeth-losing celebratory accessories

You’ll Love It Because: Ultimate Tooth Fairy’s tag line is “You bring the tooth...we’ll bring the magic,” and they definitely live up to that. With offerings like an Instant Custom Tooth Fairy Certificate, you’ll never be caught empty-handed when the tooth loosens faster than you thought it would, and you can make the experience even more special with things like fairy dust and a tooth fairy pillow.

A Gift Worth Giving: Personalized Piggy Banks. Whether you’ve got an under-the-sea fan, budding ballerina, train enthusiast or pretty princess in training, a personalized piggy bank—which comes complete with the child’s name—will delight. Doubling as room décor and a device to teach the value of saving, this is one gift that’s worth its weight in ceramics.

Something Else You’ll Think Is Cool: While teeth loss may not correspond perfectly with Christmas, you might want to stock up on some goodies if you’re entering the permanent-tooth phase. For little girls, nothing is sweeter than the Tooth Fairy Memory Locket, which has her name on the outside and the date she lost her first tooth on the inside. A freshwater pearl hangs on the inside as a symbol of the momentous occasion.

Contact: www.ultimatetoothfairy.com, 804.767.7168

The Place to Scoop Up the Best In: classic children’s fashions

You’ll Love It Because: In business since 1980, Just Ducky Originals updates it selection each season to bring the best designer duds to chic children. Each garment starts and ends at their factory in North Carolina, but in the middle of the process, the pieces go out to women in a semi-rural community who sew the garments at home, bring them back in and get paid, thus eliminating the need to commute into the city to look for work.

A Gift Worth Giving: Clothes from the Verry Merry Collection. Traditional red and green mix with chartreuse and hot pink for a fun and funky update on classic Christmas wear in this line of outfits. Ruffled pants, a polka-dotted skort, a long-sleeve shirt with a tree-toting pickup truck, and lime clogs are the stars of this sassy theme. Best of all, the kids will feel comfy—not at all constricted.

Something Else You’ll Think Is Cool: The holiday-themed pajamas and loungewear. Whether she’s wearing a spotted gown with a ruffled hem or he has on the green-and-white striped PJs with his name sewn on the front, they’ll be waiting for Santa in style.

Contact: www.justduckyoriginals.com, 800.772.8534

The Place to Scoop Up the Best In: natural skincare and beauty products for girls

You’ll Love It Because: Sparklehearts’ products are 99.6 percent natural and made from organic ingredients, created in the USA, never tested on animals and packaged in recyclable materials. Oh, and super cute!

A Gift Worth Giving: A full set of products—the Shine Shampoo, Soft Conditioner, Peace Out No Knots Hair Detangler, Bubbling Blooms Body Wash and Sweet Hearts Sparkly Body Wash. Parents rave about the effectiveness of the products and how mild they are on delicate skin and fine hair, while kids love the smell and the glittery packaging.

Something Else You’ll Think Is Cool: Like a Lisa Frank sticker book come to life, Sparklehearts’ website is impossible to be unhappy looking at—so for a jolt of joy in the middle of your day, check it out.

Contact: www.sparklehearts.com, 714.397.9291

The Place to Scoop Up the Best In: products that make a busy parent’s life easier

You’ll Love It Because: Based on the idea of a “chocolate cake moment”—you know, that instant where you sit down to have a piece of chocolate cake and feel happy, indulgent and relaxed—this online children’s shop posts thorough descriptions of its products to inform you on exactly what you’re getting. Orders go out quickly and with a handwritten thank-you note so you know a person, not a machine, is behind it.

A Gift Worth Giving: Whether your wee one is on the way to preschool, heading off for a weekend at Grandma’s, or just trying to haul toys across the living room, these plush Pull-Along Kids' Backpacks tote tots' stuff in style. Complete with an easy-to-lock handle bar and available for personalization, these uber-useful playthings pack a cute-as-can-be punch, especially because the stuffed animal on the front comes off to play and then straps back in when Junior wants to take his play on the road.

Something Else You’ll Think Is Cool: The Elf on the Shelf. Start a Christmas tradition with this mystical little guy, who comes with a book to explain his important purpose: to watch everyone in the house and report back to Santa about who was naughty and nice. Move him every day for a fun game of elf hide-and-seek.

Contact: www.chocolatecakeclub.com

The Place to Scoop Up the Best In: luxe children’s items

You’ll Love It Because: An online mecca for luxury furniture, crib and children’s bedding, custom wall art, floor décor and baby gear, The Frog and the Princess has a royally great collection of some of the finer, frilly things you want to provide for your kids.

A Gift Worth Giving: The Petite Princess Tutu Costume is too, too cute. Any prima ballerina in the making will love twirling, swirling and whirling around in this pink masterpiece that comes with a crown purse and headband, all wrapped up in a large gift box with a bow. Castle not included.

Something Else You’ll Think Is Cool: The Kids Lunchboxes. Add your child’s first or full name to one of these tin lunch totes, which manage to be retro and modernly hip all at the same time. No one else will show up to school with anything nearly as awesome (unless their moms are reading this guide, too).

Contact: www.thefrogandtheprincess.com, 888.557.0255

20% off with code TFG20

The Place to Scoop Up the Best In: customized T-shirts

You’ll Love It Because: Pablo Picasso once said: “It took me four years to paint like Raphael, but a lifetime to paint like a child.” Immortalize that kid-created artwork with a shirt from Poloppo, which takes a child’s designs and turns them into a fashion statement that makes an unbeatable gift for a kid brimming with artistic creativity.

A Gift Worth Giving: The T-me Kit for Kids has everything to make wearable art, including a pack of 10 mini-markers, coloring pages and blank paper, a T-shirt catalog and a prepaid envelope. It comes with a gift tag that says “Many best wishes from ...,” so you can do a little personalizing of your own.

Something Else You’ll Think Is Cool: For drawing anytime, Dual Brush Pens from Tombow are odorless, acid-free and nontoxic markers with a brush tip that can create fine lines or bold strokes. They’re top-notch tools for the pint-sized artist who takes refrigerator pictures seriously.

Contact: www.poloppo.com, 877.396.4863

10% off with code BC10

The Place to Scoop Up the Best In: stuffed animals

You’ll Love It Because: The family-owned and -operated Plush Puppy to Go stemmed from the owner’s love for cuddly creatures, and she translates her passion into a business that sells the highest-quality stuffed animals a kid (or parent!) could ask for.

A Gift Worth Giving: Jellycat stuffed animals. These of-the-moment soft toys result in a soft spot in the hearts of kids. We’re partial to the Bashful Donkey, but all the characters are cute and guaranteed to get plenty of cuddle time.

Something Else You’ll Think Is Cool: Douglas Lil’ Snuggler blankies are just right for baby’s first stuffed animal. The satin trim, super-soft material and adorable design ensure this blanket will be in heavy rotation with any small fry.

Contact: www.plushpuppytogo.com, 866.630.3881

The Place to Scoop Up the Best In: gorgeous hair accessories

You’ll Love It Because: Nothing completes a holiday outfit for little girls better than a sweet hair bow. And at the mom-owned BloomingBows.com, you’ll find well-made, top-of-the-line hair bows that don’t fray or break apart. Plus, free shipping on all U.S. orders over $10 sweetens the deal.

A Gift Worth Giving: Holiday Hair Bows. With more than 30 options to choose from, you can go for classic red and green with a gingerbread man embellishment, elegant navy blue with a silver snowflake, or white and bright with a pop of holly, among others.

Something Else You’ll Think Is Cool: Personalized Hair Bows. Get her something she can proudly wear year-round with a hair bow that has her name or initial on it. She’ll know it was picked out just with her in mind.

Contact: www.bloomingbows.com, 800.452.9145

10% off over $50 with code GROOVE

The Place to Scoop Up the Best In: educational science kits and toys

You’ll Love It Because: Engaging, entertaining, educational: the trifecta of children’s toys. That’s exactly what you’ll get with any product from Discover This, a one-stop shop for high-quality science toys and kits. Whether your little learner is into robots, dinosaurs or perfume, you’ll find something to expand his or her horizons.

A Gift Worth Giving: The CHEM C1000 chemistry kit. Flame tests that identify the elements of chemical substances? Invisible ink that creates an American flag? Building a mini fire extinguisher to make water flow uphill with air pressure? Sounds awesome, right? The 75 science experiments in this chemistry kits for kids ages 10 and up are so scientifically mesmerizing, adults will want to don a lab coat, too.

Something Else You’ll Think Is Cool: The Creative Cosmetics set. Chemistry may be a male-dominated field now, but the tides are shifting—and if you’ve got a budding little scientist on your list who happens to be a girl, this gift will be a slumber party hit. The kit includes 11 different cosmetics base substances to make personalized makeup, lip gloss, body lotion, face cream and shower gel. Younger kids (4 and up) will bubble over with excitement for Fizzy Foamy Science, a kit that explains the wonders of things like bread rising and soda pop popping.

Contact: www.discoverthis.com, 866.438.8697