The universal parental goal:  a sleeping baby.  And thanks to the creative folks over at Cloud-b, a sleeping baby (and ergo, a sleeping parent) is now easier than ever to achieve.  If you have a baby and haven’t discovered the Sleep Sheep, you’re missing out on some serious zzzzzzzzzs.  The Sleep Sheep attaches to the crib bars, keeping your little one safe, and plays four different soft sounds from nature that lull a baby to sleep much faster than the tinny lullaby noise music produced by most mobiles and cribs.  The built-in timer plays the soothing sounds for 23 minutes before turning itself off and saving you batteries.  Parent tested product here, folks.  Great baby shower gift, as well.  Cloud-b also makes a great travel version for kidlets on-the-go.  Consider a Sleep Sheep an investment in YOUR sleep.

$23.00 at Amazon

Even though I’m not in the market for a diaper bag, I sure did a LOT of extensive research of and shopping for them a few years back. So I was delighted to discover today that Fleurville, synonymous with trendiness (and priciness), has developed new, ultra-cool diaper bags made from recycled plastic bottles. Called Re-Run, this new line of bags is crafted by processing used plastic bottles into fabric. They use this instead of PVC, which many other diaper bags use because it’s a cheap material. So that makes this bag safer than others for your kids, plus it’s obviously environmentally friendly and can set a great example for kids about the importance of thinking about the environment, even when using everyday items like a diaper bag.

These bags posess all of the usual wonderfulness of regular Fleurville bags, with new bonuses like internal fleece-lined sunglass and IPod pockets, plus an ear bud pass-through badge.

I sure wish these would have been around a few years ago for me… But kudos to Fleurville for developing this cool recycled material now for such a great, functional purpose. And for making them so much more affordable than their others (about half price!).

Messenger-style diaper bags in 5 diferent colors/patterns Available from $74.95 at Amazon.com. They also offer Re-Run stroller diaper bags and micro-pods starting at $27.95.

Time for a trip to Grandma’s? These little suitcases are perfect as a gift to (or from) Grandma, or to a little one-on-the-go, and they’re oh so sweet! Available in powder blue or light pink, they feature a color-coordinated liner and even include a soft baby blanket of the same color. $25.99 each at Amazon.com

For the older child, consider this train case, made of durable polyester to stand up to all the wear and tear a kid can dish out. The design is also available as an upright suitcase and a wheeled duffel, and they all come in a variety of colors for you to choose from. From $24.74 at Amazon.com

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Keeping kidlets occupied while traveling is no mean feat. We’ve all used portable DVD players for their favorite movies and toting along a zillion books to read on the plane, but here’s another cool idea from Travel Time Stories….it’s a personalized CD full of favorite kidlet stories.

Every story has a customized introduction, spoken to your child using his or her first name, to explain what to listen for in the story. The introduction includes a well-known classical music excerpt, with music played by a symphony or chamber orchestra, from composers such as Tchaikovsky, Chopin, Handel, and Beethoven. Your child’s name will be custom printed on the CD’s label.

There are 3 CD’s to choose from and any one of them would be a perfect gift for your kidlet or even a for a grandparent to keep for their babysitting days. Stories include many familiar favorites such as Hansel and Gretel, The Princess and the Pea, The Emperor’s New Clothes and many more. Enjoy!

$15.95 + shipping

I so could have used one of these for my son on our last cross-country flight!

Not your standard, run-of-the-mill sleep mask, this is actually a soft, organic (not to mention supercute) hat, which makes it functional even when baby is awake. When nap time rolls around, simply flip down the brim of the hat and voila! - instant (and safe) sleep mask. Obviously this is especially useful on airplanes, although I can think of many more places it would definitely come in handy…(car trips, restaurants, out and about in the stroller, pretty much any naps away from home).

It’s made of 100% organic pima cotton (=super soft) and comes in Natural, Magenta, or Blue in sizes up to 18 months. You can find instructions, safety info, and more details at Mom4Life.com

$22.00 at Mom4Life

Tags: baby+sleep+hat, infant+sleep+mask, baby+airplane+travel, safe+baby+sleep+mask